Coffee Appreciation

just picked up some Antigua Pastoral coffee beans (from Guatemala)... never had them before so figured it might be a nice change. It better be, as I got soaked picking them up :)

are blends made pre or post roasting? I.e. if I mix 3 types of roasted beans in a bag is that a blend?

it depends. would you consider yourself an artisan?

definitely not... guess that just means I can't sell on my mix/blend at a high price though ;)

it depends. would you consider yourself an artisan?

yeah a piss artisan

are blends made pre or post roasting? I.e. if I mix 3 types of roasted beans in a bag is that a blend?

You know what? I'd be interested to know the answer to this.. Often wondered how a blend is attained and maintained say when I buy a bag from hasBean or monmouth..

that's a nice looking pour aroogah, where did you get the naked portafilter from?

my assumption is that each of the different beans will need a different degree of roasting, so presume they will be done separately and then blended.

am sure bombcup can clarify

I figured that but how is it ensured you get 20% X bean, 10% Y bean and 70% Z bean when you buy a bag. Monmouth just scoop out of the bin for example.

#waitingforbombcup

Coz they is mixed before they are put in the bin?

Yes.. I got that as well.. But when they scoop it out you may well get a scoop which is unbalanced.. each scoop of, lets say 500g, can't be a perfect blend percentage.. ?

Going to the small-ish town of Forli in northern italy on the 20th if anyone [that I know] would like me to pick up a bag of hand-roast Italian beans. I know I'll be coming back with some for me :)

You're right. Kenco's blends of ground beans will be incredibly consistent. a 250g bag of beans taken from a 10kg roast won't be so consistent. I'm not sure it will make a noticeable difference though.

Yes.. I got that as well.. But when they scoop it out you may well get a scoop which is unbalanced.. each scoop of, lets say 500g, can't be a perfect blend percentage.. ?

Maybe, maybe not, but the beans are about the same size and weight so the possible difference within a bag would be minute. Mixed nuts on the other hand..

first crack with the porlex/aeropress combo.

beans: herbazu (st ali)
porlex: 7 clicks (quite rough grind it appears)
weight: unsure (1 aeropress scoop of grounds)
time from pour to plunge: 30s

result: weak, lifeless coffee. very watery

the herbazu I had before xmas was ground very finely by st ali and was lovely with a short steep time so am convinced that adjusting the grind (per braves suggestion) will help more drastically in getting a good extraction once I feel the coffee's coming out properly I'll work on the timing a bit more.

given the noise of the porlex and the amount of meercat'ing going on when I used it in the office I think I'm going to end up using my kitchen scales to weigh the beans and then grind at home in the morning before work so I have enough to bring in for the day in a small container rather than grind in the office as needed.

If you're going to Forli make sure you check out the velodrome - the hire bikes there are colnago's. The old guys who run it are super friendly and if you ask them nicely will show you the trophy room which has some awesome memorabilia. It's where Marco Pantani did a lot of his training.

There's some great rides out of Forli as well, if you want flat then a ride up the coast to Cesenattica is great and there are plenty of bumps if you're that way inclined

Remember. Change only one variable at a time. As for the noise, is there not somewhere you can grind that's away from the hoi polloi of the office? Ground coffee goes bad over the course of minutes.

#waitingforbombcup

This one will take a while. I'll tell you all about it when I've got home, knocked the precariously hanging render off the back of my house and walked the dog.

I could stand out on the street and do it I suppose.

i grind at my desk whilst the water's cooling off a bit. the scales and thermometer stay in my desk drawer.. the women in the office have christened the aeropress "penis pump"

First time in this thread. I love my coffee and have tried loads of different machines.

I've got a decent Krups espresso machine and a filter coffee machine but they've been in the back of a storage cupboard for ages. Just put coffee and hot water into a pyrex jug, stir once, leave for a few minutes and then pour through a tea strainer. Very decent coffee every time and far less fucking around within maintenance and cleaning.

In my very humble opinion, I think that the best way to make espresso at home is to use one of these:

My machines work very well but if you are not really careful to keep them perfectly clean and descaled then the coffee is affected within a matter of days. Just prefer the simple approach really.

@HB, heh, used my new xmas Aeropress in the office with similar interest from colleagues... I have a big grinder at home so brought in a bit in tupperware. I used a quite fine grind, only slightly less than what I'd use for espresso. So far, so good. I tried it with some packet pre-ground stuff (Goppion Cafe, which they use for moka) at inlaws and it was much less satisfactory.

given the noise of the porlex and the amount of meercat'ing going on when I used it in the office

Ha! I used to go on the roof to do it. I can only assume it's how coarse your grind was, I try to aim somewhere between french press and espresso grind and it would give thickish syrrupy shots with one and a half scoops for a full cannister of water.

Though these days I'm preferring cleaner cups so just one scoop and a touch more water. Same grind though. And slightly faster plunge speed.

My machines work very well but if you are not really careful to keep them perfectly clean and descaled then the coffee is affected within a matter of days. Just prefer the simple approach really.

Official advice from Sara & her friends - use washing up liquid on the filter and top part but just clean the bottom half with hot water and your finger. You can get chronic mould on the inside otherwise...

Also, spot on on the type of coffee machine - it's the only one I can afford have in my house