Afraid I'm not that good at photographing household items, but here is the picture from Amazon:
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Coffee - do you and how do you consume it?
- Thread starter spacevector
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I've had one Red Bull given to me by the RedBull rep and never had a energy drink otherwise. The RedBull was OK but not really my thang.
If I attempt snoozing when I've had a coffee within maybe 8-12 hours I'm a twitching wreck that can't snooze... I don't drink a lot of coffee...
bequietjk
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Dang.. im going to have to get one of them.I make 1 cup of joe at a time. I use the Brew Buddy. It works great and is very portable too for camping or whatever.
https://primulaproducts.com/product/lifestyle/the-flash/coffee-brew-buddy/
It's quit rugged for what it is and has lasted me years now and shows no sign of wear. It's just for when I want one cup O' joe.
Different art to getting a great coffee from one of those...
The way I learned it is that a Ristretto is half the volume of a standard single shot of espresso.
So a Single Espresso is technically about 7-8g of coffee yielding anywhere from 21-28g in 30 sec. A full ounce is really the goal, but some shops call 21g a "shot."
A double dose is usually around 16-18g of coffee. A "triple" dose would be maxing out between 20-22g which are the largest baskets I have come across (and which makes sense assuming the single dose of coffee is 7g).
The complicated part is that traditionally, a double espresso would also yield twice as much liquid, but should still be pulled in 30 seconds. ...So a 2 ounce pull, which I have never seen in a third-wave coffee shop.
Now, enter Ristretto. Meaning restricted or narrow, as an Espresso drink, you would pull half the volume of the single shot (7-8g of coffee), commonly seen now as 14g yield in 30 seconds. The way I always learned to do this is to fine the grind to yield half the volume.
Some sources go as far as saying a Ristretto would be 1:1 ratio... Frankly, I have never seen this in practice either.
Complicating things again (further?, some more still?
(If the latter, the implication is that a Double Ristretto should be a full ounce beverage at 28g from 14g of coffee.)
Thus I have detailed a complete bastardization ond likely breakdown in how we define TWO different aspects of Espresso: The DOSE (and I will come back to this) and what is RISTRETTO.
If you apply my stated parameters and previous discussion about how I arrived at those as my House Style (20g dose, 14g yield, 30 sec) you may see that I am in one manner serving a triple ristretto in that I am using a "triple" dose (20g) and yielding about 14g in 30 sec. Obviously this assumes the yield at 14g is the most important characteristic and not a particular ratio of dose to yield.
If taken the other way where a ratio is more important, then assuming a 1:2 ratio is correct, a single ristretto should be 14g, a double ristretto should be 28g...
Another complication: how do you achieve this? As mentioned earlier, I use the method of fining the grind to extract 14g in 30 sec. Other variations I have seen involve pulling a normal shot but only doing so in half the time (15 sec); pulling a normal shot but only keeping half the volume by throwing some of the shot away, or variations of these.
Now the reason behind ristretto: By only extracting such a small amount of the potential shot, you are leaving the less desired flavor characteristics behind. Usually, a proper ristretto is described more often as "sweeter" than an espresso, and often times more concentrated. Most sources agree that the more bitter compounds in coffee extract towards the end.
Fun experiment: The Rainbow. Set yourself up with 6 clear shot glasses for a 30 second pull. Pull a shot and switch glasses every 5 seconds, timing from the first drop. Look, smell, taste... Enjoy.
When I was trained ristretto was same dose and shorter pull. I don't recall the numbers then but these days my espresso is 20g dose 25-30 sec pull ~40g (grams and millilitres are close enough not to worry about, we are metric so ounces never come into it) result so 1:2 ratio. Ristretto is cut short and results between 1:1 and 1:1.5.
My baby sister thinks I'm a wuss as her shop did 24g dose but they must have used bigger baskets as I can't get that dose to fit mine.
Traditionally you would make a double ristretto using two separate espresso pucks, but I've not seen anyone use a 7g dose forever. Practically speaking you also adjust the grind and/or tamp a little harder so the desired ratio is at the right stage of the pour/flavour profile. Ristretto should be bolder, more syrupy and less bitter than espresso. I've also never seen a 7g in 15 ml out ristretto (which would also be 1:2). Maybe before my time. I should definitely give the old recipes a try, for science.
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Where do you live, please? Or where were you trained in the dark arts of slinging caffeine if different than where you live now?
I appreciate your post. Thank you.
I only started really drinking espresso sometime after 2008 when I started my business as a Private Chef. I did my Barista training at the end of 2019.
I had a good friend from Vienna that talked about not being able to get a good espresso here in the States.
After my time at a respectable cafe, I would almost agree with her, at least about Barista knowledge here. It’s almost as if a step is missing in our process.
The end result could still be pretty fantastic, but somewhere we lost the part about how we got here. Like so much else, everybody also wants to put their personal stamp on it too (the better cafes not so much as those a step down).
Or where were you trained in the dark arts of slinging caffeine if different than where you live now? I appreciate your post. Thank you.
I only started really drinking espresso sometime after 2008 when I started my business as a Private Chef. I did my Barista training at the end of 2019.
I had a good friend from Vienna that talked about not being able to get a good espresso here in the States.
After my time at a respectable cafe, I would almost agree with her, at least about Barista knowledge here. It’s almost as if a step is missing in our process.
The end result could still be pretty fantastic, but somewhere we lost the part about how we got here. Like so much else, everybody also wants to put their personal stamp on it too (the better cafes not so much as those a step down).
Count Arthur
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Has anyone tried cold brewing; what do you think?
I was curious, so I ordered one of these: https://www.hario.co.uk/collections...hario-mizudashi-cold-brew-coffee-maker-red-1l
I was curious, so I ordered one of these: https://www.hario.co.uk/collections...hario-mizudashi-cold-brew-coffee-maker-red-1l
I have. I like it.
I just did the simple "bucket" method: Rough grind of the beans, add them to a bucket of the appropriate water mount, stir them in, cover and let steep over night, strain in the morning. The Beans form a kind of raft and the instructions I followed at the time were to carefully open up a hole in the raft and pour through that, through a sieve (no filter).
Haven't played with cold-brew since switching over to my Espresso Machine in 2018. I found it challenging to consume that much cold brew coffee concentrate in a week's time... 12oz rough ground bean to 2 qt water... which then needs to be cut pretty significantly resulting in roughly 1 gallon of "consumable" cold brew. I use that word lightly as even at that level of dilution, a six ounce drink over ice could still light you up like a christmas tree in heat! (Isn't that an image!
)What's the recommended amount of Coffee to steep in that 1 liter volume?
Anyway, one of the nicer aspects of doing cold brew is you can use up older beans! Freshness is a waste on cold brew. The shop I was at would always recycle unsold retail packages after 60 days (and espresso beans from the stores after 14 days) and use that for our cold brew program. They always received accolades locally for having one of the better cold brews. Of course, running it through a Nitro system played a part in that too.
Enjoy!!!
Wowowow I'm learning new analogies and stuff. RFLMAO...a six ounce drink over ice could still light you up like a christmas tree in heat! (Isn't that an image!
Gotta keep those hot Christmas trees apart or they will breed!
What is the proper brew temperature for ground coffee for a simple cup of coffee? I use boiling water with my pour over rig and it tastes excellent and the automatic coffee maker has a lower temp of the water and it seems OK too? I think the boiling water method tastes better. What is the best?
Best advice I can give is to remove the water from the boil, count to ten, then pour. You don't really want it right at the boil, but as with many things... If you are happy with the results then you are fine.
You can certainly micromanage the temp if you want... I think ~205ºF is a safe zone to be in.
Where do you live, please?
I appreciate your post. Thank you.
I only started really drinking espresso sometime after 2008 when I started my business as a Private Chef. I did my Barista training at the end of 2019.
I had a good friend from Vienna that talked about not being able to get a good espresso here in the States.
After my time at a respectable cafe, I would almost agree with her, at least about Barista knowledge here. It’s almost as if a step is missing in our process.
The end result could still be pretty fantastic, but somewhere we lost the part about how we got here. Like so much else, everybody also wants to put their personal stamp on it too (the better cafes not so much as those a step down).
I'm from Sydney. I think I posted upthread that we've had established espresso culture since well before my time (basically from post-war immigration). I learned (maybe ten years back) from a friend who ran my local cafe until he sold up and went to the UK. A variation of the rainbow method you described was his illustration (a succession of maybe five shots from 1:1 ristretto through to 1:3 lungo).
Dose just just crept up so we all seem to call ~20-22 g a double now, while technically as you say it's triple. Actually there are a few old-school Italian shops still around, using the dark roasts and traditional sizes. I quite enjoy it when you find one, you basically need a sfogliatella on the side though. I'm also guessing heavier dose came in with lighter roasts.
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That is a beauty. The manufacturer is CopperBull. You made me look mine up:
Which caused me to realize that I haven't used it in over 2 years.
Earlier today, I bought 100gm Peet's Ethiopian (dark - turkish ground) to try after dinner tonight.
Thanks!
I have one of those in the cupboard! I recall it working well. A gift from above-mentioned sister. I'd forgotten about it ... actually we haven't had a real, hot summer for a while courtesy of successive la niña. Must break it out again.
That's good to know.
You keep telling us that you are a trained barista!
Unfortunately, this bitter topic is full of bitter controversies, which dig deeper than Barista graduate exam. Grad students write their Chemistry thesis on the subject matter that is complex. Yet, we can 'disagree' in a rudimentary manner, because (as with audio) there is both subjective and objective methods of analysis.
The simpler 'pro' argument for putting "salt in coffee" is posting something like this:
The much more complex discussion challenges the above pro argument {my relevant extract]:
I am not here to argue pro or con and I do have my own findings which seem to agree with the above extract but I be no barista graduate and don't have to be.
Casual espresso drinkers do not go too deep into what makes them like coffee and/or caffeine.
Of the 5 simplified categories of tastes (SSBSS: salty, sweet, bitter, sour, savory), I am venturing to guess that the middle B is the most detested of all tastes.
There are historical reasons for shunning bitter tastes, throughout human evolution.
We can all imagine how gross it may feel to step on warm dung with bare-feet… but the gravity of the actual event (when you really do step on that warm poop) is something totally other.
There is no argument in the person that can actually taste bitterness, acutely!
I have major experience with eating traditional Chinese food for a average white guy and they have dishes that are based exclusively on bitterness. I mean bitter bitter weird exotic veggies and meat dishes that are dolloped onto rice and the combO is awesome. After the first 2 or 4 bites it becomes addictive and one must have more. Bitter is a flavor that is intentional by Chinese chefs and I am happy they do it.
Starbucks should be able to monetize that preference as their coffee is sooo bitter that I became a DIYer!I have major experience with eating traditional Chinese food for a average white guy and they have dishes that are based exclusively on bitterness. I mean bitter bitter weird exotic veggies and meat dishes that are dolloped onto rice and the combO is awesome. After the first 2 or 4 bites it becomes addictive and one must have more. Bitter is a flavor that is intentional by Chinese chefs and I am happy they do it.
Lol... I am a Starbucks aficionado for their dark roast. I crave it and never am able to make it at home like they do it. Nearly every morning I make my way to the mall and get a vente dark roast and peeps here tell me that is burnt bean and it's horrible. Soooo... I am going to try the Pikes place and the Blonde and as a added benefit they have more caffeine. A vente size seems about just right before I get all twitchy and feel weird from overdosing on the caffeine. I get a buzz and tightness in my cheeks and that's when I know I am approaching the max limit.