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Stuhoo

Coffee Geek-ery

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4 minutes ago, lillurk said:

New year has brought nice write-ups on coffee’s health benefits in both Inc and the NYT. I usually hit 3.5-5 cups/day, which seems the health sweet spot.

But I drink it because I love it. Black, usually central/South American Intelligentsia beans through a Baratza Encore, OXO drip brewer. Before we had kids it was chemex, and I still occasionally make a pour over in the office. My go-to espresso drink is a cortado. We’ve got about all the gadget methods: drip, chemex, pour over, stovetop espresso, aeropress, nespresso*, the Baratza and a cheaper burr grinder for dedicated decaf, hand crank grinder. No @Stuhoo-style pro home espresso rig yet — maybe in the next house’s kitchen, or when the kids are older.

*If you’re looking for a single-cup brewer, I’d say go pour over, but the nespresso is a pretty versatile alternative. Avoid Keurig-style machines if at all possible. Nespresso will let you make a pretty good facsimile of any latte-style drink at a much lower cost if you have milk frother options, recyclable pods, their brewed-style drinks are good-not great. 

I don't have one of those fancy Stu machines either. My wife has a strict rule about what I'm allowed to add to the kitchen counter. There's a whole authorization procedure that has to be pre-approved and then can be immediately revoked if I add something in the garage. It's pretty oppressive at our place.

I have a French press and aeropress mostly because my wife and I have much different taste in coffee. If I try to make it so that it is on the bottom end of my strength threshold, it has exceeded the top end of hers. I love a good cup of strong black coffee, as long as it has good flavor. I've honestly never really tried expresso.

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21 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

No -- I've read enough to conclude that it is not necessary. I've read that it won't really screw the beans up, but they should be fully defrosted before grinding. That's extra work, and I'm shooting for the best possible drink, all while minimizing cost and at the least clean up/prep work.

Once it's opened putting it in a ziplock bag does the job really well. Just trying to keep air out so that it doesn't de-gas and lose it's aromas too quickly.

Yeah I put my beans in a sealed container -- standard air-tight coffee container, beats a ziplock bag!

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6 minutes ago, bigrod said:

I don't have one of those fancy Stu machines either. My wife has a strict rule about what I'm allowed to add to the kitchen counter. There's a whole authorization procedure that has to be pre-approved and then can be immediately revoked if I add something in the garage. It's pretty oppressive at our place.

I have a French press and aeropress mostly because my wife and I have much different taste in coffee. If I try to make it so that it is on the bottom end of my strength threshold, it has exceeded the top end of hers. I love a good cup of strong black coffee, as long as it has good flavor. I've honestly never really tried expresso.

Oh crap we may be married to the same woman.

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8 minutes ago, bigrod said:

I don't have one of those fancy Stu machines either. My wife has a strict rule about what I'm allowed to add to the kitchen counter. There's a whole authorization procedure that has to be pre-approved and then can be immediately revoked if I add something in the garage. It's pretty oppressive at our place.

I have a French press and aeropress mostly because my wife and I have much different taste in coffee. If I try to make it so that it is on the bottom end of my strength threshold, it has exceeded the top end of hers. I love a good cup of strong black coffee, as long as it has good flavor. I've honestly never really tried expresso.

My wife is the same. Replacing lots of equipment with one grinder, one machine was a net positive for her.

She also thought I made drip/French press too strong. If you have an espresso machine, you pull a double shot for yourself and add 8 oz. hot water from the machine's spigot for your Americano. Pull a single shot for her and add the same amount of hot water for 'not too strong'.  Takes maybe 90 seconds for the whole two cup process.

Also, once I learned that medium roast, not dark roast beans were my friend, my wife stopped complaining the coffee was too strong. 

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36 minutes ago, lillurk said:

New year has brought nice write-ups on coffee’s health benefits in both Inc and the NYT. I usually hit 3.5-5 cups/day, which seems the health sweet spot.

But I drink it because I love it. Black, usually central/South American Intelligentsia beans through a Baratza Encore, OXO drip brewer. Before we had kids it was chemex, and I still occasionally make a pour over in the office. My go-to espresso drink is a cortado. We’ve got about all the gadget methods: drip, chemex, pour over, stovetop espresso, aeropress, nespresso*, the Baratza and a cheaper burr grinder for dedicated decaf, hand crank grinder. No @Stuhoo-style pro home espresso rig yet — maybe in the next house’s kitchen, or when the kids are older.

*If you’re looking for a single-cup brewer, I’d say go pour over, but the nespresso is a pretty versatile alternative. Avoid Keurig-style machines if at all possible. Nespresso will let you make a pretty good facsimile of any latte-style drink at a much lower cost if you have milk frother options, recyclable pods, their brewed-style drinks are good-not great. 

Yeah I have that nespresso, it's not bad

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51 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

Not a fan of Nespresso - those pods are really expensive! I think your combination of a Baratza and drip brewer is way tastier at half the cost and still pretty easy to use.

Yes, the nespresso is primarily for the wife.

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2 hours ago, Stuhoo said:

 

She also thought I made drip/French press too strong. If you have an espresso machine, you pull a double shot for yourself and add 8 oz. hot water from the machine's spigot for your Americano. Pull a single shot for her and add the same amount of hot water for 'not too strong'.  Takes maybe 90 seconds for the whole two cup process.

 

I've never understood the why behind an Americano, or anyone liking it. It's just watered down -- diluted coffee/espresso.... Ugh

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4 minutes ago, HoosierHoopster said:

I've never understood the why behind an Americano, or anyone liking it. It's just watered down -- diluted coffee/espresso.... Ugh

It's just a 8/10 oz cup of black coffee - same strength as drip/French Press, etc. It's how you pull a 10 oz cup out of an espresso machine.

Charging three bucks for it as some kind of specialty drink at a coffee shop is a complete scam.

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16 minutes ago, HoosierHoopster said:

I've never understood the why behind an Americano, or anyone liking it. It's just watered down -- diluted coffee/espresso.... Ugh

An espresso is essentially the base of an Americano, but do not think that an Americano is weaker tasting or a “watered down” version of an espresso. Interestingly, adding water to a thick, concentrated espresso does not dilute its taste. In fact, by adding a small amount of hot water, complex flavors are unlocked and released. It also mellows out the bitterness that some people find overpowering, and it thins out the viscous texture of the espresso.

By the way, many do not like strong, think coffees.  Me included.  I order Americano when in Europe.  It is a matter of taste and what we like.  If nothing similar is offered...that is when to order it. 

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24 minutes ago, Dave from Dayton said:

An espresso is essentially the base of an Americano, but do not think that an Americano is weaker tasting or a “watered down” version of an espresso. Interestingly, adding water to a thick, concentrated espresso does not dilute its taste. In fact, by adding a small amount of hot water, complex flavors are unlocked and released. It also mellows out the bitterness that some people find overpowering, and it thins out the viscous texture of the espresso.

By the way, many do not like strong, think coffees.  Me included.  I order Americano when in Europe.  It is a matter of taste and what we like.  If nothing similar is offered...that is when to order it. 

 

Dave from Dayton doing the Jordan Schlansky dance:

 

 

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45 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

It's just a 8/10 oz cup of black coffee - same strength as drip/French Press, etc. It's how you pull a 10 oz cup out of an espresso machine.

Charging three bucks for it as some kind of specialty drink at a coffee shop is a complete scam.

Yeah back when I didn't know better I'd occasionally order one but it always tasted awful -- as diluted espresso, it's a little different than an ordinary drip cup, right? I mean, it just tastes bad. And yeah, charging more for it is a total scam

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32 minutes ago, Dave from Dayton said:

An espresso is essentially the base of an Americano, but do not think that an Americano is weaker tasting or a “watered down” version of an espresso. Interestingly, adding water to a thick, concentrated espresso does not dilute its taste. In fact, by adding a small amount of hot water, complex flavors are unlocked and released. It also mellows out the bitterness that some people find overpowering, and it thins out the viscous texture of the espresso.

By the way, many do not like strong, think coffees.  Me included.  I order Americano when in Europe.  It is a matter of taste and what we like.  If nothing similar is offered...that is when to order it. 

So, to make an Americano -- it's just water and espresso -- it's not essentially the base, it's a watered down espresso! It's either 1/2 and 1/2, or 1/3 espresso and 2/3 water. It's awful (to me).

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4 minutes ago, HoosierHoopster said:

Yeah back when I didn't know better I'd occasionally order one but it always tasted awful -- as diluted espresso, it's a little different than an ordinary drip cup, right? I mean, it just tastes bad. And yeah, charging more for it is a total scam

Different, but it shouldn't taste bad or watered down. Different process - pressurized water through very fine grounds instead of water washing through coarser grounds. Can make it very strong either way. 

For any type of brewing, the best summary I've heard for the priority in making a great drink is, from most to least important, as follows:

  1. The quality and freshness of the beans
  2. The quality/consistency of how the person makes the drink
  3. The quality of the grinder
  4. The quality of the machine

Based on these criteria, if you take perfectly roasted, fresh beans and put them into a garage sale Mr. Coffee you'll get a way, way better drink than if you take pre-ground, four month old anything and put it into the best equipment in the world.

And that is so true!

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2 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

Different, but it shouldn't taste bad or watered down. Different process - pressurized water through very fine grounds instead of water washing through coarser grounds. Can make it very strong either way. 

For any type of brewing, the best summary I've heard for the priority in making a great drink is, from most to least important, as follows:

  1. The quality and freshness of the beans
  2. The quality/consistency of how the person makes the drink
  3. The quality of the grinder
  4. The quality of the machine

Based on these criteria, if you take perfectly roasted, fresh beans and put them into a garage sale Mr. Coffee you'll get a way, way better drink than if you take pre-ground, four month old anything and put it into the best equipment in the world.

And that is so true!

Naah, it's just bad :)

And I know a couple barristas in a local coffee shop, they literally laugh at people who buy Americanos lol. 

Yeah the process provides better coffee for the mix, but 1/3 to 2/3?? Horrible, watered down flavor...

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2 minutes ago, HoosierHoopster said:

Naah, it's just bad :)

And I know a couple barristas in a local coffee shop, they literally laugh at people who buy Americanos lol. 

Yeah the process provides better coffee for the mix, but 1/3 to 2/3?? Horrible, watered down flavor...

They laugh because the drip is made from the exact same beans, is just as fresh, and should be the same strength, yet the Americano costs double.

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1 minute ago, HoosierHoopster said:

Naah, it's just bad :)

And I know a couple barristas in a local coffee shop, they literally laugh at people who buy Americanos lol. 

Yeah the process provides better coffee for the mix, but 1/3 to 2/3?? Horrible, watered down flavor...

That may be the truth here in the USA.  But, please note that I clearly was explaining what I ordered in Europe and Italy.  I would not get Americano in the USA.  Never have...actually.  

 

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