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

[HarborTownBrewing]

@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.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Little vacation starts today. A dark roast to this ethiopian is probably the worst thing I can imagine but it's still not too bad.

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[TrickyDick]

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.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

This place cracks me up because they have this Kona and JBM for such a high price (everything else they have is more in line with the AA) and it goes unpurchased. Thus it is stale and not worth the price.

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[TrickyDick]

And its probably been over roasted to even notice the differences between the probably blended beans that the coffee is named for on the package.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

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

 

[TrickyDick]

Hey, they should call it vintage roast and u the price! Make a cappuccino and add lots of flavored syrup!

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

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.

 

[jammin]

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.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

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.

Crap that Lido is expensive. I'm just looking for something to use 6 times a year, give or take.

 

[UndeadFred]

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.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

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.

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.

 

[UndeadFred]

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.

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

 

[TrickyDick]

Takes a lot of time to grind beans in the slim.

 

[jammin]

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.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

@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.

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...

 

[TallDan]

Catching up on this thread...
...to chicago...

Clearly the Chicago area loves coffee.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

There should be a Chicago-area coffee and beer meet-up! Heck I nearly live in Evanston these days though.

 

[TallDan]

There should be a Chicago-area coffee and beer meet-up! Heck I nearly live in Evanston these days though.

I'm game. Lately I'm downtown on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so bonus points for doing it on a day that I am in the city anyway.

I also go to Evanston Homebrew Club on Thirsty Third Thursdays...

 

[passedpawn]

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!)

 

[pricelessbrewing]

I'm in. Let me know.

Also Passedpawn, you know you have to bring some jai alai and maduro right?

 

[TrickyDick]

Good for espresso


Just sayin... It's getting rather stupid

 

[TallDan]

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..

 

[jammin]

^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

 

[pricelessbrewing]

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 !

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Good for espresso


Just sayin... It's getting rather stupid

I know! Now I find myself being extra-wow'd by the "Great for espresso".

 

[applescrap]

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.

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[DrunkleJon]

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 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.

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.

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.

 

[jammin]

Promising Ethiopian Natural @ the GCBC. I ordered 5lbs -

http://www.greencoffeebuyingclub.com/index.php/topic,20115.0.html

 

[TrickyDick]

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