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nwin posted:Pulse pour? Also how does it compare to the CCD and why do you use the v60 over the CCD now? I make a divot in the grounds with a spoon, pour 40g of water for a 45 second bloom. After that I do 3 pours around 100g each. I make the first pour, wait for the water to drain to the point at which the next pour will bring the water level up to just over where the first 100g pour was (does that make sense?). I do that until I get to 350g and a 2:30 total brew time. The v60 takes less time and I prefer the flavor. Downside is you need a pouring kettle.
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Jun 9, 2014 21:51
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dik-dik posted:Are you doing a pulse pour or continuous with this? I don't think I'm good enough at pouring to get a 3m brew time with a continuous pour. It's pretty much a pulse. Just pour around the edges, it gets around 3/4 up the wall of the Wave, wait for it to drain a little, add more water around the edges. You get the idea.
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Jun 9, 2014 22:53
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Shadybunny posted:My two cents worth: I generally prefer a full city/medium, though I've gone city/light a couple of times over the years and I have noticed that when I use a city/light, it doesn't stick to the edges as well. Has anyone else noticed this? Is this science or coincidence? I haven't done much research, because, like I said, I don't prefer it, but I wonder if that's part of the problem when people are having this issue. For me the "problem" was the stirring. Now I just stir in the blooming phase, so all grounded beans get wet. After this I just pour in the rest of the water slowly and I get that "crust" on the top, which will stick to the walls.
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Jun 10, 2014 08:23
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Why is sticking to the walls good?
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Jun 10, 2014 10:25
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nwin posted:Alright, over the past few days I've immersed myself in various forums/product review videos searching for a decent espresso/grinder setup for less than $600 that will still allow me to use the same grinder for my daily CCD use with the espressos being made on the weekends. I've found a few things and please feel free to weigh in with your thoughts I use a Gaggia Espresso Pure (no longer made, but you can still find them and replacement parts on sites like wholelattelove, etc...) with a Baratza Encore. I did by all means pull shots on this machine with a Capresso Infinity as well, but with the small difference in price between an Infinity and an Encore, especially if you catch a refurb on Baratza's site... I would point you to the Encore. Starter gear has a specific purpose: get you on the process and let you learn what you might specifically need or want from it. Some people see it as money wasted, usually because they already have specific ideas about how the espresso process maps to THEIR needs and wants, and they see things through that filter. Upside with going with "starter" gear is that it may not be starter gear for you. It could offer you years of happy. Is there "better" stuff? Maybe. Some of that stuff is pretty OCD though. As I've said before, usually on any hobby or activity, the higher you go on price point and features, it's common that the discussion becomes less about the given activity and more about the person performing it. It's like a custom musical instrument: tuned for the person it was built for. Wanna do espresso on 250 bucks? Capresso Infinity and a Gaggia Espresso Pure/Color. The reason I like to recommend Gaggia's is the group head. The E61 is ubiquitous at this point and you can get numerous hop-up baskets, tampers, bottomless portafilters, whatever, for it because it is the group head of choice on boatloads of professional gear. If you want to stay with that group head and bump up the machine, you're suddenly looking at Rancilio, Rocket, EXPOBAR, etc... dolla dolla bill, y'all. Switch the Infinity over to an Encore and like I said, you have what I use every day (the Pure's been in use for 2-2.5 years now I think?). Last step? Start ordering some good SO espresso beans or dual use beans from Sweet Maria's and you'll be spanking the crap out of the stuff you get from most local shops. May has come and gone, so the Ethiopians are in at SM. I just ordered 7lbs yesterday. Whee!
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Jun 10, 2014 18:11
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Wait, Gaggia uses the E61 grouphead? I thought that was only found on HX and DB machines? E: or do you just mean that it uses standard 58mm portafilters?
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Jun 10, 2014 19:20
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As far as I know, the Gaggia domestic machines take standard 58 mm baskets, but E61 portafilters, gaskets, and other parts and accessories won't fit.
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Jun 10, 2014 19:30
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dik-dik posted:Wait, Gaggia uses the E61 grouphead? I thought that was only found on HX and DB machines? The materials I reviewed when I researched and purchased indicated that they do indeed use E61 (or if you wish to just call it 58mm portafilters, go for it). I am now trying to find that material only to find that 1. Gaggia has apparently done away with a ton of their consumer range (and most of the links to manuals are now missing) and 2. Wholelattelove's blurbs about various machines have now changed. Either way, a pure empirical "E61 brew group" is a specific thing tied to a specific piston/pump manual configuration. However, numerous manufacturers using an electrical pump driven circulation tied to the same style of 58mm group head have called the group head an E61, which is what I stated. Tomato, tomahto, potato, potahto, whatever. Mayhap they've caught poo poo for that in the past two years of me not actively staring at espresso machine marketing. Dunno. Duncare. It's a big rear end hunk of plated brass that uses a 58mm portafilter, which is pretty standard issue and you can buy upgrades all over for it. Bob_McBob posted:As far as I know, the Gaggia domestic machines take standard 58 mm baskets, but E61 portafilters, gaskets, and other parts and accessories won't fit. I have seen numerous forum discussions where people have had serious hit or miss swapping of 58mm gear from Rancilio to Gaggia to Rocket to whoever. Sometimes it works, sometimes it won't lock in, sometimes it paints the walls when they brew. Cause for the variability? No clue. Alleric fucked around with this message at 19:54 on Jun 10, 2014 |
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Jun 10, 2014 19:44
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I know it's been asked before, but I haven't seen it in a while and I really don't feel like digging for it, but I'm headed to San Francisco for three days at the end of the month and I wanted to get some input on which shops to hit up. Not to buy anything, just for coffee. I know the usual suspects, but which ones should I really aim for if I only have time for two or three of them and which locations are the good ones? I really only have two days in the city and the first one I'm only in the city in the morning as I'm driving out north of Oakland that morning. I plan to grab something on my way out of town and it looks like Four Barrel opened a new-ish shop that is directly en route, so that may be one of my stops. The other day I'll be there I'll be all over the city so I'm definitely open to suggestions. I figure I'll go to two shops that day, one for whoever people think does the best espresso and one for pourover or some other interesting brewed coffee.
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Jun 10, 2014 21:09
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If you're looking for the quintessential SF coffee shop experiences I'd go to The Mill on Divisadero St and Four Barrel in the Mission District on Valencia St. You can get the "controversial" $4 toast at The Mill. And while you're there buy a loaf of the Josey Baker sourdough bread, it's really fantastic. And the Four Barrel shop in the Mission looks pretty stunning and is hipster central. Be sure to try the Kouign Amann as well. It's our version of the Cronut. If you happen to be in the Outer Sunset area there is Trouble Coffee and the new Andytown. Andytown closes at 3pm though so you gotta get there early. Get the house made scones or Irish soda bread there. The 7 Blue Bottle places make excellent coffee but the shops are kind of bland IMO. Ritual is cool but their shops are full of laptop zombies.
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Jun 11, 2014 02:05
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There are 58 mm portafilter baskets that will fit any appropriately sized portafilter (barring height restrictions with triples), but there's no such thing as a generic "58 mm portafilter". All of these machines use 58 mm baskets, but none of their portafilters are interchangeable:   In general, "E61" portafilters will fit most E61-type groups, but there are a number of variations on the market. The Gaggia doesn't use an E61 group. Its group is as different from an E61 group as it is from the La Marzocco saturated group. There is no thermosiphon, pre-infusion chamber, etc. It's a completely different design. The only way to make an E61 portafilter fit a Gaggia group is by filing down the ears significantly.
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Jun 11, 2014 02:05
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Mu Zeta posted:If you're looking for the quintessential SF coffee shop experiences I'd go to The Mill on Divisadero St and Four Barrel in the Mission District on Valencia St. You can get the "controversial" $4 toast at The Mill. And while you're there buy a loaf of the Josey Baker sourdough bread, it's really fantastic. And the Four Barrel shop in the Mission looks pretty stunning and is hipster central. Be sure to try the Kouign Amann as well. It's our version of the Cronut. Oh man, that Kouign Amann looks delicious and something my wife would love which will help get her to go with me since she's not the biggest coffee fan. Do you know if the Four Barrell on Burrows St off the 101 has them by chance? That's likely the coffee place I'd hit on my way out of town that first morning. If that location sucks, I could probably hit the one in the mission though, it's not that far off my route.
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Jun 11, 2014 04:11
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I haven't been to the new Four Barrel but according to some of these reviews the pastry selection is the same http://www.yelp.com/biz/four-barrel-coffee-portola But the main Four Barrel on Valencia is the one to go to. Also if you're near Pacific Height and just want the pastries you can go directly to B. Patisserie where they make it http://www.yelp.com/biz/b-patisserie-san-francisco-2
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Jun 11, 2014 05:31
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Mu Zeta posted:Why is sticking to the walls good? To be honest: I don't know. How I explain it to myself: When some of the coffee sticks on the walls, it won't be on the ground. And the coffee on the ground extends the extraction time, because the water needs longer to go through this coffee. As a beginner thes helps me to have better control over the extraction time (I am counting the time the water needs to go through the beans into my cup as part of the extraction time), because if it is too long, my coffee gets sour (or is this the accidity? I don't know, I just don't like this taste).
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Jun 11, 2014 08:22
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Anyone else notice Target carries Intelligentsia coffee now? I got excited, then I saw the roast date-it's all over a month old.
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Jun 11, 2014 21:53
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I'm surprised that intelligentsia would allow their product to be shelved like that. Oh wait, no I'm not. There's so many people that will buy it just because it's more expensive or new or they've heard of it that they might make bank off the deal.
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Jun 11, 2014 22:35
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I just tried the coconut oil in coffee. I didn't really find it that interesting - it had no flavour at all and just kinda floated on top of my mug. It wasn't bad or anything, but I'm not sure how anyone would try it and even remember it enough to want to do it again. Though I've read some of those articles about bulletproof/buttered coffee, and they frame it as a kind of breakfast, which is reasonably appealing to me as a way to get some morning calories in.
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Jun 11, 2014 22:37
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CommonShore posted:I just tried the coconut oil in coffee. I didn't really find it that interesting - it had no flavour at all and just kinda floated on top of my mug. It wasn't bad or anything, but I'm not sure how anyone would try it and even remember it enough to want to do it again. It's not really a flavor thing. Also, you are not supposed to just dump the oil on the coffee, you emulsify it by stirring vigorously, using a whisk, or throwing it in a blender for a few seconds. When the fat is emulsified it gives a lot of body to the coffee and some flavor (not that I would recommend putting oil or butter in any actually decent coffee because it's clearly going to taste much better on its own). The idea is that you have the coffee/coconut oil instead of breakfast and it leaves you more satiated from all the fat, plus the appetite reducing effects of the coffee/caffeine. Also there is some idea that since coconut oil is high in MCTs (medium chain triglycerides) which get converted more quickly into a usable form in the blood stream (ketones/ketosis) that this is also proposed to be a "good thing" by people who are into low carb, keto or paleo diets (despite the fact that no refined oil of any kind could possible be considered part of any actual paleo diet). I think that it is safe to say that it is currently unknown whether consuming extra coconut oil in your coffee is actually good for you or healthy, but if you find it to be a good breakfast replacement, just like the taste, or think it actually helps give you some extra energy then try it out. As for me, I make this every once in a long while if I'm going to be fasting.
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Jun 11, 2014 23:07
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Looks like Minneapolis is throwing a Caffeine Crawl, like a Pub Crawl except with caffeinated beverages. I'm tempted to buy tickets, but getting to and from all of the shops (parking) is going to be a nightmare... http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2014/06/twin_cities_2nd_annual_caffeine_crawl_to_return_june_14.php Not sure there are any other Minneapolis goons in here, but I figured I'd post it in case there are some lurking.
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Jun 11, 2014 23:34
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electricmonk500 posted:It's not really a flavor thing. Also, you are not supposed to just dump the oil on the coffee, you emulsify it by stirring vigorously, using a whisk, or throwing it in a blender for a few seconds. When the fat is emulsified it gives a lot of body to the coffee and some flavor Going to try it in the morning and report back.
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Jun 11, 2014 23:40
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CommonShore posted:Going to try it in the morning and report back. Cool, just be prepared to really stir/whisk the hell out of it if you don't have an electrified way to do it. Also, it occurs to me that if you happen to have a french press handy you could also use it to emulsify the fat by simply adding it to the coffee and plunging repeatedly/steadily for a minute or so. Note that Tibetan yak butter tea (which is the inspiration for this coffee coconut oil thing) traditionally uses a similar kind of implement to emulsify. I've also improved the emulsification before by adding a drop or two of liquid lecithin. I've always used the liquid so I'm not sure if granules would also work. Edit: Mu Zeta posted:Why is sticking to the walls good? I think the idea is that if it sticks to the walls that means that the water is passing through the whole surface of the filter rather than only through the bottom of the filter where the hole is. Thus, if the whole surface of the filter is actually being utilized to filter the coffee then that means that the time the water is in contact with the grounds is kept to a minimum, which protects against overextraction. Also, it seems to me that if the grounds stick to the walls relatively uniformly that would indicate that the grounds are being evenly suspended within the water which is being poured on them, which would mean that all the grounds were being extracted from evenly/uniformly. In other words, if you found the opposite, that all your coffee was clumped together at the bottom rather than sticking to the walls, that might tell you that there are still dry clumps of coffee which hadn't had any flavor extracted from them at all and that the overall extraction time was probably increased unnecessarily because of the blockage this would cause. Does that make any sense? electricmonk500 fucked around with this message at 01:24 on Jun 12, 2014 |
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Jun 12, 2014 01:03
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I keep a blender next to my espresso machine. I'll pour the shot on top of the oil, dump it into the blender, and give it a zap. Now that I type it out, I wonder if it'd be worth trying a mocha protein shake with coconut oil..... I'll report on that too when I get around to it.
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Jun 12, 2014 01:15
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If you're putting oil or butter in your coffee, you really gotta blend it. Stirring won't cut it imo
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Jun 12, 2014 02:05
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I read someone added an egg yolk for extra healthy oil etc etc, that would greatly help stabilising the emulsification. Or mustard, but you've have to be brave to try that.
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Jun 12, 2014 02:10
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Reporting back on the coconut oil. I added about a teaspoon of it to a 4-5 oz cup of coffee. It's ok. I like how my coffee was a bit of a foam. I don't like how much it cooled off in the 8 seconds in the blender (though that was something I expected). Certainly goes down faster. I think this would be more of something that I'd be willing to order from a coffee shop (possibly one set up to make sure my coffee is still hot after emulsification) than to make at home.
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Jun 12, 2014 13:49
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CommonShore posted:Reporting back on the coconut oil. Could you use a stirrer/frother instead of pouring it in the blender? I'm intrigued because my wife only cooks with coconut oil and it's a handy ingredient; at the same time I don't want to hassle with a blender. (I also don't currently own a frother, but for $6...).
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Jun 12, 2014 14:46
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Tried my Aeropress for the first time this morning. Hmm...coffee  Could someone post a description of why exactly the Aeropress can't make espresso? I'm trying to describe it to my coffee-illiterate roommate, but I'm terribad with words.Could someone repost that awesome AP recipe a few pages back? My phone makes searching a pain...
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Jun 12, 2014 15:02
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The Aeropress makes coffee-concentrate, but doesn't have the properties of espresso, basically. You get a stronger drink and a quicker brewing time than just with a pourover, a french-press or other methods. I'd guess that's because you first immerse the coffee like a press and then push the water through the coffee grounds, which extracts in two different ways at the same time, but I don't know for certain. Espresso is different, you use a large amount of pressure to push water through a compressed puck of very finely ground coffee, which if done properly gives a very quick, strong shot of coffee with a thick, velvety layer of oils at the top. The Aeropress just doesn't have the capacity to do this, for a bunch of reasons, most of which are "It's not really designed to do this in any way". Still pretty good coffee though.
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Jun 12, 2014 15:17
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Valicious posted:Tried my Aeropress for the first time this morning. Hmm...coffee http://www.boldbeancoffee.com/blogs/learn/7418412-aeropress Like espresso the AeroPress is a pressurized brewing method but the amount of pressure created by the aeropress is nowhere near the 9 bars(about 130 pounds per square inch) created by a professional espresso machine. The pressure created by the aeropress is enough though to allow for short brew times that enhance the coffees clarity while still creating a cup with great body.
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Jun 12, 2014 15:18
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porktree posted:Could you use a stirrer/frother instead of pouring it in the blender? I'm intrigued because my wife only cooks with coconut oil and it's a handy ingredient; at the same time I don't want to hassle with a blender. (I also don't currently own a frother, but for $6...). Yep, that's what I use, works fine.
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Jun 12, 2014 20:37
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electricmonk500 posted:Yep, that's what I use, works fine. I am going to buy one of those immediately to give this poo poo another try, with the hopes that it doesn't cool my coffee off as much as the blender did.
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Jun 12, 2014 20:46
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...why not just continue to drink your coffee black? Also: I'm considering getting a refurb Vario ($360). Any reason I should reconsider or buy something else instead? dik-dik fucked around with this message at 21:20 on Jun 12, 2014 |
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Jun 12, 2014 21:13
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Does it make sense to get a V60/wave (and kettle if I can't find something workable from friends/family) and use my crappy Braun burr grinder from ages ago while I'm saving money for a better grinder and further coffee things? If so, is there a reason to prefer one material over another other than "plastics, maaaan" or "breakable"?
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Jun 12, 2014 21:40
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dik-dik posted:...why not just continue to drink your coffee black? Curiosity and boredom, mostly. The frother at the place I checked after work was $18, so I am yet without a frother.
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Jun 12, 2014 21:52
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ChickenArise posted:Does it make sense to get a V60/wave (and kettle if I can't find something workable from friends/family) and use my crappy Braun burr grinder from ages ago while I'm saving money for a better grinder and further coffee things? If so, is there a reason to prefer one material over another other than "plastics, maaaan" or "breakable"? Can't really answer your 1st question cause I don't know anything about your Braun burr grinder but as for your 2nd question, I don't think there's any real reason to prefer one material over another. Only thing I've heard is that ceramic ones require a substantial amount of preheating compared to metal or plastic, but ultimately i think it's mostly a question of aesthetics. Oh and if you're looking for a good cheep kettle, I'm a big fan of the Fino. I got mine for like $20 from Amazon. E: Roasting update: Got 5 lbs of organic Colombia Sierra Nevada from CBC so I can (hopefully) improve my roasting technique and just dick around with one type of bean for a while. Roasted about 1/3 lb at what I think should be a City roast and another 1/3 lb to maybe a C+/FC, though I couldn't really tell if I was hearing 2nd crack or not. These two roasts were the first time I'd heard a true, robust first crack. For the first roast, it lasted about 2 minutes and the second one lasted about 3 or 4. Is that normal? Seems a lot longer than I expected. Anyway, I'm excited to see how this new roasting experiment turns out; hopefully by the time I finish this 5 lb bag I'll actually know what the hell I'm doing when it comes to HGDB roasting. dik-dik fucked around with this message at 01:04 on Jun 13, 2014 |
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Jun 12, 2014 22:44
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The originator of the "bulletproof coffee"/buttered coffee meme is a scam artist who also wants you to buy his "upgraded, low-mycotoxin beans" for dubious health reasons that appeal mostly to paleo diet cultists. (By the way, if you're not using grass-fed butter as your added fat, you're doing it wrong!) Someone at Stack Exchange posted a reasonable analysis of why this is BS. If you enjoy this stuff in your coffee, more power to you, but I don't think the benefits are any greater than simply eating whatever amount of fatty substance you're putting into the coffee. TheJeffers fucked around with this message at 01:48 on Jun 13, 2014 |
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Jun 13, 2014 01:43
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TheJeffers posted:The originator of the "bulletproof coffee"/buttered coffee meme is a scam artist who also wants you to buy his "upgraded, low-mycotoxin beans" for dubious health reasons that appeal mostly to paleo diet cultists. (By the way, if you're not using grass-fed butter as your added fat, you're doing it wrong!) Someone at Stack Exchange posted a reasonable analysis of why this is BS. This is all true and thanks for bringing it up directly. Let me clarify that despite the fact that I've given advice earlier on how to make it, there is really no scientific evidence for any health benefit for consuming butter or coconut oil in coffee (and not any benefit to taste either) and I wouldn't even personally recommend it at all unless you're just curious. Anecdotally, I find that drinking coffee with fat is a bit more effective as an appetite suppressant than coffee alone, but really the degree of this effect is pretty unremarkable and possibly placebo, or just due to the extra calories that are being consumed from the added fat. The fact that people even know about 'bulletproof coffee' at all is just a testament to what a terrific bullshit artist Dave Asprey is. If you really want a laugh, check out all the other patently useless stuff he sells on his site. For instance, the $50 "Bulletproof® Sleep Induction Mat" which quote:...stimulates acupressure points up and down your back to ease your body into a deep relaxation response. This acupressure stimulation quickly increases blood circulation, which then causes your body to release endorphins and beneficial hormones in response. Several important acupuncture meridians are located on the back. The meridians along the spine and shoulders boost relaxation and increase deep restfulness which in turn gives you more energy upon waking. You will first feel a flood of warmth to the back area, followed by a dramatic release of muscle tension as any aches and pains start to melt away. The concept for the Bulletproof Sleep Induction Mat originates from techniques in acupuncture developed in Russia, China, India, and the Middle East. Similar concepts and devices have been used as meditation tools throughout history. Seriously, gently caress this guy.
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Jun 13, 2014 02:18
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electricmonk500 posted:This is all true and thanks for bringing it up directly. Let me clarify that despite the fact that I've given advice earlier on how to make it, there is really no scientific evidence for any health benefit for consuming butter or coconut oil in coffee (and not any benefit to taste either) and I wouldn't even personally recommend it at all unless you're just curious. Fat is much more satiating. It's not just the calories.
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Jun 13, 2014 02:22
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TheJeffers posted:The originator of the "bulletproof coffee"/buttered coffee meme is a scam artist who also wants you to buy his "upgraded, low-mycotoxin beans" for dubious health reasons that appeal mostly to paleo diet cultists. (By the way, if you're not using grass-fed butter as your added fat, you're doing it wrong!) Someone at Stack Exchange posted a reasonable analysis of why this is BS. Oh yes I was fully aware of that. If nothing else the grass-fed butter part should set off a million alarm bells. Adding fat to my coffee just sounded interesting enough to try, and I had enough other things that I figure I could use coconut oil in (popcorn!) to give it a shot. I'm gonna give it another shot tomorrow, but after my first try I think it's probably more of something to use in smoothies or iced coffee than something I'll have every morning (partly because  )
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Jun 13, 2014 03:54
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What are some good coffee blends to learn how to brew espresso with?
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Jun 13, 2014 19:48
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