Coffee talk

Matt B said:
I take one scoop of whole beans (just measured the scoop and it seems to be ~2.5 tbsp and no I don’t weigh it) and grind it in the Baratza encore on lucky 13. Invert the aeropress and add grounds, then add hot (not boiling but recently boiling) water close to the top, stir, let the bloom settle, add a little more water to top off, stir and put the filter cap on. Then ~5 min steep usually before pressing into my mug. Then I drink it straight.
If I want another coffee later I usually do about a 3/5 scoop and 1/2 the water so a slightly more concentrated but slightly less volume brew.
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Thanks for the details. I have settled on brewing a concentrate that I dilute as needed.

I grind in my Baratza encore based on time. Depending on the beans, a 40-45 second grind (#12) fills my Aeropress to the “1”. I add enough hot water (1-2 minutes off a rolling boil) to saturate the grinds and mix well. Then fill to the “3”, place the plunger on top and wait 2 minutes before pressing. This gives me a very strong coffee that gets diluted in a 12 oz mug. Some roasts need enough water to fill the mug to near the rim. The Kona coffee gets little more than a splash of extra water to keep it syrupy and intense.
 
Capt Insano Emeritis said:
Don’t roast my own… just buy what i find Guatamalan antigua. Peets Big Bang , pikes street, sumatran, a peets french roast or Italian roast . I tend to like Peets style of roast. My youngest daughter bought me a gift of fair trade coffee from small growers in the Carribean islands . A bit of strange yet interesting coffees. We just have a French press stainless bodum and an electric kettle for the water. Make it strong.. play with a few scoops of one or another combined. Pour water in stir 7-8 times changing directions to build that froth… sit for a few and put the lid on and plunge coffee in 5 minutes i amm drinking coffee. The grounds get used in the garden . 4-5 vbig cups a day. Stop with the coffee at noon or so… coffee and the simple process i use is just a delivery system
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My wife and I settled on Peets Big Bang a couple of years ago and that's about all we drink now. Good, reliable coffee.
 
Yeah not a fan of smooth Euro. Blends. Big bang has a bite to it that I like for off the shelf coffee. Tonys out of Bellingham is what i should buy again. A sentimental onee as i enjoyed it so much in the mid 70’s when in college. Once i settled down it was my drug of choice
 
So, spent a bit of the morning at the Seattle Dougnut festival , Hanger 30 , Magnuson Park.
If you go, look up Black Coffee and say hello to Erwin and his wife. ( They seem to be the only functioning coffee vendor there.)
Their house roast is a medium and really nicely balanced. I went back for 4ths 😜
 
So far down here in Westport this season I've been using the French press and even with a blade grinder I have been happy with the results. I've experimented with various grinds and steep times to really dial in what I like. A couple weeks ago I found a place in Aberdeen that roasts their own beans and picked up a variety to try out. I've been very happy with their beans so far.

A good mug of coffee is such a treat on the ocean every morning. It's amazing what it can do to my overall mood. Once or twice I had to get gas station coffee and it was shocking how awful it was compared to what I've been getting used to.

The one thing I haven't enjoyed about the French press is that it's just a bit more involved than I'd prefer in the mornings. Not a huge deal, but its quickly approaching the beginning of my super busy season where every few extra minutes of sleep is crucial and I find myself getting up just a bit earlier each morning to make my coffee in the press. I am also making my roommate coffee most mornings as well, as he is working as a deckhand so is also up early. He's done a ton for me over the years, helping make sure I have a place to crash while I'm down here, so I have no problem putting in a little extra effort to make an extra press of coffee for him. Still, I'm ready for something just a bit less hands on moving forward.

So tonight I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a couple things....first is a Baratza Encore grinder. I've read a ton of reviews and watched all the vids, and this one just keeps coming out on top for my needs. Seems like many of you here have it as well. I'm super excited to try my first burr grinder.

Along with that I ordered a Breville Precision Brewer drip machine. It came down to between this and the Mochamaster. Both are highly reviewed. I went with this due to the larger capacity and I am intrigued by the many options it provides.

I'm looking forward to being able to brew one large pot easily that will be enough for both my roommate and I, and once I get everything dialed in it will be a pretty quick and easy process in the morning. No doubt when I'm at home I'll continue to enjoy my pour over cup, especially with the new grinder, but a quality drip machine is very appealing for my life down here.
 

Gevalia, always a hit.
 
Currently our choice of weapon, Nespresso using Peet’s pods exclusively.

But I drink variety of green tea plus some other herbal type like hibiscus and rose hips and estimate it at a 6:1 ratio tea to coffee. I love coffee but I also need a toilet near by. Amazing how it kick starts the system for me……. So I’m selective when and where I drink a coffee. 😬

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I’m bad......in my younger years I worked at Todd shipyards. We had a coffee maker in the electricians Q hut that NEVER got cleaned. Needless to say, I can drink real black mud still to the day! (Baileys does help!)
 
Nick Clayton said:
The Breville came on Friday but the Encore didn't come until today. Excited to get up and make coffee tomorrow!


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I'm curious how you will like the maker (I use a Melitta cone/paper filter - "pourover").

One time when I cleaned my Encore, I put the conical gear in 180 degrees from where it's suppposed to be positioned (it fit). It still ground but slowly. It took me a week to figure out what I'd done (Youtube can be my friend sometimes). Enjoy!!
 
Buzzy said:
I'm curious how you will like the maker (I use a Melitta cone/paper filter - "pourover").

One time when I cleaned my Encore, I put the conical gear in 180 degrees from where it's suppposed to be positioned (it fit). It still ground but slowly. It took me a week to figure out what I'd done (Youtube can be my friend sometimes). Enjoy!!
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Been using the Breville since Friday and so far I've been impressed. This thing is extremely customizable and has a ton of options. It also will brew a lot of coffee, which I need at the moment. I read/watched many reviews on this machine and one small complaint I read often is that its a bit complex to use with all the settings and such, but I don't find that to be the case at all. This thing is a breeze to use.

At home I've really enjoyed the V60 pour over, and am really looking forward to using it now that I have a proper grinder, but my life down here in Westport requires something a little less hands on, as well as the ability to make a lot of coffee so this machine seems like the perfect fit.

This morning I got up and used the Encore for the first time. I ground up 60 grams of these beans at the recommended 18 grind setting for a drip brewer.







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First thing I noticed is this grinder is a bit loud. Not a huge deal but definitely louder that my blade grinder. A quick look at the finished grounds showed what appeared to be very nice consistency, though I didn't dump any out and look super closely. Where I really noticed the difference in consistency is when I went to dump the grounds after brewing. The used grounds has always been where I notice the huge inconsistencies with the blade grinder, but I immediately noticed when I dumped these grounds that they looked totally different and consistent than what I've been used to.

I brewed this pot the exact same way I've been using it the last few days. 1000 ml of water, 60g of coffee, and used the gold cup setting on the machine. The only difference today from the last few days was the burr grinder instead of the blade grinder.

The results were impressive. I'm not good at describing the taste differences in anything, but with this batch I was really able to pick up flavors I hadn't previously. Especially the cherry. It really jumped out at me. It seemed like with each sip of my first cup I immediately got that cherry flavor directly under my tongue. It was very interesting. I would say even with just my first attempt and before experimenting with any settings or grind levels that the burr grinder made an enormous difference in the finished product. Very happy I pulled the trigger on that.

I ordered a variety of new beans to try yesterday from Water Avenue Coffee in Portland that I am really excited to try out.

Had yesterday and today off due to weather but am back out on the ocean tomorrow. My morning coffee on the ocean is a highlight of each day and now I'm even more excited for tomorrow's mug!
 
Ended up with the day off so I got up early and ran into Olympia to runs some errands and do a little shopping.

First stop was Olympia Coffee Roasting where I ordered a pour over with these beans


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What a fantastic cup that was. Possibly the best I've had in my short lived dive into the Coffee world.

After finishing my cup I picked up a bag as well as a couple other bags of their beans to try out. I doubt I'll be able to get it as dialed in as what they served me but if I can get even halfway close I'll be thrilled. Delicious.

Pretty cool little spot. They had a big glass window where I sat while drinking my cup that looked in on the roasting area. Was pretty neat to watch it all go down.
 
Nick Clayton said:
Ended up with the day off so I got up early and ran into Olympia to runs some errands and do a little shopping.

First stop was Olympia Coffee Roasting where I ordered a pour over with these beans


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What a fantastic cup that was. Possibly the best I've had in my short lived dive into the Coffee world.

After finishing my cup I picked up a bag as well as a couple other bags of their beans to try out. I doubt I'll be able to get it as dialed in as what they served me but if I can get even halfway close I'll be thrilled. Delicious.

Pretty cool little spot. They had a big glass window where I sat while drinking my cup that looked in on the roasting area. Was pretty neat to watch it all go down.
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Did you get the aroma of roasting beans throught that window or in the store? I LOVE the smell of the beans as they turn from green to yellow and then start to brown. By first crack the garage smells amazing. Coffee: wonderful stuff.
 
It’s finally feeling like summer which means I need to get my cold brew game going. I really like the light and sweet roasts for this time of year.
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I’ll roast a batch tonight so it can rest before I turn it into cold brew for the weekend.

My cold brew setup is really simple; it’s a French press. I grind 1 cup of beans, fairly coarse, add 2.5 cups cold water, mix well, and into the refrigerator for 24 hours. Press and pour into a 16oz Mason jar.

Edit: First roast. Went 10 minutes in the air popper. Trying to reach a City+ kinda color.
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