Enjoying the last of my Ethiopian coffee this wet Wednesday lunchtime.
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Espresso Enthusiasts
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The mornings are starting to turn cooler. I'm getting itchy to switch over from iced coffee to hot. The hot/iced cusp is usually around late September, but I may not hold out as long this year.
Bring on the light jackets, sweaters, flannel shirts... and hot coffee in my Chemex in the morning.
Bring on the light jackets, sweaters, flannel shirts... and hot coffee in my Chemex in the morning.
I can empathise so much with this post.
Light jackets (yes, - lightweight wool - but those have been reached for, sometimes, in the evenings, already), sweaters/pullovers - they have been donned yesterday and today; flannel shirts (in my case, turtlenecks, cotton, - later in the year will be wool - and long sleeves; today, I am still wearing short sleeves under a cashmere sweater, but, I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out...I had hoped until, perhaps, the equinox, but can see myself succumbing to the temptation of warmth over the next day or so...)
Hot coffee, always, but always, in the mroning, irrespective of the climate.
My wife and I spent a few days on the Olympic Peninsula this week. I asked the front desk for a recommendation for the best Espresso shop in the area and they recommended Rainshadow in Sequim. After having a couple Espresso macchiato's I bought a bag of Espresso blend and asked for a starting point for ratio and extraction time. The baristas didn't have a clue though they did think 30 seconds was the extraction time for 18g. I was surprised there was not a roasting date but since the beans are roasted in house I assume they are fresh. I was happy to find recommendations for ratio's on the back of the bag after I got home. If I had noticed sooner I would have recommended the baristas read it. The coffee is very good but I still prefer some of the local Seattle roasters.
That is odd about the lack of a roasting date, which is something I would have thought to find on a bag of coffee.
However, the actual images on the coffee bag are gorgeous.
Nevertheless, I can well imagine that the coffee available in Seattle would be a lot better.
Meanwhile, do enjoy the coffee.
Not a lot better; these are very good and improved after I followed the "recipe" by grinding finer for a 30 second extraction and pulling 32g of espresso from 20g of beans. I'll experiment as much as I can with a single bag to dial it in to my taste and decide if I want to order more. I'll definitely visit the shop the next time I am near Sequim.
You did say (in an earlier post) that this was their espresso blend (and that, oddly, and ominously, it lacked a roasting date). Are the respective coffees in that blend actually specified?
Personally - and this is only my own personal preference, and, as a result, my own personal recommendation - I would recommend that you buy a single origin coffee, rather than a blend.
Unless I blend my own (which I have done on occasion), I find that I have come to prefer single origin coffees; for one thing, they tend to be a guarantee of reasonable quality, whereas one can mask - or cloak - a multitude of issues when offering a blend for sale.
I disagree. Most the top rated PNW fresh roast espresso beans and my favorites are from blends and they are all of exceptional quality. I've posted a list earlier.
To me, coffee is like wine. It's easier to understand the flavour profile of a particular grape or bean, but blending grapes/beans by an expert can lead to a fantastic drink.
I mainly drink espressos (or espresso-based drinks) and much prefer a blend of arabica and robusta to pure arabica.
However, for my cafetière I'll use and generally prefer pure arabica (and pure robusta for my Vietnamese drip coffee, but that's an acquired taste).
I mainly drink espressos (or espresso-based drinks) and much prefer a blend of arabica and robusta to pure arabica.
However, for my cafetière I'll use and generally prefer pure arabica (and pure robusta for my Vietnamese drip coffee, but that's an acquired taste).
Agreed, as long as quality is guaranteed.
Agreed, robusta can give added strength to an espresso.
However, even for espresso, I can be partial to Arabica.
Absolutely agree.
And, also for filter coffee.
Ah, now that is a coffee I have yet to taste.
I think I only like it as I got used to drinking it when I was in Vietnam for a few weeks. As it's pure robusta, it's very caffeinated so not good to drink late in the day!
Vietnam is growing some excellent coffees now, both arabica and robusta, but the traditional street coffee* is the one I remember the most, and have brought back with me.
* It's traditionally roasted with, believe it or not, fish sauce: https://oivietnam.com/2013/08/vietnamese-coffee-roasted-in-fish-sauce/
In my beans investigation I came across some beans called Kopi Luwac - I had never heard about it, so I made some research. Please, please, don’t buy this. Poor poor animals, and crazy crazy humans.
But in case anyone have tried it, let us know of the experience?
en.m.wikipedia.org
But in case anyone have tried it, let us know of the experience?
Kopi luwak - Wikipedia
In my beans investigation I came across some beans called Kopi Luwac - I had never heard about it, so I made some research. Please, please, don’t buy this. Poor poor animals, and crazy crazy humans.
But in case anyone have tried it, let us know of the experience?
Kopi luwak - Wikipedia
Not only the cruelty to animals (and don't ask me about the person who feeds bags of coffee beans to his elephant and sells the product ...) but it's just not that good. In double-blind test done in New York some time ago, it was found that it was the worst of the beans tasted.
I can enjoy pure Arabica espressos a lot in periods.
But they are usually no drinks, but very concentrated as an espresso-machine make it. Sure I could have less concentrated settings, but that’s not me.
I like strong and concentrated 💣💥
At the most I mix in some coconut milk powder, as I am 99% vegan (I eat cheddar cheese- the vegan version is not to my taste - but that’s it).
Coconut milk powder makes the espressos no less strong, but creamy in a delicious way.
Ahh, the fun of espresso exploring 😍
I've sort-of had this in Hanoi.
Vietnam's equivalent of Starbucks (which made its founder incredibly rich) is called Trung Nguyen. They say they have replicated the chemical process involved when the weasels/civits digest the beans.
It's their "Creative 8" coffee and it seems a bit smoother than their other coffees, although I think most if not all of that smoothness is a placebo effect caused by its higher price.
My brother (knowing I love coffee, and that this - at the time - was one of the highest rated coffees in the world), got me some as a gift over a decade ago, and, I must say that I was not exactly overwhelmed (not that I actually said as much to him; the gift was a lovely and thoughtful idea).In my beans investigation I came across some beans called Kopi Luwac - I had never heard about it, so I made some research. Please, please, don’t buy this. Poor poor animals, and crazy crazy humans.
But in case anyone have tried it, let us know of the experience?
Kopi luwak - Wikipedia
I'm officially switched over to hot coffee again. I'm still using the same Mexican medium roast beans I buy at Costco: they have a nice, robust, earthy quality to them. During the cooler months, I tend to go for a wider variety of beans, as I get far more flavor and nuance out of hot coffee than I do with iced coffee or cold brew.
Hot coffee for me, always.
In warm climates, (actually, in all climates), I will have a sparkling mineral near to hand, as well.
However, in warm climates, that sparkling mineral water just might also be home to some ice.
In warm climates, (actually, in all climates), I will have a sparkling mineral near to hand, as well.
However, in warm climates, that sparkling mineral water just might also be home to some ice.