Lets talk about COFFEE

[A Y]

Nice report Ed! I've had the Nepal from Barrington for two weeks now, and it's an excellent coffee. I don't get so much the floral flavors from it, like say an Ethiopian Yirg, but the combination of chocolate and acidic berries is very nicely balanced. Very smooth, and relatively big bodied too.

I also finally started using my Kinu m47, and it's a nice grinder, but somewhat awkward to use with the big heavy handle flying around and hitting things, and the opposite end of the handle potentially scrapping your hand as you turn. The thumbgrip is a nice idea, but the rest of the grinder is so smooth, it's hard to keep a grip on it. I ended up wrapping a rubber band around it for more grip. Retention is about the same as the other hand grinders: about 0.1-0.2g per 15g. Dialing it in is similar to the Feldgrind in that there is a dial with 0-9 marked on it, and you can count off multiple revolutions to get higher numbers: I have it on 12 right now, which is somewhat finer than the Feldgrind on a similar number setting. Grind quality appears to be very good, at least as good as the Feldgrind, and I'm thinking maybe better, but I don't have a good way to test this. Grind efficiency is about 2x better than the Feld, so it takes half as many cranks to grind the same amount of coffee. The Lido is half again faster than the Kinu.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Just ordered Kenya pour over at Blue Bottle. $8.71. They opened a little sealed packed with it already ground and measured out. **** Blue Bottle.

 

[otc]

Bought a bottle of cold brew from metropolis... Figured it would be like the stumptown one which I enjoy.

I do not enjoy it. Best I can describe it is that it tastes like drinking coffee grounds. Like when you use a brew method that leaves a a bunch of sediment in your cup and you take a final gulp of that swill.

 

[scottcw]

Just ordered Kenya pour over at Blue Bottle. $8.71. They opened a little sealed packed with it already ground and measured out. **** Blue Bottle.

I would never pay $8.71 for a pour over. You do you, boo.

 

[marvin100]

Gross

 

[MichaelCee]

I brew my own. I also grind my own using a hand crank burr grinder than suits my needs. After purchasing whole bean I vacuum seal in small batches. Favored brew method is with a press, followed by Bialetti moka pot. Pour overs are fine too. Contemplating buying an aeropress.

 

[Belligero]

Not much to contemplate about the Aeropress; it's cheap and good.

 

[edinatlanta]

Yeah, just buy the damn Aeropress. If you're deliberating that hard because of price wait for a Bed Bath and Beyond 20%-off coupon and get one then. They take up no space and are virtually fool proof.

Trip report: Went to Chattanooga and stopped in at Velo. A pretty decent coffee roaster. Not bad or anything but in that generic tier of good coffee. I had a cold brew of the Apu from Peru and it made several phenomenal cups in my Aeropress. I'd recommend that one, they have two-ounce tins available so it's worth trying you know?

Went to Miami and wow is Panther coffee great. I tried their Tanzania in the Bkon which... produced a good cup but I'm still unsure why someone would want to buy a several-thousand dollar machine to use zero gravity or whatever phooey they claimed. Considering it cost as much for that as a pourover I let the novelty get the better of me. The Tanzania was incredibly phenomenal.

Lots of plum-like acidity, and jammy. Not as thick of a texture as I like but still complex and lots of flavor to discover. I found that it needed to be quite a bit cooler than my regular cups for best flavor. I'll probably order another eight-ounce bag soon.

 

[edinatlanta]

And I just read this article and now I see why Panther had the Bkon: they are partners with the company (not that that's a problem. I was semi-curious how, really, any shop could afford such a device).

 

[joshuadowen]

The actual BKON brewer isn't worth the price.

That said, they are using the same technology to produce cold brew at scale, and the product is really remarkable.

 

[scottcw]

Does anyone have any favorite tips, tricks, brew methods based on the roast level of the coffee? For example, what do you do if the the roast is on the lighter side? Or slightly too dark?

 

[edinatlanta]

I know [@]indesertum [/@] said this coffee is just ok but I've really thoroughly enjoyed every cup I've had from them.

 

[Belligero]

^
It's tough to go too far wrong with a good Yirgacheffe.

One of my local roasters has been doing a great job with beans from Tanzania, too. It's the first I've tried from that country; it's as juicy as any top Ethiopian, but with maybe a bit less acidity, which makes for a really pleasant cup. Well worth a go if anyone comes across some.

Also, there's a new piece of gear in the house that I'm well-impressed with, which is this electric kettle from Bonavita:

photo credit: phil & sebastian

I noticed that most of the other guys at this year's national championships brought one of their own to use in the practice area, and I can see why. It'll get water up to whatever brew temp you want quickly and precisely, and the gooseneck pours better than Hario's in my opinion.

While I don't find it quite as nice-looking as the minimalist Stagg one I was using before, the convenience of pressing a button and having it reach and hold an exact temperature for up to an hour more than makes up for it. It's obvious that they put some thought into the functionality, since it does simple-but-handy tricks like having the base go into timer mode as soon as you lift the kettle, too.

My coffee-geek buds have found this thing to be reliable in regular use, and it definitely makes brewing a smoother and easier process, so I'd have no hesitation recommending it. Fantastic if you're into tea, as well.

Please report back when you get a chance. Would love to know where you went and what you thought of the quality

Just wanted to follow up on this; I ended up having to call off the trip, but I do look forward to my next visit so I can try out the recommendations.

 

[Gibonius]

^ I have one of those. Really useful for dialing in brewing conditions for different beans, or for tea.

 

[scottcw]

Been using and loving the electric Bonavita for 3+ years. Amazon will occasionally list them for around $50, which is what made me go for it.