The coffee making thread

[The_Metatron]

I'm going to try using half the coffee when making mine, and I won't need to use so much stevia. Plus it will be better for my body to not consume so much caffeine. Or I could try decaf if the other fails. You're all welcome to stone me to death for even mentioning it. 6 months ago I'd think that idea is madness. When you drink 5 cups a day, something has to change.

Most epically vitally imperative you don’t do that!

I’m frantically searching for the why... standby...


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[The_Metatron]

Food Network used to have a show by Alton Brown called Good Eats. Season 2, Episode 8, True Brew is the episode that I found to be the best explanation behind a good cup of coffee that I ever saw. I’m damned if I can find it online.

If I remember, it had to do with the correct ratio of coffee grounds to brewing water to get the first two thirds of the extraction from the coffee. The last third of the solubles in the extraction are what makes the brewed coffee bitter. The last bit caused by passing too much water through too few coffee grounds. Weak, and really bitter coffee.

I think he suggested to cut with boiling water if the standard ratio of 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of coffee to six ounces (177 ml) of water.

Anyway, don’t use less grounds. It would taste bad.


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[The_Piper]

What do you mean by cut with boiling water?

[Mike_L]

I think "cut with boiling water" means water added after the coffee has been brewed. (So an 'Americano' is basically an espresso cut with hot water).
But Metatron is right... using less grounds won't make it better.
I think the standard is about one rounded tablespoon (20ml) grounds per 200 ml water, or 1 level tablespoon (15ml) per 180ml water.

Final product is affected by quite a few factors...
* Type of roast (medium roast is slightly more acidic, dark roast slightly more bitter).
* Temperature of water. Too hot (boiling) and the coffee oils can be "scorched". Not hot enough and the bitter flavors might dominate. Ideally, water temp should be just below boiling... in the low- to mid-90s (Celsius). Many recommend that you bring the water to boiling, then remove from heat and allow to stand for about 30 seconds before pouring over the grounds.
* Duration of brewing is perhaps most important. Too brief and the sugars and dextrins are not properly extracted, resulting in a sour (acidic) cup. Too long and more of the bitter compounds are extracted. Brewing time should be about 4 minutes, regardless of whether one is using French Press or pour-over. (Some recommend 5 minutes for medium roasts, 4 minutes for dark roasts).

'Angels' Cup' has quite a lot of info on it, nicely laid out...
https://angelscup.com/blog/taste/coffee-extraction-sour-vs-bitter/

[Scot Dutchy]

Water for coffee should be 91-96C.

[The_Piper]

I usually cut it with cool water so I can drink it. I don't drink it hot. My brewer takes 2-3 minutes to finish, but that's with half of the mug being filled, which I then add cool water to. Occasionally I put more water in the brewer, and add an icecube at the end.

[Miarobi]

Spent last night at the Malolotja Nature Reserve about an hour from home, with old friends. Forgot to bring my espresso pot and was forced to drink instant coffee. Ricoffy brand, which is absolutely fucking vile, but I sank two cups anyway because we drank waaaaaay too much wine the night before. Back home now and just had a decent cuppa and a Bloody Maria which seems to have sorted me out.

As I understand you when you say that instant coffee is vile. A week ago, my coffee machine broke down and I had to drink instant coffee a couple of times. Not the best taste of coffee, I agree.
Do you make coffee at home or use a coffee machine? Is there any secret to cooking?

[Miarobi]

As I understand you when you say that instant coffee is vile. A week ago, my coffee machine broke down and I had to drink instant coffee a couple of times. Not the best taste of coffee, I agree.
Do you make coffee at home or use a coffee machine? Is there any secret to cooking?[/quote]

By the way, I bought myself a few days ago the Hamilton Beach FlexBrew. I like its Attractive and compact-sized design. And The 12-cup carafe capacity. More detail information you can read here.

So, it makes a delicious coffee! Nevertheless, I would like to know a recipe for some designer coffee

[Svartalf]

Spent last night at the Malolotja Nature Reserve about an hour from home, with old friends. Forgot to bring my espresso pot and was forced to drink instant coffee. Ricoffy brand, which is absolutely fucking vile, but I sank two cups anyway because we drank waaaaaay too much wine the night before. Back home now and just had a decent cuppa and a Bloody Maria which seems to have sorted me out.

As I understand you when you say that instant coffee is vile. A week ago, my coffee machine broke down and I had to drink instant coffee a couple of times. Not the best taste of coffee, I agree.
Do you make coffee at home or use a coffee machine? Is there any secret to cooking?

well, I commonly drink instant, and most brands are vile, only Nescafé and L'or, by Douwe & Egberts are approximately drinkable... When I intend to drink more than a cup, I just run a pot of real coffee, 100% arabica, Ethiopia Moka when I can have it, in my filter coffeemaker.

[The_Metatron]

Spent last night at the Malolotja Nature Reserve about an hour from home, with old friends. Forgot to bring my espresso pot and was forced to drink instant coffee. Ricoffy brand, which is absolutely fucking vile, but I sank two cups anyway because we drank waaaaaay too much wine the night before. Back home now and just had a decent cuppa and a Bloody Maria which seems to have sorted me out.

As I understand you when you say that instant coffee is vile. A week ago, my coffee machine broke down and I had to drink instant coffee a couple of times. Not the best taste of coffee, I agree.
Do you make coffee at home or use a coffee machine? Is there any secret to cooking?

well, I commonly drink instant, and most brands are vile, only Nescafé and L'or, by Douwe & Egberts are approximately drinkable... When I intend to drink more than a cup, I just run a pot of real coffee, 100% arabica, Ethiopia Moka when I can have it, in my filter coffeemaker.

All this time, I thought it was "Douwe Egberts". Two guys named Egbert.


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[Scot Dutchy]

Just one; Douwe Egberts. Owned these days by Sara Lee. He came from Friesland. Personally I dont like the coffee as it is not strong enough.

[Macdoc]

Yow ....$1,000 a pound at auction

Heart of Dark Roast: Journeying Deep Into Panama to Try a $1,000 Coffee Bean
A cup of Geisha, you'll find, is worth it

BY JAKE EMEN / FEBRUARY 24, 2020 9:40 AM
It’s exactly like a perfect coffee commercial: a golden halo peeks over the horizon as midnight blues and then fiery reds give way to the pastel painting of a fresh morning. It’s sunrise atop Barú Volcano, where, from Panama’s highest point, at 11,400 feet above sea level, your eyes can scan from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean with a quick swivel of the head. Stretched out below and extending into the distance are waves of lush hillsides where a prized Panamanian product is grown. The fincas of Boquete and the surrounding Chiriquí province are home to the Geisha coffee bean, a sought-after variety which has turned into a global phenomenon; so strong is the clamor for Panama Geisha that world records are annually set and smashed, with auction prices topping $1,000 per pound.

more
https://www.insidehook.com/article/food ... ource=digg

neat read too...

[The_Piper]

It would be interesting to read up on the history of coffee.

The author missed an opportunity to label his article "Memoirs of a Geisha".

[The_Metatron]

It would be interesting to read up on the history of coffee.

The author missed an opportunity to label his article "Memoirs of a Geisha".

Michael Pollan just released an audio book, "Caffeine: How coffee and tea created the modern world". I heard his interview on NPR a few days ago. I hope my library gets this one.

[The_Piper]

I shoulde look that interview up. Where would we be without coffee? We might have a Dunkin Coke-nuts on every urban street corner.