Espresso Enthusiasts

[Scepticalscribe]

Currently sipping my way though my last packet of coffee - which is half Ethiopian and half Brazilian. Very tasty but - personally - I think the blend would be better were it two thirds Ethiopian.

Another quirk: This coffee was - I suspect - 'fully washed' (rather than 'dry roasted'). To my surprise, this made it an awful lot easier to grind. Now, the OE Lido is indeed built like a tank, and will sweetly grind whatever you throw at it, but, this morning, I was amazed at the ease and speed and sheer fluency of the grinding.

So, @mobilehaathi, @Shrink, and @Kurwenal - yes, I think I can say that I had concluded the grinding in the desired 'seconds' (for once).

Alas, I cannot promise a repeat performance. The Yirgacheffe (Ethiopian) coffee beans I have ordered from the Ethiopian Coffee Company in London are all dry-roasted.......which means that it will be back to the grinding process taking a few minutes, methinks......

 

[Shrink]

Currently sipping my way though my last packet of coffee - which is half Ethiopian and half Brazilian. Very tasty but - personally - I think the blend would be better were it two thirds Ethiopian.

Another quirk: This coffee was - I suspect - 'fully washed' (rather than 'dry roasted'). To my surprise, this made it an awful lot easier to grind. Now, the OE Lido is indeed built like a tank, and will sweetly grind whatever you throw at it, but, this morning, I was amazed at the ease and speed and sheer fluency of the grinding.

So, @mobilehaathi, @Shrink, and @Kurwenal - yes, I think I can say that I had concluded the grinding in the desired 'seconds' (for once).

Alas, I cannot promise a repeat performance. The Yirgacheffe (Ethiopian) coffee beans I have ordered from the Ethiopian Coffee Company in London are all dry-roasted.......which means that it will be back to the grinding process taking a few minutes, methinks......

To be clear...it's not the amount of time it takes to grind the beans that's important...it's the time between completing the grinding and using the beans for brewing that is the issue. It is the ideal that once the beans are ground, one then starts the brewing of the just produced grinds immediately. It is exposing the grinds to air that causes them to go very quickly stale. According to the Rule of 15s, grinds begin begin to go stale within 15 seconds of grinding.

Or...it's all silly nonsense and one does what one wishes.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

To be clear...it's not the amount of time it takes to grind the beans that's important...it's the time between completing the grinding and using the beans for brewing that is the issue. It is the ideal that once the beans are ground, one then starts the brewing of the just produced grinds immediately. It is exposing the grinds to air that causes them to go very quickly stale. According to the Rule of 15s, grinds begin begin to go stale within 15 seconds of grinding.

Or...it's all silly nonsense and one does what one wishes.

To be honest, given that the coffee is ground into an attached glass jar (or some sort of unbreakable glass jar - I haven't tested it and don't really wish to!) which is attached, unscrewed so that it is unattached, and emptied and cleaned, and then reattached - on a daily basis - I would imagine that the ground beans already get to experience and sniff the remnants of our ozone layer quite handily.

And, much though I did enjoy the experience of grinding this morning, I very much doubt that those burr grinders will glide and grind quite as effortlessly easily when the 'dry roasted' beans arrive in due course....

And yes, I did enjoy my coffee, although I still haven't shaken this damned thing off completely, yet.

 

[Shrink]

I finished my afternoon cup of coffee a while ago.

Ambrosia!

How I missed it during that self imposed year and a half hiatus. I thought about it often but while in inpatient rehab I could certainly not a drink their offerings. After returning home it was only until recently that I could prepare my own coffee. Even though it is not my beloved espresso, it is such a delight.

I have immensely enjoyed the process of learning how to prepare French press coffee (especially since I am using some nontraditional proportions and timing) and having an exquisite large cup of coffee in the morning and one in the afternoon.

And since I have been away from caffeine for such a long period of time, I am also enjoying a really nifty caffeine buzz… very mildly reminiscent of the Columbian marching powder in which I indulged in the 1980s.

Coffee is, indeed, the nectar of the gods.

 

[Kurwenal]

I have immensely enjoyed the process of learning how to prepare French press coffee (especially since I am using some nontraditional proportions and timing) and having an exquisite large cup of coffee in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Excellent post.

What are you using to heat the water, @Shrink?

 

[Shrink]

Excellent post.

What are you using to heat the water, @Shrink?

Thanks, Mate.

I'm using the Bonavita BV382510V Electric Kettle, Gooseneck Variable Temperature, 1.0L

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Didn't use either the French Press or the Hario dripper today, (which means that the OE Lido grinder wasn't put through its paces, either).

Instead, when the carer returned home - both of our substitute carers - for different reasons - were not available this weekend, hence I had to stay put while the carer headed into the farmers' market - I hopped into a taxi, and made a beeline for my favourite French restaurant where I had a delightful late lunch, all by myself.

Outside, it was raining, with that silent, heavy rain of summer. Inside, I tucked into a superb Salade Niçoise - washed down with a glass of white wine from the Languedoc region (Les Marnes Las Granier); this, in turn, was followed by a slice of outstanding Tarte Tatin, - which was accompanied by a glass of wine from Anjou with an aroma redolent of apples and a name which answers to Le Tendre.

And why does this fond description of my French late lunch find its way into a coffee thread? Well, simply because the espresso I had after lunch was - unsurprisingly - absolutely first rate.

 

[S.B.G]

Columbian marching powder

Hmmm that's an interesting name for 'coffee'. Do they sell it at Intelligentsia?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Hmmm that's an interesting name for 'coffee'. Do they sell it at Intelligentsia?

I had wondered about that myself, but preferred to pass with averted eyes.

Besides, these days I drink mainly Ethiopian...

 

[Shrink]

Hmmm that's an interesting name for 'coffee'. Do they sell it at Intelligentsia?

I had wondered about that myself, but denied to pass with averted eyes.

Besides, these days I drink mainly Ethiopian...

Just part of my misspent, dissipated, iniquitous past.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Just part of my misspent, dissipated, iniquitous past.

The world - both online and offline - is indeed a strange place, full of fascinating encounters.

And - coming from entirely different directions (your misspent, dissipated, iniquitous past is one world, whereas my teenaged self viewed the world from a rather Puritanical perspective - I seem to recall that my inner child answered to the name of Robespierre) we have come to a happy meeting place where we bond over coffee.

 

[Shrink]

The world - both online and offline - is indeed a strange place, full of fascinating encounters.

And - coming from entirely different directions (your misspent, dissipated, iniquitous past is one world, whereas my teenaged self viewed the world from a rather Puritanical perspective - I seem to recall that my inner child answered to the name of Robespierre) we have come to a happy meeting place where we bond over coffee.

Ahh...life's strange and wonderful (mostly) journey.

 

[S.B.G]

It's been a long time since I've made espresso at home. Going to give it a try now and see what happens although, I'm not expecting greatness.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

It's been a long time since I've made espresso at home. Going to give it a try now and see what happens although, I'm not expecting greatness.

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I hope it works out well for you. Enjoy the process of making it - I have always done so when I made espresso.

And enjoy the espresso when it is ready - I certainly enjoyed mine today.

 

[Shrink]

It's been a long time since I've made espresso at home. Going to give it a try now and see what happens although, I'm not expecting greatness.

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I do hope that you remember how to do it. It's sometimes a problem for us older types!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I do hope that you remember how to do it. It's sometimes a problem for us older types!

You are absolutely right: If the urge to make an espresso struck, there are a few skills I think I might have to re-master.

 

[S.B.G]

First pull of a double in more than a year, and it wasn't too bad actually. No doubt, my skills, or lack thereof, in pulling shots don't compare to others' but I was happy with it.

I used the 'Los Immortales' El Salvador beans from Intelligentsia as that is all I have on hand right now. I measured out 17 grams of beans and ground them in the Rocky and found that the retention was just about 4 grams! So I pulled the shot with 13 grams in the PF.

There wasn't much crema, but considering the medium roast of the beans, that was expected. But, overall, the taste, to me, was decent.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

First pull of a double in more than a year, and it wasn't too bad actually. No doubt, my skills, or lack thereof, in pulling shots don't compare to others' but I was happy with it.

I used the 'Los Immortales' El Salvador beans from Intelligentsia as that is all I have on hand right now. I measured out 17 grams of beans and ground them in the Rocky and found that the retention was just about 4 grams! So I pulled the shot with 13 grams in the PF.

There wasn't much crema, but considering the medium roast of the beans, that was expected. But, overall, the taste, to me, was decent.

View attachment 636769

That looks lovely and I am delighted they worked out well for you.

Ah, yes, the Los Inmortales; I have always liked them. How did they taste for espresso?

I do recall using them in my Bialetti three years ago and thought it excellent. But others may prefer a stronger coffee and a darker roast.

 

[Shrink]

First pull of a double in more than a year, and it wasn't too bad actually. No doubt, my skills, or lack thereof, in pulling shots don't compare to others' but I was happy with it.

I used the 'Los Immortales' El Salvador beans from Intelligentsia as that is all I have on hand right now. I measured out 17 grams of beans and ground them in the Rocky and found that the retention was just about 4 grams! So I pulled the shot with 13 grams in the PF.

There wasn't much crema, but considering the medium roast of the beans, that was expected. But, overall, the taste, to me, was decent.

View attachment 636769

Nice job!

I think the retention occurs because the grinds don't drop straight down into the hopper in the Rocky, but rather have to go around a curve (or two curves, including the "spout") which causes grinds to stay behind.

In your Baratza grinder the grinds drop straight down into the hopper which minimizes retention. In my Baratza I have, for all practical purposes, zero retention.

 

[S.B.G]

Nice job!

I think the retention occurs because the grinds don't drop straight down into the hopper in the Rocky, but rather have to go around a curve (or two curves, including the "spout") which causes grinds to stay behind.

In your Baratza grinder the grinds drop straight down into the hopper which minimizes retention. In my Baratza I have, for all practical purposes, zero retention.

Yep, that is 100% accurate on both counts. If I rock the errr, Rocky, I can get more of the grinds out. I haven't measured the retention of the Baratza, but just by design compared to the Rocky, its clearly a near-zero retention grinder.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I know that I have enthusiastically recommended Los Inmortales to you both, @Shrink and @SandboxGeneral, as I have rather liked it; how do you - or did you - actually find it?

(And, don't worry, personal preference - especially in taste - and, as we know, in coffee, too - is such an individual thing, if the response is not gushing and overjoyed enthusiasm I shall not feel offended, or rejected....)

 

[Shrink]

I know that I have enthusiastically recommended Los Inmortales to you both, @Shrink and @SandboxGeneral, as I have rather liked it; how do you - or did you - actually find it?

(And, don't worry, personal preference - especially in taste - and, as we know, in coffee, too - is such an individual thing, if the response is not gushing and overjoyed enthusiasm I shall not feel offended, or rejected....)

I'm embarrassed to say that if I tried it in the past I just don't recall. Of course, I have an excuse... As a result taking a swan dive down the steps my brain has now turned to mush.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I'm embarrassed to say that if I tried it in the past I just don't recall. Of course, I have an excuse... As a result taking a swan dive down the steps my brain has now turned to mush.

No, I don't believe that you did try it in an earlier existence. Your own preferences were quite specific, and you drank solely espresso, so while I may have mentioned that I drank it, I certainly wasn't evangelical in recommending it to anyone with a serious espresso habit.

Anyway, how did you find it now? I suspect that it may not be sufficiently darkly roasted, or full bodied, for what I think are your coffee preferences and tastes.

 

[Shrink]

No, I don't believe that you did try it in an earlier existence. Your own preferences were quite specific, and you drank solely espresso, so while I may have mentioned that I drank it, I certainly wasn't evangelical in recommending it to anyone with a serious espresso habit.

Anyway, how did you find it now? I suspect that it may not be sufficiently darkly roasted, or full bodied, for what I think are your coffee preferences and tastes.

It wasn't I who made the espresso, it was our friend @SandboxGeneral.

 

[S.B.G]

I know that I have enthusiastically recommended Los Inmortales to you both, @Shrink and @SandboxGeneral, as I have rather liked it; how do you - or did you - actually find it?

(And, don't worry, personal preference - especially in taste - and, as we know, in coffee, too - is such an individual thing, if the response is not gushing and overjoyed enthusiasm I shall not feel offended, or rejected....)

Oh I like it; I've mentioned it about a week or two ago when I received it and used it in the French Press. It was very nice and not too acidic either.

Also, I just ordered the Colombia Huila Bellavista -- LIMITED, Competition Espresso which is what I posted here last week as a second place finish in the national espresso competition that my local roaster makes. I figure since I finally broke out the Baby Gaggia again, I should get some proper espresso roasted beans.
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my brain has now turned to mush

Are you sure it wasn't the Columbian marching powder?