Coffee - do you and how do you consume it?

[pseudoid]

Speaking of tasteS and flavors:
When picking your coffee at the market, it is recommended to carefully read the exact words which describe the taste of what is in the package.
I learned to first look at the coffee beans themselves. I don't know why it is but some beans look awful dry w/o any surface oils. I find that these types dry beans require a very different grind and preparation.
Next, I try to sniff the package [please don't call me a dirty old man] and if I get a tinge of a sour smell, I move on.
However, the words posted in the description are significant... they sound like jargon and some do not taste as described. Yet, I understand that there is a status quo as to the words used to describe the bevy of tastes (241?) that can be detected. These words become your only clue when trying to make a purchasing decision. These words may be more important than region grown.

Pilfered from this link!

 

[tmtomh]

I am not certain what your usage of the word "strong" really means.
Strong as in more than usual amounts of tasteS or strong as in more than the usual amount of caffeine?
There are myths regarding the caffeine-content based on the type of roast (dark/medium/light/blonde, maybe even 'brunette').
The following extract (w/embedded link) may be relevant:

"Let me explain with a little experiment.
I took exactly ten grams of both a light and dark roast.
Counting the beans of each, I had sixty-five light roast beans and sixty-seven dark roast beans. Only a two bean difference, big deal, right? Well, actually yes, because if there is a two bean variance with just ten grams how many beans separate a pound of light and dark?
There is an estimated ninety bean difference between a pound of dark and light roast coffee, with the dark roast winning the count. (Don’t worry I didn’t count an entire pound to figure that out).
So, what does this mean? You should only buy dark roasts because you get more beans for your buck?
No, because volume is not everything. During the roasting process, a bean loses its mass. The density of the bean changes; beans that are roasted longer are less dense. That’s why you have more beans by mass of dark roasts. When coffee is roasted the beans lose roughly 90% of their water content.
So, how does this change a pot of coffee?
If you measure your coffee by scoops, light roasted coffee will have more caffeine. Since the beans are denser than a darker roast. However if you weigh out your scoops, darker roasts will have more caffeine, because there is less mass. What should also be noted is that Arabica beans vary in levels of caffeine depending on the plant species."

Very interesting - thanks!

I was aware that light roasts have more caffeine than dark roasts (assuming the same beans used for both and measurement by volume rather than weight). This is the main reason I prefer Equal Exchange's medium-roasted Ethiopian beans over the more common (and more "proper") light-roasted Ethiopian beans - I really feel the extra caffeine from the light roast and I'm pretty sensitive to caffeine so less is more for me personally.

What I meant by "strong" was that darker roasts tend to have a stronger, less complex flavor. My terminology was admittedly imprecise and definitely offhand - I meant that darker roasts usually present a more "cooked" flavor (or sometimes burned or homogenized, as noted by some others above).

 

[Count Arthur]

Speaking of tasteS and flavors:
When picking your coffee at the market, it is recommended to carefully read the exact words which describe the taste of what is in the package.
I learned to first look at the coffee beans themselves. I don't know why it is but some beans look awful dry w/o any surface oils. I find that these types dry beans require a very different grind and preparation.
Next, I try to sniff the package [please don't call me a dirty old man] and if I get a tinge of a sour smell, I move on.
However, the words posted in the description are significant... they sound like jargon and some do not taste as described. Yet, I understand that there is a status quo as to the words used to describe the bevy of tastes (241?) that can be detected. These words become your only clue when trying to make a purchasing decision. These words may be more important than region grown.
View attachment 181120
Pilfered from this link!

I found this quite useful:

I've been trying a few new coffee beans recently and I now know to avoid the "fruit" taste notes and steer towards the "chocolate" and "nut" flavours.

 

[pseudoid]

chocolate

I am noticing that there are even differences in this definition: "dark chocolate" or "milk chocolate". I am very averse to bitterness (as in the taste of lime/grapefruit but not in the taste of lemons (=sour; not bitter), so I avoided a brand advertising dark, at our local Sprouts.
The taste of coffee can also be categorized (determined?) being either in the 'arabica' or the 'robusta' families of coffee beans.
I hope someone else () can set the record straight between these two types.
I will be awaiting...
EDIT: *I am finding out that even coffee labeled as "Columbian Supreme" can have totally different tastes, depending on where/brand purchased.
*I am also learning to avoid those brands that state theirs is a "blend" w/o details of them.

 

[luft262]

My favorite is Aeropress coffee, but it's hard on my stomach so I usually drink Twining's Irish Breakfast Tea!

 

[nobodynoz]

In 2003 I went to BERGAMO with my wife, a beautiful town in Italy.
In BERGAMO there is a factory called NECTA making BIG coffee machines, the ones you see in offices and shopping centers, etc... I've visited the factory during 2 hours and I've been invited to test their new big coffee machine + chocolate + tea, etc...
I 've tried their machine and tasted the coffee.... oh man ! Then I asked if I could see inside the machine and after opening the door I was surprised to see that the coffee was in capsules similar to Nespresso's but bigger.
These capsules contained LAVAZZA BLUE coffee, a coffee with a different taste from all the coffees I had known so far. The machine was designed to be placed in offices, entrances of supermarkets, etc.... until recently there were no small machines like Nespresso machines but now LAVAZZA has designed a small machine for capsules and they are sold at the same price as NESPRESSO but the LAVAZZA BLUE coffee is way better, believe me.
I should have my LAVAZZA machine soon...

on the left LAVAZZA intenso. on the right LAVAZZA Crema Longo. Price: same as Nespresso. There are others LAVAZZA capsules...
machine LB-900 plus100 capsules : 166€

 

[pseudoid]

I was surprised to see that the coffee was in capsules similar to Nespresso's but bigger.

"Capsule" (single-use/pod) coffee might as well be classified as a hazard, per the environmentalist. << This is concerning and may even be justified.
Ask your favorite search engine how many capsules are discarded every year in the world, while you are enjoying your java…
"Today, some 14bn [Billion] Nespresso capsules are sold every year, both online and from 810 brightly lit boutiques in 84 countries."
But there are also the counterpoints to such claims.

 

[nobodynoz]

1 milliard Nespresso capsules are sold every year in France. 50% are recycled, we put the capsules in yellow trash cans in the street. Some people don't do it. They put their capsules in their trash can.
In Switzerland 90% are recycled. You bring your capsules to a Nespresso shop. Because a large part of my family lives in Switzerland, I've seen the NESPRESSO factory (not visited) because it is located near the highway going to Winterthur.
Who knows that Switzerland is divided by three languages : 1. French, 2. German, 3. Italian. So you drive on the highway in the French part and suddenly you realize that everything is written in German...

There are three NESPRESSO Factories in Switzerland.

 

[TurtlePaul]

I currently am brewing with a v60 using Chinese beans from Atlas Coffee Club, but may try another coffee subscription to see what else is out there. I grind on a Fellow Ode and am using a technoque similar to the James Hoffmann method. I try to keep my habit to one cup a day and only have espresso when I go into the office (increasingly uncommon with Covid).

 

[pseudoid]

50% are recycled,

California's more authoritarian environmentalists have a surcharge for bottled-drinks when purchased (@5+cents per bottle/can). CashReplacementValue (renamed CaliforniaRedemption/RefundValue (CRV)) surcharge.
Many have maintained that CRV is more of a tax, which has had a name-change operation.
This CRV system is an outright boondoggle and has never worked since inception (circa 1986)! Except to line the pockets of many vested interests, aside from the consumers.
Sadly, most Californians do not even realize that they are actually paying an additional tax on this CRV: Per State Board of Equalization, the additional tax on CRV is considered just the "cost of doing business".
Recently it was discovered that 'recyclers' are actually trucking bottles from other states to CA, to offset their "cost of doing business". California residents get jacked so many ways, its fun to watch if you don't partake!
Don't get me going on having to pay an extra 10cents "tax" in California for paper bags at the grocery stores. I am paying a penalty for the bag, even though we re-use them in our house garbage can AND w/o relying on packaged plastic garbage bags.

 

[nobodynoz]

I currently am brewing with a v60 using Chinese beans from Atlas Coffee Club, but may try another coffee subscription to see what else is out there. I grind on a Fellow Ode and am using a technoque similar to the James Hoffmann method. I try to keep my habit to one cup a day and only have espresso when I go into the office (increasingly uncommon with Covid).

I think that you are using a French press.... they are on sale since 1928. I think that there's one in every house in France. It's a very simple way to get a good coffee. You pour ground coffee into the bottom of the coffee maker, add hot water and press the plunger. The coffee remains blocked at the bottom of the coffee maker. You wait a few minutes then pour the coffee into the cup.
There are many sizes 2 cups, 3 cups, 5 cups, 8 cups.

Price 27€ / up to 8 cups. you'll never get espressos !

 

[SIY]

I think that you are using a French press.... they are on sale since 1928. I think that there's one in every house in France. It's a very simple way to get a good coffee. Using it is very simple. You pour ground coffee into the bottom of the coffee maker, add hot water and press the plunger. The coffee remains blocked at the bottom of the coffee maker. You wait a few minutes and pour the coffee into the cup.
There are many sizes 2 cups, 3 cups, 5 cups, 8 cups.

View attachment 182077

When we make these to order, we use a relatively coarse grind, presoak for 30 seconds, add the rest of the water, steep for a few minutes, then press just before serving. The thing that jumps out to us is that coffee made this way has a richer texture than drip (yes, we did blind comparisons).

 

[nobodynoz]

 

[pseudoid]

...When we make these to order...

"we" as in [you] being in the coffee business?

 

[SIY]

"we" as in [you] being in the coffee business?

Yes. There's a nice little link below.

 

[TurtlePaul]

I think that you are using a French press....

Pretty sure I used a v60 this morning, maybe the french press will be tomorrow.

 

[Raindog123]

Yes. There's a nice little link below.

“Best coffee on the planet” — how does it compare to the world’s best one:

 

[SIY]

Fake news!

 

[nobodynoz]

The best arabica coffees are coming from Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia...
In Italy there is a university of Coffee directed by ILLY Coffee.

ILLY University

iILLY Coffee machine

 

[pseudoid]

"Liquid Mud"?
Not many references to it in 37 pages. @anmpr1 described it as "Strong enough to curl your toes."
Only manly-man (maybe even womanly-woman) are capable of drinking it!
First requirement is pulverizing the coffee beans beyond an 'espresso grind' << Think 'talcum powder' consistency!
No additional add-ons are required: Not even filters or a coffee maker.
The rest is as simple boiling water and continuous stirring during the process.
Of course, you will need to add the powdered coffee grounds in the pot along w/the water before hand.
Wikipedia calls it "Turkish Coffee" but IMHO it is not descriptive enough.