Let’s talk coffee

[BassNugget]

I love a hand grinder. I usually walk around while grinding. I have used the same Zassenhaus Havona since 1998.

 

[MJ5150]

It's been said before, but worth repeating. Coffee is 98% water.
When one decides to 'up their coffee game' and purchase better quality beans or brewing equipment, one should also pay attention to the water they are using. For example, if you won't drink the water at your house directly from the tap, don't brew coffee with it either. Filter it first, or use filtered water, etc.

-Mike

 

[monti2889]

I love the ninja coffee maker...for basic brewing and a few specialty brews. It's sufficient for my needs. Although, I do prefer a French press, it's a bit more time consuming.
I particularly like the Ethiopian and jamacian blue mountain beans the best. But for everyday cup in the morning stuff, I'm happy with Folgers or Maxwell...or whatever.
I save the special blends for relaxing affairs or special occasions.

 

[BassNugget]

Something fun I picked up. Some puzzles and nice trivia.

 

[pie_man_25]

It's been said before, but worth repeating. Coffee is 98% water.
When one decides to 'up their coffee game' and purchase better quality beans or brewing equipment, one should also pay attention to the water they are using. For example, if you won't drink the water at your house directly from the tap, don't brew coffee with it either. Filter it first, or use filtered water, etc.

-Mike

Same with beer, though tbh I've never worried much about it. Maybe I should think about it.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

It's been said before, but worth repeating. Coffee is 98% water.
When one decides to 'up their coffee game' and purchase better quality beans or brewing equipment, one should also pay attention to the water they are using. For example, if you won't drink the water at your house directly from the tap, don't brew coffee with it either. Filter it first, or use filtered water, etc.

-Mike

I drink the tap water here all the time. Always have. Not sure if the water has been contributing to the acidity or not, but I drink 48 oz of it during the morning workout and that never seems to bother me when it’s not in coffee.

Going to head up to a well regarded local coffee shop to buy some beans today. Not sure how they classify such things, but I’m hoping to get a medium dark roast that would be about a 4 on a scale of 1-5 light to dark. Would that be language that most shops would understand? Also, how course should I set the grinder to for a regular pour over?

 

[two fingers]

My coffee is..... complex..... these days.

It's a coffee smoothie of sorts.

Lots of ice
Coffee to the top of the ice
2 scoops of quality protien powder (30-40 grams whey isolate protien)
Cinnamon
Non Dutched cacao powder
5 or 6 grams of creatine
A dash of alpha lipoic acid

Blend. Enjoy.

 

[pisces_bass]

My Latest batch of cold brew featuring Kenyan beans. This stuff is way over on the light body, delicate flavors side of the spectrum. More so than some of the Ethiopian beans I’ve had recently. Delicious over ice.

 

[MJ5150]

I drink the tap water here all the time. Always have. Not sure if the water has been contributing to the acidity or not, but I drink 48 oz of it during the morning workout and that never seems to bother me when it’s not in coffee.

Going to head up to a well regarded local coffee shop to buy some beans today. Not sure how they classify such things, but I’m hoping to get a medium dark roast that would be about a 4 on a scale of 1-5 light to dark. Would that be language that most shops would understand? Also, how course should I set the grinder to for a regular pour over?

That's great that you have good water. It's not contributing to the acidity. That acidity is 100% the coffee.

When at the coffee shop, referencing light and dark roasts is fine, just make sure you do indeed know that's what you want. I'd suggest describing to the person helping you what you like about your favorite coffee and what you don't like about other coffee's as well as the acidity issues and your stomach. That will help them hone in on a suggestion from what they offer or a suggestion from another roaster if it's not something they have.
Typically, the coffee roasting community is a tight knit group and we all try to help each other. For instance, if you described something I didn't have or even roast, I wouldn't think twice about sending you to another roaster who does roast what would be best for you rather than shoehorn you into something I have for sale so I can make $10 or so.
Be as descriptive as you can, but also make sure you're talking to someone who (a) cares, and (b) has the knowledge to help you. You could start by asking if the person who roasts the coffee is available. Your average coffee roaster loves to talk about their craft and will drop as much knowledge on you that you ask for.

-Mike

 

[Ken R]

Coffee?
Lavazza is my choice. Black with an ice cube or two, so I don't have to wait 15 minutes to begin drinking it.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Just got back from the coffee shop. The guy there was nice and recommended a Guatemala roast. I made the first cup and it's good, if a little weaker than what I am used to. The gauge on the grinder gave a range of settings for a pour over, so I chose the coarsest one for the first cup. I'll try the other end of the spectrum for the next one. I imagine it will take a while to find the range on both the coffee and the grind.

 

[patrickhowell]

Just got back from the coffee shop. The guy there was nice and recommended a Guatemala roast. I made the first cup and it's good, if a little weaker than what I am used to. The gauge on the grinder gave a range of settings for a pour over, so I chose the coarsest one for the first cup. I'll try the other end of the spectrum for the next one. I imagine it will take a while to find the range on both the coffee and the grind.

The Coffee Compass from Barista Hustle is a great tool for dialing in your brew strength and extraction. Since you mentioned earlier that you're looking for a less acidic cup, I would also try a lower brew temperature (something like 185° F) because more acid is extracted at higher temps.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Well, that was a total bust. I am allergic to hazelnuts. I started to feel funny after a few sips so I checked the bag, which didn't say anything. I then went to their website, and it listed hazelnut in that blend. So I poured it out. Thankfully my allergy won't kill me, but I will be mildly itchy and have a slightly constricted airway for a while.

On another note, how do you clean a burr grinder? I'm assuming rinsing is a bad idea.

 

[MJ5150]

Well, that was a total bust. I am allergic to hazelnuts. I started to feel funny after a few sips so I checked the bag, which didn't say anything. I then went to their website, and it listed hazelnut in that blend. So I poured it out. Thankfully my allergy won't kill me, but I will be mildly itchy and have a slightly constricted airway for a while.

On another note, how do you clean a burr grinder? I'm assuming rinsing is a bad idea.

They added actual hazelnuts to the coffee? Weird. I never put anything in my roaster except green coffee beans.
As for cleaning, I take it apart and use a soft brush (like one you'd use for painting) and a couple toothpicks. The toothpicks work great for any spots the brush can't get to efficiently, but typically the brush is fine. We've been cleaning our Baratza this way for the 15+ years we've owned it.
You can buy products intended to clean coffee grinders, they are usually some kind of pellet the size of coffee beans, but I think they are a waste. We tried the cleaning pellets once just to see what they were all about. Not necessary.

-Mike

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

They added actual hazelnuts to the coffee? Weird. I never put anything in my roaster except green coffee beans.
As for cleaning, I take it apart and use a soft brush (like one you'd use for painting) and a couple toothpicks. The toothpicks work great for any spots the brush can't get to efficiently, but typically the brush is fine. We've been cleaning our Baratza this way for the 15+ years we've owned it.
You can buy products intended to clean coffee grinders, they are usually some kind of pellet the size of coffee beans, but I think they are a waste. We tried the cleaning pellets once just to see what they were all about. Not necessary.

-Mike

Not sure if they added them or what, but here's what I read on the website: Guatemala Los Volcanes | Sunergos Coffee

Any way you slice it, I'm on the hazelnut allergy train right now. Just took some benedryl to counteract.

I will try the brush method to clean it out. This is not what I hoped for my first burr grinder experience!

 

[Lobster11]

Some might consider this a sacrilege, but I've been perfectly happy with my blade grinder for making coffee in a French press. Sure, I wind up with some bits that are too large and some that are too small, but I like the convenience and the coffee is great as far as I can tell.

 

[MJ5150]

Not sure if they added them or what, but here's what I read on the website: Guatemala Los Volcanes | Sunergos Coffee

Any way you slice it, I'm on the hazelnut allergy train right now. Just took some benedryl to counteract.

I will try the brush method to clean it out. This is not what I hoped for my first burr grinder experience!

Interesting. Those are just tasting notes. Some folks use words like tobacco and leather to describe coffee tasting notes, none of which are in the coffee.
You sure know your body better than I do, but I wonder if it's something else that got you since there are no hazelnuts in the coffee.

-Mike

 

[MJ5150]

Some might consider this a sacrilege, but I've been perfectly happy with my blade grinder for making coffee in a French press. Sure, I wind up with some bits that are too large and some that are too small, but I like the convenience and the coffee is great as far as I can tell.

That's all that matters, that it's great to you.
Somewhere there is a bass player plucking away on a used bass they found at a garage sale for $50 with a set of strings older than he/she is, and they think it's great. Who would any of us be to show up and tell them it sounds bad?

-Mike

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

The Coffee Compass from Barista Hustle is a great tool for dialing in your brew strength and extraction. Since you mentioned earlier that you're looking for a less acidic cup, I would also try a lower brew temperature (something like 185° F) because more acid is extracted at higher temps.

Excellent! My kettle has a digital temp setting, so I'll give that a try tomorrow morning.

Interesting. Those are just tasting notes. Some folks use words like tobacco and leather to describe coffee tasting notes, none of which are in the coffee.
You sure know your body better than I do, but I wonder if it's something else that got you since there are no hazelnuts in the coffee.

I have no idea what the roasting process is for flavored coffee beans. I suspect that they are tossed in flavored oil after the roasting process. What I do know is the effect of hazelnuts on my system. It's not an "I need an epi-pen" kind of reaction, but it's unmistakeable. I usually get it from coffee, once even just by sitting next to someone in a faculty meeting who was drinking a hazelnut flavored roast. Oddly, it's not a smell I can instantly recognize (like my other allergen, shrimp); I only know it from its effects.

As far as the grinder, I'm going to do a more scientific experiment and get some of my favorite commercial blends in whole bean form and compare them to the pre-ground versions I have been buying. That way, I'll be comparing apples to apples.

 

[Don Kasper]

I am allergic to hazelnuts.

Hazelnuts...The Noble Preamp of Nut Allergies! Very impressive!
(jk)
Glad you didn't die.
(seriously)
Thanks.