Espresso Enthusiasts

[BenTrovato]

I used to say that the Tim Horton's whole beans I would buy were my favorite beans of all. I haven't had them in a few months since I was going to a local roaster and trying their own SO beans. As previously mentioned, I bought some Tim Horton's beans the other day and I'm finding that I'm not liking them much anymore. I'm able to taste more bitterness this time around and it doesn't go down as smooth as my local roaster beans do.

Suffice it to say, Tim Horton's has been dethroned from my favorites list. I'm not sure if I will finish these beans and just may take the long drive and pick up some of the local beans again.

Haha yay! I think for making coffee at home Tim's beans have only had a short stay in my cupboard, and it was because I was trying to be super Canadian. I've been a stickler for Italian beans (Italy is the best right? ) for a while but lately I'm rather enjoying the organic beans coming out of British Columbia. I've always tried them here or there for years but for some reason they seem to have gotten so much better in 2014.

 

[mobilehaathi]

Thanks! I'll keep your consistency comments in mind as I attempt a few roasts. I don't expect to get fantastic results, but I'd like to give it a shot and see if it's something I'd like to continue. Do you use an IR Thermometer when roasting with an air popper or have you just gone by sight/smell?

To date I've gone simply by sight, sound and smell plus a stop watch, although I'll be adding a thermometer into the mix soon. SM's has a nice guide, if you didn't know about it already.

Oh, I also use a 100ft extension cord to lower the power flowing into the machine (and thus slow down the heat ramp up).

You may want a small wodden stiring instrument for the beginning stages of the roast. Ideally you will have your beans rotating and agitating on their own, but you may have to mix them by hand in the first few minutes of the process. Once they lose some mass they'll go merrily on their own.

Ordered up some yesterday.

Me too, 2lbs Konga and 2lbs Ethiopiques.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Ahhh, yes, well that is certainly my favorite region.

I think my next SM's order will consist of some different SO Yrgacheffes and Ethiopiques if it is still around. I'm super tempted to treat myself to a Chemex these days, incidentally.....

Well, we can always compare notes…...

You know, we should all just give in and buy everything the others own, just to get it over with.......

(You need the kettle too....)

Yes, indeed. Is this another (oblique) way of suggesting that a La Marzocco GS/3 may lie lurking in my future somewhere?

I've been meaning to post for the last few days, but I never seems to be able to find time to write a few brief thoughts.

1) I posted in this thread long ago, but checked back a week or two ago and saw Silver Bridge Coffee listed on the front page. That excited me, because they have been the sole provider of coffee in my house since I met them at a farmer's market in Columbus. Fantastic people, and have really treated me well in our encounters. I really like the Buckeye Breakfast Buzz, but we've been drinking Silver Bridge Blend almost exclusively lately. What I really like is that I can walk across the street to Kroger and grab a bag of Silver Bridge and know that it was roasted in the last week.

2) I know this thread originated as a dedicated thread to espresso, but I wanted to share my new buy. I went to a local thrift store to find an air popper to try my hand at home roasting. I had no luck in that search, but came across a rather rough looking Bunn BX-B brewer for $7.99. It was missing the brew basket and the carafe, but replacements have been ordered. After cleaning and testing I have a working brewer for under $30. Not bad considering that model costs $125 new. Any tips or experience with a Bunn Velocity brewer?

I don't know that model or even Bunn brewers, so cannot provide any tips. In general, most drip brewers suffer from a list of issues, including a water temperature that is either too low throughout extraction, or that starts at an appropriate temperature but soon drops. Even at something like 170 or 180, the chemical reactions that are necessary for coffee to "brew" never happen.

So, you might want to stick a thermocouple up into the unit and see how it is doing in this respect. But, hey, $30. Can't beat that.




OK, ordering up some Yrgacheffe, as it appears this will be the coffee we discuss in December. MH, I think I am going to start with this one:'

Agree with Kurwenal on the temperature shortcomings of traditional drip machines; this was the main reason I never bought one - even in the days when quite a few people whom I knew had one , and I did think about it, and people, knowing me, kept suggesting it as a possible gift.

Anyway, I never bought one because I always found the coffee that they made turned out lukewarm, and it was always lukewarm. I found that coffee made with a French Press, or a Hario dripper, (or my Bialetti moka pot) was always far better, a lot hotter, and a lot less insipid than the coffee made by a traditional drip machine.

I love the idea of it - I just couldn't cope with the underwhelming execution…...

Okay, I use the West Bend Air Crazy (available on Amazon, although I swear a paid less for it in the past). For best results you may have to mod it a bit by disassembling it and detaching the thermo sensor that turns off the heating element above a certain temperature.

It is super DIY, and the batch sizes are small (~75g of green beans). So you're always dialing in a new grind. It is impossible to get radical consistency from batch to batch, and you have to be extremely attentive---not just to the roast process but also to the ambient temperature in the room and other environmental variables. In the summer FC finishes a full minute before FC finishes in the winter (I don't have climate control in my apt). And you must either have multiple machines, or you must wait a few minutes between roasting sessions to let the machine cool off (or you'll blow the heating element).

All that said, it is extremely easy and cheap, and I've learned a lot about the process. All things considered it is a remarkably good roaster and I highly recommend it if you're looking for a cheap entry into home roasting. For what it is worth, SM's seems to prefer the air popper method over some of the more expensive ($100s) air coffee roasters, citing a more even roast with the popcorn poppers.

To date I've gone simply by sight, sound and smell plus a stop watch, although I'll be adding a thermometer into the mix soon. SM's has a nice guide, if you didn't know about it already.

Oh, I also use a 100ft extension cord to lower the power flowing into the machine (and thus slow down the heat ramp up).

You may want a small wodden stiring instrument for the beginning stages of the roast. Ideally you will have your beans rotating and agitating on their own, but you may have to mix them by hand in the first few minutes of the process. Once they lose some mass they'll go merrily on their own.



Me too, 2lbs Konga and 2lbs Ethiopiques.

Wow.

I never cease to be amazed and hugely impressed by the dedication to new methods of consumption and the utter devotion to new ways of exploring how to improve coffee that my friends on this thread constantly seek out…...

 

[mobilehaathi]

Thanks! I'll keep your consistency comments in mind as I attempt a few roasts. I don't expect to get fantastic results, but I'd like to give it a shot and see if it's something I'd like to continue. Do you use an IR Thermometer when roasting with an air popper or have you just gone by sight/smell?

As for consistency, you'll get good at hitting the roast level you want after some practice (although it is different from bean to bean, month to month). My comment on radical consistency is really meant as a comparison to some of the high tech programmable roasters. Intra-batch consistency (evenness of roast) is quite decent with some attention and stirring. Inter-batch consistency takes some practice.

 

[Big Stevie]

These arrived today, I'm intrigued by the flavour description...

 

[Scepticalscribe]

These arrived today, I'm intrigued by the flavour description...

Image

Brilliant tasting notes (and ones that explain what they think the coffee is like with examples that readers can relate to, rather than indulging in confusing and esoteric language which ultimately means little). I'm intrigued too; they are the sort of tasting notes that almost have you giggling, reading them.

However, with such graphically descriptive tasting notes, you must now let us know whether the coffee actually lives up to this wonderfully extravagant early promise…..

 

[SactoGuy18]

Speaking of drip coffee, I know it's an anathema here, but has anyone tried to flavor up their coffee with spices like hazelnut, cinnamon, etc? I know that used in very small amounts, hazelnut and cinnamon are not bad.

However, do not try to add pumpkin spice to drip coffee. I tried it once on drip coffee and I couldn't pour it down the sink fast enough.

 

[S.B.G]

Speaking of drip coffee, I know it's an anathema here, but has anyone tried to flavor up their coffee with spices like hazelnut, cinnamon, etc? I know that used in very small amounts, hazelnut and cinnamon are not bad.

However, do not try to add pumpkin spice to drip coffee. I tried it once on drip coffee and I couldn't pour it down the sink fast enough. Image

Nope, sorry, it's something I've never considered doing.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Speaking of drip coffee, I know it's an anathema here, but has anyone tried to flavor up their coffee with spices like hazelnut, cinnamon, etc? I know that used in very small amounts, hazelnut and cinnamon are not bad.

However, do not try to add pumpkin spice to drip coffee. I tried it once on drip coffee and I couldn't pour it down the sink fast enough. Image

Not in my coffee, not ever, never, never, never.

Sugar, (brown, organic, unrefined) yes, (and maybe some cream, if I can lay hands on it, or a teaspoon of milk) but, other than that, nothing but coffee, coffee, coffee…….

Now, tea, on the other hand, is a different beverage. I will try anything (which means I will try anything new, once, and sample again or discard as taste dictates) with tea. Not long ago, in central Asia, I was offered with tea cardamon which was delicious.

Hot chocolate is different again. And yes, with warmed (full, fat milk - none of this nonsense of insipid skimmed milk for me, please) milk, (which can rank as a very soothing drink on a horrible evening when one desires nothing stronger), grated nutmeg and a touch of cinnamon can be quite delicious.

 

[SactoGuy18]

Not in my coffee, not ever, never, never, never.

Sugar, (brown, organic, unrefined) yes, (and maybe some cream, if I can lay hands on it, or a teaspoon of milk) but, other than that, nothing but coffee, coffee, coffee…….

Not surprised you say that. I've tried tiny amounts of cinnamon or nutmeg and it's actually not bad--emphasis on tiny amount. But when you have pumpkin spice with cinnamon, nutmeg and other spices combined, it can literally overpower the taste of the coffee. Small wonder why I poured that experimental mug of coffee with a tiny amount of pumpkin spice down the sink in no time flat.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Not surprised you say that. I've tried tiny amounts of cinnamon or nutmeg and it's actually not bad--emphasis on tiny amount. But when you have pumpkin spice with cinnamon, nutmeg and other spices combined, it can literally overpower the taste of the coffee. Small wonder why I poured that experimental mug of coffee with a tiny amount of pumpkin spice down the sink in no time flat.

But with good quality (organic, full fat) warmed milk, cinnamon and nutmeg actually work extremely well. They just don't work in coffee, in my opinion.

Then again, while I like hot chocolate on certain atrociously wet and horrible days, I don't care much for café mocha at all.

 

[BenTrovato]

Not surprised you say that. I've tried tiny amounts of cinnamon or nutmeg and it's actually not bad--emphasis on tiny amount. But when you have pumpkin spice with cinnamon, nutmeg and other spices combined, it can literally overpower the taste of the coffee. Small wonder why I poured that experimental mug of coffee with a tiny amount of pumpkin spice down the sink in no time flat.

I don't mind cinnamon in my coffee but it doesn't make it better, in fact it makes it slightly worse lol .. but not to the point where I don't like it. If I'm having a snack I'll put cinnamon on my snack instead otherwise cinnamon does make frequent appearances in my coffee. The health properties it offers counteracts the negatives coffee/caffeine have on the body.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I don't mind cinnamon in my coffee but it doesn't make it better, in fact it makes it slightly worse lol .. but not to the point where I don't like it. If I'm having a snack I'll put cinnamon on my snack instead otherwise cinnamon does make frequent appearances in my coffee. The health properties it offers counteracts the negatives coffee/caffeine have on the body.

Actually, there are variations on this theme; for example, the Swedes have a tradition of offering cinnamon cakes which are served with coffee in their coffee shops, or cafés.

So, their tradition allows for the consumption (of the health benefits) of cinnamon, with the coffee, just not in the coffee.

 

[BenTrovato]

Actually, there are variations on this theme; for example, the Swedes have a tradition of offering cinnamon cakes which are served with coffee in their coffee shops, or cafés.

So, their tradition allows for the consumption (of the health benefits) of cinnamon, with the coffee, just not in the coffee.

I love it! That's what I do by putting cinnamon on my snack instead of my coffee. This way I still get the cinnamon without it ruining the beverage. Interesting.. I didn't know the Swedes did that - I thought I had an original idea . Now I might feel Swedish the next time I do it.

 

[Kurwenal]

Me too, 2lbs Konga and 2lbs Ethiopiques.

Excellent.

Yes, indeed. Is this another (oblique) way of suggesting that a La Marzocco GS/3 may lie lurking in my future somewhere?

has anyone tried to flavor up their coffee with spices like hazelnut, cinnamon, etc?

Holy Mary Mother of God Buzz Kill Why Not Just Go To Starbucks The Blood Dimmed Tide Is Loosed










(Just kidding....sort of....but always in a friendly way)

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Well, on the topic of Starbucks………

While Shrink's Law decrees (quite correctly) that whatever coffee you like is the coffee you should (feel free to) drink, after……a good many pages…..it should be clear that the coffee sourced, roasted (stale, incinerated, burnt) by Starbucks would not be the first, second, or last choice of almost anybody who has written about coffee over the past (um) almost two years….

Rephrasing that somewhat, I think that a thread where close to a few thousand posts have been made on the topic of coffee, is not the sort of place to expect to find a recommendation of Starbucks as a first stop on the journey to learning to enjoy, appreciate or fully savour coffee.

And it strikes me that it is also the sort of place where I doubt anyone will find much support for the idea of additional spices, or chemically enhanced flavours….in their coffee.

But, maybe that is just me; and - it is entirely possible that I err…...

 

[Kurwenal]

Well, on the topic of Starbucks………

While Shrink's Law decrees (quite correctly) that whatever coffee you like is the coffee you should (feel free to) drink, after……a good many pages…..it should be clear that the coffee sourced, roasted (stale, incinerated, burnt) by Starbucks would not be the first, second, or last choice of almost anybody who has written about coffee over the past (um) almost two years….

Rephrasing that somewhat, I think that a thread where close to a few thousand posts have been made on the topic of coffee, is not the sort of place to expect to find a recommendation of Starbucks as a first stop on the journey to learning to enjoy, appreciate or fully savour coffee.

And it strikes me that it is also the sort of place where I doubt anyone will find much support for the idea of additional spices, or chemically enhanced flavours….in their coffee.

But, maybe that is just me; and - it is entirely possible that I err…...

Well said, and SactoGuy18 I hope you know I was just poking well-meaning fun. I read that post just after I had spent time hand sorting (with my trusty magnifying glass) a whole bunch of coffee I roasted earlier this week.....defects into the composter, good beans into the container. I will enjoy this coffee for the next 4 days, after which, if any is left, it will also go into the composter. So the thought of an additive just stuck me as sort of funny.

SactoGuy18, I hope you keep posting here...

Scepticalscribe, it was great also to see a reference to Shrink's Law. Hello, friend.

This morning's double ristretto is about an 80% cup. The learning curve on the La Marzocco is steep and long, as I continue to futz with the overwhelming number of user-futzable variables. I can pretty much produce an 80% cup consistently now, with an occasional 90% cup showing up weekly or so.

I have yet to pull a God Shot on this machine, but I remain hopeful with anticipation. I know from past experience that it will come as a surprise, one otherwise unremarkable morning, when the first sip makes everything right, and probably with the coffee on its 3rd day past roasting and the machines having just been cleaned. The memory of those 20 God Shots that came before is a powerful reminder.

I have been roasting coffee and pulling shots for 32 years (yep, I am old) ever since that morning I walked into the kitchen and saw one of my college roommates roasting coffee in a frying pan on the stove. Figure an average of 700 shots a year, 32 years......22,400 shots (actually, nearly all double shots). Probably 2/3 of those with coffee I roasted. Twenty or so God Shots out of those 22,400 cups. The odds are long, but I accept them.

Not sure why I am blathering on this morning.

Anyway, yesterday I sat upstairs and watched The Return of the King with Kurwenal Jr. and some cousins who are in town for the big dinner today. I had forgotten about the scene wherein Gandalf describes life after death, but he really is talking about a God Shot, I decided. The best description ever of that elusive piece of perfection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEbfLiOEM1U

Best wishes to those of you who are celebrating The Excess today, and I miss our mutual friend and hope he is well.

Kurwenal

 

[Kurwenal]

Left: Ethiopiques

Right: Liquid Amber

 

[S.B.G]

Left: Ethiopiques

Right: Liquid Amber

Image

Those look delicious and the cup look great too!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Left: Ethiopiques

Right: Liquid Amber

And taste wise, what difference if any can you report? Or, how do they compare and contrast? (And just how exactly were they made, if I may be so bold as to enquire; - go on, tantalise me………)

Great photo.

I am coming to the end of my own Ethiopian coffee (with regret); this Yigracheffe will be ordered again, and will easily find a place in my top few coffees of choice.

Image

Those look delicious and the cup look great too!

They do look delicious, agreed, and I can see the attraction and merits of the glass cup for the purposes of recording - visually - what was made; our absent friends favours glass, too.

However, my personal preference is still porcelain……I just like it better, aesthetically, and physically….

Each, to their own, however…..

 

[Big Stevie]

Left: Ethiopiques

Right: Liquid Amber

Image

Now I knew Apple products were good, but I didn't realise that can also make coffee!

 

[S.B.G]

I just ordered an absolutely beautiful and stunning porcelain mug from China, via eBay.

Bone China Coffee Tea Cup/Mug Chinese Porcelain 410ml

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I just ordered an absolutely beautiful and stunning porcelain mug from China, via eBay.

Bone China Coffee Tea Cup/Mug Chinese Porcelain 410ml
View attachment 516867

View attachment 516868

View attachment 516869

View attachment 516870

Ah, now that's more like it! Beautiful, just beautiful.

Is this purchase intended for espresso consumption, or for drinking coffee made by the French Press? In any case, the coffee will look fantastic (and taste great, too) in a mug like that. Bravo, well done and enjoy.

When I drink espresso at home, I use my gorgeous d'Ancap Italian cups (and matching saucers), which I bought from my favourite coffee shop when it closed its doors for the last time - a very sad casualty of the recession - over three and a half years ago. I also bought some Americano style cups and saucers from them, which I rarely use, though they are exquisite. This is because my morning coffee - if I am using either the Hario drip, or the French Press - tends to be served in a large mug…...

 

[S.B.G]

Ah, now that's more like it! Beautiful, just beautiful.

Is this purchase intended for espresso consumption, or for drinking coffee made by the French Press? In any case, the coffee will look fantastic (and taste great, too) in a mug like that. Bravo, well done and enjoy.

When I drink espresso at home, I use my gorgeous d'Ancap Italian cups (and matching saucers), which I bought from my favourite coffee shop when it closed its doors for the last time - a very sad casualty of the recession - over three and a half years ago. I also bought some Americano style cups and saucers from them, which I rarely use, though they are exquisite. This is because my morning coffee - if I am using either the Hario drip, or the French Press - tends to be served in a large mug…...

I drink primarily coffee from the French Press and actually don't drink espresso too much.

It took me a couple of hours perusing various websites for a mug with an Asian look to it before I found something I really liked, such as this.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I drink primarily coffee from the French Press and actually don't drink espresso too much.

It took me a couple of hours perusing various websites for a mug with an Asian look to it before I found something I really liked, such as this.

Well, it looks stunning, absolutely gorgeous, and I am sure that you will enjoy the physical experience of simply using it and drinking from it.

Our absent friend is a strong believer in using quality products and appreciating beautiful and well designed objects in everyday life, as am I. Most of us cannot afford to insist on quality in every area of life, but I believe that one can immeasurably enhance one's quality of life by setting strict, (or decent) standards on the mundane objects that one handles on an everyday basis. They should be crafted with beauty, form and function in mind, and one should enjoy using them.

Life is too short to see it as a journey measured in terms of mere endurance, and I am strongly of the opinion that beauty and elegance in the small things help enhance one's appreciation of life.

In terms of coffee, drinking coffee (irrespective of whether it is espresso, cappuccino, standard café au lait) from a lovely cup, enhances the experience and one's enjoyment of the coffee. Likewise, if it is served in a nice pot, or made in a Le Creuset French Press, or with a proper Hario dripper, of Bialetti moka pot, or, or……

Taking the time to enjoy a good coffee - using good quality beans, made in an elegant, yet functional (as in, these methods deliver good coffee) manner, served with care and in lovely elegant cups, just makes for a nicer and more thoughtful experience all around.

Apart from the relatively poor quality of the coffee in question, this is the main reason I don't much care for Nespresso and similar products. They take the fun out of the ritual.

Now, even though I am not a morning person, I do like the ritual of pottering around preparing my coffee and juice. Indeed, even if I have nothing else for breakfast other than coffee and freshly squeezed juice, I will insist on ensuring that it is good coffee, and good juice, always served properly, although it may be consumed in a slight rush…...