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Coffee ground yesterday tastes and smells noticeably different from freshly-ground; it is better to grind right before brewing. However, coffee ground last week at the grocery store will still probably be a lot better than Folger's or Colombia House or whatever if you are looking to minimize the costs of incremental improvements.
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Sep 15, 2013 00:26
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Helicity posted:Thanks for the information, all. I think I'm going to pick up an Aeropress tomorrow to mess around with and I found a local store that supposedly has amazing beans that are fresh roasted. The last part of this is the grinding. How important is it to grind yourself? I'm assuming that you lose oils when you grind and then consume several days later? It's one of the more important parts of the process largely because it has two factors to it. One is that grinding fresh is going to help you get the best flavor out of the coffee. And the other is that you have control over your grind so you can adjust it based on either the method you're using to brew or your taste preference. The tough thing is that decent grinders aren't cheap. I wouldn't spend less than about $80 on one (Capresso Infinity). The cheaper ones just don't make consistent grinds which is going to lead to a poor extraction because some of the grounds will be overextracted and some will be underextracted.
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Sep 15, 2013 00:39
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If you are going to get a cheap grinder then get a Clever Coffee Dripper with it because it lets you tweak the brewing process to get the best out of any grind. The Aeropress kind of requires a decent grinder, though a fine grind from the grocery store or whatever would probably be fine.
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Sep 15, 2013 00:53
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Helicity posted:Thanks for the information, all. I think I'm going to pick up an Aeropress tomorrow to mess around with and I found a local store that supposedly has amazing beans that are fresh roasted. The last part of this is the grinding. How important is it to grind yourself? I'm assuming that you lose oils when you grind and then consume several days later? I'm sure someone has recommended the $80 Capresso grinder already.....but yeah only grind right before using it. The Bodum hand whippers do a drat good job in a pinch, just heat up the milk for a few seconds first. It's good to have for travel too so you won't be wasting money when you start upgrading down the road.
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Sep 15, 2013 01:47
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Reporting back... picked up the following: Bodum frother ($15) Aeropress ($25) Whole Foods beans from this morning (no idea on roast date), fresh ground ($15) Whole milk Still struggling with getting the temperature of the milk right, but on my second attempt the latte was as good as any that I've ever ordered from a Starbucks/Caribou. I have a feeling the Aeropress will be getting a lot of use in my household. Thanks for the useful tips!
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Sep 15, 2013 20:11
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Helicity posted:Reporting back... picked up the following: Seriously man, get a Capresso Infinity. If you're using a whirly blade grinder, it'll change the game.
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Sep 15, 2013 20:14
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Google Butt posted:Seriously man, get a Capresso Infinity. If you're using a whirly blade grinder, it'll change the game. I'm relying on Whole Foods' in-store DIY grinder for now. The wife wasn't really excited about spending $80 on a grinder when by her logic we can just grind ourselves at the store. After having the latte I just made her, I think she's starting to come around 
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Sep 15, 2013 20:19
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Helicity posted:I'm relying on Whole Foods' in-store DIY grinder for now. The wife wasn't really excited about spending $80 on a grinder when by her logic we can just grind ourselves at the store. After having the latte I just made her, I think she's starting to come around She will if she tastes what a capresso infinity and CCD can produce! Soon my friend, soon.
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Sep 15, 2013 20:22
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Helicity posted:I'm relying on Whole Foods' in-store DIY grinder for now. The wife wasn't really excited about spending $80 on a grinder when by her logic we can just grind ourselves at the store. After having the latte I just made her, I think she's starting to come around How about $31 for a manual grinder? The caveats is that it's not 100% perfect compared to a machine grinder as there's going to be some slight inconsistencies and you have to turn the crank manually. That said, it does the job quite well and will be better than having Whole Foods grind your beans for you. I bought mine in February and it's still going strong. vvv You have a good point. My main reason for not upgrading is because I do my weekday coffee ritual while at work, and I need a travel-sized grinder for that purpose. Casull fucked around with this message at 22:54 on Sep 15, 2013 |
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Sep 15, 2013 20:37
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Without sounding like a broken record, it comes up like every 5 pages or so. Hario hand grinders are not recommended for use as main everyday grinders. Travel/camping sure. Every day? No. It's not very consistent and it's kind of a pain to grind any more than a modest amount. I would save the money and get an infinity or a refurb baratza.
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Sep 15, 2013 22:39
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I took the bullet and got the infinity a while back and haven't regretted it. Much better than the blade grinder i had before and a much more pleasant experience. I'm not sure about the frothing, but at work we temp our milk up to 140. I don't know if that's helpful or not...
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Sep 15, 2013 22:54
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The Capresso Infinity is sold by a lot of stores that have frequent sales like Macy's and Kohl's (or at least their online versions) so you can easily get it for like $60 if that helps.
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Sep 15, 2013 23:19
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Lighter roasts are also a bigger pain in the rear end with a hand grinder.
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Sep 15, 2013 23:59
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Casull posted:vvv You have a good point. My main reason for not upgrading is because I do my weekday coffee ritual while at work, and I need a travel-sized grinder for that purpose. brb kickstartering a Li-ion rechargeable grinder based on the form factor of a mini mill but with metal and ceramic components.
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Sep 16, 2013 00:39
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GrAviTy84 posted:brb kickstartering a Li-ion rechargeable grinder based on the form factor of a mini mill but with metal and ceramic components. Have it use dewalt or makita battery packs, and then we can do espresso machines as well, none of this hand pump nonsense.
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Sep 16, 2013 02:08
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Yeah I dunno, re: coffee you can do a semi-passable job with a whirlyblade if you stop and shake it every like two seconds or so to redistribute the grounds. I am disturbingly good at it, I need to get a proper capresso infinity or something before I go crazy  Also since I couldn't find it, what do you guys think about Beehouse pourovers? I have one and enjoy the coffee you can get out of it. (Secretly I am a siphon all day erry day man but it is something of an annoyance and I don't have one of my own)
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Sep 16, 2013 02:10
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I tried that whirlyblade technique back when I was first getting into coffee and honestly, the Infinity is a night and day difference.
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Sep 16, 2013 02:23
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I had access to a capresso over the summer daily, I miss it
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Sep 16, 2013 02:28
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Helicity posted:I'm relying on Whole Foods' in-store DIY grinder for now. The wife wasn't really excited about spending $80 on a grinder when by her logic we can just grind ourselves at the store. After having the latte I just made her, I think she's starting to come around I know it's a broken record, but I'm just going to nth the suggestion for a good grinder. I went with a refurbished Baratza Maestro which cost me under a hundred and it is absolutely worth it. A fresh, variable, controlled, and consistent grind has made the most significant improvement to the coffee I drink than anything else has.
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Sep 16, 2013 21:32
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GrAviTy84 posted:brb kickstartering a Li-ion rechargeable grinder based on the form factor of a mini mill but with metal and ceramic components. At a reasonable price, I would totally buy this, along with a stainless-steel pourover (which I'm surprised doesn't really exist.)
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Sep 16, 2013 21:36
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Casull posted:At a reasonable price, I would totally buy this, along with a stainless-steel pourover (which I'm surprised doesn't really exist.) I mean there's this fuckin' thing I saw poking around Stumptown's website yesterday that is made of stainless steel and collapsible, but I heard of it yesterday and have no idea how good it is. e: Biggest complaint I can find on the internet is that it's pretty heavy. It says it weighs just under 5 ounces and I gather from my serious backpacker friends that when you're doing serious camping/hiking poo poo that's a pretty big weight investment for your coffee brewer. Shugojin fucked around with this message at 21:41 on Sep 16, 2013 |
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Sep 16, 2013 21:38
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Shugojin posted:I mean there's this fuckin' thing I saw poking around Stumptown's website yesterday that is made of stainless steel and collapsible, but I heard of it yesterday and have no idea how good it is.
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Sep 16, 2013 21:45
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Why do the metal burrs for the Vario cost $60? I can afford it, but it's mentally loving with me to pay so much for that.
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Sep 17, 2013 00:32
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geetee posted:Why do the metal burrs for the Vario cost $60? I can afford it, but it's mentally loving with me to pay so much for that. high standard fit/finish machined parts for specialty devices with low demand 
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Sep 17, 2013 00:33
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Goons, please help me. I only recently started drinking coffee (I took a label-designing job at a coffee roaster and they brew a different kind every day and oh it's just wonderful!) I bought an Aeropress, fell in love with it, then later a Melitta Pour Over--also amazing. Everything I brewed was tasting great at first, but now...it's all bad. Can't figure out why. I've tried different coffees (Sumatra, Mexican Chiapas, Peaberry, Papau New Guinea, various blends from work)--everything has a kind of bitter overtaste that masks everything else. It's on the back of the tongue, not godawful sour like some bad coffee I've had, but prominent; all my coffees now taste alike. I thought I was over extracting, but I get the same taste at the very coarsest grind (I have a Capresso Infinity.) I thought it was my tap water, but switching to filtered did nothing. I thought maybe the water was too hot, but cooler temperatures didn't help (not even in the Aeropress.) I thought well poo poo, maybe it's my drat kettle, but I used a regular ol' pot a couple times with no noticeable change. There's no going back now, I love coffee and I want to make a decent cup again, dammit! Any ideas? I've been trying to pin point when it all stated going to poo poo, but I've been doing so much experimenting that I'm not really sure. I did grind some flavored coffee a while back (and all flavoreds taste kind of bitter to me without cream and sugar) could that be sticking in my grinder somehow? I also bought air-tight canisters for my beans fairly recently, they had that new container smell at first, could they have that strong of an effect on flavor?
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Sep 17, 2013 03:26
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Well, lotsa stuff. In my experience, beans only last so long - you can do a few things to prolong their life but much past two weeks from roast and it's gonna start to taste funny. But definitely clean out your grinder. I know for a fact that the Capresso Infinity is nice and easy to do this for. Unplug it (for proper safety!) then remove the hopper and pull out the burr top (it'll just slide on off). Wipe it all off with a dry paper towel - top of burr and inside where it sat. Turn the whole unit over and knock it firmly but gently, then wipe again. Still dry. Moist things are an annoyance later. Then when you are done wiping and knocking, put it back together (real easy) and plug it in. It is also helpful to grind like three or four beans and throw those away, then grind your real amount every time you want to brew, this will help push out some of the gross stuff that has been lurking and staling inside your grinder. e: Start with the grinder thing though, and go from there. Shugojin fucked around with this message at 03:35 on Sep 17, 2013 |
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Sep 17, 2013 03:33
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Thank you, I will clean the grinder out tonight and brew a cup first thing in the morning. Beans should be reasonably fresh as I get a free pound every two weeks, and I always run out before Free Coffee Friday. 
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Sep 17, 2013 03:39
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See, I have an opposite problem: I never drink enough coffee to go through a whole bag in two weeks... I love brewing my own coffee, yes, but it also takes time, and when I'm out for most of the day in classes or grabbing lunch, I find that the only time I get to use my own beans is during lunchtime (about half the week) and in the late afternoon/dinner time. Two cups a day does not go through enough beans, especially since I drink these alone. I hate it when the beans start to go stale, but I don't want to throw out the beans either Should I get a drip coffee machine instead and just carry a large carafe around? It'd be reasonably fresh and I'd go through more beans a day.
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Sep 17, 2013 04:20
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Archer2338 posted:See, I have an opposite problem: I never drink enough coffee to go through a whole bag in two weeks... I love brewing my own coffee, yes, but it also takes time, and when I'm out for most of the day in classes or grabbing lunch, I find that the only time I get to use my own beans is during lunchtime (about half the week) and in the late afternoon/dinner time. Two cups a day does not go through enough beans, especially since I drink these alone. I hate it when the beans start to go stale, but I don't want to throw out the beans either Start roasting your own and only roast as much as you use in a week.
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Sep 17, 2013 05:04
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I started roasting my own using a "Poplite" from Presto. Took it apart and bent the thermostat so it won't shut off when it gets too hot. Put a kerosene lantern globe on top. Anyway, finally had a good session, where I managed to achieve a good steady city+ over five batches, none burnt too much. Just about filled a large peanut butter jar - should last a week or so. Just takes practice, and feels good to know I've probably got some of the freshest coffee in town. This batch tastes great too - a Guatemalan that seems to just work.
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Sep 17, 2013 07:18
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miserable lil onion posted:Thank you, I will clean the grinder out tonight and brew a cup first thing in the morning. You can also run rice through your grinder every now and then to clean out some of the oils. Just make sure you run a little bit of coffee through after to push out any of the leftover rice granules. I'd do this before you take it apart too just to grab some of the oils ahead of time.
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Sep 17, 2013 14:57
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GrAviTy84 posted:brb kickstartering a Li-ion rechargeable grinder based on the form factor of a mini mill but with metal and ceramic components. Has anyone tried attaching a dremel (or a regular drill) to a porlex mini grinder?
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Sep 17, 2013 16:42
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miserable lil onion posted:Thank you, I will clean the grinder out tonight and brew a cup first thing in the morning. There's a biodegradable product called Grindz that is useful for cleaning your grinder. Just keep some stale beans around to run it through the grinder when you're done.
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Sep 17, 2013 16:49
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Hey so the dude who originally started importing Kopi Luwak in the west did a 180 and is now actively trying to stop it: https://www.facebook.com/kopiluwakcutthecrap?fref=tck
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Sep 17, 2013 16:54
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Death of Rats posted:Has anyone tried attaching a dremel (or a regular drill) to a porlex mini grinder? Here is a link to an instructable where a guy made an attachment for his Kitchen Aid mixer using a hand grinder.
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Sep 17, 2013 17:00
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Ran rice through the grinder, then opened it up and cleaned it out. It really needed it, but the cup I drank this morning was still bitter. I'm going to get some already-ground beans and see how that tastes with my usual coffee-making method.
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Sep 17, 2013 18:21
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miserable lil onion posted:Ran rice through the grinder, then opened it up and cleaned it out. It really needed it, but the cup I drank this morning was still bitter.
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Sep 17, 2013 18:29
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Besides Gravity's jerry-rigged system, is there anything on the market that competes at this price point? http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bruer/cold-bruer-a-cold-brew-coffee-system
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Sep 17, 2013 20:17
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Filtron is like 40-50 bucks I forget, it makes pretty tasty cold brew in my experience. Although when I asked what kind of filter it is, they replied with "wool" and I remain mystified by that choice. I mean it works, don't get me wrong, but it's not remotely what I expect to find in a coffee filter.
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Sep 17, 2013 20:34
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What's wrong with just using a mason jar, a funnel and a coffee filter?
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Sep 17, 2013 20:37
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