Lets talk about COFFEE

[Britalian]

The serendipity is welcome: I bought a cheap Nespresso (70euros) at the weekend after sampling a friend's.
Lo! Today I see an advert in the press for some Nespresso compatible capsules by Caffè Vergnano, AVAILABLE IN SUPERMARKETS.
I wasn't looking forward to having to shell out on postage for the Nespressos. The range is more limited but worth trying I reckon.

http://www.caffevergnano.com/eng/casa.php

 

[Despos]



Any recommendations for what to look for in a good decaf? I usually mix my beans about 50/50 because the way I make coffee (single cup drip cone) it's already super strong. But I've found a lot of decaf beans have a flat, "stale" flavor. In San Francisco, Bicycle Coffee Co makes a pretty tasty decaf but I can't always find it. Sometimes I'll try to mix the same varietal in caf/decaf, but not always.

I don't know much about the different decaffeinating methods or what makes a good vs. bad tasting decaf.

During the last last few minutes of an Alton Brown episode on coffee he explains decaf. When the caffeine is extracted so are some of the oils and that diminishes the flavor. To minimize this you want to use the highest quality beans which are more expensive.Special equipment is needed to decaffeinate the beans so this adds costs. Bottom line is there is no getting around the cost of the equipment so they skimp and use sub par beans to reduce costs and you get very watery, flavorless decaf coffee. If you want better tasting decaf, buy the more expensive decaf beans that have better flavor. I was working and listening and am sure there is more to it than I can recall but that is the gist of it.

 

[A Y]

An interesting coffee blog: http://www.dearcoffeeiloveyou.com/

A feature on Blue Bottle: http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2011/09/23/blue-bottle-coffee-james-freeman/

It's coffee that is obsessively sourced, with provenance so detailed that buyers like Freeman can not only tell you the names of some of the people who pick it but describe the shade trees under which it grows. It's coffee that is painstakingly roasted to bring out aromas and flavors described by terms like pea shoot, dried banana, and hay. And because the precious organic beans deserve no less, the coffee is brewed in elaborate glass contraptions imported from Japan, or slowly hand-poured into individual drip filters, using kettles with spouts as slim and graceful as a swan's neck. For an extra 50¢ or a dollar per cup, and an extra five or 10 minutes in line, Blue Bottle elevates your coffee experience well above anything you've had before, or even what you thought was possible.

...

There isn't a formula to Freeman's retail operations, but they do display a consistently clean, unadorned aesthetic. There's no art on the walls, no music for sale, no "PBMs" (perfunctory bran muffins, in the Freeman lexicon) behind the counter. Blue Bottle doesn't sell coffee mugs or T-shirts, even though it could move a boatload. "I just can't figure out how to do a Blue Bottle T-shirt," Freeman says. "I don't wear T-shirts with logos. Why would I sell them?"

And the Porlex Mini manual grinder, designed to fit inside an Aeropress for easy travel, and sold in many places, but here's Sweet Maria's listing for it, which has a comparison to the Hario, and many pictures:

http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/grinders/manual-grinders/porlex-mini-ceramic-hand-mill.html

--Andre

 

[A Y]

Aeropress pr0n:

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

 

[cladnin]

On the topic of the metal cone: I felt even in house (at Coava) the pour-over leaving something to be desired. As good as the idea is, I prefer papers for the full brew experience.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Does anybody have any general ideas about coffee varietals? Most people get hung up on the roaster, or region, but surely varietal has just as much, if not more impact on coffee than region. Does anybody have an overview of what to expect from different varietals?

I find it crazy that a lot of roasters out there hype up the single origin coffees and don't really tell you you're actually tasting a blend of two or more varietals sometimes from the same soil. It can make tasting very misleading just like wines.

 

[A Y]

My understanding is that between the varietal and the way it's grown and processed, you have the most important elements of coffee. Of course, that doesn't preclude someone down the line screwing it up when they roast or brew the coffee. The potential for greatness has to be in the bean --- nothing done down the line can improve that, only degrade it.

There are some roasters who do list the varietals on the bag, but this usually doesn't mean much to most people, but FWIW, the most desired coffee in the world is identified by its varietal and farm (Esmeralda Gesha).

In many ways, the coffee world is still working with sticks and stones compared to something like the wine, so there is a lot of voodoo and hillbilly hick science that goes on even at the highest levels of the industry.

 

[patrickBOOTH]



In many ways, the coffee world is still working with sticks and stones compared to something like the wine, so there is a lot of voodoo and hillbilly hick science that goes on even at the highest levels of the industry.

This is very true. I am sure it also has something to do with coffee mostly coming from underdeveloped countries. I "think" I like bourbon from Ethipoia. I have asked what varietal is in a particular bag and at times get really strange looks from people. It is, to me at least like walking into a wine shop and saying give me something Italian, anything Italian.

 

[A Y]



This is very true. I am sure it also has something to do with coffee mostly coming from underdeveloped countries. I "think" I like bourbon from Ethipoia. I have asked what varietal is in a particular bag and at times get really strange looks from people. It is, to me at least like walking into a wine shop and saying give me something Italian, anything Italian.

I would say that even saying the varietal is not enough as the terroir (to borrow a term from the wine world) will affect the coffee bean greatly. Certainly there are certain common characteristics of a Kenyan bourbon, but different farms and seasons can affect the taste quite a bit, just like a pinot noir from different vineyards in the same region can vary greatly.

 

[seanchai]



I would say that even saying the varietal is not enough as the terroir (to borrow a term from the wine world) will affect the coffee bean greatly. Certainly there are certain common characteristics of a Kenyan bourbon, but different farms and seasons can affect the taste quite a bit, just like a pinot noir from different vineyards in the same region can vary greatly.

Even location on the farm can have an effect on the bean: Finca el Injerto in Guatemala sold one Bourbon lot - their Cup of Excellence lot - to Stumptown this year, and other Bourbons grown at a lower altitude on the same farm. They were processed to the same standard (red cherry, double washed, patio and drum dried) but even so, the taste profile is surprisingly different.

Stumptown lists the varietal(s) on all the bags they sell, and often buys different varietals from the same farm. They've had El Injerto's Bourbon, Maragogype, and Pacamara varietals on their shelves at different times.

 

[chronoaug]

I bought an Aeropress recently and it's pretty much all i use now unless it's cold in the morning and i want a larger cup of coffee rather than a more concentrated batch. It took awhile to fiddle around with my grind size, how long to leave the water off the burner after reaching boil and the time stirring/pressing but after making a few cups the first week i love it.

On the subject of beans i go with George Howell's Terroir line when i'm feeling like splurging. Local (Acton, MA) and one of the better roasters in the country imo

 

[A Y]

Apparently, Norway, and especially Oslo has a really happening coffee scene:

http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/ristretto-coffee-in-oslo/#more-189913

As for how the coffee tastes, opinions are divided. Some complain that the light roasts are underdeveloped, overly acidic, unpleasant: it’s a regional curiosity along the lines of lutefisk. But others feel that the roasting styles are pushing coffee in a new direction, expanding the spectrum: if some American coffees tend toward the bass notes of a Bordeaux, Oslo coffees can have the delicate complexity of a Burgundy.

I’m a convert. After spending two weeks in Oslo and drinking some of the most extraordinary coffees I ever encountered, I am now a fan of the brilliant clarity of a well-executed light roast. It didn’t happen right away. The coffees are so juicelike that I had to realign my frame of reference, abandon a few prejudices. At first it’s disorienting — the coffee isn’t like any other coffee. Then it’s exciting — the coffee isn’t like any other coffee.

Has anyone had coffee there?

 

[patrickBOOTH]



Even location on the farm can have an effect on the bean: Finca el Injerto in Guatemala sold one Bourbon lot - their Cup of Excellence lot - to Stumptown this year, and other Bourbons grown at a lower altitude on the same farm. They were processed to the same standard (red cherry, double washed, patio and drum dried) but even so, the taste profile is surprisingly different.
Stumptown lists the varietal(s) on all the bags they sell, and often buys different varietals from the same farm. They've had El Injerto's Bourbon, Maragogype, and Pacamara varietals on their shelves at different times.

Yes, I generally buy Stumptown. I had the Guatemala you speak of, good, but not up to African standards. Something about their Ethiopean coffee does it for me. I am drinking their Mordecoffe right now, which is Ethiopean Heirloom. Yummy.

Latin American coffees always taste thin to me. African change quite a bit while in your mouth and through the finish, imo.

 

[Despos]



Apparently, Norway, and especially Oslo has a really happening coffee scene:

http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/ristretto-coffee-in-oslo/#more-189913

As for how the coffee tastes, opinions are divided. Some complain that the light roasts are underdeveloped, overly acidic, unpleasant: it’s a regional curiosity along the lines of lutefisk. But others feel that the roasting styles are pushing coffee in a new direction, expanding the spectrum: if some American coffees tend toward the bass notes of a Bordeaux, Oslo coffees can have the delicate complexity of a Burgundy.

I’m a convert. After spending two weeks in Oslo and drinking some of the most extraordinary coffees I ever encountered, I am now a fan of the brilliant clarity of a well-executed light roast. It didn’t happen right away. The coffees are so juicelike that I had to realign my frame of reference, abandon a few prejudices. At first it’s disorienting — the coffee isn’t like any other coffee. Then it’s exciting — the coffee isn’t like any other coffee.

Has anyone had coffee there?

No, but a client in London travels there and said he was very impressed by their coffee and what is available.

A Y, just received my 3rd order from Verve. Like their Sermon espresso beans.

 

[henrikc]

Wow, I didn't even realize Oslo had such a great coffee scene. I'm actually visiting Oslo in two weeks, unfortunately my schedule is packed with meetings somewhere outside of Oslo, but I'll be sure to check out a few of these places whenever I'm in Oslo.