LOL yeah, I used to be very lazy when it comes to preparing coffee
Also the price turned me off at first and I thought it wasn't worth it but holy cow, was I wrong!
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Also the price turned me off at first and I thought it wasn't worth it but holy cow, was I wrong!
LOL yeah, I used to be very lazy when it comes to preparing coffee
Also the price turned me off at first and I thought it wasn't worth it but holy cow, was I wrong!
You can get pretty decent coffee (LavAzza) and so on, at reasonable prices.
The very good stuff is a bit more expensive, but this is where I am happy to pay a bit extra for coffee from small producers, and ethical (and indeed, organic) production, stuff that follows some sort of Fair Trade policy.
Not only is it ethically better, the coffee tends to be of a far higher quality, as well.
Intelligentsia, Sweet Maria's, The Ethiopian Coffee Company (in London) all have an excellent range of Ethiopian coffees available at the moment. One could get quite helpless while perusing the choices available….
This morning, I tried a blend of beans, two different types of Ethiopian beans (the Ethiopian Coffee Company's 'Nefas Farm' Sidamo, and a lovely Yirgacheffe,) and one from El Salvador.
I allowed the Ethiopian beans to dominate, - say between two thirds and three quarters of the total, with the result that I have a lovely pot (Le Creuset, of course) of bright, clean, sweet tasting coffee. I am drinking a mug (Le Creuset, needless to say) of this lovely coffee as I write.
I allowed the Ethiopian beans to dominate, - say between two thirds and three quarters of the total, with the result that I have a lovely pot (Le Creuset, of course) of bright, clean, sweet tasting coffee. I am drinking a mug (Le Creuset, needless to say) of this lovely coffee as I write.
I received a new batch of beans from Blue Bottle yesterday. It smells good and tastes okay, but not great. Every batch of beans I've had from Guatemala has never impressed me that much.
To be honest, I'm not all that surprised.
There are some countries which simply do not produce good coffee. You read their promotional literature, companies such as Blue Bottle and Intelligentsia promote them, but, when you order and drink the coffee it is just not all that good. Anyway, I agree re Guatemalan coffee; I have ordered quite a few varieties from Intelligentsia over the years, and must say that - while perfectly adequate - it never blew me away.
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I received a bag of this as a gift a while back, it was really good. I always meant to go back and see what else that roaster has to offer, but never got around to it.
If you are looking for a really good drip and to move away from Blue Bottle, I might suggest this (which just received a 95 point review on Coffee Review) or one of these. I have recommended the Temple folks previously; I really like that you can buy whatever roasted coffee you buy as green coffee as well, which is kind of fun.
So much coffee to try......
I recall that almost the entire Guatemalan coffee crop was destroyed by coffee blight a few years ago. Sounds like it has not yet recovered. I could be mistaken but I do not recall any really good espresso coming out of Guatemala any time recently, although I think some of their drips were decent, especially the farms up near Mexico.
Actually, having read your post, I paid visit to the Intelligentsia site and remembered that - obviously - their Ethiopian stuff is, as always, excellent. Moreover, I have been impressed by the coffees that they have offered from El Salvador. But, yes, re-reading the products on offer, my memory is that the stuff from Guatemala was a big disappointment.
Your explanation, @Kurwenal, makes complete sense.
OK, fellow aficionados, help me out. Do you believe the kettle in this video is the same as this kettle?
The kettle in that video....I must have it. Spent the last hour looking for it.
The Amazon kettle has a different handle and the neck of the spout is different right as it comes off the kettle, but I think the kettle in the video says Kalita on the side......
The kettle in that video....I must have it. Spent the last hour looking for it.
The Amazon kettle has a different handle and the neck of the spout is different right as it comes off the kettle, but I think the kettle in the video says Kalita on the side......
Ohh, very stylish!
What an intriguing choice.
Beautiful. Just beautiful.
Agreed. Elegant, stylish, a kettle that would grace any kitchen space.
Heresy. This kettle has a future as an implement that is to assist in the preparation and production and performance of a tea-drinking ceremony?? Admittedly, in most congenial company. And may both your good self, @Kurwenal, and Mrs Kurwenal enjoy your shared evening tea ceremony. (And you do not plan to use it for coffee? Now, I'll admit that it is gorgeous, so gorgeous, that I'd love one for myself).
Granted, I'll readily concede that the experience of sipping any beverage which is consumed in the right company, and with the entirely proper use of the appropriate accessories (proper wine glasses, porcelain coffee cups, copper kettles) is vastly enhanced.
I'm not much of a tea drinker myself, and, much of the time, I suffer what is offered in the British Isles out of politeness.
However, even I have noticed (as with coffee) that some teas are simply better. Turkey has an exceptionally good tea and coffee culture, both; I have never drunk a cup of either that wasn't first rate whenever I was in that country. Some of their tea substitutes are also excellent (yesterday, I was feeling tired and - instead of coffee - had a few cups of excellent apple tea from Turkey).
Likewise, any tea I have ever had from Kyrgyzstan, or Afghanistan, was simply astoundingly good. Indian tea is quite rightly very well known. In other words, if you can source a good quality tea from central Asia, I imagine that you will find that the quality is well worth the search.
Yes, I realize I am a heretic, but my evening cup of decaf, usually Chemex-produced, has been replaced by a cup of Chinese tea, for the simple reason that Mrs. Kurwenal will drink a cup of tea with me....but she long ago swore off being willing to even sit with me while I drink coffee. She claims I "diagnose" rather than "enjoy" the coffee, which she believes ruins the conversation. I have no idea what she is talking about.
That said, I have come to realize that I really know almost nothing about coffee. Thirty-five thousand or so ristrettos, yet this morning I tried three times and gave up in disgust. Started at 18 grams, went down to 14, up to 16. Nothing worth drinking.
I am glad you mentioned Turkish coffee. I have been reading up on that....and somewhere I have an old and very small copper pot for such. From my reading, it seems the basic recipe is widely disputed, with the main points of dispute being (a) whether to add coffee and sugar before the water is boiling and (b) whether to bring the coffee to a boil twice or only once.
Do you have a view? I think I might give one a shot tomorrow. Brown sugar, of course, not white.
That said, I have come to realize that I really know almost nothing about coffee. Thirty-five thousand or so ristrettos, yet this morning I tried three times and gave up in disgust. Started at 18 grams, went down to 14, up to 16. Nothing worth drinking.
I am glad you mentioned Turkish coffee. I have been reading up on that....and somewhere I have an old and very small copper pot for such. From my reading, it seems the basic recipe is widely disputed, with the main points of dispute being (a) whether to add coffee and sugar before the water is boiling and (b) whether to bring the coffee to a boil twice or only once.
Do you have a view? I think I might give one a shot tomorrow. Brown sugar, of course, not white.
Brown sugar, yes, definitely, @Kurwenal .
Both the Turks and the Bosnians serve every form of coffee well. These are serious coffee drinking cultures, and will offer thoughts and opinions on every version of coffee.
Well, last year when I was asked to return to Bosnia, for elections, (I had been there on a number of occasions in the late 1990s after the war, observing and helping to run elections) it became clear that they still had a serious coffee culture (informed both by the rule of Austria - the Habsburg Empire - a serious coffee culture, the first coffee houses in Europe came from Vienna in the 17th century, and earlier, by the Ottoman influence, also a most serious coffee culture).
Their espressos are outstanding - in fact, I would go as far as to say it is almost impossible to get a poor cup of coffee in Bosnia.
Even the poorest and most deprived villages will make superb coffee. However, I was informed that espresso has - to a large extent - displaced the local (Turkish style) coffee which had been the main form of coffee available in rural Bosnia even in the late 1990s, when I first visited. You can still get the Bosnian version of Turkish coffee, but it 'takes time to make', I was to told, and thus, 'is something older people do'. Obviously, you will still get it easily in the coffee shops in the cities, but less so in small rural cafés, or in people's homes, unless an older person is hosting you.
Meetings invariably take place over coffee, and breaks with local staff where you plan what to do next - usually, several per day - are also inevitably taken with coffee, water (and often, cigarettes).
During the war, during the siege of Gorazde, I was informed by locals that while shelling occurred (with horrendous casualties) during the day, night fall would see surreptitious black-market trading take place. The town was denied food, but the besiegers apparently ignored, or turned a blind eye to, or - some - were complicit in trading the coffee, cigarettes and medical supplies that never seemed to run out completely. My staff informed me that while there was a shortage of almost everything else, during the siege of Gorazde the town never ran short of coffee, or cigarettes.
Yes, there are debates about boiling the coffee once or twice; and about whether you add sugar before or after. I am not about to lecture them on how their traditions dictate that they make coffee. I would suggest that you try each of them, and decide for yourself which you like best.
As for 'diagnosing' rather than 'enjoying' coffee, hm. Anyone who knows me, knows that the coffee has always been 'really very good' in my house, and this has been remarked upon ever since I was a student, and was remarked upon as recently as last week when two friends called by. These days, I merely accept such compliments, they don't need a lecture - apart from a confirmation that yes, I buy, and personally import 'the good gourmet stuff' like the Quentin Tarantino character, Jimmy, in Pulp Fiction; the lecture - if my guests do get one (sometimes my opinion on something or other is sought) will be about politics, not coffee.
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Well, I don't think I've admitted it to you all, but I've been known to drink tisane in the evenings. And the occasional cup of Earl Grey. And also some of the nicer Japanese greens...
And, something I haven't admitted here, either, but I will admit to having cast an intrigued eye over some of those charming cast-iron teapots………you know, those lovely Japanese ones, those ones that are beautifully and exquisitely made.
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Ah, excellent, just what this thread needs.....a few hundred posts on pots and kettles....
So, cast iron vs. Yixing? Any preference? I own neither at this point, but instead (mostly) use water out of the GS/3 tea arm, diluted with a little cold water to bring the temp down.
mobilehaathi, if you don't mind me asking, what is your favorite Japanese tea? I am in exploration mode at this point.
So, cast iron vs. Yixing? Any preference? I own neither at this point, but instead (mostly) use water out of the GS/3 tea arm, diluted with a little cold water to bring the temp down.
mobilehaathi, if you don't mind me asking, what is your favorite Japanese tea? I am in exploration mode at this point.
Very happy to share! I'm traveling at the moment (and I'm terrible at remembering Japanese names
) ,but I'll report back once I get home. I usually buy from this tea shop that's inside the Japanese market near me. They bring in some nice green tea from Kyoto....Stay tuned.
Gyokuro from Uji in Kyoto Prefecture. Brew temperatures should be quite low, maybe around 130F or lower. Don't over steep!
I also like hojicha, which is a roasted and has a delightful nutty toasted quality.
I don't know much beyond this!
Have you a special tea pot that you use to make these teas?
As I mentioned a few loss back - and prior to our friend @Kurwenal offering us a stunning copper kettle to drool over - I have been mulling over buying one of those gorgeous metal tea pots from Japan for the rare occasions when I actually want to drink a cup of tea.