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This morning's Whirley Pop batch of Sweet Maria's Espresso Monkey. Nom. When I do my own mix of Brazil, Sumatra, Ethiopian beans I roast them all separately so they are uniform....not really possible with the premixed blends but I grind it all up and drink it anyway. 
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Aug 9, 2013 23:17
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| # ? May 15, 2024 04:39 |
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Ok, first roast critique time. This is Sweet Maria's Espresso Monkey blend. I don't think I took it far enough but it was hard to gauge when to stop seeing as this was my first time and I wasn't sure how much (if any) carryover happens after I stopped applying heat. I was roasting with a harbor freight heatgun, first crack was around 8:15-8:30, I stopped at 10:00. It was hard to tell if I got to second crack or not.  (Sorry for the crappy picture) Think it'll be drinkable in a day? Once I was "done" and came back inside, it seemed WAY lighter than I thought when compared to some roasted coffee I had.
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Aug 12, 2013 15:48
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Astronaut Jones posted:Ok, first roast critique time. This is Sweet Maria's Espresso Monkey blend. I don't think I took it far enough but it was hard to gauge when to stop seeing as this was my first time and I wasn't sure how much (if any) carryover happens after I stopped applying heat. That's super uneven. I'd be willing to hazard a guess that not all the beans even made it through first crack.
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Aug 12, 2013 15:58
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If you lurk on SM's site you can occasionally buy their Espresso Monkey already roasted and they do it about like I have it....and even theirs is the tiniest bit uneven in spots too. I notice when I do my own blends one at a time, every type takes different times. I think the Ethiopian peaberry takes the longest so it can appear the least roasted when roasted as part of a blend.
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Aug 12, 2013 16:02
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rockcity posted:That's super uneven. I'd be willing to hazard a guess that not all the beans even made it through first crack. Yeah, I was afraid that was the case. I'll chalk this one up to a learning experience and give another batch a try later and try to get a more even roast. Update: I went back and roasted them a bit more (changing my agitation method) and it looks a lot better. I realize that's not ideal but they were going in the garbage anyway, at least this way I'll see if it's totally undrinkable. 
Astronaut Jones fucked around with this message at 16:54 on Aug 12, 2013 |
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Aug 12, 2013 16:18
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I know this isn't *specifically* about coffee, but there's a neat thing called Coffitivity that basically lets you listen to the sounds of different coffee shop environments. Seems like some of you guys would enjoy it  I just posted about it here, now that they've got an iOS app available.
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Aug 12, 2013 18:13
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I am relatively new to coffee - I only started drinking in the past year, after my girlfriend got a Moka Pot and a package of ground coffee for her birthday and I discovered the joys of not Tim Hortons or Maxwell House. Unfortunately the coffee that came with it ran out pretty quick, and after I got the next batch from Second Cup I stopped drinking as much. After a while, this coffee acquired a strange and unpleasant fruity taste and I stopped drinking it. We got a Tassimo at this point because I was the only major coffee drinker in the house (figures, go from zero to highest consumer) and my girlfriend didn't like how strong the coffee from the Moka Pot was. Obviously this coffee is not (as) good, but I don't exactly have super fancy tastes yet so that's not a huge issue. After reading bits and bobs of this thread, I would like to get back to drinking nicer coffee, but would also like your opinions on a couple things: 1) What is the cheapest and lowest-effort method of making decent coffee for one person? I don't necessarily need both, but I'd prefer something that won't break the bank and won't require me to have a thermometer in my kettle. 2) Regarding the strange taste I was getting in my moka pot - does it sound like that was because I wasn't cleaning the pot properly, or because my grounds were funky? Thanks!
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Aug 12, 2013 20:38
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ChickenWing posted:I am relatively new to coffee - I only started drinking in the past year, after my girlfriend got a Moka Pot and a package of ground coffee for her birthday and I discovered the joys of not Tim Hortons or Maxwell House. Unfortunately the coffee that came with it ran out pretty quick, and after I got the next batch from Second Cup I stopped drinking as much. After a while, this coffee acquired a strange and unpleasant fruity taste and I stopped drinking it. We got a Tassimo at this point because I was the only major coffee drinker in the house (figures, go from zero to highest consumer) and my girlfriend didn't like how strong the coffee from the Moka Pot was. Obviously this coffee is not (as) good, but I don't exactly have super fancy tastes yet so that's not a huge issue. The CCD is probably the least fussy, most fool proof way to make coffee. It is also very cheap. A melitta type filter is probably the cheapest and isn't that fussy.
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Aug 12, 2013 20:46
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Seconding the recommendation for the Clever Coffee Dripper as the best gateway brewing device. A plain filtercone pourover brewer is cheaper, but the CCD lets you control the timing. Your next purchase should be a grinder. See the OP for recommendations. The nice thing about the CCD is that you can mess with the timing to get the best out of practically any grind, so getting a nice grinder is less important than it would be with other brewing methods. withak fucked around with this message at 21:37 on Aug 12, 2013 |
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Aug 12, 2013 21:33
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withak posted:Seconding the recommendation for the Clever Coffee Dripper as the best gateway brewing device. A plain filtercone pourover brewer is cheaper, but the CCD lets you control the timing. Thirding the CCD. Also, order it from Sweet Maria's with as many of the Filtropa filters as you can, they made a huge difference for me.
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Aug 12, 2013 21:50
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I think the FIRST purchase should be a good grinder. If you have $40 then get one of the Hario hand grinders. If you can spend $100 then a Baratza electronic one. Don't bother with coffee unless you're grinding it fresh. And then get the Clever dripper. While it's true that the Clever is easy to use, you still want a burr grinder to get even grounds so they extract evenly. You don't want coffee to be bitter.
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Aug 13, 2013 01:24
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With the CCD you can shorten the steep time if your grind is too fine and can't be fixed easily. Also, coffee ground at the grocery store within the last week and brewed in a CCD is perfectly fine compared to whatever comes out of the Moka pot he has now. withak fucked around with this message at 01:35 on Aug 13, 2013 |
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Aug 13, 2013 01:33
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Yeah but why settle for fine when it can be great? Great coffee is just a $35 purchase away. And those stores never clean those grinders.
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Aug 13, 2013 01:37
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He was asking for cheapest and lowest effort. A hand grinder is the opposite of lowest effort.
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Aug 13, 2013 01:39
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withak posted:He was asking for cheapest and lowest effort. A hand grinder is the opposite of lowest effort. That would be a capresso infinity, in my opinion.
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Aug 13, 2013 01:44
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Have we talked about the Capresso CoffeeTeam TS yet? Capresso is one of the good guys that makes proper grinders, right? Is this machine still too cheap and lovely to provide a proper grind+extraction? My wife is frugal enough to block a $triple-digit grinder, but someone in my neighborhood is selling one of these combo machines for less than a hundred bucks and that would be much easier to talk her in to.
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Aug 13, 2013 20:44
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I have a $35 dollar conical burr grinder. It makes awesome coffee. While I don't doubt that I'd appreciate a $200 grinder, I know for drat sure that I wouldn't $165 appreciate it. Heresy, I know.
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Aug 13, 2013 22:55
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polpotpotpotpotpot posted:I have a $35 dollar conical burr grinder. It makes awesome coffee. While I don't doubt that I'd appreciate a $200 grinder, I know for drat sure that I wouldn't $165 appreciate it. Heresy, I know. I had a $20 conical burr grinder, then I upgraded to a $75 Refurb Baratza Encore. I $75 appreciate it easily.
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Aug 13, 2013 23:05
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I want to make coffee ice cream. Most recipes call for instant coffee. gently caress that. I've also seen a few where you steep beans in not quite boiling milk. What's my best course of action to get some delicious coffee into my ice cream without watering it down? I am geared up adequately, so the more sperg, the better it will taste.
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Aug 14, 2013 02:20
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Brew some fresh coffee using whatever method you prefer, add it to the ice cream. Use the recipe that calls for instant coffee as a guideline as to how much fresh coffee to add.
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Aug 14, 2013 02:29
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I would use cold brew concentrate. The flavor will be more full and less oxidized than hot brewed then chilled coffee.
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Aug 14, 2013 03:26
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GrAviTy84 posted:I would use cold brew concentrate. The flavor will be more full and less oxidized than hot brewed then chilled coffee. I have no experience with making coffee ice cream but this idea seems like the best one to me. Cold brewed concentrate is perfect over ice cream and I am sure it would be great mixed in, too.
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Aug 14, 2013 03:57
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geetee posted:I want to make coffee ice cream. Most recipes call for instant coffee. gently caress that. I've also seen a few where you steep beans in not quite boiling milk. What's my best course of action to get some delicious coffee into my ice cream without watering it down? I am geared up adequately, so the more sperg, the better it will taste. Most recipes calls for instant coffee because it adds no water to the ice cream mix. Whichever brewing method you choose try to minimize the amount of water you're adding or you'll end up with a harder and more icy final product. I did an earl-gray ice-cream some time last year and it's pretty difficult to get a decent flavor concentration while keeping the water volume low. I'd use an aero-press or something similar to produce ridiculously concentrated coffee if I were going to make coffee ice-cream. o muerte fucked around with this message at 05:25 on Aug 14, 2013 |
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Aug 14, 2013 05:22
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geetee posted:I want to make coffee ice cream. Most recipes call for instant coffee. gently caress that. I've also seen a few where you steep beans in not quite boiling milk. What's my best course of action to get some delicious coffee into my ice cream without watering it down? I am geared up adequately, so the more sperg, the better it will taste. I just made chocolate coffee ice cream about a month ago actually. I used Alton Brown's chocolate ice cream recipe and added a double shot of espresso to it and then also added a few tablespoons of fresh really finely ground coffee to the mix as it was cooling. It's loving delicious. The espresso doesn't add enough water to mess up the mix so it works well. If you don't have an espresso machine, cold brew concentrate would definitely have a similar effect. I'd still add some finely ground coffee though.
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Aug 14, 2013 05:35
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rockcity posted:I'd still add some finely ground coffee though. Oh hell yes, fresh finely ground coffee in any vanilla/sweet-cream ice cream is loving amazing.
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Aug 14, 2013 05:44
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I was concerned about the added water as well. I have one of those no2 powered espresso makers, so I'll give that a shot. I don't have any roasted espresso beans right now--only greens. Would some fc+ Columbian work? Good idea with the fine grinds. I once folded whipped cream and fine grinds into ganache. I forgot how good that came out, and there was no graininess. Thanks all!
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Aug 14, 2013 06:54
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geetee posted:I was concerned about the added water as well. I have one of those no2 powered espresso makers, so I'll give that a shot. I don't have any roasted espresso beans right now--only greens. Would some fc+ Columbian work? There really isn't such a thing as espresso beans. Espresso is a method of brewing coffee, not a type of coffee. There are blends that people make that are designed for espresso, but you can brew them using any method and still get good coffee. Some regions make coffee that produces better body and crema, but you can pull an espresso shot out of anything. So yeah, Columbian would be just fine. You're not going to get a lot of the nuances out of the flavor to show up in the ice cream anyway, but starting with good coffee certainly won't hurt.
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Aug 14, 2013 12:31
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geetee posted:I was concerned about the added water as well. I have one of those no2 powered espresso makers, so I'll give that a shot. I don't have any roasted espresso beans right now--only greens. Would some fc+ Columbian work? Maybe I'm missing something, but why not simply do a filter brew using your milk/cream as the liquid? Heat to 195, pour through or CCD it and then use that milk/cream as your base liquid. No added liquid, no gritty texture.
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Aug 14, 2013 18:50
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torgeaux posted:Maybe I'm missing something, but why not simply do a filter brew using your milk/cream as the liquid? Heat to 195, pour through or CCD it and then use that milk/cream as your base liquid. No added liquid, no gritty texture. Oh! Yeah, yeah, thanks! I thought about that and meant to ask if it's even possible. What say you?
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Aug 14, 2013 20:54
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Yesterday I had a "blonde roast" coffee at Starbucks. It was pretty good. What is the deal with this? Is it just lightly roasted, or is it some special bean variety or what? Also with the grinder issue, I have a cuiessential hand grinder (~$30) and am going to bring that to work for my after lunch brew. That means I am getting an electric for the home - I saw two different types of Capresso Infinity, (not sure of the difference between the two) and a Baratza. These are all around $100, which is about all I'm willing to spend (well, maybe I would go to $150.) If I get an espresso machine down the road, will one of these be better? Or am I going to have to buy another grinder??? Any suggestions would be appreciated. PS - again after going back and forth between medium and medium dark roasts, I am definitely sticking with the medium. Now I have about 1/2 pound of medium dark kona that I have to finish off... Definite first world problem...
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Aug 14, 2013 23:32
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Their so called "Blonde" roast is actually like something like an average shops' Vienna. So, still quite dark and well into roast character dominance on the palate. I agree it is significantly more palatable than their house blend, but yeah, it's so dark, it doesn't really matter what beans they use. It is "lightly" roasted by their standards, but by the rest of the world it is still pert near burnt. It's kind of insulting that they even call it "blonde" roast, as if any lighter and it's not even really roasted.  RE: espresso. It depends on how spergy you want to be and what your end goal is. If you want to use pressurized portafilter machines, either will be adequate, but they wont make good espresso, but it would be fine for lattes and cappuccinos and the like. If you want to make espresso for drinking straight up, I would at the very least recommend a Rancilio Rocky or Baratza Vario and a non pressurized machine such as a silvia. This puts an entry level rig at $1000+ I realize, but yeah, any less, and you'll really be compromising with consistency.
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Aug 14, 2013 23:49
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So that half rear end home roast of Espresso Monkey I did turned out to be delicious. I shot a little video of a gorgeous shot today but in typical goon fashion I didn't realize that my barenaked goon chest was visible in the reflection of the machine. Perhaps tomorrow I will reshoot it when I have covered my shame.
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Aug 14, 2013 23:53
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torgeaux posted:Maybe I'm missing something, but why not simply do a filter brew using your milk/cream as the liquid? Heat to 195, pour through or CCD it and then use that milk/cream as your base liquid. No added liquid, no gritty texture. Now I'm really curious about how this will taste on its own. I will definitely try it.
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Aug 15, 2013 02:44
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torgeaux posted:Maybe I'm missing something, but why not simply do a filter brew using your milk/cream as the liquid? Heat to 195, pour through or CCD it and then use that milk/cream as your base liquid. No added liquid, no gritty texture. I've seen this suggested for coffee ice cream, but never really made the mental jump to just drinking the coffee made by it. I think it should be pretty good, but also possibly a pain to clean up (I'm probably a touch overzealous when cleaning up milk).
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Aug 15, 2013 14:06
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torgeaux posted:Maybe I'm missing something, but why not simply do a filter brew using your milk/cream as the liquid? Heat to 195, pour through or CCD it and then use that milk/cream as your base liquid. No added liquid, no gritty texture. You're going to risk burning the milk sugars at that temperature. Typically you only heat ice cream bases to about 170. And finely ground coffee will not add a gritty texture if have a good grinder.
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Aug 15, 2013 15:01
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I just watched an inverted aeropress video cause I didn't know what it was. How is it any different than a normal French press?
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Aug 15, 2013 15:45
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Boris Galerkin posted:I just watched an inverted aeropress video cause I didn't know what it was. How is it any different than a normal French press? French press uses much coarser grind. French press also doesn't use a paper filter, nor does it actually ever press the coffee. The metal screen mostly acts as a sieve. So basically Aeropress pretty much not at all like a French press.
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Aug 15, 2013 17:19
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Boris Galerkin posted:I just watched an inverted aeropress video cause I didn't know what it was. How is it any different than a normal French press? Well, it's an immersion brew and... I'll defer to this: http://prima-coffee.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-immersion-coffee-brewing#.Ug0EkpLVDTc
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Aug 15, 2013 17:41
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rockcity posted:You're going to risk burning the milk sugars at that temperature. Typically you only heat ice cream bases to about 170. And finely ground coffee will not add a gritty texture if have a good grinder. Yeah, I actually knew the temp had to be lower....that makes sense. As for grit, why not just brew/filter and so eliminate the variable.
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Aug 15, 2013 22:50
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| # ? May 15, 2024 04:39 |
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rockcity posted:You're going to risk burning the milk sugars at that temperature. Typically you only heat ice cream bases to about 170. And finely ground coffee will not add a gritty texture if have a good grinder. Maybe cold brew it in milk?
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Aug 16, 2013 01:36
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