Coffee

Arwen's Mom said:
I would love to talk tea :hmmm: maybe a new thread?

While I love my Gevalia brand coffee in morning, its definitely tea for me in the evenings. There is nothing like a good cup of tea, especially next to a Dove ice cream bar 😱
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Mighty Leaf organic mint melange is fantabulous as is their English Breakfast (loose leaf thankyouverymuch). Add a squeeze of lemon to either, blanket, book and fire, and enjoy the cold weather. I just started keeping a large box in my office to fill my stomach and avoid the chocolate chip cookie urge at 3pm.
 
I drink lots of tea. Sometimes straight up black and sometimes loose leaf Oolong. Also dabble in some Chinese blacks on occasion. Blue moon I'll do Indian stuff like Assam or Darjeeling. But not often.

Agree that beans are absurdly important. Getting a good roast outside now is hard.
 
Inspired mostly by the tales of Norm I roasted coffee for the first time tonight. I got a4 lb sampler from Sweet Maria's along w/ their recommended popcorn popper for roasting. This is a cheap way to start. If it sticks I'll get a real roaster.

I started w/ a sumatran bean. I was aiming for 1st crack +30 seconds, but I wound up going ~45 seconds. I guess this doesn't mean much as I'm sure every machine is different but whatever. I really didn't know where to say first crack was done on the first batch, so I think I went a little light on it. I did 2 more batches (they're only about 1/3 cup in the popcorn machine) to get me a couple of days worth.

Trying to decide if brewing it tomorrow is jumping the gun....

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Looks maybe a hair light but the proof is in the pudding. Proverbially of course.

Yeah brewing tomorrow should be fine. I roast to brew immediately sometimes. Ain't no thing.
 
Thanks for the insight. I might pick out some of the really light beans, we'll see how ambitious I feel in the morning
 
Welcome to the dark side. Ideally, I like to wait at least 2-3 days after roasting before using the beans to let the oils do there thing. But life is not always ideal. Don't sweat it too much... There is always the next roast to get to the next level.
 
I used to wait 2-3 days too then I realized that the beans were getting less fresh at the end of their lifespan. Then I just shifted it to the front which accounts for usually just roasting when I'm out.
 
You coffee snobs must be fans of Dangerous Grounds. Personally, I see coffee as a drug delivery vehicle. As long as it is palatable.. good enough
 
rick81721 said:
You coffee snobs must be fans of Dangerous Grounds. Personally, I see coffee as a drug delivery vehicle. As long as it is palatable.. good enough
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That's like saying that beer is an alcohol delivery vehicle and Bud Lite Lime (hi Walter 🙂) is as good as anything else out there. Roasting beans isn't for everyone but clearly there are differences in coffee quality beyond 'good enough'. Self roasting probably isn't better than what you can get from your local coffee shop but it does guarantee fresh, which goes a long way.
 
Rob, I'd be interested to hear if you can taste the "freshness" on your first try compared to store bought beans.
 
Looking forward to the results...

Speaking of beer and coffee, spotted that nugget nectar in the background.
Throw a nude reflection in the stainless, and it is an internet darling....😀

Backsplash project it also looking good. taking it all the way to the door casing?
 
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J-Dro said:
That's like saying that beer is an alcohol delivery vehicle and Bud Lite Lime (hi Walter 🙂) is as good as anything else out there. Roasting beans isn't for everyone but clearly there are differences in coffee quality beyond 'good enough'. Self roasting probably isn't better than what you can get from your local coffee shop but it does guarantee fresh, which goes a long way.
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Nah I see a difference - there are beers and wines that really taste good - could call them delicious. Coffee, and I put whiskeys in the same category, never taste "delicious" - some are just less shitty tasting than others.
 
First brew was actually pretty good. Its definitely light and that comes through in the taste, but by no means is it bad. Slight bitterness but its less bitter than some light roasts I've bought in the past. I haven't completed any official tastings, so that's about as technical as its going to get.

I'm interested to see how the flavor progresses as I darken it up. Should be roasting again by the end of the week.

The beans are hard, not sure what impacts that. I've been using a burr grinder for almost 4 years and it jammed on me for the first time this morning.
 
soundz said:
Rob, I'd be interested to hear if you can taste the "freshness" on your first try compared to store bought beans.
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It didn't jump out and scream it in my face, but you do notice something different. I think the variables in roasting make it hard to compare freshness from batch to batch. But if I put this one on the shelf for a while I might notice the lack of freshness.
 
fidodie said:
Looking forward to the results...

Speaking of beer and coffee, spotted that nugget nectar in the background.
Throw a nude reflection in the stainless, and it is an internet darling....😀

Backsplash project it also looking good. taking it all the way to the door casing?
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I can't deny spinning the bottle before taking that pic 😀

Back splash has stalled, that wall might suffer during my bathroom reno so I'm waiting for that to wrap up first. Not taking it to the casing, it would stick out. Should be to the edge of the cabinet.
 
I have to agree 100% with these guys, French Press for Coffee and we have a Breville Espresso Machine for home use. My wife and I have become coffee snobs working in NYC and having so many great shops.

Norm said:
I'm with Jeff. We both roast our own beans though. So we're "out there" 😉
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J-Dro said:
Self roasting probably isn't better than what you can get from your local coffee shop but it does guarantee fresh, which goes a long way.
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I don't agree with this. I think a mediocre roast at home is, at worst, as good as the best gourmet coffee shop out there. I brew my coffee stronger, what they use in traditional coffee tasting brews. So a cup of coffee for me is 3 scoops. Don't ask me how I arrived at this, but I imagine the WABAC Machine would tell you it was from reading Sweet Maria's literature back in the day. This brings out the flavors for me, and makes almost all store brewed coffee taste light in comparison.

So, usually I find the best gourmet coffees to be brewed too weak, or the machines are not clean. Almost always 1 of those 2 things are an issue. I have never had a coffee out and thought it came anywhere near the best stuff I can make at home.

I will admit that the gourmet shops will be more consistent, as my bad days suck. And when the espresso machine gets dirty, it sucks no matter what. Lots of variables.

Jolly705 said:
My wife and I have become coffee snobs working in NYC and having so many great shops.
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Do you work downtown and if so, what shops do you frequent in these parts?
 
Norm said:
I don't agree with this. I think a mediocre roast at home is, at worst, as good as the best gourmet coffee shop out there. I brew my coffee stronger, what they use in traditional coffee tasting brews. So a cup of coffee for me is 3 scoops. Don't ask me how I arrived at this, but I imagine the WABAC Machine would tell you it was from reading Sweet Maria's literature back in the day. This brings out the flavors for me, and makes almost all store brewed coffee taste light in comparison.

So, usually I find the best gourmet coffees to be brewed too weak, or the machines are not clean. Almost always 1 of those 2 things are an issue. I have never had a coffee out and thought it came anywhere near the best stuff I can make at home.

I will admit that the gourmet shops will be more consistent, as my bad days suck. And when the espresso machine gets dirty, it sucks no matter what. Lots of variables.
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I was saying that the BEANS I roast at home aren't necessarily better than the BEANS you buy fresh from the local gourmet store. I wasn't comparing the final brewed product. But self roasted are always fresh which has a huge impact on the final product.
 
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