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

[ChefRex]

I just bought a new brewer, the OXO 9-cup. Fun times ahead. Hope it makes similar coffee to my pour-over.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YEYKK8U/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Let us know what you think.

 

[passedpawn]

Will do! I have a bunch of different beans coming from Maria too, so I'll be in java heaven soon. Maybe

I just bought a new brewer, the OXO 9-cup. Fun times ahead. Hope it makes similar coffee to my pour-over.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Will do! I have a bunch of different beans coming from Maria too, so I'll be in java heaven soon. Maybe

Is that code for Indonesia strippers or something?

 

[passedpawn]

Is that code for Indonesia strippers or something?

If strippers come out of the box, I'll skip the coffee

 

[TrickyDick]

Gotta admit I've been enjoying the hell out of the George Howell coffees. I saw an ad for the bonavita 8 cup auto drip pot, certified by the ?scca? I forgot the initials, but it's the same group to certify the technivorm. Claims to have a shower head and flat bottom filter basket for more uniform extraction!!

I'm asking for one for my next birthday. Does anybody have it and can attest to its function and performance?

I'm down to two or three more days of the George Howell coffee, which is about what I had predicted, as it is getting a little old roasted 12/28. That means time to fire up the hottop. Really wish I could get the dang artisan working on my Windows notebook. Not sure why it doesn't work.

TD.

 

[passedpawn]

I've got a bunch of beans coming from Sweet Marias. Brazil, Tanzania, Yemen, and a big sampler pack from Guatamala.

 

[passedpawn]

Gotta admit I've been enjoying the hell out of the George Howell coffees. I saw an ad for the bonavita 8 cup auto drip pot, certified by the ?scca? I forgot the initials, but it's the same group to certify the technivorm. Claims to have a shower head and flat bottom filter basket for more uniform extraction!!

I'm asking for one for my next birthday. Does anybody have it and can attest to its function and performance?

I'm down to two or three more days of the George Howell coffee, which is about what I had predicted, as it is getting a little old roasted 12/28. That means time to fire up the hottop. Really wish I could get the dang artisan working on my Windows notebook. Not sure why it doesn't work.

TD.

That brewer I posted above (which just arrived this AM) is SCAA certified, has a nice shower head, and also does staggered water additions to allow the grounds to soak, then adds water intermittently to simulate a pour-over. I did a quick test with just water an hour ago and measured the resulting water in the carafe at 192F (using my brewing instant-read thermometer).

I'll do a full brew with pics later. Looks freaking awesome though next to my OXO grinder. Water bubbles up through the middle of the clear reservoir in a lavalamp sort of way. Kewl.

 

[jammin]

Gotta admit I've been enjoying the hell out of the George Howell coffees.

TD.

I might be a little jealous right now

 

[TrickyDick]

That brewer I posted above (which just arrived this AM) is SCAA certified, has a nice shower head, and also does staggered water additions to allow the grounds to soak, then adds water intermittently to simulate a pour-over. I did a quick test with just water an hour ago and measured the resulting water in the carafe at 192F (using my brewing instant-read thermometer).

I'll do a full brew with pics later. Looks freaking awesome though next to my OXO grinder. Water bubbles up through the middle of the clear reservoir in a lavalamp sort of way. Kewl.

Hmm. How much $$ what is the model number? Where did you buy it?

Got pics of the filter basket after brewing and the shower head?

Have you tested the volume of water it dispenses with each cycle? I found technivorm to retain a variable and unpredictable amount of water resulting in unexpected extraction and erratic brews.

Ah. I see now $200 from Amazon. What shape is the filter basket?

Hmm.. Looking at the behmor brazen plus! Like the upper heater.. Suspect no retained water! Like the flat bottom filter! Like the "pulsed" extraction and ability to allow a bloom phase... There is anothe with a iPhone/droid control for an extra $100 that I'll pass on...

 

[passedpawn]

Hmm. How much $$ what is the model number? Where did you buy it?

Got pics of the filter basket after brewing and the shower head?

Have you tested the volume of water it dispenses with each cycle? I found technivorm to retain a variable and unpredictable amount of water resulting in unexpected extraction and erratic brews.

Ah. I see now $200 from Amazon. What shape is the filter basket?

Filter basket is v-shaped cone. This model takes a #4 filter. There's a larger model with a removable water reservoir. That would be nice, but this model will do a single cup, which would be perfect for evening brews, whereas the larger model won't.

Water is dispensed from a shower head with about 7 or 8 holes arranged in a circular pattern. Just what you'd picture in your head.

Here's a very good user review of this coffee maker. You can see the pattern of the shower head at 2:30.

 

[ChefRex]

@TrickyDick I keep seeing you mentioning extraction and am reading about it at the moment, are you going by taste or are you actually measuring it? And if so how?

 

[passedpawn]

@TrickyDick I keep seeing you mentioning extraction and am reading about it at the moment, are you going by taste or are you actually measuring it? And if so how?

I'm guessing you could measure extraction with a cheap TDS meter. I don't think I'm gonna go that far myself

 

[TrickyDick]

Cheap TDS meters will not work. I splurged and bought a refurb previous model version VST CoffeeLab2 (its up to 3 now at least) Refractometer w/software last year. I don't always use it, but it is helpful to dial-in your grind and polish your brew technique for consistent brews. I will say that it is extremely difficult to brew coffee and pick a target TDS% and extraction%. You need very precise measurements of brewing water (by weight to the nearest gram) and coffee (to the nearest tenth gram). It can do espresso as well.

I also read eBook by Scott Rao "Espresso extraction measurement and Mastery" which is applicable equally to coffee, and I suspect much easier to master than espresso. After reading this you sort of feel compelled to buy the refractometer.

 

[passedpawn]

Cheap TDS meters will not work. I splurged and bought a refurb previous model version VST CoffeeLab2 (its up to 3 now at least) Refractometer w/software last year. I don't always use it, but it is helpful to dial-in your grind and polish your brew technique for consistent brews. I will say that it is extremely difficult to brew coffee and pick a target TDS% and extraction%. You need very precise measurements of brewing water (by weight to the nearest gram) and coffee (to the nearest tenth gram). It can do espresso as well.
TD

I wonder if my brewing or fishtank refractometer would let me compare extraction?

 

[TrickyDick]

I wonder if my brewing or fishtank refractometer would let me compare extraction?

by the way, i edited my last post..

In short, yes you can, but here is why it won't be helpful, pasted from an email I received in response to a similar inquiry by the folks who make the coffeelab refractometers (or rather commissioned their construction)...

It’s easy to empathize. The reason for the cost is that the refractometer is a custom product that resulted from a 2-yr and ongoing R&D collaboration between VST and our OEM provider, whereby the basic instrument has been re-designed and significantly improved in order to have the resolution, accuracy and precision necessary to be useful for coffee measurements. Typical off-the-shelf refractometers have accuracies that are limited to approximately ±0.15% or worse (ref index of ±0.0003 vs 0.00003), due mostly to the limited sensor array being 128 pixels, resulting in a refractive index resolution of 0.0001 and temperature resolution to 0.1 Deg C. This is not sufficient for coffee measurements. In addition, typical instruments can only warrant an accuracy of temperature to± 1.0 Deg C However, an error of ±1 Deg C is affects TDS ± 0.05-0.06%, by itself, and the accuracy errors are additive. The VST LAB Coffee III instrument resolves refractive index to better than 0.00001 using a 1024 element sensor and temperature to 0.01 Deg C.

The problem is that if the measurement accuracy is off by ±0.15% or more, then the extraction yield, the crucial parameter you need, can be off by > ±2%, making the measurement useless. In fact, the measurement error could cause you to adjust the brewing process in the wrong direction, actually making the the error in brewing protocol worse!

See the attached chart to see what that means. ±0.15% could be anywhere within the Red circle on the attached Universal Brewing Control Chart for a typical drip batch. The VST instrument is warranted for accuracy to be better than ±0.03%, but is contractually delivered to VST at ±0.02% or better (as shown in the blue circle on the attached Universal Brewing Control Chart). Typically, they measure ±0.01% TDS within the coffee range.

This kind of accuracy and precision are typically found only on laboratory bench top instruments using peltier trays (that maintain Temp of the sample and optics to ±0.02 Deg C) and cost > $10,000. That VST can deliver similar performance for under $1000 is a actually remarkable, and this is why it has become a world-wide standard shipping to some 75 countries and is used by professionals and amateurs alike, as well as for R&D and Equipment design by the worlds leading cafes, roasters and equipment developers.

Yes, we do receive units back that are lightly used at World Coffee Trade Events, competitions, samples to reviewers, and loans made to educational institutions. When these come up, they are usually already spoken for, but we can notify you should one become available.
​

Anyways... that's the story....

Of course if you like what you taste in the cup all is good.
TD

 

[passedpawn]

Wow, thanks!

by the way, i edited my last post..

In short, yes you can, but here is why it won't be helpful, pasted from an email I received in response to a similar inquiry by the folks who make the coffeelab refractometers (or rather commissioned their construction)...

It’s easy to empathize. The reason for the cost is that the refractometer is a custom product that resulted from a 2-yr and ongoing R&D collaboration between VST and our OEM provider, whereby the basic instrument has been re-designed and significantly improved in order to have the resolution, accuracy and precision necessary to be useful for coffee measurements. Typical off-the-shelf refractometers have accuracies that are limited to approximately ±0.15% or worse (ref index of ±0.0003 vs 0.00003), due mostly to the limited sensor array being 128 pixels, resulting in a refractive index resolution of 0.0001 and temperature resolution to 0.1 Deg C. This is not sufficient for coffee measurements. In addition, typical instruments can only warrant an accuracy of temperature to± 1.0 Deg C However, an error of ±1 Deg C is affects TDS ± 0.05-0.06%, by itself, and the accuracy errors are additive. The VST LAB Coffee III instrument resolves refractive index to better than 0.00001 using a 1024 element sensor and temperature to 0.01 Deg C.

The problem is that if the measurement accuracy is off by ±0.15% or more, then the extraction yield, the crucial parameter you need, can be off by > ±2%, making the measurement useless. In fact, the measurement error could cause you to adjust the brewing process in the wrong direction, actually making the the error in brewing protocol worse!

See the attached chart to see what that means. ±0.15% could be anywhere within the Red circle on the attached Universal Brewing Control Chart for a typical drip batch. The VST instrument is warranted for accuracy to be better than ±0.03%, but is contractually delivered to VST at ±0.02% or better (as shown in the blue circle on the attached Universal Brewing Control Chart). Typically, they measure ±0.01% TDS within the coffee range.

This kind of accuracy and precision are typically found only on laboratory bench top instruments using peltier trays (that maintain Temp of the sample and optics to ±0.02 Deg C) and cost > $10,000. That VST can deliver similar performance for under $1000 is a actually remarkable, and this is why it has become a world-wide standard shipping to some 75 countries and is used by professionals and amateurs alike, as well as for R&D and Equipment design by the worlds leading cafes, roasters and equipment developers.

Yes, we do receive units back that are lightly used at World Coffee Trade Events, competitions, samples to reviewers, and loans made to educational institutions. When these come up, they are usually already spoken for, but we can notify you should one become available.
​

Anyways... that's the story....

Of course if you like what you taste in the cup all is good.
TD

 

[ChefRex]

Thanks for a detailed answer, I have much to learn.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

This home remodel has really thrown off my coffee game and delayed my espresso machine purchase, but such is life.

Anyways, on to the important stuff and questions for you all:

Our new kitchen is really large, but highly underutilized. There is a full wall of counterop/cabinets, but opposite it about 7 feet there is nothing except a refrigerator. It just opens up into a dining room space, leaving a lot of space unused where the previous owner placed an island on wheels.

So, what does that mean? The next project after the 2nd floor is finished in a couple weeks will be a kitchen upgrade where I'm going to add base cabinets to the open area, and top it with a countertop, sort of like a peninsula design. I've got room to add a pantry, and possibly add an area for barstools. We'll see.

Do you guys have any ideas of things I should take into account when I design/build it? Especially related to coffee and beer brewing? I'm thinking I will add a half wall behind the base cabinets (where they'd otherwise be floating in the kitchen) and bring the wall up just about 8 inches above the countertop. That way, I can add outlets to plug a grinder or espresso machine into.

In terms of brewing, I'm not sure if there is anything in particular I need to keep in mind, other than just having enough space for my mash tun and prep area for hops and whatnot.

 

[passedpawn]

This home remodel has really thrown off my coffee game and delayed my espresso machine purchase, but such is life.

Anyways, on to the important stuff and questions for you all:

Our new kitchen is really large, but highly underutilized. There is a full wall of counterop/cabinets, but opposite it about 7 feet there is nothing except a refrigerator. It just opens up into a dining room space, leaving a lot of space unused where the previous owner placed an island on wheels.

So, what does that mean? The next project after the 2nd floor is finished in a couple weeks will be a kitchen upgrade where I'm going to add base cabinets to the open area, and top it with a countertop, sort of like a peninsula design. I've got room to add a pantry, and possibly add an area for barstools. We'll see.

Do you guys have any ideas of things I should take into account when I design/build it? Especially related to coffee and beer brewing? I'm thinking I will add a half wall behind the base cabinets (where they'd otherwise be floating in the kitchen) and bring the wall up just about 8 inches above the countertop. That way, I can add outlets to plug a grinder or espresso machine into.

In terms of brewing, I'm not sure if there is anything in particular I need to keep in mind, other than just having enough space for my mash tun and prep area for hops and whatnot.

We rebuilt our kitchen from the ground up a few years ago. We have a pony wall with cabinets in front and a bar over the counter and stools behind the bar, sorta like you're suggesting. Put outlets in here for sure. I've got some random pics here on hbt, i'll see if I have one that shows this.

For the higher wallcabinets, undercabinet lighting is a great idea.

I have tons of pics of kitchen during the build. It was designed by a company that did a great job of it.

 

[TallDan]

Do you guys have any ideas of things I should take into account when I design/build it? Especially related to coffee and beer brewing? I'm thinking I will add a half wall behind the base cabinets (where they'd otherwise be floating in the kitchen) and bring the wall up just about 8 inches above the countertop. That way, I can add outlets to plug a grinder or espresso machine into.

I always keep Miss Silvia to the left of a sink. This is going to be somewhat specific to what espresso machine you end up with, but it makes life easier to have a sink there for rinsing things. Since the steaming wand is on the right of the machine, i can have it blow directly into the sink instead of making a mess on the countertop or filling the drip tray. It's also nice to have a faucet with a pull out spray head to fill the reservoirs of coffee machines directly.

 

[passedpawn]

You can see the outlets between the counter and the bar here.

We also have a overhead cabinet that we installed panel of 6 outlets for a recharging station. However, if you did that you could put your bean grinder in the cabinet. That would be pretty sweet. My grinder holds 1# of beans and it's just a button press operation for it to grind and weigh, so it would work with mine. Except my wife has a ton of stuff in there at the moment.

[edit: sorry about the meat, OT for sure. I was grinding pork for italian sausage it looks like because of the red wine).

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

All good ideas guys, and some things I hadn't thought of. I'm trying to customize it to where it fits my needs, but keep it from being too specialized where a future buyer wouldn't care for it. That said, I'll probably exclude the taps built into the kitchen countertop I had in mind ;(

 

[passedpawn]

Let us know what you think.

Made an 8-cup pot this morning. Check the grounds and it was perfectly and uniformly saturated. Coffee tasted perfect. When the carafe is removed the spring-loaded valve under the filter basket closes. Still, I got 1 or two drips onto the carafe platform, but it's not a big deal at all.

I love the way it adds just a small amount of water at first to saturate the grounds, then after a pause continues with "pours" of hot water.

The carafe pours drip-free. Very nice. The carafe kept it hot for a couple of hours - might have gone longer, but every time I refreshed my cup I let cold air in there. It's "vacuum insulated".

I did notice that the shower head is easily removable for quick rinsing.

I set it to brew automatically tomorrow morning.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Have any of you tried insulating the water feed line on an auto-drip brewer? I read somewhere (heck, it may have been here) that if they are insulated you can gain a few extra degrees normally lost during the water transfer from the reservoir to the dripper.

 

[1977Brewer]

Have any of you tried insulating the water feed line on an auto-drip brewer? I read somewhere (heck, it may have been here) that if they are insulated you can gain a few extra degrees normally lost during the water transfer from the reservoir to the dripper.

I had one that was insulated. Best drip machine I ever owned too. Not sure if that little 4" piece of foam was the reason or not.

 

[passedpawn]

I had one that was insulated. Best drip machine I ever owned too. Not sure if that little 4" piece of foam was the reason or not.

It's silicone on the OXO dripper above, so not necessary.

 

[TallDan]

All good ideas guys, and some things I hadn't thought of. I'm trying to customize it to where it fits my needs, but keep it from being too specialized where a future buyer wouldn't care for it. That said, I'll probably exclude the taps built into the kitchen countertop I had in mind ;(

...and the hole in the counter top for the knock box.

 

[jammin]

back to back roasts of DP Ethiopian tonight (Hambela).

 

[passedpawn]

Hand-cupping. Very paleo-skeletal. Handfeel... it's the longfeel! Hmmm....

Jump to about 4:30. I think these guys took it just a bit too far IMO. We don't even do this with beer (yet )

 

[Schmoogdaddy]

At first I didn't want to commit 12:03 of my life to this video, but now I can say it was time well spent.