Any Coffee Snob Like Me Here?

rs2000

@CapnWillie said:
Wife’s Cuban. Occasionally, she summons this tiny archaic metal tea pot looking thingy on the stove to unleash the cutest little micro cup of the mega strongest coffee you’ve never tasted topped with hand frothed sweet foam and a slice of lemon peel that some how makes it taste much better.

Literally the size of a small shot of whiskey. Not sure where she gets the beans. Top secret between her and her father. I call it Cuban Smurf Berry Juice cuz it’ll have you bouncing off the walls for hours. A regular size mug is a definite heart attack.

While sexy Cuban lady handmade Cuban coffee is my overwhelming fav when I indulge…caffeine isn’t my drug of choice. Honestly don’t love how it inspires my bowels.😩. I prefer a wake n vape of fresh roasted sativa cannabis flower in the morning myself.

Your post just made my day

BroCoast

@CapnWillie said:
Wife’s Cuban. Occasionally, she summons this tiny archaic metal tea pot looking thingy on the stove to unleash the cutest little micro cup of the mega strongest coffee you’ve never tasted topped with hand frothed sweet foam and a slice of lemon peel that some how makes it taste much better.

Literally the size of a small shot of whiskey. Not sure where she gets the beans. Top secret between her and her father. I call it Cuban Smurf Berry Juice cuz it’ll have you bouncing off the walls for hours. A regular size mug is a definite heart attack.

While sexy Cuban lady handmade Cuban coffee is my overwhelming fav when I indulge…caffeine isn’t my drug of choice. Honestly don’t love how it inspires my bowels.😩. I prefer a wake n vape of fresh roasted sativa cannabis flower in the morning myself.

Cafe Cubano. Good stuff, Cubans do a great sandwich too!

dafrimpster

@qryss said:
I confess have a small roaster and do my own at home - there’s simply no way to say that without sounding like a complete tosser. My current favourite are Yirgacheffe beans from a cooperative in Ethiopia.

But in Australia we are really spoiled for choice of good roasters: The Little Marionette is one I look out for but there are dozens.

I read once that Australia has the highest ratio of espresso machines per capita in the world. No idea if that’s true but it feels like it when I travel anywhere else.

https://thelittlemarionette.com/

My wife made me a coffee snob. Just this morning she brought me a cup. I was able to identify it as Ethiopian. I love the dark taste of the Ethiopian coffees. We have a free trade coffee house here that we frequent.

hes

@CapnWillie said:
Wife’s Cuban. Occasionally, she summons this tiny archaic metal tea pot looking thingy on the stove to unleash the cutest little micro cup of the mega strongest coffee you’ve never tasted . . .

I'm guessing some kind of moka pot?:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moka_pot

Tarekith

I finally caved and bought a nice pour over set a few weeks ago. My wife is big on the French press for our morning coffees, but now that I've been having a cup in the afternoon too I like the quicker pour over method.

We have a Turkish coffee pot too which is what I think CapnWillie is referring to. I like the strong coffee those can make, but I'm too impatient to use it often.

Daveypoo

Man - using a Moka Pot is such a science it's ridiculous. I've spent the last couple years trying to master it - correct quantity of grounds, correct grind, heating up the water first, taking it off the heat right away... I've got the process down fairly solid but it's SO inconsistent. Sometimes it's great and other times it's bitter to the bejeezus - I just can't get a regular, consistent brew out of them despite a MILLION attempts.

I wanted to make sure that I knew the process as we've been in a ton of situations where that's the only way to have coffee in the morning, but now I either go out for espresso or just do pour over at home. It's simpler and delivers a far more predictable cup time over time.

The trick here is tracking down coffee filters. They exist but it's a challenge to find them.

Tarekith

These are the ones I've been using:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJBOIKM?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_JZVYWAKF225JWM7ED03N

They work good, and filter quickly too.

klownshed

@Daveypoo said:
Man - using a Moka Pot is such a science it's ridiculous. I've spent the last couple years trying to master it - correct quantity of grounds, correct grind, heating up the water first, taking it off the heat right away... I've got the process down fairly solid but it's SO inconsistent. Sometimes it's great and other times it's bitter to the bejeezus - I just can't get a regular, consistent brew out of them despite a MILLION attempts.

I wanted to make sure that I knew the process as we've been in a ton of situations where that's the only way to have coffee in the morning, but now I either go out for espresso or just do pour over at home. It's simpler and delivers a far more predictable cup time over time.

The trick here is tracking down coffee filters. They exist but it's a challenge to find them.

The way I’ve seen every Italian make a moka is the inverse to the scientific James Hoffman method.

First of all they all use pre ground coffee. Usually cheap and cheerful Lavazza. Full with cold water to the valve, fill portafilter with Lavazza, smooth don’t tamp, heat gently remove from heat when it bubbles, don’t cool it under the tap.

As there was a bar pretty much on every corner in the city, coffee was never something made at home.

But I only ever remember my family using the moka for breakfast on a Sunday when it was drunk with milk (always horrible UHT in Italy!) but only ever milk in the morning. My nonna would have kittens if we drank milk in the afternoon — bad for your digestion! But she thought a light breeze was bad for your kidneys. Hence small kids all over Italy would be wrapped up when us ‘English’ kids were overheating in a t-shirt.

I never, ever saw any grown Italian male ever drinking a cappuccino. Ever. Not even for breakfast. Breakfast for your average Italian adult when I was a kid was an Espresso, a ‘cornetto’ and about 20 cigarettes…

(All of the above relates to my experiences of summer holidays spent with relatives in the wrong parts of Tuscany about 150 years ago when I was a kid).

HotStrange

Any coffee mug collectors in the thread? I’ve probably got around 45-50 at the moment and cycle through them. I’m a sucker for a cool coffee mug.

Daveypoo

@klownshed said:
The way I’ve seen every Italian make a moka is the inverse to the scientific James Hoffman method.

First of all they all use pre ground coffee. Usually cheap and cheerful Lavazza. Full with cold water to the valve, fill portafilter with Lavazza, smooth don’t tamp, heat gently remove from heat when it bubbles, don’t cool it under the tap.

Agreed - I don't know how they drink it as it's JUST AWFUL to me when done that way. Heating up the water first ensures that you don't burn the grounds. Bitter is one thing but that burned flavor is terrible. Also not over filling the filter - you can definitely pack a lot of grounds in there if you want, but when I do it the stuff is nigh-undrinkable. I've learned to back off on the grounds to back off on the bitter. And then you have to remove it from the heat immediately as it starts to brew, again to avoid burning the grounds. Lastly, I had to accept that not all the water in the bottom would actually express through the grounds - if you try to do so, say it with me: you burn the grounds.

As there was a bar pretty much on every corner in the city, coffee was never something made at home.

This is the best solution - there are bars everywhere so if I really want good coffee, I walk for 5 minutes and pay €1

But I only ever remember my family using the moka for breakfast on a Sunday when it was drunk with milk (always horrible UHT in Italy!) but only ever milk in the morning. My nonna would have kittens if we drank milk in the afternoon — bad for your digestion! But she thought a light breeze was bad for your kidneys. Hence small kids all over Italy would be wrapped up when us ‘English’ kids were overheating in a t-shirt.

Nonna rules: No milk after 10:30/11:00a - bad for the digestion. Also, don't go swimming until at least 1 hour after you've eaten. Don't go outside without a jacket - you don't want to get colpa d'aria (hit by the air) and catch cold. So many rules.

ervin

@klownshed said:
...But she thought a light breeze was bad for your kidneys. Hence small kids all over Italy would be wrapped up when us ‘English’ kids were overheating in a t-shirt.

@Daveypoo said:
... Don't go outside without a jacket - you don't want to get colpa d'aria (hit by the air) and catch cold. So many rules.

Here's a funny article about those wonderful non-existent Italian diseases, colpa d'aria and cervicale. Also, living as an expat and mingling with various nationalities you also learn to recognise the Italian children in any country: they are the ones wearing twice as many clothes as everyone else in the playground.

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-15987082

NeuM

@HotStrange said:
Any coffee mug collectors in the thread? I’ve probably got around 45-50 at the moment and cycle through them. I’m a sucker for a cool coffee mug.

A friend of mine got a set of 4 bas relief design city mugs from Starbucks while we were traveling in China (years ago). They're very cool.

Daveypoo

@ervin I read that ages ago - thanks for the link, it's just a hilarious article.

And 100% accurate, might I add. We're constantly amazed by the folks walking around in puffy coats on those warm spring days. We are often looked at askance for our lack of jackets and scarves.

dougdi

Hooked on Cafe Du Monde coffee and chicory.

ervin

@Daveypoo said:
@ervin I read that ages ago - thanks for the link, it's just a hilarious article.

And 100% accurate, might I add. We're constantly amazed by the folks walking around in puffy coats on those warm spring days. We are often looked at askance for our lack of jackets and scarves.

This is a fantastic area of research. Most of Europe, from Norway to Bulgaria, just dresses for the weather. The Italians dress to the calendar: until the sacred day of cambio comes and they can (and also must) switch from cold-weather wardrobe to warm-weather wardrobe they will go out wearing feather jackets in a heatwave, because rules.

And at the other end of the spectrum you have the English, of course, who never seem to have settled on a common understanding of what clothing is for. This produces a fantastic spectrum from the snazziest commuter trains with half the men wearing proper suits and shirts, to the same men thinking that football team shirts are somehow acceptable streetwear for grown-up males, to high-school girls who only carry their coats on their arms as accessories, to real outliers running around in barefoot flip-flops and long fur coats in April when both items are equally unsuitable.

Ailerom

I am not a snob but I like what I like. I really only drink Oxfam Fair Trade coffee. It seems like a good choice for a variety of reasons.

https://faircoffee.com.au/

Daveypoo

@ervin When I first moved from the East Coast of the US to Northern California, I couldn't understand why so many people wore hoodies & winter hats with shorts and sandals. But after living there for 20 years I found myself sporting the same outfit. Something about warm days with a cool breeze off the Pacific begs this odd combo.

People are funny...

Anyway - back to coffee talk!

jolico

I thought I was a coffee connoisseur with my tassimo caramel latte macchiato.
😂

rs2000

@Daveypoo said:

@klownshed said:
The way I’ve seen every Italian make a moka is the inverse to the scientific James Hoffman method.

First of all they all use pre ground coffee. Usually cheap and cheerful Lavazza. Full with cold water to the valve, fill portafilter with Lavazza, smooth don’t tamp, heat gently remove from heat when it bubbles, don’t cool it under the tap.

Agreed - I don't know how they drink it as it's JUST AWFUL to me when done that way. Heating up the water first ensures that you don't burn the grounds. Bitter is one thing but that burned flavor is terrible. Also not over filling the filter - you can definitely pack a lot of grounds in there if you want, but when I do it the stuff is nigh-undrinkable. I've learned to back off on the grounds to back off on the bitter. And then you have to remove it from the heat immediately as it starts to brew, again to avoid burning the grounds. Lastly, I had to accept that not all the water in the bottom would actually express through the grounds - if you try to do so, say it with me: you burn the grounds.

Before I got a "proper" Espresso machine, I've used this one with fairly consistent results and no "burnt" taste...
(It's a "Brikka" from Bialetti, they come in different sizes and make better crema than the classic pots)

I know it's totally not the classic way or preparing it and I'd hesitate to ever show that a native Italian but here's how I've used it:

• I've started with Lavazza Crema e Gusto (70% Robusta, 30% Arabica), later switched to a darker roast, milled fresh. Make sure you do a relatively coarse grind, not as fine as what you'd need in a modern espresso machine with pump
• Heat up the hotplate
• The amount of coffee filled into the Moka pot sieve makes quite a difference. Too little and you don't get that fine taste and crema, too much and the coffee may burn because the brew takes too long
• Use kitchen/oven gloves, hold the bottom of the pot, pour in cooking hot water to the fill line, insert the sieve with coffee and screw on the top
• Immediately put it on the hotplate. It won't take long until the espresso is done.

I know that sounds a little laborious but basically the only difference I made is to use hot water and a pre-heated hotplate right from the start so the coffee will have no chance to burn.
It's also faster than the traditional method.

ervin

@ervin said:

@krassmann said:

@klownshed said:

@rs2000 said:

@NeuM said:
You know, some of the best coffee I've ever had was in Italy at their roadside refueling stations, which they call "Autogrill". Absolutely delicious.

Confirmed!
And you'll never get that taste with 100% Arabica.
But marketing seems to be more powerful than taste, although taste is a subjective thing of course.

If you go to any bar in Italy and ask for a coffee you get an espresso. That's fine by me and that is what set my expectations :-)

My dad was Italian so my preference for coffee is Italian style espresso. I find the lighter roast 'specialty coffee' to be far too acidic and bright (and thin textured) for my taste. I like the darker roast Italian blends with Robusta to get that lovely thick velvety texture and crema. I prefer my coffee to me more bitter than acidic.

I mainly just drink espresso. I like the morning ritual/get the kids breakfast, grind some beans and make a nice strong double to start the day.

Growing up in the UK, coffee is usually on a scale from undrinkable to absolutely terrible As a kid if you went to anybody else's house, they'd crack out the Nescafe as it was the 'fancy' coffee. :-/

Any coffee that stars with "Nes" is just plain bad. Nestle are to coffee what McDonalds are to fine dining.

The results of these Nespresso machines are much better than any of these fully automatic machines. In Germany you find them quite often as office machines as they have a low maintenance but the waste is insane. At home I would always recommend to buy a portafilter machine. There is quite a decent and cheap one, the DeLonghi EC 685. It is usually about 150 EUR. It has such a stupid fake crema valve but you can remove it and use a normal portafilter sieve. It has the same Ulka pumps as expensive machines. Together with a good grinder you can get a really decent espresso from a setup below 350 EUR. Not exceptional but decent and much better than any Nespresso BS where you pay even more in the long run for these capsules.

For my everyday coffee I use Lavazza Crema e Aroma for 10 EUR/kilo which I find an extremely good value for the money: https://www.amazon.de/Lavazza-Crema-Aroma-1er-Pack/dp/B000FWHWGS

For special occasions I love to buy Manaresi Rosso (20% Robusta) or Manaresi Marrone (40% Robusta) which is about 18-20 EUR/kilo. It has a lot of that full bodied chocolate aromas like in northern Italy coffee bars.

Thanks for the tip, mate, I'll give the Rosso a try (website seems to say it's half/half, not 20% robusta btw)

Update: the Rosso arrived this morning. It's really very good. Thanks again, @krassmann

u0421793

https://twitter.com/rhindmarsh89/status/1470689691959795716

JeffChasteen

@Montreal_Music said:
My little piece of advice: coffee is 98% water. So I have a filter for my water and YES, it makes a real difference.

This is the best filter I found (more expensive than Brita, but remove more crap in your water):

This is the most important step.

krassmann

@ervin said:

@ervin said:

@krassmann said:

@klownshed said:

@rs2000 said:

@NeuM said:
You know, some of the best coffee I've ever had was in Italy at their roadside refueling stations, which they call "Autogrill". Absolutely delicious.

Confirmed!
And you'll never get that taste with 100% Arabica.
But marketing seems to be more powerful than taste, although taste is a subjective thing of course.

If you go to any bar in Italy and ask for a coffee you get an espresso. That's fine by me and that is what set my expectations :-)

My dad was Italian so my preference for coffee is Italian style espresso. I find the lighter roast 'specialty coffee' to be far too acidic and bright (and thin textured) for my taste. I like the darker roast Italian blends with Robusta to get that lovely thick velvety texture and crema. I prefer my coffee to me more bitter than acidic.

I mainly just drink espresso. I like the morning ritual/get the kids breakfast, grind some beans and make a nice strong double to start the day.

Growing up in the UK, coffee is usually on a scale from undrinkable to absolutely terrible As a kid if you went to anybody else's house, they'd crack out the Nescafe as it was the 'fancy' coffee. :-/

Any coffee that stars with "Nes" is just plain bad. Nestle are to coffee what McDonalds are to fine dining.

The results of these Nespresso machines are much better than any of these fully automatic machines. In Germany you find them quite often as office machines as they have a low maintenance but the waste is insane. At home I would always recommend to buy a portafilter machine. There is quite a decent and cheap one, the DeLonghi EC 685. It is usually about 150 EUR. It has such a stupid fake crema valve but you can remove it and use a normal portafilter sieve. It has the same Ulka pumps as expensive machines. Together with a good grinder you can get a really decent espresso from a setup below 350 EUR. Not exceptional but decent and much better than any Nespresso BS where you pay even more in the long run for these capsules.

For my everyday coffee I use Lavazza Crema e Aroma for 10 EUR/kilo which I find an extremely good value for the money: https://www.amazon.de/Lavazza-Crema-Aroma-1er-Pack/dp/B000FWHWGS

For special occasions I love to buy Manaresi Rosso (20% Robusta) or Manaresi Marrone (40% Robusta) which is about 18-20 EUR/kilo. It has a lot of that full bodied chocolate aromas like in northern Italy coffee bars.

Thanks for the tip, mate, I'll give the Rosso a try (website seems to say it's half/half, not 20% robusta btw)

Update: the Rosso arrived this morning. It's really very good. Thanks again, @krassmann

Great that you like it. It’s an industrial roast, but one of the better ones. I also ordered one for Easter. And I think you are right about the robusta. From the taste it must be more than 20%. Probably my merchant got it wrong on their website. Cheers.

krassmann

@u0421793 said:

https://twitter.com/rhindmarsh89/status/1470689691959795716

In Italy there is caffè corretto, which is espresso with grappa. I think it means an honest coffee. Also really nice, especially after dinner.

HotStrange

@NeuM said:

@HotStrange said:
Any coffee mug collectors in the thread? I’ve probably got around 45-50 at the moment and cycle through them. I’m a sucker for a cool coffee mug.

A friend of mine got a set of 4 bas relief design city mugs from Starbucks while we were traveling in China (years ago). They're very cool.

That’s awesome! The best mugs have a cool story.

krassmann

@rs2000 said:

@Daveypoo said:

@klownshed said:
The way I’ve seen every Italian make a moka is the inverse to the scientific James Hoffman method.

First of all they all use pre ground coffee. Usually cheap and cheerful Lavazza. Full with cold water to the valve, fill portafilter with Lavazza, smooth don’t tamp, heat gently remove from heat when it bubbles, don’t cool it under the tap.

Agreed - I don't know how they drink it as it's JUST AWFUL to me when done that way. Heating up the water first ensures that you don't burn the grounds. Bitter is one thing but that burned flavor is terrible. Also not over filling the filter - you can definitely pack a lot of grounds in there if you want, but when I do it the stuff is nigh-undrinkable. I've learned to back off on the grounds to back off on the bitter. And then you have to remove it from the heat immediately as it starts to brew, again to avoid burning the grounds. Lastly, I had to accept that not all the water in the bottom would actually express through the grounds - if you try to do so, say it with me: you burn the grounds.

Before I got a "proper" Espresso machine, I've used this one with fairly consistent results and no "burnt" taste...
(It's a "Brikka" from Bialetti, they come in different sizes and make better crema than the classic pots)

I know it's totally not the classic way or preparing it and I'd hesitate to ever show that a native Italian but here's how I've used it:

• I've started with Lavazza Crema e Gusto (70% Robusta, 30% Arabica), later switched to a darker roast, milled fresh. Make sure you do a relatively coarse grind, not as fine as what you'd need in a modern espresso machine with pump
• Heat up the hotplate
• The amount of coffee filled into the Moka pot sieve makes quite a difference. Too little and you don't get that fine taste and crema, too much and the coffee may burn because the brew takes too long
• Use kitchen/oven gloves, hold the bottom of the pot, pour in cooking hot water to the fill line, insert the sieve with coffee and screw on the top
• Immediately put it on the hotplate. It won't take long until the espresso is done.

I know that sounds a little laborious but basically the only difference I made is to use hot water and a pre-heated hotplate right from the start so the coffee will have no chance to burn.
It's also faster than the traditional method.

Wow, what a nice Moka pot. Never seen that before. When I have a lot of guests it just takes too long to make an espresso for everyone and then I’m doing a Moka. Also nothing beats enjoying a freshly brewed Moka in front of your tent when camping. But my brewing never produces crema. I have to try this pot and your method. Thank you!

krassmann

Isn’t that a cool design?

rs2000

A fun design indeed @krassmann
BTW, that Brikka pot has a little weight on top, keeping the steam tube closed until the pressure is high enough. I guess that's part of why it makes a better crema.

ervin

@krassmann said:

@rs2000 said:

@Daveypoo said:

@klownshed said:
The way I’ve seen every Italian make a moka is the inverse to the scientific James Hoffman method.

First of all they all use pre ground coffee. Usually cheap and cheerful Lavazza. Full with cold water to the valve, fill portafilter with Lavazza, smooth don’t tamp, heat gently remove from heat when it bubbles, don’t cool it under the tap.

Agreed - I don't know how they drink it as it's JUST AWFUL to me when done that way. Heating up the water first ensures that you don't burn the grounds. Bitter is one thing but that burned flavor is terrible. Also not over filling the filter - you can definitely pack a lot of grounds in there if you want, but when I do it the stuff is nigh-undrinkable. I've learned to back off on the grounds to back off on the bitter. And then you have to remove it from the heat immediately as it starts to brew, again to avoid burning the grounds. Lastly, I had to accept that not all the water in the bottom would actually express through the grounds - if you try to do so, say it with me: you burn the grounds.

Before I got a "proper" Espresso machine, I've used this one with fairly consistent results and no "burnt" taste...
(It's a "Brikka" from Bialetti, they come in different sizes and make better crema than the classic pots)

I know it's totally not the classic way or preparing it and I'd hesitate to ever show that a native Italian but here's how I've used it:

• I've started with Lavazza Crema e Gusto (70% Robusta, 30% Arabica), later switched to a darker roast, milled fresh. Make sure you do a relatively coarse grind, not as fine as what you'd need in a modern espresso machine with pump
• Heat up the hotplate
• The amount of coffee filled into the Moka pot sieve makes quite a difference. Too little and you don't get that fine taste and crema, too much and the coffee may burn because the brew takes too long
• Use kitchen/oven gloves, hold the bottom of the pot, pour in cooking hot water to the fill line, insert the sieve with coffee and screw on the top
• Immediately put it on the hotplate. It won't take long until the espresso is done.

I know that sounds a little laborious but basically the only difference I made is to use hot water and a pre-heated hotplate right from the start so the coffee will have no chance to burn.
It's also faster than the traditional method.

Wow, what a nice Moka pot. Never seen that before. When I have a lot of guests it just takes too long to make an espresso for everyone and then I’m doing a Moka. Also nothing beats enjoying a freshly brewed Moka in front of your tent when camping. But my brewing never produces crema. I have to try this pot and your method. Thank you!

I can confirm it's a fun thing with that extra crema-producing cap. In fairness, I'm a bit lame in producing consistent results with it though 🥴

evnjim

Yeah - but I feel like my snobbiness goes way deeper than others in this thread but stems from working for small indie roasters and shops through my 20s. Practiced towards competing in the SCA for a few years too!

Changing careers meant ultimately moving to a work from home job, where I honed my pour-over, and then got further down the rabbit hole doing some chemical analysis on coffee during Covid!

Had to take a break, and haven’t touched a drop of coffee (or alcohol for that matter) since January first! Getting pretty into tea tho…