Coffee Appreciation

Hi Steve, good as an espresso for milk drinks, or is it a lighter roast?

I think the OPV on my Gaggia is stuck

I took another 1/4 turn out this morning which technically ought to drop the pressure down to mid/high single digits, i.e. low enough that it ought to start struggling to push the water through. It's still rushing through though, so I think the OPV is indeed stuck and it's just running at full pressure. Portafilter pressure gauge time, because I guess I'm going to have to strip the valve to descale it and I'll need to set the pressure again. Also taken the opportunity to get a blind basket and some Puly tabs because I've never actually backflushed this machine either.

Can't moan too much, I've had it for 12 years now and never really looked after it other than the occasional descale and replacing the group head gasket.

I've never actually backflushed this machine either.

I've had it for 12 years now

uhuh

*11 years. I checked ;)

Oh boy.
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/food-industry-wakes-up-to-lab-grown-coffee-560004902.html

^ @withered_preacher Pop-ups on link, and where will the chemicals for all this be sourced/ produced & at what environmental cost? If answered in link please copy & paste the text, cos Pop-ups.

Ah sorry.
Just to be clear, ‘oh boy’ as in ‘oh oh’.

Food industry wakes up to lab-grown coffee
SYLVAIN CHARLEBOIS
BEANLESS coffee could hit the market as early as next year.
Our summer was marked by key announcements from major food chains that have decided to switch to plant-based alternatives. Meat, particularly beef, was the target of companies such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, that claimed their plant-based products were more ecologically sound.
And now, Seattle-based Atomo has created coffee grounds in a laboratory, without the use of coffee beans. Unlike plant-based products in which existing food ingredients are used, Atomo’s coffee is created. It’s molecular and includes quinic acid, dimethyl disulfide, niacin, 2-ethylphenol and a handful of other elements.
The process, which remains proprietary, has given the world its first synthetic coffee. It was funded by Hong Kong-based Horizon Ventures, which also backed Impossible Foods and Spotify.
This multimillion-dollar project is driven by the desire to find sustainable solutions for one of the most popular drinks in the world. We are at the dawn of an agricultural revolution that’s drawing acute attention to the true cost of bringing food to our plates.
Environmental costs are increasingly important when shopping for food, particularly for the younger generation. Thus the rise in synthetic agriculture, a novel food system operating parallel to our traditional sectors.
While seeking affordable, tasty and nutritious food, other holistic factors are becoming key drivers. The green revolution of the 20th century was about food security. This new revolution is about how we coalesce our food needs with the planet’s limited resources, while making all countries food-secure.
When it comes to climate change and meat and which solutions are better, the debate is on. But with coffee, the evidence is even more compelling and the case for continuing down our current path
is weak at best.
Atomo’s promotion appeals to consumers increasingly concerned about the damage growing coffee causes. Many experts are concerned about continued deforestation to plant new crops. China and other markets are getting more addicted to java, putting more pressure on growers to increase productivity.
And with the wildfires in the Amazon, concerns are ramping up. Intentionally ignited fires are part of a deforestation campaign to grow more crops.
It’s no coincidence Atomo released its statement about its lab-grown coffee now. While the world is focused on what’s happening to the Amazon, the company wanted to make a point. The world took note. But Canadians don’t appear to be quite ready for lab-grown coffee.
Canadians have a deep relationship with coffee. In 2018, 72 per cent of us drank coffee every day. In fact, Canadians drink an average of 152 litres per person per year — the highest consumption level in the world after the Netherlands and Finland. Coffee in Canada is more popular than tap water.
The idea of drinking any lab-produced drink, let alone coffee, doesn’t sit well with Canadians. A recent omnibus survey conducted by Dalhousie University found 72 per cent of Canadians wouldn’t drink lab-grown coffee.
Nonetheless, it’s refreshing that we’re seeing an influx of new thinkers in agriculture. The sector is being capitalized by non-agricultural stakeholders who really look at food differently. Billions are being poured into agriculture to create something traditional agriculture can’t produce.
While surveys find most consumers want companies to be eco-friendly, growing, processing and distributing food using traditional methods has its limitations. So synthetic agriculture is getting more attention due to its unequivocal stance on producing food with fewer resources. Whether these methods are more sustainable remains to be seen.
This view is obviously confronted by old-style agricultural practices and producers who pride themselves on being the best caretakers of the environment. Farmers are indeed great environmental stewards. But things have changed, the planet has changed and our view of the world has changed. And growing coffee in particular requires a lot of water and land.
Given how few resources are involved, cultured food is becoming a more viable option. But for these products to succeed, certain fundamentals must be met, including affordability, nutrition and taste.
Coffee is just the beginning. Chicken, beef, pork, kangaroo, ice cream, foie gras, bacon — all these products are the focus of well-funded private-sector projects seeking to create hightech, synthetic alternatives. This technological advancement may be disruptive to traditional farming, but it can add value to global food systems.
RBC researchers and economists recently released a report about seizing on a “fourth agricultural revolution” in Canada that accentuates data over manual labour.
But this next phase of agriculture is more than just feeding the world by producing more with less. We’re slowly producing demand-focused products to satisfy the needs of a very different, very urban consumer.
It’s no longer just about dirt, animals, land and hard work. It’s also about molecules. Even though it will have its share of regulatory challenges, the rise of synthetic agriculture is very much part of that revolution.
Sylvain Charlebois is senior director of the agri-food analytics lab and a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University, and a senior fellow with the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies.
— Troy Media

Just to be clear, ‘oh boy’ as in ‘oh oh’.

https://youtu.be/5v4zCHRf8Ro

It’s molecular and includes quinic acid, dimethyl disulfide, niacin, 2-ethylphenol and a handful of other elements.
The process, which remains proprietary,

For the volumes needed to replace coffee with coffee I imagine the end to end process will be more costly (in all senses) than growing the stuff. Is "entropy" the right describey word here?

Seems to be a case of 'we can, so we should'.

also, video unavailable (happens a lot to linked stuff over here)

video unavailable

It was 5 minutes of this

ha

I'm more surprised anyone actually recognises Quantum Leap. Kids these days, etc.

This is shit: https://london.eater.com/2019/8/29/20838366/taylor-street-baristas-london-cafes-black-sheep-coffee-administration

Sad news that, Taylor St were great. Selling Black Sheep coffee in Taylor St bags is right shabby, it’s like they know how horrid their coffee is and they’re using it to sabotage the brand before dept. coffee get on with it.

Yeah that was a particular shit bit to read. I just moved from London but the Bank branch of Taylor St was fantastic. Constant choice of 3 different filters for a reasonable price too.

Oof, lordy that's tasty. Think it'd make a lovely cold brew. Cheers Steve + Catia

Thanks for the coffee Steve. That was super fast delivery!

@StevePeel I've had a really good experience with your customer support today, having a problem with a subscription fixed. I think it was Elle who helped me. Good work all round.

Coffee machine service day. Strip and de-scale, backflush, thorough clean of other components, check and set pressure.

Puly Caff: woah, that stuff attacks coffee residue pretty aggressively. Everything is sparkling like new again. Amazing!

Pressure setting for this batch of coffee. I got my pressure gauge in the post, which simply screws to the bottom of the portafilter. 8 bar was still rushing through so I dropped it right down. It was pulling too slowly at 4 bar, but the shot was noticeably richer. I’ve left it in the middle at 6 bar, so I’ll find out in the morning when if I’ve got it dialed. So if anyone wants to do an OPV mod on their Classic, on mine one full turn of the OPV equates to about 2 bar of pressure.

So if anyone wants to do an OPV mod on their Classic, on mine one full turn of the OPV equates to about 2 bar of pressure.

The OPV on mine stubbornly refuses to turn.

Actually scrap that, I've never managed to get the hose off to undo the bolt that covers the OPV adjustment, which is hex type, right?

Ah fuck it you inspired me to persevere.

Classic 270deg blind adjustment.

3 Attachments

^ Good effort!

Mine was quite difficult to get to budge initially, because it was quite scaled up in the threads. A T-bar driver like yours would have made it much easier.

I need to move a couple of things along if anyone is interested in these:

Aeropress, near new condition, comes with a couple of hundred filters in a little holder, original box and instructions. Missing the plastic stirrer but that's no big deal. This is the ex @Vince one from a few pages back but I don't get on with it at work - £20 delivered.

White plastic 01 size Hario V70 dripper. Near new condition with approx 25-30 01 size genuine Hario white tabbed filters, original box and scoop - £6 delivered

New guy at work. Really nice. Called himself a coffee conniseur. Proceeded to tell me he uses Nespresso and Krups machines to get a 'truly fresh cup'. Errrrrrrrrrrrrr.

White plastic 01 size Hario V70 dripper. Near new condition with approx 25-30 01 size genuine Hario white tabbed filters, original box and scoop - £6 delivered

I could use that in the office. PM incoming