What's the distinction between beans that look shiny (oily?) and beans that look dry? It doesn't seem to matter whether they're light or dark roast.
By the way, last week I discovered Klearly Koffee, only half a century late.
What's the distinction between beans that look shiny (oily?) and beans that look dry? It doesn't seem to matter whether they're light or dark roast.
By the way, last week I discovered Klearly Koffee, only half a century late.
Last edited by FredRydr; April 10th, 2019 at 08:40 PM.
FredRydr (April 11th, 2019)
I'll take that as good news, and keep my fingers crossed. Thank you!!
Quid rides? Mutato nomine de te fabula narratur. — Horace
(What are you laughing at? Just change the name and the joke’s on you.)
manoeuver (April 12th, 2019)
We're in a unique position - located right between Italy and the balkans, which were under Ottoman empire for centuries. So over here, or at least I personally, like to prepare coffee in two ways.
1.) What we know as the Italian way over here. It's a dual chamber pot, which unscrews at the middle. You fill the water in the bottom chamber, and coffee in the middle where a filter goes. The water then boils and the vapor goes through the ground coffee, then cools back down in the upper chamber. After a while, the upper chamber fills up with coffee (beverage). Pour into a cup, add sugar and milk based on your preference.
2.) What we know as the Turkish coffee (and for the Greeks here, the Greek coffee!). It's called a džezva. You put water in it, wait for it to boil, then remove half of the boiling water into a cup, put in a few table spoons of coffee (depending on how strong you like it - I like 2 spoons per cup, which is very strong) and sugar for those that drink it sweet, wait for it to boil again, wait a little until the coffee foam cools down, and pour the water from the cup back into it. Wait again until it boils, then pour into a cup. Add milk if you like. This coffee is very strong and is my personal favorite. There will be heavy ground coffee residue at the bottom - don't drink that. Well, some more hardcore than me, do. But I'd advise against it, it can be nasty for your stomach.
I personally drink coffee with a tiny bit of skinned milk, no sugar.
P.S.: I only drink this coffee, if I can. When you open a pack, the smell alone can make your day. I see it's even sold internationally on amazon, for anyone wanting to try it.
Last edited by adhoc; April 12th, 2019 at 12:43 PM.
Cyril (April 16th, 2019)
Yeah, those moka pens are awesome and they are inspired in the Bialetti moka-express
IIRC Bialetti designed his moka-express pot in the times of Mussolini, where coffee and aluminum were seen as part of the modernization of Italy
Basically it was the poor man's espresso machine, in which the water boils at the bottom and builds pressure before pushing through the coffee (espresso). The pressure is needed to overcome the resistance of the coffee bed, and the way you pack the coffee and how fine the gorunds are makes a difference
[IMG=200x150]http://www.mokabees.com/wp-content/uploads/how-does-moka-pot-work.png[/IMG]
History of the Bialetti Moka-express
Tutorial for Moka-express
PS: PenHero has them for $60 instead of 160!
I couldn't resist and I ordered a black-acrylic pen.... review in a few days
Last edited by titrisol; April 18th, 2019 at 07:38 AM.
Unix is user-friendly ; it's just picky about who it's friends are -
Interesting! I didn't know that either.
That moka pot reminds me a little of a camping espresso maker that I got which also uses steam pressure to force water through the grounds. My wife, who lived in Germany for 6 years, told me they used something like it all the time. I bet it was a machine similar to the Bialetti.
Not sure what we are talking about besides coffee stuff, but I use a Gaggia Espresso Deluxe we bought about 15 years ago to make iced lattes 1-2 times a day, most days.
I realize that iced lattes are a sacrilege to some connoisseurs but whatever. It is a decent little machine. Very much entry level, though. I keep thinking about upgrading.
During its long life I've only had to replace the power switch and now the temp light burned out on the brew switch, but the pump and heater elements keep going strong.
I modded it with an adjustable pressure valve. Maybe I will put a PID controller and 3-way valve on it one of these days.
I forgot what brand the burr grinder is. I did roast my own beans from Sweet Maria's for awhile but don't do it much anymore as it smokes up the house when I do a Vienna roast or darker which annoys my wife.
Unix is user-friendly ; it's just picky about who it's friends are -
Hmm! Fountain Pens and Coffee! Well, yes. They go together. Local Highwire (Oakland, CA) roaster’s Batak from Sumatra, made in The American Press (best cleanest press pot ever!), and on the weekend Port of Mokha’s Yemeni beans for a different experience. And then select which lovely pen to write with for that day.....
I enjoy good coffee - really good coffee. I'm interested in the Port of Mokha coffee - can you only buy it online?
My mother gave me her 1980s la Pavoni Europiccola a couple years ago. I replaced the switch and gave it an overhaul. Then i got a Pharos hand grinder to go with it. (No room for an electric grinder in this NYC kitchen).
I used to roast my own beans, but i haven’t since i moved to New York; i don’t have a garage anymore. The best coffee i ever had was some Yirgacheffe i roasted myself.
I have a couple espresso every morning and once in a while a third in the afternoon.
I've had some Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Not my favorite. It's good, but we all have different tastes. Ethiopian has immense depth and earthy tones. I prefer lighter, sweeter coffees. Brazil, Panama, Costa Rica...
For years I was ordering fresh roasted beans online. Recently discovered my local grocery store stocks whole beans. Not quite as fresh as roasted-to-order and shipped 2-day to my door, but good enough. They carry a Jamaican blend and an island blend. I think the island blend is a Kona blend. I know I'm not getting Blue Mountain Reserve or 100% Kona for $11/lb, but it's as good or better than the Brazil Yellow Bourbon and Panama Boquete I was buying at $20/lb.
I've been able to sample a lot of different coffee bean types over the past year, grinding them for my collection of French presses. I'm not a fan of the Mocha Java blend, but I discovered I really like "Sumatra Kopi." As I was preparing to post here, I did a bit of research and learned "Kopi Luwak" are coffee beans that pass through the alimentary canal of a forest creature before being gathered, primarily in Indonesia (including Sumatra). In other words, coffee beans picked out of civet poo. Fine, and it's been done for a long time without killing imbibers who pay a lot (up to $500 lb.) for the privilege. But I'm suspicious. My beans cost no more than others, and "Luwak" is missing from the "Sumatra Kopi" label that the seller placed on the 1lb. bag.
A bit of searching reveals: "Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee. Luwak is a local name of the Asian palm civet in Sumatra. Palm civets are primarily frugivorous, feeding on berries and pulpy fruits such as figs and palms...." Awww, I'm drinking coffee made from beans rejected by the civets!
Last edited by FredRydr; January 30th, 2020 at 08:14 AM.
manoeuver (February 4th, 2020)
Whoa! That’s what it takes to get a cup of coffee in your neighborhood?
A good Yirgacheffe can be floral. The one i'm talking about had an apricot taste, and it was quite sweet. I think they're often roasted too quick and end up too acid and too raucous.
I like variety, so i do enjoy those smooth & balanced Central American coffees, too. I usually go for the Costa Rican ones. I often alternate between an African and a Central American.
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