Thread: Coffee Enthusiasts

I was talking to a friend/co worker today, and it turns out he uses a DE, brush and mug. We may have a new member. He expressed interest in straight razors. He seems very interested in all the soaps and creams and he's a fan of Proraso pre shave. He also uses fountain pens. It seems many of us, have similar interests...

The subject of Coffee came up. Turns out in addition to old style shaving, etc..we both have a passion for fresh ground coffee. I prefer Arabica beans. I stared drinking 8 o clock coffee and switched a few years ago to D&D Beans (Dunkin Donuts) I love their Coffee, must be a New York thing. (I'm originally from New York/New Jersey) and grinding them myself. I use a little electric grinder. He told me these are no good, and have a tendancy to overheat the beans. I guess you could cycle it every few seconds.

He recommended one of the old style coffee mills. Peugeot and Zassenhaus seem to make some good ones.
He also recommended a French Press to brew coffee. This all seems interesting to me, especially since I only drink one cup a day. I tend to make coffee in small amounts. I was thinking the French Press and an old crank style grinder might be the ticket. Does anyone else do this? Any insight would be appreciated.

Rich

I've been home-roasting my beans since 2006, grind 'em with a Zassenhaus manual coffee-mill, and fresh-brew in a Bodum press-pot. I enjoy the hobby, and the near-ritual of preparing my morning 20oz mug is the perfect accompaniment to that of shaving with a straight razor.

If I can answer any questions, I'll be glad to do so.

Spoiler Alert! People will tell you that the ground coffee must be of a uniform size. Hogwash. Their grounds have to be that way, but yours and mine? Nah... "ballpark" is Good Enough©. After all, you're making one cup of coffee per/day, and you're inclined to acquire a French press in which to brew it. Fight the Power! A brand-new Zassenhaus manual grinder will run you upwards of $100 (including S/H) from Sweet Maria's, but they also sell a Hario Skerton manual grinder (w/conical burrs!) for $40. Ask yourself: Do I really need to spend $300 on a Rocky-the-Flying-Squirrel grinder? "Less is More" -- isn't that one of the reasons we're shaving with hundred-year-old straight razors?

I definitely love my coffee. In fact I'm sipping on my vacuum pot coffee as I type this

I think our styles are a bit different though. To me I like a medium to light roast with low acidity, but I don't use the french press or a drip coffee maker. My convenience machine is a superautomatic made by Jura. I always make an excellent shot of espresso and make the latte's easy peasy. Closest thing to the ease of a Keurig but still allows me to use whole beans.

The other maker I use is a vacuum pot maker. I just got my vintage Nicro in today but I also use a Hario. If you haven't explored this method of making coffee, I highly recommend it. I seem to get more depth in flavor of the coffee and don't find any of the bitterness associated with the drip makers amd to top it off it's a neat little show.

Lastly about your grinder. Is it a blade grinder or a burr grinder? Blade grinders are simply no good. They don't give you the nice even grind that you get from a burr. Now on to the burr. There are different types of burr grinders. Conical and Flat disk.

Get a conical if you can. I find flat disks clogg easier and aren't as precise as a burr. On the burr, you can get either a stainless steel or ceramic. From what I hear Ceramic is the best because they don't heat up as much as the stainless steel, but to be honest I have 2 stainless steel conical burr grinders and have never had an issue with heat.

I'm pretty sure almost all the hand crank grinders have a conical burr system so you won't go wrong on that route. I just like the ease of use from my electric grinder.

We have another thread here about coffee.

I had bought a Zass grinder a few years ago, their basic model and the second time I used it the thing fell apart on me. Then I bought one of their better models and the thing still doesn't work very well. Maybe if I was 20 years younger manual grinding would be a treat but it's way too much cranking for me. I use an electric. I have a Rocky. I brew in a techniverm which is great if you want a great cup of coffee. I also have a Cona vacuum but is a pain to use and not suited to high altitude use.

Here is a good thread to check out http://straightrazorpalace.com/finer...4-cup-joe.html

I use a French Press and a kenmore electric burr grinder for my coffee. I had a hand grinder but did not really care for it. With the french press I recomend getting one that has an all metal cross plate. My cup of coffee takes about 8 min to make.

I also recomend keeping your dirp pot on hand if you like haveing a fairly large groups of people over. The french press typically use 4 ozs when they talk about cups. So a 8 cup french press is 32 oz. Most american mugs are about 8 or 12oz. If you like oversized mugs those typicaly come in around 16 or 20 ozs

I roast in a behmor drum roaster, grind with a Rancilio Rockey, extract with either my semi-auto la pavoni, press pot, java pot or Turkish Ibrik depending on what style I want. I've got a zassenhaus manual grinder that I like but only use occasionally- mostly when I travel.

A good conical burr grinder is the most important machine you will ever buy for your coffee making. Buy the very best you can afford and figure about 300.00 or so gets you into the right class. It will last and perform as it should and without it, you can't get the most out of your beans or your brewing. To cheap on any other component if you must but if you love good coffee, get a really good grinder.

I use a Behmor 1600 to roast my beans. I mainly do Columbian right now as a daily driver. I've been experimenting (with little success so far) at blending.

I use a Breville burr grinder, and a Bodum press. Daily.

Can't mess with the coffee in the morning. THat AM cup has to be spectacular!

I used a Zassenhaus for years until I got a kitchen-aid last year. I've got 4 Zassenhaus grinders though, like any normal person, back when I was into them. They are super cool. The Brilliante is the best one AFAIC. I have a french press but just use a pour over Melitta more often than not. Beans custom roasted Mocha Java by JBHoren lately. If not I get whatever is on sale.

Originally Posted by PapaBull

I roast in a behmor drum roaster, grind with a Rancilio Rockey, extract with either my semi-auto la pavoni, press pot, java pot or Turkish Ibrik depending on what style I want. I've got a zassenhaus manual grinder that I like but only use occasionally- mostly when I travel.

A good conical burr grinder is the most important machine you will ever buy for your coffee making. Buy the very best you can afford and figure about 300.00 or so gets you into the right class. It will last and perform as it should and without it, you can't get the most out of your beans or your brewing. To cheap on any other component if you must but if you love good coffee, get a really good grinder.

This is exactly what I learned. I went from a blade to an Infinity (low end conical) and the different in my french press was noticeable. The infinity crapped out and I replaced it with something better (we also bought an espresso machine which required a big upgrade on it's own - I have a baratza vario and really love it), but having a good solid grinder will make your coffee worth it.

The top off point is how sensitive your taste buds are. If you can barely tell the difference between starbucks charcoal and a local high-end coffee shop with fresh roasted beans, then go with a cheapie burr grinder at least (just because they are in fact a lot better than the spinning blades). If you describe a coffee as having hints of strawberry or smell grass up front... well then you need a big budget and to visit a different website .

Well, this does not surprise me. SR users like special grinders, home roasters, high end brewing devices...

I love coffee. To much actually and I have to watch my intake. I don't have expensive beans or equipment.

The blade type grinder has been just fine for me. I tend to cycle it and shake it around. I'd be interested in taste testing differences between that and a conical manual grinder. I've never heard of blades being bad and don't notice a temp change like warm coffee grounds.

Tip - do not freeze your coffee. Well, don't put an open container in there. Vacuum sealed, brand new beans are okay in there. Once you cut the bag and take that nice whiff of fresh coffee, keep it in your cupboard to avoid absorbing freezer air flavor.

I do really like my french press. The fiance takes decaf in the drip and I have regular in the press. It's very easy to use and can be fast if you microwave your water. If you're anti micro, then you already have a good tea pot for boiling. Of course you should not use 'boiling' water for coffee, just a notch under. Bring it to a boil, let it cool for a minute or two, then setup the press for steeping, then press and pour. I think if you buy just one new thing, it should be a french press.

Mr. Coffee has an okay personal espresso machine that I used to use. It steamed milk okay and was good for the coffee to. Filtered water was a must though as it seemed to bring out the worst in tap.

DK is alright. I like Pete's if I get a major brand. I don't care for Starbucks. We have two local roasting companies here and they are better still. My favorite beans come from African soils. My least favorite is Kona!