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The Coffee Thread

Not sure if it was this thread or another, I've just purchased a Wilfa Silver Coffee Grinder, which should be arriving in the next few days. I also took the opportunity to also but a V60 Drip and Decanter.

I buy my beans from Algerian Coffee Stores which is in Soho (it's also the cheapest place to get a decent coffee, anywhere in London at £1.20). They have a great selection of beans and monthly offers - 500g for £8, well worth having a look at.
 
oldius said:
strong coffee?
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it isnt a descriptor i use, i dont understand what it means. I use flavour descriptor (fruitiness (which fruits), sourness, sweetness, roast.....nuttiness (which nuts))

Lighter roasts tend to have a better flavour profile and can highlight the citrus elements of the bean. I am a member of a subscription club on a forum call Lighter Side of Life, which supplies lightly roasted beans, which i feel are better for pourover.
 
oldius said:
INDIAN MONSOON MALABAR × 1
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interesting that the Algerian Coffee Stores roast their monsooned malabar to a high roast. Unusual i'd say - normally it is medium or medium-dark. I would think the high roast would destroy much of the unique flavour profile of this bean (the richness, spiciness (not heat), chocolate, nuts). It is a low acidity bean which is why i like it.

If you keep an eye on Bella Barista, they age a Brazialian bean in the Suffolk Salt Marshes to achieve a similar flavour profile (from wet and windy conditions, but not the heat of course). https://www.bellabarista.co.uk/limited-release-salt-marsh-brazil-camocim-roast-coffee-250-grams.html
 
gintonic said:
interesting that the Algerian Coffee Stores roast their monsooned malabar to a high roast. Unusual i'd say - normally it is medium or medium-dark. I would think the high roast would destroy much of the unique flavour profile of this bean (the richness, spiciness (not heat), chocolate, nuts). It is a low acidity bean which is why i like it.

If you keep an eye on Bella Barista, they age a Brazialian bean in the Suffolk Salt Marshes to achieve a similar flavour profile (from wet and windy conditions, but not the heat of course). https://www.bellabarista.co.uk/limited-release-salt-marsh-brazil-camocim-roast-coffee-250-grams.html
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That's a great link, cheers.
 
gintonic said:
interesting that the Algerian Coffee Stores roast their monsooned malabar to a high roast. Unusual i'd say - normally it is medium or medium-dark. I would think the high roast would destroy much of the unique flavour profile of this bean (the richness, spiciness (not heat), chocolate, nuts). It is a low acidity bean which is why i like it.
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Yes I’m surprised too as I’ve roasted it a few times through the years and it does need moderation on the heat as you say or the roast will run away and be too dark, a bit like the later stages of Yemen Mocca Matari to name another awkward bu88ar.
 
oldius said:
The coffee had a nice, nuanced flavour but was too weak for our tastes. So, I am searching for bean recommendations to give a strong brew but not at the expense of flavour. All considered. Cheers.
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Strength in regards to coffee has many different meanings which James Hoffman describes in the video below. Discounting caffeine, which is probably not what you mean, this broadly comes down to the following aspects:

How much coffee is dissolved in the water as a percentage by volume?

This is easy to fix as you can just use more coffee! Although I suspect this is not what you mean.

How much of the soluble parts of the coffee bean were extracted

Extract not enough ("under extracted") and it will taste sour and thin and generally not very nice. Extract too much ("over extracted") and it will taste bitter and astringent. I also suspect this is not what you mean as problems with extraction are usually expressed as "Uggh! sour!" or "Gah! bitter!" rather than lacking strength.

Getting this right is mostly a matter of technique and the easiest way to get it in the sweet spot is to adjust the grind size : finer will extract more, coarser will extract less. Hence, an easy way to get this in the right ballpark, is just to keep grinding finer until you start to detect that bitterness and astringency on your tongue and in the back and roof of your mouth after you swallow, then back off the grind slightly.

This is important though as getting this right is the key to making good coffee. Barista Hustle has an excellent article on over and under extraction and how to recognise the difference. It's well worth reading and coming back to in a few months after some experimenting with different coffees and technique.

https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/coffee-extraction-and-how-to-taste-it/

How dark the coffee was roasted?

Traditionally coffee was roasted quite dark. This gives it a more intense flavour and some "Ooomph!" at the expense of homogenizing different coffees. This is because it tends to emphasise the compounds common to all coffees regardless of variety, where it was grown, how it was processed, etc. Historically this was favoured as it's a good way to hide lower quality coffee.

Modern specialty coffee tends much more towards lighter roasts. This is because it emphasises the flavours Gin mentions above such as acidity, fruit, sweetness, etc. This in turn emphasies the differences between different coffees which became more important as people started to sell single origin coffees rather than blends and to strive for increasing quality.

This is what I suspect you mean because the lighter roasts are so much more common these days, especially from independent and specialty roasters, and many people miss the "Oomph!" aspect of darker roasts. Espectially if you are drinking it after getting up early and/or with a hangover! Which I think is a shame as, for me, the great joy of coffee is the endless complexity and variety available compared to the ubiquitous cafe/diner filter coffee of previous time.

In terms of practical advice then if this is what you want from your coffee then look for things described as "dark roast" or possibly "city" or "French" roast. Or if you buy beans from a supermarket they usually have a strength rating on them which is mostly a proxy for how dark they are roasted, say 4 or 5 on a 0-5 scale being a dark roast.

 
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Dozey said:
What is your coffee to water weight ratio? What beans are you currently using? The answers might help people give more focussed advice. Have you tried increasing the coffee to water ratio?
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who me? or someone else?
 
Journey continues. I've continued to dial-in shots, got good crema, and improved taste. Fresh beans certainly make a difference - first time I heard from a friend "Oh I throw them out after two weeks, not worth using lost too much CO2, buy smaller bags more frequently" it momentarily warped my mind. Now I see what he meant.

I think I've reached as far as I could with the first machine, so it's on to the next adventure with a Rancilio Silvia V6, picked up yesterday (used though by the looks as I cleaned it, it wouldn't have had a kilo of beans through it). Wish me luck. Time to reset all my grind specs for each coffee and dial-in again with shot glass and stop watch. I made a hot chocolate for our daughter last night, steaming milk is a totally different experience on the Silvia. Much learning to do.
 
I've got this Silvia temperature surfing malarkey nailed. Run hot water from the steam spout till the boiler light comes on, close valve. When boiler light goes off, start timer, dose/prep portafilter. At 30 seconds, run water through the grouphead for 5 seconds (now 35 sec elapsed). Load portafilter into grouphead, position cups. at 50 seconds, commence brewing. Cease shot at 1:25 (which is about 5 secs of infusion, shot runs 30 seconds. Should be 30ml incl crema if you ran into a shot glass.

I'm getting consistent shots (made two back-to-back this morning - a lungo for my better half, and a short black for me), about ten mins apart, using freshly-ground locally-roasted beans https://havana.co.nz packed 5 days ago, 16g double-shot in the Rancilio 16g basket. Crema, colour, flavour very, very close.

Now waiting for the bottomless portafilter I've ordered.

Yes I'm having fun. Yes I'm double-caffienated at 0700. Never thought I'd say this, but I'm enjoying coffee :)
 
Rico said:
Now waiting for the bottomless portafilter I've ordered.
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Have fun. A bottomless really lets you see the quality of the extraction allowing you to fine tune your timing and tamp pressure. It's a learning experience, and it shows no mercy - I guarantee you'll make a curse-worthy mess on several occasions.

Quick Mill Andreja Premium here on our counter. Cheers!
 
Wow @palasr that's a nice compact e61 machine. I'm not sure anyone's doing them here in the Shaky Isles. I've bought the Silvia to extend my knowledge, decided that jumping straight to an HX e61 machine could wait while I 'serve my apprenticeship'. I looked at Lelit Mara-X (really all we need, though the brushed stainless isn't as pretty as I'd like), the ECM Mechanika V Slim, and the Bezzera BZ10... this escalated through Rocket Apartamento to ECM Technica Technika V Profi PID and Rocket Mozzafiato Chronometro R like some manic arms race. I put the brakes on.

Perhaps later this year we'll take our local specialist up on their offer of a bake-off between the Vibration and Rotary pump Rocket machines, to see if the extra 500 pesos is really worth it (taste and noise). Yes they do demos like a good hifi dealer! I really like the look of the Rocket machines for their finish, they're a little more compact than equivalent featured machines, and I think I prefer rotary valves (steam, water) to lever valves, for both aesthetic and ergonomic reasons. There's a water line awaiting a coffee machine in our kitchen, I figured ir was a good idea while renovating. This helps the Rotary pump use-case.

Ultimately I recognise this is approaching the status of a pure luxury indulgence purchase, so am in no hurry to drop a huge wedge on a Rocket R58. Yet. :eek:

 
There are certainly some nice choices if you do look at the Rocket price bracket, I paid £2200 new for my Vesuvius with stainless steel pipe work internally as an example.
 
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