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Handbrewing Coffee

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Re: Handbrewing Coffee

#111

Post by gknoy »

dreen wrote: post #83

Has anyone here managed to quit coffee completely after being really into it? I have 1-2 a day, can't imagine starting starting a day without it, but despite really loving the taste I would rather not feel the need to have it.

I'm not sure if I count as "really into it" (in that it doesn't spark joy for me), but I was drinking 1-2 cups a day every morning. I felt like a zombie until I had my coffee, etc.

My family went on vacation for a couple weeks without me, and I just ... didn't make any coffee. The first day or three sucked, comparatively, but by the time the first weekend rolled around, I realized that I had completely forgotten about the coffee.

In short: just stop drinking it, and suffer through the first few days. ;) Consider brewing tea in the morning if you need the ritual. Make sure you are drinking enough water to stay hydrated.

Re: Handbrewing Coffee

#112

Post by zwieback »

I've used the same french press for 25 years, granted it's a nice one. I throw the grounds in the compost, seems easy and quick. I'm not the one drinking the coffee, though, my wife is so I can't say if it's as tasty as other options.

Pour-over seems almost as easy but you have to remember to stock filters.

Re: Handbrewing Coffee

#113

Post by falcolas »

gambiting wrote: post #98
ubermonkey wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Chemex pots are NOT expensive. I don't know where you got that idea. The classic (which is to say, fancier, with the wooden collar) 8-cup model is $37 on Amazon right now. At our house, going to Chemex meant shifting from genuinely expensive drip machines that were hard or impossible to properly clean, and which therefore got replaced every few years. It's a drastically LESS expensive method than most.

At my house everyone always drank coffee that wasn't going through any machine whatsoever. You just put a teaspoon of ground coffee in a cup and poured water over it, drinking it after the grounds settled down. I don't know, I feel like $37 for a glass container that still needs filters is asking for quite a lot. A nice french press is like $10.

FWIW, drip and french press produce different tasting coffees.

For example, using the same coffee, I like french press coffee and hate chemex-style drip coffee. The latter brings out too much bitterness for my tastes.

Re: Handbrewing Coffee

#114

Post by [deleted] »

briankirby wrote: post #106
Tarks wrote: post #95

For anyone interested I did a fair bit of research into how I could step into the passable home espresso / coffee game as I WFH a lot. Given that : - I make at most 3 coffees a day, usually 1. - I prefer espresso I found the traditional options lacking. I'd need: - a machine costing about £600 - a solid quality grinder. - machine needs 20 minutes warmup minimum before you can pour a consistent shot (or you need to le…

I went through a similar search for a cheap homemade espresso and ended up landing on the 3-cup Moka pot. It's not exactly espresso, but I find it's good enough for me, especially if I put it into a cappuccino or something else.

[deleted]

Re: Handbrewing Coffee

#115

Post by webninja »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #10
Yetanfou wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It sounds like you lost a neutral or even positive while gaining a negative here: lost is the ability to drink a common beverage without feeling bad about being uncultured, gained is a dependency on commercial brands - Aeropress and Chemex - and related niche products - in this case African coffee - as well as a related ritual - 'hand-brewing coffee'. In both cases you satisfied your thirst for caffeine, the differen…

Hey that describes pretty much any food preference? We should all learn to live with terrible cooking too? On that note, I had two total lunch fails last week. Food delivered to the table, that I couldn't eat. Is it the phase of the moon? The political climate? The cold weather?

Did it have olives in it?

Re: Handbrewing Coffee

#116

Post by lostlogin »

Tarks wrote: post #95

For anyone interested I did a fair bit of research into how I could step into the passable home espresso / coffee game as I WFH a lot. Given that : - I make at most 3 coffees a day, usually 1. - I prefer espresso I found the traditional options lacking. I'd need: - a machine costing about £600 - a solid quality grinder. - machine needs 20 minutes warmup minimum before you can pour a consistent shot (or you need to le…

Thanks for this.

I’m not suggesting you change what clearly works well, but anyone starting out should consider second hand gear. The best espresso gear ages well, is repairable and is readily available second hand. The machines Rancillio Silva, La Cimbali Junior and the grinders by Mazzer are all readily available and affordable if you are patient. Bought dirty, chipped and not working is best - then the price is lowest, sub $50US each is the best I’ve achieved.

I’m yet to find one that isn’t just a broken on/off switch or disconnected cable. All the parts are easily sourced and a careful respray is cheap. The above machines are commercial grade and designed to be pulled apart quickly using a screwdriver or two and maybe a spanner. Careful though. It’s a very slippery slope.

Re: Handbrewing Coffee

#117

Post by lostlogin »

ip26 wrote: post #94
earthscienceman wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's really funny to me to just how much junk information there is in the coffee world and just how strongly people believe it. Even here on hackernews it seems. This is the exact sort of 'fact' that sounds good, and makes you feel like you know what you're talking about. I'm a roaster. All coffee is sorted by size, or at least all quality coffee. It's necessary, not only for an even roast, but it's also an inherent…

It's not even like sorting by size would be difficult. All you need is a sieve-like machine with different size holes & hoppers for each. Or a sluice-box, or one of many other ways to accomplish this. If it made a huge difference in quality, and it was not hard to do- everyone would be doing it. And indeed, they are. WRT junk info, coffee is not that different from audiophiles or wine. Luxury product, real difference…

Mostly true, but unlike high end audio, the best coffee can be bought by most people. The best I’ve ever had was $2US.

Re: Handbrewing Coffee

#118

Post by Dirlewanger »

dreen wrote: post #83

Has anyone here managed to quit coffee completely after being really into it? I have 1-2 a day, can't imagine starting starting a day without it, but despite really loving the taste I would rather not feel the need to have it.

I quit it cold turkey, got the headaches for a couple days, and at the longest time, didn't do it for a whole week. I felt okay and did work fine, but when I had a cup after being off it for that week, it worked. It was an actual drug with an actual buzz, and I was insanely productive with it. However, it seemed to stay in my system a lot longer, so I'd have to drink it real early in the morning, or else a cup I drank at 8am would have me up until midnight. I've eventually switched back to having just 1 cup in the morning (as opposed to 3-4/day when I originally quit).

Re: Handbrewing Coffee

#119

Post by linsomniac »

We got a Moccamaster 3-ish years ago, and honestly I haven't been that happy with the coffee it makes. But we also don't have a grinder, so we are using preground beans. But those same beans when run through a Chemex pourover taste dramatically different. Even though the Moccamaster is meant to mimic the pour over brew.

I have switched to the Chemex, partly because as this article says I am liking the process. Partly because it tends to taste better. The Moccamaster does seem more consistent, it's just, to my taste, more consistently bad. Sometimes my Chemex is as bad, sometimes it is great... At home I have an Oxo BaristaBrain, and that is more consistently good, for some reason. But I also grind beans there with a pretty high end grinder (Virtuoso by ...?).

In the end, I have come to enjoy the break in the day that the brew gives me. I don't tend to take breaks otherwise, and I should, but that is a good opportunity.

Re: Handbrewing Coffee

#120

Post by lostlogin »

viciousvoxel wrote: post #60
cr1895 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I usually took that to be an indicator of freshness. I've only heard it described as a flaw. None of the recently and well-roasted beans from the local roasters I visit sell oily beans. But Starbucks? Or typical grocery coffee? Usually always dark and oily.

Surface oils are not an indicator of quality either way. The roasting process brings oils to the surface, so darker roasts tend to have more surface oils. From what I understand, the oils appear a few days after roasting, and then dry out/reabsorb after a few weeks.

Mostly how I see it too. I roast my own and I like it quite dark. I stop roasting when the first bit of oil appears and sprinkle water on to slow things down. The oil keeps coming out until the heat leaves, so getting the heat out of it is my objective. Stir and a little water, and wait until it cools about to touch. The oil doesn’t seem to keep coming out after the heat has left.
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