Thread: A Cup of Joe

Do you like day old bread better than freshly baked bread? If you do, then don't spend the time roasting your own coffee. If on the other hand you like freshness, then it's worth it. Money is only one measure.

green beans are cheaper than the roasted beans i was buying before. so it is win-win for me

I buy locally roasted beans that have the roast date on the package. All beans at this local chain (Dunn Bros.) are used, sold or tossed by the fourth day. I store the beans to be used that week in zip lock bags at the house. The beans I purchase are typically roasted that day or the day before. I prefer Guatemalians.

My current set up is a Delonghi drip machine with a metal filter and a Breville cone grinder.

I used to home roast back in the 90s. My webpage "dwaterfill"on home roasting is still up on the net. A good place to buy green beans is Sweet Marias. Home Coffee Roasting Supplies - Sweet Maria's. He has an emailer that is very informative. An upcoming article is about freezing roasted beans.

IMO the "freshness" of home roasted beans can be overstated. Roasted beans need to outgas the CO2 before being brewed. The trick is to let the beans outgas but not be exposed to oxygen. For beans not to be used immediately, I pull a vacuum on the bag with my Foodsaver (this is starting to read like an infomercial, sorry). The bag will inflate with the CO2 but there is a minimum of oxygen to decompose the coffee oils.

rolo

Sweet Marias sells (or used to sell) metal canisters with one way valves in them. I use those to store the coffee after roasting and then after 24 hours or so transfer them to foodsaver canisters and that's where they sit in a partial vacuum state.

I started out 10 ysr ago, approx, with some beans and filter from "Killer beans", great stuff (oily, fresh and wonderfully roasted beans). I've had five espresso machines by now and I love my latest one (and prob the "final" one, he he) - a Chimballi Junior DT1 and to that a Mazzer Super Jolly grinder (right now I use an espresso chain blend that the Swedish JohanandNyström roastery makes). We're at our yearly country side stay now and here we use an espresso machine too, but a cheapo kind and pre ground coffee, it works too.

Shots from my Chimballi:

Looks like a "god shot" to me!

A pic for you guys. Farberware perc, kenmore burr grinder and 12 oz/3cup bodum French press.

Bunn with the holding tank with a slightly heaped 1/4c of Folger's dark roast. Perfect every time. I love fresh ground beans from time to time, but that's my every day...good thread guys.

This thread reminded me of one of the greatest how-to videos on grinding and brewing a fresh cup of coffee. Thankfully I got a bit bored at work today and found it on youtube for you:

French Press! It makes all other coffee taste like water lol