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

[applescrap]

Cliff palace, mesa Verde. The farmer bros coffee this morning was too much for me. I couldn't finish two sips.

 

[jammin]

@jimyson - i think you already received your RedSpeeds but I saw a used set for a fair price over at HomeBarista. Thought you might take a look if you haven't got your burrs though -
https://www.home-barista.com/buysell/64mm-ssp-red-speed-burr-set-t53468.html

FWIW - Anyone that has a Mazzer Super Jolly or Mini (certain models only i think) these are a substantial upgrade from stock. Alternatively, if you're considering a grinder upgrade these could be worth grabbing. Used Super Jollys come up for sale all the time (often on your local craigslist) for very low prices. I bet you could slap this used kit together for under $350 no prob & have some serious quality on your bench.

 

[jimyson]

@jimyson - i think you already received your RedSpeeds but I saw a used set for a fair price over at HomeBarista. Thought you might take a look if you haven't got your burrs though -
https://www.home-barista.com/buysell/64mm-ssp-red-speed-burr-set-t53468.html

FWIW - Anyone that has a Mazzer Super Jolly or Mini (certain models only i think) these are a substantial upgrade from stock. Alternatively, if you're considering a grinder upgrade these could be worth grabbing. Used Super Jollys come up for sale all the time (often on your local craigslist) for very low prices. I bet you could slap this used kit together for under $350 no prob & have some serious quality on your bench.

Thanks for the link. I did get mine in. I’m just about finished with the grinder. I’m waiting for a couple screws to show up from China to button things up. I’ve been using it and have been getting pretty good results. I need to work on some channeling issues with the La Pavoni and unfortunately am unable to dial things in as good as some since I go from drip to espresso in a given day on the grinder. I get close but it’s the slight changes that I lose right now.

 

[jammin]

@jimyson have you given any second thought to adding a manometer to your LP so you can monitor brew pressure during the shot? I just love the idea of it. Makes me want to buy another Cremina just to build that out & play around with the profiling!

Good to hear you have the RedSpeeds grinding coffee for. Have you aligned the burrs with a marker & shims or similar?

 

[jimyson]

@jimyson have you given any second thought to adding a manometer to your LP so you can monitor brew pressure during the shot? I just love the idea of it. Makes me want to buy another Cremina just to build that out & play around with the profiling!

Good to hear you have the RedSpeeds grinding coffee for. Have you aligned the burrs with a marker & shims or similar?

The manometer is on the want list for now until I recover from the grinder and initial LP build. I’ve not aligned yet. To be honest, when I first got it running, I threw some washable marker on the top burr and dropped it until I heard some noise from them touching. When I looked, I didn’t see any wear. I did it again a couple times and didn’t really see any wear. I’ve held off from exploring that anymore for no good reason. It’s still something that I need to do.

FYI, I also got 10 lbs of that Ethiopia. [emoji15]. The discussion here made me rethink my strategy where I will make the Uganda for drip for the wife and I and I’ll do small batches of what I like for espresso.

 

[applescrap]

I use the same grind for drip and esspresso. I only make small strong pots of coffee and dont notice any quality difference in grind. I guess if i was making huge pots of coffee the fine grind could be a problem but i use about a half cup of grinds for 4ish cups. 2 tablespoons per cup.

 

[jimyson]

I use the same grind for drip and esspresso. I only make small strong pots of coffee and dont notice any quality difference in grind. I guess if i was making huge pots of coffee the fine grind could be a problem but i use about a half cup of grinds for 4ish cups. 2 tablespoons per cup.

My drip would clog if I used that fine of a grind. Plus, I feel like 5-6 mins of drip with that fine of a grind would make the coffee too bitter. This SJ can get pretty damn fine in the grind.

 

[jammin]

FYI, I also got 10 lbs of that Ethiopia. [emoji15]

Awesome! Really happy that some of our crew was able to snag some before it quickly sold out.


It’s fresh crop season boy-oh’s & it’s gonna be fun to score some fantastic greens! Looking forward to hearing what everyone snags & most importantly how it’s tasting

@passedpawn - can we peer pressure or bribe you into dropping more coffee emojis?

 

[applescrap]

Burmans, roastmaster, crown jewel, i cant navigate all this. Help.

Know what, we just need to fly to ethiopia and pick our own next year [emoji3]

 

[applescrap]

My drip would clog if I used that fine of a grind. Plus, I feel like 5-6 mins of drip with that fine of a grind would make the coffee too bitter. This SJ can get pretty damn fine in the grind.

Exactly, i knew that just making sure uhh everyone was on the same page. I should time my brews on different machines. I have a dinky travel walmart 4 cup mr coffee, the goodwill gevalia turd, and a krupps pro aroma. None of them meet the specs of your guys finer brewers. Still should check. To be sure the virtuoso doesnt grind as fine as the supped up sj. That said it is set to finest inside and out, and i have it at four. It would overflow surely beyond 1/2 cup of grinds. I need to try it coarser and see if maybe I am over extracting a little. I wouldnt doubt it. Almost need a couple grinders, one for espresso one for drip.

 

[jimyson]

Almost need a couple grinders, one for espresso one for drip.

This. I’m not sure that my wife would agree though. [emoji23]

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

In case anyone is interested, you can point and laugh at my roasts. I'm only four roast in on the Bullet (not counting seasoning beans) and still trying to learn how sensitive the power settings were.

Goal today was to try to hit 1C around 9:00 like @jammin had suggested.

First roast: 170 preheat and started with what's called "P7" heat level. I slowly reduced heat later in the roast cycle. Hit 1C at 8:18, so a bit soon.

2nd Roast: 165 Preheat, with "P5" setting to begin with, slowly tapering down the heat during the later stages of the roast. This got to 1C at 9:42.

Neither were exactly what I was going for, but every time I roast I learn something new. Today I learned I can keep an eye on my C/min and sort of forecast when the roast will be hitting 1C.

If anyone has any input, I'm all ears. Otherwise, I'll follow up in a few days with some cupping notes on the differences between the two.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

So I bought a cold brew gizmo this weekend since I live in AZ and hot coffee when it feels like the surface of the sun outside just isn't super enjoyable and I've enjoyed some commercial cold brew offerings. I am currently enjoying my first cup. I let it brew at room temp for 24 hours. I slightly sweetened the whole batch with some simple syrup made with sugar in the raw. This was a blend of Guatemala and Tanzanian peaberry and it turned out pretty damn good. I'm hooked

 

[applescrap]

@HarborTownBrewing those look nice to me. I like the curve on the bean temp.

I emailed roastmaster, yes im that lazy and they responded with this. I somehow missed bl 30 percent african last week. It went to my junk mail. Grrr. I would have got nitsu ruz at least to hold me off. At 8.24 a pound its so overpriced. But 30 percent off would be worth it. Its class for sure, nothing overly special to hang on to iirc.

EDIT. .... bodhi already emailed me back and they will accept my plea for some nitsu.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I'm shaking my head violently right now. I reached out to a local farmers market about the possibility of selling coffee at the market next summer. My question was more along the lines of, "am I eligible..." due to a number of various changing laws and requirements in the city. This is the response I got (copy/pasted):

"As long as vendors abide by cottage food laws they are eligible for our market, but the responsibility for this is solely on them. However, I'm not sure if we'd be the best fit for you-there are 4 coffee houses within 2 blocks of us, including a Starbucks on the street where the market takes place. We also place a priority on things being grown within 200 miles, and coffee beans don't fit that profile."

Bold/underline added for good humor.

#1, That's straight up insulting to even put the S word in your response.

#2, You don't know me!!! Seriously though, they don't know that my coffee isn't the same as the 4 commercial coffee roasters close to their market.

#3, Sounds like coffee shouldn't be sold at a market because it has to travel so far. Huh. Wonder if they don't drink it because of it's long journey, either.

Responses like this really kill my excitement, because I know she phrased it as ,"we might not be the best fit for you" but I know she means, "we won't allow you here". This city sucks, honestly.

 

[jammin]

Yeah that’s an ignorant response for sure.
A new cafe just opened up downtown right next to where they hold the farmers market over the weekend. That’s where they got going! They had a coffee cart there on weekend selling coffee drinks with coffee they sourced (from coffee shrub) & roasted themselves.

I say go for it - people go to Farmers Markets ready to spend a little pocket money. If they don’t already have a coffee cart you’re gonna do great. What you’re offering has nothing to do with how many commercial chains are nearby. Folks that get it will be thrilled to see you & others will already be open to new things just because of the environment.


Edit: have you thought about an espresso machine for the cart? If I can spend your money for you there is a SWWWEEEEEETTTT vintage Faema 2 group lever at HB for sale. Even has a gas manifold on it for alternative heat - if that doesn’t scream coffee cart what does?!

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Edit: have you thought about an espresso machine for the cart? If I can spend your money for you there is a SWWWEEEEEETTTT vintage Faema 2 group lever at HB for sale. Even has a gas manifold on it for alternative heat - if that doesn’t scream coffee cart what does?!

If there were to be one person, just ONE PERSON, to get me more wrapped up in coffee, of course it would be you @jammin ! hahaha

I'm going to take this step by step and see what happens. We'll see. It's funny - my wife and I were moving all our stuff into the new cabinets this weekend and I saw the old whirlypop. That's how this whole thing started back about 4 years ago. $5k later...here I am. It's been a heck of a fun hobby though, and I've enjoyed nearly every minute of it.

 

[applescrap]

Haha, sounds like a yes to me. Albeit a little unfriendly. Better play nice no s... the coffee wasnt grown in chicago, Neither was the hot dog carts ketchup and the hippy chicks hemp. To me coffee roasting is certainly a local craft. You are not selling coffe, you're selling your coffee you roasted locally. You become an artisan.

Side note-bl honored the 30 percent deal so got 5lb nitsu ruz. Its not fresh but it only needs to hold me over until the fresh greenies arrive.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

no s... the coffee wasnt grown in chicago, Neither was the hot dog carts ketchup and the hippy chicks hemp. To me coffee roasting is certainly a local craft. You are not selling coffe, you're selling your coffee you roasted locally. You become an artisan.

This is true, and exactly what my wife and I were talking about last night. In talking to her, I realized she should never handle PR for me because she gets a little.....aggressive haha.

But like she said: are the ingredients of the pastries being grown within 200 miles? The flour alone likely comes from Nebraska or another nearby state. If someone is selling blueberry muffins in May, those blueberries surely aren't from the Midwest, and I really doubt they are using locally grown ones the rest of the year. But you are right - the point of selling at such a venue is to show the artisan part of it.

Anyways...
In a follow up to those two profile I had posted a few days ago, the shorter roast was still a little sweet and acidic. The longer roast was exactly what I was going for though! Sweet, great body, slight bitterness, some fruit flavors as well as black tea.

I'm beyond excited to get a successful roast with my 4th attempt on this roaster, but now the real challenge - trying to actually repeat the results.

 

[applescrap]

I recall in those videos i posted from mill city joe says in production its either right or its wrong. Not good or bad. Either you hit the numbers or you dont. For some reason that stuck with me. And was the moment I realized being a coffee roaster commercially is not the same as being a home Artesian roaster.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

Second batch of cold brew is a little weak due to being low on the roasted coffee but still good. Just roasted some Kenyan this morning which smells like it turned out amazing. Hoping it makes excellent cold brew

 

[pshankstar]

Looks like sweet Maria’s has some new beans that dropped today! I’m on the fence if I should order some or wait. Hmm

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Yeah some REALLY good looking Africans. Ughhh I just ordered 20 pounds...

 

[jammin]

@pshankstar - good look'n out. i grabbed 10lbs of that DP Ethiopian. That AA Kenyan sounded OK but Im some better ones pop up.


Which ones did you order HTB?

 

[pshankstar]

Yeah some REALLY good looking Africans. Ughhh I just ordered 20 pounds...

What did you order? Maybe if I pull the trigger on some with these offering we could trade some beans? Just a thought...

 

[Inkleg]

My SM haul was...
7 lbs Ethiopia Hambela Hassan (Thanks @jammin I'm looking forward to this!)
2 lbs Burundi Kayanza Nemba Station
2 lbs Colombia Arroyo Chuscal
2 lbs El Salvador Finca Las Animas
2 lbs El Salvador Matalapa Tabion Calagual
2 lbs Guatemala Antigua Finca Cabrejo
2 lbs Rwanda Karongi Gitesi Lot #851
2 lbs Sumatra Aceh Jagong Jeget (I don"t know why, but I like the earthy tones of Sumatra and PNGs)
2 lbs Tanzania Tarime Town AA

My coffee roasting cats and I will be roasting this weekend!

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

What did you order? Maybe if I pull the trigger on some with these offering we could trade some beans? Just a thought...

I got 10 of Ethiopia hambela or something, and 10 of Tanzania Tarime. Not enough for me to split up though. If you go for any big bags though maybe I'd be in.

 

[pshankstar]

I got 10 of Ethiopia hambela or something, and 10 of Tanzania Tarime. Not enough for me to split up though. If you go for any big bags though maybe I'd be in.

No worries. I’m on the fence if I order some or keep waiting...

 

[BrewinHooligan]

I just made a small order of 8lbs, 3 different varieties. 2 origins will be blended for my "house blend", a Brazil and a Tanzanian, then just a pound of a Kenyan to do as a single origin.

The Kenyan I have has been nice as cold brew, but I think it does lose a little of it's fruitiness brewed this way. I will try brewing pour over and then adding to a tumbler of ice for iced coffee and see how the flavors differ. For science! I definitely see a marked improvement in flavors in south American coffees with the cold brew method though. If you have sensitivity to acidity in coffee you should give it a shot as well.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

The only cold brew I drink is Kenya or Ethiopia, and I've gotten to where the only method I like is the Japanese method.

Essentially it's just another pour over, with the same amount of coffee as you would normally use. It gets different where you add the water, because if you usually use, say 500 grams of hot water, you would instead use 250 grams of ice cubes (placed in the carafe you are brewing in) and then pour in 250 grams of hot water over the fresh grounds.

The hot water hits the ice, and after a few mins of swirling it around the ice disolves and your are left with nice cold coffee brewed at a nice concentration. Only takes about 5 mins and doesn't require a ton of coffee like when you cold steep a coffee.

Anyways, if you're on a chilled coffee kick, you might like trying that. Here's an article with a few recipes: https://handground.com/grind/complete-guide-to-japanese-iced-coffee