Coffee

[Jii]

I've become quite the coffee snob (at least by finnish standards where subpar filtered coffee is the norm) during the last year or so, and I think it has to do with the general appreciation of finer things that also connect us regarding denim on this forum.

I finally got around to buy myself an espresso machine and a decent grinder this wekend after years of deliberation and I spent a loooong time reading up on the art of brewing a nice espresso. Since I wanted to both keep a reasonable budget I got myself a Gaggia Classic and an Ascaso i-mini grinder and can't wait to start honing my skills when the setup arrives and thought I'll start a topic about coffee in general just or the heck of it.

Thought it would be nice to talk about the subject with you guys as well

[bagley920]

Not a snob, but Keurig for the win!

[zhivago]

What happened to the old coffee thread? I know I am crazy but I am pretty sure there was one a while ago? Great topic either way.

[Giles]

Too much caffeine Zee?

But yes, I am sure you are right…

[LandoCal126 0]

@zhivago:

What happened to the old coffee thread? I know I am crazy but I am pretty sure there was one a while ago? Great topic either way.

Merged.

[Jii]

Sorry, did a search but nothing came up. Had me thinking I've gone crazy as well…

[LandoCal126 0]

@Jii:

Sorry, did a search but nothing came up. Had me thinking I've gone crazy as well…

Not a problem. That is what we are here for.

[Sugar Mountain]

Ahh, coffee… Another obsession of mine. Managed to visit London's Espresso Room for the first time in almost two weeks today and enjoyed a fine double espresso. One of the best in the city if you're ever living/visiting here. Also picked up a bag of Musasa Rushashi red bourbon from Square Mile coffee while I was there. Had some before and it's a truly delicious variety with a gorgeous stewed apple taste to it. Can't wait to get the Aeropress on the go tomorrow morning.

[Jii]

Here's my new setup, managed to get a decent espresso on the seventh try. Already love it and can't wait to get it dialled..

[Sugar Mountain]

Fancy! Pretty jealous that you have that set-up at home…

[Jii]

Made my first caffe latte this morning and made a pretty good job if I may say so myself. Beats drinking the crappy vending machine coffee at work a hundred times over. I guess it's the start of a totally new morning routine for me

[hectic]

Nice one Jii, I have the same machine (but a rancilio grinder).

There is a really good trick to cleaning the perforations in the portafilter: Grasp the filter in a pair of pliers and burn off the blocked holes over a gas hob.

[hectic]

Dont forget to de-scale regularly also.

[Jii]

Thanks for the tips!

[Jii]

Slowly starting to get the hang of it..

[summ3rhays]

Broke down and bought a Chemex with a side of Kone. Hopefully it'll cut down on my espresso addiction.

[veloaudio]

Good call. I love my Chemex.

[mclaincausey]

Anyone here use a Toddy for cold pressed coffee?  What a great way to make coffee.  You basically coarse-grind some beans and let the grounds soak in water overnight, then filter it into this inky concentrate.  You can water or milk this down (I like it over ice) and it's really good, it's less acidic than brewing and opens up other flavors in the bean.

Another thing I like to do is to use the little Vietnamese single cup pressed and make iced Vietnamese coffee.  It's not really healthy due to condensed milk being involved, but it's great for the occasional treat.

[xchen]

Ordering a Hario cold brew pitcher tomorrow and a Chemex in about a month. Once I've used these for a few months will probably pick up some other nifty toys.

Been being in a percolator for the past 8 months or so.

[mclaincausey]

Anyone tries Blue Bottle's beans?  That's some good stuff.