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Coffee Talk

Karen_Taylor_Quinn_36329

For anyone enrolled in our Coffee class, and those interested in enrolling, this is the place to discuss all things home brew.

And if you're not in the mood to talk, just brew yourself a cup of something rich and aromatic, sit back, and watch everyone discuss what's happening in the wide world of coffee.

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Comments

anthony_34093

I'm wondering if anyone here does their own roasting and if so what methods? I've been doing a lot of research on it recently and since I can't really afford the more expensive roasting machines I'm starting to think it might not be worth it. From my research is looks like the poppers and stovetop methods tend to produce much more inconsistent roasts.

Brendan_Lee_56950

There's a thread floating around where folks are discussing their methods. I like the idea but for the cost and effort I feel like my time and money is best spent supporting a local small business who is invested in making the best coffee they can.

Now if I lived in the middle of nowhere I'd consider doing it myself

anthony_34093

Yea I just saw that thread after making this post but they are both using some pretty expensive roasting machines. I'm starting to lean toward your train of thought as well although I haven't been crazy about the local DC beans available, especially at their price point. I keep going back to Happy Mug.

seijoed

Oven, popcorn popper, wok - they all work, but yes, roasters are expensive, I got the Behmor after quite a bit of trial and error.

com-chefsteps

@Karen_Taylor_Quinn_36329 , just piping up to say I loved the production and tone of the teaser video. I'm no longer a particularly enthusiastic coffee drinker, but the "better control" video and the class trailer look super exciting. Extra kudos to whomever thought up the world map in a coffee cup. All the animation is wonderful.

Karen_Taylor_Quinn_36329

Thanks so much Ted! All the kudos for the animated video go to our own @Rick_Wallace_72807. I'm glad to know you enjoyed that video even if the class is not for you!

com-chefsteps

Oh, I'm sold on the class already; maybe I'll even buy some beans this week!

Rick_Wallace_72807

Thanks @T__2156!

true.fuchs

Look, roasting at home is great, but you should also look where the price that you have to pay for your local beens are coming from. If it is just the reseller slapping on 50% then I understand that you dont want to buy them, but maybe approach a roster and see where they are buying from, what their green coffee prices are and if they are buying directly from the farm. Because if you are paying more for beens that have been bought through direct trade, the money that will reach the farmer will finally be enough for them to live without working 14 hours a day. Also with a price increase for the quality beans they sell, they can focus on exactly that: Quality! instead of quantaty! So by buying beans for a good price you ensure that the quality of coffee in the future will only get better. Also the price you pay for great coffee vs s**t mostly only translates to 0,2Cents a cup.

Filip_Brevik_Aarre_28559

This was educational! I've been using this tool a lot to get down receives for different blends. Now I have even more stuff to get exited on

VST CoffeeTools for iPhone b y VST

https://appsto.re/no/xJE9u.i

Peter_Chrostowski_138930

This was an excellent series. I was wondering if the inverted aeropress method is any better at achieving ideal extraction or is it indiscernible from the standard method?

Kasper_Skriver_Gravesen_128251

Lovely class. I was wondering if I could buy larger amounts of freshly roasted beans and then vacuum seal it in small amounts and put it in my freezer? Does that affect the quality of the beans? Thanks again

anthony_34093

looks cool but seems I need a refractometer to use it...

nicolasgrosny

Do exist brew coffee with milk instead of water?

Karen_Taylor_Quinn_36329

@James_Hoffmann_21713 do you know the answer to this?

Brendan_Lee_56950

AFAIK, it will slow the oxidation, staleness factor but not necessarily enough to keep for really extended periods. I can't remember what show I just watched that talked about this very thing.

Andreas_19155

Hi guys, great class, liked the idea of the aerated coffee with xanthan.. was expecting though at least one video with the aeropress. On another note I have always been wondering what is considered to be the best way of making coffee? the aeropress or the pour over method? I have been using the aeropress for the last 3 years and I have brewed many different coffees and tried many different methods - always great results in about 90 seconds. Lately I've started thinking of buying a chemex to explore this method and I was wondering whether any of you guys has tested these two methods?

seijoed

Roasted beans - whole can be stored for fairly long times, fresh beans you want to worry about humidity. I don't freeze my fresh beans but do store them in a cooler (Colorado is really dry). Or, you just need to drink more coffee

ttpoker

So? Get a refractometer! What are you waiting for!!!!

caveat: I don't have a refractometer yet, but it is on the birthday wish list.

James_Hoffmann_21713

Freezing them in an airtight container is about the best way to store coffee long term. However, you should let them come back to room temp before grinding and using.

However, you'll see some drop in quality - compared to buying smaller amounts more often.

Jonathan_Tan_68128

Hi everyone, do any of you have any good recommendations for aeropress videos/resources?

true.fuchs

Usually not because milk starts to burn at 70°C but you need a good bit more to brew coffee

grant

Sure, have you seen this activity?

https://www.chefsteps.com/classes/coffee#/aeropress

jwrupple

Several years ago I almost stopped drinking coffee because I was getting headaches on days I did not have a cup or two or more. The need to have coffee felt much like an addiction. I then met a man from Switzerland who designed and built Espresso machines. He told me that at one time he also had those reactions until he stopped brewing coffee with French presses, percolators i.e. submerging the ground beans in water to extract the flavors. His explanation was that by allowing beans to soak in water brought out the tars in the beans which is what the body became addicted to ergo headaches when you don't drink. He said extracting the beans under pressure, as in the currently popular espresso machines, brewed it quickly and reduced the amount of tars that ended up in the cup. I subsequently changed to the pressurized style of brewing and voila headaches disappeared. I can now drink multiple cups of coffee a day during the week and on the weekends suffer no desires or cravings for a cup other than the normal "just want a warm cup to relax". I wonder if anyone else has heard of this phenomenon.

Jonathan_Tan_68128

Lol. Yeah I have. I was looking for videos specifically though.

Jonathan_Tan_68128

Btw. Great class. I like the pre-brew techniques and the systematic way to find your perfect grind.

John_Bower_108779

Check out www.brewmethods.com for links to videos for all kinds of brewing devices.

Goncalo_121233

I have a question about dialing in espresso:

Usually there's 18-23g of grounded coffee in the portafilter for one espresso. If you want to split and make two espressos what do you do? More coffee (I don't think there are filter baskets over 22g+-)? Same amount of grounded coffee but more coarser in order to get more liquid without over-extracting? Do you split the same dose and just let more water run through it (over-extraction zone)?

Thanks!

jaminsky

Hey Goncalo,

So... Technically, if you're using 18-23g of ground coffee in your portafilter, you're already making something along the lines of a double espresso. You want to keep the ratio of your liquid espresso to dry grounds greater than or equal to 2:1. That is something I recommend keeping as a fixed constant. So to answer your question, if you want to make to espressos, you're either sharing half or you're making a second one! Definitely check out the Espresso Class here at Chef Steps when you get a chance!

jaminsky

There aren't any tars in roasted coffee that I'm aware of (some italian robusta coffees would certainly make me think otherwise), but I think there is some science behind the effects your experiencing, and they are:

1. Espresso is, per serving (not per ml), a lower dose of caffeine. If you've gone from throwing back a couple 16 ouncers of filter coffee a day to a couple espressos, you're going to be taking in less caffeine. You're body is thus less reliant on it to help you wake up, etc etc, no headaches.

2. Filter coffee (and this is empirically observed by yours truly, not necessarily statistical fact) is generally higher in extraction than espresso, mostly due to the fact that espresso is not as reliably efficient a brew method as filter drip. So when youre drinking filter coffee not only is there more ground coffee used to make it, but you're also getting more out of those grounds. More extraction means more/better flavor to a point, but it also means more caffeine.

3. This one could actually go against what you're saying, but it still might be a source of your troubles, is the Robusta species of coffee. Arabica, (the quality, flavor focused species of the coffee plant) is also much lower in caffeine, by approximately half! So if you're drinking Robusta in either your filter coffee or your espresso, not only do I feel sorry for your tastebuds (Robusta almost universally tastes of burning rubber, the signature of the italian espresso), but you're getting a double dose of caffeine.

Hope that helps!

jaminsky

Pablo is right! If you wanted the milk to be the right temperature, you’d be working with scalded milk. Most importantly though, water is the greatest natural solvent in the world. In order to coax every last bit of good stuff out of the grounds, it needs to be clean, soft water. Additionally, fat is a flavor suppressant. Good coffees will always taste less complex and less unique when any fats are added to them.

If you're just trying to turn the milk brown though, I say let ’er rip. Heat the milk to 68 and make a french press. It certainly won’t kill you, I’d just bet a dollar you won’t do it again!

jaminsky

If you're doing the normal orientation and you pull up ever-so-slightly on the plunger after inserting it, you will find that the pressure will keep the liquid suspended. As such, its indiscernible. I will say that the inverted style is an easier starting point though. Check out Tim Wendelboe's video on Vimeo; you can see the move I'm talking about starting at 1:20. https://vimeo.com/16261120

Brendan_Lee_56950

You're not going to find a clear answer on this because it's all subjective (like all coffee really is). I would instead think about these factors to narrow your methods:

time to setup and brew
amount of coffee you want to make at a time
cost
style of coffee you prefer

nao2225

This is a great class. In Japan, it is said Nell drip is the best. (Reference https: // bluebottleco ffee.com/preparation-guides/nel-drip) What do you think everyone?

bkeene12

Great information

TIL- The Lair's Latte, using skim milk instead of whole when steaming and how well the Xathan Gum trick works with chocolate milk.

Charles_51187

Was passionate about coffee awhile but got away from it (years) after some poor decision making to eliminate caffeine from my diet. After the birth of our daughter the end of January my wife started back in on a daily drip and I a cup on Saturday/Sunday. Took the class and grabbed the recommended gear. Enjoying our first brew (chemex) and wanted to say thanks for putting together this class! Kinda hoped the actual vids would be extended versions to compliment the long format info of the class but understand why you can't go whole hog every-time.

Sam_Chen_15137

Just curious with Aeropress and Chemex brewing, I have all three of Able's products (Kone, Disc, Disc Fine) and I definitely notice the difference in brewing without paper filters. Is there anything to be said about how to enjoy that? Or am I losing something because I'm adding something?

John_Bower_108779

I use the Kone and the Disc, but I'm not sure what you mean by your question. Are you curious about how to use them to get the best results, or something else?

Ricardo_Mesa_166891

Hi guys

Is the 400 mircon grind ment for all methods? I use French Press, V60 and Chemex, but when u mentioned that french press grinds should not be coarse, I got confused, every single website/video/book/etc I've read calls for coarse settings on the french press...

Plus, those 3 to 5 extra minutes could result in over extraction, what am I missing here?

Karen_Taylor_Quinn_36329

It's true that popular wisdom dictates coarse grounds for French press, but it's simply not true. It's likely that that myth is perpetuated because people believe you need coarse grounds so they don't seep through the mesh when you plunge. Particularly if you use our no-plunge method, this won't be a problem, but that mesh is also designed to catch very fine grounds, so you really don't need to stress about coarseness.

As for your extraction question, with French press it's more likely you'll end up with under-extracted coffee, than over-extracted, but it IS up to your personal taste. Try it with 400-micron grounds, with the timing we suggest, and taste your coffee. That formula is OUR favorite, but if it's too bitter and astringent for you, you can increase your grind size, and decrease your brewing time, until you have your own perfect formula.

Have fun!

Elias_Haddad_57332

Hello everyone,

So I've been trying out all the methods (except the Aeropress) in this course and gotta say, I really really love the results I'm having! Making the cold brew is probably my favorite because I get an excuse to use the siphon. I am also really a big fan of the French Press method, but the scooping procedure of the foam and fines became sorta annoying. To me it was a bit frustrating not being able to get all of the top layer out, until it dawned on me to use one of my favorite tools.

I don't know if any of y'all have used this little tool in the kitchen, its a tiny Japanese fine mesh skimmer.

It's really nifty if you can find one, I have two which I bought from the Japanese market here in Houston. One for my coffee, and the other one I have used for a while. It's great for skimming small amounts of stocks and sauces.

Karen_Taylor_Quinn_36329

Awesome! Great tip, thanks!

Jimmy_Canali_171860

Love it, thanks for the advice.

Carlos_J_Molestina_21395

This may not be the right place. I purchase the coffee class a while back, it was a half price offer I think, Look through it and left it for later as I was busy with school. Now I go back to it and I cannot access it as it appears that I am not subscribed to it. Please help:

Was there an issue with the payment?

Is there something from Chefsteps end?

I can recall when I purchased it, if you where kind enough to provide me with what your billing comes under I could look through my credit cards for the payment.

Thank you,

Carlos

Ellen_212162

Hi Carlos - thanks for your message and we'll reply to you via email to get this resolved shortly!

Ryan_303199

I use a Bonavita drip maker for morning convenience (two young kids to get ready before work). Still want to brew the best coffee allowable. My question is on filters. Paper filters or gold cone type filter?

James_Hoffmann_21713

I prefer paper, because I really value a clean tasting cup of coffee. Gold will produce a siltier cup, but it is reusable - which is good. I think paper is probably the best place to start.

Cooley_234582

Dear Friends at Chef Steps,

You did not know we are friends, but we are friends none-the-less, for you have generously shared with me your knowledge of the coffee bean, and it has changed my life for the better. It took a few attempts, and a little side research on youtube to master my pour, but as I sit here sipping on a perfectly balanced and delicious cup of Sumatra that I thoughtfully extracted using a Chemex, I am feeling eternally grateful. Thank you Chef Steps team!

Yours Truly,

-Jason Cooley

Avid Caffeinator

Oviedo, Florida