Author Topic: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange  (Read 221861 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline CPTBadAss

  • Woke up like this
  • Posts: 14363
    • Tactile Zine
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #100 on: Sat, 09 March 2013, 10:25:25 »
I really need to get my hands on an Aeropress. But I feel like I'm cheating on my French Press :P

Offline deepthawt

  • Posts: 97
  • Location: Wisconsin, USA
  • ︻̷̿┻̿═━一
    • my programming hobby site, interactive jigsaws, photos &c
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #101 on: Sat, 09 March 2013, 12:39:30 »
I really need to get my hands on an Aeropress. But I feel like I'm cheating on my French Press :p


i could send you our old french press to keep yours company while you indulge yourself with something that really gives you what you need.


HAIL BEAN

More
[| Ducky Shine II 9087 Yellow LED/BlueMX  |  Saitek Eclipse II  |  IBM Model M 1391401  | Cherry G80-5000  |  Logitech diNovo Mini  |  Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000  |  Matias Quiet Pro PC  |  Dell TH836  |  NEC KB-6923  |  Fujitsu FKB4700  |  GearHead Mini USB  KB1700U (89 key) | Filco Majestouch-2 ninja/blues  |   Matias Mini Quiet Pro PC | Ducky Shine 4/Clear MX | E Element RGB Silver/Black Outemu |]

Offline SmallFry

  • ** Moderator Emeritus
  • Posts: 3887
  • Location: Wisconsin, USA
  • Leaving 6/15; returning 6/22 or so.
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #102 on: Sat, 09 March 2013, 12:40:55 »
Got my coffee from Binge today... be careful when opening the bubble mailers... I accidentally cut into the bag... :/ Either way, smells delicious, and I appreciate the keycaps Binge!

Offline Binge

  • Island of Sandy Beaches
  • * Maker
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 3269
  • Location: Binge Haüs
  • With Gentle Time. I Feel Very Nice.
    • Hunger Work Studio
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #103 on: Sat, 09 March 2013, 17:00:30 »
I really need to get my hands on an Aeropress. But I feel like I'm cheating on my French Press :p


i could send you our old french press to keep yours company while you indulge yourself with something that really gives you what you need.


HAIL BEAN



How is that aeropress purchase going for ya?

Got my coffee from Binge today... be careful when opening the bubble mailers... I accidentally cut into the bag... :/ Either way, smells delicious, and I appreciate the keycaps Binge!

Oh the humanity >.< poor vac bag
60% keyboards, 100% of the time.

"What the hell Jimmy?!  It was ruined before you even put it up there with your decrepit fingers."

Offline CPTBadAss

  • Woke up like this
  • Posts: 14363
    • Tactile Zine
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #104 on: Sat, 09 March 2013, 17:03:10 »
I really need to get my hands on an Aeropress. But I feel like I'm cheating on my French Press :p


i could send you our old french press to keep yours company while you indulge yourself with something that really gives you what you need.


HAIL BEAN



How is that aeropress purchase going for ya?


I meant to go looking for it IRL but working weekends and 12 hour days on the weekdays is getting in the way of my aeropress and BroBots flow.

Offline Binge

  • Island of Sandy Beaches
  • * Maker
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 3269
  • Location: Binge Haüs
  • With Gentle Time. I Feel Very Nice.
    • Hunger Work Studio
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange//French Press Adventures
« Reply #105 on: Sun, 10 March 2013, 00:37:31 »
I've been using an aeropress for over a year and before that I used the french press a great deal.

Tonight I wanted to take the ol press out again and make something satisfying.

Step 1: Measure out your beans and grind coarse.
15364-0
Step 2: Add Hot Water to your grounds enough to 'bloom' coffee
15366-1
Step 3: Add additional water at the end of bloom.
15368-2
Step 4: Agitate water/grounds solution for 10 seconds or so.  Allow mixture to settle.  Grounds will rise to the top.
15370-3
Step 5: Press slowly with nothing more than the weight of the arm.  Serve.
15372-4
60% keyboards, 100% of the time.

"What the hell Jimmy?!  It was ruined before you even put it up there with your decrepit fingers."

Offline tauburn

  • Posts: 447
  • Location: Philadelphia
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange//French Press Adventures
« Reply #106 on: Sun, 10 March 2013, 00:44:54 »
I've been using an aeropress for over a year and before that I used the french press a great deal.

Tonight I wanted to take the ol press out again and make something satisfying.

Step 1: Measure out your beans and grind coarse.
(Attachment Link)
Step 2: Add Hot Water to your grounds enough to 'bloom' coffee
(Attachment Link)
Step 3: Add additional water at the end of bloom.
(Attachment Link)
Step 4: Agitate water/grounds solution for 10 seconds or so.  Allow mixture to settle.  Grounds will rise to the top.
(Attachment Link)
Step 5: Press slowly with nothing more than the weight of the arm.  Serve.
(Attachment Link)

thats a pretty fine grind for a press. how long did you brew for?

Offline Binge

  • Island of Sandy Beaches
  • * Maker
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 3269
  • Location: Binge Haüs
  • With Gentle Time. I Feel Very Nice.
    • Hunger Work Studio
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #107 on: Sun, 10 March 2013, 00:47:21 »
At the most 5 minutes.  I've always done a coarse grind by hand grinder, and the coffee grounds almost looks like bean shavings.  You can tell the size of the majority of the grounds from the last few pictures.
« Last Edit: Sun, 10 March 2013, 01:03:10 by Binge »
60% keyboards, 100% of the time.

"What the hell Jimmy?!  It was ruined before you even put it up there with your decrepit fingers."

Offline CPTBadAss

  • Woke up like this
  • Posts: 14363
    • Tactile Zine
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #108 on: Sun, 10 March 2013, 12:23:54 »
Went with a coarser grind this time for the Binge House Blend. Tastes way better. Less bitter on the finish this time. A little fruity and a little dark/oily. Very light tasting in general though. Mmmm. Tastes a lot like the El Salvador blend I sent to Binge.

Mmmmmm, tasty.

Offline Excaliborg

  • Posts: 61
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #109 on: Sun, 10 March 2013, 14:34:04 »
I decided to make some cold brewed coffee today :). This is my first time using the Toddy instead of a french press for cold brew, so the final product should be cleaner than what I have made in the past.

Offline tauburn

  • Posts: 447
  • Location: Philadelphia
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #110 on: Sun, 10 March 2013, 20:35:26 »
At the most 5 minutes.  I've always done a coarse grind by hand grinder, and the coffee grounds almost looks like bean shavings.  You can tell the size of the majority of the grounds from the last few pictures.

i generally brew for 4 minutes timed. i grind very coarse.

a little finer than the left pile:


Offline SmallFry

  • ** Moderator Emeritus
  • Posts: 3887
  • Location: Wisconsin, USA
  • Leaving 6/15; returning 6/22 or so.
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #111 on: Sun, 10 March 2013, 23:02:19 »
I shall call it BingeBrew. And it was mighty fine. Thanks for the beans man! I brewed pretty coarse, like suggested via Binge and then brewed in my dripper after trying to bloom the grounds which didn't work well... gotta figure out a better way to do that. Anyways I brewed it, twas delishious, but then I had to go outside for a few hours. It got cold, but was surprisingly still very good. I shall be making more in the morning if I wake up in time. :)
« Last Edit: Sun, 10 March 2013, 23:09:40 by SmallFry »

Offline CPTBadAss

  • Woke up like this
  • Posts: 14363
    • Tactile Zine
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #112 on: Mon, 11 March 2013, 05:49:44 »
I shall call it BingeBrew. And it was mighty fine. Thanks for the beans man! I brewed pretty coarse, like suggested via Binge and then brewed in my dripper after trying to bloom the grounds which didn't work well... gotta figure out a better way to do that. Anyways I brewed it, twas delishious, but then I had to go outside for a few hours. It got cold, but was surprisingly still very good. I shall be making more in the morning if I wake up in time. :)

Nothing wrong with cold coffee. I used to make coffee the night before and bring it to work to drink cold. I really like it. And you need to invest in an aeropress/french press. They're relatively cheap :P

Offline Binge

  • Island of Sandy Beaches
  • * Maker
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 3269
  • Location: Binge Haüs
  • With Gentle Time. I Feel Very Nice.
    • Hunger Work Studio
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #113 on: Tue, 12 March 2013, 14:50:10 »
So is anyone sending out beans??
60% keyboards, 100% of the time.

"What the hell Jimmy?!  It was ruined before you even put it up there with your decrepit fingers."

Offline CPTBadAss

  • Woke up like this
  • Posts: 14363
    • Tactile Zine
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #114 on: Tue, 12 March 2013, 14:52:55 »
So is anyone sending out beans??

No one's given me addresses and I haven't had a chance to buy any yet.

Offline mashby

  • ** Moderator Emeritus
  • Posts: 2828
  • Location: Nashville, TN
  • What Up Shoney? (ツ)_/¯
    • Mashby
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #115 on: Tue, 12 March 2013, 15:55:02 »
So is anyone sending out beans??

I have some beans coming your way this week. If I can get out of the office this afternoon, I'll get them in the mail today.


Offline Binge

  • Island of Sandy Beaches
  • * Maker
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 3269
  • Location: Binge Haüs
  • With Gentle Time. I Feel Very Nice.
    • Hunger Work Studio
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #116 on: Thu, 14 March 2013, 10:41:06 »
So is anyone sending out beans??

I have some beans coming your way this week. If I can get out of the office this afternoon, I'll get them in the mail today.



Fantastic!  This rough week can only end well I guess?

::EDIT:: Holy crap this thing looks awesome!



Manufacturer Website (It's not veniacoffee.com)
« Last Edit: Thu, 14 March 2013, 17:58:26 by Binge »
60% keyboards, 100% of the time.

"What the hell Jimmy?!  It was ruined before you even put it up there with your decrepit fingers."

Offline mashby

  • ** Moderator Emeritus
  • Posts: 2828
  • Location: Nashville, TN
  • What Up Shoney? (ツ)_/¯
    • Mashby
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #117 on: Sat, 16 March 2013, 16:17:52 »
OK, I finally made it to the post office this afternoon! Sorry for the week-long delay.

The following people should be receiving 75g/2.66oz coffee samples next week:
   - Binge
   - CPTBadAss
   - OrangeJewce

The Coffee
The beans are sourced from a distributor out of Austin, TX who purchases the beans directly from the farm. The green beans are then shipped here to Nashville where Crema Coffee performs the roasting with a Diedrich IR12.

The Roast
   Name: "El Salvador"
   Origin: Apaneca-Ilamatepec
   Farm: Finca Las Delicias
   Tasting Notes:
      - 75% Dark Chocolate
      - Naval Orange
      - Demerara Sugar

My Two Cents
The first thing you'll no doubt note is that the beans are roasted to a much lighter color than what you'll typically find. This is because the coffee is roasted to flavor, not to color. I'm certainly no expert, but from what the crew at Crema has explained to me, they test and experiment with each bean until they find the roast that best brings out the most flavor. This means that the beans are not over-extracted and bitter, which is what you'll find with "oily" beans.

I'll admit that it took a little getting used to the Crema blends. I was used to a much stronger and more bitter style of roast, but I was also an early adopter (shocker) and they were still dialing in their roasting methods. Now that I've grown accustomed to the lighter, cleaner taste, I'm hooked and "El Salvador" is my favorite coffee from Crema.

Feel free to try the coffee any which way you like. My favorite brew method for home is using a Chemex. This is a corse grind, but not as corse as French Press and I use a 16-to-1 ratio. In other words, 50g of coffee, yields 800g of coffee. Each sample pack includes 75g of coffee.

Photos
Below are two photos from the packaging of the bag
   - Photo 1
   - Photo 2

I hope you guys enjoy the samples!

Offline CPTBadAss

  • Woke up like this
  • Posts: 14363
    • Tactile Zine
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #118 on: Sat, 16 March 2013, 16:33:12 »
Oooo, an unexpected surprise! Thanks Mashby!!

Offline mashby

  • ** Moderator Emeritus
  • Posts: 2828
  • Location: Nashville, TN
  • What Up Shoney? (ツ)_/¯
    • Mashby
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #119 on: Sun, 17 March 2013, 11:42:03 »
Binge's House Blend

I received Binge's House Blend beans approximately 8 days ago. I say this only to point out that I did not brew the beans as quickly as I should have. I don't think waiting a week made the beans go stale, but they are not as fresh as they were when I first received them. Thankfully, Binge put them in a vacuum sealed bag, so I think there was a good bit of leeway in taking a week to sample them. Thank you Binge!

Typically, I make coffee in a Chemex, so to keep everything as consistent as possible to what I'm used to, I brewed Binge's beans in the same manner -- same grind, same tools, etc.

The Brew
There wasn't much of a bloom with my first pour. I blame this more on my delay in brewing, than with the beans themselves. I also found the brew to be a bid muddy which tells me I should have followed Binge's advice and gone a little coarser with my grind. Given the brew time, I was in the ballpark so I don't think any large adjustment was required.

Aroma
Smokey, which I like a lot, and carmelized sugar.

Taste
Very earthy overall. I tasted a good bit of dark chocolate and Guinness with hints of clove and star anise. If this were a beer, I'd call it a stout.

Conclusion
I enjoyed these beans very much. It's a very hearty blend for people who enjoy a really good, dark, strong cup of coffee. It was a departure from what I've grown accustomed to these days, but they definitely took me back to the days when this was my norm. It was a delicious trip down memory lane.

Should I receive any samples in the future, I'll break up the batch into two brews so that I can overcome any difference I run into with the first brew.

Thank you Binge for kicking this Coffee Exchange off and for including me with your first samples. It was a lot of fun and I look forward to doing this again soon. Also, thank you for including the two key caps, that was definitely unexpected!


Offline Binge

  • Island of Sandy Beaches
  • * Maker
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 3269
  • Location: Binge Haüs
  • With Gentle Time. I Feel Very Nice.
    • Hunger Work Studio
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #120 on: Tue, 19 March 2013, 15:10:05 »
Really happy my coffee survived so long, but you'll have to get some more considering it wasn't in choice condition.

Looking forward to receiving any samples this week.  My new machine arrived, and through a lot of testing I've gotten the temperature, water, grind, and dosage set.

I'll be testing these settings with each bean I receive.

You can see the results in my potato pics,

16228-0
16230-1
60% keyboards, 100% of the time.

"What the hell Jimmy?!  It was ruined before you even put it up there with your decrepit fingers."

Offline tauburn

  • Posts: 447
  • Location: Philadelphia
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #121 on: Tue, 19 March 2013, 15:17:56 »
i wish i had a machine for that

Offline Binge

  • Island of Sandy Beaches
  • * Maker
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 3269
  • Location: Binge Haüs
  • With Gentle Time. I Feel Very Nice.
    • Hunger Work Studio
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #122 on: Wed, 20 March 2013, 20:33:30 »
Brew Review:  Mashby's Beans

Today I came home to a pleasant return to this exchange.  Mashby sent me some of his local roaster's light roast beans.  Came with a sweet little care package.  Can't thank M. enough for passing me these sweet sweet keys.

16366-016364-1

The Brew Tools: Aeropress + Kaffeology Metal filter

16368-2

Grind:  More coarse side of medium grind.

16370-3

Brew Time: 133 seconds including bloom.

16372-4

Observations!

These beans are not the oily type.  They have a bright color palette ranging from sand to milk chocolate.

Bean Aroma:  Smell of vanilla and banana.

Ground Aroma: Bright seasonal spices, citrus, and birch.

Brew Aroma: Vanilla and oddly a cigar (ACID BLONDIE) that's been sitting in the sun.

Tasting Notes: I taste a citrus brightness and I am again reminded of an unlit ACID BLONDIE cigar.  The liquid is smooth, without the slightest harshness, and finishes lightly with vanilla.

Other thoughts:  I am going to try this through my espresso machine even though this created a really pleasant bright cup of coffee.  In fact it was THE BRIGHTEST of cups I've ever had.  The unique acidity and subtle albeit high caffeine content make this brew open my eyes to start and then keep them open after the cup is gone.  I didn't think I'd get so wired, but I guess that's the deceptive nature of a light roast!

« Last Edit: Wed, 20 March 2013, 21:01:03 by Binge »
60% keyboards, 100% of the time.

"What the hell Jimmy?!  It was ruined before you even put it up there with your decrepit fingers."

Offline mashby

  • ** Moderator Emeritus
  • Posts: 2828
  • Location: Nashville, TN
  • What Up Shoney? (ツ)_/¯
    • Mashby
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #123 on: Wed, 20 March 2013, 21:24:57 »
Brew Review:  Mashby's Beans

Today I came home to a pleasant return to this exchange.  Mashby sent me some of his local roaster's light roast beans.  Came with a sweet little care package.  Can't thank M. enough for passing me these sweet sweet keys.

(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)

The Brew Tools: Aeropress + Kaffeology Metal filter

(Attachment Link)

Grind:  More coarse side of medium grind.

(Attachment Link)

Brew Time: 133 seconds including bloom.

(Attachment Link)

Observations!

These beans are not the oily type.  They have a bright color palette ranging from sand to milk chocolate.

Bean Aroma:  Smell of vanilla and banana.

Ground Aroma: Bright seasonal spices, citrus, and birch.

Brew Aroma: Vanilla and oddly a cigar (ACID BLONDIE) that's been sitting in the sun.

Tasting Notes: I taste a citrus brightness and I am again reminded of an unlit ACID BLONDIE cigar.  The liquid is smooth, without the slightest harshness, and finishes lightly with vanilla.

Other thoughts:  I am going to try this through my espresso machine even though this created a really pleasant bright cup of coffee.  In fact it was THE BRIGHTEST of cups I've ever had.  The unique acidity and subtle albeit high caffeine content make this brew open my eyes to start and then keep them open after the cup is gone.  I didn't think I'd get so wired, but I guess that's the deceptive nature of a light roast!

A photo review! How awesome!  :eek:

I'm glad everything arrived safe and sound and I hope you had fun with it.

Now I'm going to have to go try an Acid Blonde to see if I taste those same flavors. Great descriptions. Thank you.

Offline CPTBadAss

  • Woke up like this
  • Posts: 14363
    • Tactile Zine
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #124 on: Wed, 20 March 2013, 21:29:11 »
Mashby, I'm super excited about the beans and the cap you sent me. I'll post my thoughts when I get a chance to make some coffee.

Offline Binge

  • Island of Sandy Beaches
  • * Maker
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 3269
  • Location: Binge Haüs
  • With Gentle Time. I Feel Very Nice.
    • Hunger Work Studio
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #125 on: Fri, 22 March 2013, 11:17:55 »
Fellas I've got three new places I'd like to try and source from PA.  Two are closer to my hometown, and the other one is more local to my current location.

Philadelphia - http://greenstreetcoffee.com/

Reading - http://www.readingcoffee.com/

Greencastle - http://greencastlecoffee.com/

Anyone who wants to be included in the next run please let me know your thoughts.  I can only do one at a time, so if anyone has a good feeling about one of these places or my original roaster I'd consider your comments in my decision making :)
60% keyboards, 100% of the time.

"What the hell Jimmy?!  It was ruined before you even put it up there with your decrepit fingers."

Offline tauburn

  • Posts: 447
  • Location: Philadelphia
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #126 on: Fri, 22 March 2013, 11:57:19 »
Fellas I've got three new places I'd like to try and source from PA.  Two are closer to my hometown, and the other one is more local to my current location.

Philadelphia - http://greenstreetcoffee.com/

Reading - http://www.readingcoffee.com/

Greencastle - http://greencastlecoffee.com/

Anyone who wants to be included in the next run please let me know your thoughts.  I can only do one at a time, so if anyone has a good feeling about one of these places or my original roaster I'd consider your comments in my decision making :)

i'm planning on going to both the philly and reading ones soon. theres also a roaster in newtown square called Burlap and Bean if you havent heard of it.

Offline Binge

  • Island of Sandy Beaches
  • * Maker
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 3269
  • Location: Binge Haüs
  • With Gentle Time. I Feel Very Nice.
    • Hunger Work Studio
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #127 on: Fri, 22 March 2013, 12:40:20 »
Fellas I've got three new places I'd like to try and source from PA.  Two are closer to my hometown, and the other one is more local to my current location.

Philadelphia - http://greenstreetcoffee.com/

Reading - http://www.readingcoffee.com/

Greencastle - http://greencastlecoffee.com/

Anyone who wants to be included in the next run please let me know your thoughts.  I can only do one at a time, so if anyone has a good feeling about one of these places or my original roaster I'd consider your comments in my decision making :)

i'm planning on going to both the philly and reading ones soon. theres also a roaster in newtown square called Burlap and Bean if you havent heard of it.

I know Burlap and Bean very well.  My fiance used to play there relatively often during their open mic.  Never knew they roasted... heh they were always quite expensive.

There's a band that played there Vilebred who's singer did a radiohead-like performance accompanied by bongos and acoustic guitars xD
60% keyboards, 100% of the time.

"What the hell Jimmy?!  It was ruined before you even put it up there with your decrepit fingers."

Offline Binge

  • Island of Sandy Beaches
  • * Maker
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 3269
  • Location: Binge Haüs
  • With Gentle Time. I Feel Very Nice.
    • Hunger Work Studio
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #128 on: Fri, 22 March 2013, 20:33:18 »
Mooooooooove over previous post!  We've got some more coffee treats for the exchange.

Today I took my lunch break to pay a visit to the local Abednego roaster which is where I've sourced a number of samples for exchange members.

The trip yielded a nice single origin Ethiopian roast which I picked up with my tax return money. (Pleasant surprise Federales, pleasant surprise.)

16608-0

Brew Review: Ethiopian Abednego Roasted

This dark roast is a single origin fair trade piece of work.  The roast meter on the bag shows as darker, so for Abednego I was worried this might mean burnt beyond belief.

I ground the beans and they broke apart really easily.  This sort of set my over-roasted senses on high alert.  A lot of times a bean that breaks apart too easily is too close to straight charcoal.

16610-1

I know from experience that Abednego's methods tend to make a darker bean, and one thing I liked was that the color was consistant throughout and none of it was black.  The even toned bean smelled very similar in the bag and ground.

The aroma is purely floral.  Very earthy in that regard but very very much like sitting in the woods while in hot bloom.

16612-2

Brew method was exactly the same as I had with Mashby's beans.  Kaffeology aeropress filter, medium grind, 7 grams of coffee, bloomed, with 197 deg water added until the foam reached the lip of the aeropress.  Stirred for 10 seconds and a slow even press.

The smell reveals everything this coffee has to offer.  It's clean, buttery smooth, dark, and floral during and after.  This is like the oolong of coffees with it's one distinct flavor which relaxes while it caffeinates.  This is definitely an evening cup.

My final thoughts are really just that I want to kick back and relax.  Drinking it is as effortless as how I feel this evening is going to turn out.  A nice way to start the weekend.
60% keyboards, 100% of the time.

"What the hell Jimmy?!  It was ruined before you even put it up there with your decrepit fingers."

Offline jwaz

  • * based mod
  • Posts: 2069
  • #geekhack on freenode
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #129 on: Fri, 22 March 2013, 23:16:33 »
Picked up some of the good stuff from Ritual today while I was wandering around the city.




edit: that last one is best viewed by thumbnail  ::)

Offline Binge

  • Island of Sandy Beaches
  • * Maker
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 3269
  • Location: Binge Haüs
  • With Gentle Time. I Feel Very Nice.
    • Hunger Work Studio
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #130 on: Sun, 24 March 2013, 22:38:34 »
Today my fiance and I took a trip to our 2nd closest local roaster in Greencastle.  The trip yielded a bunch of roasts I will be trying this week.  I was worried because this roaster does roast nuts in house as well, but they've assured no ill will come from their brews.  Earlier this afternoon when it came to making a couple cups I would say it went smoothly.  Our first test was of their Espresso Blend.  My fiance picked it out curiosity and because she wanted to remind me of our recent purchase.

16799-0

Brew Review: Greencastle Roaster's Espresso Blend
16801-1

The roaster explained to my fiance that she would not explain what is in the mix.  It's simply a blend of African and Asian beans.

It smells of chocolate icing and baked macadamia nut.

Far less oil visible on the medium roasted beans, and that makes this almost stark contrast of the Ethiopian roast from Abednego.

The result from my superautomatic was nothing short of delicious.

16803-2

My fiance even made a cup..

16805-3


The brew has hints of nut but its prime characteristic is clean and bold coffee flavor that just holds on leading to the next sip.

I'm going to be buying more of this... but I have 4 more coffees to try out!  Busy week :)


60% keyboards, 100% of the time.

"What the hell Jimmy?!  It was ruined before you even put it up there with your decrepit fingers."

Offline CPTBadAss

  • Woke up like this
  • Posts: 14363
    • Tactile Zine
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #131 on: Mon, 25 March 2013, 12:15:11 »
Just made some of Mashby's beans. I'm borrowing Binge's pic just to show what they look like. And thank you Mashby for giving me a black on yellow GeekHack cap :D



The taste is super light. It's almost all acid and no "coffee" taste. It's very interesting. Almost like half the taste of a normal cup of coffee was lost. But it's really not bad. I mostly taste acid, floral notes like tea, and a bit of citrus.

Offline Binge

  • Island of Sandy Beaches
  • * Maker
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 3269
  • Location: Binge Haüs
  • With Gentle Time. I Feel Very Nice.
    • Hunger Work Studio
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #132 on: Wed, 27 March 2013, 18:23:41 »
Made some cups of Tanzania Peaberry and Vietnamese beans recently...  Tanzania Peaberry is not my favorite.  Really nothing great about it except the caffeine content.  It is peaberry after-all.

The Vietnamese on the other hand is a candidate for the next run of exchange!  Beautiful coffee that reacts to all kinds of brew methods.  The coffee is different when made into espresso, is different when a drip, is different when cold brewed, and that my friends is alright!

17028-0
« Last Edit: Wed, 27 March 2013, 19:17:36 by Binge »
60% keyboards, 100% of the time.

"What the hell Jimmy?!  It was ruined before you even put it up there with your decrepit fingers."

Offline CPTBadAss

  • Woke up like this
  • Posts: 14363
    • Tactile Zine
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #133 on: Wed, 27 March 2013, 18:49:21 »
You. Have. Vietnamese beans???? I NEED IT

Offline SmallFry

  • ** Moderator Emeritus
  • Posts: 3887
  • Location: Wisconsin, USA
  • Leaving 6/15; returning 6/22 or so.
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #134 on: Sat, 30 March 2013, 02:21:59 »
We've been upgraded to Other Geeky Stuff! Horray! On another note, how fresh can those beans be if they're from Asia, or is from time of roasting to time of brewing that makes coffee go bad?

Offline Binge

  • Island of Sandy Beaches
  • * Maker
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 3269
  • Location: Binge Haüs
  • With Gentle Time. I Feel Very Nice.
    • Hunger Work Studio
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #135 on: Sat, 30 March 2013, 03:08:39 »
We've been upgraded to Other Geeky Stuff! Horray! On another note, how fresh can those beans be if they're from Asia, or is from time of roasting to time of brewing that makes coffee go bad?

Beans are usually green until roasted locally.  A whole bean can go about two full weeks before starting to go stale, but it is usually best within the first 72 hours after roasting.  Really depends on the roast and the bean.
60% keyboards, 100% of the time.

"What the hell Jimmy?!  It was ruined before you even put it up there with your decrepit fingers."

Offline Binge

  • Island of Sandy Beaches
  • * Maker
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 3269
  • Location: Binge Haüs
  • With Gentle Time. I Feel Very Nice.
    • Hunger Work Studio
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #136 on: Fri, 05 April 2013, 20:12:36 »
Just got some of CPT's ethiopian Amaro Gayo and I've got to say  :eek:

THIS IS AMAZING!!!! sip sip sip sip sip sip DONE

Delicious-  tastes of fruit and chocolate and nothing about it is burnt!  Much like my costa rican but with much more fruity notes.  A complex medium roast.  Very enjoyable
60% keyboards, 100% of the time.

"What the hell Jimmy?!  It was ruined before you even put it up there with your decrepit fingers."

Offline CPTBadAss

  • Woke up like this
  • Posts: 14363
    • Tactile Zine
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #137 on: Fri, 05 April 2013, 20:19:04 »
Hehehe. I love that Ethiopian too Binge. Definitely my new go-to when I'm not drinking mail coffee :D

I made some of Jwaz's Giant Steps coffee from Blue Bottle roasters. Reminded me of mashby's coffee. Very acidic with a lot of roasty notes. Plus it smells AMAZING.

Offline GordonZed

  • Posts: 75
  • Location: Toronto, ON
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #138 on: Sat, 06 April 2013, 11:41:20 »
Damn, I'd love to get in on this. Anyone know who has some good beans in the Toronto / Mississauga area? Right now I have a french press, a run of the mill drip machine, and a series of Mokka pots (Italian parents).

As soon as I find gainful employment again, I'm buying a set of gaskets for my late-50's era Faema Faemina, and a Kyocera ceramic mill. I can justify buying a $300+ electric grinder to myself, but I can't really convince my girlfriend of its value, so Kyocera it is. :P
Filco Majestouch Ninja TKL (MX blue)

Offline CPTBadAss

  • Woke up like this
  • Posts: 14363
    • Tactile Zine
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #139 on: Sun, 07 April 2013, 12:09:07 »
Gordon, the roaster I go to is the Coffee Emporium in Cincinnati. I found em through Yelp. You might be able to do the same and have just as good luck as I did :D

Offline GordonZed

  • Posts: 75
  • Location: Toronto, ON
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #140 on: Sun, 07 April 2013, 19:50:32 »
Yeah I do the Yelp thing, but these days, with non coffee snob types clambering to speciality coffee shops, I find you really can't trust internet reviews of local places. Just as I can't trust that a person reviewing a DSLR camera on Amazon isn't reviewing their first DSLR camera, I just don't know the tastes or background of someone reviewing a local coffee joint, or if they even know what micro foam is.

I know I sound like a jaded hipster, but I just take my coffee seriously and am jaded about hipsters. :P

I just like that on a forum that I can see a discussion about it, know what setup a person has, and have some idea what frame of reference that recommendation is coming from, or if someone is recommending a good roast, if they've tried it in a french press.

Nothing against people trying new things, and by all means if you've made the switch from Tim Horton's or Dunkin Donuts to real coffee, more power to you, and I wish you all the best on your coffee journey, but I'm not sure I want you making recommendations just yet.

Okay, I'm rambling and making enemies; I'm done.
Filco Majestouch Ninja TKL (MX blue)

Offline CPTBadAss

  • Woke up like this
  • Posts: 14363
    • Tactile Zine
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #141 on: Sun, 07 April 2013, 20:10:45 »
Sorry I made a suggestion. I'll just sip my Ethiopian and Costa Rican over here quietly. Bully

Offline jwaz

  • * based mod
  • Posts: 2069
  • #geekhack on freenode
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #142 on: Sun, 07 April 2013, 20:13:32 »
Jaded Hipsters... Catch 22?

Offline samwisekoi

  • MAWG since 1997
  • * Administrator
  • Posts: 2480
  • Location: Mt. View, California
  • Sorry, moving houses. Be back ASAP.
    • Tweet samwisekoi
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #143 on: Sun, 07 April 2013, 20:16:59 »
Hehehe. I love that Ethiopian too Binge. Definitely my new go-to when I'm not drinking mail coffee :D

I made some of Jwaz's Giant Steps coffee from Blue Bottle roasters. Reminded me of mashby's coffee. Very acidic with a lot of roasty notes. Plus it smells AMAZING.

I am doing mostly Ethiopian these days, switching up with Monsoon Malabar.  Had some Kenya AA light roast that made incredible crema, but too much citrus for my taste.

How is this exchange supposed to work?  I suppose after Retro DSA I already have mailing addresses.

 - Ron I samwisekoi
I like keyboards and case modding.  Everything about a computer should be silent -- except the KEYBOARD!

'85 IBM F-122/Soarer Keyboard |  Leopold FC200 TKL (Browns) + GH36 Keypad (Browns/Greens) | GH-122 (Whites/Greens) with Nuclear Data Green keycaps in a Unicomp case

Offline CPTBadAss

  • Woke up like this
  • Posts: 14363
    • Tactile Zine
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #144 on: Sun, 07 April 2013, 20:32:32 »
Give Binge your address or PM some kids with your address, I think. If you PM me your address, I'll send you some of the Ethiopian I sent Binge :D

Offline GordonZed

  • Posts: 75
  • Location: Toronto, ON
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #145 on: Sun, 07 April 2013, 21:22:36 »
lol I appreciate the suggestion, and none of that was really toward you. I just replied expecting it to be about a sentence, and then it turned into a tangent directed at no one in particular, as my posts often do.

I'm not a bully :( at least not on purpose
Filco Majestouch Ninja TKL (MX blue)

Offline CPTBadAss

  • Woke up like this
  • Posts: 14363
    • Tactile Zine
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #146 on: Sun, 07 April 2013, 21:34:06 »
Ah, I'm tired and took it the wrong way. Sorry!

Offline deepthawt

  • Posts: 97
  • Location: Wisconsin, USA
  • ︻̷̿┻̿═━一
    • my programming hobby site, interactive jigsaws, photos &c
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #147 on: Sun, 07 April 2013, 22:03:13 »
Favorite national brands..
Carte Noir from France.
Jacobs Kronung from Germany
Jacobs Meister Rostung also from Germany
Illy espresso from Italy.

I'm wary of mycotoxins and green coffee,
I appreciate the quality controls of the German products.
Always vacuum sealed. Currently I buy my coffee through Amazon Prime.
More
[| Ducky Shine II 9087 Yellow LED/BlueMX  |  Saitek Eclipse II  |  IBM Model M 1391401  | Cherry G80-5000  |  Logitech diNovo Mini  |  Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000  |  Matias Quiet Pro PC  |  Dell TH836  |  NEC KB-6923  |  Fujitsu FKB4700  |  GearHead Mini USB  KB1700U (89 key) | Filco Majestouch-2 ninja/blues  |   Matias Mini Quiet Pro PC | Ducky Shine 4/Clear MX | E Element RGB Silver/Black Outemu |]

Offline tauburn

  • Posts: 447
  • Location: Philadelphia
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #148 on: Sun, 07 April 2013, 23:26:35 »
I've really only been drinking Stumptown, Counter Culture and Intelligentsia. I just buy whichever has the most recent roast date.

Offline Binge

  • Island of Sandy Beaches
  • * Maker
  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 3269
  • Location: Binge Haüs
  • With Gentle Time. I Feel Very Nice.
    • Hunger Work Studio
Re: The Great Geekhack Coffee Exchange
« Reply #149 on: Mon, 08 April 2013, 12:01:02 »
To answer the question at hand and report massive success~

Q.  How do I sign up for the coffee exchange?
A.  Simple!  You can choose to sign up or to just hop in on it.  We discuss our experiences here in this thread, but most arrangements are done over PM.  CPTBadAss and I started by exchanging information and sending coffee.  We do NOT post personal information here in this thread.  There is a sign-in sheet in the OP, but you don't have to sign it.  It lets people know that you can be contacted for an exchange over PM.  So put yourself out there, ask other GHers you trust in your country or abroad to swap beans, and love every second of your beans :)

Thank you JWAZ-  There will be a review of this soon.

60% keyboards, 100% of the time.

"What the hell Jimmy?!  It was ruined before you even put it up there with your decrepit fingers."