Coffee: Does anyone else treat it as more than just a commodity?

[Trichgnomes]

I love coffee. Almost as much has herb (not quite, but almost). I didn't use to really be into it, I drank it here and there, but never a "coffee drinker" so to speak. Over the past year and a half I went pretty far into the realm of coffee connoisseurship, albeit I have yet to start roasting. Despite there being well over a dozen locally owned coffee shops in my area, I can never trust that the coffee is truly fresh( both brew and roast wise). I would rather go without coffee than go with shitty coffee, or even decent coffee.
I was curious if anyone else treats coffee in this fashion. As in, either home roasting, or getting coffee roasted to order, grinding fresh (within 30 seconds or so of brewing ideally), brewing in a sophisticated manner, and brewing no more than one or two cups at a time to preserve freshness.


Today it's Beloya, out of a syphon pot.
weight/volume ratio : 32 grams of coffee/ 240 ml water
Temp: 92C
Brew time:55 seconds, two stirs, one at drop, and one at end of brew

 

[CannaExists]

I've made coffee a few times in the past and now I just got back into it. I brew it the same way as tea... bring water to boil, take off burner, steep and strain. I got organic, fair-trade, shade-grown whole beans for fresh grinding in my Vitamix, and I only grind what I'm going to drink immediately. Guess I'm a connoisseur already.

The coffee I have is Mind Body and Soul by Cafe Fair, said to have a hint of blueberry but I don't think I've detected such. Its still delicious brewed with pure maple syrup and the grounds are yummy in ice cream.

 

[K.J]

Amen brother, amen. I too am a coffee geek and have been since that fateful visit to the left coast in the late 90's. I love coffee of all sorts, prepared in many many ways. I'm not a snob, in that I never drink the dregs, but it;s definitely THE last option; I'll drink it if I'm feenin' and there's nothing else around.

Coffee and herb...two of the worlds most beloved plants, and absolutely two of mine. They go together like chocolate and peanut butter.

 

[Rysam]

I'm a huge fan of REAL coffee too. I have my Burr grinder and french press on the counter, and my water cooler/heater ready to brew at a minutes notice. I dont roast my own only because the local coffee shop roasts once a week and its good stuff. I dont remember the last cup of folgers I consumed....

We call a good cup of coffee and a joint "The hippie speedball".

 

[travese311]

anybody here ever try costa rican coffee? cafe britt is my personal fave or the bunch. my gf brought some back from CR and it blew me away. very non bitter and flavorful.

 

[Smoke Buddy]

I love coffee too... been a coffee freak for years. I do grind enough for a couple of cups right before use. Im now using just a cheap drip maker due to my barista finally gave up the ghost after 9 years of daily use. Ill be getting another espresso machine soon. Probably something simple but with high pressure.
I've tried many high end coffees but the one I enjoy the most is the Jamaican Blue Mountain beans... complex, smooth and with depth of character. Cocoa and fruit flavors tease the palette. Certainly coffee pursuit can be compared to the pursuit of the tastiest buds or even fine wines.

 

[Trichgnomes]

I've tried many high end coffees but the one I enjoy the most is the Jamaican Blue Mountain beans... complex, smooth and with depth of character. Cocoa and fruit flavors tease the palette.

Nice, my roaster has some JBM, I have yet to try it, but it was what I was considering ordering next, and that sealed the deal.
The Ethiopian Yirg that I mentioned in my inital post, Beloya, is incredible, as I believe it would please the palate of even the pickiest connoisseur. The selection 8 is my fav, but the selection 12 is solid as well. It's a symphonic blueberry delicacy.
Drinking a heady coffee like the first time you smoke the dank, y'know. It's beyond the generic 'coffee' flavour, and into the realm of endless subjective descriptions!

I'm a huge fan of REAL coffee too. I have my Burr grinder and french press on the counter, and my water cooler/heater ready to brew at a minutes notice.

I broke my electrical conical burr grinder last week, but I got my fail-safe--

 

[Bumble Buddy]

... my barista finally gave up the ghost after 9 years of daily use. Ill be getting another espresso machine soon. Probably something simple but with high pressure.

Hehe, I've got a Barista that gets daily use If it dies I'll try to get another Saeco machine, good quality on this one.

Anyone else like really light roasts? Seems like they are hard to find... There is an amazing roaster nearby here, if they went out of business I'd have to roast my own, wayyy hooked... love the full city Columbian

 

[Trichgnomes]

Light roasts rock. The Beloya I'm drinking is a light roast (City) What a lot of people don't realize is that the darker you roast, the more you lose characteristics of Single Origin beans. Do you want to taste the bean or the roast? Personally I'd rather taste the bean. Quite often I have heard people say light roasts are weak, but they don't have a clue. If one really want to experience the flavors that a bean has to offer, don't over-roast. I, as well as many others, consider it undesirable for the roast characteristics to be more prominent than that of the beans themselves.

 

[pearlemae]

My fav is a double roasted Costa Rican, local roaster doesit and a Organic Sumatran. Luckly for me I only pay 5.35 a lb from him I get the family rate. My Bro sells coffee and espresso machines in his biz. Coffee roasting is an art that few people that are roasting manage. The blacker the roasted bean doesn't mean its good to drink.

 

[grapeman]

Best coffee and coffee beans i ever got were from El Salvador, north west side of the volcano behind San Salvador at @1,200m elevation. You can see the plantation on google earth. Used to bring back 20 lbs a trip every couple of months

 

[Smoke Buddy]

Hehe, I've got a Barista that gets daily use If it dies I'll try to get another Saeco machine, good quality on this one.

Anyone else like really light roasts? Seems like they are hard to find... There is an amazing roaster nearby here, if they went out of business I'd have to roast my own, wayyy hooked... love the full city Columbian

Yeah man Saeco makes good machines. The part that broke on my Barista was the cast collar that you put the basket and handle into and slide right to tighten. Maybe I tightened too much for too long cause that cast collar snapped one day and that was all she wrote...

Love light roast coffee of all kinds for sure. If Im buying supermarket beans... I always try different kinds... but the criteria for picking is the lightest beans I can find.

 

[TexasToker]

I only grind my own and use a French press.

 

[MeanBean]

I just bought a Kenmore elite coffee maker. It's a total piece of shit. The Carafe drips on the counter regardless of how you poor it... Also the thing beeps 5 times load as hell when it starts and then ever 15 mins to remind you the coffee is aging in the pot. cool burnt amber color though...

No silent mode, sounds like a fucking burger joint in my kitchen with all the beeping.. I tried to take it apart to remove speaker but it’s like a onetime pressed together piece of craponees garbage.



I'm digging paperless filtering though lol! Never noticed that paper bag taste tell it was gone.

 

[sackoweed]

my niece worx at starbucks and every week she brings us a free lb of coffee many diff flavas...peace n pufs

sackO

 

[ReelBusy1]

I'm more of a cocoa guy myself.

with or without cookies.

 

[TexasToker]

I just bought a Kenmore elite coffee maker. It's a total piece of shit.

We got one of those as a gift. I agree. It is a P.O.S. My wife now uses a Hamilton Beach Brewstation.

That thing is ok, except pouring water in it is a PITA. The best part is no carafe though.

I used one of those Keurig machines with the little coffee tins, and that was pretty damn close to a French press. http://www.keurig.com/images/select_favorite.gif

I will stick with my French press. Consistent and yummy.

 

[Trichgnomes]

How I make coffee everyday

I posted a picture of my coffee pot in the original post, but just to clear up any confusion, this is what it looks like in action. (Note: this is not me, just a video on youtube. It is the same coffee pot/brewing method I use however).

Properly made syphon coffee (i.e. the method in the video) is extremely hard to beat. IMO, it is the best brew there is. This does not include espresso). Syphon coffee combines the immersion concept of a french press with the clarity of drip coffee.

For those of you in Canada, these are available at http://www.avenue18.ca/TEAPOT/HAR.htm

I do not know of a a US distributor that currently has them in stock, but if you do a search I am sure you will find something.

 

[BuddahLova]

Ristretto anyone?

 

[johnnyla]

currently brewing in a french press and saving $2-$4 per day i was spending at Starfucks.

my dream is a $1,000 italian espresso maker like my good friend Bob had back in the day. yum.