All Things Coffee ...

kylelovescrayons

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Well folks ... how about a thread where we discuss all things coffee ... Favorite brew methods, shops, beans, baristas, coffee infused liquors, stouts, etc.

You get the idea!

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Pinned thread, double points for commenting.
 
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YASSSSSSSSSS!

For the sake of posterity I'll recap my shit from the BxLio91 AMA.

I've got a Keurig at home as well as a French Press. The Keurig is a godsend for mornings with a toddler. When I'm able to take a little more time I use the French Press. After kylelovescrayons kylelovescrayons beautiful post in that thread, I'm very interested in going ahead and picking up the AeroPress and a Sowden Softbrew coffee maker.

Are there any Coffee vendors that you (generally speaking) prefer? online shops?
 
kylelovescrayons kylelovescrayons fantastic post:

Since BXLio is a self-described not a big coffee guy I'm gonna take a swing -

All coffee methods have their merits -

Personally I have 9 brew methods at my house because I am a big coffee guy. In my humblest of opinions drip (standard) is shit. You are using a great deal of coffee beans brewed fairly inefficiently and then some of it needs to sit - which sadly makes it worse by the minute (having nothing to do with heat and everything to do with air.)

I also can't stand K-cups - we have them at my job. Super environmentally terrible, and poor quality beans. For these reasons I have pretty much pushed for it's replacement with something almost as easy and infinitely better ... (details to come) - that being said people on the go-go still enjoy it's ease and quickness - but will we all like living in K-cup igloos after the apocalypse?

I have enjoyed french press coffee many times, and have a big one at home. I occasionally use this to make coffee when I have a few guests over. Not a bad method - but the actual pressing can lead to some grit and some bitterness that is not intended so i prefer the Sowden Softbrew - also what I have brought to work to replace the K-Cup. Plus it makes great cold brew overnight in your fridge!



Although the Sowden is an incredibly low acid high flavor brew - the tastiest brew method for me is the Chemex and that is my go-to for multiple guests coming over since I don't have a solo or two cup one, only the big 8 cup version. It does require a filter which neither of the previous methods require.

Other interesting methods are the pour-over styles, namely the hario and kaleda (I prefer kaleda)

Lastly you mention Aero-press!

I love me some aeropress - when I have time, and just want one cup for myself i often reach for the aeropress - the coffee ritual for me, weighing and grinding the beans, measuring out my portion, brewing etc. is made even more fun with a little assembly of the aero-press - but again I say when I have time because if you do not clean your aero-press before enjoying your cup it can be a real pain to get apart and clean. My favorite travel piece (light) great for camping and at one point you could even use one while flying in an airplane - damn terrorists ruin everything.

So to answer your question

Best low-skill ease of coffee-making - Sowden Softbrew
Best replacement for French press - Chemex
Great single cup options - Kaleda or hario-style pourover
Delicious but requires more skill and time - Aero-press.

Obviously all this should be done with beans ground to the correct format and that have bean sealed in an airtight container. These beans should be no older than a month past roasting date.

Thoughts?
 
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I'm not the least bit sophisticated.........Keurig + adaptor for using my own coffee rather than K Cups works fine for me. Toss in a shot of Jameson or Bushmills with the after dinner cup and now you're talking.
 
French press -invented in Italy- less time to grind the beans and goes right in the fridge with the leftovers. Perfect for iced coffee when I get home. easy to clean
 
Best coffee ive ever had: machiato at an italian vending machine in Venice. Fuckinv perfect

As for NYC: right downy broome by the Brooklyn Bridge theres a shop. Idk the name but its pretty good
 
Kyle can you give us a rundown on coffee grinders the way you did with all of the brewing options?
 
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Grinders are so freakin' expensive, man. I did so much research on them when I was looking to buy. I settled on a Baratza Preciso. I grabbed it from JL Hufford and got a free 12oz. bag of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee that was fantastic. What you really need to decide is what you want to spend. I went with the Preciso because I wanted a quality grind for espresso but didn't need top of the line. To get a top quality grinder, you'll need to be in the 500+ range.

You can't go wrong with Baratza, Rancilio or Mazzer.
 
Because I'm a zombie capable only of grunting in the morning, I use a Keurig. Gevalia K-Cups mostly. Tried Panera Light Brew K-Cup this morning and wasn't blown away.

2 Stevia's and organic half n half for me.
 
Toss in a shot of Jameson with the after dinner cup and now you're talking.


:cool:

OH YEAH

That's my go-to morning drink when I'm in the French Quarter in New Orleans.

It's the best remedy after a booze fest the night before.
 
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Kyle can you give us a rundown on coffee grinders the way you did with all of the brewing options?

Hellz Yeah although R roxfontaine gave a good jist of it.

For grinders it's really not so much the brands but the style, type, and materials.

So you want to grind coffee. Well there are a few things to think about. First what am I grinding for. If you are using your grinder for exclusively espresso then getting a dosing grinder that does so at very low heat and grinds ultra fine is a priority. That being said if you want an all-purpose grinders your priorities are different. If most of those words made no sense don't worry I'll get you there.

First of what does the grinder do? It makes your beans into a usable powder of varying coarseness. The things to consider with a grinder is that it not only has to mash your coffee beans but also bear in mind that the grinding action generates heat. Heat, just like air, is the enemy of your cup of coffee (until you are brewing obviously.) the more heat a grinder generates and puts on your beans the blechy it is going to make your coffee and negate all your hard work. Your ability to taste and care about this heating weighed against your willingness to spend money is the big thing with grinders.

So there are three types of Choppas inside grinders. Blade grinders, Conical Burr and Plate Burr Grinders.

Blade grinders are great for herb, not coffee, I don't know why they exist.

Conical are a set usually 2, sometimes 3 cone shaped sharp things that mash and grind up the coffee. Plate Grinders catch the beans between two flat plates that also mash and grind the coffee. In my opinion there is no real difference. Generally the conical are cheaper and I know how to maintain them so that's what I use (see below for my set up.)

Next up is the material these Burrs are made of - The lowest priced-ones are made of a carbon based metal - more heat, don't last as long, and generally grind almost as fine. If you are exclusively/specifically looking to do espresso this is not going to be good enough for you.

Next up are ceramic ones - these last a lot longer, grind a little better, and transfer a lot less heat to the beans in grinding. Hence superior.

Lastly there are grinders that dose and don't. Dose simply means that you place your portafilter (magic espresso wand) under it and it puts in a set amount. With a doseless you are weighing out your amount putting it in the hopper and grinding.

I really don't recommend a dosing grinder unless you are doing lots of multiple espressos on the regular. Weigh your beans, add it to the hopper for each coffee. It's fun, gives you something to do with that digital scale you have from college, and makes making all different kinds of coffee (aeropress,drip etc) easier.

So where does that leave you - Mazzer, Rancilio, and Baratza are all great brands. I feel like Baratza is the most common and also the easiest to find on sale -

So there Conicals in order are -

Encore, Virtuoso and Preciso

Encore - Cheap, effective metal burrs, great for pretty much everything except espresso (get's a little hot and not super fine enough for consumer level espresso machines)

Virtuoso - Basically the Encore with cermaic burrs and thus better for espresso

Preciso - as rox said - damn fine for espresso!

For the flat burr you end up with a digital interface - and comes basically doser and none -

Both called the Vario - all ceramic - very nice. I've never used one but they are very well reviewed.

So lastly what on earth do I have and use?

As stated I have a volatile little espresso machine that i repeatedly beat and wish I could drastically upgrade. So for me the grind is important (I make espresso daily) - I have the Baratza Encore. Now I know what you are thinking - Kyle you said metal burrs not great for espresso ... This is true - so here is what you do. You buy the Encore for between 100-150 dollars. Then you order online replacement ceramic burrs for the Preciso. THEY FIT! The burrs cost about $30. Watch some online tutorials on the baratza website and BOOM! you have seriously upgraded your grinder for half the price. You still can't get that absurdly fine powder but for me it works. Now in truth I'd prefer a nicer grinder and wil get a nicer one before I upgrade my machine but for now this is what I'm doing.

I hope this helps?

I'm happy to run through other brands but frankly the websites of each one should give you the info you need, i.e. style of burr, material, digital or analog, and heat output.