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Shugojin posted:French press should be medium-coarse at the finest I have found. Best coffee I've ever had was out of a french press, so definitely do like it. And not that doing it with a medium grind out of this grinder is making it bad, just wondering if it's taking 8 minutes to get a good strength if I should try a smaller grind size but less time. Initial try of that was not good. Like I said I'm at altitude, so I didn't know if that could effect it (water boils right at about 200 so pouring it on immediately). Beans are a milder roast, I have a brind and brew drip that has a burr mill grinder, and anything oily gets clogged unfortunately. Not sure if a darker roast works better maybe. Bob Mundon fucked around with this message at 15:56 on Dec 7, 2013 |
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Dec 7, 2013 15:51
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Bob Mundon posted:Best coffee I've ever had was out of a french press, so definitely do like it. And not that doing it with a medium grind out of this grinder is making it bad, just wondering if it's taking 8 minutes to get a good strength if I should try a smaller grind size but less time. Initial try of that was not good. Like I said I'm at altitude, so I didn't know if that could effect it (water boils right at about 200 so pouring it on immediately). Edit: and no, degree of roast shouldn't factor in either.
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Dec 7, 2013 18:07
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Hauki posted:Altitude shouldn't affect anything in a French press, and most coffees brew well in the 198-202f range which it sounds like you're well within. How much coffee are you using and how much water? If you use a finer grind in a press pot you're likely to end up with a muddier cup and over extract the coffee, i.e. more bitter compounds. 2 Tbps of coffee, with enough water to fill a normal sized coffee cup (on my drip the 12 "cups" are right at about 6). Thinking the grounds must be too coarse considering how long it takes to get to the strength I like. Or is the 2 Tbps for a smaller cup of coffee, overextracting the correct grind size with the water I'm using?
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Dec 8, 2013 05:49
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I don't know what any of those measurements are. a 1:15 ratio is a good place to start. Get a gram scale and do 20g coffee to 300g water per person. Brewing should be 4 minutes only and decanted immediately. If it's too weak then just grind finer and finer until it tastes right but you shouldn't have to go over 4 minutes.
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Dec 8, 2013 06:36
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Got in 8 lbs of coffee from Sweet Marias and a V60 cone the other day. I've been meaning to get a pourover setup for a while. Going to give it a run tomorrow after I roast up a batch today.
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Dec 8, 2013 20:50
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Should I get a 6-cup or 8-cup chemex?
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Dec 9, 2013 05:27
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hoshkwon posted:Should I get a 6-cup or 8-cup chemex? How often do you need 8 cups of coffee?
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Dec 9, 2013 06:03
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withak posted:How often do you need 8 cups of coffee? Every morning amirite?! 
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Dec 9, 2013 07:44
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I bought that 1.5l press pot at the JC Penny sale for solo use. No regrets. 
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Dec 9, 2013 17:09
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When I bought my CCD I wanted to buy the small version but this thread talked me out of it and I'm super glad. I'm assuming if you've got the cash then you should just buy the bigger version because you can always use it to make less coffee, but you can't use the small one to make more coffee.
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Dec 9, 2013 17:15
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Shugojin posted:French press should be medium-coarse at the finest I have found. I'm in the same boat. Got all this fancy stuff for French press at the JCP purge. First few times I did it, I've used a French roast coffee, some fair trade organic stuff that target sells, ground to the French press setting on the bodum bistro grinder. And I've used water slightly below boiling. 5 minute immersion. 1 tbsp coffee per 6 oz cup. It tasted pretty decent, but not what I'd call great.
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Dec 9, 2013 17:18
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Get freshly roasted coffee that has a roast date printed on it within the last week. Makes a huge difference.
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Dec 9, 2013 18:10
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hoshkwon posted:Should I get a 6-cup or 8-cup chemex? I have the 6 cup and it can do about 3 American mugs of coffee. I assume the 8 can do 4 at a time.
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Dec 10, 2013 01:05
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Who Dat posted:I'm in the same boat. Got all this fancy stuff for French press at the JCP purge. French roast is really dark. I would avoid supermarket coffee if you want to really enjoy coffee. Try lighter stuff ( not from Starbucks) and flavors will ring through. Counter culture is great if you're east coast based. Cuvee in Texas or Midwest. And your pick on the west really but I liked four barrel a lot.
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Dec 10, 2013 03:11
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If I'm not drinking espresso, my preference is press. I like my dirty, smelly oils and my sediment. Filters are for pansies (I kid, I kid...  ).Anyway, this is my general process for press pot. Grind: Think pop rocks. Big sand. On a Capresso Infinity it's the coarsest setting. It's going to look big. It's supposed to. I don't even do this on my Encore because I have it tuned to go small. It won't even come close to doing press pot grind anymore. Water: Just off the boil. Like just. Like the amount of time you pull the water from heat source to walk to pot to pour is how "just" I mean. Time: 4 minutes total, but broken up. We'll get to that in a minute. Do not fix "strength" with time. Longer time on the soak just means you're changing the flavor of the brew, not strengthening it. Process: I tried this two-stage method for the first time with family in for Thanksgiving and have found it to be a killer way to resolve some common press pot problems. 1. Put your coffee grounds into the press pot (10 g of grounds per 6 ounces of water you plan on using). 2. Pour 2/3 of your just-off-the-boil (or ~200F) water over the grounds, wetting them all as much as you can. Keep the rest of the water hot. 3. Stir the water/grounds just enough to wet everything. Bloom (foam, crema, whatever you wish to call it) will begin (unless your beans are not-so-fresh, then nothing will happen). 4. Put a small plate on top of the pot, not the press lid. Wait 3 minutes. 5. Pour the remaining 1/3 of your water into the pot. 6. Put the actual press lid on top of the pot, but do not press. Wait 1 more minute. 7. Press gently, slowly, just enough weight on the plunger to get it to move. Pour, enjoy. Now, a couple of notes on tuning strength and flavor. 1. Strength... if you like what you're actually tasting from the pot, you just want everything turned up... bump up the amount of coffee grounds you use. Think of this as just more of what you like. Or less of what you like. Whatever. 2. Flavor... As the hot water spends time on the beans, the net flavor of the brew is changing. Press it way early and you'll have all nose, no body. It will be thin, barely any caffeine. As time goes on though, the water is soaking further into each ground and pulling more out of it. You'll pull more of the roasted pulp flavors, etc... And if you let it set too long you'll pull the final compound to show up to the party: bitter. So if strength is good, but flavor needs to move in some direction, fix that with time. Of course this will all vary with the beans used. Some beans are more nosy, funky, some are more earthy and flat-out bitter on their own. Tune appropriately. I also find it good to use the old tea adage of "adding one for the pot" when I use my big (34 ounce) press pot, and throw in an extra 10g of coffee. Oh, and one final thing. Only press what you're going to pour off and drink. Do not let the coffee you plan on drinking sit in the press (because of the flavor point above). Thermal presses are a total waste because of this. If you want to brew once and brew big, pour your immediate cup and then pour the remainder into some other thermal carafe, thermos, whatever. Who Dat posted:I'm in the same boat. Got all this fancy stuff for French press at the JCP purge. GrAv will probably yell at me again, but if you want to find beans at a general-issue store, do consider a World Market/Cost Plus if you have one nearby. Some of their stuff is actually really good for what it is. In general I would avoid almost anything that a grocery store sells. The lone exception I made back in the day in a pinch was 8'oclock red bag. Really, though, if you can handle the wait, the quality of coffee you can order online these days is just very, very good. Alleric fucked around with this message at 18:41 on Dec 10, 2013 |
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Dec 10, 2013 18:34
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^ maybe I'll stop at Whole Foods after work...they'd be the best place locally to find fresh roasted coffee. I'm really at a loss otherwise.MasterControl posted:French roast is really dark. I would avoid supermarket coffee if you want to really enjoy coffee. Mirroring what I said above. I live in New Orleans. We have some great local coffees, but I suppose I'll need to find someone that sells fresh roasts.
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Dec 10, 2013 19:39
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Who Dat posted:^ maybe I'll stop at Whole Foods after work...they'd be the best place locally to find fresh roasted coffee. I'm really at a loss otherwise. Look into local coffee places, they have to get their coffee from somewhere. If nobody roasts it nearby and has it all shipped to them they might still sell you a bag, and it's still likely to be fresher than something sitting on a store shelf. Just have to find out when they get their shipments in and jump on it.
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Dec 10, 2013 19:46
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Who Dat posted:^ maybe I'll stop at Whole Foods after work...they'd be the best place locally to find fresh roasted coffee. I'm really at a loss otherwise. If they have one of the local shops coming in to do the roasting, that is indeed an option. One of our Whole Foods here contracts with a roaster in town to come in and do batches they sell fresh.
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Dec 10, 2013 20:50
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Alleric posted:If they have one of the local shops coming in to do the roasting, that is indeed an option. One of our Whole Foods here contracts with a roaster in town to come in and do batches they sell fresh. There is a roaster around here that sells only to markets so they don't need a storefront. A "roasted on" (not a best before) date would be needed before I bought coffee from a store. Better be less than 5 days ago.
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Dec 10, 2013 21:11
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Or get a dog bowl, heat gun, some green beans and change your life forever.
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Dec 10, 2013 21:22
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So I just bought this bad boy a couple weeks ago http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/Breville-reg-The-Barista-Express-BES870XL-Espresso-Maker/1041258088?Keyword=breville I've been sitting on a Rancho Silvia in my Amazon cart for almost 3 years and just couldn't justify pulling the trigger. So I waited and then reviews coming off the Breville have said it is less touchy. I also used to sell Breville juicers and espresso makers at an appliance store and they were one of the biggest items people would brag about being happy with months later. That said - I'm in love. I've been buying fresh beans from Caffe Vita (they've got a location a block from my office) and i'm so happy. The grind is consistent. The crema is beautiful. Their instructions are fantastic for a first time user. Another thing I wanted to note to folks though - If bed bath and beyond sells the machine you want then get one of those 20% off coupons. They say they exclude almost all the good brands but it turns out that its dependent on the location. The BBBs in Seattle will use the 20% off coupon for anything. I'm now slightly scared that I might try roasting beans at home in a dog bowl though... silicone thrills fucked around with this message at 23:33 on Dec 10, 2013 |
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Dec 10, 2013 23:30
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I know this thread has had several on board with the heatgun but you should know the popcorn popper is really easy and super cheap too.
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Dec 11, 2013 01:51
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MasterControl posted:I know this thread has had several on board with the heatgun but you should know the popcorn popper is really easy and super cheap too. There's a reason for that. The heat gun is also $20 AND allows you to roast a half pound+ at a time. I wish I didn't even spend money on the popcorn popper, to be honest.
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Dec 11, 2013 02:50
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Tried out a lighter bean in my French press. Store bought "Mayan Sunrise", some fair trade Mexican coffees. Roast date unknown, but bag opened over the weekend. Whole bean fresh ground. I'm using the bodum press and kettle, so I just did 7 scoops to 8 "kettle" cups, I think 32oz water, unsure of coffee measurement, maybe 7oz? Water was just off boiling. The beans must have been relatively fresh because I got a significant crema. Too much for me to drink, but I think I'm getting the hang of it because in comparison to my initial efforts the coffee was amazing. Night and day. I found a supplier in my area that roasts and ships the day of or the next, so I'll be ordering something today. Pretty excited about much a difference some quick goon guidance made.
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Dec 11, 2013 16:03
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Glad you're having better results. Now please buy a scale. I'm phoneposting or I'd link the stupidly cheap one a lot of people itt like. Fine control over ratios means repeatability.
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Dec 11, 2013 17:14
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20g's allday everyday. Scales4life.
le capitan fucked around with this message at 18:53 on Dec 11, 2013 |
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Dec 11, 2013 18:50
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Google Butt posted:There's a reason for that. The heat gun is also $20 AND allows you to roast a half pound+ at a time. I wish I didn't even spend money on the popcorn popper, to be honest. Same, the heat gun has worked much better and also sounds cooler when I describe the process to people.
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Dec 11, 2013 19:25
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Thufir posted:Same, the heat gun has worked much better and also sounds cooler when I describe the process to people. Yeah. At times I consider a Behmor, but then I look at the price... and then the price of my heat gun... and...
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Dec 11, 2013 22:49
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Alleric posted:Yeah. At times I consider a Behmor, but then I look at the price... and then the price of my heat gun... and... I have both. At first I enjoyed my results with the heat gun more, but now that I've got the hang of the Behmor and accepted that there will a difference in taste in a drum roaster vs a fluid bed roaster (hg/db), I'm happy with it. As I am lazy, I prefer the Behmor.
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Dec 11, 2013 22:57
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Yesterday someone asked if we have a "bold grind." What the gently caress is a bold grind supposed to be? And a few weeks ago a guy at a bar asked me if there's a difference between a french press and a french roast. Baristalyfe.
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Dec 12, 2013 02:52
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beanbrew posted:Yesterday someone asked if we have a "bold grind." What the gently caress is a bold grind supposed to be? I think he might have been hitting on you. I would check to see if "French press" and "French roast" have some meaning on urbandictionary, but frankly... I'm scared.
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Dec 12, 2013 04:00
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Tigntink posted:I'm now slightly scared that I might try roasting beans at home in a dog bowl though... Seriously, just go for it. I learned so much doing two roasts a week for six months. If you have a grill or BBQ outside just use that as your fireproof platform and roast away. There is nothing more satisfying than absolutely nailing a roast to within a hair of second crack. Google Butt posted:I have both. At first I enjoyed my results with the heat gun more, but now that I've got the hang of the Behmor and accepted that there will a difference in taste in a drum roaster vs a fluid bed roaster (hg/db), I'm happy with it. You have less control with the Behmor and have to improvise a bit more (opening door, preheating, etc, etc) but the fact that the roast is basically done in ~10 minutes with very little effort before the start of first crack at ~7-8m in is just fantastic. I mean, i'm bad at my Behmor right now with only ~4-5 roasts under my belt and I'm still enjoying the fact that I can sit and read the forums on my tablet while I wait for 1c to start rolling. I consider the Behmor to be the best hobby investment I've made in the last few years. o muerte fucked around with this message at 09:37 on Dec 12, 2013 |
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Dec 12, 2013 09:34
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Reading the responses i would like to say sorry if it appears I'm down talking the dog bowl method. They're both fine in my book. What I was getting at is the popper should be mentioned too because it's also a cheap option. Edit: I got this as a return on yelp for chemexs in New Orleans to our new coffee friend in need of a good spot! http://churchalleycoffeebar.tumblr.com/ MasterControl fucked around with this message at 15:59 on Dec 12, 2013 |
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Dec 12, 2013 15:41
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My (new) roommate's been asking me about my coffee and really likes it, so I typed up directions on how to make coffee with the CCD and printed it out. I'm watching her brew the morning batch right now and she's completely doing it wrong… didn't pre-wet the filter, didn't weigh the beans and grinded immediately before the water was even on the pot, didn't measure the water amount either, and now I saw her start the 4:00 minute timer on the microwave minutes later… but it's a start I guess. (Yes this was all information typed up in an easy to read format and she's watched me make coffee this entire week.)
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Dec 12, 2013 16:05
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Seattle folks - any opinion on Fremont Coffee Company? There's an amazon local deal to get 2 12oz bags of beans for $12.00. That's less than what I pay for one bag at Vita... edit: herp derp, problems only seattle people have - I've been to this coffee shop like 5 times but spaced on it for some reason. Snatching up the deal! woop woop! silicone thrills fucked around with this message at 19:51 on Dec 12, 2013 |
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Dec 12, 2013 17:46
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No personal experience, but worth a try at that price.
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Dec 12, 2013 18:21
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I haven't dog bowled yet, but I want to know for those of you that have if you noticed a difference in the taste of beans compared to roasting in an air popper. I know for example that I can taste a big difference when I make popcorn on the stovetop vs. making it in the hot air popper. Obviously two different things, but I wondered if any of it translated to coffee roasting. as I said, I haven't done the DBHG (that's dog bowl heat gun) so I am curious. I find that the hot air popper suits my consumption habits fine and is super easy, although now that it is cold outside it takes 25min to roast. Yesterday's work:  And happiness in a box: 
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Dec 12, 2013 21:01
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Different methods have different flavors, for sure. The dbhg and popcorn popper are both technically fluid bed roasters, they will taste similar.. maybe not at first, but once you get the new method down it will probably taste even better. Fluid bed vs drum roasters is where you taste a pretty big difference. I find the dbhg to produce a more complex cup, while the drum produces a cup with a mellow, fuller bodied cup. Both good, just different. If there was a fluid bed roaster at the same price as the behmor, that offered the same capacity and convenience.. I'd buy the poo poo out of it. As a disclaimer, I'm no coffee expert. Just speaking from my limited personal experience
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Dec 12, 2013 23:08
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Google Butt posted:If there was a fluid bed roaster at the same price as the behmor, that offered the same capacity and convenience.. I'd buy the poo poo out of it. Wisdom. First up... if your roasts are going out to 25 mins, your risking some weird flavors creeping in, most notably the risk for a "baked" flavor. If it tastes good to you, rock on. Just a heads up from what I've been told by other roasters. As for popper vs gun, as GB said they're both fluid bed, so they both have the potential of presenting the same roast. But, my particular popper seemed to run hot as hell and I could hit 440F bean temps in about 8 minutes. That coffee was drat good. But then the Mrs hopped on the fresh roast express and 3 ounces / 8 mins = ~1 lb in 45 mins. I totally enjoy roasting and find it pleasant and relaxing, but 1.5 hours of roasting every weekend just to stay ahead of things was too much. Enter the gun. Now my roasts take on average 15 mins, but that's doing any amount between 8 ounces and 16 ounces (12 is the sweet spot for me). If I'm going full tilt, that's 4 lbs an hour, which is gifting volumes. I'll be handing out a few pounds of freshy fresh for Christmas this year, that's for sure. Anyway, if you think about it, by the very nature of how long my roasts take now, per bean, the roast has slowed down by 2-fold, even though net volume processed per amount of time has sped way up. The result, again as GB put it, is a very, very different product. I hate ambiguous words, but the only thing I can say is that the coffee under the gun comes out so much more complex, deeper. On one of the beans from last year that I friggin loved on the popper, my first batch on the gun was like a whole new experience. I told myself I'd keep the popper for test batches, but the gun is so very, very consistent and so forgiving once you get your technique down that you can park a bean pretty much wherever the hell you want to in a roast range... I'm not even sure I know where my popper is right now. :P
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Dec 13, 2013 03:30
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What heat gun are you using that makes you wax all lyrical? Just the $20 wagner?
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Dec 13, 2013 03:49
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