ALL I WANT IS A PROPER CUP OF COFFEE

[red]

The plan was to let it steep for about 18 hours, as always.
Except I forgot. And it steeped for about 44 hours instead ...
Obviously, I expected anything that had steeped that long would first knock my teeth out and only THEN start punching me.
Except it didn't. Came out quite nice. Not notably better than when steeped for about 18 hours, but it's okay.

I'm glad you posted this.

I've been religiously brewing for 12 hours, worried that it would be undrinkable if I went over that time.

[DerGolgo]

I've been religiously brewing for 12 hours, worried that it would be undrinkable if I went over that time.

My pleasure entirely.
I found that 12 hours was a little short for my liking, actually.
The flavour does improve a bit after that, still. The first couple of times, I stuck with 12 to 18 hours, too. After I went across the 18 hour line the first time, I liked the result and stuck with 18 to 24 after that.
The increase in aroma that I mentioned was what made me fear the dental repercussions from a 40+ hour steep that I mentioned earlier.

[DerGolgo]

On GGs vehement recommendation, I got me an Aeropress.
That sucker makes a MEAN cuppa, don't it.

One of the ways they recommend to make one in the manual is the Americano. Half a cup of coffee, hot water on top.
I'd actually do that, only using much more coffee than the manual recommended. Simply because I have a LARGE mug, and the Aeropress is a bit small to fill the whole thing.
Also makes a mean Latte.

But just today, I was struck by inspiration. Or maybe it was that Volkswagen five years back.
Anyway, I was thinking.
After getting home from another round of treatments for my headache.
Should I have a nice mug of cold-brew? Or make one on the Aeropress?

Here's what I did:
Take cold-brew from fridge. Heat in microwave.
Prepare a half a mug of coffee on the Aeropress, 1.5 spoons of coffee grounds.
Add a wee drop of milk to the latter. And then fill the mug the rest of the way with the hot cold-brew.

It's good!

[red]

I did a new batch of cold brew using Peruvian beans, let it brew for 15 hours and it's excellent!

Over the weekend I also tried a new store bought cold brew, from Stumptown Coffee and was not impressed. Too acidic and yet watery.

IMAG2067.jpg

[DerGolgo]

I got the usual daily email from Amazon with recommendations.
And, for a change, it is NOT another flavour of something I've already purchased. But something potentially useful.

A metal permanent-filter for the Aeropress.
Ten bucks. 30-days-money-back-guarantee. I can use it and, if I don't like it, return it and get a full refund.
My greatest concern is that I might have to spend a minute or two cleaning it for every mug I wanna make.
Thoughts?

[Bigshankhank]

OK so there was a lot of chatter about "cold brew" coffee, so I bought a bottle of this to dip my toe into the trend, so to speak.


This shit is undrinkable. I tried it straight (despite the label stating it is concentrated). Then I tried it with 1:2 coffee:water, still nasty. Dropped it down to 1:1, still nasty. I think it would be fine if it were hot, like coffee should be. I do not get this trend of "Let's take a thing, and serve it in a completely atypical fashion". How about this, lets bake a fucking pie with the crust inside like a goddamned Twix? This is how we get cold coffee, hot yoga, butt-chugging and businessmen presidents. Seriously this shit sucks, I don't mean to shout get off my lawn, but what the everliving fuck is with this? The whole point of yoga is to feel like you worked out without actually sweating, why do it in a sauna? Coffee should be hot, served in a styrofoam cup truckstop-style, or if you are a pinkies-out kind of guy then in a ceramic mug (either is perfectly acceptable).


TBH I would totally get down on a Twix pie, so that is a bad example.

[red]

This shit is undrinkable. I tried it straight (despite the label stating it is concentrated). Then I tried it with 1:2 coffee:water, still nasty. Dropped it down to 1:1, still nasty. I think it would be fine if it were hot, like coffee should be. I do not get this trend of "Let's take a thing, and serve it in a completely atypical fashion". How about this, lets bake a fucking pie with the crust inside like a goddamned Twix? This is how we get cold coffee, hot yoga, butt-chugging and businessmen presidents. Seriously this shit sucks, I don't mean to shout get off my lawn, but what the everliving fuck is with this? The whole point of yoga is to feel like you worked out without actually sweating, why do it in a sauna? Coffee should be hot, served in a styrofoam cup truckstop-style, or if you are a pinkies-out kind of guy then in a ceramic mug (either is perfectly acceptable).


TBH I would totally get down on a Twix pie, so that is a bad example.

Hahaha! If I recall correctly, cold brew started in Japan, so take that in to consideration!

Personally, I dig it and I am far from some sort of coffee snob. I liked Chameleon at first but now that I make my own, I prefer it over store bought. I've come to really like cold brew using Peruvian beans, it's smooth, slightly sweet and packed with caffeine. But like all things, different strokes for different folks. I hate acidic, over roasted coffee, like Starbucks and dark roasts.

[Bigshankhank]

Hahaha! If I recall correctly, cold brew started in Japan, so take that in to consideration!

Personally, I dig it and I am far from some sort of coffee snob. I liked Chameleon at first but now that I make my own, I prefer it over store bought. I've come to really like cold brew using Peruvian beans, it's smooth, slightly sweet and packed with caffeine. But like all things, different strokes for different folks. I hate acidic, over roasted coffee, like Starbucks and dark roasts.

And I am exactly the opposite, in that I prefer darker roasted coffee. I am sure the taste would be more palatable, if it were served correctly (read: SCALDING HOT). Thank you UTMC, now I'll never trust something I read on the internet again.

[Pintgudge]

No,no,no!!

Cold brew doesn't mean you drink it cold!

That is just the way it is steeped; 1 pint coarse ground coffee to 1 quart plus a little of cold water. shake it up in a 2 liter soda bottle and let sit for 12 or so hours. Then strain through a fine stainless steel seive and voila. . . THAT is the "Cold Brew".

Mix 1/8th of that bottle with a mug of boiling water (to taste)' and try that.

I've never tried that brand, I cold brew my own, but I've been drinking coffee for 50 years now, percolater, mr coffee, melita drip, french press, espresso and I think the cold brew has them all beat.

It is as strong or mild as you like because you decide how much to use, and it does not have the acidic bitterness you get with some other methods.

[Bigshankhank]

No,no,no!!

Cold brew doesn't mean you drink it cold!

That is just the way it is steeped; 1 pint coarse ground coffee to 1 quart plus a little of cold water. shake it up in a 2 liter soda bottle and let sit for 12 or so hours. Then strain through a fine stainless steel seive and voila. . . THAT is the "Cold Brew".

Mix 1/8th of that bottle with a mug of boiling water (to taste)' and try that.

I've never tried that brand, I cold brew my own, but I've been drinking coffee for 50 years now, percolater, mr coffee, melita drip, french press, espresso and I think the cold brew has them all beat.

It is as strong or mild as you like because you decide how much to use, and it does not have the acidic bitterness you get with some other methods.

You know what would be nice? If there were a single shred of instruction on the label. What you wrote far exceeds the entire breadth of data provided by this product, although I recall reading some hogwash about authenticity and flannel and Austin on the side.
Thank you, I did not pour it out yet.

[Bigshankhank]

Round #2, 4oz clear hot water through the Keurig at work, 4oz of concentrated ancient Chinese secret coffee, let is spin in the microwave for 60 seconds. I mean, its smooth to be sure, but is it better? I will say this, the finish of this coffee is similar to brewing it through the Hario in that there is no bitterness.
The jury is still out, I have six more servings in this bottle.

[Pintgudge]

Better than cold and straight up though?

[Bigshankhank]

Yes.

[DerGolgo]

I got the usual daily email from Amazon with recommendations.
And, for a change, it is NOT another flavour of something I've already purchased. But something potentially useful.

A metal permanent-filter for the Aeropress.
Ten bucks. 30-days-money-back-guarantee. I can use it and, if I don't like it, return it and get a full refund.
My greatest concern is that I might have to spend a minute or two cleaning it for every mug I wanna make.
Thoughts?

I pulled the trigger and have been evaluating this thing for a few days.
No particular "flavorgasm" when compared to the original Aeropress paper filters.
When operating the plunger, there appears to be less resistance initially. Didn't notice any grounds that made it into the final product, so that's okay.

Word of warning: I've caught myself a few times halfway through the coffee-grounds disposal procedure my muscles had memorized in the paper-filter era. Remove the bit with the holes in, open the trashcan, aim and punch the plunger to kick it all out. Thus far, I was able to catch myself and not place the little permanent-filter into the filthy trashcan.

So, if you need filters for yer aeropress anyway, this here wouldn't be a bad idea.

[Zim]

For the past 10 months I've been using a disk in my Aeropress. Purchased a set which included the screen disk and a perforated metal disk which I alternate between.

The paper filters might make for a cleaner cup of coffee (and cleaner clean-up), but I like my coffee strong, bold and chewy. Sediment, to me, is a sign of a proper brew.

I've sent the metal filter into the trash a few times at first. For cleaning I just rinse the disk after each use, and use soap now and then. If needed, a toothbrush makes for easy clean-up should the disks get clogged.

[guitargeek]

I'm enjoying a reeeeeeeally good iced mocha at Lee's in OKC, with a lovely spring roll!

https://leescoffee.com/ushome.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[guitargeek]

Spring rolls, egg rolls, iced mocha for about seven bucks.

Thơm ngon!

[red]

Coffee should be hot, served in a styrofoam cup truckstop-style, or if you are a pinkies-out kind of guy then in a ceramic mug (either is perfectly acceptable).

You better get that damn pinky out next time I let you drink my mild roasted coffee in the ceramic JavaSpeed mug pattio gave me.

[DerGolgo]

Coffee should be hot, served in a styrofoam cup truckstop-style, or if you are a pinkies-out kind of guy then in a ceramic mug (either is perfectly acceptable).

You better get that damn pinky out next time I let you drink my mild roasted coffee in the ceramic JavaSpeed mug pattio gave me.

Ah, I see you know the origins of the pinky-extending-maneuver. Jolly good!
Particularly around here ...

Not entirely accurate, though. Both of you.
You extend your pinky to keep that away from the fine bone-china. Because bone-china back in the day, you couldn't scrub it with a vengeance.
The humble workman, meanwhile, was traditionally at best secondarily concerned about the cleanliness of his hands. His is the honest, simple, heavy, durable mug. Traditionally made from materials that, technically, are ceramics. Practically, more like smooth concrete (back in the day). Stoneware wasn't called stoneware because it was brittle rubbish like that bone china.
While the aristocrats, the gentry, and the aspirational classes who mimic them for no good reason, would only ever have tiny, fearful, nervous, timid sips. And extended their disgusting pinkies while doing so.
The "lower" classes would have an honest, heartfelt, well earned slug. Certainly not out of some vessel that would thus be practically emptied on the spot.
The honest workman's calloused hands, and others working in the same fields, like draftsmen and engineers. Or the sailors who'd tackle the murderous seas to carry what the former needed to work with, or would have made. Their brethren operating the slow but steady narrowboats along the canals that had come before the railroads, endlessly trudging by the side of their trusty draft horses on the towpaths. The carters, carrying the goods where no canals had been dug yet, or the very navvies who would do that digging. And later, the builders of the mighty railways, the engineers and stokers who'd tame the mighty steel beasts that would ride them. Certainly the brave men who conquered the skies a century ago, and their successors, who would fly their Lancasters and Wellingtons into the walls of deadly flak over the enemy's industry of war.
Theirs was the mug. And the mug don't give a fuck about no pinky.

[Merlyn]

You better get that damn pinky out next time I let you drink my mild roasted coffee in the ceramic JavaSpeed mug pattio gave me.

Why the hell did you still HAVE a pinky to hold out?!?!?

Someone report over there with the damn shears- STAT!

[red]

You better get that damn pinky out next time I let you drink my mild roasted coffee in the ceramic JavaSpeed mug pattio gave me.

Why the hell did you still HAVE a pinky to hold out?!?!?

Someone report over there with the damn shears- STAT!

I think BSH is the only dis-member in FL, he'll have to prune his own pinky.

[Bigshankhank]

You better get that damn pinky out next time I let you drink my mild roasted coffee in the ceramic JavaSpeed mug pattio gave me.

Why the hell did you still HAVE a pinky to hold out?!?!?

Someone report over there with the damn shears- STAT!

I think BSH is the only dis-member in FL, he'll have to prune his own pinky.

Well, its not like anyone on a motorcycle forum would have any reason to live in or even so much as visit Florida, what with our year long riding season, racing, Daytona Bike Week, the Keys, Disneyworld, etc...(Excluding Matpoc & Jeager/Mishka, of course).

Gonna hold off on removing the pinky for now while I am remodeling my house, though I'll be using a mitre' saw an awful lot. To paraphrase Tyler Durden, on a long enough timeline, the survival rate for every pinky drops to zero.

[wyckedsin]

[media]https://youtu.be/vKWfW-MIRHc[/media]

[motorpsycho67]

Heathens.


Tea is the only proper beverage.

[DerGolgo]

Heathens.


Tea is the only proper beverage.

Depends on the application/intended outcome.
For defending against tyrants trying to take over the world, definitely. Cuppa tea, get in that Spitfire, shoot down Jerry, there's a chap.

For creating an Empire covering a quarter of the world's landmass and population, meanwhile. Coffee seems to be it. Where was Lloyd's of London created? In Lloyd's Coffee House, not Lloyd's Tearoom. It is my understanding that, in the 18th century, coffee was rather popular among the officers of His Majesty's Navy.
Also for landing on the Moon. I've seen images of Gene Kranz et al drinking plenty of what appeared to be coffee. Didn't see a lot of teabags in Mission Control.

[Bigshankhank]

On the topic of local roast, is anyone in the DC cell familiar with Iron Rooster? My client, based in Bawlmer, brought me a bag 'o beans to try out.

[Jaeger]

On the topic of local roast, is anyone in the DC cell familiar with Iron Rooster? My client, based in Bawlmer, brought me a bag 'o beans to try out.

They have scrapple and pork belly on the breakfast menu... hmmm... perhaps we need to resurrect the old Sunday Brunch!

(Otherwise no, this is new to me.)

--Jaeger

[Bigshankhank]

On the topic of local roast, is anyone in the DC cell familiar with Iron Rooster? My client, based in Bawlmer, brought me a bag 'o beans to try out.

They have scrapple and pork belly on the breakfast menu... hmmm... perhaps we need to resurrect the old Sunday Brunch!

(Otherwise no, this is new to me.)

--Jaeger

Post-DOOM event maybe?

[red]

I cast NECROMANCY to revive this thread!

So, I'm WFH full time now, which means I get to drink my good coffee every day. If I'm at the office, I normally drink K-Cup Chai Tea, it's tasty and the coffee at work is best described as brown sadness water.

Anywho, this may not be news to other French Press users but I started letting my coffee brew in the press for 15 min and it's much much better. I normally went around 10 min and found that some coffees were way too acidic for my taste. I did a bit of Googling and besides finding my way to the coffee equivalent of an oil type discussion, I found that a longer brew time can greatly change the acidity.

So, yeah. Drink up.

[DerGolgo]

I came to the French Press by way of the Aeropress. So when I first figured out how to french press, I tried using the same amount of coffee grounds per unit water as in the much smaller Aeropress. I'd add 85°C water, and let steep for 3m30s, timing I had used in the Aeropress.
I quickly found that the contents of the French Press would go quite bitter before the second mug. I found the recommendation to pour the French Press contents through a filter after the pressing, to prevent ongoing reactions what would make the coffee bitter. So I started doing that.
Eventually, I found that 90°C tasted a little better, as did a steep time reduced to 3 minutes.

So I gotta ask. 10 minutes?! 15 MINUTES!!!

The coffee I make for myself in the described manner has been found good by guests, and it tastes a good deal better than what my mother, for example, makes with a pour-over arrangement, and many great deals better than the machine-made coffee I'm usually offered when I have business at my bank.

If I may ask, @red. Would you give us the relation of coffee grounds to water, and the approximate water temperature? Would you describe how you "brew in the press"? All I do is shovel the appropriate amount of coffee grounds in there, then add the water, stir for a few seconds, and then wait for three minutes before the pressing business.