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Espresso Enthusiasts

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The first post of this thread is a WikiPost and can be edited by anyone with the appropiate permissions. Your edits will be public.
SandboxGeneral said:
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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Are you sure it wasn't the Columbian marching powder? :D
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Ah, excellent.

Actually, I had thought that you might like it, as - in common with myself - you prefer beans that are smooth, and perhaps, a bit sweet, to those that are overly bitter, and harsh, and tannic.
 
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Shrink said:
Having had my morning coffee I am feeling quite zippy, peppy, and jolly. So I thought I would just stop by to wish all a Good Morning, happy brewing, and a wonderful day.

Nothing very original… I'm zippy, peppy, and jolly... but with no notable increase in IQ points.:p
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And a very good morning to you, sir. May you enjoy your coffee.

Ah, well, you read my mind.

My freshly squeezed juice (three oranges, one of them one of the last of the blood oranges - their season is now finally finished, none were available this week, and I must nurse the few I have remaining from last week, two Moroccan oranges, and a lemon), has been consumed, and my coffee (freshly ground beans, and again, the last of my coffee until what I ordered from London on Thursday arrives) has been made, and I am about to sip, sample, and savour it.

The agreeable and gentle pleasures of a wet Sunday morning in summer....
 
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I pulled another double this morning and used 20 grams of beans, and had 4 grams of retention even after rocking the grinder a little to get more out of the spout. So I ended up with 16 grams of coffee in the PF, 3 more grams than last night.

Taste is still good and acceptable. Clearly, though I need lots of practice with all the variables to make it taste even better.
 
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SandboxGeneral said:
I pulled another double this morning and used 20 grams of beans, and had 4 grams of retention even after rocking the grinder a little to get more out of the spout. So I ended up with 16 grams of coffee in the PF, 3 more grams than last night.

Taste is still good and acceptable. Clearly, though I need lots of practice with all the variables to make it taste even better.
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You see?

All it takes is the return of @Shrink to these threads and your taste for good coffee - and desire to master making it in a variety of ways - is fully restored.
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
You see?

All it takes is the return of @Shrink to these threads and your taste for good coffee - and desire to master making it in a variety of ways is fully restored.
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Yes, I completely agree that the return of @Shrink (sounds like it could be a Frankenstein film :p) and, our other great friend @Kurwenal have motivated me to break out the ol' espresso machine again.
 
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SandboxGeneral said:
Yes, I completely agree that the return of @Shrink (sounds like it could be a Frankenstein film :p) and, our other great friend @Kurwenal have motivated me to break out the ol' espresso machine again.
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I remember some posts that you wrote a few weeks (perhaps months) ago where you mentioned that you hadn't had a coffee, let alone an espresso, in ages - you were drinking strange - some sort of supposedly healthy - beverages - instead.

But let us rejoice: The return of @Shrink and @Kurwenal has given the espresso (and coffee) thread a real boost and fillip - in fact, an injection of pure caffeine - and proper coffee beans (and not Colombian marching powder whatever that peculiar substance is).

Anyway, great to see you back drinking coffee, and wonderful that the effervescent joie de vivre of this thread has been restored.
 
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The doorbell rang a short while ago. It was the postman, delivering my copy of The Economist, and a box. I haven't yet opened the box, but I know what lies within.

Now, the challenge is to contain myself, as a most wonderful aroma will fill the room when I do open it, and make myself a sublime cup - or mug - of coffee.
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
The doorbell rang a short while ago. It was the postman, delivering my copy of The Economist, and a box. I haven't yet opened the box, but I know what lies within.

Now, to contain myself, as a most wonderful aroma will fill the room when I do open it, and make myself a sublime cup - or mug - of coffee.
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I agree completely...the aroma that wafts up when opening a new bag of beans is sublime.
 
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Shrink said:
I agree completely...the aroma that wafts up when opening a new bag of beans is sublime.
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Very well, then.

Out of the coffee bags in the (alluring) box, I selected the one that had been recommended to me - the Espresso blend - rather than my own choices - the two types of Yirgacheffe coffee.

This is called 'Espresso', and is itself a mix of two types of Ethiopian coffees, a Harrar coffee, and a Guji Sidamo.

And - partly as an experiment, also partly to use up some more of the Ethiopian/ Brazilian mix I still have (where the Brazilian overpowers the Ethiopian), I decided on a 50/50 blend, (which had the merciful advantage of reducing the Brazilian to a perfectly manageable approximately 25%, where its bite was retained but thoroughly tamed).

This was coffee - seriously good coffee - which contained three different types of clean, bright, smooth Ethiopians, and a slight bite, or acidity, from the solitary Brazilian.

Lovely.

Then, just as I was settling properly into the cup, the doorbell rang. The nurse from the hospice making her weekly call to see Mother (and yes, she had phoned in advance, but I had hoped to be able to finish my coffee first....)
 
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Shrink said:
It wasn't I who made the espresso, it was our friend @SandboxGeneral.
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No, but you have recently sampled it (on my recommendation) as a French press coffee (at which I think it excels), but, again, I suspect that your preferences are for stronger, richer, darker, and more heavily roasted coffees.
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mobilehaathi said:
Well, I am back from a trip to the mountains---which I typically take coffee-free---and am making a bit of pour over with the end of my last batch. I think this is Kela Kochore. Hmmmm, what to roast next.
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Hope you enjoyed the mountains; how long were you away?

Caffeine free? The only time I am caffeine free is when I am seriously under the weather; I was caffeine free for well over a week, and alcohol free for almost a fortnight during my recent encounter with something horribly resembling a flu.

As to what to roast next? Well, I have a box full of two different types of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.........but, of our merry band, I think the only person who shares my devotion to this bean and this region is @Kurwenal.
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
No, but you have recently sampled it (on my recommendation) as a French press coffee (at which I think it excels, but, again, I suspect that your preferences are for stronger, richer, darker, and more heavily roasted coffees.
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Hope you enjoyed the mountains; how long were you away?

Caffeine free? The only time I am caffeine free is when I am seriously under the weather; I was caffeine free for well over a week, and alcohol free for almost a fortnight during my recent encounter with something horribly resembling a flu.

As to what to roast next? Well, I have a box full of two different types of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.........but, of our merry band, I think the only person who shares my devotion to this bean and this region is @Kurwenal.
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I've been gone Friday through yesterday evening. Caffeine-free sounds insane, I know, but something about sleeping/waking with the sun seems to render caffiene unnecessary.

Well, I too am somewhat singularly devoted to Ethiopians. Actually I have a box with 6lbs of various Ethiopian varieties sitting here just waiting to be roasted.
 
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mobilehaathi said:
I've been gone Friday through yesterday evening. Caffeine-free sounds insane, I know, but something about sleeping/waking with the sun seems to render caffiene unnecessary.

Well, I too am somewhat singularly devoted to Ethiopians. Actually I have a box with 6lbs of various Ethiopian varieties sitting here just waiting to be roasted.
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Ah.

Well, my Yirgacheffe (Aramo) and my Yirgacheffe (Kochere) await me..............

Enjoy roasting whatever you select, but do, please, let me know what you have an which of them you have roasted.
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
Ah.

Well, My Yirgacheffe (Aramo) and my Yirgacheffe (Kochere) await me..............

Enjoy roasting whatever you select, but do, please, let me know what you have an which of them you have roasted.
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Oops, I have 5 lbs not 6 lbs, all from Ethiopia: Guji Mauz Sini, Agaro - Nano Challa Coop, Illubador Baaroo Coop, Kaffa - Chiri Coop, and Kaffa - Mitchi Coop. Hmmmmm.....
 
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mobilehaathi said:
Oops, I have 5 lbs not 6 lbs, all from Ethiopia: Guji Mauz Sini, Agaro - Nano Challa Coop, Illubador Baaroo Coop, Kaffa - Chiri Coop, and Kaffa - Mitchi Coop. Hmmmmm.....
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Wow. Count me impressed - and, if I hadn't taken happy delivery of my own box (complete with a packet or two of pre-ground Ethiopian coffee, now that I am over my cold/flu, it is time to start attending meetings again) - I would be openly salivating with envy and desire.

Anyway, let us know what you decide to roast, and if you could also please furnish (detailed) tasting notes, well, drool.

Some of those Ethiopians, I haven't seen at all, and so would, of course, be much interested to learn how they taste.
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
Wow. Count me impressed - and, if I hadn't taken happy delivery of my own box (complete with a packet or two of pre-ground Ethiopian coffee, now that I am over my cold/flu, it is time to start attending meetings again) - I would be openly salivating with envy and desire.

Anyway, let us know hat you decide to roast, and if you could also please furnish (detailed) tasting notes, well, drool.

Some of those Ethiopians, I haven't seen at all, and so would, of course, be much interested to learn how they taste.
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I have no idea if these beans are any good, but as you are partial to Ethiopian beans, I thought that I would pass it along.
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
It is not loading properly for me, but never mind, and thank you for the very kind thought.

Does Sweet Maria's still feature as a source of coffee for those of you who are based in the US?
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They sure do; these days I'm buying their 8lb Ethiopian sampler packs, hence the interesting diversity of Ethiopian coffees I have on hand.
 
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mobilehaathi said:
They sure do; these days I'm buying their 8lb Ethiopian sampler packs, hence the interesting diversity of Ethiopian coffees I have on hand.
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Ah. I see. Excellent.

What are their Ethiopian coffees (sampler packs...) like?

Once, just once, following advice from this very thread, I did buy one packet of coffee from Sweet Maria's. I think it may have been the 'Liquid Amber' which I thought perfectly fine, but not exceptional.

Now, I will readily concede that most of what Sweet Maria's ship are green (unroasted) beans, and I'm not really in the market for that, as I prefer to receive the beans roasted - albeit very recently.

Now, an 8lb sampler pack; yes, that is an impressive quantity of coffee.
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
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.
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I don't know what to say except I love this post.

I also love rain. Plenty of it where I hail from, obviously.
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SandboxGeneral said:
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. :)
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Congrats!

Be careful, you'll get corruptespresso'd again.
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Scepticalscribe said:
I remember some posts that you wrote a few weeks (perhaps months) ago where you mentioned that you hadn't had a coffee, let alone an espresso, in ages - you were drinking strange - some sort of supposedly healthy - beverages - instead.

But let us rejoice: The return of @Shrink and @Kurwenal has given the espresso (and coffee) thread a real boost and fillip - in fact, an injection of pure caffeine - and proper coffee beans (and not Colombian marching powder whatever that peculiar substance is).

Anyway, great to see you back drinking coffee, and wonderful that the effervescent joie de vivre of this thread has been restored.
Click to expand...

I dig coffee. I just do.
 
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