The Community Corner seems like a more appropriate place for this than General Discussion, so here goes!
Who else out there is a coffee lover? What’s your favorite coffee? Favorite brewing method?
I’ve been an espresso and coffee nut for years. I usually prep a (relatively) small cup of coffee in the morning using a V60 pour-over and then have a Turkish coffee in the afternoon. On weekends, I do espresso at home where I have a sweet little Rancilio Silvia espresso machine modified with a PID to control the temps. Lately, I find myself enjoying Turkish coffee more than espresso and have been contemplating selling my espresso machine.
I’m at the office this morning and am mixing it up a bit… doin’ a single demitasse of Turkish coffee, brewed in my beautiful little STC/SOY Cezve:
It’s used for cold brewing coffee. Chilled water (or ice water) goes in the top container and ground coffee is put into the container just below it. The valve on the top container is then opened up so that the water comes out just a single drip at a time. Several hours later, you have delicious cold brew coffee in the very bottom container.
I’ve been eyeing that particular one for months. I worry about setting it up at home… the bengal is very likely to think that it’s a cat tree, which could be disastrous. I don’t trust my coworkers enough to have it here at the office.
@koros that looks like a fluid press! Ichor in a cup?
Please procure for yourself some KG Blend from Daz Bog Coffee. It is one of the finest, darkest specialty blends I’ve ever found in the states. It is stable, well-crafted and even suitable for drip brew. I know that sounds awful, but it doesn’t have to be. Grinding makes all the difference.
I also drink pour-over, press and burner-style. I have drunk campfire coffee and even enjoyed hotel coffee a time or two, but rarely. I will also enjoy a frap made from old coffee or extra coffee.
Every day: 80+ ounces of dark, black, unadulterated coffee.
After having consumed countless gallons of dark roasts (I have over 40 deathwish boxes) and scowling at the mere mention of lighter roasts for years, I find myself drifting into medium roasts. Initially, I was put off by some of the fruity flavors in the lighter roasts that I tried, but then I found a couple that were not very fruity at all (Barefoot’s The Heavy and PT’s John Brown Blend). After drinking those two for a month and then switching back to my favorite dark, Atomic Cafe’s Black Velvet, I found that the Black Velvet tasted kinda charred; something that I hadn’t picked up on before.
I seem to have lost my taste for the “Roast” and am actually starting to appreciate the flavors of the beans. I still do NOT like any of the more fruity-flavored coffees but there are plenty of medium roasts that have chocolate. graham, toffee, almond and caramel notes - all of which I DO like.
I appreciate South American beans, more of a earthy and nut note than anything else. I’d say my least favorite bean is the Tanzanian Peaberry, it is way to sweet.
See now that flavor profile I commonly call “Classic Road Coffee,” where in the US you could find specialty Farmer Brothers blends at all hours. Now you have to drive to Boulder, and pay about $4.50 a cup for it.
The Medium you mention reminds me of French Hotel coffee, Paris circa 2002. Breakfast of rolls, croissant, cheeses, fresh fruit and handmade house coffee. Such an evocative subject.
Mostly hand grinders, but there are a couple electric grinders in there for reference, including the silly-expensive Mahlkonig EK43 (not mine… $2700 USD is a bit out of my league).
That is a very handy reference, really great to meet you after all this time! I don’t want to be a Jordan Schlansky, but I (potentially superstitiously) try to avoid fine grinds in burr grinders because temperature fluctuations with oily beans can cause issues with the flavors. Do you have temperature data for those tests?
I am looking for a good go-to burr grinder, and I want to restore an old Turkish hand-crank I discovered a few years back. Final item on my wishlist: steampunk espresso machine, even if I have to Conan it myself.
No temperature data, but I can tell you that the burrs on the hand grinders don’t get hot at all, at least not for single shot/cup/mug grinds; the speed is just too low, which is one of the pluses. I typically grind between 6.5 to 20g tops per batch depending upon whether I’m doing Turkish, espresso, or a large mug. I checked the burrs numerous times with my first couple of grinders and they were sometimes still cool to the touch.
I literally just finished grinding out 12g of coffee in my Kinu M47 at a super-fine turkish grind for a late night double. I checked the burrs with my IR thermometer gun just prior to the grind and got 26.3° C. Immediately after the grind, I measured 28.7° C. I ground a a fairly exhausting brisk pace so I’d get the worst case scenario, too.
That’s all I need. I suppose, being Finnish, and being that us Finns drink way, way more coffee than any other nation on the planet, we don’t really make a fuss about it. To each their own, of course, but personally, I keep it simple.
That’s how I was for many years. Then a couple specialty coffee shops popped up and my curiosity got the better of me. The coffee at one of them was sooooo much better than what I’d been drinking while the other one was just so-so. I spent some time talking with the owner of the better shop and ultimately got myself a french press and a V60 and started experimenting with some of the beans that he was kind enough to give me. I haven’t gone back to my Mr. Coffee 4-Cup Brewer since.
