The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange

[heedpantsnow]

Enjoying a ristretto and croissant this morning at La Colombe in Philly. Recommended!

[smarmar]

Nice ibrik Smarmar. Have you been to Middle East?

My mom got the ibrik in Key West and gave it to me because she thought the coffee tasted like it was from the sea (I guess that means gross??). Sadly, no, I've never been to the Middle East.

[Flyersfan1]

Enjoying a ristretto and croissant this morning at La Colombe in Philly. Recommended!

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Dude! You should have told me you were coming to town! I love La Colombe!  :thumb:

[smarmar]

I really need to pick up one of those little drip containers for that proper Vietnamese coffee. And Cafe du Monde is such a throwback for me .

Well, what are you waiting for? Act now while supplies last! Just one easy payment of $6.25 USD! 
I recommend getting one with a sturdy screw-on filter insert so you can control the packing of the grounds. Cheaper ones come with either a smaller, flimsy screw-on filter that will break over time or one that just sits on top of the grounds.
Are you French or from New Orleans?

[heedpantsnow]

Enjoying a ristretto and croissant this morning at La Colombe in Philly. Recommended!

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Dude! You should have told me you were coming to town! I love La Colombe!  :thumb:

Aw man!  I totally would have loved to get together!  I'll be up there again in about 6 months. Will let you know.

[CPTBadAss]

Well, what are you waiting for? Act now while supplies last! Just one easy payment of $6.25 USD! 
I recommend getting one with a sturdy screw-on filter insert so you can control the packing of the grounds. Cheaper ones come with either a smaller, flimsy screw-on filter that will break over time or one that just sits on top of the grounds.

Are you French or from New Orleans?

I have an aeropress and french press. I don't know if I want yet another coffee making device lol. I think a lot of Vietnamese people drink Cafe Du Monde with that little drip container. My whole family grew up drinking it so it's been a fixture in my house since I can remember.

[HPE1000]

@CPTBadAss, do you have a preference between the aeropress and a french press? I only have an aeropress right now and I am considering a french press but I am not sure if I should even bother.

I just got a ceramic burr grinder and it really does make a difference compared to the cheapo electric blade grinder I was using before.

I still have not ordered coffee from any of those online places yet, but that is just because I am still trying coffee from this local place right now. The last couple types of coffee I have got from them have been awesome. Right now I have some organic kenyan aa kia ora and it is my favorite coffee I have gotten there so far.

[CPTBadAss]

If I had to pick between the two, I'd take aeropress. It's easier to clean and makes a cleaner cup. I really enjoy it.

But French press is a bit more versatile. For example if you want to make coffee for more than one person. I made cold brew coffee in my French press earlier this week which is nice.

[heedpantsnow]

I'd go for aeropress. Better quality in the cup. Plus MUCH easier cleanup.

[HPE1000]

Thanks, I guess if you are making only one cup at a time then the aeropress is better even without the difference in taste.

I use the aeropress inverted which seems to be better so far.

[Lanx]

Note, imo inverted aeropress is only useful if you have a grinder which you cannot dial in, i.e. blade grinder. Since you've got a better burr grinder now, instead of using inverted, try to dial in a smaller grain instead.

[heedpantsnow]

With either method you are better off with a kitchen scale than you are trying to measure the coffee and water by volume. They're not that expensive on Amazon.

[heedpantsnow]

Ironically, TheSweetHome (love that site) just updated their coffee article. Awesome read. They do great work there.
www.thesweethome.com/reviews/gear-for-making-great-coffee/

[Binge]

The aeropress is not rocket science, and to be honest there's nothing about it that would dull the taste of more expensive coffees.  The article describes the pour over method very well, but I'm not sure they quite "get it" when it comes to the aeropress.

[jwaz]

The aeropress is not rocket science, and to be honest there's nothing about it that would dull the taste of more expensive coffees.  The article describes the pour over method very well, but I'm not sure they quite "get it" when it comes to the aeropress.

The thing I have trouble with about the Aeropress is how many freaking brewing techniques you can do with it, inverted, low-temp, metal filter, etc. That's probably why I use the my press pot more is because it just works really well all the time, quickly and with minimal mess.

I have the variable kettle so I'm thinking sometime soon I'll have to try my hand at chemex/ pour overs.

[HPE1000]

The aeropress is not rocket science, and to be honest there's nothing about it that would dull the taste of more expensive coffees.  The article describes the pour over method very well, but I'm not sure they quite "get it" when it comes to the aeropress.

The thing I have trouble with about the Aeropress is how many freaking brewing techniques you can do with it, inverted, low-temp, metal filter, etc. That's probably why I use the my press pot more is because it just works really well all the time, quickly and with minimal mess.

I have the variable kettle so I'm thinking sometime soon I'll have to try my hand at chemex/ pour overs.

The aeropress is ridiculously easy to clean though, that is what I like so much.

As of right now, I do inverted for 2 mins and then around a 10-20 second press. I am really not sure if that is the advised procedure but it tastes good to me and all you do is push out the grounds and wipe the little rubber plunger if all the coffee didn't come off it.

I am afraid of making my coffee any better tbh because I am drinking so much it's getting out of hand. 

Although I am 100% down to try any other method/maker if it is better.

[heedpantsnow]

Made a new drink tonight. Iced almond vanilla latte (mainly for my wife, but it tastes pretty good). 

[Joebroniee]

Seeing this thread makes me want coffee so bad right now...

[meztek]

This thread is a fantastic idea!  It's got me thinking about asking the coffee shoppe down the street if they would sell me a small batch of beans.  Best coffee I've had in years.  I'll update once I get around to asking them. 

[Binge]

This thread is a fantastic idea!  It's got me thinking about asking the coffee shoppe down the street if they would sell me a small batch of beans.  Best coffee I've had in years.  I'll update once I get around to asking them. 

Yeah man keep the good times rolling   Definitely post what you've got and see if anyone will exchange bean w/you.

[opensecret]

I'm definitely investing in an arrow press and ceramic burr grinder soon (anyone have any experience with Hario?).

As for trading I have access to a myriad of local stuff, Blue Bottle, Ritual, Four Barrel and Sight Glass as well as Sweet Maria's for unroasted beans. I'm will to trade with anyone interested in trying any of these companies coffees.


ISO Stumptown FT various Bay Area coffees


Man I miss Stumptown so much... 
 

Hario is a hot brand among coffee-loving hipsters, and people who have the Hario grinder say it’s very good. 

AeroPress does make a good cup of coffee, but I don’t use it because I avoid plastic wherever possible in making coffee.  Personally I prefer Chemex or a French press, or espresso if you have a good grinder and machine.

Coffee peaks a few days after it’s roasted (when it's doing a lot of off-gassing), and then gradually gets stale, so if you don’t know when it was roasted, you don’t know what you’re getting.  (The general consensus in the coffee world is that green coffee beans last for many months; roasted beans for a couple of weeks, and ground coffee for a matter of minutes.)If you’re going to have beans around for more than a week or two, I think they’ll hold up better in the freezer, but that’s controversial among coffee enthusiasts.

If you don't have a good local source for coffee, most of the specialty coffee vendors sell on-line, including some mentioned in this thread like Blue Bottle and Stumptown.  Also excellent are Intelligentsia in Chicago, PT’s in Topeka, and George Howell in Boston.  For equipment, almost everyone's favorite vendor is Chris Coffee in Albany, NY. 

The coffee equivalent to geekhack is coffeegeek.com – if you think keyboards can be a pricey hobby, avoid the reviews there of high end espresso machines as well as the forums where people discuss equipment and technique for roasting your own coffee. 

[nandop]

I absolutely love coffee. How do I participate in the exchange?

I own a french press and mokka pot. I prefer the french press and use an electric water heater to boil the water as hot as possible. That's what I've found to have the best flavor for me. I buy whole ground.

My latest coffee has been Colombian 100% arabica from Costco, I'm currently on vacation but I'll post pictures when I come back. Its in a silver package.

[Binge]

I absolutely love coffee. How do I participate in the exchange?

I own a french press and mokka pot. I prefer the french press and use an electric water heater to boil the water as hot as possible. That's what I've found to have the best flavor for me. I buy whole ground.

My latest coffee has been Colombian 100% arabica from Costco, I'm currently on vacation but I'll post pictures when I come back. Its in a silver package.

You can post about coffee and/or contact others in the thread and send them a whole bean sample of something you like that is locally roasted.

[nandop]

I absolutely love coffee. How do I participate in the exchange?

I own a french press and mokka pot. I prefer the french press and use an electric water heater to boil the water as hot as possible. That's what I've found to have the best flavor for me. I buy whole ground.

My latest coffee has been Colombian 100% arabica from Costco, I'm currently on vacation but I'll post pictures when I come back. Its in a silver package.

You can post about coffee and/or contact others in the thread and send them a whole bean sample of something you like that is locally roasted.

Ahhh! I see. I'll come back when I have something. At least now, I'm on the lookout! Thanks

[viskin]

Try Bulletproof Coffee! worth checking out atleast. It's my friends new company here in LA and they have been getting some clout.

[smarmar]

Made a new drink tonight. Iced almond vanilla latte (mainly for my wife, but it tastes pretty good). 

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Wow, that looks like a lot of cream in that there latte! The luscious coffee layer looks divine with its caramel color and the way it coats the ice cubes. :p
I decided to try one of those new Flat White lattes from Starbucks the other day. It uses a double ristretto shot which gives it a really smooth yet rich flavour. I got a tall size but will get a short next time. I like to taste my coffee without it being drowned in milk and/or water.

[CPTBadAss]

I saw that ristretto shot at Starbucks but I didn't really understand what it was. Plus I'm kinda leery on lattes because it's usually coffee flavored milk.

[heedpantsnow]

Made a new drink tonight. Iced almond vanilla latte (mainly for my wife, but it tastes pretty good). 

Show Image

Wow, that looks like a lot of cream in that there latte! The luscious coffee layer looks divine with its caramel color and the way it coats the ice cubes. :p
I decided to try one of those new Flat White lattes from Starbucks the other day. It uses a double ristretto shot which gives it a really smooth yet rich flavour. I got a tall size but will get a short next time. I like to taste my coffee without it being drowned in milk and/or water.

I like to taste my coffee also.  That drink I showed was mainly for my wife.  To much other flavor for me.

You should try a Cortado in a shop other than Starbucks (come down to East Orlando to Vespr.  Tell them Alan sent you).  It's basically a flat white (that name is mainly used in W. Europe, which is why Sbucks thinks it's cool and "new").

Or come to my house and I'll make you one!

[heedpantsnow]

I saw that ristretto shot at Starbucks but I didn't really understand what it was. Plus I'm kinda leery on lattes because it's usually coffee flavored milk.

Ristretto is a shot extracted without the bitter end.  You taste the bean more, but there's a bit less of it.  (or they put in more espresso and then pull the same amount of liquid).

[smarmar]

Made a new drink tonight. Iced almond vanilla latte (mainly for my wife, but it tastes pretty good). 

Show Image

Wow, that looks like a lot of cream in that there latte! The luscious coffee layer looks divine with its caramel color and the way it coats the ice cubes. :p
I decided to try one of those new Flat White lattes from Starbucks the other day. It uses a double ristretto shot which gives it a really smooth yet rich flavour. I got a tall size but will get a short next time. I like to taste my coffee without it being drowned in milk and/or water.

I like to taste my coffee also.  That drink I showed was mainly for my wife.  To much other flavor for me.

You should try a Cortado in a shop other than Starbucks (come down to East Orlando to Vespr.  Tell them Alan sent you).  It's basically a flat white (that name is mainly used in W. Europe, which is why Sbucks thinks it's cool and "new").

Or come to my house and I'll make you one!

I just so happened to wander into Vespr about 2 weeks ago while taking my ol' lady to Kohl's. I enjoyed a danged-fine mocha! I find that a good coffee smooths out the torture of shopping with my lass. ;)

PM me with directions and I'll take you up on that offer! Maybe we can hit the Fuji sushi while we're at it, if you're into that kinda thing.

[jwaz]

Two years later

Hario is a hot brand among coffee-loving hipsters, and people who have the Hario grinder say it�s very good.

The Hario grinder is adequate for what it is, agreed.

AeroPress does make a good cup of coffee, but I don�t use it because I avoid plastic wherever possible in making coffee.  Personally I prefer Chemex or a French press, or espresso if you have a good grinder and machine.

AeroPress, IMVHO, isn't worth it either. I also much prefer FP but have yet to try Chemex at home despite having one of those Bonavita kettles.

Coffee peaks a few days after it�s roasted (when it's doing a lot of off-gassing), and then gradually gets stale, so if you don�t know when it was roasted, you don�t know what you�re getting.  (The general consensus in the coffee world is that green coffee beans last for many months; roasted beans for a couple of weeks, and ground coffee for a matter of minutes.)If you�re going to have beans around for more than a week or two, I think they�ll hold up better in the freezer, but that�s controversial among coffee enthusiasts.

All the stuff I get locally is roasted within days of me buying it. Even the Stumptown/ Intelligentsia stuff which travels the farthest. I would never put coffee in the freezer. I go through about a bag per week and haven't had problems with freshness though I have had some espresso shots that were so fresh they had some semi unpleasant bitterness and needed to mellow.

If you don't have a good local source for coffee, most of the specialty coffee vendors sell on-line, including some mentioned in this thread like Blue Bottle and Stumptown.  Also excellent are Intelligentsia in Chicago, PT�s in Topeka, and George Howell in Boston.  For equipment, almost everyone's favorite vendor is Chris Coffee in Albany, NY.

My local coffee (The Bay Area) is probably some of the best in the US. Ritual, Sightglass, Four Barrel, Blue Bottle, Chromatic, etc all roast here. Plus there are a few spots with Intelligentsia, Heart and Stumptown so I'm a pretty happy camper.

The coffee equivalent to geekhack is coffeegeek.com � if you think keyboards can be a pricey hobby, avoid the reviews there of high end espresso machines as well as the forums where people discuss equipment and technique for roasting your own coffee.

I've got my eye on an Olympia Cremina but I'm not sure I can swing the pricetag, even used, yet.

[smarmar]

I have plummeted to a new low this morning. In my desperation for caffeine I dropped 3 white chocolate peppermint Hershey's kisses into a mug of Keurig-brewed medium roast and had a hobo peppermint mocha. Don't hate.

[heedpantsnow]

I have plummeted to a new low this morning. In my desperation for caffeine I dropped 3 white chocolate peppermint Hershey's kisses into a mug of Keurig-brewed medium roast and had a hobo peppermint mocha. Don't hate.

Oh God dude the horror!

[heedpantsnow]

Two years later

Hario is a hot brand among coffee-loving hipsters, and people who have the Hario grinder say it�s very good.

The Hario grinder is adequate for what it is, agreed.

AeroPress does make a good cup of coffee, but I don�t use it because I avoid plastic wherever possible in making coffee.  Personally I prefer Chemex or a French press, or espresso if you have a good grinder and machine.

AeroPress, IMVHO, isn't worth it either. I also much prefer FP but have yet to try Chemex at home despite having one of those Bonavita kettles.

Coffee peaks a few days after it�s roasted (when it's doing a lot of off-gassing), and then gradually gets stale, so if you don�t know when it was roasted, you don�t know what you�re getting.  (The general consensus in the coffee world is that green coffee beans last for many months; roasted beans for a couple of weeks, and ground coffee for a matter of minutes.)If you�re going to have beans around for more than a week or two, I think they�ll hold up better in the freezer, but that�s controversial among coffee enthusiasts.

All the stuff I get locally is roasted within days of me buying it. Even the Stumptown/ Intelligentsia stuff which travels the farthest. I would never put coffee in the freezer. I go through about a bag per week and haven't had problems with freshness though I have had some espresso shots that were so fresh they had some semi unpleasant bitterness and needed to mellow.

If you don't have a good local source for coffee, most of the specialty coffee vendors sell on-line, including some mentioned in this thread like Blue Bottle and Stumptown.  Also excellent are Intelligentsia in Chicago, PT�s in Topeka, and George Howell in Boston.  For equipment, almost everyone's favorite vendor is Chris Coffee in Albany, NY.

My local coffee (The Bay Area) is probably some of the best in the US. Ritual, Sightglass, Four Barrel, Blue Bottle, Chromatic, etc all roast here. Plus there are a few spots with Intelligentsia, Heart and Stumptown so I'm a pretty happy camper.

The coffee equivalent to geekhack is coffeegeek.com � if you think keyboards can be a pricey hobby, avoid the reviews there of high end espresso machines as well as the forums where people discuss equipment and technique for roasting your own coffee.

I've got my eye on an Olympia Cremina but I'm not sure I can swing the pricetag, even used, yet.

Actually I'm more partial to Home-barista.com than CoffeeGeek.  Check out this thread (drool): http://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machines/post-pic-of-your-home-espresso-setup-t5194-2810.html

My unicorn is a La Marzocco Speedster.  But it's way out of my league. :-(

[jwaz]

Quick snap of my work setup. Been hitting the Stumptown pretty hard.

[Binge]

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Quick snap of my work setup. Been hitting the Stumptown pretty hard.

looking really good man!

[Larken]

My home coffee corner:


and... my morning latte



Been practicing my freepour out of boredom  )

[heedpantsnow]

Nice art!

[motherbrain]

i love this thread.  it combines my unhealthy obsession with keyboards and my other unhealthy obsession with coffee.

here in nashville, my favorite spot is "8th and Roast."  always solid taste profiles.  i grind my beans every morning and use good ole mr coffee because i'm (1) too lazy to use my chemex and (2) too impatient to use the french press.  at least i use a burr grinder.  no sugar.  no cream.  no fancy additives.  single origin only so i can "taste the region."

geez i sound like a snob.

[heedpantsnow]

geez i sound like a snob.

Anything worth doing is worth overdoing, my friend.

[clacktalk]

picked up some blue bottle and barefoot last night. my morning was jam packed with good vibes and the dreamiest aroma

[CPTBadAss]

i love this thread.  it combines my unhealthy obsession with keyboards and my other unhealthy obsession with coffee.

here in nashville, my favorite spot is "8th and Roast."  always solid taste profiles.  i grind my beans every morning and use good ole mr coffee because i'm (1) too lazy to use my chemex and (2) too impatient to use the french press.  at least i use a burr grinder.  no sugar.  no cream.  no fancy additives.  single origin only so i can "taste the region."

geez i sound like a snob.

Yup, that confirms it. I need to go to Nashville again. Every time I go, I eat delicious food and I really enjoy it.

[Lanx]

My home coffee corner:

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and... my morning latte

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Been practicing my freepour out of boredom  )

I had the delonghi, did you try to depressure one of the baskets? they give you 2, 1 regular and 1 for pods, i did the one for pods, then you can play around with ground size more.

[Larken]

I actually modded mine to take a proper depressurized basket and made the portafilter bottomless; most of the mods found in http://coffeegeek.com/forums/espresso/machines/522849. The pressurized baskets were simply no good, even after depressurizing it. Using the grind I use nowadays in the proper basket would end up choking in the depressurized basket, giving really bitter coffee.

Added a rancilio silvia steam wand too, which made frothing much easier to manage as well.

I get decent tasting espresso out of it, but mostly make lattes/cappuccinos or affogatos when the mood strikes me.

Overall not bad for a machine in its price range, but I imagine the temperature/boiler capacity doesn't allow for much consistency compared to proper espresso machines.

[smarmar]

Damn, Larken, that latte looks delicious!

[Lanx]

I'm either going to buy a hario slim or a porlex slim, its not intended for coffee, for spices really, ha. I already have a Hario Skerton and don't want to mess that up for spices.

[Larken]

@ smarmar: It was good! A little dark for my tastes, but the milk helped.

@ Lanx: I have the skerton myself (and have retired it for spices coincidentally). Without the stabilization mod from orphanespresso, I hear that both the hario slim (less wobble, despite not having stabilization either) and porlex (has a plastic tab at the bottom that helps with stability, but will eventually wear out) performs better than the skerton in general. If you're going for the porlex, you might consider making that your primary coffee grinder instead.
Out of curiousity, what is the brewing method you usually go with?

[noisyturtle]

Picked this up during the Seattle meetup:


first thought:

[Flyersfan1]

Picked this up during the Seattle meetup:

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first thought:

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Hahahahaha, what a great name! Once you have freshly roasted coffee, anything else just starts tasting mediocre.
Did they grind it for you, or do you have a grinder at home?
How do you brew your coffee?

[noisyturtle]

Picked this up during the Seattle meetup:

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first thought:

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Hahahahaha, what a great name! Once you have freshly roasted coffee, anything else just starts tasting mediocre.
Did they grind it for you, or do you have a grinder at home?
How do you brew your coffee?

I have my own grinder. Have to grind it fresh right before brewing for maximum flavor. For brewing I just have a Capresso MG600 Plus, nothing too fancy.