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

[Br3w4u]

Thanks @jimyson just in time for Halloween!

 

[applescrap]

Thanks for the review. I am going to bail. I havent been drinking much coffee lately, but I am drinking the banko. Its nice as always. No fruit in that roast I posted yet, or at least somewhat restrained or im stuffed up. Probably took it a pinch far. I need a good light roast come to think of it. Sweet, nutty maybe, I guess some of you would call it a cupping roast. Almost all my roasts are near there I think. But yeah, solid as always. Was a sweet deal, thanks again jammin.

I had got that bl coffee before. For the price, I was not impressed with the flavor outcome of any of the various ways I roasted it. I tried numerous ways to bring it out, and finally settled on it is just an okay coffee. Mild chocolate, kind of like a hot cocoa, and muted fruit loops. YMMV though!

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Well, that was close.

Saw an ad for a 2 group La Marzocco Linea. Widely considered for a long time to be the benchmark for espresso machines, and still a highly regarded machine today. You can buy one new right now for $10k. Claimed to be in working condition, needing cleanup. Two pictures of it confirmed that it at least needed some TLC.

(not sure how long the pics will work, the ad has been removed)

Asking price... $750! Even older used ones still sell for a few times that. I emailed and asked about age, said I was interested and asked when i could come see it. This morning, he emailed back and said that I could come by today (which was great, i have today and tomorrow off) and gave his phone number. I called, found out that he works for a bank, and the bank got it from a property that they foreclosed on, was working when removed, but they had no desire to test it. Sounded like they had no idea what it was worth, but just wanted some money for it.

I told him that I was on my way.

A few minutes later he called back. Someone else had sold it this morning. So close.

A 2 group monster like that is absurd for home use. Having it in the kitchen would take some remodeling, so it probably would have lived in the laundry/mud room where I have the power and plumbing. That would be short term while I decided if I really wanted to keep it or not. I would have loved to get that machine, clean it up, get some experience on it, and likely be able to turn it around for a profit.

Probably a blessing in disguise though.

I almost bought a house with that type of situation (bigger than I needed, but it was a good deal type-of-thing). I think some of us are constantly looking for good deals and when they come along it's tough to not pull the trigger but... Sometimes it's for the best that it doesn't work out.

And since I'll never get a unit like that, I hope you do so I can live vicariously through you

 

[applescrap]

Dang, 750, dang. Yeah maybe blessing in disguise.

Well, that was close.

Saw an ad for a 2 group La Marzocco Linea. Widely considered for a long time to be the benchmark for espresso machines, and still a highly regarded machine today. You can buy one new right now for $10k. Claimed to be in working condition, needing cleanup. Two pictures of it confirmed that it at least needed some TLC.

(not sure how long the pics will work, the ad has been removed)

Asking price... $750! Even older used ones still sell for a few times that. I emailed and asked about age, said I was interested and asked when i could come see it. This morning, he emailed back and said that I could come by today (which was great, i have today and tomorrow off) and gave his phone number. I called, found out that he works for a bank, and the bank got it from a property that they foreclosed on, was working when removed, but they had no desire to test it. Sounded like they had no idea what it was worth, but just wanted some money for it.

I told him that I was on my way.

A few minutes later he called back. Someone else had sold it this morning. So close.

A 2 group monster like that is absurd for home use. Having it in the kitchen would take some remodeling, so it probably would have lived in the laundry/mud room where I have the power and plumbing. That would be short term while I decided if I really wanted to keep it or not. I would have loved to get that machine, clean it up, get some experience on it, and likely be able to turn it around for a profit.

Probably a blessing in disguise though.

 

[Br3w4u]

Having a cup of the single origin. I’m heading to the airport, I don’t usually have coffee at 3 am.....So I get blueberry for sure and there is very low to no acidity. The aroma is very familiar too. I am positive that this is an Ethiopian, final answer.

 

[jimyson]

Having a cup of the single origin. I’m heading to the airport, I don’t usually have coffee at 3 am.....So I get blueberry for sure and there is very low to no acidity. The aroma is very familiar too. I am positive that this is an Ethiopian, final answer.

Wrong thread, but I’ll give it to you since it was 3a. [emoji16]

It’s clearly and Ethiopian. I roasted it a bit dark to reduce the acidity but that bean shines through with the berry. Many here know the bean already. The bag of greens should give you enough product to figure out where you like it best.

 

[TallDan]

I almost bought a house with that type of situation (bigger than I needed, but it was a good deal type-of-thing). I think some of us are constantly looking for good deals and when they come along it's tough to not pull the trigger but... Sometimes it's for the best that it doesn't work out.

And since I'll never get a unit like that, I hope you do so I can live vicariously through you

It’s like an expensive sports car. Won’t pay the money for a new one, but see the used ones that you know still have a high TCO, but would be just as fun. The low entry cost makes it tempting, but living with it takes some compromises that might not be worth it in the long run.

I have such a car, and even when I get rid of it, I’m sure I’ll still talk about it when car talk comes up. High maintenance cost is offset by DIY, but still makes it a questionable thing to own.

Dang, 750, dang. Yeah maybe blessing in disguise.

Yeah, I would not be second guessing that purchase price right now. I’d easily spend more on getting power and plumbing in a reasonable place at home than what I spent on the machine. I’d probably spend much more fixing and modifying it.

If I consider the cost of building a coffee bar in my basement or laundry room as part of the cost of the machine, a decent de1 is probably cheaper.

 

[TallDan]

Looks like I’ll have a new espresso machine this week anyway, and one far more easily integrated in a normal home...

 

[Inkleg]

Looks like I’ll have a new espresso machine this week anyway, and one far more easily integrated in a normal home...

Wait....what? You can't post a little tidbit of information like this. Inquiring minds need to know more!

 

[TallDan]

Wait....what? You can't post a little tidbit of information like this. Inquiring minds need to know more!

I had contacted a Craigslist seller of a Breville Dual Boiler. Kinda on the fence about buying one used since they’re not really known for reliability/longevity. I threw out a lowball offer anyway, but the seller didn’t want to come down that much. That was a week ago. Last night I got an email with an offer that is close enough. Unless something changes last minute (again), I’m going to pick it up this afternoon.

 

[TallDan]

...knew I shouldn’t have posted. Seller of the BDB just emailed me and said they got an offer at their current asking price. $110 more than what I was going to pay. Oh well.

 

[jammin]

90pt Kenyan. AB screen.
Think I’ll grab 5lbs
https://www.sweetmarias.com/kenya-kiambu-fram-farm-ab-6248.html

 

[Ruint]

Sorry about the loss of the bdb TD....that is the machine I have and am very p!eased with it!

 

[TallDan]

Sorry about the loss of the bdb TD....that is the machine I have and am very p!eased with it!

Every time I look at buying one new, i think that it's enough money that i should just splurge on the Decent. Then I can't manage to pull the trigger on the decent since it's 2-3x the price. [emoji4] Barring some sort of great deal, my purchase is on hold for a while anyway, so maybe i'll get the Decent in January when the new version comes out.

I know there's at least one other Baratza Vario user here. Does anyone have a routine for cleaning them? I've only had the steel burrs in mine for a maximum of 5 months, so I know it was clean then. Generally speaking, it just gets used on weekdays, as i use the HG-1 for espresso on the weekends.

Over the last week it seemed to be running slower than usual, which I assumed was just a difference in the beans. This morning it slowed down significantly, and ultimately stopped. Dumped the beans out of the hopper, removed the upper burr and finely ground coffee was absolutely packed in the chute and the area surrounding the burrs. Got it all cleaned out, ran some rice through, then some beans and it was back to normal.

No clue why that happened, but I'm definitely going to need to keep a closer eye on it, especially if it seems to run slow again.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Every time I look at buying one new, i think that it's enough money that i should just splurge on the Decent. Then I can't manage to pull the trigger on the decent since it's 2-3x the price. [emoji4] Barring some sort of great deal, my purchase is on hold for a while anyway, so maybe i'll get the Decent in January when the new version comes out.

I know there's at least one other Baratza Vario user here. Does anyone have a routine for cleaning them? I've only had the steel burrs in mine for a maximum of 5 months, so I know it was clean then. Generally speaking, it just gets used on weekdays, as i use the HG-1 for espresso on the weekends.

Over the last week it seemed to be running slower than usual, which I assumed was just a difference in the beans. This morning it slowed down significantly, and ultimately stopped. Dumped the beans out of the hopper, removed the upper burr and finely ground coffee was absolutely packed in the chute and the area surrounding the burrs. Got it all cleaned out, ran some rice through, then some beans and it was back to normal.

No clue why that happened, but I'm definitely going to need to keep a closer eye on it, especially if it seems to run slow again.

I have a Vario as does @jammin. Mine got plugged last week so I had to take it apart. Baratza had a good video on what to do, it's on YouTube. Basically just remove both burrs and clean the burrs with a wire brush, as well as the inside of the grinder with a wire brush. When I did this it exposed and loosened a lot of hidden gunk, and actually I had to reassemble and disassemble once more because the first time I ran it after cleaning it, more gunk came loose and choked it up. Point is, it took a couple rounds of cleaning but if you have the canned air people use for cleaning electronics, that would help.

Sounds like you got the bean chute cleaned but yeah, just a matter of sticking your finger in it to loosen up the stuck grinds.

My issue was I was pouring a little too much water into the hopper to combat static. I got a spray bottle and that's helped a bit with the static and not waterboaring the grinder.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

At a Cafe, this was the flush button in the bathroom. Have to say, I might have tamped too hard but this was really cool!

 

[TallDan]

At a Cafe, this was the flush button in the bathroom. Have to say, I might have tamped too hard but this was really cool! View attachment 650318

Cool! Where was that?

I have a Vario as does @jammin. Mine got plugged last week so I had to take it apart. Baratza had a good video on what to do, it's on YouTube. Basically just remove both burrs and clean the burrs with a wire brush, as well as the inside of the grinder with a wire brush. When I did this it exposed and loosened a lot of hidden gunk, and actually I had to reassemble and disassemble once more because the first time I ran it after cleaning it, more gunk came loose and choked it up. Point is, it took a couple rounds of cleaning but if you have the canned air people use for cleaning electronics, that would help.

Sounds like you got the bean chute cleaned but yeah, just a matter of sticking your finger in it to loosen up the stuck grinds.

My issue was I was pouring a little too much water into the hopper to combat static. I got a spray bottle and that's helped a bit with the static and not waterboaring the grinder.

I guess I'm just surprised to have that happen. Never had a problem like that with the Rocky despite generally neglecting to clean it. I don't put water on the beans before putting them in there (although i do that with my other grinder) and I don't use flavored or particularly oily beans.

 

[jammin]

Anyone interested in splitting some of this Honey Processed Ethiopian? No berries mentioned, just a real comfort food sounding type coffee.
CJ1317 - Ethiopia Hafursa Waro “Tej” Process Crown Jewel

Notes:
- 9 minute roast time yielded flavors of "cooked peach, cantaloupe & honey nut Cheerios". Good for espresso.
- High Density. Mostly small screen size of 15/16 with less than avg moisture.
- $137.50/22lbs = $6.25/lb. $7.55 Priority Mail shipping for a total of $38.80 for 5lbs on your doorstep.

(2) 5lb bags to share with the gang 2lb kicker if someone wants a small bag. PM me w/shipping addy to get dialed in
- @Inkleg got you!

 

[Inkleg]

Anyone interested in splitting some of this Honey Processed Ethiopian? No berries mentioned, just a real comfort food sounding type coffee.
CJ1317 - Ethiopia Hafursa Waro “Tej” Process Crown Jewel

Notes:
- 9 minute roast time yielded flavors of "cooked peach, cantaloupe & honey nut Cheerios". Good for espresso.
- High Density. Mostly small screen size of 15/16 with less than avg moisture.
- $137.50/22lbs = $6.25/lb. $7.55 Priority Mail shipping for a total of $38.80 for 5lbs on your doorstep.

(4) 5lb bags to share with the gang 2lb kicker if someone wants a small bag. PM me w/shipping addy to get dialed in

Yes please I’ll take 5.

 

[pshankstar]

This morning I decided to do a triple blend in equal amounts and it turned out really nice. It's a blend of Ethiopian, Honduran and El Savador beans. I wasn't sure if it would be too much but it isn't. Nice, smooth and flavorful! Just thought I would share. Cheers!

 

[Inkleg]

@jammin PP sent. Thanks Brother!

 

[applescrap]

Man wish I could! I got those speakers I was talking about. Each one is a 12 inch woofer and a mid and tweet. Im happier than a pig in mud! They weigh 120 lbs each or something. So that and the surprise disney trip coming up, I am going to roast what I got. But its nice coffee. A couple pounds left of the guat geisha, some more banko and a little hanabongi.

It happened. My wife pulled blueberry out of the banko! Extraction. My wife made a ridiculously strong pot and sure enough that subtle fruit flavor formed blueberry voltron. Man blueberry scone. I saw a video where joe marraco confirmed my suspicion that lighter denser coffee extracts less than dark porous roasts. I have seen at 7 eleven among other places a small amount of porous dark roasts making big pots of coffee. With a light roast wouldnt be good. So yeah, a strong roast revealed some blueberry character.

 

[Ruint]

What may any of the recommendations be for a grinder that is consistent and built for quantity? I have an encore that I use for daily drip, vacuum, or pour overs. I have the sette for grinding my espresso. It is a major pita when I need to grind 1+ pounds at a single time using the encore. Plus, I don't think ole girl will sustain taking a beating like that for long...haven't had successful hits when doing searches for large capacity, industrial, or commercial grinders....other than the mainstay typical user models.

 

[TallDan]

What may any of the recommendations be for a grinder that is consistent and built for quantity? I have an encore that I use for daily drip, vacuum, or pour overs. I have the sette for grinding my espresso. It is a major pita when I need to grind 1+ pounds at a single time using the encore. Plus, I don't think ole girl will sustain taking a beating like that for long...haven't had successful hits when doing searches for large capacity, industrial, or commercial grinders....other than the mainstay typical user models.

Bunn G1! Top notch grinder for drip, built to last for restaurants, and you can find used ones cheap if you look around.

 

[Kealia]

Man wish I could! I got those speakers I was talking about. Each one is a 12 inch woofer and a mid and tweet. Im happier than a pig in mud! They weigh 120 lbs each or something. So that and the surprise disney trip coming up, I am going to roast what I got. But its nice coffee. A couple pounds left of the guat geisha, some more banko and a little hanabongi.

It happened. My wife pulled blueberry out of the banko! Extraction. My wife made a ridiculously strong pot and sure enough that subtle fruit flavor formed blueberry voltron. Man blueberry scone. I saw a video where joe marraco confirmed my suspicion that lighter denser coffee extracts less than dark porous roasts. I have seen at 7 eleven among other places a small amount of porous dark roasts making big pots of coffee. With a light roast wouldnt be good. So yeah, a strong roast revealed some blueberry character.

Funny, I came back to say that we've pulled blueberry out of the Banko, too.
I roasted just to FC+ and we let it rest a week and sure enough, there it is.

It's coming through in a pourover as well as an espresso shot.

 

[TallDan]

What may any of the recommendations be for a grinder that is consistent and built for quantity? I have an encore that I use for daily drip, vacuum, or pour overs. I have the sette for grinding my espresso. It is a major pita when I need to grind 1+ pounds at a single time using the encore. Plus, I don't think ole girl will sustain taking a beating like that for long...haven't had successful hits when doing searches for large capacity, industrial, or commercial grinders....other than the mainstay typical user models.

(another reply to the same post)

I'm sure you've seen the bunn grinders at grocery stores and restaurants. The surprise is that they're great grinders despite the fact that they are widely used for bad coffee. You can often find them for <$200 used because of their popularity, probably <$100 if you're patient or lucky. Do a google search for "bunnzilla" and you'll find lots of information, including burr replacement options, which include ditting and redspeed. They are rather large grinders though, not something most people would have in a kitchen.

 

[applescrap]

+1 those bunns are ubiquitous and seem the right solution. 200 is about their low iirc.

(another reply to the same post)

I'm sure you've seen the bunn grinders at grocery stores and restaurants. The surprise is that they're great grinders despite the fact that they are widely used for bad coffee. You can often find them for <$200 used because of their popularity, probably <$100 if you're patient or lucky. Do a google search for "bunnzilla" and you'll find lots of information, including burr replacement options, which include ditting and redspeed. They are rather large grinders though, not something most people would have in a kitchen.

 

[Ruint]

Haven't been lucky I guess. Either that or my search skills suck!!! Lowest I have found is for $250...and it is for local pick up only....in Michigan! Still looking....they definitely look like they'll do the job, and yeah!!! most people don't have them....weighing in at close to 50 pounds and standing almost 2 feet tall they are not for the space conscience oriented!!!

 

[applescrap]

Only one available here, and its 250 as well. Offer 200 and voila, 200

They come and they go, like everything else. I wouldn't say your search skills suck, but I would say that a killer deal could come up tomorrow, or maybe next year. Never know, sometimes there are 4 or 5 available at once and now, just one.

Haven't been lucky I guess. Either that or my search skills suck!!! Lowest I have found is for $250...and it is for local pick up only....in Michigan! Still looking....they definitely look like they'll do the job, and yeah!!! most people don't have them....weighing in at close to 50 pounds and standing almost 2 feet tall they are not for the space conscience oriented!!!

 

[TallDan]

They come and they go, like everything else. I wouldn't say your search skills suck, but I would say that a killer deal could come up tomorrow, or maybe next year. Never know, sometimes there are 4 or 5 available at once and now, just one.

...like this:
https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/app/d/greenwood-bunn-commercial-coffee-grinder/6995272706.html