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Dog bowl and heat gun ordered, just need to pick some stuff from Sweet Maria's and I'll be on the home roasting bandwagon 
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Jan 1, 2014 23:50
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becoming posted:- How bad are Starbucks beans, really? Bloody awful. There's a guy in my office brews Starbucks beans in a CCD twice a day, every day. And twice a day, every day, the office stinks of burning. It's just charcoal in the shape of coffee beans, I'm sure (although I think I'd probably change my tune a bit if it were free...). Similarly, if I have Starbucks in the car (gotta have coffee somehow), it still stinks of burnt coffee several hours after I've finished the brew and thrown the cup away - to the point where my non-coffee drinking GF complains if I drink Starbucks almost as much as I do.
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Jan 2, 2014 15:06
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Thanks for the suggestion earlier to get a sumatran for low acid. My wife needs low acid and she is loving this coffee I got 
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Jan 2, 2014 16:26
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I drink medium and light roasts now, but i used to only drink dark roasts. I tried a dark roast the other day and it just tastes burnt. I hate Starbucks, but if I'm driving across the midwest it's the only place I can get a coffee without going horribly out of the way and even then it's a crap shoot. My gf and I went out of our way and found one shop that sold coffee and they were going out of business. 30 minutes later we were dumping 2 dollar watered down ash into the ditch. Someone needs to start a pour-over coffee chain.
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Jan 2, 2014 17:47
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le capitan posted:I drink medium and light roasts now, but i used to only drink dark roasts. I tried a dark roast the other day and it just tastes burnt. There are a few that do pour over, namely Barney's. It's not stellar but it's world's better than Starbucks so I'll usually search for them first (after trying to find a legitimate craft coffee shop) when I'm on the road.
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Jan 2, 2014 18:21
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le capitan posted:Someone needs to start a pour-over coffee chain. My relative that manages a Starbucks tells me that they will do pour-over (not sure which, probably not V60) and french press upon request, but that they don't really advertise it. She's been trained fairly extensively in both, but acknowledges that a lot of their baristas have not been, so it may still be a crapshoot. She's specifically working at training her baristas on the pour-over, but of course 99% of the brewed coffee they sell is from the drip machines, so there isn't a lot of opportunity. Still, it's probably worth asking about - you might get someone, like her, that knows/gives a poo poo about doing it right. Any other SBUX goons do french press/pour-over in their stores? I literally had no idea about this until I asked last night, and she's been managing one for nearly four years. It almost seems like their dirty little secret.
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Jan 2, 2014 19:57
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becoming posted:My relative that manages a Starbucks tells me that they will do pour-over (not sure which, probably not V60) and french press upon request, but that they don't really advertise it. She's been trained fairly extensively in both, but acknowledges that a lot of their baristas have not been, so it may still be a crapshoot. She's specifically working at training her baristas on the pour-over, but of course 99% of the brewed coffee they sell is from the drip machines, so there isn't a lot of opportunity. Still, it's probably worth asking about - you might get someone, like her, that knows/gives a poo poo about doing it right. Yeah, any store will do a french press or pour over if you ask, and they should be willing to open up a bag of beans from the wall if there's a blend you prefer. We only use fairly basic melitta cones though, so don't go in expecting a really good pour over. To be honest, it isn't really worth the hassle, the beans themselves aren't that great, and we most baristas don't have the knowledge or time to properly pour the water and allow for some bloom time, so your pour over or french press is only slightly better than whatever you would get out of the drip machines.
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Jan 2, 2014 20:04
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This thread ruined me so much I had to get a mini mill just in case I go on the road 
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Jan 2, 2014 20:11
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le capitan posted:I drink medium and light roasts now, but i used to only drink dark roasts. I tried a dark roast the other day and it just tastes burnt. Blue Bottle is one. They only do pour over or espresso drinks.
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Jan 2, 2014 20:17
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Mu Zeta posted:Blue Bottle is one. They only do pour over or espresso drinks. You're suggesting Blue Bottle to someone who wants a coffee chain and is posting about traveling through the Midwest...
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Jan 2, 2014 20:25
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I'm saying that Blue Bottle started a coffee chain and I'm sure it will get bigger and/or inspire others to do the same. I can't think of another big company that ONLY does pour overs.
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Jan 2, 2014 20:34
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Depends on where in the midwest you are, but Colectivo Coffee is pretty good, mostly WI/IL area though. Used to be Alterra Coffee. They do drip, but the ones I've been to have all been outfitted with v60 pourover areas as well as others. http://colectivocoffee.com/cafes/cafes-map/
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Jan 2, 2014 20:42
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Yeah, I'm in northwest Wisconsin so I've never heard of Blue Bottle or Colectivo. I thought about getting a mini mill, but my barista girlfriend already thinks I'm crazy and we're hopefully moving somewhere on the west coast in Spring where we shall never have coffee problems again.
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Jan 2, 2014 21:27
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For roasting, I normally do the air popped method. However, I have a dogbowl and heat gun (tried it once, didn't like it), and I tried it again recently. The thing is, I heard a few beans crack (did a half pound), but nowhere near the amount I hear when I use the air popper. Maybe it was due to the noise of me agitating the beans with a spoon+ the heat gun, but I don't think that's it. I even got a few hot enough that it was definitely on the verge of a vienna roast on the outside (black and oily).. Looking at the beans afterward, it definitely looked like they all hit first crack. Do some beans just not produce a very audible first crack perhaps? I wish I would have tried some in an air popper before or after for comparison, but I used up the remainder of the bag on the dog bowl method, so it wasn't an option. For now I'm going to stick with the air popper as it's pretty easy for me to throw in 1/2 cup, wait about 6-7 minutes, pour beans out. Wait 5-10 minutes, roast another 1/2 cup and be done it for a week. Just worried about this thing finally calling it quits. I should start saving up for a Behmor. However, from reading this thread, it seems like they are a bit picky as well (keeping the door open, etc.) I really just want something that's as easy as pushing a button and letting it get past first crack and calling it quits.
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Jan 2, 2014 21:43
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How big is the bowl, how far are you holding the gun from the beans, and do you have the heat gun plugged in to the wall or are you using an extension cord? You should be holding the gun a 1/2" above the beans, basically touching them until you reach first crack and then you can back off an inch. My technique was to hold the gun stationary at the edge as I stir beans into the heat. If I remember correctly, my roasts never took longer than 15 minutes.
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Jan 2, 2014 22:05
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le capitan posted:Yeah, I'm in northwest Wisconsin so I've never heard of Blue Bottle or Colectivo. I'm in west-central part of WI. Closest coffee shop that might even be ok is 30 minutes away, otherwise I have Caribou or Starbucks. Sourcing good coffee is ok, there is a co-op that carries Kickapoo Coffee, but it's a crapshoot wether it's too old or not. If you can get it fresh Kickapoo Coffee is great. But yeah, I have an espresso machine, own pourover stuff, aeropress, etc...roast my own beans because otherwise I'm not getting anything.
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Jan 2, 2014 22:30
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Google Butt posted:How big is the bowl, how far are you holding the gun from the beans, and do you have the heat gun plugged in to the wall or are you using an extension cord? 2qt bowl, gun plugged into the wall. The distance though, I think it was a full inch away most the time. I'll try it again with the 1/2" away to start. I think the problem I encountered was the beans hitting the gun during agitation if I held it too close.
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Jan 2, 2014 22:32
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nwin posted:2qt bowl, gun plugged into the wall. The distance though, I think it was a full inch away most the time. I'll try it again with the 1/2" away to start. I think the problem I encountered was the beans hitting the gun during agitation if I held it too close. Yeah that might do the trick. It's fine if beans hit the gun, just don't stop stirring while there's heat on the beans.
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Jan 2, 2014 22:34
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Google Butt posted:This thread ruined me so much I had to get a mini mill just in case I go on the road I have been debating doing it for about a year now. I'm on the road two night a week typically and I'm growing really tired of hotel coffee. I've mostly been debating what the best hotel brew method would be. I'm thinking french press using the in room coffee maker to heat the water. I'd likely need to put hot tap water into the machine to get a full cup of it hot enough.
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Jan 2, 2014 23:28
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Clever Coffee Dripper. e: Aeropress wins in terms of being compact and durable, though.
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Jan 2, 2014 23:54
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Mandalay posted:Clever Coffee Dripper. Yeah, I thought about CCD, but the downside is that unless I bring my own mug, I'd be worried about hotel cups not being able to support the weight of the unit when full. I'm not averse to bringing my own mug, but it's one more thing I'd need to bring.
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Jan 3, 2014 00:34
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rockcity posted:Yeah, I thought about CCD, but the downside is that unless I bring my own mug, I'd be worried about hotel cups not being able to support the weight of the unit when full. I'm not averse to bringing my own mug, but it's one more thing I'd need to bring. I don't think you could crush a paper coffee cup with it. A hotel cup won't hold a full CCD worth of coffee anyway, so the thing would only be partially full and not as heavy as a full one. Also, don't make coffee with hot tap water. Look at the mineral deposits inside of a hot water heater sometime and you will see why. withak fucked around with this message at 01:26 on Jan 3, 2014 |
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Jan 3, 2014 01:23
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ChiaPetOutletStore posted:Yeah, any store will do a french press or pour over if you ask, and they should be willing to open up a bag of beans from the wall if there's a blend you prefer. We only use fairly basic melitta cones though, so don't go in expecting a really good pour over. Isn't that the whole point of Starbucks using Clovers? Probably not as good as good pour over, but engineered to be idiot-proof. That seems like the best bet for single-cup coffee anywhere that's not a really good chain. Looks like you can search the website for stores that specifically have a Clover, too.
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Jan 3, 2014 04:26
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What coffee shops in Portland do aeropress? Been wanting to try it before I bought one but I can't find any shops that do it.
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Jan 3, 2014 05:24
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Boris Galerkin posted:What coffee shops in Portland do aeropress? Been wanting to try it before I bought one but I can't find any shops that do it.
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Jan 3, 2014 05:59
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that Vai sound posted:I think Heart does. I can already tell you it makes an excellent cup. A place I go to in Seattle uses it with the Able Disc. I can't find their locations on their website but the one I went to only did espresso drinks and pre-made coffee.
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Jan 3, 2014 06:03
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Recaffeinated posted:Isn't that the whole point of Starbucks using Clovers? Probably not as good as good pour over, but engineered to be idiot-proof. That seems like the best bet for single-cup coffee anywhere that's not a really good chain. Looks like you can search the website for stores that specifically have a Clover, too. Yeah, the clover is the best bet for sure, but I don't know how wide spread it is. We only have a couple in Toronto, and they don't seem to be putting in more very often. Edit: clover tends to cost more though, if you go with the reserve blends, which tend to be better than most coffees.
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Jan 3, 2014 06:19
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Boris Galerkin posted:I can't find their locations on their website but the one I went to only did espresso drinks and pre-made coffee. Their East Burnside location does it; their downtown location (the one you must've went to) does not. That said, in my opinion the best cup of coffee at Heart is straight from the Fetco. They dial those things in. Reliably the best cup of coffee in Portland if you ask me.
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Jan 3, 2014 07:43
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I just made my first batch of french press coffee. I medium-slowly added 500g of 94ºC water to 32g of coarsely ground Starbucks Sumatra (shaddup). I gave it a few gentle stirs to ensure all grounds were wet, then placed the lid on. 4:15 after the water first hit the grounds, I removed the lid, broke the crust, then put the lid back on and very slowly plunged. I immediately poured into my (shamefully not pre-heated) mug. Result: this is blowing my tits off. A verrrrrrrry slight hint of bitterness, but nothing a palate that wasn't attuned to it would pick up. Probably the easiest drinking coffee I've ever had. Absolutely cannot wait to try real coffee in this. Any other recommended french press recipes? I just went with the ratio I found on Intelligentsia's site.
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Jan 3, 2014 17:55
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I recently upgraded from my cuisinart Static+dust generating coffee grinder to a Capresso Infinity (the 565 - Best Buy had a sale for $99, down from $179). It's fantastic! Except for the fact that it leaves like 5 grams of coffee in with the burrs, and I have to use a brush to get everything out of it every time I use it. It's a gigantic pain in the rear end. I'm only grinding as much as I need (29 grams), so I have been putting extra beans in to make up for whatever I can't get out of it with the brush. So - does anyone have one of these, with any insight on how to clear the burr chamber a bit easier? Tapping it and slapping it hasn't worked. Or, can you recommend a quality conical burr grinder that doesn't have this issue? I'm really just doing french press and soon, pourover grinds. So I don't need anything for espresso... yet.
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Jan 4, 2014 19:29
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My Baratza Encore works fine for the most part. I do slap it on the side a bit to get the last 1 or 2 grams.
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Jan 4, 2014 20:31
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I have the infinity, what I do is grind my beans, take off the hopper, lift out the burr and tap the remaining grounds into the basket. Takes a few extra seconds but it's worth it.
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Jan 4, 2014 22:36
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Google Butt posted:I have the infinity, what I do is grind my beans, take off the hopper, lift out the burr and tap the remaining grounds into the basket. Takes a few extra seconds but it's worth it. IT's easy enough to tap the burr, yeah - but don't you find there's a lot left in the chamber + chute? I've only used it on the coarsest setting, I wonder if that is a factor...
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Jan 4, 2014 23:16
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Guitarchitect posted:IT's easy enough to tap the burr, yeah - but don't you find there's a lot left in the chamber + chute? I've only used it on the coarsest setting, I wonder if that is a factor... I guess, but if you lift out the burr completely and smack it a couple times it totally cleans it out, in my experience.
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Jan 4, 2014 23:36
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You should be able to tilt the whole thing forward and tap once the burr is out which will send a bunch into the basket.
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Jan 4, 2014 23:42
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Google Butt posted:I guess, but if you lift out the burr completely and smack it a couple times it totally cleans it out, in my experience. Not on the coarsest setting, it doesn't. Then again, I'm in the midst of a very cold and dry winter and I'm noticing a lot of static around the apartment, so that is probably making it worse than normal. For what it's worth, on the middle to finer settings the problem almost totally goes away. POUR-OVER TRIP REPORT So I got a Hario V60 and some filters from my local Coffee Snob Mecca, as I wanted to find an easier way to make my weekend afternoon cup of coffee. I also recently purchased the Bona Vita Gooseneck Temperature Control Kettle, so I figured it made sense. With the water at 93C/200F, I put my Sumatran beans through 4 grinds and used the method in this video. I followed his advice in the comments, tuning the grind until the brew temperature landed between 2:00 - 2:15. All I can say is... I'm amazed at the difference the grind makes. I tried to keep everything the same from brew to brew, and the finer grind came out a hell of a lot more bitter than the coarser ones. The brew time changed about 15 seconds from one setting to the next, and I think I found the sweet spot, for now, for the beans I've got. To anyone else that has tried it - what other variables did you find were key to your success? The next step is probably to change the technique - does anyone have any techniques they swear by?
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Jan 4, 2014 23:52
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Figuring out my grind was too coarse for the v60 was my first revelation. I thought I was over extracting, but eventually realized it was the opposite problem. The next big thing was having fresh beans because I find the bloom from wetting the beans to be key to a successful pour. Too old and there is no dome; same problem if I wait too long after wetting before starting the actual pouring. If your grinds stay flat, water is just going to go through the filter on top and lead to under extraction. Once I got this down, I was left with a really nice conical distribution of grinds. I also crimped the top of my goose neck spout a bit to get more control over my pour. In other news... I ran out of roasted beans and my behmor wouldn't turn on because it's too cold in the garage. Waiting for it to warm up inside before I try again.
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Jan 5, 2014 00:22
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Any thoughts on the fresh roast SR300 roaster?
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Jan 5, 2014 00:53
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geetee posted:In other news... I ran out of roasted beans and my behmor wouldn't turn on because it's too cold in the garage. Waiting for it to warm up inside before I try again. You can bring it in and let it warm up, but I just throw a mr heater portable propane heater pointed at the intake (right) side and after 3-5 mins you can roast. The problem being now you're spending 20 minutes in a freezing garage.
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Jan 5, 2014 02:23
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MrEnigma posted:You can bring it in and let it warm up, but I just throw a mr heater portable propane heater pointed at the intake (right) side and after 3-5 mins you can roast. Yep, I brought it inside for an hour or so. Worked like a charm. About to make a cup now. Unrested, but it's better than no coffee.
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Jan 5, 2014 02:35
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