Coffee lovers

BAJJ · May 15, 2021

There seems to me to be a lot of passionate, creative, obsessive.. . 😁 people on here, about lots of different things. It also occurs to me that all of you like to do things well, in the words of my late Father, "if you're going to do something do it right or don't do it at all". Not a bad maxim to follow.
And so to coffee😗, I confess I'm a coffeeaholic, and I try do it right, or what I see as right anyway, a teaspoon of instant and a splash of boiling water just isn't involved enough for me.
So fellow coffee lovers show me your set up, your preferred brew method, bean type, etc.
Mine, bezzeraa Bz10 and Eureka Mignon Silenzio😀
Current favorite beans are the Bean Shop in Perth (Scotland) Espresso blend, I like a traditional Italian style dark roast.

Drink wise, I'm a flat white / latte guy in the mornings then a quick double shot early afternoon.

Hope this is appropriate and not a duplicate thread, I did do a quick search and didn't see any. Look forward to seeing your brew👍
BAJJ

Dsloan · May 15, 2021

My wife is a coffee nerd. At one time, we had a chemex, a vintage vac pot, two cold brew makers, an aeropress, and a French press all in active use.

When Covid hit and we started working from home, she splurged on a Breville espresso machine. My inpression had been that sub $1K espresso machines were garbage, but I was very surprised at how good this little machine is.

We also started roasting our own green beans at home. Saves us a TON of money. We have 2-4 coffees a day, and spend maybe $15 a month on beans.

Pierre1333 · May 15, 2021

You know why the coffeemaker hits the metal can of milk against some wood? To get rid of the not heated up to 140 degrees milky bubbles, to make them smaller so he or she or... Can sprinkle chocolate powder on a nice cappuccino without indenting the surface

BAJJ · May 15, 2021

Dsloan
My wife is a coffee nerd. At one time, we had a chemex, a vintage vac pot, two cold brew makers, an aeropress, and a French press all in active use.

When Covid hit and we started working from home, she splurged on a Breville espresso machine. My inpression had been that sub $1K espresso machines were garbage, but I was very surprised at how good this little machine is.

We also started roasting our own green beans at home. Saves us a TON of money. We have 2-4 coffees a day, and spend maybe $15 a month on beans.

Breville have a great reputation, and in my experience it doesn't matter how expensive the machine is if the beans in are bad then the coffee out will be bad. Home roasting is next on my list, how do you roast, stove top or electric?

Dsloan · May 15, 2021

BAJJ
Breville have a great reputation, and in my experience it doesn't matter how expensive the machine is if the beans in are bad then the coffee out will be bad. Home roasting is next on my list, how do you roast, stove top or electric?

The cheapest option: we use our air frier with a wire basket inside. We heat to 450 and open every 60-90 sec to stir.

Pro: cheap and surprisingly decent.
Con: if you don't clean the air frier well enough, your coffee might pick up a hint of whatever was in there last.

One day, maybe we'll splurge on a good home roaster. Need a bigger kitchen for all these gadgets first, though.

Your Bezzera looks dreamy BTW. That's a nice home setup.

BAJJ · May 15, 2021

Dsloan
The cheapest option: we use our air frier with a wire basket inside. We heat to 450 and open every 60-90 sec to stir.

Pro: cheap and surprisingly decent.
Con: if you don't clean the air frier well enough, your coffee might pick up a hint of whatever was in there last.

One day, maybe we'll splurge on a good home roaster. Need a bigger kitchen for all these gadgets first, though.

Your Bezzera looks dreamy BTW. That's a nice home setup.

Good to try the cheap option before trading up, I like the idea of the air frier.
I had a gaggia classic for 15 years, I eventually couldn't keep it going any longer so upgraded last October, the pros are the ability to pull back to back shots and steam at the same time, handy when friends just happen to be passing

JwRosenthal · May 15, 2021

I did this every morning for two decades

When I started waking up at 3:45 for work, I switched to this

When I was a kid we used to go to Hawaii every summer. We would get Kona coffee on the plantations and it was amazing. We would take a few pounds home with us and it never tastes the same at home. We soon realized it was the water. The water on the plantations were volcanically filtered- the LA tap water was anything but.

The quality of the water is just as important as any other element in the process. Use bottled (Fiji) or home filtered- it makes all the difference.

BAJJ · May 15, 2021

JwRosenthal
I did this every morning for two decades

When I started waking up at 3:45 for work, I switched to this

When I was a kid we used to go to Hawaii every summer. We would get Kona coffee on the plantations and it was amazing. We would take a few pounds home with us and it never tastes the same at home. We soon realized it was the water. The water on the plantations were volcanically filtered- the LA tap water was anything but.

The quality of the water is just as important as any other element in the process. Use bottled (Fiji) or home filtered- it makes all the difference.

Old school, I like it, I'm partial to that myself on occasion. I always use filtered water, even though here on the Emerald Isle it's pretty good quality, it's good for the machine as well. I get up for work at 0545hrs, and I thought that was early😲

Archer · May 15, 2021

My wife's love of cappuccinos + her reluctance to operate a proper machine = Nespresso...

For "regular" coffee, we use beans from Guatemala that are brought in by two sisters who are relatives of the growers there. They roast it here and we buy whole beans, and grind them ourselves for drip coffee...and if we feel like it an occasional French press.

JwRosenthal · May 15, 2021

BAJJ
Old school, I like it, I'm partial to that myself on occasion. I always use filtered water, even though here on the Emerald Isle it's pretty good quality, it's good for the machine as well. I get up for work at 0545hrs, and I thought that was early😲

I switched to a Krups electric blade grinder when the upper arm work-out became a bit much that early in the AM- but I never got a consistent grind- the hand burr grinder was always perfect and adjustable for any grind I wanted.
I guess I could allocate time in the morning to doing it “right” again, but when your morning is scripted to the minute to catch a commuter train, having it ready made when you walk into the kitchen is a godsend.

When I was in college, my roommate was Peruvian. She introduced me to using sweetened condensed milk in the coffee...that was delicious with the right bean/roast.

BAJJ · May 15, 2021

Sounds identical to Mrs BAJJ, she won't even use a Nespresso, so she just gets me to make them. I love Guatemala beans too.

BAJJ · May 15, 2021

JwRosenthal
I switched to a Krups electric blade grinder when the upper arm work-out became a bit much that early in the AM- but I never got a consistent grind- the hand burr grinder was always perfect and adjustable for any grind I wanted.
I guess I could allocate time in the morning to doing it “right” again, but when your morning is scripted to the minute to catch a commuter train, having it ready made when you walk into the kitchen is a godsend.

When I was in college, my roommate was Peruvian. She introduced me to using sweetened condensed milk in the coffee...that was delicious with the right bean/roast.

Totally get that, I am down to the minute in the morning, clothes laid out ready, etc. no time wasting. When I was in the Merchant Marine we used to run into Columbia, the dock workers used to make their coffee in huge vats and lace it with condensed milk, it was delicious, especially in the early hours

p4ul · May 15, 2021

JwRosenthal
I switched to a Krups electric blade grinder when the upper arm work-out became a bit much that early in the AM- but I never got a consistent grind- the hand burr grinder was always perfect and adjustable for any grind I wanted.
I guess I could allocate time in the morning to doing it “right” again, but when your morning is scripted to the minute to catch a commuter train, having it ready made when you walk into the kitchen is a godsend.

When I was in college, my roommate was Peruvian. She introduced me to using sweetened condensed milk in the coffee...that was delicious with the right bean/roast.

I definitely need to know more about this Peruvian coffee condensed milk confection, please expand if you would be so kind.

JwRosenthal · May 15, 2021

p4ul
I definitely need to know more about this Peruvian coffee condensed milk confection, please expand if you would be so kind.

Not much to expand on- I would use a dark roast (Viennese or French) add an extra scoop for potency (and a touch of bitterness), then French press and add a heaping teaspoon of sweetened condensed milk. She said it’s the way her grandmother drank it- although she did it in a percolator.

BlackTalon · May 15, 2021

Vietnamese iced coffee uses sweetened condensed milk, and is delicious.

If I drank my coffee with sweetened condensed milk I would have probably died of a heart attack 10+ years ago. That stuff it too good.

LesXL · May 15, 2021

I do like my filtered coffe on weekends... When things are slower 😀

Week days, a good coffee from the Jura machine works perfectly for me.

BAJJ · May 15, 2021

LesXL
I do like my filtered coffe on weekends... When things are slower 😀

Week days, a good coffee from the Jura machine works perfectly for me.

Lovely, I like the minimalism.

jaguar11 · May 15, 2021

Reading this thread I will go and make a coffee!!!!

Professor · May 15, 2021

Never cared for iced coffee but when I was a youngster mom used to make coffee popsicles. She'd take leftover breakfast coffee and freeze it in a tray made for making Kool Aid popsicles.
I can barely remember the flavor, not sure if she sweetened them or not, but very refreshing on a hot day.

After using Royal Vintner for a couple of years I lost interest in other gourmet coffees, they just disappoint. These days a half cup of JFG instant is good enough for me.

Zephyr550 · May 15, 2021

Coffee, you say...