Coffee thread

[Doug Dawson]

Roast your own. Why anybody drinks bad coffee in this day and age is something I do not understand.

A lot of people are saying that you can feed raw beans to your dog, recover the beans afterwards, and this bypasses the need to roast them. You could call it Bowser Brand. Who needs Folgers.

[Chris Fairbanks]

My wife really likes Equator Coffee. They are also based in the Bay Area and do all their own roasting in house. Her favorite is their equator blend. They make all the Coffees for Thomas Keller’s restaurants including the French Laundry though my wife does not like that blend. They are offering free shipping on all orders due to COVID. https://www.equatorcoffees.com/

[Stan Calow]

I like to bring back coffees from places we travel to. So far best we've had is Alto Grande from Puerto Rico, and El Rey from Costa Rica. But for everyday use, we like the Barissimo Columbian that Aldi's sells. And sometimes Folgers is good enough. So is my Mr Coffee.

[Patrick Walsh]

Wow guys this thread is a perfect example of you never know on a forum what will be popular.

I’ll update daily/weekly as my brew changes.

Like one poster I’m having a sense I shouldn’t drink coffee as I have been having some Intermittent but noticeable heart/chest pains. I know go to the doctor. Not a chance right now and probably Not for a long time.

Today I’m drinking I’m drinking Stumptown 100 Mile. I’d give it a 8.5 ish and moderate to medium roast. Not but butter or over roasted at all. It would not be the forst bag I’d grab off the shelf had I the choice but it’s sure beats many other options.

[roger wiegand]

Major Dickason's from Peets since I lived next door to the Menlo Park store in 1978. I remember meeting Mr. Peet a few times during those years. I'm very disappointed that the stores don't make it full strength anymore, but the bean quality seems to be as good as ever despite the huge scale up. Mr. Peet would be appalled that they're selling coffee weeks or even months after it's been roasted, likewise that they sell food in the coffee shops. He hated that idea.

I've tried hundreds of other coffees over the years, have found a couple that I liked about as well, none better. Can't beat a well-roasted Sumatran bean. My second favorite is the Clover-brewed Sumatra at Starbucks. Don't think much of any of their other offerings, but the Clover machine is killer. Wish I could afford one!

These days I make coffee at home in a Jura superautomatic espresso machine, having fiddled with every coffee making device imaginable. It's quite good, not as good as the in-store pour-over coffee in Menlo Park or Berkeley used to be, but we've easily paid for the machine in savings on having no wasted coffee. I've never successfully replicated the intensity of the old in-store brew at home; makes me a little crazy that I can't crack that.

[Brian Hale]

Roast your own. Why anybody drinks bad coffee in this day and age is something I do not understand.

Exactly!
Been roasting for ~15 years and aside from being Much cheaper ($5-$7 per pound) i'm in control of how dark a roast it i want. Some are better on the light side and others do better darker. I'll often roast a 1/4lb dark, start cooling half way through 2nd crack and blend with 1lb medium roast, cooling at the end of first crack.

2 roasters and 3 of my current favorites.

20200604_093114[1]_DxO.jpg20200604_093345[1]_DxO.jpg

[Patrick Walsh]

I live less than a mile from the Pete’s in Wellesley.

It used to be my weekend go to coffee spot. I make it durning the week.

Major dicks is good as is much of their coffee. Most all of it though does have a unique flavor or something going on that when compared to other options I just don’t like. Or maybe I just tired of it. I suppose o tend to do that with stuff. I get on kicks as I like routine then I burn out on the routine I’m so enamored by.

Major Dickason's from Peets since I lived next door to the Menlo Park store in 1978. I remember meeting Mr. Peet a few times during those years. I'm very disappointed that the stores don't make it full strength anymore, but the bean quality seems to be as good as ever despite the huge scale up. Mr. Peet would be appalled that they're selling coffee weeks or even months after it's been roasted, likewise that they sell food in the coffee shops. He hated that idea.

I've tried hundreds of other coffees over the years, have found a couple that I liked about as well, none better. Can't beat a well-roasted Sumatran bean. My second favorite is the Clover-brewed Sumatra at Starbucks. Don't think much of any of their other offerings, but the Clover machine is killer. Wish I could afford one!

These days I make coffee at home in a Jura superautomatic espresso machine, having fiddled with every coffee making device imaginable. It's quite good, not as good as the in-store pour-over coffee in Menlo Park or Berkeley used to be, but we've easily paid for the machine in savings on having no wasted coffee. I've never successfully replicated the intensity of the old in-store brew at home; makes me a little crazy that I can't crack that.

[Jim Tobias]

Peet's Major Dickinson for a long while ......until I recently tried Lavazza Super Crema. It makes a very smooth expresso and latte and Machiatto, etc.. It is also not a greasy bean which is recommended in our Zura machine.

Jim

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Exactly!
Been roasting for ~15 years and aside from being Much cheaper ($5-$7 per pound) i'm in control of how dark a roast it i want. Some are better on the light side and others do better darker. I'll often roast a 1/4lb dark, start cooling half way through 2nd crack and blend with 1lb medium roast, cooling at the end of first crack.

I have that roaster on the right. A batch lasts us 2-3 days.

Being cheaper and in control of the roast is part of it, but the part is not having to drink stale coffee.

We do buy larger bags. Last one was a Kenyan lot, 60 pounds for under $5/pound.

[Brian Hale]

The SR500 was my first roaster, followed by an expensive piece of junk that lasted less then a year. The Behmor on the left is ~10 years old and still doing great. I like the 500 for my 1/4lb dark roasts.

I normally by 5 -10 lbs of different kinds and if there's one i really like i'll get an additional 40 lbs. I enjoy the variety and trying new batches. My wife doesn't drink coffee but likes to way it smells. I grind with Breville Smart grinder and brew in a Moccamaster.

A neat thing to try if your brewer has a brew pause so you can remove the pot while it's brewing is to start the brew without the pot under it and wait till the grounds are all wet and the off white cream appears in the basket. then put the pot under it. With some coffees this can really improve the taste and cut back on the acidity.

[Patrick Walsh]

Ok so you like know coffee..

Keep talking..

I just can’t imagine taking on one more thing I have to do weekly and roast my coffee. But I also refuse to drink anything other than ultra premium for a lack of a better word. Rather just suffer the headache for a few week and not drink the stuff.

The SR500 was my first roaster, followed by an expensive piece of junk that lasted less then a year. The Behmor on the left is ~10 years old and still doing great. I like the 500 for my 1/4lb dark roasts.

I normally by 5 -10 lbs of different kinds and if there's one i really like i'll get an additional 40 lbs. I enjoy the variety and trying new batches. My wife doesn't drink coffee but likes to way it smells. I grind with Breville Smart grinder and brew in a Moccamaster.

A neat thing to try if your brewer has a brew pause so you can remove the pot while it's brewing is to start the brew without the pot under it and wait till the grounds are all wet and the off white cream appears in the basket. then put the pot under it. With some coffees this can really improve the taste and cut back on the acidity.

[Darcy Warner]

My coffee of choice is sugar free redbull.

Hot liquids are disgusting

[Bill Carey]

I tried Death Wish for a while. Not bad. I've been drinking Sputnik coffee for the last several months. Like it. All I ever drink is water and coffee. And a small glass of apple juice in the am. Coffee all day, right up till I go to bed.

[Brian Hale]

Ok so you like know coffee..

Keep talking..

I just can’t imagine taking on one more thing I have to do weekly and roast my coffee. But I also refuse to drink anything other than ultra premium for a lack of a better word. Rather just suffer the headache for a few week and not drink the stuff.

Most coffee you can buy is a blend of several different coffees, unless it's labeled Single Origin. There's several reasons for this but mainly it's so the seller can maintain a specific flavor profile. The flavor and quality of coffee from any one location changes from season to season based on things like weather and having several different coffees on hand to blend helps maintain this flavor.
Growing coffee is somewhat of an art form as the flavor can be effected by what other crops are grown among the coffee trees such as lemon and spices.
Also how the coffee is processed, and where it's grown, can have a great effect; Washed, Dry, Semi dry, Monsooned etc.
If you're looking try something a little different seek out single origin medium roasts. If it's got a name like Thunder Bolt or Major Dickason's it a blend.
There's 2 main coffee types, Arabica and Robusta, the latter has a much higher caffeine content but really poor flavor so it's mixed with Arabica to make it taste better and called something like Jump Start.
Your coffee maker and water quality has a significant effect on the flavor. The water temp needs to be between 195-205 degrees when it contacts the grounds and the water itself needs to be good quality. "city" water with a noticeable amount of bleach will ruin coffee as will a high amount of minerals. If you drink bottled water because your tap water doesn't taste good your coffee won't taste good.
I buy my green beans from Burman Coffee Traders. Have a look at their Learning Center for some good information.

https://burmancoffee.com/coffee-roasting/

Brian

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Ok so you like know coffee..

Keep talking..

I just can’t imagine taking on one more thing I have to do weekly and roast my coffee. But I also refuse to drink anything other than ultra premium for a lack of a better word. Rather just suffer the headache for a few week and not drink the stuff.

With the smaller roasters like a FreshRoast, it takes 4-6 minutes depending on how you like your roast. You just put the beans in, push the button, and it runs. A batch lasts us 2-3 days. If it sits around a week it starts to taste stale.

We roast every couple of days. Grind every morning, and make it in a french press. After the first cup, it goes in a thermos and stays hot most of the day.

When I was buying roasted coffee, it ran 15-19/pound. Not sure what it goes for now.

The green beans we just bought in February-March were under $5/pound for single origin Kenyan. That was a 65 pound bag.

There are lots of places that will sell you green beans for about what you can buy roasted beans for, in small bags. Whole foods used to do that if you ask, and there are lots of 1-5 pound bags on the internet. The point where I decided I was never going back was when I started finding places that would sell over 25 pounds at a significant discount.

Sweet Marias is a pretty good site, where I learned a lot, but they did not sell big bags. 25 pounds or more will last you a while, but the green beans do not go bad (we keep ours in a box in the basement in the box it shipped in).

Fool around with the roast, grind, and all that. You will screw some batches up, but even what you screw up will probably be as good as what you can buy. When everything comes together it is better than anything you can buy in a cup.