Kuuso on 20/1/2011 at 19:29
Forgot my moka pot, I do enjoy using it from time to time. Totally agreed with the freshly-grinded thing. The smell of freshly grinded coffee is part of it and I love how it lingers for hours.
About keeping your coffee in a refridgerator/freezer (the latter is better): You should only do it, if you are planning on stoving your coffee for a long in a vacuum. You should not keep grinded coffee or opened bags in the fridge, because constantly taking it out and in again will hasten it's degeneration. Basically you should buy in small quantities and keep them in room temperature in as dry condition as possible.
I never use milk nor sugar. I think they should only be used in making special coffees (a cappucino or latte for milk examples). If the coffee is good enough, it shouldn't need anything. I do, however, keep some indian sugar around for slightly older coffee to combat the sourness.
Vasquez on 20/1/2011 at 20:28
I can hardly call myself a home-barista, and we have only a regular coffee maker (Philips-something something, a bit on the fancier side but still quite basic), but I do
love good coffee - real coffee, not frappuccinos and caramel lattes and what-all urban perversions. I've never learnt to drink black coffee, either, I mix in a half spoonful of honey and a splash of cold milk or cream, ahhh. And the smell of coffee is like catnip to me.
A recent super-treat was (
http://www.lobodis.com/produits-tingo-maria.php) Tingo Maria by Lobodis a friend gave me for Christmas, it was just divine :angel:
Aja on 20/1/2011 at 20:44
Got a french press for Xmas and it's hard to go back to drip coffee. While I could drink a whole pot of the weak stuff my old machine makes, three cups from the press and I'm wired. I should probably get a more consistent grinder, but even with my cheap one, the coffee always comes out stronger and rarely bitter.
And TEA! A new tea shop opened in West Ed Mall, and they sell all these strange varieties (my favourite so far is Lapsang Suchong Star, which has a distinctly smokey taste). You get a nice infuser and follow the steeping instructions printed on each label, and suddenly tea becomes another pretentious hobby to appreciate and obsess over :thumb:
Kuuso on 20/1/2011 at 22:40
I wouldn't want to live with you, since you must have a constant diarrhea.
Scots Taffer on 20/1/2011 at 22:43
We got given a latte maker for our engagement. We have used it three times.
For me, coffee is a social thing or a work thing - I love having a coffee with my wife and kids at the weekend (babycinos for them, obviously) or catching up with a colleague over a coffee first thing in the morning. I don't drink it at home at all. I never touch instant, if I can't get fresh coffee I won't bother.
Tea is my real addiction (or should I say... marijuana...) and I drink around 3-4 cups per day. I recently reinvested in some good fresh black tea, three different varietals for morning, afternoon and evening with differing caffeine levels and fragrances.
ercles on 20/1/2011 at 23:28
Quote Posted by Kuuso
I don't keep beans for over than month and already grinded coffee goes sour over a week (I might be a tad strict on these).
TL;DR Coffee offers twice as big palette for flavours than red wine, the aroma being the work of up to 800 different parts/ingredients. Taste it.
You're probably not being strict enough. Most good baristas I have worked with don't keep grounds overnight, as they oxidise so rapidly that the mornings coffees will be noticibly worse (I've done blind taste tests and picked the difference).
Also unless I have misunderstood you, as far as coffee having a broader spectrum of flavours, I'm sorry but I think someone's mislead you there. Coffee does have a fantastic amount of potential complexity, but it doesn't even approach that of red wine.
demagogue on 21/1/2011 at 00:09
I remember when I was teaching English in Seoul, between classes the teachers would stand in a line to get a paper cup, put it under a dispenser and flip a lever that let out a splat of instant coffee dirt, then put it under a water-dispenser and pulled the red knob for hot water, then maybe a few swirls at best to mix it, gulp it down, and run off to our next class. (The kids often used it with little ramen packs, if they didn't eat the ramen raw.)
I remember standing there once and thinking this is the saddest thing ever. Korean English schools, hogwans, are notoriously money-grubbing, everything's rushed, since it's after school the kids are often in school from 8 am - 7 or 8 pm, so everybody is tired & grumpy... And that line for a slam of instant coffee just summed it all up. Then again, it was so absolutely necessary too.
theBlackman on 21/1/2011 at 00:14
Quote Posted by Kuuso
I wouldn't want to live with you, since you must have a constant diarrhea.
I have NO MEDICAL or other problems. And just so you know. Coffee does not give you diarrhea. Also there is more caffiene in a cup of strong tea than a 6 oz. cup of brewed coffee, and a cup of coffee has more caffiene than a double shot of espresso.
For those "picky" drinkers: 1 Heaping standard coffee measure per 6 oz. water at a temperature of 180 to 185 degrees F. Too much more brings out the acids, too much less loses flavor.
Of course, if you screw it up with flavoring, sugar, honey, or creamers, you wouldn't know a good cup of brew anyhow.
A standard measure is usually 2 Tbs.
Kuuso on 21/1/2011 at 00:18
Quote Posted by ercles
You're probably not being strict enough. Most good baristas I have worked with don't keep grounds overnight, as they oxidise so rapidly that the mornings coffees will be noticibly worse (I've done blind taste tests and picked the difference).
Also unless I have misunderstood you, as far as coffee having a broader spectrum of flavours, I'm sorry but I think someone's mislead you there. Coffee does have a fantastic amount of potential complexity, but it doesn't even approach that of red wine.
At cafés I expect nothing less than a fresh grind for every cup. At home, being poor, I'm not that strict. Especially since I'm without a grinder atm. Of course, with a grinder, grind for every cup.
About the aroma: Coffee's flavour consists up to 800 different aromatic compounds found this far. If I'm not mistaken red win commonly sits at 400. How we perceive the taste difference however, is a vastly different thing.
