What I like to do too is roast the same bean both light and dark then compare the differences in flavors.
-Mike
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Let’s talk coffee
- Thread starter jmattbassplaya
- Start date
What I like to do too is roast the same bean both light and dark then compare the differences in flavors.
-Mike
Great idea for the next batch. Worste case if I go too long I burn it and the house stinks for a while.
My tastes run towards FC/FC+ which is still a medium roast if you’re used to Starbucks. The popcorn popper I have been using for going on three years is slowly wearing out. Roasts that used to take 7-9 minutes now take 12-14 but it’s still great coffee.
From another thread
I thought stopping a little after 1st crack was pretty standard?
Seems you passed tight through both stages to the first batch of light
what method?
I thought stopping a little after 1st crack was pretty standard?
How the heck does a popcorn popper wear out? You would think the element would either go or not go, same with the fan.
I dunno but it’s a coffee roasting miracle! I smoked a few batches when I was getting started. Turned the beans to charcoal. Now I can take a batch of espresso to Vienna roast over 16-18 minutes if I want.
It's a cheaply made element in there. They get dirty and lose their efficiency, and it doesn't help having all that chaff and dust from roasting clogging up the windings.
-Mike
Bialetti on ancient Svea backpacking stove. In my view, nothing makes more of a difference than good beans, and whatever technique / machine you prefer is a matter of taste. We actually make most of our coffee at home with a cheap drip machine, and it comes out fine. I get out the Bialetti when the drip machine is occupied by Decaf, or I just want a quick cup before my afternoon nap.
Lighting up is a bit scary, first time you do it.
Brewing... keep the lid open so you can see when it starts coming out, because the noise of the stove makes it hard to hear what's going on. You don't want to overheat an empty boiiler. Then close it before the coffee sprays all over you.
Ahhhh...
Lighting up is a bit scary, first time you do it.
Brewing... keep the lid open so you can see when it starts coming out, because the noise of the stove makes it hard to hear what's going on. You don't want to overheat an empty boiiler. Then close it before the coffee sprays all over you.
Ahhhh...
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If I way over pack my stainless Bialetti it will spray coffee out. I guess they are that different to the aluminum ones or you like yours bitter as hell. I just get a little puff at the end.
Point well taken. The designs may be different, and in any event it's just the last few seconds of brewing, when the boiler is practically empty and the water is probably at its hottest. For the most part, the coffee just dribbles out. I use one standard "scoop" which is two tablespoons (sorry for our lovely units of measure), and it doesn't require packing.
It's more of a problem indoors.
If a little steam could hurt coffee, espresso would not be a thing.
Coffee making can't be all that complicated, or our ancestors would not have survived day-long coding sessions.
The sitting there stewing is the worst of leaving it on too long I think.If a little steam could hurt coffee, espresso would not be a thing.
Coffee making can't be all that complicated, or our ancestors would not have survived day-long coding sessions.
The bigger crime is putting too much in the tank in the first place so it is stewed taking too long to push through, and overextracted.
The water to coffee ratio is often overlooked. People are normally good about making sure they have the right amount of coffee, and then the water doesn't always get the same attention.
As you mention @fdeck, it isn't all that complicated. Two ingredients is all you need.
That is why I am in favor of the simplistic methods of coffee brewing mentioned in this thread. Big automatic or semi-automatic machines complicate the process.
-Mike
As you mention @fdeck, it isn't all that complicated. Two ingredients is all you need.
That is why I am in favor of the simplistic methods of coffee brewing mentioned in this thread. Big automatic or semi-automatic machines complicate the process.
-Mike
Ah, that's a good point. I have a phobia about melting the boiler, since an electric stove can get hot enough to melt aluminum. So I actually set a timer so I won't forget about it. When it's done extracting, I take it off the stove, that's it. There isn't time for heat from the stove to reach the brewed coffee, or for water to linger in the grounds. I follow the instructions for the amount of water in the tank, and the amount of coffee. What I get is basically what Bialetti designed it to make.
2 years now I've been running a Expobar Minore Brewtus 4. I'm very happy. Picked up 2nd hand and it had done very little work. Couldn't justify the price of a new one so I'm glad my patience paid off. Just running Breville grinders for Caffinated and Decaf. There are plenty better out there but they do the job.
When I DO get to use my bialetti, I honestly never think too hard about that, I just set the heat to the highest setting, let it go until I just before I hear steam coming, then I take it off the element and turn the heat off. It never comes out too bitter for me, but I find that medium roasts can often turn out too sour for my taste - I find that even some local cafes will make a genuine espresso too acidic for my taste as well.
Reading all this kinda makes me want to get my bialetti and my grinder out. Maybe I'll get a different grinder, though, it was kinda the cheapest hand-powered one I could get and no matter how fine you set it, the grinds always come out as kinda big chunks, and they're just THINNER big chunks, usually about 2-3mm sort of irregular discs or something.
edit: I think my only problems with the moka pot right now are the fact that my 3oz model makes a stronger half cup that keeps me shaking all day, and really can't be saved for later because it'll go cold fast (due to lower volume); it also needs a heating element of some kind, and the only thing I'm allowed in my "dorm" is an electric kettle. I could bring it up to my girlfriend's place though, pretty easily.
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BassHappy
Supporting Member
Coffee is a subject that is very close to my heart.
I spent a couple of years in Europe and got addicted to Italian and Euro coffees. I also discovered that you could use expresso grind in some high end coffee makers, treating it as normal drip grind coffee. Woo-hoo, an idea whose time has come. I find the coffee at many coffee shops tastes bitter, and most Diner and fast food coffee tastes like cardboard to me. Sorry, not into it. I know Starbucks delights in giving America a bitter brew, all the more reason to pay extra for their sugary blends to quell the bitterness, just not for me.
Years ago I found out about the Bona Vita coffee makers, which are superb if you aren't interested in spending hours of your precious time pursuing the art of brewing coffee. They are scientifically designed to brew at the perfect temperature, which is the key in brewing a great cup and putting the bitterness on hold. It's an overwhelming #1 pick this year at CNET and comes highly recommended. I know a hundred bucks might seem like a lot for a coffee maker, but I am on my second one and it is going on three years now and I got about three years on the first one. A bargain in my estimation.
After grinding my beans for years, I have even given up on that too. Sorry, I find it a time waster, and just buy the beans already ground. Maybe I am simply getting old, but I can't detect any difference in grinding your own beans and buying quality ground coffee.
I buy the Lavazza coffees on Amazon already ground, and try to mix and match and have a slightly new blend every morning.
A few of my Lavazza Italian favorites below:
I am the official "coffee slave" in the family, as it's my exclusive job to brew the morning coffee. I can't tell you the number of friends and acquaintances who have flipped over this coffee. Folks get so used to bitter,
they don't realize there is a better smoother taste you can experience with minimal effort.
Anyways, that is my two cents in the coffee realm. Take it with a grain of salt, I don't care if you like your coffee bitter, I hope you don't care that I don't.
I spent a couple of years in Europe and got addicted to Italian and Euro coffees. I also discovered that you could use expresso grind in some high end coffee makers, treating it as normal drip grind coffee. Woo-hoo, an idea whose time has come. I find the coffee at many coffee shops tastes bitter, and most Diner and fast food coffee tastes like cardboard to me. Sorry, not into it. I know Starbucks delights in giving America a bitter brew, all the more reason to pay extra for their sugary blends to quell the bitterness, just not for me.
Years ago I found out about the Bona Vita coffee makers, which are superb if you aren't interested in spending hours of your precious time pursuing the art of brewing coffee. They are scientifically designed to brew at the perfect temperature, which is the key in brewing a great cup and putting the bitterness on hold. It's an overwhelming #1 pick this year at CNET and comes highly recommended. I know a hundred bucks might seem like a lot for a coffee maker, but I am on my second one and it is going on three years now and I got about three years on the first one. A bargain in my estimation.
After grinding my beans for years, I have even given up on that too. Sorry, I find it a time waster, and just buy the beans already ground. Maybe I am simply getting old, but I can't detect any difference in grinding your own beans and buying quality ground coffee.
I buy the Lavazza coffees on Amazon already ground, and try to mix and match and have a slightly new blend every morning.
A few of my Lavazza Italian favorites below:
I am the official "coffee slave" in the family, as it's my exclusive job to brew the morning coffee. I can't tell you the number of friends and acquaintances who have flipped over this coffee. Folks get so used to bitter,
they don't realize there is a better smoother taste you can experience with minimal effort.
Anyways, that is my two cents in the coffee realm. Take it with a grain of salt, I don't care if you like your coffee bitter, I hope you don't care that I don't.
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