Coffee (Aeropress)

grantmichaels

grantmichaels

Another thing I'm serious about is coffee. I have a plethora of devices for making coffee, but for the past two years - both at home and at work - I primarily use the Aeropress (w/ an inverted technique) ...

You might recall those orange rings that cost $20 that you got hung up in the trees on your first throw Christmas day ... well, they re-engineered a good cup of coffee a few years back.

I rarely pull out the Chemex, the MyPressi, the Hario V60, the french press, the Moka pot, or the vacuum contraption these days ... I use the $25 Aeropress.

At the end of the day, good beans are good ... I buy mine from Intelligentsia for the most part ... their roasting schedule and shipping works out for me, and I like the bloom ...

Paramount to good beans, however, is grinding whole beans just before making your beverage ... I'll take Eight O'Clock fresh ground over pre-ground Intelligenstia all day, everyday ...

Get a grinder w/ ceramic blades, for the same reason you want one for your spice grinder ... less heat, more precise grind ...

I went through a loose leaf tea phase some years back, before the microbrew phase, before the coffee phase ... so I have a Zojirushi countertop hot water dispenser that uses a vacuum canister to make it efficient ... I would not spend that money, though ... I'd just get the Capresso H2O Plus or Pro, for a fraction of the cost ... it boils a boatload of water in mere minutes - so handy ... There's a whole bunch of healthier things I do at work because I can boil water in minutes at lunch, like rocking those Annie Chun soups etc ... good for the diet ...

Grind about 17-20g whole beans in something like the Hario Mini-Slim ($40 or so) I'm using here, ground half way between espresso and drip size ...

I use pickle jars, because I have them a plenty, and the Aeropress fits right in the opening nice and secure ... and they seem to take the hot water just fine (I've made a zillion drinks in them) ...

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Put the freshly ground beans in the bottom of the Aeropress and add near boiling water about 1/3 to 1/2 way and stir it for 15 seconds or so ... with freshly roasted coffee, you'll generate some frothy crema in a bloom or sorts ... after a couple of seconds fill the cylinder the rest of the way and place the filter cap w/ a pre-soaked filter on it so the heat is contained well and set it off to the side ...

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White it sits, microwave some sugar and milk or half-n-half in the microwave in the jar for 1:00 - 1:20 on high depending on how soon after you are done you want to be able to consume your beverage ... it's best at 1:20, but when I need my fix in the morning, I often go 60 seconds so I don't have to wait to long to start chugging ...

When it's done, pull it out and froth it up w/ a $10 BonJour mini-frother ...

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And then flip the Aeropress into place in the jar like so ...

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Producing a 3 tier result that should look like this ...

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It's heaven, and there's no longer any reason to buy $5-$10 coffee beverages from Starbucks ... this is MUCH better, and much more convenient ...

And take this shit back off your bucket list, it's nothing special ...

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Seriously, NOT the best coffee by a mile ...

I like Kenyan and Rwandan coffee a lot, but bean origin is REALLY subjective to one's palette ...

$25 Aeropress
$45 ceramic burr grinder
$45 water boiler
$10 milk frother
----
$125

It doesn't take long to pay for itself if you like coffee, and normally buy it in shops ...
 
Nice ! I used to manage a Starbucks a few years back and still have to have my coffee every day -- the Aeropress looks interesting - I've still got a couple of espresso machines left from when I was working there so still use them but this looks like a good way to avoid the expense of the machine. (mine were a good deal since they were clearance items when new models came out plus the employee discount !)

And you've pretty much nailed it on the preparations -- Do you use filtered water in the Zojirushi or straight Tap ? If using tap try making some with a good filtered water and it'll taste even better (figure the final drink is mostly water so using a good quality water is almost as important as the beans)
 
JDFan said:
Nice ! I used to manage a Starbucks a few years back and still have to have my coffee every day -- the Aeropress looks interesting - I've still got a couple of espresso machines left from when I was working there so still use them but this looks like a good way to avoid the expense of the machine. (mine were a good deal since they were clearance items when new models came out plus the employee discount !)

And you've pretty much nailed it on the preparations -- Do you use filtered water in the Zojirushi or straight Tap ? If using tap try making some with a good filtered water and it'll taste even better (figure the final drink is mostly water so using a good quality water is almost as important as the beans)
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i use gallon drinkng water at home, and drinking fountain water at work ... the aeropress is magic ... the effect of the rubber sealed cylinder is noticeably improved, and popping out the puck is simple and it self-cleans the barrel in a sense ...

it's a dream for traveling ...

they rec using 175F water for flavor preservation, but i like 208-212 personally ...

you probably have everything ancillary, so i can't rec the $25 aeropress enough ... it's pissing all the companies off ...

i should add, i use a Coava small micron metal filter disk sometimes, which is more sustainable ... but the paper filters offer some brightness and i think the 120 pack is less paper waste than a single sheet of newspaper ...
 
I've always used at least 195 degrees myself - seems that 175 wouldn't pull enough of the flavor out of the beans unless you used a fairly coarse grind and let it steep for longer - reading up a bit on the aeropress it seems designed to make the cup in about 30 seconds or so which seems about right for an espresso type grind at 195 or higher. Looks like I might just have to order one and try it out. (Still miss my free pound of coffee to take home every week that Starbucks gave all employees and all the free drinks you wanted while there - but don't miss getting up at 4AM to get the store opened !! )
 
JDFan said:
I've always used at least 195 degrees myself - seems that 175 wouldn't pull enough of the flavor out of the beans unless you used a fairly coarse grind and let it steep for longer - reading up a bit on the aeropress it seems designed to make the cup in about 30 seconds or so which seems about right for an espresso type grind at 195 or higher. Looks like I might just have to order one and try it out. (Still miss my free pound of coffee to take home every week that Starbucks gave all employees and all the free drinks you wanted while there - but don't miss getting up at 4AM to get the store opened !! )
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yeah .. it takes about 30 secs to press it down, after it brews ... def get one!
 
Found out the same about Blue Mtn. coffee from Jamaica.

Yes, it's nice---but the price doesn't justify.

Kenya is one of my faves, as is Oaxacan from a little tin shack local roaster by the mercado in Puerto Escondido, MX.
Have to be there to get it though.

I've taken to getting green beans, and roasting them in small batches at home.
I figured you can't get any fresher than fresh out of the roaster---except I noticed right away that the flavor is much better 24 hours out of the roaster.
 
Gotrox said:
Found out the same about Blue Mtn. coffee from Jamaica.

Yes, it's nice---but the price doesn't justify.

Kenya is one of my faves, as is Oaxacan from a little tin shack local roaster by the mercado in Puerto Escondido, MX.
Have to be there to get it though.

I've taken to getting green beans, and roasting them in small batches at home.
I figured you can't get any fresher than fresh out of the roaster---except I noticed right away that the flavor is much better 24 hours out of the roaster.
Click to expand...

i've considered that myself ... shoot pics someday if you feel inclined ... i think there's a site w/ maria in the name, sweetmarias.com i think ... if i was a roastin, i might start to buy green ...
 
See if you can round up some Triangulo de Oro from Costa Rica. It's my favorite.
There's one a little bit better (super dark roast) out of Monteverde but they're very small and don't export.

Don't bother with Terrazu. It's a mix of everyones crap. Rey and Britt are the one$ that $tarbuck$ buy$. They aren't as good as Triangulo.
 
So My Cuisinart used in tandem with my 8 O'clock French Roasted Beans ground in my high speed Mr. Coffee
grinder are sub-standard? Nah, yah just have to learn how to grind the beans just right, almost Expresso Fine I tend to like it very rich. Ever try Condensed Sweetened milk for a twist? Did you ever here about the high PPM heavy metal content in African coffee, apparently Africa still uses or used to (I read it in the mid 90s in Consumer Report)
still mix lead in their gas, whether they still do I'm not sure. Ever try the bean they
get from that asian cat/fox looking things crap? I am impressed with the layering having tended bar awhile back making B-52s, Mudslides, Black -n-Tans I know its tedious at
first and some never get the hang of it.
 
Prehensile said:
So My Cuisinart used in tandem with my 8 O'clock French Roasted Beans ground in my high speed Mr. Coffee
grinder are sub-standard? Nah, yah just have to learn how to grind the beans just right, almost Expresso Fine I tend to like it very rich. Ever try Condensed Sweetened milk for a twist? Did you ever here about the high PPM heavy metal content in African coffee, apparently Africa still uses or used to (I read it in the mid 90s in Consumer Report)
still mix lead in their gas, whether they still do I'm not sure. Ever try the bean they
get from that asian cat/fox looking things crap? I am impressed with the layering having tended bar awhile back making B-52s, Mudslides, Black -n-Tans I know its tedious at
first and some never get the hang of it.
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I have more trouble w/ the hot, bean smasher than anything else there ... even w/ a good pulse, the innards of those things heat up, and i don't like the flavor that recently heated beans has (which is, I think, why I like the coffee about 4-5 days after roast from Intelligentsia) ... I can find a way to enjoy the flavor of pretty much anything that's made w/ a freshly ground bean, no matter how inexpensive the source etc ...
 
grantmichaels said:
I have more trouble w/ the hot, bean smasher than anything else there ... even w/ a good pulse, the innards of those things heat up, and i don't like the flavor that recently heated beans has (which is, I think, why I like the coffee about 4-5 days after roast from Intelligentsia) ... I can find a way to enjoy the flavor of pretty much anything that's made w/ a freshly ground bean, no matter how inexpensive the source etc ...
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Yup. It is verbotten to roast in the house, I have been informed. The smell is intense.
I am a darkie, myself. If my roast is off, (maximum time limited roaster) and the product comes out too blond, I can't drink it.

I have some Ethiopian and some Zambian up next for a roast.
I'll shoot some pics to drool over when I run it.
 
I started with a french press, then a mokapot, then a cheap $100 machine, then a $400 machine.

Then I got stupid and bought a $1500 machine. I love it, PID temp control, dual boiler so instant strong steam for texturing/heating milk.
I just had to do it because I ran out of time reading about and searching for the perfect machine, perfect process. I spent months reading coffee forums, that's a lot of days to go through not having anything near decent coffee every day. Also I sometimes need the instant gratification of caffeine, not stuffing about with equipment.

Local shop has a local coffee roasters bean's normally only 1-4 weeks old. Grind them and make a double pronto.

I fix fridges, so I'm often in a cafe fixing stuff, and most offer me a coffee. The few I've tried were terrible compared to what I can do at home in 1min myself. Although I'm no connoisseur, obviously, because I don't want to make it a hobby and spend serious time on it, I can still make a better coffee than any cafe with local beans and my favourite new appliance in a minute so that's good enough for me. :D

I really want to roast beans next though, as they are pricey for good locally roasted beans, $48 for 1/2lb
 
Pablo_h said:
I started with a french press, then a mokapot, then a cheap $100 machine, then a $400 machine.

Then I got stupid and bought a $1500 machine. I love it, PID temp control, dual boiler so instant strong steam for texturing/heating milk.
I just had to do it because I ran out of time reading about and searching for the perfect machine, perfect process. Also I sometimes need the instant gratification of caffeine, not stuffing about with equipment.

Local shop has a local coffee roasters bean's normally only 1-4 weeks old. Grind them and make a double pronto.

I fix fridges, so I'm often in a cafe fixing stuff, and most offer me a coffee. The few I've tried were terrible compared to what I can do at home in 1min myself. Although I'm no connoisseur, obviously, because I don't want to make it a hobby and spend serious time on it, I can still make a better coffee than any cafe with local beans and my favourite new appliance in a minute so that's good enough for me. :D

I really want to roast beans next though, as they are pricey for good locally roasted beans, $48 for 1/2lb
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Mostly I agree, time is often the enemy ... which is probably why I've settled on just using my Aeropress method ... it works at home and at office, is inexpensive, and comes out relatively great all of the time despite the variables I appreciate changing - which would be the beans ...

4 weeks past roast is beyond the bloom range for pretty much all varieties, I think, though ... I try to stay from right after roast to at most 2 weeks after ...

YMMV ...
 
Yeah I don't walk away kicking the air triumphantly when I get a 4 week old pack, but that's worse case scenario anyway, and what else am I going to do? Usually they are 1-2 weeks old, it depends on how many other people are buying coffee from there doesn't it. Of course I have no control over that, but it's sure better than the supermarkets selling coffee six months old!
But that and the price from them is the reason why I want to roast my own beans soon, that's the next step.
 
Pablo_h said:
Yeah I don't walk away kicking the air triumphantly when I get a 4 week old pack, but that's worse case scenario anyway, and what else am I going to do? Usually they are 1-2 weeks old, it depends on how many other people are buying coffee from there doesn't it. Of course I have no control over that, but it's sure better than the supermarkets selling coffee six months old!
But that and the price from them is the reason why I want to roast my own beans soon, that's the next step.
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I agree.

I think my future of getting my feet wet roasting will just be a whirly popper http://amzn.com/B00004SU35 and an order from http://sweetmarias.com/ ...

If I like it, then I'll consider movin' on up in the words of the late, great ...
 
Gotta have a good ear for the crack, and a feel for the cool down.

Some of the best I ever tasted (home roast) was done by someone else, I might add---in a cast iron frying pan.
 
gasificada said:
My piece of machinery:

http://www.catchofth...chine-p-74.html

Oh yes, boys, you did hear right: "The Sunbeam EM3600 is sure to entertain you and your guests with a seemingly endless supply of high quality espressos to rival those the best cafes in Europe have to offer." :rofl: :rofl:
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i'm not a regular espresso drinker, so, that would work for me ...

in fact, i have a mypressi ... and i'll cop to the tamp i use having a piston or what not so i don't have to even try to get the density right (best espresso purchase here) ...

cheers.
 
Having received a new batch yesterday, w/ a roast of 8/2 ... I thought I'd update the thread w/ a photo that actually shows some crema from the bloom of something fresh ... had to turn the flash on to penetrate the darkened acrylic of the cylinder, but ...

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beans smell great ...

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nice deep reddish crema ...

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and a fair amount of it, too ...

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love this thing ... truly.
 
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