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Let’s talk coffee

it's more of a beverage that they tend to have on ice with condensed milk.

Similar to Malaysian "kopi", by the sounds of it.

We're under lockdown again here in NZ, which means more coffee drinking for me! I was making an aeropress every morning, but I've recently been doing a bigger pour-over and having one in the morning and one a little later. Just finished a nice Honduras natural. Thin in body, but huge in flavour. Cherry and cola nut flavours coming through really strong. Their single origins are only available in-store or online and I can't get to the store under lockdown, so I thought I would try one of their blends which can be bought at a local supermarket. It's a dark roasted blend. Quite nice once it's cooled down a little and the chocolate notes come through more. It's got nothing on a good single origin, though. The roaster does subscriptions, where they post the beans to you weekly, fortnightly, monthly, whatever. But you can only subscribe to one type of bean. Seems like a missed opportunity to me. I would subscribe in a second if I could get a different single origin every week. There is another roaster doing that, but they don't do as good a job of roasting.
 
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whelp, I got a 1-cup moka pot, so instead of drinking from the 3-cup one and jumping around half the day, I've been having two of the 1-cup ones (one with breakfast and one with lunch) and feeling pretty good.

I also went walking through Chinatown in Toronto with my girlfriend and ended up picking up a Vietnamese coffee filter and some Vietnamese coffee. I'm tracking that it's more of a beverage that they tend to have on ice with condensed milk, but the stuff isn't bad black, it's a bit thin in body coming from the filter, but in a moka pot it's very finely ground, so it comes out slowly, and and has a thick body to it. The flavour (I imagine compounded by the fact that it's pre-ground and christ only knows how long it was sitting on the shelf) is a bit one-dimensional, but it kinda makes me think a bit of chocolate and popcorn. Honestly, I'd say it's worth a shot to most.

Also, I've been (and this is a waaays out) contemplating roasting my own beans going forward, since it seems like you can just get a bunch of beans and not have to worry about freshness until you roast them.
Vietnam is also one of the few places I have been able to get Robusta beans from. I only really did it to try them. Robusta coffee is less flavorful, maybe a bit more earthy. It also has higher caffeine than Arabica beans.

I've personally been making espresso almost exclusively as my main way to make coffee. I dilute it a bit just about 1 part hot water to 1 part espresso. I love the crema i get.
 
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Similar to Malaysian "kopi", by the sounds of it.

We're under lockdown again here in NZ, which means more coffee drinking for me! I was making an aeropress every morning, but I've recently been doing a bigger pour-over and having one in the morning and one a little later. Just finished a nice Honduras natural. Thin in body, but huge in flavour. Cherry and cola nut flavours coming through really strong. Their single origins are only available in-store or online and I can't get to the store under lockdown, so I thought I would try one of their blends which can be bought at a local supermarket. It's a dark roasted blend. Quite nice once it's cooled down a little and the chocolate notes come through more. It's got nothing on a good single origin, though. The roaster does subscriptions, where they post the beans to you weekly, fortnightly, monthly, whatever. But you can only subscribe to one type of bean. Seems like a missed opportunity to me. I would subscribe in a second if I could get a different single origin every week. There is another roaster doing that, but they don't do as good a job of roasting.

I'm sorry to hear about the lockdowns, nobody likes that stuff. People are grumbling up here about still having to wear masks, honestly, they're not bad compared to more lockdowns. Good to hear about your coffee situation, though. I've yet to try anything from local roasters in Kingston, I've got the better part of a half kilo or so of some grocery store stuff that honestly is about as good as it has any right to be, and then this vietnamese stuff as well. It's going to be a while, but I've found a roaster that seems nice, and also are willing to sell green coffee to people.

Vietnam is also one of the few places I have been able to get Robusta beans from. I only really did it to try them. Robusta coffee is less flavorful, maybe a bit more earthy. It also has higher caffeine than Arabica beans.

I've personally been making espresso almost exclusively as my main way to make coffee. I dilute it a bit just about 1 part hot water to 1 part espresso. I love the crema i get.
I respect the conviction of anybody willing to commit the time and finances into making genuine espresso. I'm quite satisfied with my moka pot for being close enough for my tastes, but yeah, no crema.

I didn't know that about Vietnam and robusta coffee, though.
 
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I'm sorry to hear about the lockdowns, nobody likes that stuff. People are grumbling up here about still having to wear masks, honestly, they're not bad compared to more lockdowns. Good to hear about your coffee situation, though. I've yet to try anything from local roasters in Kingston, I've got the better part of a half kilo or so of some grocery store stuff that honestly is about as good as it has any right to be, and then this vietnamese stuff as well. It's going to be a while, but I've found a roaster that seems nice, and also are willing to sell green coffee to people.


I respect the conviction of anybody willing to commit the time and finances into making genuine espresso. I'm quite satisfied with my moka pot for being close enough for my tastes, but yeah, no crema.

I didn't know that about Vietnam and robusta coffee, though.
I went with a more affordable, but not cheap espresso maker from de'longhi. Not $800, but not $40 for the maker either. The burr grinder is the other expense. But altogether per use i think I'm already down to $2 per use for the setup.
 
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I went with a more affordable, but not cheap espresso maker from de'longhi. Not $800, but not $40 for the maker either. The burr grinder is the other expense. But altogether per use i think I'm already down to $2 per use for the setup.
It pays itself off over time for sure, one of the few hobbies that can do so depending on how you want to work it out. It's just a lot up front, and knowing that espresso can be reliant on gear I'd be spending a lot of time wondering about whether i bought just the *right* one for me.
 
It pays itself off over time for sure, one of the few hobbies that can do so depending on how you want to work it out. It's just a lot up front, and knowing that espresso can be reliant on gear I'd be spending a lot of time wondering about whether i bought just the *right* one for me.
Cheaper than playing music. I get it though. I often wonder what I'm missing for the expensive machine, but I'm pretty happy. I guess it's like buying a MIM fender and then wondering if you really needed the American Professional.
 
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I’ve been away from home a lot the past few months, staying with friends and family and enjoying their coffee hospitality. This has ranged from Keurig pods, pour-over ground grocery store beans, to stale drip stuff reheated from a previous day. I tamped down my coffee-snob inclinations and just enjoyed the time visiting. This morning I made a cup from my own full city roasted Ethiopian Yirgacheffe beans with my Aeropress….it’s good to be home.
 
Moved out of San Francisco and can't get coffee from my old local roaster anymore. Been searching for a new source. Whole foods had their coffee on sale last month so I bought a bag of Bonne Nuit dark french roast beans. I was pleasantly surprised at nice shots it made in my Breville espresso machine. Been cold here lately so I have been making latte in the morning. Even making it with almond milk. Tastes great, but I still can't do the fancy art work on top.
 
Ah yes, the beauty that is the moka pot. Our Bialetti is an essential item in our tiny home. I love the whole process from grinding beans to sipping the thick rich coffee we get out of it.
I was just reading this article a few minutes ago: https://www.gourmetaly.com/italian-coffee-maker-moka-pot/.

-Mike
It's a good one, been a preferred method for years. I've got a Bialetti 3-cup model and a 1-cup knockoff from Amazon that I've been using more lately.

At first I was worried about fit on the knockoff one, and admittedly I had to take off the pressure valve and sand down some burrs in the manufacturing process, but after that it's been perfectly fine. Heck, the little plastic knob on the bialetti has been loose and wobbly the whole time I've owned it, but the cheap one it's stuck on there pretty good.

At any rate, it's hard not to enjoy something that's so simple.
 
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Moved out of San Francisco and can't get coffee from my old local roaster anymore. Been searching for a new source. Whole foods had their coffee on sale last month so I bought a bag of Bonne Nuit dark french roast beans. I was pleasantly surprised at nice shots it made in my Breville espresso machine. Been cold here lately so I have been making latte in the morning. Even making it with almond milk. Tastes great, but I still can't do the fancy art work on top.
Wish I could help you out, some of my favorite stuff was roasted in Halifax, I don't even know any Roasters in town just yet since COVID has been touch and go the whole time. My gf's father sent me some of the Halifax stuff for Christmas, want any?
 
I asked around while I was on the Big Island last month found some unroasted Kona coffee beans. They are an extravagance but I hope will be a good souvenir to remember the trip. I’ve been roasting my own beans for 5 years, always in tiny batches using a popcorn popper.
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100% Kona? That's a great score @pisces_bass. Nordstroms is the only one around here that I know of still using a 100% Kona.
Most others mix it up, but they're very tricky about it.

-Mike
The marketing of Kona coffee is an interesting and tricky business! I hemmed and hawed on buying these but after visiting a few coffee plantations and asking lots of questions, the opportunity to get 100% Kona premium grade green beans was too rare to pass up.

I have a friend who had a monthly subscription from a favorite coffee wholesaler in Kona for many years. He quit buying it last year because prices are getting out of reach. The green beans are the most expensive I’ve put the cash down for but a fraction of the per pound rate for the top brands roasted beans.
 
I have two friends who are coffee farmers on the Big Island. If you ever get to craving more of that Kona later, let me know and I'll get you some. No markups. You can have it for the same price I'd pay for it, which will be inexpensive.
I don't care for the earthiness of Hawaiian coffee myself, so I don't partake.

-Mike
 
Moved out of San Francisco and can't get coffee from my old local roaster anymore. Been searching for a new source. Whole foods had their coffee on sale last month so I bought a bag of Bonne Nuit dark french roast beans. I was pleasantly surprised at nice shots it made in my Breville espresso machine. Been cold here lately so I have been making latte in the morning. Even making it with almond milk. Tastes great, but I still can't do the fancy art work on top.
Weren't there some roasters in Noe Valley?do they ship?
 
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Taking this in another direction, what do you prefer to drink out of? For me, it is a thick-walled ceramic cup. I currently like mugs from Magnolia Table. They are small though. For some reason, I like coffee from these mugs. They hold heat well and the heft of it feels good.

I really do not like being served ANY coffee drink in a glass mug.

What do you like?

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