I recently tried cold brewing for the first time, and it was ok? Like the coffee that comes out tastes very mild, but also not that much.
It's very concentrated though, I took 50g beans, ground them and put in a container with 7dl water for about 20h. Tons of caffeine.
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FairchildRabbit used short words that were easy to understand, like "Hello Pooh, how about Lunch ?"Registered Userregular
I can create cappuccino with my Nespresso + Milk Frother, do you suppose there's a way to somehow add Mocha to this ? Because if I could brew my own Mocha Cappuccino, that would be the greatest discovery since the Infinity Stones, and even more powerful.
I can create cappuccino with my Nespresso + Milk Frother, do you suppose there's a way to somehow add Mocha to this ? Because if I could brew my own Mocha Cappuccino, that would be the greatest discovery since the Infinity Stones, and even more powerful.
Make or buy your own Mocha sauce and store it in a squeeze bottle. Make your espresso and squeeze in some sauce before you froth it.
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FairchildRabbit used short words that were easy to understand, like "Hello Pooh, how about Lunch ?"Registered Userregular
I can create cappuccino with my Nespresso + Milk Frother, do you suppose there's a way to somehow add Mocha to this ? Because if I could brew my own Mocha Cappuccino, that would be the greatest discovery since the Infinity Stones, and even more powerful.
Make or buy your own Mocha sauce and store it in a squeeze bottle. Make your espresso and squeeze in some sauce before you froth it.
That sounds like an excellent idea. I'll do that before I snap my fingers, because I wouldn't want to destroy half of all Mocha in existence.
When you say "buy Mocha Sauce", is there a particular brand ? Amazon lists quite a few. Ooh, I see Ghirardelli.
I’ve found it’s a personal preference so I can’t give a suggestion. For me I like a reallly prevalent chocolate flavor. I’ve found some very weak and not worth my time. I’ve found several recipes to make my own, but then after realizing how much sugar and what not is in it I stopped perusing my dream of home Mocha’s. Being diabetic sucks.
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FairchildRabbit used short words that were easy to understand, like "Hello Pooh, how about Lunch ?"Registered Userregular
Torani and Monin both sell sugar-free Mocha Sauce, I see.
Torani and Monin both sell sugar-free Mocha Sauce, I see.
If they use a sugar substitute I typically avoid those as I hate the taste. Thanks though. I’ve started to use Agave as my sweetener as it’s lower on the Glycemix Index. I’m toying around with vanilla Almond milk as well. I may try a mix of cocoa powder/agave/almond milk to see what I can make.
This is a decent guide video for a moka pot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpyBYuu-wJI
Note: never put a moka pot in the dishwasher. My wife, mother in law, and dad have all ruined about 2 each doing this. It got so bad I tracked down a stainless steel one.
It's hard to understate how important a good grinder is for making good coffee. That being said, if you are only planning on drip styles or a french press, don't spend $$$ on a burr grinder. But if you have plans to upgrade (espresso) in the future, a good burr grinder is worth it's weight in gold.
A belated thanks for this and @Goumindong's advice. Made a couple of cups through the weekend and was really happy with the result. Much thicker and richer, and closer to actual espresso which is what I was hoping for. This was using pre-ground espresso as well, so the next thing is to pick up a grinder. I'm hoping a fresh and coarser grind will be even better
I was given an aeropress and a little hand grinder and I've started using that and boy coffee is good, who knew? My only problem currently is I usually am running late for work in the mornings and have trouble making coffee since I have to grind the beans and boil water on the stove. At some point I'll upgrade to an electric kettle and maybe an electric grinder. But for now it's a nice little ritual preparation that I am quite enjoying. Also as a coffee newb I got some french vanilla creamer that I put a little dollop of into the coffee and it is quite good. I will try to wean away from this probably.
You can buy a low end Moka for pretty cheap at any local coffee shop that does merch.
The more expensive models just have a longer lifespan, silicone handle liners, replacement gaskets and stuff in the box. My first aluminum moka pot lasted like 3 years and only failed because it got set on the stove and I forgot to put water in it.
I've been given an Oxo 9 cup coffee maker and it's so much more convenient. I've also got a nice automatic burr grinder now.
But now I need to figure out which beans I like the most. I don't want flavored coffee but I do want some recommendations for where to get some quality beans. So, who's your bean dealer coffee thread?
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Powerpuppiesdrinking coffee in themountain cabinRegistered Userregular
Fancy coffee shops will often have their own beans. You can also get surprisingly good beans on amazon if you live in a food desert
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SarksusATTACK AND DETHRONE GODRegistered Userregular
I've been given an Oxo 9 cup coffee maker and it's so much more convenient. I've also got a nice automatic burr grinder now.
But now I need to figure out which beans I like the most. I don't want flavored coffee but I do want some recommendations for where to get some quality beans. So, who's your bean dealer coffee thread?
They have a real good variety and some of their coffees offer a sample size, although it seems right now they have fewer sample sizes than usual.
I also recommend looking to see if there are any local roasters in your general area. I live in a small/medium-ish sized city and there are still 2-3 roasters within ~30 minutes of me. It also makes it easy to try different beans if the roaster is also a coffee shop. Going to a local roaster and having them prepare a cup of coffee with a pour-over from beans they sold was one of the first steps I took when I got into coffee and that cup of coffee is still something I'm working to surpass.
I've been given an Oxo 9 cup coffee maker and it's so much more convenient. I've also got a nice automatic burr grinder now.
But now I need to figure out which beans I like the most. I don't want flavored coffee but I do want some recommendations for where to get some quality beans. So, who's your bean dealer coffee thread?
I'd look to coffee subscription services like Blue Bottle; most of them offer some kind of variety pack that you can try out to narrow down your tastes, or a subscription that sends a different roast, etc every time. They also tend to be the most reliable way of getting recently-roasted beans in my experience.
If you're looking locally, check high end grocers and coffee shops, and make sure they have a roasting date printed on the bag (preferably something within the past few weeks).
My espresso maker is currently out of commission because the previous owner didn't know what maintenance was and the boiler is so seized with scale I can't open it up. I ended up taking off the steam valve from the boiler to be able to get an opening to try to descale and flush clean the boiler. Unfortunately the o-ring for the valve was totally shot and now I'm waiting on a spare part to arrive in the mail to get everything nice and water tight.
Hopefully this should work because I don't want to buy a new boiler assembly. I haven't quoted it out but it's probably $150-200 for the boiler top, bottom, seals, a length of copper pipe and 4 screws to hold the whole thing together.
My espresso maker is currently out of commission because the previous owner didn't know what maintenance was and the boiler is so seized with scale I can't open it up. I ended up taking off the steam valve from the boiler to be able to get an opening to try to descale and flush clean the boiler. Unfortunately the o-ring for the valve was totally shot and now I'm waiting on a spare part to arrive in the mail to get everything nice and water tight.
Hopefully this should work because I don't want to buy a new boiler assembly. I haven't quoted it out but it's probably $150-200 for the boiler top, bottom, seals, a length of copper pipe and 4 screws to hold the whole thing together.
Ouch. I had to replace the pressure switch in mine and it was $50 once I included shipping.
Thankfully my water isn’t super hard. But I’ve been making sure by using one of those special water pitcher water filters designed specifically for coffee machines.
Steam - Synthetic Violence | XBOX Live - Cannonfuse | PSN - CastleBravo | Twitch - SoggybiscuitPA
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SummaryJudgmentGrab the hottest iron you can find, stride in the Tower’s front doorRegistered Userregular
edited January 2020
sleep deprived parent posting in the coffee thread instead of chat
10/10 irony
SummaryJudgment on
Some days Blue wonders why anyone ever bothered making numbers so small; other days she supposes even infinity needs to start somewhere.
I've been keeping it clean by backflushing every Sunday (generally only use it on weekends and only a couple of shots at that) and descale every couple of months but I think there is still enough crud in the boiler that the solenoid gets clogged every now and then.
My water is probably in a similar situation; it isn't hard enough I need to do something about it but I probably should get some kind of filter beyond my refrigerator's carbon filter.
I've been given an Oxo 9 cup coffee maker and it's so much more convenient. I've also got a nice automatic burr grinder now.
But now I need to figure out which beans I like the most. I don't want flavored coffee but I do want some recommendations for where to get some quality beans. So, who's your bean dealer coffee thread?
Are you east coast? Baltimore Tea and Coffee have a *massive* in store selection in open barrels you can sample from.
Systematically Improving Espresso: Insights from Mathematical Modeling and Experiment
Espresso is a beverage brewed using hot, high-pressure water forced through a bed of roasted coffee. Despite being one of the most widely consumed coffee formats, it is also the most susceptible to variation. We report a novel model, complimented by experiment, that is able to isolate the contributions of several brewing variables, thereby disentangling some of the sources of variation in espresso extraction. Under the key assumption of homogeneous flow through the coffee bed, a monotonic decrease in extraction yield with increasingly coarse grind settings is predicted. However, experimental measurements show a peak in the extraction yield versus grind setting relationship, with lower extraction yields at both very coarse and fine settings. This result strongly suggests that inhomogeneous flow is operative at fine grind settings, resulting in poor reproducibility and wasted raw material. With instruction from our model, we outline a procedure to eliminate these shortcomings.
Systematically Improving Espresso: Insights from Mathematical Modeling and Experiment
Espresso is a beverage brewed using hot, high-pressure water forced through a bed of roasted coffee. Despite being one of the most widely consumed coffee formats, it is also the most susceptible to variation. We report a novel model, complimented by experiment, that is able to isolate the contributions of several brewing variables, thereby disentangling some of the sources of variation in espresso extraction. Under the key assumption of homogeneous flow through the coffee bed, a monotonic decrease in extraction yield with increasingly coarse grind settings is predicted. However, experimental measurements show a peak in the extraction yield versus grind setting relationship, with lower extraction yields at both very coarse and fine settings. This result strongly suggests that inhomogeneous flow is operative at fine grind settings, resulting in poor reproducibility and wasted raw material. With instruction from our model, we outline a procedure to eliminate these shortcomings.
Anyone care to find out if it works?
CN: Use 15g coffee instead of typical 18-20g for a double shot, find the coarsest grind setting that will give you a ~25 sec extraction. A few people I know over at another site are already on board. They went as far as dissecting their grinds pucks post-brew, and confirming they had dry spots when using ~18g or more, especially on consumer-grade machines.
No personal experience, since I'm a Chemex brewer or Nespresso, but I'm a general believer in science verified by experimentation.
I just got a Chemex today. Does anyone have any tips, or are the standard instructions good enough? I do have a programmable kettle, as well, which I think will help
Systematically Improving Espresso: Insights from Mathematical Modeling and Experiment
Espresso is a beverage brewed using hot, high-pressure water forced through a bed of roasted coffee. Despite being one of the most widely consumed coffee formats, it is also the most susceptible to variation. We report a novel model, complimented by experiment, that is able to isolate the contributions of several brewing variables, thereby disentangling some of the sources of variation in espresso extraction. Under the key assumption of homogeneous flow through the coffee bed, a monotonic decrease in extraction yield with increasingly coarse grind settings is predicted. However, experimental measurements show a peak in the extraction yield versus grind setting relationship, with lower extraction yields at both very coarse and fine settings. This result strongly suggests that inhomogeneous flow is operative at fine grind settings, resulting in poor reproducibility and wasted raw material. With instruction from our model, we outline a procedure to eliminate these shortcomings.
Anyone care to find out if it works?
I tried this out this morning and I could not get it to work. My machine isn't a super high end machine but its also not a low end one either (Expobar Office Lever). I had to reduce my grind size AND tamp the puck super hard to even hit 9 bar pressure wise. Shot was sour. Additionally, tamping introduces other variables like off center tamping producing a slanted bed... which is why you use leveler instead of tamping. You get a light tamp, but an extremely even grain bed. Consistency is a thing that matters with espresso. I basically get the best coffee between 16.5g~18.5g of dry coffee, depending on the origin of the bean, the roast, etc; unsurprisingly, it has to be tuned for each different coffee.
Realistically, you get about 5 extra double shots/lb coffee, maybe they are more consistent, and it probably doesn't matter when you mix the coffee with 3 tablespoons of sugar for 99% of the beverages you send out. Probably makes a difference for cafe burning through 20lbs a day, though.
Maybe I'll give it another go tomorrow.
Steam - Synthetic Violence | XBOX Live - Cannonfuse | PSN - CastleBravo | Twitch - SoggybiscuitPA
I just got a Chemex today. Does anyone have any tips, or are the standard instructions good enough? I do have a programmable kettle, as well, which I think will help
Rinse the filter in cold water before putting it into the glass (opening the paper first helps). grind a little finer than french press, but not too much. I usually start at a 15:1 water/coffee ratio and adjust to taste from there. Water temp should be around 190F (88C). Pour a bit of the water (maybe 50-100g) over the coffee to soak it and let the coffee "bloom," i.e. give off carbon dioxide, for about 30 second then begin your pour. Keep all the grounds totally soaked and slowly continue pouring water. If your grind and pour is correct (and you're using the 8 or 10 cup Chemex) the process should take between 4-5 minutes.
I seem to have conflicting information on how to time my espresso shots. Some say as soon as you engage the pump others from the first drip of coffee from the filter.
Also as I was saying in the se++ bad food thread I keep getting sour shots in at around 20 seconds to 60ml.
My grinder is a breville smart grinder pro and my machine is only a cheap delonghi ec155 but I've got a la povoni filter basket in it that isn't pressurized.
Sometimes I can manage to get a solid shot but it's hard to replicate which leads me to think it's tamp technique and temperature since I've gotten better about dosing (I've been doing 17g) with a scale and little cup for and even non clumpy distribution.
I've got a separate tamper (hard to find a 51mm tamper I tell you) but it's really hard to get a level surface without pressing super hard? Which I think lead to the couple times I've choked my machine going below 10pm my grinder. (one time steam actually came out the group head which had me worried about the gasket) so I certainly have to improve that technique.
As for heat there isn't a ton I can do besides purge the single boiler for a bit before attaching the portafilter but I gotta test with a thermometer to make sure it's coming out around the right temp. So far I have had decent results with the old pressurized baskets doing this. I just watch that it isn't steaming or bubbling a ton which tends to be when the ready light turns back off. Then I just start the pull right as that comes back on.
I seem to have conflicting information on how to time my espresso shots. Some say as soon as you engage the pump others from the first drip of coffee from the filter.
Also as I was saying in the se++ bad food thread I keep getting sour shots in at around 20 seconds to 60ml.
My grinder is a breville smart grinder pro and my machine is only a cheap delonghi ec155 but I've got a la povoni filter basket in it that isn't pressurized.
Sometimes I can manage to get a solid shot but it's hard to replicate which leads me to think it's tamp technique and temperature since I've gotten better about dosing (I've been doing 17g) with a scale and little cup for and even non clumpy distribution.
I've got a separate tamper (hard to find a 51mm tamper I tell you) but it's really hard to get a level surface without pressing super hard? Which I think lead to the couple times I've choked my machine going below 10pm my grinder. (one time steam actually came out the group head which had me worried about the gasket) so I certainly have to improve that technique.
As for heat there isn't a ton I can do besides purge the single boiler for a bit before attaching the portafilter but I gotta test with a thermometer to make sure it's coming out around the right temp. So far I have had decent results with the old pressurized baskets doing this. I just watch that it isn't steaming or bubbling a ton which tends to be when the ready light turns back off. Then I just start the pull right as that comes back on.
I've always timed it from the first drip. Tamping is a real pain to do right, going over in force even a small bit can dramatically affect the coffee quality in my experience. Additionally, you have the added problem of trying to keep the coffee bed as level as possible so you get even extraction. A coffee leveler is a better tool usually, something like this one may work for you (there are others available, thats just the first 51mm I saw in my search). You can even give a light tamp afterwards to help if you need it and it will be much easier to tamp since the coffee bed should be level.
Steam - Synthetic Violence | XBOX Live - Cannonfuse | PSN - CastleBravo | Twitch - SoggybiscuitPA
Posts
It's very concentrated though, I took 50g beans, ground them and put in a container with 7dl water for about 20h. Tons of caffeine.
Make or buy your own Mocha sauce and store it in a squeeze bottle. Make your espresso and squeeze in some sauce before you froth it.
That sounds like an excellent idea. I'll do that before I snap my fingers, because I wouldn't want to destroy half of all Mocha in existence.
I’ve found it’s a personal preference so I can’t give a suggestion. For me I like a reallly prevalent chocolate flavor. I’ve found some very weak and not worth my time. I’ve found several recipes to make my own, but then after realizing how much sugar and what not is in it I stopped perusing my dream of home Mocha’s. Being diabetic sucks.
If they use a sugar substitute I typically avoid those as I hate the taste. Thanks though. I’ve started to use Agave as my sweetener as it’s lower on the Glycemix Index. I’m toying around with vanilla Almond milk as well. I may try a mix of cocoa powder/agave/almond milk to see what I can make.
Mix cocoa and water. Add some sugar.
Or be lazy and just use drinking chocolate powder
I see they ship internationally.
Well then.
A belated thanks for this and @Goumindong's advice. Made a couple of cups through the weekend and was really happy with the result. Much thicker and richer, and closer to actual espresso which is what I was hoping for. This was using pre-ground espresso as well, so the next thing is to pick up a grinder. I'm hoping a fresh and coarser grind will be even better
If it comes back, it's pretty good for $20. All their home stuff had been good actually.
Thanks for the Moka Pot vid, will check try that out tomorrow. Definitely had my biggest swings with that compared to French, etc.
I mean they're only like $30. You're really losing money by not buying one.
Seriously @Belasco32 this guy makes a strong point...
If you are really handy with tools @spool32 , you could always just make your own:
On the other hand, if you’re not as handy as you thought, you’re building a bomb. So there’s that.
Also, it's $30. And will probably take a few hours to make even if you are skilled.
The more expensive models just have a longer lifespan, silicone handle liners, replacement gaskets and stuff in the box. My first aluminum moka pot lasted like 3 years and only failed because it got set on the stove and I forgot to put water in it.
Get a cheap moka and a coffee tamp. Go to town.
I've been given an Oxo 9 cup coffee maker and it's so much more convenient. I've also got a nice automatic burr grinder now.
But now I need to figure out which beans I like the most. I don't want flavored coffee but I do want some recommendations for where to get some quality beans. So, who's your bean dealer coffee thread?
I like this place as far as online roasters are concerned: https://happymugcoffee.com/
They have a real good variety and some of their coffees offer a sample size, although it seems right now they have fewer sample sizes than usual.
I also recommend looking to see if there are any local roasters in your general area. I live in a small/medium-ish sized city and there are still 2-3 roasters within ~30 minutes of me. It also makes it easy to try different beans if the roaster is also a coffee shop. Going to a local roaster and having them prepare a cup of coffee with a pour-over from beans they sold was one of the first steps I took when I got into coffee and that cup of coffee is still something I'm working to surpass.
I'd look to coffee subscription services like Blue Bottle; most of them offer some kind of variety pack that you can try out to narrow down your tastes, or a subscription that sends a different roast, etc every time. They also tend to be the most reliable way of getting recently-roasted beans in my experience.
If you're looking locally, check high end grocers and coffee shops, and make sure they have a roasting date printed on the bag (preferably something within the past few weeks).
Hopefully this should work because I don't want to buy a new boiler assembly. I haven't quoted it out but it's probably $150-200 for the boiler top, bottom, seals, a length of copper pipe and 4 screws to hold the whole thing together.
Ouch. I had to replace the pressure switch in mine and it was $50 once I included shipping.
Thankfully my water isn’t super hard. But I’ve been making sure by using one of those special water pitcher water filters designed specifically for coffee machines.
10/10 irony
My water is probably in a similar situation; it isn't hard enough I need to do something about it but I probably should get some kind of filter beyond my refrigerator's carbon filter.
Are you east coast? Baltimore Tea and Coffee have a *massive* in store selection in open barrels you can sample from.
Anyone care to find out if it works?
No personal experience, since I'm a Chemex brewer or Nespresso, but I'm a general believer in science verified by experimentation.
Thought you might be interested in this discussion
I tried this out this morning and I could not get it to work. My machine isn't a super high end machine but its also not a low end one either (Expobar Office Lever). I had to reduce my grind size AND tamp the puck super hard to even hit 9 bar pressure wise. Shot was sour. Additionally, tamping introduces other variables like off center tamping producing a slanted bed... which is why you use leveler instead of tamping. You get a light tamp, but an extremely even grain bed. Consistency is a thing that matters with espresso. I basically get the best coffee between 16.5g~18.5g of dry coffee, depending on the origin of the bean, the roast, etc; unsurprisingly, it has to be tuned for each different coffee.
Realistically, you get about 5 extra double shots/lb coffee, maybe they are more consistent, and it probably doesn't matter when you mix the coffee with 3 tablespoons of sugar for 99% of the beverages you send out. Probably makes a difference for cafe burning through 20lbs a day, though.
Maybe I'll give it another go tomorrow.
Rinse the filter in cold water before putting it into the glass (opening the paper first helps). grind a little finer than french press, but not too much. I usually start at a 15:1 water/coffee ratio and adjust to taste from there. Water temp should be around 190F (88C). Pour a bit of the water (maybe 50-100g) over the coffee to soak it and let the coffee "bloom," i.e. give off carbon dioxide, for about 30 second then begin your pour. Keep all the grounds totally soaked and slowly continue pouring water. If your grind and pour is correct (and you're using the 8 or 10 cup Chemex) the process should take between 4-5 minutes.
Also as I was saying in the se++ bad food thread I keep getting sour shots in at around 20 seconds to 60ml.
My grinder is a breville smart grinder pro and my machine is only a cheap delonghi ec155 but I've got a la povoni filter basket in it that isn't pressurized.
Sometimes I can manage to get a solid shot but it's hard to replicate which leads me to think it's tamp technique and temperature since I've gotten better about dosing (I've been doing 17g) with a scale and little cup for and even non clumpy distribution.
I've got a separate tamper (hard to find a 51mm tamper I tell you) but it's really hard to get a level surface without pressing super hard? Which I think lead to the couple times I've choked my machine going below 10pm my grinder. (one time steam actually came out the group head which had me worried about the gasket) so I certainly have to improve that technique.
As for heat there isn't a ton I can do besides purge the single boiler for a bit before attaching the portafilter but I gotta test with a thermometer to make sure it's coming out around the right temp. So far I have had decent results with the old pressurized baskets doing this. I just watch that it isn't steaming or bubbling a ton which tends to be when the ready light turns back off. Then I just start the pull right as that comes back on.
I've always timed it from the first drip. Tamping is a real pain to do right, going over in force even a small bit can dramatically affect the coffee quality in my experience. Additionally, you have the added problem of trying to keep the coffee bed as level as possible so you get even extraction. A coffee leveler is a better tool usually, something like this one may work for you (there are others available, thats just the first 51mm I saw in my search). You can even give a light tamp afterwards to help if you need it and it will be much easier to tamp since the coffee bed should be level.