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Coffee - do you and how do you consume it?

dfuller

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I think it lost some flavor potency. It doesn't have the flavor that I remember from this specific bean.
Yeah, a lot of the good stuff is pretty volatile - it offgasses pretty hard.
 

Doodski

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I'll get a proper container for storage and maybe buy the smaller vacuum sealed bags so I don't have a kilogram of the stuff sitting around opened and loosing it's good stuff.
 

Doodski

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Alrighty. Two one pint beer mugs full of strong coffee and I'm awake! Ready for some commentary at ASR. Now where is everybody? :D
 

Witterings

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Last I checked, Spanish coffee culture is fairly Italian influenced, so you'll see a fair amount of strong, small coffees (either moka pot or espresso).

Cafe Solo (black coffee, an espresso essentially), Cortado (roughly equal parts steamed milk and coffee), or Cafe con Leche (moral equivalent of a flat white or cappuccino) are the most common, though there is also the Leche Manchado, more like a latte. There's also the "Spanish Latte", which is made with sweetened condensed milk.

The Spanish also tend to like very dark roasted coffee from what I gather, rather like the southern Italians.

Brilliant and cheers for that, it's given me a direction to do some research!
 

Soniclife

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I'll get a proper container for storage and maybe buy the smaller vacuum sealed bags so I don't have a kilogram of the stuff sitting around opened and loosing it's good stuff.
For long term storage it's best to freeze, 3 months is nothing for a decent freezer, the freezer should almost completely stop the aging process. Use an air tight container, or bag, unopened coffee bags with tape over the one way valve is perfectly fine.
 

Doodski

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For long term storage it's best to freeze, 3 months is nothing for a decent freezer, the freezer should almost completely stop the aging process. Use an air tight container, or bag, unopened coffee bags with tape over the one way valve is perfectly fine.
O' cool. I googled freezing coffee and the old urban myth of freezing it is bad does apply in circumstances where it is not in a suitable container but if using a proper container it is the best method of longer term storage. :D
 

ryanosaur

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For long term storage it's best to freeze, 3 months is nothing for a decent freezer, the freezer should almost completely stop the aging process. Use an air tight container, or bag, unopened coffee bags with tape over the one way valve is perfectly fine.
The only possible way this can work is if you have a TRULY airtight container and method for storage. In general, it is actually not recommended to put whole beans in the fridge or freezer for storage.
Any moisture penetration will degrade the bean. You also have the impact of picking up other aromas from the freezer.

Simply... the best thing is to buy smaller quantities and store them in a cool, dry and dark location. You should still have an airtight container, and preferably a means to allow the CO2 to escape.

While not ideal, storing countertop for 2 mos is not a big deal if done properly.
Freezing, on the other hand, is exceptionally finicky.

By smaller quantities. Store properly. End of story.

;)
 

Doodski

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The only possible way this can work is if you have a TRULY airtight container and method for storage. In general, it is actually not recommended to put whole beans in the fridge or freezer for storage.
Any moisture penetration will degrade the bean. You also have the impact of picking up other aromas from the freezer.

Simply... the best thing is to buy smaller quantities and store them in a cool, dry and dark location. You should still have an airtight container, and preferably a means to allow the CO2 to escape.

While not ideal, storing countertop for 2 mos is not a big deal if done properly.
Freezing, on the other hand, is exceptionally finicky.

By smaller quantities. Store properly. End of story.

;)
The google search result stated that the freezer containers should be in small quantity so that the use case is via each container one at a time so as not to expose the bean and disturb it from it's sealed containers. That sounds like a lot of finicky stuff to do. :D
 

ryanosaur

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The google search result stated that the freezer containers should be in small quantity so that the use case is via each container one at a time so as not to expose the bean and disturb it from it's sealed containers. That sounds like a lot of finicky stuff to do. :D
All I will say is that Freezers can add moisture as well as dehydrate. I don't know a single home refrigerator with freezer that functions well enough to properly store food for any length of time. Hell, in restaurants, I personally threw away tons of food to spoilage caused by commercial freezers.
I don't even keep a bag of ice more than a week at home.
Freezers are not time capsules and shouldn't be treated as such. ;)
 

Doodski

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Hell, in restaurants, I personally threw away tons of food to spoilage caused by commercial freezers.
When young I worked for a Chinese chef in his restaurant he used heavy metal foil wrap for the expensive steaks in the freezer. They came out in fantastic condition. So I am thinking that a metal container is the best for sealing in the freshness and keeping the bean in tip top taste.
I don't even keep a bag of ice more than a week at home.
Yes, I agree. I make martinis stirred in ice and the ice imparts flavor if older than a few days. Same for my wine spritzers that I make.
 

dfuller

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Coffee keeps fine in the freezer, if in airtight containers. Taping over the 1-way valve on a sealed bag works fine.
 

Doodski

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Whew! I drank 32 fluid ounces of strong coffee at ~3:30pm and now at ~12:30pm I'm coming down from a caffeine overdose. 9 hours later. At one point I thought I was going to hurl, my throat felt constricted, clenching jaw and I generally felt gross. Must respect the bean! My tolerance is way down because I have not had coffee for months due to drinking seasonally appropriate cold beverages. :D
 

Soniclife

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The only possible way this can work is if you have a TRULY airtight container and method for storage. In general, it is actually not recommended to put whole beans in the fridge or freezer for storage.
Any moisture penetration will degrade the bean. You also have the impact of picking up other aromas from the freezer.

Simply... the best thing is to buy smaller quantities and store them in a cool, dry and dark location. You should still have an airtight container, and preferably a means to allow the CO2 to escape.

While not ideal, storing countertop for 2 mos is not a big deal if done properly.
Freezing, on the other hand, is exceptionally finicky.

By smaller quantities. Store properly. End of story.

;)
This is out of date FUD, there has been blind taste tests using domestic freezers that prove freezing is very good. Almost everyone I know who buys fancy coffee regularly freezes it, I've done it for years, it works.
 

ryanosaur

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This is out of date FUD, there has been blind taste tests using domestic freezers that prove freezing is very good. Almost everyone I know who buys fancy coffee regularly freezes it, I've done it for years, it works.
What you label as Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt is considered Best Practice among my peers.
We will disagree then, and I’m ok with that. You do you and I’ll stick to my path. Cool?
 

Soniclife

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What you label as Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt is considered Best Practice among my peers.
And almost every hifi salesman will tell you expensive cables are essential. Where is the proof that it alters the taste, that this industry belief is built on, if it does affect the coffee it should be easy to prove.

We will disagree then, and I’m ok with that. You do you and I’ll stick to my path. Cool?
No problem with you doing what you want, but when giving advice to others, especially on this forum, tested supportable positions are what i want. An example of a controlled test for this is in the link below.

 

mansr

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I get freshly roasted beans every two weeks, thus avoiding any storage issues.
 

ryanosaur

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And almost every hifi salesman will tell you expensive cables are essential. Where is the proof that it alters the taste, that this industry belief is built on, if it does affect the coffee it should be easy to prove.


No problem with you doing what you want, but when giving advice to others, especially on this forum, tested supportable positions are what i want. An example of a controlled test for this is in the link below.

You are just being belligerent now. A false equivalency argument about cable charlatans tossed in is cute. ;)
What I say is best practice and whom I refer to as my peers are trained professional chefs and Baristas. I’ve been an industry professional for over 30 years.
I have not, I freely admit, compared frozen beans to fresh. I don’t need, or care, to. And you know as well as I that you can pretty much find anything online to support an argument.
So maybe it matters and maybe it doesn’t.
What I find when looking online also follows my advice and that is to not freeze beans unless you do so in proper containers, and take measures to prevent them from taking on moisture (which can come from the condensation that will occur when you open the can after removing it from the freezer).
As I said above, yes you can but it is still finicky.

Rather, I buy what I need and can use inside of a few weeks.
Or, you know, what some may call a best practice.

Cheers!
 

-Matt-

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A question for the pros... (I'm new to this, just got a Sage Barista Express).

I'm finding that the puck of ground coffee is sometimes getting stuck on the shower head when I remove the portafilter; only to drop down a few seconds later and make a ruddy mess. So far it hasn't dropped into my cup but it is only a matter of time. What am I doing wrong?
 

Soniclife

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A question for the pros... (I'm new to this, just got a Sage Barista Express).

I'm finding that the puck of ground coffee is sometimes getting stuck on the shower head when I remove the portafilter; only to drop down a few seconds later and make a ruddy mess. So far it hasn't dropped into my cup but it is only a matter of time. What am I doing wrong?
Use less coffee, the puck should not touch the shower screen. Try doing puck prep, lock the PF in place then remove it, look for signs it touched the screen before you brew it. The puck will expand when it get's wet, so you need some clearance even when dry.
 

-Matt-

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Hmm, my machine came with a thing called "the razor" which is supposedly to trim the puck down to the correct level. After tamping, the level of the coffee is always well below the reach of the razor.

You are probably right that it is too much coffee and that it expands during infusion.

The combination of the two points above must mean that I'm tamping with too much force. The infusion pressure does get pretty high to be fair.

So, I'll try a bit less coffee, maybe a slightly finer grind and lower tamping force.

Lots of parameters to tweak - I can see the parallel with hifi!
 
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