A Coder's Guide to Coffee • Hacker News Board

Re: A Coder's Guide to Coffee

#11

Post by mseebach » Thu, May 21, 2009, 12:55 PM UTC

swombat wrote: post #5

mseebach wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quite the opposite, in my experience. The more really good wine I try, the less I'm able to enjoy cheap wine. These days I prefer water over cheap wine, unless I'm specifically trying to get drunk. The same with coffee... after discovering freshly ground French press, I'll drink and really enjoy two cups a day, rather than the 6-10 cups of stale filter coffee I'd drink previously.

Yes. And the reason why you enjoy the quality coffee more than the cheap filter stuff is because it is more pleasurable. That is also the reason why you don't enjoy the cheap stuff anymore - because you know that it's actually pretty bad. You can still drink it anyway, but you know it's not that good. Suggesting that this is a bad thing is kind of suggesting that you don't think your tastes should evolve for the bett…

> Suggesting that this is a bad thing

Oh, I didn't mean to imply that. I think it's great.

Re: A Coder's Guide to Coffee

#12

Post by drp » Thu, May 21, 2009, 1:03 PM UTC

We used a vacuum press at work for a couple of years. It makes great coffee and it's mesmerizing to watch, video here: http://daily.hotpads.com/hotpads_daily/2007/01/coffee_revolu...

Re: A Coder's Guide to Coffee

#13

Post by hedgehog » Thu, May 21, 2009, 1:17 PM UTC

drp wrote: post #12

We used a vacuum press at work for a couple of years. It makes great coffee and it's mesmerizing to watch, video here: http://daily.hotpads.com/hotpads_daily/2007/01/coffee_revolu...

The AeroPress (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GXZ2GS) is another fun device, good coffee from a machine faster and easier to clean than a french press.

Re: A Coder's Guide to Coffee

#14

Post by billymeltdown » Thu, May 21, 2009, 1:18 PM UTC

Oh it's totally show-and-tell time: I'm a big fan of the Stumptown roasters out of PDX, in particular, their "Hair Bender" roast.

Re: A Coder's Guide to Coffee

#15

Post by colonhyphenp » Thu, May 21, 2009, 1:22 PM UTC

discojesus wrote: post #10

chaosmachine wrote: post #2

If you find "mainstream" coffee enjoyable, is it really in your best interest to raise your expectations? If you suddenly find normal coffee lacking, have you really improved your life?

I've tried all the stuff mentioned in the article, and to me personally (allow me to repeat this to nip the obvious retorts in the bud - to ME, PERSONALLY :P) it hasn't made one bit of difference. I still use a french press, but that has a lot to do with convenience. I just don't grind it fresh anymore or spend tons of money on fresh-roasted beans - a bag of 8 O'Clock Colombian works just fine. So you might find that…

I am in the same boat with the french press - I really can't tell that much of a difference between a cup of freshly roasted/ground french press coffee and a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

However, I recently switched to an Aeropress single cup coffee maker, and it is a HUGE difference - it makes a small concentrated cup of coffee with very little bitterness, and brings out the coffee's natural sweetness. Also, I find it easier to use and clean than a french press. See http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress_story.htm

Re: A Coder's Guide to Coffee

#16

Post by colonhyphenp » Thu, May 21, 2009, 1:24 PM UTC

Whole Foods is a good place to go for freshly roasted beans - Most locations I have been to roast their coffee in the store and put roast dates on it.

Re: A Coder's Guide to Coffee

#17

Post by nihilocrat » Thu, May 21, 2009, 2:14 PM UTC

Tea snobbery is a lot less complicated, and doesn't really require any special tools beyond a mesh strainer of some description.

Re: A Coder's Guide to Coffee

#18

Post by raganwald » Thu, May 21, 2009, 2:24 PM UTC

http://merchantsofgreencoffee.com

I swear by them :-)

Re: A Coder's Guide to Coffee

#19

Post by bmj » Thu, May 21, 2009, 2:24 PM UTC

discojesus wrote: post #10

chaosmachine wrote: post #2

If you find "mainstream" coffee enjoyable, is it really in your best interest to raise your expectations? If you suddenly find normal coffee lacking, have you really improved your life?

I've tried all the stuff mentioned in the article, and to me personally (allow me to repeat this to nip the obvious retorts in the bud - to ME, PERSONALLY :P) it hasn't made one bit of difference. I still use a french press, but that has a lot to do with convenience. I just don't grind it fresh anymore or spend tons of money on fresh-roasted beans - a bag of 8 O'Clock Colombian works just fine. So you might find that…

I used to not care much about beans, but recently, I've changed my tune. Now, I don't spend a lot of money on beans (I buy five pound bags of Equal Exchange from my co-op, since I get a 20% discount on bulk orders), but we had to use Eight O'Clock beans for a few days waiting for an order, and oh my, that coffee was not good.

I do appreciate a good cup of coffee, with fresh beans, a good brewing method, etc, etc. But...I don't have the time or motivation to do that regularly.

Re: A Coder's Guide to Coffee

#20

Post by tom_b » Thu, May 21, 2009, 2:30 PM UTC

I'm a espresso fan. A double or triple shot americano to start the day is awesome, particularly when the kids (toddlers) have kept Mom and Dad up half the night.

I use a Gaggia Classic espresso maker (bought used on ebay for a decent price) and a hacked Krups burr grinder (added #4 washers to allow the burrs to get a good espresso grind). It's hard to make a bad shot with this setup - easily beats what you can get at most coffee shops, except for one shop in my town that has both high quality baristas and a really good commercial espresso machine. I also have access to fresh, locally roasted organic espresso beans. If you're a latte or mocha fan, buy a stovetop steamer and do a little research on how to properly steam milk. Guests are usually impressed.

It's a fun setup and I enjoy the preparation ritual. If only my kids were old enough to begin their barista training . . .