|
Thanks for the text wall, Alleric! I'm definitely getting more confident with each roast, roasting larger batches, kinda getting a feel for when i need to heat more or agitate more. I'm going to mess around with rest periods. I did a half pound today and we'll see how it tastes throughout the next couple days. Also if any of you are curious about roasting in your apartment, it's not that bad. I just open the window and shut my door and roast in my room. The main problem is there's quite a bit of chaff that blows around, but it's pretty easy to vacuum that all up. Your room will also smell like popcorn and coffee which can be a boon and a bane...
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2013 22:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 2, 2024 10:46 |
|
|
le capitan posted:Thanks for the text wall, Alleric! You guys that roast inside of living quarters have Balls of Steel(tm) in my book. The sheer amount of smoldering, flaming chaff that comes flying out of my mixing bowl even on just a half pound is staggering. It got hella nice out this past week and I roasted outside barefoot the other night and paid for it. I'd be scared to death I'd set something on fire. And as an aside, Sweet Marias is freaking awesome. I think I got my shipping confirmation, what... an hour after I placed my order this morning? 2 lbs of each of their Ethiopians and a 5lb bag of Brazilian Fazenda. Time to see what the spring harvests got goin on. 
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2013 02:46
|
|
|
I forgot how awesome Sweet Maria's is. So, I placed a large order for some esoteric random roasted coffee bags for the office.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2013 03:50
|
|
|
That reminds me, I need to place a sweet marias order for another sampler and some bags. I want to get a lb of something interesting too, does anyone have anything they've gotten from them recently that's been awesome? Edit: Went with a lb of Ethiopian Yirga Cheffe and a lb of Kenya Nyeri Kagumo-ini AB in addition to the usual 4 lb sampler. rockcity fucked around with this message at 17:54 on Mar 22, 2013 |
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2013 05:28
|
|
|
Picked up some Batdorf & Bronson Dancing Goats yesterday. It's not my favorite espresso blend but it's good and locally roasted. ~1.8oz on a 28sec extract:
|
|
#
?
Mar 22, 2013 20:58
|
|
|
porktree posted:Never buy an espresso machine that has a thermoblock. Go to 1st-line.com and check out the brass boiler machines, I've heard good things about the LeLit as an entry level mahine. If you can afford it get a Silvia. 1st-line will occasionally have good deals on refurbs. Ah, I had a feeling it was too good to be true. Is there a Canadian equivalent of 1st-line?
|
|
#
?
Mar 22, 2013 21:11
|
|
|
Does anyone have any experience with trying to squeeze decent espresso out of a programmable super automatic espresso machine? Specifically the top of the line commercial machine from Egro. I'll link it later when I get on a real pc.
|
|
#
?
Mar 22, 2013 21:56
|
|
|
Lawen posted:Picked up some Batdorf & Bronson Dancing Goats yesterday. It's not my favorite espresso blend but it's good and locally roasted. Beautiful. Do they tell you whats in the blend?
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2013 00:59
|
|
|
I'm in Seattle and drinking all the coffee. Tell me where to go.
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2013 01:20
|
|
|
Chippay posted:Ah, I had a feeling it was too good to be true. Is there a Canadian equivalent of 1st-line? Idrinkcoffee.com looks decent to me, but I have no experience with them.
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2013 02:23
|
|
|
Doh004 posted:I'm in Seattle and drinking all the coffee. Tell me where to go. I asked this question like a page back and got some answers. I'm headed there tomorrow, goons better not fail me.
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2013 02:57
|
|
|
nm posted:I hear there's this local joint that roast their own. They're named after a Moby Dick character or something. . . Ask questions first read thread later (never)
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2013 03:24
|
|
|
I forgot to tell my sister that the Moka Pot isn't supposed to go through the dishwasher and now it's very, very gray all over. Is this a problem?
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2013 05:29
|
|
|
porktree posted:Beautiful. Do they tell you whats in the blend? Not specifically unfortunately. Just that it "features coffees from each of the world’s growing regions, East Africa, Central America, and Indonesia". It's B&B's signature blend and is surprisingly versatile; makes good espresso or pour over.
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2013 15:47
|
|
|
Doh004 posted:I'm in Seattle and drinking all the coffee. Tell me where to go. Fonte is downtown a block or so from the market. The "F2" blend is insane. I'll be there in may and will probably come home with more than a couple pounds of it.
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2013 03:10
|
|
|
Parts Kit posted:I forgot to tell my sister that the Moka Pot isn't supposed to go through the dishwasher and now it's very, very gray all over. Is this a problem? most likely it's just aluminum oxide, and her pot is better than before (in terms of inert-ness to coffee). Run a pot through it and dump it out if you're worried, but aluminum oxidizes in air very quickly so it's fine.
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2013 03:53
|
|
|
Went to Seattle Coffee works today. Was pretty great, had a sumatra pourover. Tommorow, trabant and clover coffee?
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2013 04:56
|
|
|
nm posted:Tommorow, trabant and clover coffee?
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2013 05:48
|
|
|
that Vai sound posted:Which Trabant? I went to the one in Pioneer Square recently, and they were serving from the Clever. That one. According to the Seattle Coffee guy they are serving from a clover. Which is not a clever.
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2013 06:44
|
|
|
Alleric posted:Fonte is downtown a block or so from the market. The "F2" blend is insane. I'll be there in may and will probably come home with more than a couple pounds of it. Had the Ethiopian at fonte and it was so good I picked up a pound. Trabant was awesome and they poured us this delicious Kenyan with the clever. I believe it was pioneer square. Seattle is a great city. It's expected of you to drink a butt ton of coffee all the time.
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2013 07:06
|
|
|
Doh004 posted:Trabant was awesome and they poured us this delicious Kenyan with the clever. I believe it was pioneer square. Is it a clever or a clover? This is important.
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2013 07:12
|
|
|
nm posted:Is it a clever or a clover? This is important. Based on my subpar experience with Clovers at LAMill and Cafe Corsa, I think the Clevers are a better call.
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2013 08:19
|
|
|
nm posted:That one. According to the Seattle Coffee guy they are serving from a clover. Which is not a clever.
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2013 11:32
|
|
|
Doh004 posted:Had the Ethiopian at fonte and it was so good I picked up a pound. I may have to try that as well if they have some when I'm up there. Thanks for the heads up.
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2013 18:30
|
|
|
At stumptown. My friend who is with me played DDR with one of the baristas in high school. I am assuming you're a goon barista, show yourself!
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2013 19:11
|
|
|
nm posted:Is it a clever or a clover? This is important. Clever. 100% sure as I own one myself.
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2013 20:18
|
|
|
Doh004 posted:Clever. 100% sure as I own one myself. Interesting as the ddr barista also swore up and down pioneer trabant had a clover.
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2013 22:46
|
|
|
nm posted:Interesting as the ddr barista also swore up and down pioneer trabant had a clover. I mean maybe they have both? I can't verify they didn't have a clover. 
|
|
#
?
Mar 26, 2013 01:13
|
|
|
Trip Report: Brazil Sertao Carmo de Minas I'm winding down on my Columbian/Sumatran/Yemen blend of random d'elegance (read as: I mixed the three partial bags of espresso beans I had laying around for giggles), and the last of the Ethiopian I roasted for the Mrs had been drunk. Onward to the new beans! I picked up a 5lb bag of this as both a potential new bean for my wife to dig for drip and something I could blend with for shots. I roasted it a few days ago to 430F, right as second crack was thinking about kicking off. It rested in a one-way tin. This morning's drip pot yielded some ponderous results. Did we get the vanilla and caramel mentioned in the SM write up? Nope. It was just a super mellow, even, nice cup. Very mild sweetness, very almost... almondy nuttiness to it and the flavor of milk chocolate. You pretty much want to drink it ASAP though, as when it cools it starts falling flat quick. It's not bad, but I think we're both so fond of the nosy Ethiopians and Sumatrans that it seems almost dull. But honestly it has a nice, even, earthy, nutty, sweet flavor. Not weak, just mild. Anywhoo... I have 2lbs each of 4 different Ethiopians. I'll prolly roast up a lb of one of those tomorrow and blend it in to see what's what. Once the last roast batch of my espresso blend is gone in the next day or so, I'll prolly throw some of this new blend into my grinder and pull a shot. Alleric fucked around with this message at 20:34 on Mar 29, 2013 |
|
#
?
Mar 29, 2013 20:23
|
|
|
Doh004 posted:I mean maybe they have both? I can't verify they didn't have a clover. University Trabant has a clover. Was good with an ethopian.
|
|
#
?
Mar 29, 2013 23:33
|
|
|
nm posted:University Trabant has a clover. Was good with an ethopian. Nice, I'll have to try out the clover. Only place I've found (I haven't looked) that has one is the Starbucks near me, and I don't see the point paying even more money for bad coffee.
|
|
#
?
Mar 31, 2013 20:12
|
|
|
So, I drank a ton of coffee in Seattle. Went to stump town and Victrola in Capitol Hill as well as Seattle coffee works twice, once with a cap, once with a pour over. Went to trabant in university once. Trabants clover Ethiopian was the best coffee. The clover really brought out the elements of the Ethiopian. Honorable mention for the stump town Kenyan. The best cap by far was Victrola. The espresso really was top notch with perfect milk. Scw was fine and might have been better if they'd had a better bean on offer. Mobbed with tourists. The slow bar concept is interesting, but it would get expensive and you'd have a ton of coffee if not in a big group.
|
|
#
?
Mar 31, 2013 20:39
|
|
|
Oh man, warm weather. You know what that means? Iced coffee season. Cold brew here I come.
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2013 16:50
|
|
|
Doh004 posted:Oh man, warm weather. You know what that means? 
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2013 17:04
|
|
|
Hello coffee people. I'm considering upgrading my coffee experience a little bit. Right now I use an el-shitto blade grinder and a Bodum french press (and awesome coffee). I'm happy with the french press, I think -- I'd love a proper espresso machine, but that's definitely not in the cards right now. So, I've considered getting a pour-over coffee maker (do they come in bigger than one-mug sizes?), or a Chemex or a vacuum brewer (are they awesome or just ridiculous?). Not sure if I should get one or those, or just stick with the french press (no real complaints) and upgrade my grinder. Hope me  And a totally random question: how much does the oily appearance of the bean matter? Usually the coffee that I get is either 'pretty' or 'very' oily, but sometimes I'll be gifted a pound of beans from somewhere new, and while it will be purportedly good coffee it will be bone dry, with a matte appearance. Usually I like it quite a bit less (but that could be projection) Does that just mean it's older/less fresh? Or is some coffee processed differently, will not end up oily, or whatnot.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2013 14:45
|
|
|
polpotpotpotpotpot posted:And a totally random question: how much does the oily appearance of the bean matter? Usually the coffee that I get is either 'pretty' or 'very' oily, but sometimes I'll be gifted a pound of beans from somewhere new, and while it will be purportedly good coffee it will be bone dry, with a matte appearance. Usually I like it quite a bit less (but that could be projection) Does that just mean it's older/less fresh? Or is some coffee processed differently, will not end up oily, or whatnot. The oilyness of the bean is dependent on the roast level. Darker roasts have more surface oils; lighter roasts have the matte appearance you describe. Lighter roasts tend to showcase the flavor of the bean, letting the flavor characteristics of the origin really shine through; darker roasts showcase the characteristics of the roast (which, incidentally, is the flavor that a lot of people associate with "coffee" because most mainstream coffee is roasted pretty darkly). It may be that you don't like lighter roasts (yet!  ), or it may be that the beans were stale; staleness is more readily apparent in a lighter roasted bean. I'd suggest trying to find some freshly roasted beans at this level to make sure it's not the latter (3-5 days since roasting would be ideal).
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2013 14:52
|
|
|
Mr. Glass posted:The oilyness of the bean is dependent on the roast level. Darker roasts have more surface oils; lighter roasts have the matte appearance you describe. Lighter roasts tend to showcase the flavor of the bean, letting the flavor characteristics of the origin really shine through; darker roasts showcase the characteristics of the roast (which, incidentally, is the flavor that a lot of people associate with "coffee" because most mainstream coffee is roasted pretty darkly). Yeah, I usually purchase lighter roasts for myself (dat Yirgacheffe) which is still pretty oily as it's roasted to order. I'll mark up the matte stuff to being stale :-)
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2013 15:05
|
|
|
polpotpotpotpotpot posted:Hello coffee people. I'm considering upgrading my coffee experience a little bit. Right now I use an el-shitto blade grinder and a Bodum french press (and awesome coffee). I'm happy with the french press, I think -- I'd love a proper espresso machine, but that's definitely not in the cards right now. So, I've considered getting a pour-over coffee maker (do they come in bigger than one-mug sizes?), or a Chemex or a vacuum brewer (are they awesome or just ridiculous?). Not sure if I should get one or those, or just stick with the french press (no real complaints) and upgrade my grinder. Hope me If you like French Press, I'd stick with it, but I'd certainly recommend trying out some of the other methods such as Clever Coffee Maker, which is pretty cheap. You'll definitely taste a difference between that and the French Press. For sure, I'd suggest spending about $100 or so on a burr grinder. Aside from the burrs giving you more uniform particles and more consistent extractions, you'll be able to adjust the grind through trial and error to figure out your preferred level of extraction. As for the oil on beans, the oils tend to migrate to the surface over time. So, the more oil there is, the older the roast probably is. For sure, some roasts are dark enough to be visibly oily right after the roast, but even those will get oilier over time. In general, and this is just my chemistry-based hunch, you don't want the oils on the surface because the oil will be more exposed to oxygen and light depending on how you've stored the beans. That will lead to more oxidation of the oil and will speed up the staling and off-taste you get over time. Edit: Oh, and if the beans are oily, you'll get more oil deposited in your grinder. That will mean more oils will get stale in your grinder, and then you'll have to clean your grinder. So, in general, try to avoid roasting beans that dark or avoid using beans that old. You can still get the chocolate/caramel tastes associated with dark roasts without roasting them that dark. medchem fucked around with this message at 15:26 on Apr 2, 2013 |
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2013 15:18
|
|
|
polpotpotpotpotpot posted:Yeah, I usually purchase lighter roasts for myself (dat Yirgacheffe) which is still pretty oily as it's roasted to order. I'll mark up the matte stuff to being stale :-) Personally, I would be suspicious of any yirgacheffe with visible surface oils, regardless of age.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2013 15:43
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 2, 2024 10:46 |
|
|
Also, the oils are what make coffee taste good, driving them out of the bean and exposing them to air deceases the life of roasted coffee. I roast my espresso blend a little long just to get some oil out there, this gives more cohesion for the puck resulting in better crema. But my espresso roast gets used in 4 days so staleness is not an issue.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2013 15:51
|
|