Chili Oil Notes • Hacker News Board

Re: Chili Oil Notes

#161

Post by valrix » Fri, Sep 22, 2023, 5:40 PM UTC

esperent wrote: post #145

RevEng wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Check out James Hoffman on YouTube. He tests many machines, including grinders, using double blind taste tests, and he can reliably tell the difference between many machines. Though keep in mind that his palate is especially refined. Average Joe buying a coffee at Baskin Robbins isn't going to notice the difference between different high end grinders.

I meant by real scientists in a lab, not a YouTuber. Like a consumer testing lab maybe, or a university. Besides, I've watched a good few Hoffman videos - including his high end grinder reviews - and while they are great, they aren't scientific standard double blind tests. They're just him in his kitchen. I did search in case I missed anything, but can't find any videos that you might mean. If you have a specific vid…

> I meant by real scientists in a lab, not a YouTuber. Like a consumer testing lab maybe, or a university.

Maybe look more into who he actually is before dismissing him? He's a National Barista Championship winner and has decades of professional coffee experience and knowledge beyond just brewing a daily cup. He also co-founded a roasting company that became the largest wholesale specialty coffee supplier in London. It's not like he just popped onto Youtube one day in 2016 and decided to start making coffee videos.

Re: Chili Oil Notes

#162

Post by 2muchcoffeeman » Sat, Sep 23, 2023, 7:09 AM UTC

c0pium wrote: post #143

2muchcoffeeman wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The mistake you’re making is that not all variables are under your control. Getting better and better beans is very hard. You’re stuck with what is available. You’re stuck with what water is available (if you’re a reasonable person). You’re stuck with the local roasters. So of the variables you can control, the grinder is the most important piece of equipment you can buy.

Of course they are, don’t be so helpless. Getting good beans vs Starbucks is trivial. You’re obviously not limited to local roasters, google “specialty coffee delivery”, it needs to rest for around a week anyway. As is getting filtered water (in-line under your sink for less than $100, filter pitcher for a fraction of that) and saline drops (you can buy them for next to nothing online or mad-science your own for even…

The other mistake you’re making is thinking people haven’t tried all of this and this is new information to them. And that trying all that results in a product that someone else prefers.

The fact is, there is a certain level of spend needed. If you’re not making espresso, this is very low these days. You can get very cheap, good gear. If you are making espresso, you’re spending several hundred minimum. Although you can lower your spend quite a bit if you’re willing to hand grind for espresso.

Re: Chili Oil Notes

#163

Post by timvdalen » Sat, Sep 23, 2023, 11:19 AM UTC

elhudy wrote: post #58

I love nerding out on food as mich as the next person. On food and cooking is one of my favorite kitchen tools. Sichuan chili oil is a staple condiment in our house. That said, i find the following to be an oft-repeated bs phrase parroted across the internet. You can find it tracing back to reddit threads over ten years ago. > You can end up with what are called fines and boulders, fines being tiny, dust-like pieces…

You can absolutely taste the difference between a crappy grinder and a good grinder. I'm not sure what a carbon fiber grinder is, but a proper flat burr grinder that produces a relatively uniform grind size makes the biggest difference in coffee taste, as long as the coffee you're drinking hasn't been burned to ash.

Re: Chili Oil Notes

#164

Post by c0pium » Mon, Sep 25, 2023, 12:30 AM UTC

2muchcoffeeman wrote: post #162

c0pium wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course they are, don’t be so helpless. Getting good beans vs Starbucks is trivial. You’re obviously not limited to local roasters, google “specialty coffee delivery”, it needs to rest for around a week anyway. As is getting filtered water (in-line under your sink for less than $100, filter pitcher for a fraction of that) and saline drops (you can buy them for next to nothing online or mad-science your own for even…

The other mistake you’re making is thinking people haven’t tried all of this and this is new information to them. And that trying all that results in a product that someone else prefers. The fact is, there is a certain level of spend needed. If you’re not making espresso, this is very low these days. You can get very cheap, good gear. If you are making espresso, you’re spending several hundred minimum. Although you c…

If you’d tried it we wouldn’t be having this conversation. It’s ok, no need to be defensive.