(relax topic) what's your preferred method to make coffee?

[julianhigginson]

I got into cold brew coffee this summer... but have made coffee lots of ways... I have espresso machines and grinders (and still have a set of those I use at work for my afternoon pick me up) and have also got a french press and a stovetop moka pot.

Cold brew process is pretty easy, you need a coarse grind and you stick your coffee in a basket in water, in the fridge, for 24 hours (can apparently brew shorter time if you leave it at room temperature) and then pull out the basket....  you end up with about 1L of coffee, and apparently that lasts in the fridge for about a week (mine gets drunk faster than that)

I've dialled it in pretty well now, mostly, though I am getting a bunch of fines from the grind that make it through the whole process.. if I'm careful with the jug most of it stays down the bottom as sludge, but the last cup gets a bit grittier than I'd like. 

I tried filtering it with regular coffee filter paper from the supermarket, but the fines mostly go straight through the paper. Anyway... if I can fix that issue I'll be really happy.

Next step is to get a little gassing keg and some nitrogen bulbs, and do my own 1L batches of cold brew nitro coffee.

[beanflying]

Likely it is your grinding method giving you the fines, dedicated bag grinders with big flat burrs would fix most of that so see if you can get a local roaster to do your grinding and see if it helps the fines?

I made a large Calico filter for bigger batches (typically 8-10L) which works well or chase up the Mizudashi pot in this post https://www.eevblog.com/forum/cooking/(relax-topic)-whats-your-preferred-method-to-make-coffee/msg4044202/#msg4044202 there is plenty available in Oz these days and they are way cheaper than the cooler coffee drippers (got one of those too  ).

[julianhigginson]

Yeah it's definitely the grinder making the fines. Even a proper specialty coffee roaster place I went to and bought nice single origin coffee from and got them to grind it, I still get them (though it was only one place - I'm not sure they ground with flat burrs or not, they took it away to grind it... but they are a very comprehensive operation and I'm sure they know more about grinding that I ever will)

Capturing the fines as undisturbed sediment isn't too bad a solution. it wastes maybe 100mL of coffee at the end I think. I may be able to make that better if I can get a super gentle and non-turbulent way to get the coffee out of the jug... but I was very surprised just how porous the paper filters were when I tried them last week.. like, they were barely any improvement over the mesh in my cold brew jug.

Or maybe if I make a point to shake the jug up before pouring anything, the fines will get distributed through every glass of coffee, and I may not notice them that way. :-)

[beanflying]

There is a debate about flat vs conical burrs even in the high end grinders.

Typically for Espresso flat gets you a tighter grind distribution and a marginally cleaner cup (flame suit on  ) over even the big boy conical's which with their slightly increased spread are a bit easier to get consistent shots with with a small loss of clarity (Kevlar flamesuit now fitted on top). Over the last 15-20 years this has swung slow speed flat to big slow conical and back to even larger flat burrs

For Brewed process Flats every time for me and my daily driver is also a Flat burr for Espresso in spite of owning two large conical Grinders as well. The Conicals when I amwas punching out 3-400 coffees a morning at a market with two of us the grind speed advantage of these and shot consistency was well worth it.

[PlainName]

Hasn't anyone thought of using a centrifuge instead of filters?

[DiTBho]

Hasn't anyone thought of using a centrifuge instead of filters?

interesting idea 

a mini-centrifuge! I want it!

[DiTBho]

Next step is to get a little gassing keg and some nitrogen bulbs, and do my own 1L batches of cold brew nitro coffee.

that's sound interesting, nitro coffee 

[SeanB]

Was thinking of this today, so got a bottle. $10 Aus, though Dave will not drink it, and neither will I, but I do have friends who like it.

[SpecialK]

Melitta single cup pour-over with #2 filter.  Water just boiled from an electric kettle (might be too hot and burns the coffee - DGAF).  Any 2lb can of coffee from the supermarket is okay.  Maxwell House is too weak.

I drink with a bit of half and half cream and one tsp sugar. 

[rfclown]

My preferred methods are based largely on the fact that I'm the only coffee drinker in the house, and I want a quick easy clean up (I'm lazy, but I want to keep the paraphernalia clean or it interferes with the drink). I mostly do espresso, and I use a Braun steam machine that someone gave me after my Mr Coffee one broke. I grind with a blade grinder.. just keep going till it's powder ("Horrors" some say. I've tried different things and I get a taste I like with this). Seems that these steam machines (at least the way I use them) only work ok with 2 shots, so that's what I do. I'll often drink one shot straight, and one with heated milk. If I'm traveling, I take a small Moka pot. I don't use that at home (unless power is out due to hurricane and I'm working on the propane grill burner) because the espresso machine is faster to make the coffee, and easier to rinse off the parts. I do like the results of the Moka pot, but contrary to the advice I hear or read, I pack the grinds (not really hard). If I drip, I'll do one cup with a plastic Melita thing that sits on a mug. Have to grind course for that, for which the blade grinder is not that great. I don't understand brown paper filters. Run plain water through one and taste the results. 

[cdev]

I need a way to acceptably cream coffee thats good that doesn't spoil. My SO and myself are both on a keto diet which eschews a lot of foods.. Half and half my preferred cream only comes in pint size which is a lot of cream.

We have some coconut milk, we've been using that.. Coconut milk is good because it contains MCTs, which are good for your brain.

[SilverSolder]

I need a way to acceptably cream coffee thats good that doesn't spoil. My SO and myself are both on a keto diet which eschews a lot of foods.. Half and half my preferred cream only comes in pint size which is a lot of cream.

We have some coconut milk, we've been using that.. Coconut milk is good because it contains MCTs, which are good for your brain.

Freeze the half & half in an ice cub tray.  Conveniently pop a cube into your cup of coffee when needed! 

[Nominal Animal]

I need a way to acceptably cream coffee thats good that doesn't spoil. My SO and myself are both on a keto diet which eschews a lot of foods.. Half and half my preferred cream only comes in pint size which is a lot of cream.

I like UHT processed milk and cream.  It has a bit sweeter taste, but it keeps well.  Unopened, you don't need to refrigerate it.

[RocRizzo]

Mostly drip, but if I’m really desperate I take some coffee beans and chew them up into a fine paste before swallowing. Good caffeine ruse, and some extra fiber from the beans! 🤣😂🤣

[Nominal Animal]

That reminds me: caffeine alone does not do much for me.  I'm not sure I can tell the difference between decaffeinated coffee and normal coffee... I don't get any withdrawal, either, if I happen to not drink anything with caffeine in it for a few days (say, during hot days in the summer, when I tend to switch to carbonated water).

On the other hand, mix caffeine with lots of sugar, like in guarana cough drops, and it affects me hard... 

(I do eat too much candy.  I like the sour and salty varieties best, like "salmiakki" (ammonium chloride) licorice, and anything sour enough with lots of citric acid...)

[Siwastaja]

Filter coffee.

Haven't had a working coffee machine for ages, so manual operation, using a kettle to boil the water, and the cheap plastic thing in which the filter paper is placed.

Cheap ground coffee and cheap, non-bleached filter papers.

In general, quantity over quality. Most Finns prefer light roast level.

For consumption, sugar plus milk or cream. Whole milk is OK. Skimmed only in a pinch.

[SilverSolder]

I've just used my first pack of ground coffee bags (they work like tea bags, except have ground coffee in them).  Very good solution when you don't have any means of making coffee!  (construction site, in this case).

[brucehoult]

I've just used my first pack of ground coffee bags (they work like tea bags, except have ground coffee in them).  Very good solution when you don't have any means of making coffee!  (construction site, in this case).

You have hot water but not electricity?

Nespresso is kind of expensive (for the pods) and ugh compared to a proper E61 machine, but they have some REALLY tiny and portable machines now.

[penfold]

[...]
Nespresso is kind of expensive (for the pods) and ugh compared to a proper E61 machine, but they have some REALLY tiny and portable machines now.

Have you tried the reusable pods? A few guys at a client's office used them often and seemed to enjoy it, never bothered trying it myself as at the time I had a (working) expresso machine at home, which, alas, I was quite happy with.

[brucehoult]

[...]
Nespresso is kind of expensive (for the pods) and ugh compared to a proper E61 machine, but they have some REALLY tiny and portable machines now.

Have you tried the reusable pods? A few guys at a client's office used them often and seemed to enjoy it, never bothered trying it myself as at the time I had a (working) expresso machine at home, which, alas, I was quite happy with.

I've probably only had half a dozen Nespresso coffees in my life, at other people's houses. I'd had a traditional E61 machine at home for the last 15 years.

Reusable pods are no doubt money-saver for people who use a Nespresso machine heavily, but does the extra fiddling around make the Nespresso still worth it compared to a normal machine, given that convenience is pretty much the whole point?

[DiTBho]

You have hot water but not electricity?

That's the case when you are in a mountain hut.
You have wood to burn, but no electricity.

Oh, no electricity, but I somehow had my coffee

[beanflying]

This is why I have one of these in the back of the Truck along with a hand grinder and brewing device. Just add Beans and travel



Yes that is a 3458A below it too 

[Microdoser]

You sound like the kind of person who would be aghast at fashioning a shim for their BMW motorcycle using a bit of aluminium from a Coca Cola can, instead of a Genuine Part from Berlin.

Hehe

No I sound like the kind of person who'd take the mental image of beanflying pulling a sock off to make coffee amusing; and I look like the kind of person who can get a quote tag in the right place.

It used to be that you could trust an Aussie to know when one was indulging in a little friendly piss taking, rather than getting all chippy about it.

Actually, you sound like someone who has not read 'Zen, and the art of motorcycle maintenance'. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_Maintenance

Quote:
he knows exactly why a shim cut from an aluminium beer-or coke can will make a perfect solution to the slight looseness of John's handlebars, although John can't accept such defilement of his precious BMW and prefers to leave the handlebars loose, perhaps forever. “I was seeing what the shim meant.” Pirsig patiently explains. “He was seeing what the shim was.”

[Cerebus]

You sound like the kind of person who would be aghast at fashioning a shim for their BMW motorcycle using a bit of aluminium from a Coca Cola can, instead of a Genuine Part from Berlin.

Hehe

No I sound like the kind of person who'd take the mental image of beanflying pulling a sock off to make coffee amusing; and I look like the kind of person who can get a quote tag in the right place.

It used to be that you could trust an Aussie to know when one was indulging in a little friendly piss taking, rather than getting all chippy about it.

Actually, you sound like someone who has not read 'Zen, and the art of motorcycle maintenance'. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_Maintenance

Quote:
he knows exactly why a shim cut from an aluminium beer-or coke can will make a perfect solution to the slight looseness of John's handlebars, although John can't accept such defilement of his precious BMW and prefers to leave the handlebars loose, perhaps forever. “I was seeing what the shim meant.” Pirsig patiently explains. “He was seeing what the shim was.”

Actually I read it about 45 years ago.

[brucehoult]

Actually, you sound like someone who has not read 'Zen, and the art of motorcycle maintenance'.

Well spotted.