Thread: The Way of the Bean

I grind my own pre-roasted beans in a vintage Zassenhaus grinder. My preference is Mocha Java when available. In the mornings I do the Melita pour over and I always drink my coffee black. I recently picked up a vintage Revereware stainless with copper bottom stovetop percolator. I use that in the afternoon or evening on my days off if I feel like having a cup of joe. I also have a French press which I use occasionally.

i know what you mean sailor, i work the night shift solely, have for the past 9 years. coffee is the only thing to keep one awake when the night drags on, but personally i like a sumatran or even a peru, roasted very very dark, and ground fresh for that pot, ok, now im drooling i need to make some coffee

Originally Posted by Magpie

Cannonfodder, I both disagree, and agree with you.

To call Illy and other higher end coffee "garbage" is a diservice and misleading. Are they as good as freshyly roasted and freshly ground? Of course not! But we cant all have that luxury, and if you must deal with store bought, they are the best option.

If you want to be a true coffe snob, you had best be getting your beans within 14 days of them being harvested, and I hear that the best ones are proccessed through a rats ass. (not really joking here)

I also disagree with your numbers. home brews tend to OVERHEAT the coffee. the best flavors are extracted at around 185 degrees. the higher temps will bring out the more bitter oils. But then again, some people equate bitter with "good" proof of that is in any cup of Staryucks...
The coffee cone with poured water does indeed provide a fine fine cup. and half of that is because the water has cooled down from boiling during the trip from pot to cone, and during the trickle down process!
So there..Meh!

Actually, it is not a rat. It is called a palm civet. It is related to a mongoose and you are refering to Kopi Luwak. I have had it before, nothing special. The Civet travels around plantations eating the ripest cherries from the tree. Problem is that it often includes Robusto and Aribica coffee. It is not worth the waste of your money.

As to Illy, yes, it is garbage. At least in the US. I have heard that Lavazza and Illy are much better if you live in Europe and can get it relatively fresh. Illy will make a decent espresso as long as you use it moments after opening. 8 hours later and it is flat and lifeless.

There are a slew of online roasters that roast and post the same day with the coffee arriving within a couple of days to the house. If you really want to taste what coffee should taste like, skip starbucks and the other big chains as well as supermarkets. Although some do carry BlackCat from Intelligentsia now but I have never seen one. It is easy to roast coffee, is is also easy to roast coffee badly. It is as much an art as science and the best is roasted by a true arisen, one batch at a time.

As to brewing temperatures, every coffee works best at different temperatures as well as grind and dose. The SCAA and Italian equivalent recommend 195-205 as a general guideline. Most home brewers are well below that but if you are making Folgers, Lavazza, Starbucks or anything preground, a proper brew temperature will taste bad, because the coffee is bad. To each his own and everyones taste is different but everyone should really should try some good properly prepared coffee. It is night and day different.

Intelligentsia Coffee, Metropolis Coffee, Coffee Klatch, Caffe Fresco, Counter Culture Coffee, Ecco Caffe, Sumptown, Paradise Roasters, Chestnuthill Coffee, Cafe Grumpy, Gimme Coffee, 49th parallel coffee, Olympia Coffee, PT's Coffee are a few good places to start for coffee. 1st-line.com and chriscoffee.com are good places to start for equipment and home-barista.com and coffeegeek.com are good places to start for information on the art.

I use Italian espresso machine, the one with screw top. Too bad I can't afford to get good coffee and have to put up with Maxwell House.

Originally Posted by cannonfodder

Actually, it is not a rat. It is called a palm civet. It is related to a mongoose and you are refering to Kopi Luwak. I have had it before, nothing special. The Civet travels around plantations eating the ripest cherries from the tree.

As to Illy, yes, it is garbage. At least in the US. I have heard that Lavazza and Illy are much better if you live in Europe and can get it relatively fresh. Illy will make a decent espresso as long as you use it moments after opening. 8 hours later and it is flat and lifeless.

mongoose butt, rats ass, same dif! Now how is it I KNEW somebody on here would know what I was talking about not to mention correct me?!?

And I say again, compared to a box of folgers, Illy is great. Its all in what your comparing it to.
I have had the pleasure of fresh roasted, fresh ground.
But you know what none of you have mentioned yet? The Quality of your water! You just know it makes a huge difference!
Coffee back in brooklyn tasted soooo much better than coffee here.

Originally Posted by Magpie

I like my coffee the same as my women,

Sweet, strong, and Creamy!

Interesting... I too like my coffee like I like my women.....

Ground up and in the freezer...


That being said, I have a Keurig machine (which actually makes astonishingly good coffee in a very short time depending on the grounds...

My preferred coffee, from the Keurig, is Newman's Own Extra Bold organic coffee... I dunno about the organic part, but that is some fiiiiiine tasting coffee... Add 2 small packets of sugar and a splash of International Delight Creamer (Irish Cream flavor) and I'll climb a mountain for a cup of that

Originally Posted by Magpie

But you know what none of you have mentioned yet? The Quality of your water! You just know it makes a huge difference!
Coffee back in brooklyn tasted soooo much better than coffee here.

Water is another beast unto itself. The complexities of coffee are enormous. There are over 1000 compounds in coffee. It is the second highest traded commodity with oil being first. It is the second most consumed beverage in the world with water being number one.

If you really want to take the deep dive into water and coffee take a look at Jims Insanely Long Water FAQ. A repost from the days when the alt.coffee news group was a good place for information exchange.

The Insanely Long Water FAQ - www.big-rick.com

You get wonderful gems like...

The formula for pHs is as follows: The logs are base 10, T is temperature in centigrade, S is mg/l total dissolved solids, H is mg/l hardness, and A is mg/l alkalinity, both stated in CaCO3 equivalent units.

pHs = 44.15 + log(S)/10 - 13.12*log(T + 273) - log(H) - log(A)

The quantity pH - pHs is called the Langelier Index or LI (sometimes called the Saturation Index or SI). A negative LI means no scaling, a positive one means scale will form. The LI formula is:

LI = pH + 13.12*log(T + 273) + log(H) + log(A) - log(S)/10 - 44.15

Originally Posted by cannonfodder

Water is another beast unto itself. The complexities of coffee are enormous. There are over 1000 compounds in coffee. It is the second highest traded commodity with oil being first. It is the second most consumed beverage in the world with water being number one.

If you really want to take the deep dive into water and coffee take a look at Jims Insanely Long Water FAQ. A repost from the days when the alt.coffee news group was a good place for information exchange.

The Insanely Long Water FAQ - www.big-rick.com

You get wonderful gems like...

The formula for pHs is as follows: The logs are base 10, T is temperature in centigrade, S is mg/l total dissolved solids, H is mg/l hardness, and A is mg/l alkalinity, both stated in CaCO3 equivalent units.

pHs = 44.15 + log(S)/10 - 13.12*log(T + 273) - log(H) - log(A)

The quantity pH - pHs is called the Langelier Index or LI (sometimes called the Saturation Index or SI). A negative LI means no scaling, a positive one means scale will form. The LI formula is:

LI = pH + 13.12*log(T + 273) + log(H) + log(A) - log(S)/10 - 44.15

All that's well and good but for most mortals just having water that doesn't taste bad is a trick unto itself.

I roast my own; Sweet Maria's is a reliable source. Anyone who can maintain a straight razor is skilled and patient enough to roast magnificent coffee with a heat gun, a wooden spoon, and a stainless steel bowl. It's a smoky process, so outdoors is best. See here for a reliable guide. 8 oz of beans takes about 12-14 minutes, less if it's warm in your garage. Much easier than setting a bevel.

Green beans cost half what roasted beans cost, and keep easily 6 months (probably longer). No one who grinds his own beans at home has a decent excuse not to try this.

Well, I'm a big coffee fan!!!...
Type: Bold
Grind: Fine, grinded by me at the moment
Sugar: None
Milk/Cream: None
Decaf: Never
Origin: Africa, Costa Rica, Colombian, Mexican
System: Dripping
Quantity: 5 cups/day
Timing: anytime
Sleep: like a baby everyday