Coffee Geek-ery

[Dave from Dayton 2,964]

16 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

Columbian green beans from Happy Mug. About $6.00 a pound shipped. Went just up to the second crack. Smells like brown sugar. Medium roast for sure. 

Roasted on a FreshRoast SR800, which I got a month ago. That thing is super easy to use. Letting it de-gas for 36 hours, and then it will be in my grinder and espresso machine. 

PS; getting this out of the way in advance… bite me @HoosierHoopster

Is it the Huila?

[HoosierHoopster 6,811]

1 hour ago, Stuhoo said:

Columbian green beans from Happy Mug. About $6.00 a pound shipped. Went just up to the second crack. Smells like brown sugar. Medium roast for sure. 

Roasted on a FreshRoast SR800, which I got a month ago. That thing is super easy to use. Letting it de-gas for 36 hours, and then it will be in my grinder and espresso machine. 

PS; getting this out of the way in advance… bite me @HoosierHoopster

Just for you, I may have to go to store bought, better yet 7-11, weeks old freeze dried coffee, with cream and sugar, sipped from a styrofoam cup!

[Stuhoo 79,703]

45 minutes ago, HoosierHoopster said:

Just for you, I may have to go to store bought, better yet 7-11, weeks old freeze dried coffee, with cream and sugar, sipped from a styrofoam cup!

Best mixed with bourbon.

[HoosierHoopster 6,811]

19 hours ago, Stuhoo said:

Best mixed with bourbon.

I prefer kahlua.

Kidding aside freeze dried would kill me.

My weekends start with fresh-roasted (3 days or less) beans from the roaster about 3 miles from me door to door, Bean Here. (I know the owner, Mike, great guy and he now has 3 locations.) Medium, ground in my Breville (I have the settings down to taste, it’s actually a pretty damn good grinder). Black, or sometimes a little half and half.
 

Where we diverge is the infamous percolator— I bought and tried out the AeroPress, I found it weak and lacking, my perc honestly does much better coffee. It took some experimenting/work to find the right grind and amount but worked out a good flavorful and strong brew. Also experimented with a good French Press but it ended up just ok. 
My wife and I used to have a pour-over set up many years ago, I need to get around to getting back to that, but my daughter (who has a couple years of barrista exp in a couple high end specialty coffee shops and knows her brews) and friends love my coffee, so the infamous perc can hold its own, I’m actually a devote coffer addict :)

[Stuhoo 79,703]

49 minutes ago, HoosierHoopster said:

I prefer kahlua.

Kidding aside freeze dried would kill me.

My weekends start with fresh-roasted (3 days or less) beans from the roaster about 3 miles from me door to door, Bean Here. (I know the owner, Mike, great guy and he now has 3 locations.) Medium, ground in my Breville (I have the settings down to taste, it’s actually a pretty damn good grinder). Black, or sometimes a little half and half.
 

Where we diverge is the infamous percolator— I bought and tried out the AeroPress, I found it weak and lacking, my perc honestly does much better coffee. It took some experimenting/work to find the right grind and amount but worked out a good flavorful and strong brew. Also experimented with a good French Press but it ended up just ok. 
My wife and I used to have a pour-over set up many years ago, I need to get around to getting back to that, but my daughter (who has a couple years of barrista exp in a couple high end specialty coffee shops and knows her brews) and friends love my coffee, so the infamous perc can hold its own, I’m actually a devote coffer addict :)

 

Well I’ll be damned. My 21-year-old has that Breville grinder. If you’re not grinding for espresso, that thing is about as user-friendly as it gets and it does a damn fine job.

More importantly, now that you’ve been outed as a fellow addict, you have left @Hovadipo all alone on Folgers/Mochachino island!

[Hovadipo 55,089]

33 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

 

Well I’ll be damned. My 21-year-old has that Breville grinder. If you’re not grinding for espresso, that thing is about as user-friendly as it gets and it does a damn fine job.

More importantly, now that you’ve been outed as a fellow addict, you have left @Hovadipo all alone on Folgers/Mochachino island!

Dunkin grounds, a splenda, and a splash of milk x2 takes 1% of the effort and makes me just as spaztastic. 

[Stuhoo 79,703]

15 minutes ago, Hovadipo said:

Dunkin grounds, a splenda, and a splash of milk x2 takes 1% of the effort and makes me just as spaztastic. 

 

IMG_2886.webp

[Dave from Dayton 2,964]

Drumroll please.

Had my favorite Sweet Blue Brazilian roasted just a touch longer.  Not to the 2nd crack. 

I don't roast it myself.  Thinking about it.  Have so many 'things' around here.  Just bid on and won the bid for a pressure washer.  

Trying to bring out more chocolate and aroma.

Beans look and smell great.

Waiting...drip, drip...

No bourbon in my coffee. Kind of like Irish coffee only Kentucky coffee?  Maybe Kalhua...ok, maybe not maybe.   Do like homemade mocha cheesecake or icing or...comon coffee...

No to French Press, no to pour over one cup at a time.  Freeze dried? You gotta be kidding me...that was back in the dorm.  Taster's Choice?  One step over those huge urns they had in the Navy.

[8bucks 6,347]

Any tips on an expresso machine?  I am pretty happy with drip coffee by my wife has an interest in an expresso machine. She has a nespresso that she likes but is wanting an expresso machine too. 
 

Any tips or suggestions?

[Stuhoo 79,703]

11 hours ago, 8bucks said:

Any tips on an expresso machine?  I am pretty happy with drip coffee by my wife has an interest in an expresso machine. She has a nespresso that she likes but is wanting an expresso machine too. 
 

Any tips or suggestions?

For sure. It is a ton of fun and absolutely doable to make espresso at home that’s far better than Nespresso, but there are also ways to spend on equipment and end up frustrated:

First.. budget. If you’re willing to buy used equipment it will give you a ton of bang for your buck. I have a work setup entirely bought off of Facebook marketplace/OfferUp that is $400. The grinder is 5 years old and the machine is 18. New? the same equipment would have been $3,000.

Next… priorities: 

Most importantly—Make sure you buy decent beans— not grocery store beans! They need to be in your cup within two months of roast date, not “sell by” date.

Next most important, the grinder. Expect to spend at least $200 new. For home use I would avoid a grinder with a doser. It will leave stale coffee inside and be kind of frustrating.

Finally, the machine.The best general advice I can give is to avoid a machine that’s “gadgety” or has lots of plastic parts. There are back of kitchen cabinets everywhere that have $100 Mr. Coffee espresso machines in them. They just don’t make anything that approximates real espresso, are frustrating to use, and they’re inconsistent.

Let me know if you’d like more details, or feel free to p.m. me if you have a particular piece of equipment in mind and want my two cents!

 

[Banksyrules 4,525]

MMMMM egg nog latte's in December is what keeps me going.    

[Dave from Dayton 2,964]

Just ordered first time from Happy Mug.  Thanks for the tip, Stuhoo.

Columbian, El Salvador, Guatemala...can't wait.  Whole bean, roasted.  Bring it, now.

Had been getting Blue from Red Bird in Montana.  Either my taste changed or it did.  Started to get a little rough or burnt tasting.  Got to be overpowering the chocolate and nutty notes.

Tried two other roasters.  No and no.  

 

[Dave from Dayton 2,964]

On 8/1/2024 at 7:27 AM, Dave from Dayton said:

Just ordered first time from Happy Mug.  Thanks for the tip, Stuhoo.

Columbian, El Salvador, Guatemala...can't wait.  Whole bean, roasted.  Bring it, now.

Had been getting Blue from Red Bird in Montana.  Either my taste changed or it did.  Started to get a little rough or burnt tasting.  Got to be overpowering the chocolate and nutty notes.

Tried two other roasters.  No and no.  

 

As a Happy Mug purchase followup:  The Guatemala was the best of the three. But still looking for the best cup o Joe. 

Thinking of killing myself with Folgers with lake water.  That or freeze dried like Taster's Choice and oatmilk from the shelf not the fridge.  Wonder what Ouzo in this coffee would taste like...

[Stuhoo 79,703]

48 minutes ago, Dave from Dayton said:

As a Happy Mug purchase followup:  The Guatemala was the best of the three. But still looking for the best cup o Joe. 

Thinking of killing myself with Folgers with lake water.  That or freeze dried like Taster's Choice and oatmilk from the shelf not the fridge.  Wonder what Ouzo in this coffee would taste like...

 

 

Don't do it Dave!!

Instead? Get one of these:

 

 

[Dave from Dayton 2,964]

My taste in coffee is changing.  I just cannot get happy with all that I have tried in the past year.

I've tried roasters nearby, Tampa, PA, WY, Happy Mug, Red Bird, Java Planet, Nuts (should have known better about the latter).

I'm back to Fresh Roasted Coffee out of Sunbury PA.  Just ordered a sampling of 5 medium and one medium dark roasted coffees.

Organic Columbian

Dark Brazil Cerrado

Their FRC Medium Blend

Sumatran Mandheling

Something called Tiger Nebula single origin blend

Blackbeard's Revenge

Right now I'm working on breakfast blend from Java Planet.  

I lean towards chocolate, caramel, no berry or citrus...medium to medium dark full bodied.  Maybe I should start doctoring it with maple syrup or ice cream...(bourbon?).  Only drink it in the morning, maybe 3 cups.  

I grind my own and use a perc.  My son-in-law does a pour over.  We've tried it.  Meh.  They also do their auto roaster morning perc WTF robotics.  That's better.  But I squeek when I buy almost anything except beach vacations and IU basketball tickets.  

Obi Wan Stuhoo & HH...you're my only hope.

 

[Stuhoo 79,703]

50 minutes ago, Dave from Dayton said:

My taste in coffee is changing.  I just cannot get happy with all that I have tried in the past year.

I've tried roasters nearby, Tampa, PA, WY, Happy Mug, Red Bird, Java Planet, Nuts (should have known better about the latter).

I'm back to Fresh Roasted Coffee out of Sunbury PA.  Just ordered a sampling of 5 medium and one medium dark roasted coffees.

Organic Columbian

Dark Brazil Cerrado

Their FRC Medium Blend

Sumatran Mandheling

Something called Tiger Nebula single origin blend

Blackbeard's Revenge

Right now I'm working on breakfast blend from Java Planet.  

I lean towards chocolate, caramel, no berry or citrus...medium to medium dark full bodied.  Maybe I should start doctoring it with maple syrup or ice cream...(bourbon?).  Only drink it in the morning, maybe 3 cups.  

I grind my own and use a perc.  My son-in-law does a pour over.  We've tried it.  Meh.  They also do their auto roaster morning perc WTF robotics.  That's better.  But I squeek when I buy almost anything except beach vacations and IU basketball tickets.  

Obi Wan Stuhoo & HH...you're my only hope.

 

You, my friend, will never run out of curiosity because you will never be satisfied with one coffee path.

Been roasting a Nicaraguan single origin on my balcony the past few weeks. Medium/light and then pulled as a black americano in the espresso machine.

Tis niiiiiice.

[Dave from Dayton 2,964]

1 hour ago, Stuhoo said:

You, my friend, will never run out of curiosity because you will never be satisfied with one coffee path.

Been roasting a Nicaraguan single origin on my balcony the past few weeks. Medium/light and then pulled as a black americano in the espresso machine.

Tis niiiiiice.

The journey is the thing.  I like trying different coffees.  Just not ones that cost $4 and up for a cup.  I misspoke in my previous post.  I do not perc.  I use a drip.

Your Nic Rio Coco looks interesting.  I will look into Happy Mug again.

Bought three from them:  Renegade Guatemala; Lively Mexico; and Bear Blend.  I have liked Guatemala brews.

I just looked at Happy Mug again.  I do not see Nic Rio Coco offered.  Was it a special offering?  Walnut and coco...just my style.

I will be visiting your place at sunup.  Bringing some coffee cake.

[Stuhoo 79,703]

1 minute ago, Dave from Dayton said:

The journey is the thing.  I like trying different coffees.  Just not ones that cost $4 and up for a cup.  I misspoke in my previous post.  I do not perc.  I use a drip.

Your Nic Rio Coco looks interesting.  I will look into Happy Mug again.

Bought three from them:  Renegade Guatemala; Lively Mexico; and Bear Blend.  I have liked Guatemala brews.

I just looked at Happy Mug again.  I do not see Nic Rio Coco offered.  Was it a special offering?  Walnut and coco...just my style.

I will be visiting your place at sunup.  Bringing some coffee cake.

Remember I’m only buying green/unroasted from Happy Mug.

[HoosierHoopster 6,811]

Hey I found @Stuhoo online!

[Stuhoo 79,703]

19 minutes ago, HoosierHoopster said:

Hey I found @Stuhoo online!

 

Wrong Prince: