☕ Coffee ☕: Ingredients, Roasting, Grinding, Brewing, and Tasting

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With the ethiopian dp, I have found almost with certainty that a loud and robust crack vs quiet produces a more dynamic coffee and brings out all the flavors better. Not that that doesnt come with problems, namely char. But think of a good seared steak, its like that. A little char, maybe, but great flavor.
 
Anyone like affogato? My wife requested one made with peppermint ice cream, which she is a big fan of. I would have preferred vanilla, I think.

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(Probably would have cleaned a bit if I knew she was going to take pics that I would post here...)
 
Oh and I should pick up exhaust parts Thursday. Full weekend schedule before the holiday, but I’m hoping to get time to plumb it out and burn some beans. In the mean time my chaff lickers have been keeping it company.
 
Inkleg said:
I’ve never tried it.
Nice mirror, like to watch do ya. :D
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There's a comment here about mirrors and bottomless portafilters...

Was very helpful when refining my puck prep process. Saved a lot of awkward positioning to see it. Now I'm just in the habit of watching.
 
Man the stuff you learn. Wth is an affogato? I have been grinding some ethiopian over ice cream. Think I got the idea from ruint and others here. Thats pretty good fo sure.

On cold brew note my kbs clone is all but done. Now time to make the cold brew. Looking for 4oz or so in, I guess a French press. The single origin coffee gives such a unique flavor to the homebrews. Haha, my friend wonders if the berry Ethiopian will go with chocolate, oatmeal stout. I wonder too, but then think, its all I have so there is that. A couple splashes of stranahan single barrel and this beer is making me salivate.
 
looking forward to some beans I just finished roasting. A Colombian that promises dark chocolate fudge brownie with stone fruit still noticeable in it, and the Uganda that is chocolate peach and grapeo_O never had it before, but boy howdy does it ever smell good!!!
:coff4:​
 
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I chose the coffee from Uganda this morning. It has cocoa nibs/butter (think of a keto coffee\bullet proof coffee, if you have tried one) flavor upfront, a buttery smooth mouth feel, and at the trailing side goes to a red grape juice. Pretty dang tasty!
 
Not to sound self righteous, conceded, or anything like that but... Have you ever had a cup of your own coffee and just been blown away by surprise?

I had been feeling a little "average" about my roasting lately but this morning I made a pot of my Christmas Blend and it's just absolutely delicious.
 
That is awesome HTB! I have normally given credit to the beans and not my roasting ability, but with repeated successes like the one you describe, you have to start asking yourself, maybe it is "ME" and my abilities as a roaster!
 
Thats sounds like a great feeling. And a good reminder to take time and enjoy our hard work and craft.
HarborTownBrewing said:
Not to sound self righteous, conceded, or anything like that but... Have you ever had a cup of your own coffee and just been blown away by surprise?

I had been feeling a little "average" about my roasting lately but this morning I made a pot of my Christmas Blend and it's just absolutely delicious.
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Roasted 3 pounds of the ethiopian from black friday, first two went about 40 seconds past 1c. Next one I forgot about, doh, ran out at 1023 and it was crackin. Screens were dirty and had to wrestle up another collander. Whole thing was frustrating but a little darker on that one. Mixed first two roasts, dont normally do that. Need it for cold brew for beer. I want to rack tomorrow so I might just brew a big pot and toss in keg before racking with the stranahans! I have heard if I grind them tonight and let sit for an hour they taste rested. Anyone heard that? Happy holidays friends.
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@applescrap....I think maybe the "rested" after a fresh roast with grinding is just a way to off gas quickly. Whether it is really rested or not, I don't know. My knowledge on that is anywhere but complete on that. Most of what I do know is the beans go thru a transformation as they off gas. It usually happens at a more controlled rate, much slower. Not sure if you can predict with any certainty on the outcome, but would like to know your results!!
 
Welp ended up waiting a day, will rack tomorrow. Could use some help on weight of coffee. I looked and looked and found a variety of recipes for cold brew that I wanted to use. Could have found old post maybe. Cold brew has so many options, strong and diluted or perfect right out of container. I wanted a strong extraction of 4 oz of coffee. Maybe next time will try 6 oz of coffee.

Found that 1 tbl of coffee weighs about .16.
There are 100 tbl in 1 lb or 16 oz approx

So 4 oz divided by .16 equals 25 tbl for 4 oz. Used kitchen scale cheap scale kind, And measured 4 oz. Measured that and sure enough about 1.5 cups beans is 4 oz of coffee. So ground 1.5 cups into french press. I sanatized with boiling water and it looks plenty good and strong.

With all this boiling and grinding I wanted coffee! Saw the coffee pot, and figured Ill use it for pourover. Cleaned pot and holder and put kone filter in just like I would. Ground coffee for 4 cups. 4, 6 oz cups is 24oz. Which is 3 cups. Used hot shot to instantly make 3 cups boiling water and dumped on grounds. Made good coffee!
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So that is 32 oz water to 4 oz coffee. But more like 1.5 cups of grinds to 4 cups water. More than 1 to 4 ratio. What ratios are you guys using again? Its so chocolatey and good, is going to be soo good in strong oatmeal chocolate stout.
 
Roasted three 1lb batches today. Bringing it to Christmas at my younger sister's house. Not sure yet if I'm going to bring any brewing methods or settle for good coffee in a typical automatic drip machine.

Amusing family coffee anecdote that takes a bit of back story:
When I was in middle school, my family moved from the Chicago suburbs to a small town in northern Indiana. For several years after we moved, we would bring empty water jugs with us when we visited family in the Chicago area and fill them with tap water. Chicago's water source is Lake Michigan, and the water source where we moved to was a village well. The ONLY thing that the Chicago tap water was used for was for my Mom to make coffee, she didn't like the taste of coffee made with the local ground water. After several years, she got used to it and stopped bringing water jugs back and forth. I had really forgotten that this ever happened, especially since my mom is really not a coffee snob in any way.

Last summer, my older sister who now lives in the Seattle area was visiting us in the midwest, spent some time with me, and then spent some time with my younger sister. My older sister and her husband are fans of good coffee, my younger sister doesn't pay much attention to it. My older sister apparently started a bit of an argument about the taste of the coffee that my younger sister made and said that it had to do with the water. My younger sister took some offense to that. My older sister mentioned the thing about my mom using Chicago area water for coffee for years after we moved, which neither my younger sister nor my Mom had any recollection of.

So, now that I'm going to visit my younger sister and I'm bringing coffee, I'm really tempted to bring a few gallons of my (Chicago area) tap water with me to brew the coffee. I can't decide if it's likely to start another fight and if it's worth it!
 
People don't realize it but there's absolutely a MASSIVE difference in the Chicago water VS other local water. The Chicago water is truly exceptional for coffee and brewing beer.

When I make coffee at my parents place, it's not even close to the same coffee - they are on a well. Their water is great, it's just not nearly the same coffee when you use that water.
TallDan said:
Roasted three 1lb batches today. Bringing it to Christmas at my younger sister's house. Not sure yet if I'm going to bring any brewing methods or settle for good coffee in a typical automatic drip machine.

Amusing family coffee anecdote that takes a bit of back story:
When I was in middle school, my family moved from the Chicago suburbs to a small town in northern Indiana. For several years after we moved, we would bring empty water jugs with us when we visited family in the Chicago area and fill them with tap water. Chicago's water source is Lake Michigan, and the water source where we moved to was a village well. The ONLY thing that the Chicago tap water was used for was for my Mom to make coffee, she didn't like the taste of coffee made with the local ground water. After several years, she got used to it and stopped bringing water jugs back and forth. I had really forgotten that this ever happened, especially since my mom is really not a coffee snob in any way.

Last summer, my older sister who now lives in the Seattle area was visiting us in the midwest, spent some time with me, and then spent some time with my younger sister. My older sister and her husband are fans of good coffee, my younger sister doesn't pay much attention to it. My older sister apparently started a bit of an argument about the taste of the coffee that my younger sister made and said that it had to do with the water. My younger sister took some offense to that. My older sister mentioned the thing about my mom using Chicago area water for coffee for years after we moved, which neither my younger sister nor my Mom had any recollection of.

So, now that I'm going to visit my younger sister and I'm bringing coffee, I'm really tempted to bring a few gallons of my (Chicago area) tap water with me to brew the coffee. I can't decide if it's likely to start another fight and if it's worth it!
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If anyone wants truly exceptional deal, take a look. If I was in the market I'd make the drive to pick it up.

@shellybelly I'm looking at you!
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HarborTownBrewing said:
People don't realize it but there's absolutely a MASSIVE difference in the Chicago water VS other local water. The Chicago water is truly exceptional for coffee and brewing beer.

When I make coffee at my parents place, it's not even close to the same coffee - they are on a well. Their water is great, it's just not nearly the same coffee when you use that water.
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No doubt because my parents talked about it back at that time, I always disliked tap water everywhere I lived in Indiana. Some wells were better than others, but I never liked the taste of the water compared to what I got used to when I was in grade school. I commented to my wife about it when we moved to Illinois. She initially thought I was a little crazy, but generally agrees.
 
@applescrap, generally I use a little less than 1 lb of ground coffee for every gallon. I.e. 5 pounds to 6 gallons. So technically speaking, it would be 378.333 grams to each gallon to make a condensed cold brew, that goes very good when placed with some stand up beer. Who am I kidding??? It goes good all by itself too!!!
 
Same ratio! Cool. Ok so 16 oz to 1 gallon or 128 oz. I came up with dividing 128 oz the gallon by 32, my batch size. Came up with 4, obvious, as I write this. But any ways if you make my batch times 4 to a gallon size, you get the exact same, 1lb or 16 oz coffee per gallon.

Or 6 cups of beans per gallon. And that would make a concentrate. Totally good by itself.

1.5cups or 4 oz per 32oz french press
3 cups or 8 oz for half gallon 64 oz
6 cups or 16 oz for gallon 128

Seems like it takes a lot. Need to dilute it better. Nice to make it once and be done.
Ruint said:
@applescrap, generally I use a little less than 1 lb of ground coffee for every gallon. I.e. 5 pounds to 6 gallons. So technically speaking, it would be 378.333 grams to each gallon to make a condensed cold brew, that goes very good when placed with some stand up beer. Who am I kidding??? It goes good all by itself too!!!
Click to expand...
 
there was a little NY style pizza joint we all loved in college. the owner said he had his water flown in from NY to make the dough, etc. stated that the water was 100% key in getting the taste right. always thought that was cool.

im still adjusting to life after water softener. haven't made any adjustments or decided on what/if anything needs to be done.

i do know our city water when i was in high school was a total abomination. the sulfur smell coming out of the tap in the summer months could make a delicate stomach puke.

lastly, there is a u-haul joint here in Boise that sells revers osmosis water by the gallon for very cheap. i liked to get brewing water there & build it from scratch for hazy IPA. there is a sign posted though that reads something to nature: "when people move here from a foreign land, searching for water that is palatable is one of the first things they do". i surely butchered that because it actually is eloquent but i found that fascinating. it's kind of a hippy/open arms type of place. coins & bills from all over the world. honor system to pay for the water. flyers for places in town to get you acquainted with your new surroundings etc. If you didnt know, Boise hosts a great deal of migrants, asylum seekers and its quite polarizing. You will see "refugees welcome" signs & signs stickers all around town alongside a myriad of MAGA/Rebel flags/NRA type of stuff.
 
Made myself a White Chocolate Latte this afternoon.

Grabbing some things @ the grocery store today & noticed some nice packets of hot cocoa mix and figured they'd work to scratch that itch(I get 1 pumpkin spice latte at *$ every year but they ran out before I checked that box). Usually the steam boiler on my espresso machine gets turned on once a month so it can be purged & sanitized. I was a little rusty at steaming milk but the whole drink was still easy to make.. and quick too!

I must admit, this sweet milk drink was delightful to drink!


Im curious though, does anybody know of a good Pumpkin Spice powdered mix or even a syrup that is close to the flavor of Starbucks?
 
Sounds like a nice drink. Cheers jammin and happy holidays to all. My wife has been drinking pumpkin spice creamer of some kind or another. It doesnt quite go well with the ethiopian, but I drink it. Its nice sometimes. There are other ones that arent bad. I drink them with two shots thrown on ice. A decaf of that sounds nice right now.
jammin said:
Made myself a White Chocolate Latte this afternoon.

Grabbing some things @ the grocery store today & noticed some nice packets of hot cocoa mix and figured they'd work to scratch that itch(I get 1 pumpkin spice latte at *$ every year but they ran out before I checked that box). Usually the steam boiler on my espresso machine gets turned on once a month so it can be purged & sanitized. I was a little rusty at steaming milk but the whole drink was still easy to make.. and quick too!

I must admit, this sweet milk drink was delightful to drink!


Im curious though, does anybody know of a good Pumpkin Spice powdered mix or even a syrup that is close to the flavor of Starbucks?
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Merry Christmas! Nice packaging htb, gives it a more pro look. Sounds like it came out awesome. How is the side business? Worth the effort?
 
Well, it's more of a hobby I do in my spare time. Basically I just sell to friends and coworkers so it's not a huge thing by any means. It has allowed me to 1) upgrade all my coffee equipment and 2) pay for my other hobbies. Lots of hobbies.... :eek:

Not sure what the numbers are but I'm over 1k in sales this year, just to give you an idea.
applescrap said:
Merry Christmas! Nice packaging htb, gives it a more pro look. Sounds like it came out awesome. How is the side business? Worth the effort?
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