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

Williams 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
steveoatley said:
Thanks ba-brewer !

I will look into that one

Cold Brew Coffee, needs a much more course grind than Espresso
So, i am looking for "bad" reviews from espresso drinkers, in a grinder !

Steve
Click to expand...

This is the best bang for your buck for coarse grind. Not a lot of good performers on the market really and this one absolutely excels. Contact baratza for a refurb unit to save a good chunk of change

http://www.baratza.com/grinder/virtuoso/
 
jammin said:
This is the best bang for your buck for coarse grind. Not a lot of good performers on the market really and this one absolutely excels. Contact baratza for a refurb unit to save a good chunk of change

http://www.baratza.com/grinder/virtuoso/
Click to expand...

Jammin

$185 for a re-furb grinder....... sorry but that is out of my range :eek:

I gots me enough pennies & dimes for about $100.oo
And i'll have to sneak it into the house past the wife at $100.oo

thanks for the info
Steve
 
Last edited by a moderator:
HarborTownBrewing said:
@steveoatley for under $100, auto, maybe check into the Capresso Infinity: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AR7SY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Bed Bath Beyond has those, and you can use 20% off. Or, the Baratza Encore is about $129 but you can find discounts through a few different sites (Seattle Coffee Gear or something like that).
Click to expand...

Thanks Harbor Town

That was the one i was really looking at ( Capresso 560 )
Since i can get them at BBB, and not have to pay shipping.

Seems to be some positive reviews on these....
Not too complicated....

That's probably the one I'm going with.....

Steve
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I had some George Howell coffee today, Guatemalan. It was very underwhelming. I know there is a lot of hype about this guy but this was not good at all.

Maybe it was just one bad cup.
 
Any great green coffees out there currently that I should jump on? All out of decaf for the wife, so I should place an order this week. Still have 7 pounds of regular for me, so it might just be a decaf order from SM if there's nothing out there worth jumping on for myself.
 
TallDan said:
Any great green coffees out there currently that I should jump on? All out of decaf for the wife, so I should place an order this week. Still have 7 pounds of regular for me, so it might just be a decaf order from SM if there's nothing out there worth jumping on for myself.
Click to expand...

Roastmasters has a nice looking Bolivian microlot & an interesting Colombian. They have a few African coffees to round out a solid order as well
 
I took part in a home roasted coffee exchange through a FB group, and it was really fun to taste someone else's stuff. I got a really nice Ethiopian that was really well roasted.

Always fun to taste other home roasted stuff.
 
Cool, I'm the guy on the Facebook Home Roaster's group who decided that right now he was too busy to do an exchange. I'd have to pull out the stops and roast like I used to instead of making the everyday morning stuff in my hurried 1.5 lb. batch. ;)

I was going to post that on that group there is an extensive list of places to buy from. I'm starting to try other places than SM and my mainstay Burman's because I have to admit, the interesting green has been a little slow in 2016. I am working on some beans I got from MoreBeer (to fill out an order to get free shipping) and on some from Happy Mug. So far I'm actually a bit underwhelmed by the Costa Rica La Minita.. Both my wife and I like La Pastora a lot better...

So next roast will be the Happy Mug Peru that was praised.. but there hasn't been much lately that I couldn't live without. I'm still waiting for some super Africans to come out, but they haven't been all that good for about two years now.

So I'll be interested in following this is someone finds something that is special, please post it.
 
@undeadfred Hey I know who you are now!

As far as beans go, this is the one I received and I liked it quite well: https://www.sweetmarias.com/product/ethiopia-organic-kecho-tirtira-cooperative-4914.

If you are looking for a really good, acidic, bright citrus African, I highly recommend this one: https://www.sweetmarias.com/product/kenya-nyeri-kiamabara-peaberry-5072.

Also, this Guat from Bodhi leaf is one of the better coffees I've had of late http://www.bodhileafcoffee.com/collections/guatemala-green/products/guatemala-finca-santa-ana-green. Not like an east african by any means, but a really solid coffee for the price.
 
Did three roasts on Sunday:
GCBC Ethiopian Hambela Guji Sun dried. Super yummy!!
Guatemala Huehuetenango Hoya Blanca I think? Haven't tried this yet.
Kenya kirinyaga kamwangi. This one is super fruity and I've had it before. This was the last in the pouch.

For all who aren't checking into the GCBC stuff, they can get some superstar stuff from time to time.

TD.
 
Yep. The coffee here is not good but it's as good as it gets.

$5 for a French press of 12oz. $8 for 16oz. Couldn't believe it.

Got the Java but they didn't know if they wanted it to be a light or dark roast, so it's stuck in the middle and has no flavor. Should have been one or the other. The wife's Mexican is pretty decent - nutty, little chocolate.

I smelled the Kona and it has no scent. Probably months old
 
Summary of vacation:
-New coffee shop with POUR OVER(!) opened in a sleepy little harbor town we frequent yearly. I saw the pour over, and literally speed walked as quickly as I could to get to the coffee (didn't realize it until my wife showed up a minute later making fun of me).

-Hotel coffee: I brought my plastic V60, water pitcher, and an old blade grinder to make my own coffee each day. I hadn't used the blade grinder in about a year and I didn't realize how truly horrible the blade grinder is until going back to it. I'm thinking of getting a Hario Slim - anyone recommend it???

-Noticing some good roasters getting to be not so good anymore. They seem to be scaling, but not able to manage it.

Speaking of scaling:
-Is the quality of beer at breweries going down hill? Maybe it's me, maybe it's market saturation, but there is some really crappy beer our there and I'm not sure how some of these breweries are still in business.
 
Hario slim is trash.

Look into orphan espresso's LIDO grinder. I have an extra I might consider parting ways with if your interested. Grind quality is superb.
 
jammin said:
Hario slim is trash.

Look into orphan espresso's LIDO grinder. I have an extra I might consider parting ways with if your interested. Grind quality is superb.
Click to expand...

Crap that Lido is expensive. I'm just looking for something to use 6 times a year, give or take.
 
Hario Slims are perfectly fine for find grinds like Espresso up to Drip. They fall apart coarser than that, so if you want to do French Press either you have to rig up something to stabilize the shaft (which also improves finer grinds) or use something else. As a travel, backup or "I'm saving up for a Mazzer" grinder they are great for the $30 or so they are. Brilliant when you pair them up with an Aeropress for a road, which is a fine-ish grind when done properly anyway.

The OE grinders are obviously in the high end category. A properly maintained Hario is better than a Baratza Encore, for example... A lot more work tho.
 
UndeadFred said:
Hario Slims are perfectly fine for find grinds like Espresso up to Drip. They fall apart coarser than that, so if you want to do French Press either you have to rig up something to stabilize the shaft (which also improves finer grinds) or use something else.
Click to expand...

Good to know. On the road I usually brew for 4+ people so I bring my Chemex and make a few pots. Maybe the Slim would struggle a bit with that coarse of a grind.
 
HarborTownBrewing said:
Good to know. On the road I usually brew for 4+ people so I bring my Chemex and make a few pots. Maybe the Slim would struggle a bit with that coarse of a grind.
Click to expand...

Basic gist of the problem. For what you are suggesting I bet you would likely be fine with it stock, but if you are a perfectionist, this is the fix and you could probably machine up something better.

http://www.coffeekind.com/reading-room/hario-mini-mill-mod/

Better yet... this... http://www.reddit.com/r/Coffee/comments/2u2uia/i_stabilized_my_hario_minimill_with_a_spice_lid/

Fred
 
The problem with ceramic burrs is that they're so dull that they crush the coffee vs. cutting it with a sharp steel edge. This leads to a lot of fines. Probably why people think it performs well at finer settings and recognize the obvious deficiency at coarse settings.

Personally, I can't stand them.
 
HarborTownBrewing said:
@undeadfred Hey I know who you are now!



Also, this Guat from Bodhi leaf is one of the better coffees I've had of late http://www.bodhileafcoffee.com/collections/guatemala-green/products/guatemala-finca-santa-ana-green. Not like an east african by any means, but a really solid coffee for the price.
Click to expand...

Catching up on this thread. Had never heard of bodhi leaf before, checked their website and checked shipping to chicago. Sure yeah I'll go ahead and order the free pickup from california. I'll get right on that...
 
I'm in! If I can get a day notice, I'll get my pilot to ready the Gulfstream (he has to submit a flight plan he tells me). We can get there with one stop for fuel (he gets us back to Tampa without stopping, due to the gulf stream, cool!)
 
Wife decided to make some cold brew last night for her enjoyment this morning and decided that she really liked it. She just used a press pot and some fresh locally roasted coffee. (I still haven't restocked on decaf green.) Any cold brew tips from anyone here? Best coffees for it, roasts, brewing method..
 
^i like to make iced coffee with an aeropress. Just count the ice into your total brewing water for a good cup. I've never tried to make cold brew but I'd be interested in hearing tips from others as well
 
I see 4:1 ratio by weight.

Ground around a #22 on the baratza encore which is about the same as I would use on a chemex. Leave for 24 hours. Strain however you can. I use a hop bag from @WilserBrewer !
 
Thank you everyone for inspiring me to get some green beans. Now i need some sage advice. Funny, we had a whirly pop sitting around for the last 5 years. We've tried to give it away sell it, etc. Haha. Started with Colombian and Cameroon. I tried to stop at what I thought was a light roast and I like it but it is really light. I like light roast because it has more caffeine. My wife said it tasted nutty and toasted. I tried to do one darker and it still tastes nutty and roasted. Are these just to light? Thanks again for the inspiration.

View attachment 1466113921718.jpg

View attachment 1466113939441.jpg

View attachment 1466113956201.jpg
 
TallDan said:
Wife decided to make some cold brew last night for her enjoyment this morning and decided that she really liked it. She just used a press pot and some fresh locally roasted coffee. (I still haven't restocked on decaf green.) Any cold brew tips from anyone here? Best coffees for it, roasts, brewing method..
Click to expand...




jammin said:
^i like to make iced coffee with an aeropress. Just count the ice into your total brewing water for a good cup. I've never tried to make cold brew but I'd be interested in hearing tips from others as well
Click to expand...


I do the aeropress cold brew method.
You’ll need an*AeroPress*with 2 filters (at least one should be paper);*45 grams of coffee, ground medium-fine;*300 grams of water;*200 grams of ice; a*water bottle(Dasani works well); a*sewing needle, a sharp blade, and a*mason jar.

Put hole in cap of water bottle and cut the bottom off. Fill with water. You want about 40 drops a minute.

Put filter in aeropress. Remove plunger and put it away. Put coffee in aeropress and moisten (subtracting from amount of water above) flatten coffee out and cover with a trimmed filter.

Put aeropress on a jar and place inverted water bottle leading into it and add ice and remaining water.

After about two hours you should have some good cold brew concentrate. Cut to about 50% strength with water and ice and enjoy.


applescrap said:
Thank you everyone for inspiring me to get some green beans. Now i need some sage advice. Funny, we had a whirly pop sitting around for the last 5 years. We've tried to give it away sell it, etc. Haha. Started with Colombian and Cameroon. I tried to stop at what I thought was a light roast and I like it but it is really light. I like light roast because it has more caffeine. My wife said it tasted nutty and toasted. I tried to do one darker and it still tastes nutty and roasted. Are these just to light? Thanks again for the inspiration.
Click to expand...

I use a coffee toaster oven and only have been roasting for a couple months so bear that in mind.

Looks a little light but not bad. Are you hearing the first crack? Sounds kinda like popcorn. Second crack (darker roast) sounds more like rice krispies. During first crack the beans get much bigger than they were green.
 
Thanks for the heads up,

I can't justify buying anymore. I have a crap ton of green beans on hand, and need to learn to limit my stock. I can't yet fit them all into three empty beer bottle cases if that tells you how much I overbought. I think as I really started getting into roasting, I had limited stock of green beans, and just started buying anything that sounded decent. Then something great sounding would come along and I'd buy that too. Bottom line is I need to whittle down my inventory before I jump on anything more.

TD
 

Similar threads

T
Brewing darker beers with corn roasted in a home coffee roaster?
Replies
6
Views
862
cmac62
cmac62
beersk
Domestic Ingredients
2
Replies
54
Views
2K
beersk
beersk
hoppyhoppyhippo
How Brewing Gave My Restaurant Amazing Cold Brew
Replies
1
Views
781
IMGator
I
madscientist451
Barley Coffee Beer
Replies
2
Views
1K
madscientist451
madscientist451
Nick Poggetti
Clone Beer Coffee & Cigarettes - Cloning Cellarmaker's Smoked Porter with Coffee
Replies
5
Views
3K
janeront
J

Latest posts

Back
Top