Coffee - do you and how do you consume it?

[BDWoody]

Since they want the flavor of their coffee to be the same for everyone every time, they roast it dark. As others have noted, light roasts are prefered by many because it preserves the nuanced flavors of the beans which is where you get all the descriptors of chocolate and berries and nutmeg, etc. I agree that dark roasted beans taste like dark roasted beans.

That's exactly right. I don't know if you've ever been around coffee when it's actually being roasted, but there are distinct phases it goes through as it gets near the end of the roast. First Crack, where it rapidly expands similar to popcorn, then second crack where the bean structure itself is starting to burn, and it sounds more like breaking a bunch of small twigs.

For me, I like it shortly after the last of the First Crack, which is pretty light. Others like it well into second crack, which can get really dark and oily. The difference may only be about 45 seconds between perfection and 1/2 lb of coffee for my daughter's boyfriend.

 

[esm]

My parents came and visited, we went to Koyto with them and went to Pontocho Alley to wander around and eat and drink the night away.

Oh man, I miss that part of Kyoto, so much stuff crammed into such a tiny street. Not completely crammed in like Golden Gai in Shinjuku; as a foreigner, it felt a lot more welcoming and chill.

I will say my town was unique in their lack of good coffee/espresso shops. (...) Utsunomiya

Ah, seems like you were a fair bit out of the way up there. I imagine if you'd have been farther west (say, way over by Karuizawa), the tourist traffic probably would have helped a bit.

That said, I had similar experiences with some of the smaller stops I madei; I stayed in Noboribetsu in Hokkaido for a night, and despite it being a somewhat touristy "onsen town", the tourists they're expecting are Japanese travelers who aren't looking for many amenities outside their ryokan. Similarly, a day trip I made out of Sendai to Yamadera (amazing view once you've climbed to the top, maybe not so much fun climbing up), even with Tendo being right there, it seemed like the moment you left greater Sendai you were... very far from urban comfort. I loved it, but not so great if you just want a modern coffee shop with all the amenities to relax in for a little while.

 

[Wombat]

Ever traveled by plane? There is more than enough landfill space for non toxic plastics. It's a complete non issue in the first world.

Landfill space and non-toxic plastics?? I guess we see the environment and the word 'toxic' differently. I'll leave it there.

 

[Berwhale]

There's obviously a lot of interest in coffee around here. Maybe we should spin up a sister site, Arabica Science Review?

 

[Guermantes]

I'm a fan of the infamous Australian "flat white" -- basically a stronger latte without the fuss. Australian coffee culture is heavily influenced by Italian immigrants though with a lot of modification to suit British-Australian tastes. When I was a teenager, the options at a cafe were generally espresso (single or double shot black), cappuccino, flat white, and Vienna (whipped cream on top). The flat white was offered as a more masculine alternative to a cappuccino. I remember being transfixed by a machine in one shop: a classic copper and brass Rancilio machine surmounted by a dome with an eagle stretching its wings to the heavens.

I have a similar Breville machine to @escape2 but without the in-built grinder. It makes a surprisingly good espresso even though the basket is not commercial size. Currently I'm exploring blends and single origins from this local roaster: https://airjo.com/

Never liked the Starbucks espresso-based coffees. When I lived in Japan I tended to frequent Tully's Coffee or Doutor rather than Starbucks. Ended up diving into the many good pour-over and drip style coffee establishments which were much more satisfying. However, I've noticed that there are more little boutique shops offering espresso coffee, often with an Australian influence -- "Melbourne-trained baristas" seems to be a selling point.

 

[Beershaun]

I had an amazing Vodka pour over cocktail in Melbourne! It was peak Australian coffee experience for me.

 

[Doodski]

I had an amazing Vodka pour over cocktail in Melbourne! It was peak Australian coffee experience for me.

I used to bartend at night and we would make up all sorts of research and development coffee based adult beverages for ourselves. Some where very yummy and packed a whallop.

 

[WesParker]

I use the Nespresso Vertuo machine. Pods are a little pricey, and you have to use Nespresso pods (although according to them this is a bonus). But I find it far more enjoyable than the average Kuerig.
I’ve never been one to seek out fancy coffee, but for our normal drip coffee we get a Honduran bean from a local roaster.

 

[SIY]

 

[MrPotatoHead]

That's exactly right. I don't know if you've ever been around coffee when it's actually being roasted...

I roasted a batch of beans one time in a wok on a camp stove on my back porch. I didn't really know what I was doing and the results weren't encouraging. That's something I could be interested in pursuing again but there are just too damn many distractions in my life already.

Do you use a real bean roaster?

 

[escape2]

I use the Nespresso Vertuo machine. Pods are a little pricey, and you have to use Nespresso pods (although according to them this is a bonus). But I find it far more enjoyable than the average Kuerig.

When it comes to pod/capsule systems, Nespresso beats Keurig hands down, IMO. If I don't have time to pull an espresso shot from my manual Breville, I have a little Nespresso machine (Breville branded as well) that I will use. Peet's makes good Nespresso caps, and it's relatively inexpensive when it goes on sale (paid $13 for 50-pack last time):
https://www.amazon.com/Peets-Espresso-Compatible-Nespresso-Intensity/dp/B08GK8BC1L/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=peet's+nespresso+crema+scura&qid=1605227342&sr=8-3

 

[BDWoody]

I roasted a batch of beans one time in a wok on a camp stove on my back porch. I didn't really know what I was doing and the results weren't encouraging. That's something I could be interested in pursuing again but there are just too damn many distractions in my life already.

Do you use a real bean roaster?

That was likely a smoky mess! Probably didn't smell like you expected either...

I use one like @pierre showed in his post:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ow-do-you-consume-it.17476/page-5#post-566909

I've had it for probably 20 years or so. I started with a popcorn popper style roaster, hated that, looked into it a little and found the Hottop Roaster which I've used regularly ever since.

 

[Chrispy]

The coffee is a little more gritty, but the steel doesn't absorb the natural oils from the coffee like the paper filters do.

Yep definitely a cleaner cup o'coffee from the paper filters. I've been going back and forth between a permanent filter and two different knock-off paper filters. Jury's still out whether the stuff that's getting thru makes it more enjoyable....

 

[bogart]

I'm going to pick up some Treblicock coffee as it seems that it is sold in Brockville where I am currently in placement. So there is an Equator Coffee from Almonte Ontario which is quite nice, but I take it not the same Equator coffee you were talking about.

Enjoy! If they have any of their beans from Yunan, China, those are the most interesting origin ones I’ve had. Ethiopia Sidama Ardi is my favorite, and Chalk’s Colombian is their most classic profile. All good though! Would love to know what you think when you try them.

 

[A Surfer]

Enjoy! If they have any of their beans from Yunan, China, those are the most interesting origin ones I’ve had. Ethiopia Sidama Ardi is my favorite, and Chalk’s Colombian is their most classic profile. All good though! Would love to know what you think when you try them.

Will do. I suspect the Sidama Ardi will be my first try as I like coffee towards light, but only if the acidity is kept in balance so that the top-notes don't get stringent tasting. There can be too much of a good thing (in terms of lighter roasting) but in my experience when roasted well and balanced any decent Ethiopian issue has potential.

 

[Ilkless]

My favourite of late has been a Burmese bean roasted locally. Just wonderful with either V60 or espresso. Think they ship internationally if anyone's interested.

 

[Χ Ξ Σ]

This thread start sounding like people who own boutique speakers dissing studio monitors.

 

[stevenswall]

If you don't like coffee because it's bitter and acidic, but don't want to consume a lot of dairy and sugar calories, the only one I've found that actually tastes good is Stok cold brew... also, most cold brew seems to put hot brews to shame for me, though I'd like to try an espresso, ideally one that actually tastes like caramel or other pleasant notes, not just the wine fru fru "hint of blackberries" but actually tastes like vinegar that was once downwind of a blackberry a few states away.

 

[bluefuzz]

Does ASR have a theme song yet? I nominate these two songs.

Good song, but the Steve Marriott/Humble Pie version from OGWT wipes the floor with this ... ;-)

 

[Count Arthur]

If you don't like coffee because it's bitter and acidic, but don't want to consume a lot of dairy and sugar calories, the only one I've found that actually tastes good is Stok cold brew

3 teaspoons of sugar per bottle, although not much compared to a lot of soft drinks, it's still a fair amount - nearly half the recommended dalily amount of refined sugar in the UK.