Coffee Drinkers? (or other hot beverages)

[n_maher]

I'm with you Peter, my French Press game is like 4 steps.

1. pour coffee in.

2. pour water in.

3. stir like crazy.

4. press.

Seems to make pretty damn good coffee with minimal sludge assuming I don't f it up w/ the wrong grind or let it brew for like 10 minutes. 

[HemiSam]

Couldn't agree more, gents.

Coffee is a personal thing and I say you do you...whatever delicious means to the driver...how can one go wrong?

Some of what Mr. Hoffman puts on video has worked as a guide and some I found way too nuanced to be worth the climb.

I do enjoy mixing it up my coffee making between the Chemex, the espresso maker (love me a cappuccino / flat white / latte), and on rare occasion these days going back to the French press I used exclusively for several years.

The biggest things I have found to make a difference that I can meaningfully identify is quality coffee, type of roast and measuring.  Crap in and I get crap out...simple enough.  I also prefer a light/medium roast for pour overs...

HS

 

 

[grawk]

Light roast subtle coffees benefit a LOT from pourover with temperature control or well done espresso.  Heavier bodied coffees and darker roasts are absolutely dandy from a french press.

[HemiSam]

The only thing I'm doing with a darker roast is espresso.  It makes using the espresso maker much easier, but I do find it can be a bit much...the heavy caramelization, etc... from an espresso roast.

Whereas I have to fight a light/medium roasted Ethiopian to get great espresso, but boy is the result lovely when I do nail it.

Gotta love first world problems...

HS

[robm321]

Dark coffee is my guilty pleasure. I know, I'm tasting the roasting as much as the beans, but I get to drink more (less caffeine), and I like a bold taste. 

That said, I drink medium plenty when using pour over. 

[EdipisReks1]

I’m doing some pretty excellent shots with the BDB. Slayer mod next, though I doubt I’ll be able to do as much as I can with the Flair 58. This was a medium-light roast Guatemalan. Despite the roast, it was a chocolate bomb. I use 198 for medium-light. I prefer to not do lighter coffees as espresso or filter without having PID: Dan is totally right about light roasted coffees really benefiting from control. 

[luvdunhill]

I have tried a new Aeropress approach. 18g in the Niche and then 200g water (no bloom, just all in). Stir, brew for a minute, stir and attempt to plunge for a minute (but realistically 30 seconds). So far my best go.

[grawk]

[EdipisReks1]

I won one of the “useful” AliExpress tools James Hoffman reviewed a few weeks ago. No idea which, but I’ll report back!

Loving the Dual Boiler/Niche combo, with no real additional need to spend more, but I’ll take free coffee crap happily.

Edited November 3, 2022 by EdipisReks1

[EdipisReks1]

So Delicious Wondermilk whole fat is my new milk of choice. It steams very similar to dairy, and it tastes very neutral in a milkish way. 

[EdipisReks1]

The shot I just had was pretty good considering I forgot to put the shower screen in with the Flair 58. It made it a turbo. Was perfectly enjoyable.

[mikeymad]

Cleaning complete, first and second pulls are compete.

 A Mexican medium roast from local Good Coffee co.

The Oracle worked flawlessly and both the espresso pull and the latte were delicious. 

Now to play with the grind setting, the tamping pressure and time, the shot temp, the pre infusion power and time, the extraction time and/or volume, steamed milk final temp and foam level, etc.. 

Good thing I got this EZ machine....  🤯

[grawk]

I can control temperature (by purging the steamer), pre-infusion (how long I let it fill), delay (how long I hold the lever before letting the spring work), and time (how long til I swap the cup for the dump pitcher) on my machine.  

Steam I control completely tho, and the machine has amazing steam.

I honestly haven't noticed a difference with any tamp pressure as long as it's "enough".

[mikeymad]

Latte #2, I changed some settings, but one of them in the wrong direction. I went too fine with the grind, so the extraction went too long,  over 40 seconds. 

But still a good cup of Joe. And I have plenty of time to dial it in.

{and yes there are some bubbles, and I don't really do art}

[grawk]

I wouldn't worry too much about extraction times that are under a minute.  The main reason for the 30 second rule is for speed making drinks for a cafe.  Worry more about how it tastes.

[mikeymad]

yup - tastes over extracted.. 😁  The flow rate was very low. As much as I like nerdy details, I am only about the taste. 

 

Ed: removed pick.

Edited November 12, 2022 by mikeymad

[mikeymad]

Mad science shit... 

I got it mostly dialed in. But after pulling six double shots, sampling them all and drinking two of them completely, I am buzzed... 

[EdipisReks1]

Just a little decaf cafe mocha for the afternoon. I really do like Wondermilk. 

On 11/12/2022 at 3:32 PM, mikeymad said:

Latte #2, I changed some settings, but one of them in the wrong direction. I went too fine with the grind, so the extraction went too long,  over 40 seconds. 

But still a good cup of Joe. And I have plenty of time to dial it in.

{and yes there are some bubbles, and I don't really do art}

 

Most of my shots are well over a minute from pump start to finish. That includes a preinfusion, but as Dan says, the time really isn’t really all that demonstrative of anything other than how long it takes.

[Augsburger]

I hope you are not talking about your Flair. My extractions don't take longer than 15 seconds. No way I could hit 40 seconds unless I kept it under 1 bar and my grind is set at fine espresso.

[swt61]

^

Are we still talking coffee here?

NTTAWWT. 15 seconds isn't bad for your age.

[grawk]

11 hours ago, Augsburger said:

I hope you are not talking about your Flair. My extractions don't take longer than 15 seconds. No way I could hit 40 seconds unless I kept it under 1 bar and my grind is set at fine espresso.

What grinder are you using?  15 seconds is quick enough it sounds like you aren't getting enough extraction.  I'd recommend a LOT finer, but taste is what matters,  so...
 

[EdipisReks1]

Like Dan said, you want to go a lot finer. I do about 45-60 seconds with the flair, usually going to 6 bar and then ramping down. I’m at around 10-12 on the Niche, which is substantially finer than I use with the dual boiler (it would choke). 15 seconds is definitely a turbo shot. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s not the sort of espresso I typically make. 

My recommendation: go finer until you hit the point where you aren’t getting any water flow, then go a bit coarser until you can immediately peg the pressure you are looking for with control. There will be substantial resistance; patience is key, as with all things espresso. 

I’ve pulled some long, think two minutes, ristrettos with the Flair 58 that were absolutely delicious. They were a workout.

Edited November 28, 2022 by EdipisReks1

[EdipisReks1]

There is a flat burr retrofit for the Niche coming out soon. I might try the 60mm (the largest on offer for it) SSP burrs when it goes public. I like the 64mm SSP burrs in my Ode, but the Ode has too coarse a thread pitch to easily dial in espresso, even with the replacement burrs. I don’t think it will be an “upgrade,” more “it’s something to do.” I honestly think I prefer the Kony burrs to the SSP 64s, but I haven’t been able to really dial those in (they are brilliant for filter).

Edited November 29, 2022 by EdipisReks1

[Augsburger]

I had my Niche set at 16 so dialing back to 12 the assess the progress. Thanks for the suggestions and responses.

[mikeymad]

Question - How are people cleaning their grinders?

• Tablets? Rice?
• Just vacuum?
• Not at all?
• A tiny brush?

I have been cleaning mine out between coffees, but just a brush and pulling the primary burr. I could see the value of using a vacuum every now and then, but a bit of a pain to get it out for a couple seconds of cleaning. I can also see the value in using tablets, to clean residue and oils, possibly extending the life of the burrs (questionable, but with any tool, it is good to have a clean blade). 

🤔