This is all true. But it doesn't really change the fact that Starbuck's coffee sucks.Qman said:
Coffee...
- Thread starter BurlyShirley
- Start date
As I hear it, for a french press you want to avoid a grinder with a blade, which is what I have.Jeremy R said:
NE1 got a suggestion for a "real" grinder?
http://ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148107&highlight=grinderRenegadeRick said:
For French Press only, the cadillac would be a Ranchilo Rocky doserless. That's expensive though, you'd probably want to look at a Solis, unless you're thinking about getting into espresso.RenegadeRick said:
You want a nice cup of Earl Grey Tea
Roast your own. It's cheaper and better than buying coffee from most places, even the boutique shops and you'll start developing a much better sense of what kinds of beans and roasts you truly like.
FWIW, almost every starbucks bean I've had has been over-roasted. The worst cup of coffee I've had in my entire life was from Peets.
IMO, French roasts are way too much for most beans and result in a flat, smokey cup of coffee that won't taste good until you load it with cream and sugar. Also IMO, most coffee's I have roasted thus far, taste best at a full city roast, which is well below a french roast. The nuances in the flavor are much more enjoyable and, unlike a french roast, still detectable.
YMMV, but I use 25g of medium/coarsely ground beans in my small french press and I get a cup of coffee that is so black that you can't see the spoon more than 1mm below the surface of the liquid. It's a great, strong, dark cup with TONS of flavor nuance that you're never going to get out of a super dark roast.
Give home roasting a shot, odds are, you'll get something out of it.
FWIW, almost every starbucks bean I've had has been over-roasted. The worst cup of coffee I've had in my entire life was from Peets.
IMO, French roasts are way too much for most beans and result in a flat, smokey cup of coffee that won't taste good until you load it with cream and sugar. Also IMO, most coffee's I have roasted thus far, taste best at a full city roast, which is well below a french roast. The nuances in the flavor are much more enjoyable and, unlike a french roast, still detectable.
YMMV, but I use 25g of medium/coarsely ground beans in my small french press and I get a cup of coffee that is so black that you can't see the spoon more than 1mm below the surface of the liquid. It's a great, strong, dark cup with TONS of flavor nuance that you're never going to get out of a super dark roast.
Give home roasting a shot, odds are, you'll get something out of it.
i've got one of these. nice, burly machine (though some people complain about stepped grind adjustment limiting fine tuning - i'm not quite *that* anal). a decent burr grinder is a worthwhile invesment - buy a good one & it'll grind consistantly for many years.Silver said:
I managed to get a Mazzer Mini a couple of years ago while they were still 299.xy9ine said:
The doser is a pain for French Press, but I'm 99% espresso anyways...
Also their Rainforest blend and Vermont Country Blend are good!johnbryanpeters said:
narlus said:
Yep get a grinder..... but DON"T get one of those ones with the stainless steel blades, they are crap. Get a burr grinder (perferably conical) for a reliable even grind, generally better build quality too.
Keep the beans in an airtight container out of the sun but NEVER in the fridge or frezzer as this causes humidity problems whith destroy the flavour and nose of the coffee.
As far as what beans to get? experiment buy a different blend every week and see what's out there. Have a hunt around for a local coffee company who roast their own beans.... You will get fresher stuff from people who are more likely to care about their coffee than an employee of a big corperate.
My personal fave at the moment is Timor Leste from a local Micro roastery The Peoples coffee :love:
A quick break down of some coffee bean types for you....remembering that a different roasting will change the flavors a fair bit.
the mazzer is a hot machine. that's a great price too. i'm an espresso ho as well. i love the ritual of preparation (and the neat hardware that goes with it). the tasty stimulating beverage is a bonus. here's my gear (pavoni euro):Silver said:
That's cool! I've never used a lever machine before. I'm surprised at how big the Rocky is.
edit: I also can't believe how clean all your stuff is. I can never keep my machine that shiny. Very nice!
edit: I also can't believe how clean all your stuff is. I can never keep my machine that shiny. Very nice!
DROOOL!xy9ine said:
I have a very serious coffee habit. It is bad enough that I have to grind coffee before I leave for races in the morning and brew up some of the good stuff in my french press at the race venue with a camp stove.
Lighter roasts contain more caffeine, and are generally better. There is a bit of masochim about in the coffee scene where people think they are more hardcore the darker their roast is. What's the point, less sublteties in the flavor and less caffeine.
With a dark roast you don't need superb beans, because you're tasting more roast than bean. With a place like Starbucks (or even Peet's) they are roasting so much that a dark roast lets them get consistency out of a product that varies from crop to crop.SuspectDevice said:
I hate dark roasts. A lot of oil on the beans...blech. Of course, you haven't tasted crap until you've tasted an underroasted espresso blend that has some robusta in it. I'd rather drink Folgers crystals than that
Ha, that's pretty funny for MMikeMMike said:
exactly. it seems that many people (on this continent, anyways) are of the opinion that espresso is de facto toxic charred sludge (a la *$), thus nearly undrinkable without the addition of gallons of milk, syrup, whipping cream, sprinkles, etc; in the case of places like these, this is pretty much the truth, though its a disservice to the humble coffee bean.Silver said:
xy9ine said:
Espresso in Italy, OTOH.
