Dear Coffee Community at LemmyWorld,

Thank you for the marvel you do...

I am sorry, but just to clarify, may I ask... why ever use the so fake, effortless, worthless, void-empty, horrible, and sorrowful meat-ground set of bytes... as the very main banner to represent the so ineffably magnificent art, history, and human effort... as Coffee... and more than 10,714 Members of the Community, too...

There are so many artists out there who have art attributed... and if you haven't chosen a work of your own, have you considered a competition between the current Members to choose the artwork for the banner? A moment of photography would already be a marvel...

Please... please do consider the noise, emptiness, and unintentional but possible disrespect... towards the miracle... divine elixir... the coffee...

Best and kind regards

Translation from the Arabic...

O Coffee! Thou dost dispel all cares, thou art the object of desire to the scholar.
This is the beverage of the friends of God; it gives health to those in its service who strive after wisdom.

Prepared from the simple shell of the berry, it has the odor of musk and the color of ink.
The intelligent man who empties these cups of foaming coffee, he alone knows truth.

May God deprive of this drink the foolish man who condemns it with incurable obstinacy.
Coffee is our gold. Wherever it is served, one enjoys the society of the noblest and most generous men.

O drink! As harmless as pure milk, which differs from it only in its blackness...

Delicious beverage, its color is the seal of its purity.

Source: by Abd-al-Kâdir ibn Mohammad al Ansâri al Jazari al Hanbali [1587 AD; webarchive]

// cc @[email protected] ; @[email protected] ; @[email protected]

Really enjoying roasting my own coffee these last several months. I got tired of inconsistent, too dark batches when I was ordering light and medium roasts from Fresh Roasted Coffee.

I roast stovetop, using a stainless steel popcorn popper, this one for anybody interested.

Took the photos just after roasting, they’ll lighten up a bit more as they cool and gas off, from past experience.

Hello, So far I've kept my single-cup V60 recipe fairly stable. 15g coffee and 250mL of water, pour water by 50g increments with 10s time in between pours. It usually gives me a brew time around 2'30" which is generally considered good. I adjust the grind size on my manual grinder depending on the beans and I've been satisfied with the results so far.

Now the problem: I started new beans, higher roast, lower density. With my usual method I get a very short brew time, less than 1'30". Finer grind size quickly becomes too bitter.

I am not questioning the quality of the beans, more my recipe. I suppose I'm not getting the best out of these beans.

What would you suggest to improve my recipe for these beans?

• Adjust coffee to water ratio ? What should I look for to find the correct ratio ?
• Change brew temperature? I usually boil my water to near 100°C as it will cool quickly in the porcelain V60.
• Any other suggestions?

Update: thank you all for the interesting suggestions. With this morning brew, I made 2 changes:

1. Reduced target water temperature to 90°C
2. 50g bloom and the rest of the water in 2 pours

The results are improving, very pleasant cup. The brew time was still pretty short. Next, I will try to decrease the grind size by a few ticks to see if I can get more flavors without increasing bitterness.

cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/33666752

🍵 😮

Hi,

I've been using an unpressurised after market basket and handle with my Delonghi Dedica for a while. It makes just OK espresso. I dont think my grinder is up to scratch tbh.

I thought I'd try a pressurised basket, but for some reason the espresso sprays out of the spouts laterally, making a huge mess, as pictured. Obviously this didnt happen before.

Any idea why? I tried a finer grind, distributing the coffee better, and tamping harder and more evenly. No cigar.

(Why a pressurised basket? The best espresso I've ever had out of this particular machine was with the stock handle and stock pressurised basket. Why not use those then? Because the stock basket doesnt grip the handle well. It falls out into the knock box when you bang it. I hate this with a passion)

I’m pretty new to the world of coffee, at least to caring about it, anyway. I’ve been drinking drip coffee from pre-ground beans for years but wanted to start getting more into it. I picked up a moka pot and have loved it so far, but I’m stuck either using pre-ground or a blade grinder. I mostly do my coffee around 5:30 in the morning, a few hours before my infant daughter and wife are awake, and don’t want to risk waking them so I was thinking manual. I also don’t have tons of money to spend right now, since most of my money goes toward my daughter. My absolute cap would be $200 CAD but the cheaper the better honestly, as long as it isn’t really bad. I saw the Timemore S3 was very highly reviewed, and I can find it for around $180 CAD right now, so that’s what I was thinking, but I’ve only started doing research yesterday so I’m probably missing a thousand good models. Does anyone have any suggestions for models or blog posts or anything to look at? I’d really appreciate any help. The grinder would be used mostly for moka pot but I do also have a French press (mostly for my wife) and the aforementioned drip coffee machine that I’d like to be able to use the grinder for too. Espresso is off the table due to finances so I don’t need something that can go that finely ground.

OG Ember and OG Gameboy. Sippin' some Switch Hybrid brewed Harrar and slammin' some Tetris blocks.

May your pours be perfect and your brews balanced this weekend.
Cheers.

YT link for those that prefer it.

I usually start the day by brewing a moka pot, but I'm okay skipping it every once in a while under certain circumstances. What would you do/not do for yours?

15lbs of green ethiopian arabica (Harrar) just landed on my doorstep. It's roasting time!

There's like 15 different communities for coffee! Nice!

Like many of us, I survive largely on the break room coffee pot. Our grounds are running low again and the hospital doesn't stock it, so it's on the employees.

Our taste in coffee is driven mostly by cost, so we go through a lot of Costco-sized buckets of Folgers, but Folgers famously tastes like dirt. Still, it's cheap and it's coffee, so that's usually the winner.

I'm not a connoisseur by any means, but... any good options that taste less like dirt while still being cheap / available in large quantities?

I don't like acidity in my coffee much. Stuff I get from my moka pot on the other hand was always very acidic.

Recently I bought a bag of very good, beautiful smelling beans from my favourite coffee shop and brewed it on moka pot. The results are still the same, it almost tastes like lemonade. It is undrinkable amounts of acid in there.

I use the 1zpresso Q Air. I tried nearly every grind setting between 1.6-0.9 (chart, please click). Always the same result.

I also tried starting with both hot and cold water. No difference.

I do not tamp my coffee and flatten it nicely by shaking the basket. I don't overfill the basket.

My moka pot is 2-3 years old and I might need to change its gasket, wonder if that has anything to do with it but i doubt it since the gasket still seals pretty good except for a 5-10mL water leak every brew.

I didn't know it was possible for domestic use, but my stock burrs died. I just couldn't grind fine enough anymore for espresso.

Upgrading to SSP burrs was a breeze, the hardest part was the cleanup. I'm lucky to have a pretty well aligned grinder so a single shim was necessary.

The difference with the old burrs is amazing despite having barely seasoned these burrs. A lot more range is available (I'm currently grinding pretty fine at +21, while the old burrs in their prime only had around +5 to +12 of usable range). Going down to +15 is enough to choke the machine. They're a bit slower than the old ones and have a much higher pitched sound.

HU burrs are all about texture. And oh boy the espresso they create is syrupy as fuck. Taste is great too, they bring out a lot of different notes from my beans. Maybe not extreme-clarity, but still as least as good as the old ones without compromising on texture.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with the upgrade.

Since buying my Gaggia Classic earlier this year, I have purchased three manual grinders, but they all share the same issue: the grind settings are either too fine or too coarse. For example, my latest grinder is the Chestnut C3s Pro. It has a wide range of steps, but even at step 8, the first setting where water flows through, it flows too quickly. At step 7, it does not flow at all.

Can someone recommend grinders with more granular grind settings?

This is becoming an expensive hobby.

Note: I'm typically using 19g of coffee, if that is relevant.

I’ve been using the K-Ultra more recently and have noticed the commonly reported difference in flavor profile that this provides in comparison to the Comandante c40. Presumably this is due to differences in the particle size distributions produced by these grinders. I have heard that the K-Ultra has a bit wider distribution and leans towards more fines. I had not seen very convincing proof of this though. I do not have access to a fancy particle distribution analyzer, but I do have a Shelbru Sifter taking up shelf-space. I decided to do a little comparative test between these two grinders with a medium roast natural Ethiopian (known for higher fines).

Notably, fines are typically defined as particles less than 100 microns, but for the purpose of pour-over at least, the 500 micron filter on the Shelbru seemed appropriate enough. You certainly wouldn’t want very many particles in the sub 500 micron range in your pour over. I set the K-Ultra to 7.6 clicks and the Comandante to 24 clicks and ground 10.0g of beans in each. I ran each through the Shelbru for one full minute. The sifted-out fines are shown for each below.

::C40 Fines:: ::K-Ultra Fines::

While it looks like a decent amount – these fines are light – I could not register them at all on my 0.1g accuracy coffee scale. The overall volume looked very similar between the two samples, and I decided to go volumetric for quantification since I couldn’t do mass. They came out very similar – each was just under ¾ Tsp using a ¼ Tsp measuring spoon.

It wasn’t really part of my goal here, but I wasn’t going to waste the filtered out coffee (the >500 micron portions). I discarded all the fines and mixed the remaining two specimens together and tossed them in the Kalita Mino. Frankly it came out a little vapid tasting. This may be because I trimmed off a little too much of the particle distribution curve that does give some nuance to the brew. This fits in with what I’ve mentioned before about the Shelbru, while it may clean up a messy grinder – for these higher end grinders it probably hurts more than it helps.

This was sufficient for me at least to say that I do not think the K-Ultra produces significantly more fines than the C40. I think that’s an important point, as low fines production is hallmark of high-end grinders and rumors that the K-Ultra produce more of these are a bit of a knock. The noted difference in flavor profiles between these two grinders almost certainly has to do with particle-size distribution (I’ve seen some unimpressive amateur analyses, but nothing of quality that I can link to for a good demonstration of this), but that difference does not appear to be a simple higher preponderance of fine particles in one vs. another.

Saw James Hoffman do this. It was really easy and pretty darn good. https://youtu.be/0HdzJz_evNw

Hello everyone!

The past year I’ve been getting into coffee a bit more. I love brewing my own thermos in the morning since the coffee at work is insert descriptive terminology.

However I’ve always been pretty sensitive to caffeine. If I drink a daily cup for weeks I’ll end up with my heart going nuts at the least bit of stress (my adhd meds probably contribute to this). And my sleeping pattern totally messed up.

So decaf it is, which limits my choices.

My question: does the quality of coffee have anything to do with this? Type of beans? Roast?

I've used a home espresso machine, with built-in grinder, daily for at least 10 years. I'm generally happy with the results - there's some variability but most everything I make is acceptable, and I fairly regularly get something I feel is good. Recently I've been getting a lot of "acceptable" and it's been a long time (many months) since I've made one that I'd call "good". They're missing that bit of oily lustre that I feel really makes it perfect.

• I drink a single shot over a small amount of hot water
• I get my beans from a local (same province) roaster that say they roast to order
• I like dark roast beans - the roaster calls it their Italian roast
• my house water comes from a well and is naturally a bit hard, but we have a whole house softener
• I've never de-scaled the machine because of the water softener - there's no build up or crusting at any orifices
• I don't make any attempt to get perfect extraction quantity - I grind, tamp and trim with the tool supplied with the machine. When I first got this particular machine (about 4 years ago) I programmed the extraction time, but a can't remember the "recipe" I used
• I've tried beans from one other local roaster (via a grocery store) with the same results

My experience says it's stale beans, but I'm buying roast to order, so I'm confused.

There are plenty of travel brewing options, the aeropress, pipamoka, espro, and an eruption of practical portable espresso options lately. Unless you are either traveling a lot or using these regularly at home, they can be difficult to dial in to the brews you might be used to if you are a primarily pour-over brewer. There have been a number of foldable, portable, optimized pour-over brewers, but these tend to do best with a gooseneck kettle which is a deal-breaker for me when selecting a travel companion. Immersion options like the clever dripper have been touted for their travel-friendly simplicity, but it’s a notably different brew profile if you are used to pour-over. Two recent zero-bypass brewers have caught my fancy as work / travel options, the Ceado Hoop and the Orea Z1. Neither is really touted as a primarily travel brewer, but they are both super simple to use, do not require a gooseneck, and they are durable with high quality simple construction. In brief, either one of these is worthy of its space in your luggage, but which is the best?

Brief Rundown of devices

I’ve described the Hoop a bit briefly but only in reference to its filters. It’s a unique radial infusion brewer where the coffee grounds sit in a central chamber and water flow into the chamber and over the grounds is determined by a series of small holes that connect to a larger outer water reservoir.

The Z1 is basically a spinoff of the tricolate zero-bypass brewer but utilizes a fast Sibarist filter and has a built-in melo drip disperser which allows for a clumsier water source than a gooseneck kettle since it converts any pour into a diffuse uniform drip.

Packing

Let’s look at portability and practicality for travel first. Both are high quality food grade, high heat tolerant plastic. The z1 is Tritan and the Hoop is BPA free plastic but the resin type is not published. Both fit pretty practically in luggage, and while you can’t do that cute thing like you can with the aeropress where you slide a grinder inside of it, they certainly aren’t space hogs. The Hoop has a little bigger footprint, but if you are willing to stuff a clean pair of socks or something in it, I think it actually takes up a bit less space.
Winner: this one’s a tie

Brewing

I’ll lead with saying both can brew an excellent cup. They are very simple to brew with, but the Hoop takes the cake for simplicity if that’s what you crave when being out of the comfort of your kitchen coffee lab. The Z1 on the other hand is going to require a few pours and does offer some variables you can play with a little to tweak your brews. Both brew best on the coarser end of the pour-over range which is good news if you want to have a separate travel grinder – a middle of the road grinder will do very well with these. The Hoop is extremely flexible with how you pour the water in. You could take a large pot and just dump the water into the reservoir and you’d be fine. The z1 is fairly forgiving too, but you do need something with at least a bit of a spout. I usually use a collapsible travel kettle or a hotel kettle and these work fine, but you can’t pour too quickly or the Melodrip will overflow and slower pour rates can lead to dribbling and dripping with conventional spout kettles. I do usually make a little bit of a mess with the z1, but nothing terrible. Of note, I’ve learned that since I bought my Z1 (very early adopter), Orea sells a travel kit which includes a little cup with a pour spout. I remain skeptical about how usable this is, as I imagine this must be very hot to hold when filled with near-boiling water. The big issue with both of these is their big bottoms. That’s right, they both have weirdly large back-sides and it’s a frustrating design attribute that can really leave you stuck on the road. Neither fits on my Hario 02 carafe at home, nor do they fit with most standard sized coffee mugs. The Hoop is the bigger offender here requiring a 7cm diameter opening on the vessel below it. The Z1 isn’t much better, but enough so that I can typically find a large mug at an Airbnb or thankfully the wide mouths of the hotel paper cups typically fit. I’ve traveled with the z1 a lot and have always lucked-out with this, but I can imagine a situation that leaves me stuck with hotel coffee and it does give me some anxiety. I’ve found a nice 3D printed adapter that I’ve previously plugged for the Hoop – it’s durable and easy to travel with, but still – it’s another thing.

The Coffee Soldier's typical hotel room setup =)

With a filter in place the z1 doubles nicely as a dosing cup and fits nicely onto some grinders.

I do like how the Comandante grind cup fits perfectly onto the z1 as well for a no-mess transfer.

Winner: it’s close, but the z1 has an edge here.

Cleanup

Both are easy to clean and have just two parts that need washing off. The perforated bottom grate of the Z1 does require a little agitation to get residue fully off it, and I find the Hoop rinses off a little faster.
Winner: Hoop by a margin

Cost/Value

Orea seeks helpless coffee gear heads like online betting websites seek gambling addicts, and I think even those that like their products resent them a bit for it. At over 80 USD for the z1 not including any of the growing list of accessories for this, it is obscenely overpriced for a small plastic cup with some holes on the top and bottom. You’ll also be quite locked in to the special Sibarist filters which perform well but are hard to come by and also very expensive. The Hoop is reasonably priced, and you can in theory use Aeropress filters, but in reality, the experience and cup are only worthwhile with either Sibarist filters or Scott Rao 62mm filters currently. The Rao filters are more reasonably priced when comparing them to the Sibarist options. Winner: Hoop by a longshot

Wrap up/TLDR

Either of these makes for an excellent travel brewer. These are worth considering if you don’t have a travel solution yet or if you are looking to switch your travel brewing to a pour over method. If you’re not traveling all that often and want to keep things as simple as possible, I would recommend the Hoop but do recommend the 3d-printed step down adapter to make sure you can fit it on your cup/mug. If you travel frequently or for longer durations and want to have some options to tweak your travel brew a bit, the Z1 offers some flexibility that is a little closer to more traditional pour over methods. If you haven’t quite gotten to the point where TSA is pulling coffee gear out of your luggage and giving you WTF looks, I would lean towards starting with the more reasonable price point and simplicity of the Hoop. What am I up to these days? I travel with the Z1 and I’ve parked my Hoop at work as a perfect yeah I have enough bandwidth to pay some attention to this Zoom meeting and brew a pour-over at the same time solution.

-- I already have a recommended HOOP brewing recipe and hope to have my Z1 recipe available by next week.

Do you already have a travel favorite brewer? Do you have another pour-over on the go solution?