Lets talk about COFFEE

[indesertum]

I was in Honolulu but couldn't do anything wo a car.

 

[A Y]

Yeah, it can suck with or without a car, depending on what you're trying to do (traffic is pretty bad on weekdays, and don't get me started on their stupid street layout). Fortunately, downtown is easily accessible by public transit in case you're there again.

 

[A Y]

I just got some of the dry-process mokka peaberry from www.rustyshawaiian.com, and it's so much better in my preparation than the pourover cloth filter thing I had in Hawaii. Strong floral notes, strong dark berry flavors, low chocolate, and low acid. It has a thick mouthfeel. Compared to most of the stuff you can get from 3rd wave hipsters, this is pretty unique and more interesting than Yet Another New World Mutant Varietal. It's also different again than the only other mokka I've tried, Peet's Arabian Mocha Sanani. Peet's AMS is like the country bumpkin cousin to the more sophisticated Maui mokka, but still very enjoyable for what it is.

Preparation was in a CCD at mid-70s g/L brew ratios.

 

[b1os]

That's great news, workwearexpert.

 

[b1os]

You don't say, workwearexpert.

 

[lefty]

Is there a competition I don't know about?

AY, did I misread that? $16 for 3.5 oz?

lefty

 

[scottcw]

Who prefers making their own cup of coffee rather than going to the cafe and buy some?

 

[ryogrif]

Who prefers making their own cup of coffee rather than going to the cafe and buy some?

I would much rather make my own cup at home, but there is something to be said about the rejuvenating powers of spending time at one's third place (favourite cafe).

 

[aravenel]

Brewed coffee, I'd rather make at home. Espresso, I recognize that I have neither the gear nor the patience, and go to a cafe.

 

[A Y]



Is there a competition I don't know about?

AY, did I misread that? $16 for 3.5 oz?

That looks like the Ka'u peaberry. The mokka is further down the page at $24/8 oz. It's definitely boutique coffee with none of the scale of production of the bigger farms. Hawaii (the state) does have larger farms that are more mechanized in their harvesting and processing that sells cheaper coffee, but the stuff that's grown on really great land is pretty much really small production.

Who prefers making their own cup of coffee rather than going to the cafe and buy some?

I do, but if I'm lazy, I'll drop by Peet's to get a small cup of their regular coffee, because it is probably the best drip brew coffee available if you like their roasting style. Their small is a 12 oz. serving, which I always thought was a huge amount of coffee. It's served way too hot and that masks a lot of their coffee's flavors. If you let it cool down a bunch, they really come through.

 

[indesertum]

What's peet's roasting style like?

 

[lefty]

That looks like the Ka'u peaberry. The mokka is further down the page at $24/8 oz. It's definitely boutique coffee with none of the scale of production of the bigger farms.

Okay good. I draw the line at $70/lb. That's nespresso territory.

lefty

 

[A Y]



What's peet's roasting style like?

Dark. They are trying some lighter roasts, but their beans usually have lots of oil on them. You have to brew them a little differently: use water as close to boiling as you can manage, and agitate/stir more because the husks of the beans are tougher from the darker roast and don't let the flavors extract as easily. You may want a finer grind size as well. The large brewing machines that Peet's uses in their stores are said to be among the best drip brewers available, but it's not suitable for home use because it's used to brew gallons at a time, and brewed coffee goes bad in less than 30 minutes. Single-serve brewing (basically all brewing done at home) is hamstrung by the low volume of water compared to the filter and coffee bed size.

One of the most surprising discoveries for me recently was their French Roast blend: it was really delicious when it was offered as one of their drip brews, despite being one of their darkest roasts.

 

[indesertum]

I've never had a dark roast I liked.

 

[Gibonius]

I just went through a couple pounds of Peets and now I'm back to other roasters that use a lighter profile. Just not for me. Tried a couple varieties and none of them popped, including the East African stuff I usually love.