Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Let’s talk coffee
- Thread starter jmattbassplaya
- Start date
Isn't asking for forgiveness aforethought a sin itself?
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Promised her an evening out. She's not up for a movie, so this is it. I'll choke down an espresso
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Actually, the cappuccino wasn't bad, and there was decent jazz. Not to mention a cute redhead next to me...
Coffee tastes better out of some cups. I find it is better out of small mugs, 8 oz. max. Pretty much regardless of shape.
The ergonomics of the mug are another matter.
The ergonomics of the mug are another matter.
Just posting an update.
Per my first post in this thread, @MJ5150 and I exchanged some PM’s and then exchanged some roasted beans for dead presidents.
As usual, Mike exceeded my expectations handily. He prepared some Ethiopian Yrgicheffe (sp?) two ways. A darker roast and a lighter roast. The idea here was to highlight the blueberry notes in this variety of beans.
I have only sampled the darker of the two so far, but it is so delicious I don’t miss the cream that I generally add to commercial coffee.
I am anxious to sample the light roast, but I don’t want to break the seal and have both styles oxidizing concurrently.
Thanks Mike!
Per my first post in this thread, @MJ5150 and I exchanged some PM’s and then exchanged some roasted beans for dead presidents.
As usual, Mike exceeded my expectations handily. He prepared some Ethiopian Yrgicheffe (sp?) two ways. A darker roast and a lighter roast. The idea here was to highlight the blueberry notes in this variety of beans.
I have only sampled the darker of the two so far, but it is so delicious I don’t miss the cream that I generally add to commercial coffee.
I am anxious to sample the light roast, but I don’t want to break the seal and have both styles oxidizing concurrently.
Thanks Mike!
I get mine at McDonalds every morning, as far as I know it is the best coffee out there. But you know, I'm just a bass player.
My local coffee shop makes an OK cup of coffee but if I travel a little further I can get a better coffee and it's a little cheaper.
My mother used to enjoy a short black and she would go to the local coffee vendor and they would grind the beans to her preferred consistency and that would last her about a month. The coffee she made for the first week or two was noticeably much nicer so I can see why people like to grind their own coffee.
Coffee, one of the simple pleasures of life!
My mother used to enjoy a short black and she would go to the local coffee vendor and they would grind the beans to her preferred consistency and that would last her about a month. The coffee she made for the first week or two was noticeably much nicer so I can see why people like to grind their own coffee.
Coffee, one of the simple pleasures of life!
Thank you @charlie monroe, I'm glad you are enjoying the coffee. Especially without your usual creamer. 
Roasting a bean a couple different ways is something I really like to do since it gives you some real insight into what the coffee tastes like and just how much roasting changes the flavor profile.
As for coffee storage, if your coffee roaster provides you a resealable bag that is not transparent and includes a one way valve, that is a great way to store coffee. The one way valve lets air out, but not in.
Just be sure to squeeze all the air out as you seal it back up.
If you'd like to store it in something else, my personal favorite is an Airscape. Same idea, it lets air out, but not in. Coffeevac is another brand out there, a little less expensive than Airscape and is great for storing whole bean coffee.
Airscape and Coffeevac both make clear units. Be sure and get one that is not clear if you go that route. Light is the enemy of quality roasted coffee.
If you already have your coffee ground, I'd suggest just leaving it in the bag. The air tight containers I mentioned are still good, but ground coffee is already compromised anyway.
Yes, I know some of you don't care and can't tell the difference with ground coffee. That's totally fine. The point is to enjoy your coffee the way you like it and not get wrapped up in who's right and who's wrong.
-Mike
Roasting a bean a couple different ways is something I really like to do since it gives you some real insight into what the coffee tastes like and just how much roasting changes the flavor profile.
As for coffee storage, if your coffee roaster provides you a resealable bag that is not transparent and includes a one way valve, that is a great way to store coffee. The one way valve lets air out, but not in.
Just be sure to squeeze all the air out as you seal it back up.
If you'd like to store it in something else, my personal favorite is an Airscape. Same idea, it lets air out, but not in. Coffeevac is another brand out there, a little less expensive than Airscape and is great for storing whole bean coffee.
Airscape and Coffeevac both make clear units. Be sure and get one that is not clear if you go that route. Light is the enemy of quality roasted coffee.
If you already have your coffee ground, I'd suggest just leaving it in the bag. The air tight containers I mentioned are still good, but ground coffee is already compromised anyway.
Yes, I know some of you don't care and can't tell the difference with ground coffee. That's totally fine. The point is to enjoy your coffee the way you like it and not get wrapped up in who's right and who's wrong.
-Mike
I like a good, medium-strong cup. I can handle the darker roasted flavors common at Starbucks, but prefer it lighter. Aside from that, I'll quote one of R. A. Heinlein's protagonists:
"Coffee comes in five descending stages: Coffee, Java, Jamoke, Joe, and Carbon Remover."
I'm good with anything grade 3 or better.
"Coffee comes in five descending stages: Coffee, Java, Jamoke, Joe, and Carbon Remover."
I'm good with anything grade 3 or better.
Putting all blame on @MJ5150 , I am now a learner roaster.
My 1100w popcorn popper can roast about 3x Bialetti 4 cup coffees' worth of beans at a time if I want it evenly done.
So far I have found:
The cracking is only just discernible above the mayhem. It seems like there might only be a tiny window of roasting between first crack completing and 2nd crack starting and then only a short time later things are black and smoking.
I read something about adding beans to the popper until it stopped swirling and tried that, managed to pull off only just done, no smoke but some beans got extra toasted at the stall stage and a few were left with skins still on otherwise quite evenly cracked. I blended that with one just overdone for a decent batch. The overdone is still quite drinkable. All the ''only just'' went in the blend so that might be underdone.
The overdone batches started to smoke as soon as I switched it off, or I might have been catching it just as it started??
I still have 3 or four days' worth and a week's worth of commercial roast to polish off before I can roast again. Dammit.
All ears in the meantime.
My 1100w popcorn popper can roast about 3x Bialetti 4 cup coffees' worth of beans at a time if I want it evenly done.
So far I have found:
The cracking is only just discernible above the mayhem. It seems like there might only be a tiny window of roasting between first crack completing and 2nd crack starting and then only a short time later things are black and smoking.
I read something about adding beans to the popper until it stopped swirling and tried that, managed to pull off only just done, no smoke but some beans got extra toasted at the stall stage and a few were left with skins still on otherwise quite evenly cracked. I blended that with one just overdone for a decent batch. The overdone is still quite drinkable. All the ''only just'' went in the blend so that might be underdone.
The overdone batches started to smoke as soon as I switched it off, or I might have been catching it just as it started??
I still have 3 or four days' worth and a week's worth of commercial roast to polish off before I can roast again. Dammit.
All ears in the meantime.
Question about the plasti-foil bags with the one way valves that come from the supermarket with fresh roasted beans / <near as dammit>fresh roasted ground beans.
If you fold the top down and down again with just about all the air out and peg it is that better than a glass jar that gains airspace as the beans are used up?
If you fold the top down and down again with just about all the air out and peg it is that better than a glass jar that gains airspace as the beans are used up?
In those air poppers you don't have control of the temp, so first to second crack is only a matter of 15-30 seconds if that.
An option to control the temp and roast a little longer without burning is to put the green beans in a flour sifter and set it right on top. As first crack starts, lift the sifter a couple inches off the top so it stays hot but will cool down a little bit.
Also, you want to make sure those beans keep moving while the heat is on.
Be sure to start cooling them as soon as you are done roasting. Like a steak, or hamburger, they will keep cooking/roasting even after you remove them from the heat source.
Start learning to recognize the smells of roasting. That will go a long way in helping you learn how to roast along with the sounds and sights.
Some people keep extensive roasting logs to document every roast so they can start to produce expected results. I don't log my roasts, instead I rely on smell/sight/sound.
-Mike
No.
The Airscape has a lid on it that you push down to squeeze out all the air. As you use the beans, you push the lid farther and farther down.
The bags are just fine though really. You don't need an Airscape. We use them for a couple reasons, one being they keep the beans fresh and airtight, then they also look nicer and are easier to store.
-Mike
