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

[applescrap]

Did I update on the tea? Not sure, but the chamomile blend is nice. Really pungent and tasty. The hibiscus flowers make it more red as it steeps, but could steep less and be golden supposedly. It was a nice color and the celeatial seasoning foil pack had no smell at all. The organic green tea is funky. Not sure what to think. Anywhoo Super pleased with them. Came in nice strong pouches. They don't have as big a selection as dedicated loose tea dealers, but when I get coffee from them I'll add some tea. Based on my research good prices. The coffee smells and looks nice. Finished the tej with a bang today. Got work coffee buddies together and drank up. We all enjoy its quality.

 

[applescrap]

Made cold brew last night for founders kbs clone. Just dumped half water out of bottle for room and easy sanitation. 3 oz to 16 oz of water. 6 oz for 32. 12 oz for 64 oz. Seems like a good ratio to start with and then, dilute? Idk, I drink it straight to. Saw a recipe said dilute that 12 oz makes 64 oz 1 to 1 and have a gallon of cold brew for a pound roast basically.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Just got back from a week in Italy and found these glass espresso cups and saucers for $8. Couldn't pass up the deal as I've been looking for a couple glass ones for a while.

I was a little tired of espresso after having so much of it but I decided to pull some single origin Ethiopia Hambela Hassan I had roasted about two weeks ago. Sht it's good. So much more flavorful than anything I had overseas. If I get a few mins I'll try to write up some info on the coffee scene I saw there.

 

[jammin]

^watching a shot pour into a clear, glass cup is quite satisfying. similar to watching a guiness cascade. wholeheartedly agree about the Hassan making a terrific shot. ill be looking forward to hearing about your trip!

 

[shelly_belly]

@HarborTownBrewing I'm looking forward to your write up as I'll be in Italy in less than 2 months.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Alright I got a few mins so here's a quick write up. My trip started in Munich - I've been to Germany a couple other times and have always appreciated their coffee culture because it tends to be more...American. That sounds sort of horrible, but I really appreciate a good, more lightly roasted brewed cup of coffee (as opposed to the dark roast espresso's throughout most of Europe). Unfortunately, I didn't find any exceptional coffee in Munich. The hotel I stayed at (Best Western) only had instant coffee available in the rooms, which really surprised me (most of the time these hotels have a Nespresso in the rooms). The majority of Bakeries had industrial Kuerig-like coffee makers which would make you a "drip cup", espresso, cappuccino, etc. Not very authentic drip, and definitely not a manual espresso machine by any means.

Next I went to Florence, Italy. I'd been to Florence before and to Italy a couple other times. I personally have never had good espresso in Italy, but that's the only kind of coffee you are going to find there - no drip coffee at all basically. There was a cafe under our apartment rental, so I stopped in there to try their espresso and it was actually pretty delicious. The best I had ever had in Europe, actually. I couldn't tell what coffee they were using, but I probably wouldn't have known what it was anyways (I do know it wasn't Illy though). There was a kid pulling shots on a few of the days I went there and he was making great drinks, but I went another day and another guy was pulling shots; his coffee was not nearly as good, and it was noticeable. It's hardly surprising, but it's amazing still how much a difference a person can make in a beverage when all equipment is the same.

Throughout other towns and other cafes in Florence I had no luck with coffee. It's all just dark roasted and flavorless.

I did find a shop selling Bialetti equipment, and they had an espresso maker marked down to $40 - sort of a Nespresso type thing with pods. I didn't have room to bring it home, but I was really close to getting one. I like my Gaggia but there is something appealing about a simple pod-machine every once in a while, because sometimes I just don't feel like taking the time to pull shots on my Gaggia. I ended up not buying it mostly because of the packing/transport hassles and today I realized a really good reason for me to not have bought it - I couldn't have plugged it in! Given it has a heater inside, I couldn't have simply used an outlet adapter either, I would have had to plug it in via a power converter. So, yeah it was a good deal but that would have been a big mistake haha.

All in all, I was again disappointed by the European coffee scene. It's just sort of boring, and I think a big part of that is because they are stuck in the past (especially in Italy). Of all the cities I have visited in Europe, Berlin had the best coffee scene by a landslide. It's a city of young people who are connected to what the rest of the world is doing and willing to try anything. Meanwhile, countries such as Italy and France are very focused on how they have always done things (along with many other countries/cities).

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

@HarborTownBrewing I'm looking forward to your write up as I'll be in Italy in less than 2 months.

Nice! Where are you going, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[shelly_belly]

Venice, Florence, Siena, Rome and Pompeii. My oldest son will be marching in the Rome Peace Parade on New Year's Day.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Venice, Florence, Siena, Rome and Pompeii. My oldest son will be marching in the Rome Peace Parade on New Year's Day.

Sounds like a great trip; you'll get to see much of the country. Florence is, without a doubt, my favorite place in Italy. Siena, Rome, Pompeii - they are all nice but incredibly busy. Somehow Florence manages to be big enough to spread people out without being too big to attract too many people. I haven't been to Venice so I can't say anything about it.

If your trip to Pompeii takes you through Naples, be careful. That city is absolutely insane, corrupt, and increasingly dangerous (and that's saying a lot, since I live in Chicago). I spent 2 days there last year and I counted the minutes until I could leave.

Looking forward to hearing about your trip once you get back! Be sure to share.

 

[applescrap]

Haha, on my way to Pompeii I remember looking out the window at Naples, like damn, that looks rough. Jealous of you world travelers.

The Burmans Koke is good. Secondary fruit tastes. Its nice, but not the fruit bomb the Konga was. If there is nothing really out there that seems good, this will do.

 

[applescrap]

Burundi 25 % off this week at bl. There are four and all are 5.19. I am a little hesitant, any thoughts? Had a chocolatey Burundi once that was good.

Edit...nevermind I got the 3 pound special mentioned before. Two of them and some more tea. Their descriptions are spot on so far, from tea to coffee. So far pleased with these guys. Haha, they measure coffee to the bean. Bodhi tips the scales heavy for sure. I like how they mention that it's a shame if you roast that Kenyan too dark. I've seen this comment from them before. I appreciate that they make it clear that the "Jazzy" tones are lost in darker roasts.

 

[applescrap]

apologies for the trifecta I couldn't post the screenshots on an update

 

[jammin]

New greens posted at SM's today. A few Kenyans but no "must buys"

 

[pshankstar]

New greens posted at SM's today. A few Kenyans but no "must buys"

I saw that too and nothing jumped out to me where I felt the need to place an order right now.

 

[applescrap]

The cold brew stout is awesome. Every other coffee beer I have ever made has a "coffee"\carbon taste. The tej cold brew lacks the carbon taste but has made the beer very tasty.

I am bummed, Burmans just put up a top lot grade 1 yirgacheffe. I saw it last night. But i just ordered 2 of that sampler deal (6 pounds) from them. Well, at least I got a good deal.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I ordered the SM's Colombia Vereda Buesaquito and the Kenya Kiambu; those are going to be my Christmas Blend this year. Hoping to sell a few more, especially now that I have the Bullet. The last couple years I would roast 4-9 hours in a row with the Behmor and it was a pretty miserable way to make a few bucks with the usual hectic holiday stuff also going on. The Bullet should help take care of that...just a matter of whether or not people buy it.

Sales have been weird. I had a few really solid months this summer where I was making $60-$100/month profit. The last few months I've only sold a handful of bags. Things picked back up recently, but it's so un-predictable. Fortunately I don't do this for a living - just a fun way to pay for the hobby. Still though, I'd really like to understand why some months are good and others aren't.

 

[pshankstar]

I ordered the SM's Colombia Vereda Buesaquito and the Kenya Kiambu; those are going to be my Christmas Blend this year. Hoping to sell a few more, especially now that I have the Bullet. The last couple years I would roast 4-9 hours in a row with the Behmor and it was a pretty miserable way to make a few bucks with the usual hectic holiday stuff also going on. The Bullet should help take care of that...just a matter of whether or not people buy it.

Sales have been weird. I had a few really solid months this summer where I was making $60-$100/month profit. The last few months I've only sold a handful of bags. Things picked back up recently, but it's so un-predictable. Fortunately I don't do this for a living - just a fun way to pay for the hobby. Still though, I'd really like to understand why some months are good and others aren't.

I would like to quote The Doors here, "People are strange". That's my only explanation for people's behaviors. Otherwise I would go crazy trying to understand them. haha

 

[Inkleg]

"People are strange".

Yeah this pretty well sums it up.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I would like to quote The Doors here, "People are strange". That's my only explanation for people's behaviors. Otherwise I would go crazy trying to understand them. haha

Speaking of The Doors, one of the people I sell to, I leave the coffee at their backdoor. Does that make me a Backdoor Man?

 

[pshankstar]

Speaking of The Doors, one of the people I sell to, I leave the coffee at their backdoor. Does that make me a Backdoor Man?

You sir are a Backdoor Man. [emoji6]

 

[applescrap]

Haha, based on this discussion, clearly people are strange. Well, have you met me

Pretty lucky friends you have. I wonder is money in roasting or serving the liquid form? Or are these killer ethiopians worth 20 or 30 a pound?

Harbortownbrewing do you roast individually or together? I havent tried blending much, what is it like?

 

[passedpawn]

haha, this thread took a funny turn there.

And scrappy, you're a good dude. We will drink a beer together some day.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Pretty lucky friends you have. I wonder is money in roasting or serving the liquid form? Or are these killer ethiopians worth 20 or 30 a pound?

Harbortownbrewing do you roast individually or together? I havent tried blending much, what is it like?

My perspective is, the money is wherever you can make it. Despite being related, the two businesses are sooooo different:
-Roasting is about sourcing, logistics, manipulating flavors, and selling large volumes. This could all be done in a dusty, chaff filled warehouse.

-On the other hand, brewing/having a cafe is about the customer experience, sourcing coffee from a good roaster, knowing how to brew different beans different ways to the customer's liking, adjusting your espresso game throughout the day, and finding a way to keep a presentable storefront while still making money.

Around here, the roasting is done by dudes with dad bods, while the cafes are staffed by hipsters with flannel shirts, fashionable fauxhawks, and handlebar mustaches. So much contrast in business models all around. Having a trendy cafe, full of light, bursting with people sounds super fun and sexy to me, but at the same time think of all the work that goes into that. The space and furniture has to be kept in good shape, espresso machines and grinders have to work without issue, a rainy day can kill the amount of traffic which comes through and have a big affect on your bottom line, etc. The more I've thought about it, the more I'd like to be on the roasting side.

Anyways, that was a really long, drawn out answer to a question which may have only been hypothetical. It's something I think about a lot though.

Regarding blends, for the most part I roast the origins separately and blend them post-roast. This is important because some beans will crack at different stages, plus I roast Colombians different than Ethiopians, for instance. I love single origin coffee, but I will admit many of the "blends" I've made have been superb.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I was just at whole foods and saw a roasting set up there. Looks like they have their own coffee brand, Allegro, and they roast at the grocery store on a Loring. Was interesting to see their notes... Not sure how much is visible but you guys might like this.

Apologies for the quality, there was glass in the way.

 

[applescrap]

We will drink a beer together some day.

Look forward to it! On the golf course hopefully.

 

[passedpawn]

I was in NYC a couple of weeks ago and saw that Starbucks is opening a huge roasting facility right there in Manhattan. It's right across the street from the Chelsea Market for those that know where that's at.

 

[applescrap]

That is many of the same conclusions that I came too. Especially volume. I actually figured out how many pounds a day I would need to sell for a decent living. Key points on running a cafe. The variable to me that stands out is a cafe might only use 3 to 10 pounds a day. Something easily roasted in back.

Reminds me of a story. I worked in hs at a rent to own joint. The manager was cool, but weird. He was always going on and on about drive through coffee huts. He said, man I could make 30k a year. That was his number, if he could just own one he could make 30k a year and be happy. This was 1992. I thought it was strange and didnt really understand. Then all of a sudden starbucks everywhere and some of these drivethroughs. Wonder if the right location, his idea would do well. No way I am cut out for either business,I am too lazy and that sounds like a lot of work. On a home scale I wonder how much a good roast of ethiopian could sell for packaged real pretty. Awesome, you are working hard to share good coffee and make a little extra too. Also, thanks for the blending tips. This is on the list of something I need to try.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Funny you mention coffee huts. I know of a guy who had a few, just a drive through operation which had a barista and an espresso machine inside. He said he did well until the recession.

Overhead would be low, especially if you were your own bean supplier. I've thought about this too, but it would require some risk taking and in my aging state (I'm still not old) I'm reluctant.

 

[corkybstewart]

This is a pretty dumb question, and I think I know the answer, but does altitude have any effect on roasting? I'm moving to a new house that sits at 6200' and would love to skip the "let's experiment" phase and go straight to roasting my coffee.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Altitude does, thought I'm not exactly certain how. I BELIEVE I have read roasts will go quicker in higher altitude.