PM me a mailing address (I promise not to stalk) and I will send you some and we can do tasting notes and really drive the sceptical one crazy.
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Espresso Enthusiasts
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PM me a mailing address (I promise not to stalk) and I will send you some and we can do tasting notes and really drive the sceptical one crazy.
From my very limited exposure to Nespresso, the little foil commercial pods (I won't call them what they really look like) definitely taste better than the more popular capsules. I read on one website that Nespresso generally limits the commercial machines to true commercial customers, and perhaps even only leases the machines. More research is indicated.
It turns out that the machine I fancied in the hotel that night was a commercial machine.
If I had purchased a Nespresso (the widely available capsule version), it is entirely possible that I would have concluded by now that the capsules are "no worse than Starbucks."
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Sure...sure...all stalkers say that.
BTW: If you're buying for the thread...
Well there was a glowing pair of eyes peering through my bedroom window last night....
I'm sure it was just a raccoon.
Tasting Notes
India Monsooned Malabar
Roaster: Doubleshot (Tulsa)
Source: India
SO: UNK
Roast: UNK
Date Roasted: UNK
Date Tasted: 2/27/14
Process: Dry/Monsooned
Purchase Again: Probably Not
Preparation: Cona-D Vac
Water Source: AH PureLife Bottled
Water Temp: 202F
Grind: Mazzer3 9.55
Weight: 45g
Acidity: 5
Body: 8
Sweetness: 7
Finish: 5
pH: not tested
Notes: continuing my exploration of coffee from India. Expected low acidity but surprised by just how low. It pulled down the sweetness but not as much as I expected. Sort of an odd acidity/sweetness combination, at least unusual. Not sure I like it. Balance is off. Really liked the body, very full, very nutty (almost too nutty). Finish was the least enjoyable taste, almost musty. This one might actually be better in a french press. Guess the roast was City but not sure.
India Monsooned Malabar
Roaster: Doubleshot (Tulsa)
Source: India
SO: UNK
Roast: UNK
Date Roasted: UNK
Date Tasted: 2/27/14
Process: Dry/Monsooned
Purchase Again: Probably Not
Preparation: Cona-D Vac
Water Source: AH PureLife Bottled
Water Temp: 202F
Grind: Mazzer3 9.55
Weight: 45g
Acidity: 5
Body: 8
Sweetness: 7
Finish: 5
pH: not tested
Notes: continuing my exploration of coffee from India. Expected low acidity but surprised by just how low. It pulled down the sweetness but not as much as I expected. Sort of an odd acidity/sweetness combination, at least unusual. Not sure I like it. Balance is off. Really liked the body, very full, very nutty (almost too nutty). Finish was the least enjoyable taste, almost musty. This one might actually be better in a french press. Guess the roast was City but not sure.
Well there was a glowing pair of eyes peering through my bedroom window last night....
I'm sure it was just a raccoon.
If they looked like this...it wasn't a raccoon!
Heh, it could have been worse... the dreaded "i" word!
It struck me that I have never actually tasted "the dreaded I word." That, plus the recent controversy in this thread concerning whether it is possible, in fact, to ever over-obsess about coffee (can PRSI be far behind?), have caused me to alter, for today only, my intended daily coffee lineup. To wit, I present:
Beginning from the left, a SB americano, now already consumed. Which leads to an honest question: is it possible that 90% of the coffee drinkers in this country (and many others) truly have no taste buds that register "burned." Are they all out eating black toast and steaks with the consistency of charcoal? I mean, really people.
Up next, yes, the mythical, fabled, Loch Ness-esque "Folgers Instant Coffee Crystals." To be brewed, for reasons I cannot really explain, in a bialetti. May god have mercy on my soul.
Following that, it will be appropriate to return to a ristretto of the double variety, made from Sweet Maria's Liquid Amber roasted on Thursday. This looks like a stunning batch, not yet tasted, but I have the highest hopes for it, based on last night's inspection. The contrast between it and the prior drink should be, uh, at least interesting. If I ever am to have the right to ask The Great Space God Dyzan for a God Cup intercession, this is it.
Then, something new to try, Sweet Maria's Guatemala Acatenango Finca San Diego Buena Vista, roasted by yours truly on Thursday to FC+. It should be very good in the Chemex. And, if not, at least it has a cool-sounding long name.
Thereafter, another long shot (pun intended): a Nespresso Fortisio Lungo capsule. I am promised by the marketers: "Made from Central and South American Arabicas with just a hint of Robusta, Fortissio Lungo is an intense full-bodied blend with bitterness, which develops notes of dark roasted beans." WTF are "notes of dark roasted beans"? Guess I will find out.
And, finally, to end the evening and to look forward to all day, the awesome Decaf Noir, roasted earlier this week and quickly delivered, and fashioned by the Le Creuset "Volcanic" french press into what I expect to be an outstanding cup over which to start tomorrow's crossword puzzle.
I calculate the odds of death or serious injury somewhere a long the way in at least double digits. "That it should come to this!"
Happy Coffee, friends.
Well there was a glowing pair of eyes peering through my bedroom window last night....
I'm sure it was just a raccoon.
As a mouse may fall for Roquefort cheese (I have been guilty of assuming that the furry gentlemen shared my rarefied taste buds on such matters, until my brother pointed out that industrial cheddar would do work equally well; to be disbelief, the furry gentlemen failed to succumb to the Roquefort, but died a sweet and happy death upon meeting, and eating industrial cheddar), I think the test to be administered here is whether the raccoon succumbs to the siren lure of coffee .
Hm.
What a fantastic post. A thorough pleasure to read.
(And, what, as an aside, might I ask, had Mrs Kurwenal, that voice of off-stage sanity, to say about this marathon tasting session?)
Wow! This sounds like an awesome experiment. I look eagerly forward to reading the results of this.
Excellent! Looking forward to the results.
Oh, you'd have to be really into coffee to understand.
Like SS above...my first thought in seeing your. ..er...display was picturing Mrs. Kurwenal standing at the kitchen door, watching all this happening, and slowly shaking her head in disbelief.
Also...I'm incredibly jealous of your counter space. I have to contort myself around my machine and grinder to measure my dose. But we do with what we have!
Like SS above...my first thought in seeing your. ..er...display was picturing Mrs. Kurwenal standing at the kitchen door, watching all this happening, and slowly shaking her head in disbelief.
Comment from Mrs. Kurwenal: "where's Goldilocks?"
Well, I poured myself a glass of wine and did some roasting this afternoon.
I put 52.5g of green Sumatra Grade 1 Mandheling in my air popper (the West Bend Air Crazy). They had a bit of trouble agitating in the beginning, so I spent the first 45s twirling the machine to keep them circulating. After they lost some weight they kept moving nicely. First Crack came between 3:30 and 4, after which I roasted for another 90s (probably way too long). The ending weight was 44.25g.
After cooling (by tossing between two metal colanders), I put them in a mason jar with lid loose.
For the sake of education, about an hour later I measured, ground, and dripped some coffee (as I normally would). As expected, the ground were very bubbly as I poured the water over.
Result? Over-roasted. Although somewhat acceptable to drink when cut with a bit of sugar and cream.
I'll let them rest for a few days and come back for a visit, and I'll probably do a few shorter roasts this evening.
This is going to be fun.
I put 52.5g of green Sumatra Grade 1 Mandheling in my air popper (the West Bend Air Crazy). They had a bit of trouble agitating in the beginning, so I spent the first 45s twirling the machine to keep them circulating. After they lost some weight they kept moving nicely. First Crack came between 3:30 and 4, after which I roasted for another 90s (probably way too long). The ending weight was 44.25g.
After cooling (by tossing between two metal colanders), I put them in a mason jar with lid loose.
For the sake of education, about an hour later I measured, ground, and dripped some coffee (as I normally would). As expected, the ground were very bubbly as I poured the water over.
Result? Over-roasted. Although somewhat acceptable to drink when cut with a bit of sugar and cream.
I'll let them rest for a few days and come back for a visit, and I'll probably do a few shorter roasts this evening.
This is going to be fun.
Well, I poured myself a glass of wine and did some roasting this afternoon.
I put 52.5g of green Sumatra Grade 1 Mandheling in my air popper (the West Bend Air Crazy). They had a bit of trouble agitating in the beginning, so I spent the first 45s twirling the machine to keep them circulating. After they lost some weight they kept moving nicely. First Crack came between 3:30 and 4, after which I roasted for another 90s (probably way too long). The ending weight was 44.25g.
After cooling (by tossing between two metal colanders), I put them in a mason jar with lid loose.
For the sake of education, about an hour later I measured, ground, and dripped some coffee (as I normally would). As expected, the ground were very bubbly as I poured the water over.
Result? Over-roasted. Although somewhat acceptable to drink when cut with a bit of sugar and cream.
I'll let them rest for a few days and come back for a visit, and I'll probably do a few shorter roasts this evening.
This is going to be fun.
WOW! That is fast roasting! Of course, you're roasting a small quantity. Is one roast enough for one cup, or more?(Sorry about my ignorance of pour over technique).
Yeah it goes very quickly; SM's has a 5 min video that shows a complete roasting.
I got about 45g out of one batch, which would make me 3ish cups.
This is going to be fun.
Awesome. Congratulations. I look forward to your reports. That's a very fast roast. You will need to really be on your toes. Maybe drink a large coffee before you roast?
____________
I thought about writing up a tasting note on the "Instant" I drank yesterday, but decided that would be a bit too odd. It tastes nothing like coffee. If given a cup in a blind test, I would have said it was some odd non-coffee drink from a foreign country I never want to visit. I've never tried Pero or those style of drinks. I would have said it was that.
It has zero coffee taste. Absolutely none. On the first sip, the most overwhelming sense was the temperature of the water. That moved quickly, however, to this really unsettling chemical taste, almost like I was drinking an astringent or chemical or something (no, I have never tasted an astringent, but you get my point). A bit like vinegar, or even wine that has become corked. It caused me to look into the cup and think "really?" and to go look at the ingredients on the bottle. There was no coffee flavor at all, nothing. Just this sour, chemical taste. And, it got worse on the back end. Acrid, bitter, like I imagine rotten raisins taste. Incredibly irritating.
I really don't have the words to describe it. It wasn't bad coffee because it wasn't coffee. It was something else entirely. At least the other two low scorers of the day, the SB and Nespresso, tasted somewhat like coffee. The Instant. Wow. But, I can safely say that I now have tasted the one cup (actually, two sips) of that stuff that I will ever taste in my life. The second sip was a herculean effort, but my guess that the second sip would be a bit better was horribly wrong. The Instant even infected other things in my kitchen. I smoked four racks of ribs on my smoker.....something I've done many times and it is very easy. But the ribs missed the mark, very bland, and I blame the harm done to my taste buds by the Instant.
The star of the day: the Guatemalan. I nailed the roast on that one. Blew me away and I had to pull out the vac brewer to make a second cup.
I hope I have proven that I do not, in fact, take coffee too seriously.
----------
Nice coffee pron Shrink!
Heh, heh, heh.
An aside, on closer inspection of that incredibly detailed picture, I just spotted what seems to me to be a lovely Le Creuset French press sitting off to the right hand side; I bought myself something similar in that attractive raspberry colour over the Yuletide break .
Awesome. Congratulations. I look forward to your reports. That's a very fast roast. You will need to really be on your toes. Maybe drink a large coffee before you roast?
____________
I thought about writing up a tasting note on the "Instant" I drank yesterday, but decided that would be a bit too odd. It tastes nothing like coffee. If given a cup in a blind test, I would have said it was some odd non-coffee drink from a foreign country I never want to visit. I've never tried Pero or those style of drinks. I would have said it was that.
It has zero coffee taste. Absolutely none. On the first sip, the most overwhelming sense was the temperature of the water. That moved quickly, however, to this really unsettling chemical taste, almost like I was drinking an astringent or chemical or something (no, I have never tasted an astringent, but you get my point). A bit like vinegar, or even wine that has become corked. It caused me to look into the cup and think "really?" and to go look at the ingredients on the bottle. There was no coffee flavor at all, nothing. Just this sour, chemical taste. And, it got worse on the back end. Acrid, bitter, like I imagine rotten raisins taste. Incredibly irritating.
I really don't have the words to describe it. It wasn't bad coffee because it wasn't coffee. It was something else entirely. At least the other two low scorers of the day, the SB and Nespresso, tasted somewhat like coffee. The Instant. Wow. But, I can safely say that I now have tasted the one cup (actually, two sips) of that stuff that I will ever taste in my life. The second sip was a herculean effort, but my guess that the second sip would be a bit better was horribly wrong. The Instant even infected other things in my kitchen. I smoked four racks of ribs on my smoker.....something I've done many times and it is very easy. But the ribs missed the mark, very bland, and I blame the harm done to my taste buds by the Instant.
The star of the day: the Guatemalan. I nailed the roast on that one. Blew me away and I had to pull out the vac brewer to make a second cup.
I hope I have proven that I do not, in fact, take coffee too seriously.
Oddly enough, the horrid 'i' product may be improved by adding hot milk (rather than water) to it; the latte taste disguises the many deficiencies. At least, in the days when it used to be offered occasionally chateau nous (though rarely by your humble scribe), hot milk was a de rigueur default option, which did improve matters somewhat.
However. The sad thing is that this instant stuff has made inroads in parts of the world which used to be tea drinking, such as the former Soviet world. There, from the 1990s, kiosks would sell jars of the stuff, while eager hosts would offer me this stuff under the impression that they were modern, cutting edge, and were now more 'western'.
Unfortunately, the price of real beans was astronomical (and still is, in some of these places); actually, it is an outrageous luxury for locals. A kilo of beans - which were actually of very good quality - cost the proverbial arm and a leg if one was on a local salary, and still do, in some of the places where I have worked. Indeed, I have made coffee with a French press, watched avidly by personal staff who were whispering to themselves describing the various steps of the process, who then proceeded to sample (with sheer unadulterated joy) the result of my labours.
Awesome. Congratulations. I look forward to your reports. That's a very fast roast. You will need to really be on your toes. Maybe drink a large coffee before you roast?
____________
I thought about writing up a tasting note on the "Instant" I drank yesterday, but decided that would be a bit too odd. It tastes nothing like coffee. If given a cup in a blind test, I would have said it was some odd non-coffee drink from a foreign country I never want to visit. I've never tried Pero or those style of drinks. I would have said it was that.
It has zero coffee taste. Absolutely none. On the first sip, the most overwhelming sense was the temperature of the water. That moved quickly, however, to this really unsettling chemical taste, almost like I was drinking an astringent or chemical or something (no, I have never tasted an astringent, but you get my point). A bit like vinegar, or even wine that has become corked. It caused me to look into the cup and think "really?" and to go look at the ingredients on the bottle. There was no coffee flavor at all, nothing. Just this sour, chemical taste. And, it got worse on the back end. Acrid, bitter, like I imagine rotten raisins taste. Incredibly irritating.
I really don't have the words to describe it. It wasn't bad coffee because it wasn't coffee. It was something else entirely. At least the other two low scorers of the day, the SB and Nespresso, tasted somewhat like coffee. The Instant. Wow. But, I can safely say that I now have tasted the one cup (actually, two sips) of that stuff that I will ever taste in my life. The second sip was a herculean effort, but my guess that the second sip would be a bit better was horribly wrong. The Instant even infected other things in my kitchen. I smoked four racks of ribs on my smoker.....something I've done many times and it is very easy. But the ribs missed the mark, very bland, and I blame the harm done to my taste buds by the Instant.
The star of the day: the Guatemalan. I nailed the roast on that one. Blew me away and I had to pull out the vac brewer to make a second cup.
I hope I have proven that I do not, in fact, take coffee too seriously.
----------
Nice coffee pron Shrink!
Thanks!
On those occasion when asked about the "i" drink, the only description I can muster is..."It's a brown, hot, liquid substance unfit for human consumption" .
Your description is spot on...
Awesome. Congratulations. I look forward to your reports. That's a very fast roast. You will need to really be on your toes. Maybe drink a large coffee before you roast?
____________
I thought about writing up a tasting note on the "Instant" I drank yesterday, but decided that would be a bit too odd. It tastes nothing like coffee. If given a cup in a blind test, I would have said it was some odd non-coffee drink from a foreign country I never want to visit. I've never tried Pero or those style of drinks. I would have said it was that.
It has zero coffee taste. Absolutely none. On the first sip, the most overwhelming sense was the temperature of the water. That moved quickly, however, to this really unsettling chemical taste, almost like I was drinking an astringent or chemical or something (no, I have never tasted an astringent, but you get my point). A bit like vinegar, or even wine that has become corked. It caused me to look into the cup and think "really?" and to go look at the ingredients on the bottle. There was no coffee flavor at all, nothing. Just this sour, chemical taste. And, it got worse on the back end. Acrid, bitter, like I imagine rotten raisins taste. Incredibly irritating.
I really don't have the words to describe it. It wasn't bad coffee because it wasn't coffee. It was something else entirely. At least the other two low scorers of the day, the SB and Nespresso, tasted somewhat like coffee. The Instant. Wow. But, I can safely say that I now have tasted the one cup (actually, two sips) of that stuff that I will ever taste in my life. The second sip was a herculean effort, but my guess that the second sip would be a bit better was horribly wrong. The Instant even infected other things in my kitchen. I smoked four racks of ribs on my smoker.....something I've done many times and it is very easy. But the ribs missed the mark, very bland, and I blame the harm done to my taste buds by the Instant.
The star of the day: the Guatemalan. I nailed the roast on that one. Blew me away and I had to pull out the vac brewer to make a second cup.
I hope I have proven that I do not, in fact, take coffee too seriously.
----------
Nice coffee pron Shrink!
Wonderful description of the horrible stuff! May I use your report when speaking to others about it?
Oh agreed. It is my current go-to press pot. It retains the heat from the pre-brew hot water much better than a typical FP. And, it looks cool too.
True that. And not just humans, I suspect.
Wonderful description of the horrible stuff! May I use your report when speaking to others about it?
Well, if the second part of your name is indicative of your past....I suspect you have had many occasions to remark on horrible "coffee."
I was off researching this morning how I is made (it's like a car wreck on the freeway....I can't look away). Turns out SB has its own version of I, called SB VIA. Who wants to volunteer to give it a whirl?
Oh agreed. It is my current go-to press pot. It retains the heat from the pre-brew hot water much better than a typical FP. And, it looks cool too.
True that. And not just humans, I suspect.
Well, if the second part of your name is indicative of your past....I suspect you have had many occasions to remark on horrible "coffee."
I was off researching this morning how I is made (it's like a car wreck on the freeway....I can't look away). Turns out SB has its own version of I, called SB VIA. Who wants to volunteer to give it a whirl?
I'm sure I should know this...but what's SB? And if VIA is instant coffee, I'll follow some advice once given me...to wit; never volunteer for anything!
Sta#$uck$
I tend not to spell it out, so if someone searches MR for that word, they will not find this thread. /grin
Yes...yes...best not to take any chances!
And thanks for the offer...but I'll pass...