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Espresso Enthusiasts
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I should have stumbled upon this thread way earlier, damn. Just came in to see some coffee reccomendations flying around and wanted to add saying that the Intelligensia Black Cat Espresso is probably one of the best cups i've tasted.(unfortunately in India, my selection of coffees is pretty much restricted to Illy Dark Roast and the many Lavazzas otherwise)
Going to reorder Black Cat again soon, and possibly their Black Cat "Analog" version, since they claim that it goes well with milk based espresso drinks.
Also, you should add Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters to your master list of coffee links.
Going to reorder Black Cat again soon, and possibly their Black Cat "Analog" version, since they claim that it goes well with milk based espresso drinks.
Also, you should add Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters to your master list of coffee links.
Welcome aboard to our fantastic thread!
I've tried the Black Cat coffee before and I know at least one other person here has too. Also the Illy brand is popular here as well, though I haven't tried it yet myself.
Thanks for the link, I'll add it to my other post of links.
What a fantastically attractive package; lovely looking product, as well. You must let us know how it tastes, too....
It takes quite good. It doesn't have that rich sweet smell that Tim Hortons has, but it does smell deep, rich and good. The taste is equally as good as the smell. It's very smooth and almost light and fluffy as I sip it. It's not thick or heavy I guess is what I mean.
A few things I noticed about it are that when I ground the beans, using the same setting I normally use for the Tim Hortons beans, that they came out very flaky and got all over the place. They were not as heavy as the other beans and I had to tap the bin to get most of it out and into the filter basket. This is by no means a complaint, but something I noticed. The Tim Hortons beans after grinding require little to no cleanup at all and the grinder hardly retains any bean grounds in the burrs either.
Also, as I was scooping in the beans I noticed a very tiny stone among them. I'm glad I saw it because I cannot imagine that would do good things for the grinder burrs.
Yeah, I occasionally find small stones in my beans. Depending on the type of stone it may have just ground to powder, and you'd have been none-the-wiser. Best to catch them though, as they could damage the grinder.
Just wanted to let Shrink and SBG how absolutely evil - and of course - completely tempting - this thread actually is.
Tonight, reading, browsing, and thinking about things (oh, well, coffee among other things), I created an account with Intelligentsia Coffee and um, placed a few orders.....
The slippery slope has a long arc........
Tonight, reading, browsing, and thinking about things (oh, well, coffee among other things), I created an account with Intelligentsia Coffee and um, placed a few orders.....
The slippery slope has a long arc........
As mentioned above...small pebbles, and sometimes twigs, are occasionally found. A doubt if a tiny little pebble (as shown) would do much harm, the twigs can sometimes get jammed in the burrs. That's why it's a good idea to brush the burrs relatively often. Not really something to worry about...but it's an actual grown-in-the-ground (or on a tree, better said) and earth stuff gets in sometimes.
The grinds sticking to the basket (and getting all over your counter) varies with the grind, the environmental conditions, the blend and the roast. The stuff sticking to the bin is caused by static electricity, which is exacerbated by dry environment. Also, different blends and roasts also effect the sticking thing, as well as finding a bigger mess on your counter.
During the summer, when there is a bit more humidity in my house, I get virtually zero retention in my grinder...except I might get a tiny bit if my roast has varied a bit. However, during the cold weather, when my forced hot air heat is on, the humidity in my house makes Death Valley feel wet...and I get much more retention (sticking), which means I have to increase my dose measurement.
So my guess is that the new coffee is a slightly different roast, and if you haven't changer your grinder adjustment it might be grinding a bit finer. You might try going a click or two more coarse. You said the beans are not as heavy as the Horton beans, suggesting a slightly darker roast...or at least longer roast time, which dries the beans a bit more and makes them lighter in weight. I use three different blends, and I know that I use a larger number of beans with some blends (and roasts) to make a 17 gram dose...meaning each individual bean weighs a bit more in one blend than another. Also roasting darker tends to reduce the weight of each bean, changing the number of beans necessary to make up a 17 gram dose.
Whew...a bad case of logorrhea here!
Anyway...enjoy your new coffee, Mate!
The slope is slippery!
The night is dark in the land of the coffee insane!
And you are sinking deeply into the morass of coffee stuff!
I am evil (so is SBG...he's just nicer about it!) and will tempt you down that slippery slope!
Bwahahahah!
I owe it all to you and Shrink for getting me to where I am now. It all started way back in the early days of this thread. Ahh the memories; we had such good times then, didn't we?
The slope is slippery!
The night is dark in the land of the coffee insane!
And you are sinking deeply into the morass of coffee stuff!
I am evil (so is SBG...he's just nicer about it!) and will tempt you down that slippery slope!
Bwahahahah!
Evil? Me?
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I have found a very small piece of twig, on one occasion. It is my understanding that while not common, it does happen on occasion. A friend complained that his grinder had seemed to slow down and get hot. I suggested he remove the burrs, and he found a small piece of twig had jammed his burrs.
I'll add another option for you: Redbird Espresso. I roast my own, but I still order from Jeff because he makes really nice beans and is also a great guy. He roasts to order with quick shipping, so my orders are always fresh. And, if you want something odd, like a bizarre blend or custom roast or something, he will figure it out. Redbird with a Mazer Mini set to about 5 pm on the grind wheel is about the perfect ristretto.
Hey...hey...another crazy who roasts his own! I get my green beans from Sweet Marias, and now I'm going to take a look at the Redbird Espresso site that you linked.
Just curious...what kind of roaster do you have? I have a Gene Cafe roaster, and I am very happy with it.
Espresso Enthusiasts
I've just realised that I've run out of beans :-o
Will need to visit Costa tomorrow morning and hope Hasbean will get these to me pretty quickly:
http://www.hasbean.co.uk/collection...la-casa-vista-al-valle-red-honey-villa-sarchi
http://www.hasbean.co.uk/collections/4-6/products/el-salvador-finca-santa-petrona-washed-red-pacas
I've just realised that I've run out of beans :-o
Will need to visit Costa tomorrow morning and hope Hasbean will get these to me pretty quickly:
http://www.hasbean.co.uk/collection...la-casa-vista-al-valle-red-honey-villa-sarchi
http://www.hasbean.co.uk/collections/4-6/products/el-salvador-finca-santa-petrona-washed-red-pacas
Now we're talking a serious situation!
Ran out of beans!
I would be near suicidal if that happened to me!
I order my green beans LONG before I run out.
I hope your sources can do overnight...or something fast!
Guilty as charged.
Just curious...what kind of roaster do you have? I have a Gene Cafe roaster, and I am very happy with it.
Currently, most of the time I use a HotTop Programmable. Easy to use, almost automatic, since I have programmed in the settings I want for particular beans. And, it cools the beans very quickly, which is a fault with most roasters (in my humble opinion).
But, I still at times go back to just a skillet on the range. I have wasted so many beans in the skillet over the years, but the little voice inside my head says "you should be able to do this."
Glad to see this thread. There are few things in life more important than a good cup.
First...welcome to the asylum! We're a happy bunch of looneys here who all just love to talk coffee. Espresso, drip, filter, press...beans, grinders, machines...you name it, we love to talk about it.
You are so right about the issue of slow cool down. With my roaster, there is a "coasting" period at the beginning of the cooling cycle where the beans continue to roast for a minute or two. I judge when to stop the roasting cycle and trigger the cooling cycle by time, smell, and visual cues. There was a serious learning curve before I figured out that I must switch to the cooling cycle BEFORE roasting is completed, and let it finish roasting during the cooling cycle. I have it down pretty well, but it took a bunch of roasts to learn the trick.
I can't see the pan roasting thing. So very hard to get even roasting on all the beans...and I have neither the patience nor the skills to get it right. More power to you, Mate, if you can do it. Popcorn poppers don't excite me either!
Excellent. My current setup is the HotTop Programmable and a Mazer Mini, which feed a Gaggia Accademia and my trusty, cheap, chipped French Press. I try to limit myself to 3 or 4 coffees a day (much of it, now, decaf). And, some weekends I like to dabble with other brewing methods, but currently I am on a "keep it simple" kick. Hard to get much simpler than the Gaggia.
Oh, I agree. For me, it's sort of like trying a half court shot every time you walk off the court. Occasionally, it works!
I have the Gene Cafe roaster, an HG-one grinder, and an Expobar Office Lever semi-automatic espresso machine.
The HG-one grinder is a newly produced item. It's a two man operation, and the subbed out the burrs to Mazer. The grinder has Mazer 83MM burrs, and it's just such a great monster.
I only drink straight espresso. I'm good for 3-4 double shots a day. And I'm a pathetic accessory freak...but we don't know each other well enough for me to totally reveal how far around the bend I am. Suffice it to say, I'm so far around the bend, I can't see the bend any more!
Ah, you must like people. That would never work for me.
Somehow I knew I should have re-written that line!
Since I do, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing for me!
Being my friend requires that one be willing to suffer!