Mmm, coffee

I have coffee issues. My wife is one and done but I can't seem to get enough and polish off the balance of an 8-cup pot [take to work in a Stanley].

I do think flavor improved via gold filter but do still use paper. Have been cold brewing a lot lately which has superb flavor.

Have also dabbled in the Geisha beans recently which although smooth, with slightly fruity tones and a chocolaty base [is that even a word? Is now!] I like a stronger brew as a rule.

I have coffee issues. My wife is one and done but I can't seem to get enough and polish off the balance of an 8-cup pot [take to work in a Stanley].

I do think flavor improved via gold filter but do still use paper. Have been cold brewing a lot lately which has superb flavor.

Have also dabbled in the Geisha beans recently which although smooth, with slightly fruity tones and a chocolaty base [is that even a word? Is now!] I like a stronger brew as a rule.

Yes I think chocolaty is a word that can be used to describe coffee - there's a whole vocabulary for coffee reviewers to use a little like that of soap reviewers  My favourites have to be cat pee and dirty diaper both terms used in describing desirable attributes of certain coffees - i'm not kidding. I haven't tried the cold brewing yet but it intrigues me and its on my list.

Part of my morning coffee ritual is bringing my wife her coffee in bed - I am a good husband.  All things coffee are generally left to me in our house because I tend to be a little obsessive about it which usually translates into good coffee.  My advice for people who want to increase the quality of their home brewed coffee is to buy fresh locally roasted beans, grind with a burr grinder right before you brew and keep everything that comes into contact with the coffee meticulously clean.  Like that gross stuff that splashes up on the shower head  The technivorm brewer that I use easily disassembles and the parts that touch coffee fit into the dishwasher.

https://www.sweetmarias.com/product/tech...mal-brewer

A bit pricey at $309. but they'll last you pretty much forever if you maintain it.  
Life is too short for bad coffee...or bad shaves
Mark

I have coffee issues. My wife is one and done but I can't seem to get enough and polish off the balance of an 8-cup pot [take to work in a Stanley].

I do think flavor improved via gold filter but do still use paper. Have been cold brewing a lot lately which has superb flavor.

Have also dabbled in the Geisha beans recently which although smooth, with slightly fruity tones and a chocolaty base [is that even a word? Is now!] I like a stronger brew as a rule.

Yes I think chocolaty is a word that can be used to describe coffee - there's a whole vocabulary for coffee reviewers to use a little like that of soap reviewers  My favourites have to be cat pee and dirty diaper both terms used in describing desirable attributes of certain coffees - i'm not kidding. I haven't tried the cold brewing yet but it intrigues me and its on my list.

Part of my morning coffee ritual is bringing my wife her coffee in bed - I am a good husband.  All things coffee are generally left to me in our house because I tend to be a little obsessive about it which usually translates into good coffee.  My advice for people who want to increase the quality of their home brewed coffee is to buy fresh locally roasted beans, grind with a burr grinder right before you brew and keep everything that comes into contact with the coffee meticulously clean.  Like that gross stuff that splashes up on the shower head  The technivorm brewer that I use easily disassembles and the parts that touch coffee fit into the dishwasher.

https://www.sweetmarias.com/product/tech...mal-brewer

A bit pricey at $309. but they'll last you pretty much forever if you maintain it.  
Life is too short for bad coffee...or bad shaves
Mark

I am a sucker for efficient gadgets- that looks like a great tool Marko! We are moving in the late spring, early summer but may have to look into this post move. Thanks for the tip!

I have coffee issues. My wife is one and done but I can't seem to get enough and polish off the balance of an 8-cup pot [take to work in a Stanley].

I do think flavor improved via gold filter but do still use paper. Have been cold brewing a lot lately which has superb flavor.

Have also dabbled in the Geisha beans recently which although smooth, with slightly fruity tones and a chocolaty base [is that even a word? Is now!] I like a stronger brew as a rule.

I really enjoy pour over coffee myself, using the Hario method. I haven't yet tried Geisha beans (though I'm dying to do so), but lately I've been picking up many of the artisan roasts from companies such as Intelligentsia and Klatch. I find that this method draws out many of the more delicate flavors from the roast, especially acidic and fruity tones.

I have coffee issues. My wife is one and done but I can't seem to get enough and polish off the balance of an 8-cup pot [take to work in a Stanley].

I do think flavor improved via gold filter but do still use paper. Have been cold brewing a lot lately which has superb flavor.

Have also dabbled in the Geisha beans recently which although smooth, with slightly fruity tones and a chocolaty base [is that even a word? Is now!] I like a stronger brew as a rule.

I really enjoy pour over coffee myself, using the Hario method. I haven't yet tried Geisha beans (though I'm dying to do so), but lately I've been picking up many of the artisan roasts from companies such as Intelligentsia and Klatch. I find that this method draws out many of the more delicate flavors from the roast, especially acidic and fruity tones.

NeoXerxes I agree with you, the hario pour over is, for me the (current) pinnacle of coffee preparation - I also respect your opinion as you are the rare person who acknowledges "acidity" as a positive characteristic in a coffee.  I've taken to using the term "brightness" with most people otherwise they scowl and reach for the alka seltzer I've bought some Geisha beans over the years from www.sweetmarias.com and I really like it.

Here's a coffee trivia tidbit - larger scale roasters ship the chaff that is shed in the roasting process to poultry farmers - the chickens nest in it.  I just toured a mid-size roasting operation nearby and learned that.  Who knew?
Mark

NeoXerxes I agree with you, the hario pour over is, for me the (current) pinnacle of coffee preparation - I also respect your opinion as you are the rare person who acknowledges "acidity" as a positive characteristic in a coffee.  I've taken to using the term "brightness" with most people otherwise they scowl and reach for the alka seltzer I've bought some Geisha beans over the years from www.sweetmarias.com and I really like it.

Here's a coffee trivia tidbit - larger scale roasters ship the chaff that is shed in the roasting process to poultry farmers - the chickens nest in it.  I just toured a mid-size roasting operation nearby and learned that.  Who knew?
Mark

I agree. I discovered proper pour over coffee when studying abroad. Most American coffee that can be bought in a store is over-roasted and far too dark. From what I understand this ensures the consistency and longevity of the beans, so it makes commercial sense. Still, a skillfully roasted cup of coffee will actually be able to highlight the acidic/fruity tones of the beans. It isn't always necessary or desirable of course (depends on the variety), but if a coffee should taste acidic due to its type and the place it was grown, a proper pour over method will ensure that these delicate flavors are extracted. "Brightness" is a good way of describing it, since it tends to enliven the senses and tingle the taste buds much more than a burnt, sludge-like cup of joe.

To each their own though. Without meaning to toot my own horn, I have gotten quite a lot of practice at making this kind of coffee, and while some friends swear by it and regularly suggest that I should open a coffee shop (they insist that I could charge $5+ per cup), others still prefer their sludge.

And that is an interesting bit of trivia! I certainly didn't know that .

NeoXerxes, I never cease to be amazed by how tenaciously people will cling to their professed love of truly awful coffee. In Canada there is Tim Horton's which serves probably the worst coffee in humanity yet its become something of a Canadian institution. Baffling. I drink coffee black so I tried a Horton's the way most people order it which is double double - 2 cream 2 sugar and it made a little more sense as it tasted more like a candy bar than a cup of coffee. Still awful in my book. Life is too short for bad coffee - it takes small incremental effort to improve your coffee significantly. Oh well, I guess that just leaves more of the good stuff for those who appreciate it.
Mark

Can either of you fellas comment on how pour over coffee compared to the AeroPress brew method? I love my AeroPress but the way y'all talk about pour over does have me intrigued.

NeoXerxes, I never cease to be amazed by how tenaciously people will cling to their professed love of truly awful coffee. In Canada there is Tim Horton's which serves probably the worst coffee in humanity yet its become something of a Canadian institution. Baffling. I drink coffee black so I tried a Horton's the way most people order it which is double double - 2 cream 2 sugar and it made a little more sense as it tasted more like a candy bar than a cup of coffee. Still awful in my book. Life is too short for bad coffee - it takes small incremental effort to improve your coffee significantly. Oh well, I guess that just leaves more of the good stuff for those who appreciate it.
Mark

Here's the thing: as long as people will try the alternative, I don't blame them for clinging to their sludge lol. Most folks who have tried my pour over coffee have been absolutely surprised and delighted. Those in the minority will continue to enjoy their mass market stuff, and that's okay too. Taste isn't completely objective, but I do think that once the best stuff is experienced, most people will aggregate around that.

Can either of you fellas comment on how pour over coffee compared to the AeroPress brew method? I love my AeroPress but the way y'all talk about pour over does have me intrigued.

Sure! AeroPress is a nice method, and it sits somewhere in between a French press and a pour over brew. In my opinion it is better (subjectively) than a French press because it is able to extract more complexity, but it isn't quite as nice as a pour over if you have coffee that displays acidic/fruity/floral traits. In terms of home brewing methods, IMO the more delicate notes will get lost in anything other than a proper pour over brewing method (excepting some experimental and rather expensive brewing methods of course).

That said, Aeropress is a bit easier to use because many of the steps are somewhat standardized. Pour over takes practice. Even the rate and skill behind the pour will make a difference in taste. It all depends on what kind of coffee you prefer though.

I am about to make a confession.

Years ago during a trip to Israel I discovered Turkish coffee. It is very strong and very sweet and comes in much too small a cup. But I love it.

Time passed and I was fed up with the "run of the mill" coffee so I decided to try making my own Turkish nectar.
I tried as many Turkish grinds as I could find - only four. I even tried grinding my own beans. A messy disaster.
However by the time I made any kind of decision I had developed diabetes. NO SUGAR in any disguise or by any name.
Finally I hit upon an almost acceptable formula.
Barzula Turkish Grind was by far the best to my taste and, horror of horrors, artificial sweetener. I have no choice.

I put two heaping Chinese soup spoons full of ground coffee together with one of sweetener into a Pyrex bowl with twenty ounces of water.
Pop it into the microwave for 5.45 minutes. I then have ten ounces of my sad version of Turkish coffee with ten left over for tomorrow.
Tomorrow's is always a little better. I think because I leave it in the fridge uncovered and some of the water evaporates.
That is my coffee for the day. It does satisfy that 6am addiction........ more or less.

My confession. I lie to myself. I tell me that it is good, knowing full well that it is not.

If this makes you feel queasy take some Gravol.

Bottoms up. But stop before you get to the grounds.
Mickey