Coffee

I went through a tremendous amount of angst in finding the right coffee press. OXO's press was overly gimmicky. Bodom ones wore out too quickly. Finally settled on the WMF "Kult" press. It's kinda designy and expensive, but it's sturdy - feels like it should be installed on a spy plane.

i only use a french press when we're camping, stainless steel REI job we got as a wedding present. it does good work, I always enjoy it when we have it.

Ordered a Bialetti Moka Express this morning. Still searching for that best tasting/easiest to prepare/easiest to clean sweet spot.

― What makes a man start threads? (WilliamC), Wednesday, May 8, 2013 4:11 PM (1 week ago)

May have found it.

I am an espresso drinker, and 100% Arabica is neither a scam nor "the best" -- if well roasted, it gives you a mild but still flavorful cup without much crema. BUT: "if well roasted" is ALWAYS the key here, and I think a lot of New School US roasters burn the shit out of their 100% Arabica trying to fake a pleasant bitterness and "thickness" that they would get in a much tastier form if they just added some good quality Robusta beans. I usually get a locally roasted or Italian (I am close enough to Italy that the stuff is still fresh when it gets here) blend with about 30% Robusta/70% Arabica, much less of a dark roast than you see at fancy US placers, and that shit is gooooood. I have a Breville Barista Express (in the German-speaking world it's under the Gastroback brand) which is the cheapest way in to the fancy grinder/real espresso machine world, and the thing is reliable like a 1966 Plymouth Valiant.

And yeah, if I can't get to a real espresso machine, a good grinder and a Bialetti is totally the way to go.

I got into an annoying conversation in Israel with a friend of H's who used to train Baristas. He was like "you don't really have good coffee in New York" -- based on his time living there over 15 years ago. I tried to explain to him what had happened since (leaving out the part that I think the better coffee places in New York are now considerably better than most Israeli espresso bars, which are largely good).

Anyway, I told him I made espresso at home and he started in with "you can't really make espresso at home as good as a cafe can." "H, do I make espresso as good as the cafes?" H: "Better" Israeli Dude: "Yes, but you see you have to grind fresh every day." Me: "I grind fresh every shot." Him: "Yes but you can't have the same kind of freshness a cafe can with its high turnover." Me: "I buy coffee that is stamped with a roast date and use it within a few weeks." Etc. It's a very Israeli trait to argue like this -- they insist they know their way around your own house better than you do.

And then I was like, "(sniff) By the way, your baby needs a diaper change." Him: "No, I don't think so (checks) oh, you're right."

BTW this was H's ex-boyfriend. PWNED

I feel like Bob Benson is the only person who understands me wrt coffee.

You shoulda just been all "yeah you're right I think it's just your coffee" after he said "I don't think so"

That person sounds infuriating.

lol xp

Israelis are weird wrt coffee too. They have good espresso everywhere, but at home they drink instant in the morning and this weird ersatz version of Turkish coffee in the afternoon (known as "botz" or "mud"). It's not bad -- their instant is actually tastier than the instant here, and the botz thing is alright. The climate kind of doesn't lend itself well to big strong cups of drip or french press, and I found myself not wanting as much coffee while I was there.

sounds like dude needs less coffee. instant? nasty.

Any recommendations for a burr grinder? My old grinder finally bit the dust this morning...

I use a Hario Ceramic Slim which is manual why bcz it cost $40. If you want an electric one you have to spend at least $100; I'm told the Baratza and Capresso models are great

I'm 100% ride or die with Capresso burr grinder

same

I also find that it does a better job and has more grind control than the hario manual

The Hario grinder takes forevvvver btw

like you do not even realize how long it takes to grind coffee til you are doing it by hand and it takes like 90 sec to grind 2 tablespoons

ugh

It is a nice zen moment in my morning routine though

the Hario grinder takes forevvvver btw

This is true. I've got one, but I think it's just a matter of time before I bite the bullet and buy an electric. I guess the manual would be nice to have in the event of a blackout though.

hario grinder takes as long as the water does to boil

^ truth

Thanks for the Capresso confirmations. Just ordered one.

"has anyone here ever tried civet (kopi luwak)?"

I'd never even heard of this until I read this, and now I will absolutely not ever drink it

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/sep/13/civet-coffee-cut-the-crap

hario grinder takes as long as the water does to boil

Longer, in my case, but I have a pretty fast electric kettle.

Capresso grinder arrived this morning. Tried it out on this:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BUjSViSCQAAjPw3.jpg

put shoes on you hippie

is lynch's coffee any good?

I'm a fan of the I'm Inside Your House Blend

how do you like the grinder, elvis? and also plz send me a bag of them there beans

Update: I love the grinder - thanks for the recommendation!

Unsurprisingly, Lynch's coffee tastes exactly what you would imagine the coffee at the Double R Diner in Twin Peaks would be like - it's not just diner coffee, but diner coffee's ideal form. Very very good. I could probably drink a bucket of it. Of course, you're also spending 15x as much for that damn fine cup of coffee but it's all part of the conceit.

Not sure if I'll get it again... It's expensive ($17 for that bag) and not well-suited for the hi-octane Armenian coffee I typically make.

For well over a year my co-worker and I have been taking turns bringing in different coffees to work because we both hate the keurig. We do pour-over with a hario dripper, and we have an electric kettle and a capresso grinder (we don't have the fancy hario kettle). I've generally had the best and most consistent luck with Stumptown, followed by Grumpy and Counter Culture. We tried a few recently from Sight Glass, which were ok. Right now we have an ethiopian from somewhere called Novo which I find a little skunky, but maybe it just doesn't go well with milk (I find a lot of east african coffees are like this). Mostly had bad luck with La Colombe's single origin coffees even though they're supposed to be a great company.

We don't really do Intelligentsia because it's not widely available here, but I have generally liked their coffees.

Super happy that the local WF now carries Bridgeport, which is one of my favorite coffee roasts in the city.

I <3 La Colombe

but I <3 Philly Fair Trade even more

I had a bag of beans from Ritual Coffee in SF, goddamn that shit was smooth

Right now we have an ethiopian from somewhere called Novo which I find a little skunky, but maybe it just doesn't go well with milk (I find a lot of east african coffees are like this).

I've had some Ethiopian coffee that was like this. Strong and complex, with prominent acidic notes - kind of wine-y. I usually like half-and-half in my coffee, especially in the morning, and I agree this flavor profile probably isn't the best suited for it. I tend to prefer similar kinds of medium to lighter roasts with acidic flavors, but sometimes Ethiopian can seem a bit too much. It's probably better suited as an afternoon coffee served black.

We succumbed and got a Keurig. I can have my dark roasts, my wife and daughter can have their weak stuff and their flavored coffees. Convenience über alles.

GET OUT...BEFORE I THROW YOU OUT!

We've never done a coffee vs beer?

AKA the 4 o'clock question

I recently learned that the ancient bag of coffee from my husband's old place, which I insisted be tossed when we moved, was the famed CIVET SHIT coffee!!!

Me: why didn't you tell me that when we were discussing whether or not to toss it???

Him: I did tell you! Of course I told you! You must have forgotten!

Me: I WOULD HAVE REMEMBERED CIVET SHIT COFFEE!!!!

so into coffee rn. local roaster cafe ibis is a godsend.

they have a kona that's savory and tastes like peanut butter. my favorites are the ethiopian coffees they get, fruity light roasts opening up my brane.

My local roaster place has Kona pour-overs for like $5. Haven't taken the plunge yet. I usually stick with Ethiopian, Costa Rica, or Papua New Guinea for $3 a pop.

I've been messing around with chemex filters vs. hario filters lately and have come to the conclusion that chemex filters are better for mediocre coffee but hario filters are better for really good coffee. The main difference I can discern is that chemex filters are thicker and less pourous, so the water sits in the grinds longer and takes longer to filter through. I guess it makes sense that if you have really complex and delicate flavors, this could ruin them, but if you have just ok coffee you might want to extract as much out of it as possible to at least get a full-bodied cup.

Also, here is something we can make fun of:
http://www.slate.com/articles/business/crosspollination/2014/03/blue_bottle_coffee_vcs_search_for_the_new_starbucks_starts_in_san_francisco.html

I haven't tried different thicknesses of filters. I have tried to adjust brewing time by adjusting the coarseness of the grind. I find that the grind should be fairly fine in order to get the optimal brewing time (around 4 minutes). It also helps to wet the grounds first.