How do you like your coffee?

[Frabjous]

I brew my own coffee daily, espresso from a gaggia classic, using medium roasted beans (fresh weekly), shade grown arabica, sourced from nicaragua, ground by hand with a precision burr grinder, weighed on a scale to yield precisely 16 grams of beans per double shot basket, tamped level, then brewed about 20 seconds. Does this seem obsessive, or does someone identify? Recall Erdos's definition of a mathematician (a machine for turning coffee into theorems). The only challenge to this is that once you get it to this level, everyone else wants you to make coffee for them also, but I view this as a compliment. salut!

“About 20 seconds” seems sloppy.

 

[Klystron]

I had a cup of decaf yesterday. "Decaf" is a nice word for almost homeopathic coffee.

It smells like coffee, tastes a bit like coffee, but feels like tea, at least to me.

Depends on one's sensitivity to caffeine. Strong commercial decafs such as Peete's French Roast or Major Dickason can at least flutter an eyelid. Blink.

 

[symbolipoint]

weighed on a scale to yield precisely 16 grams of beans per double shot basket, tamped level, then brewed about 20 seconds.

Does that mean, one serving, or what? "double shot basket", is this two servings? Something else?

 

[Mark44]

-30F? What do you live in the NW territories; in Nuuk or something?

You don't have to go that far north to hit temps at or below -30F. It frequently gets that cold or lower in Montana, the Dakotas, and Minnesota, all south of the Canadian border. I remember going out one evening for hot chocolate in Lolo, Montana when the bank thermometer was showing -39° F.

 

[DiracPool]

The best coffee experience is a "pour over" from Olympia coffee company. Get the Kalita 195 filters and choose your own brand.

https://www.olympiacoffee.com/collections/coffee

I used to have 3 bags shipped in bi-monthly when I moved from Washington State to UMASS, Amherst in 2016 to do AI research. Still tasted just like home. Every so often the shipment would be delayed no doubt to postal service checking to see if drugs were being smuggled in the very aromatic package. Asses!

Olympia's selection is a little light lately probably due to Covid and for some reason I don't see the Kalita pour over drippers on sale on the wensite. But there's other places you can get them:

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/gear-for-making-great-coffee/

But trust me, this coffee is NOT to be used with cream or sugar, it's naturally tasty as candy and gives you a great "Solve the big bang buzz!"

 

[symbolipoint]

DiracPool,
Not sure exactly what you use. "Bags", "Filters", "choose your own brand"? Is the coffee enclosed inside of a filter, like a pod? Does the Olympia company sell or supply filter paper? You fill your own coffee into filter bags? Olympia company also sells you the coffee too?
(I should have checked the links you gave.)

NOW I THINK I UNDERSTAND.
Kalita funnel and filter.
Yes, I would agree with what you say, especially if you buy your high quality coffee or roast your own.

 

[mathwonk]

@symbolipoint: the basket has two spigots and fills two 2 ounce espresso cups at once, so two servings or one double shot serving if you combine them.
@caz: yes, somewhat unavoidably, the temperature of the water varies slightly, since there is only a light that indicates "readiness" to brew, hence the time required varies as well, but one can see how quickly the cups are filling, and how thin the mixture is. I suppose I could wait until the light goes out and then begin precisely when it comes on again, but I get impatient. To be honest the weight sometimes varies a bit too, since the scale is only in tenths of a gram and some beans weigh more than a tenth, so a full load is about 160 beans ±1. I am also not sure I have the ideal grind setting, since each click of adjustment changes it by 12.5 microns. always room for improvement.

 

[WWGD]

The best coffee experience is a "pour over" from Olympia coffee company. Get the Kalita 195 filters and choose your own brand.

https://www.olympiacoffee.com/collections/coffee

I used to have 3 bags shipped in bi-monthly when I moved from Washington State to UMASS, Amherst in 2016 to do AI research. Still tasted just like home. Every so often the shipment would be delayed no doubt to postal service checking to see if drugs were being smuggled in the very aromatic package. Asses!

Olympia's selection is a little light lately probably due to Covid and for some reason I don't see the Kalita pour over drippers on sale on the wensite. But there's other places you can get them:

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/gear-for-making-great-coffee/

But trust me, this coffee is NOT to be used with cream or sugar, it's naturally tasty as candy and gives you a great "Solve the big bang buzz!"

Did it help get you through your Cognitive Science appointment? Just remembering it from a few years back --hey , maybe _my coffee_ is doing its job for me ;).

 

[symbolipoint]

@symbolipoint: the basket has two spigots and fills two 2 ounce espresso cups at once, so two servings or one double shot serving if you combine them.
@caz: yes, somewhat unavoidably, the temperature of the steam varies slightly, since there is only a light that indicates "readiness" to brew, hence the time required varies as well, but one can see how quickly the cups are filling, and how thin the mixture is. I suppose I could wait until the light goes out and then begin precisely when it comes on again, but I get impatient. To be honest the weight sometimes varies a bit too, since the scale is only in tenths of a gram and some beans weigh more than a tenth, so a full load is about 160 beans ±1. I am also not sure I have the ideal grind setting, since each click of adjustment changes it by 12.5 microns. always room for improvement.

After seeing the earlier link provided, and now reading what you said above, I really do not understand, but this part I guess I should not try to push for greater understanding. At least I know one good way to make (BREW) my coffee. I pour hot water over the ground coffee in a paper filter in a filter funnel for coffee. I try to pour the water in small increments (which I do not measure),... and after 15 to 20 minutes, I lift out the filter paper, wrap it and GENTLY squeeze to retrieve as much remaining brew stuck in the grounds, and try to not break the paper. I LOOK under the funnel before doing the squeezing to see if I have enough volume in the cup. There are a few other details but that's enough of the description for now.

 

[mathwonk]

sorry for my crude description. maybe this video will add more detail: (but he uses only one large cup, receiving coffee from both outlets, instead of two small cups.)

 

[morrobay]

To 4 cups boiling water add 8 heaping tablespoons ground Expresso then mix. Then pour into coffee cup through screen.From this I get 6 cups each 2/3 full coffee. Then top up with two teaspoons honey and milk.

 

[mathwonk]

If anyone is actually interested enough to want to explore a good espresso grinder, (pricey but worth it, suitable for small quantities), this is one I recommend:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YNDX5HW/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[DaveC426913]

That's a beautiful pic. Did you plan it to be?

View attachment 295371

 

[morrobay]

That's a beautiful pic. Did you plan it to be?

Looking North, so waited for the morning sun in this area to photo.

 

[Klystron]

{...}teaspoons honey and milk.View attachment 295371

That's a beautiful pic. Did you plan it to be?

@morrobay 's contributions to PF photo contests also beautiful IMO.

Thai honey generally superior in taste and texture compared to commercial blends sold in USA. My late wife brewed 'Thai coffee' in her restaurant from a fine powder adding local honey and a flower extract that I do not know the English name; similar to French rosewater.

She would prepare a large jug of iced Thai coffee to tide me over working night shifts at the air traffic control center; one of the few sweet coffees I enjoy. The melting ice infused with 'rosewater' slowly diluted the strong brew over the course of a 16 hour shift.

 

[WWGD]

@morrobay 's contributions to PF photo contests also beautiful IMO.

Thai honey generally superior in taste and texture compared to commercial blends sold in USA. My late wife brewed 'Thai coffee' in her restaurant from a fine powder adding local honey and a flower extract that I do not know the English name; similar to French rosewater.

She would prepare a large jug of iced Thai coffee to tide me over working night shifts at the air traffic control center; one of the few sweet coffees I enjoy. The melting ice infused with 'rosewater' slowly diluted the strong brew over the course of a 16 hour shift.

I guess the iced coffee from the Viet places tastes similarly good. I like some of the commercial brands too, in cartons. Thing is, as with iced drinks, it is easy to overdo it and drink a large amount and end up overly buzzed. With hot drinks, you must slow down and nurse them, which dilutes the effect of caffeine.

 

[DiracPool]

Did it help get you through your Cognitive Science appointment? Just remembering it from a few years back --hey , maybe _my coffee_ is doing its job for me ;).

Hi WWGD,

Not sure what Cognitive Science appointment you're talking about, I've had a lot of them in the last few years. But thanks for asking. And Yes, it absolutely helps to get coffeed up basically before ANY appointment in my experience.

I forgot to add the priority of coffee management:

1) The coffee - pick the best coffee (no brainer)
2) The water - really, the coffee is only as good as the purified water you use in brewing it. Again, seems like a no brainer but you'd be surprised.

3 and 4 - This is a tricky one but, again, you only want to use whole beans and NOT pre-ground. I've heard that even if you grind your own beans they lose their potency as soon as 90 seconds after being ground. So I have my water hot before I even grind the beans.

As far as the burr grinder versus a blade grinder debate, it's last on the list as far as I'm concerned but many coffee officianados swear by the burr grinder. OK. I have both but I almost always use the blade grinder because it's faster and less work/maintenance. But, you know, when you're obsessed with something the extra work to get that 1 or 2 percent extra out of your effort can be worth it.

 

[WWGD]

Hi WWGD,

Not sure what Cognitive Science appointment you're talking about, I've had a lot of them in the last few years. But thanks for asking. And Yes, it absolutely helps to get coffeed up basically before ANY appointment in my experience.

I forgot to add the priority of coffee management:

1) The coffee - pick the best coffee (no brainer)
2) The water - really, the coffee is only as good as the purified water you use in brewing it. Again, seems like a no brainer but you'd be surprised.

3 and 4 - This is a tricky one but, again, you only want to use whole beans and NOT pre-ground. I've heard that even if you grind your own beans they lose their potency as soon as 90 seconds after being ground. So I have my water hot before I even grind the beans.

As far as the burr grinder versus a blade grinder debate, it's last on the list as far as I'm concerned but many coffee officianados swear by the burr grinder. OK. I have both but I almost always use the blade grinder because it's faster and less work/maintenance. But, you know, when you're obsessed with something the extra work to get that 1 or 2 percent extra out of your effort can be worth it.

Just human beans dealing with coffee ones.

 

[DiracPool]

I guess the iced coffee from the Viet places tastes similarly good. I like some of the commercial brands too, in cartons. Thing is, as with iced drinks, it is easy to overdo it and drink a large amount and end up overly buzzed. With hot drinks, you must slow down and nurse them, which dilutes the effect of caffeine.

Wow, That's funny because you're absolutely correct. Here's a true story. I forget the exact year, but it was circa 1993. Both my mom and I were living in Honolulu, Hi. and we would meet up at various restaurants occasionally for dinner or lunch. We heard about this one popular Vietnamese restaurant downtown so I drove to my mom's place to pick her up and we went there for lunch.

We both ordered entrees and decided to have the "recommended" iced Vietnamese coffee. By the end of the meal, we we both so wired that niether of us felt that we were OK to drive. This was even after having a beer or two two come down.

Then end result is that we ended up walking back to my apartment which was about three miles away to chill down from the intense buzz. I picked up the car the next day.

 

[symbolipoint]

Just human beans dealing with coffee ones.

Once a couple of times I counted how many beans (coffee, roasted) in 1 tablespoon. I found between 50 and 54 beans. This might not be very reliable because average bean size probably depends on the particular coffee.

When I roast or brew coffee for real, I just use volume measures and visual judgement.

 

[Keith_McClary]

There's an awful lot of coffeemakers in my kitchen:

I mostly use the cone (I have a dark brown one that doesn't show the stains).
You can like your coffee with Coffee Tunes for Your Coffee Break.

 

[Petebobs]

Oh, you have no idea what coffee means to me. It has already become a tradition for me. Especially when studying, I can’t do without a cup of espresso in the morning. It went so far that I even signed up for monthly coffee delivery.

 

[nuuskur]

Dear diary, it's late 2023, still don't like coffee.

 

[symbolipoint]

"How do you like your coffee?"

Update here. Strong and concentrated; high quality beans which I roast myself; either brew as pour-over, or AeroPress. No creamer and no sweetener.

 

[symbolipoint]

Dear diary, it's late 2023, still don't like coffee.

This is understandable and can depend on experience. A brewed high-quality light-roasted coffee may change your mind, maybe.

 

[WWGD]

Dear diary, it's late 2023, still don't like coffee.

Just curious if you use caffeine in other forms.

 

[DennisN]

Just curious if you use caffeine in other forms.

I don't know about @nuuskur , but I do:

 

[symbolipoint]

Regarding posts #131 and 132,
Much of the appeal of coffee is that it's a nice-tasting liquid as a way to take in some of the stimulants, those being helpful when studying, thinking, other mental things (including just relaxing). The stimulants are not the only parts of interest.

 

[JT Smith]

Decaffeinated coffee is proof that the drug isn't the only reason people drink coffee.

 

[WWGD]

Decaffeinated coffee is proof that the drug isn't the only reason people drink coffee.

I frankly can't stand decaf.

 

[symbolipoint]

I frankly can't stand decaf.

Any reasons? What are the sources or supplies ?

 

[WWGD]

Any reasons? What are the sources or supplies ?

Didn't mean to offends. Just haven't yet found any that doesn't to me have a disnticitively non-coffee flavor. (It turns me into a double-negative machine. )
It's too easy for me to tell off the bat that it isn't caffeinated.

 

[symbolipoint]

Didn't mean to offends. Just haven't yet found any that doesn't to me have a disnticitively non-coffee flavor. (It turns me into a double-negative machine. )
It's too easy for me to tell off the bat that it isn't caffeinated.

I asked because just plainly curious.

I do NOT drink decaffeinated coffee, but not sure why. If I want to find out why, I will need to really try some and for me, that must mean, buy green beans, roast myself, and then use some for a brew, and then evaluate how's the result. I am guessing that decaff. would have reduced flavor; only a guess.

 

[nuuskur]

Just curious if you use caffeine in other forms.

I am a tea enjoyer. I just can't stand the taste of coffee.

 

[JT Smith]

Didn't mean to offends. Just haven't yet found any that doesn't to me have a disnticitively non-coffee flavor. (It turns me into a double-negative machine. )
It's too easy for me to tell off the bat that it isn't caffeinated.

You just haven't had a good decaf. They are harder to find but decaf exists that is as good as the caffeinated version of the same beans. Just tasting you might not be able to tell the difference between the two.