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I used sound waves to make espresso

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Re: I used sound waves to make espresso

#161

Post by LtWorf »

gerdesj wrote: post #93
__alexs wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The majority of people that drink espresso drink it with milk.

Have you lost your mind 8) Espresso is so named because you "express" the brew from the beans and you do that with water because water is pretty neutral in flavour, is not poisonous and has quite a few other properties that we have evolved to exploit or live with. Milk is a weird liquid associated with mammals nursing infants. We humans have evolved to be somewhat lactose tolerant post infancy which is rare in animal…

If we are using italian definitions, "latte" is just a glass of milk.

Re: I used sound waves to make espresso

#163

Post by Arch-TK »

nailer wrote: post #39
youngprogrammer wrote: post #6

At a 3 minute shot, I’d rather use the same time to do a pour over

How long does it take for water to boil? This is slower but still not by much.

If you have a thermoblock espresso machine, the brewing part can be over and done with in all of 1 minute.

But either way, the time consuming parts are preparation and cleanup.

Re: I used sound waves to make espresso

#164

Post by embedding-shape »

djtango wrote: post #141
moozilla wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is only true for poor quality coffee. The hot temperature masks defects (bitterness). Good coffee tastes better as it cools. https://www.baristamagazine.com/the-temperature-paradox-why-...

I find this is definitely true for americano and pour overs but I don't drink enough espresso to know if this also true? I at least feel the sentiment that you want to drink an espresso fairly quickly although I do enjoy savouring it and also drink water in between to re-experience it on the palette

> I at least feel the sentiment that you want to drink an espresso fairly quickly although

There is so many different ways and subjective taste palettes that I don't think there is one way. When I was younger and in a rush, I always drank my espresso maybe 30-60 seconds after they made it, the heat became part of what I enjoyed (eventually). Now I let it cool down to just above room-temperature if I know the place has good beans/roast as I feel even more flavor then. If I'm drinking a Americano, then it pretty much ends up room temperature before I even start drinking it.

Then we have my neighbor who I end up at the same cafe in sometimes, who poor their espresso into a glass of ice, then drink it, and they seem to enjoy their coffee just as much as me, so in the end, I don't think there is a right way here :)

Re: I used sound waves to make espresso

#165

Post by embedding-shape »

__alexs wrote: post #86
LtWorf wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You think people who drink espresso would be ok with drinking milk? Also a majority of humans are lactose intolerant.

The majority of people that drink espresso drink it with milk.

Sometimes I wish HN had flags of where the person is living next to the username or something. This is obviously true for some/many places in the world, but also probably sacrilegious to even think out loud in others.

FWIW, once you poor milk into your espresso, it stops being an espresso, and depending on the coffee/milk ratio (and milk preparation), you know have a Cortado, Cappuccino, or a number of other versions.

So ultimately: no, no one drinks espresso with milk, it's not a thing, they start with an espresso, then turn it into a different espresso-based coffee drink :)

Re: I used sound waves to make espresso

#166

Post by embedding-shape »

stevage wrote: post #134
nazgul17 wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To play the devil's advocate, though, you wouldn't drink espresso at 80 degrees, no? Provided the cup is warm to begin with, you could brew at 50 degrees and still have perfect temperature espresso for drinking? Those 30 degrees are bound to save a bunch of energy, I'd think.

It's relatively common around here for people (especially older folks) to order coffee extra hot. Holding the coffee for a while and smelling it as it cools to a drinkable temperature is all part of an enjoyable process. I'm always wary of studies that claim that there is some optimal way to have coffee. People have different preferences.

> I'm always wary of studies that claim that there is some optimal way to have coffee. People have different preferences.

I've gone one step further and is wary of any study that claims something highly subjective can be "optimized". "Best way to X" or whatever is always bullshit, just do what you feel like, aim to do whatever you find is fun and life will work out.

Re: I used sound waves to make espresso

#167

Post by embedding-shape »

cluckindan wrote: post #100
comrade1234 wrote: post #3

My dad was stationed on a submarine in the navy and he and a few others used to dump their laundry in the ultra-sonic cleaner normally used to clean engine parts. Said it did a great job....

Submarines didn’t always have laundry services. For a 90-day trip, the crew would bring six uniforms and rotate them daily. Shower was one minute of water once a week. Everyone smoked tobacco all the time, everywhere.

> Submarines didn’t always have laundry services [...] Everyone smoked tobacco all the time, everywhere

When the choice is between the smell of unwashed and sweaty sailors with dirty clothes, or smoke, ashes, fag-ends and tobacco, then surely the latter beats the former.

Re: I used sound waves to make espresso

#168

Post by ibaikov »

stevage wrote: post #137
ibaikov wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is a myth that an espresso shot 'dies' if you let it sit. A good espresso shot won't become worse.

I disagree. I have done the experiment a lot because often I make two shots and reheat the second one. It's noticeably less flavoursome and much less aromatic than the first.

No, reheating for sure will evaporate some compounds and might even overextract it, especially if there are still tiny particles in the coffee - like in moka or ibrik (cezve). Again, drink your shot at room temp or close to it. If brewed correctly, it would be somewhat close to tea or juice. It will still taste good, just cold. Mostly as coffee cools it becomes less bitter, more sweet and a tiny bit pleasantly acidic, more clear and less oily.

Some coffeeshops even recommend to taste it while it cools off and not drink straight away.

At WBC judges need to evaluate coffee as it cools down. Some people brew coffee using extract chilling - over a cool steel ball or using chilled portafilters.

I really don't understand how this myth of 'dead' shots still exists.

Re: I used sound waves to make espresso

#169

Post by stevage »

ibaikov wrote: post #168
stevage wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree. I have done the experiment a lot because often I make two shots and reheat the second one. It's noticeably less flavoursome and much less aromatic than the first.

No, reheating for sure will evaporate some compounds and might even overextract it, especially if there are still tiny particles in the coffee - like in moka or ibrik (cezve). Again, drink your shot at room temp or close to it. If brewed correctly, it would be somewhat close to tea or juice. It will still taste good, just cold. Mostly as coffee cools it becomes less bitter, more sweet and a tiny bit pleasantly acidic…

> Again, drink your shot at room temp or close to it.

I, um, do not wish to do this.

> Some coffeeshops even recommend to taste it while it cools off and not drink straight away.

Those coffee shops can with their own business.

Re: I used sound waves to make espresso

#170

Post by quickthrowman »

IAmGraydon wrote: post #80
quickthrowman wrote: post #76

An espresso machine is essentially a 1-2kW electric boiler, a compressor pump, some valves/actuators, and some PIDs, right? Even if it draws 1.5kW constant for 24h/day that’s only 36kWh. That’s about ~$5 to ~$15 of electricity, depending on how mismanaged your utility is. It costs less than an hour of labor to power an espresso machine for an entire day, the energy cost to pull a shot is negligible, pennies. The roof…

You’re missing the real cash cow here: industrial scale production.

That’s a very good point, I’d wager that the energy input cost for industrial scale coffee brewing is a larger portion of the overall cost than it is for a shot pulled in a cafe. Reducing input energy by 75% in that case is huge, it’s like switching from resistive heating to a heat pump, any operator would jump at the chance to save that money if the process time is comparable and the ultrasonic brewing equipment plus lower energy costs has a lower amortized cost than the existing plant.
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