The other adult beverage.....
 

On Jan 11, 12:01 pm, Conan The Librarian wrote:
wrote:
Just wished you'd put a decent edge on the cutters before
you sent 'em :-)

Hmmm ... you mean the nickers? I could have sworn I sharpened the
blades on those long ago.

Chuck Vance (of course you could just send the planes back to me
so I could sharpen them for you)

Nah, I was just yanking your chain. Those suckers- cutters and
nickers- are sharper than razors. Cross grain white oak? No
problem! :-) The first few dadoes I was taking these nice wispy cuts,
just because I could. The last 10 I set the blade with a little more
depth to hog it out a little faster and the plane didn't balk at all.
Nice.

Bill

The other adult beverage.....
 

Aside from peanuts, one specific type of bean you might try is the
"peaberry" coffee bean. Your standard bean comes, I believe, two to a
husk. The peaberry, on the other hand, is the only bean in the husk/
pod. Its smaller and round (hence the "pea" berry name). This bean
has tons more flavor than any other I've ever tasted. Give it a shot.
When I married my bride, I would just dump a teaspoon of Sanka
crystals in a cup of hot water. My coffee tastebuds had been
destroyed by mid-shift, burnt urn coffee, so the Sanka was a big step
up.
Now, my bride has dragged me up from the depths of coffee epicures to
fresh ground (i.e. she buys bulk beans and grinds them as she makes
the pot up for me) coffee with well-filtered water (this, I believe is
one of the keys) that has had a chance to set open overnight, reducing
the clorine levels.
Granted, I'm not up to the levels of roasting my own beans yet, then
again, with the new house and kitchen on the way, I may soon have an
opportunity.
Frank Reid

The other adult beverage.....
 

The other adult beverage.....
 

On Jan 11, 6:12 pm, "Wolfgang" wrote:

I had a simple steam pressure machine. Worked well and I got good
coffee.

May be of interest;

http://www.cooklikeaprofessional.com/espresso.html

http://www.sallys-place.com/beverage...so_machine.htm

MC

The other adult beverage.....
 

"Frank Reid" wrote in message
...
Aside from peanuts, one specific type of bean you might try is the
"peaberry" coffee bean. Your standard bean comes, I believe, two to a
husk. The peaberry, on the other hand, is the only bean in the husk/
pod. Its smaller and round (hence the "pea" berry name). This bean
has tons more flavor than any other I've ever tasted. Give it a shot.

Yeah, I've been reading a bit about peaberries. Definitely on my list.

When I married my bride, I would just dump a teaspoon of Sanka
crystals in a cup of hot water. My coffee tastebuds had been
destroyed by mid-shift, burnt urn coffee, so the Sanka was a big step
up.

It's been a long time since I subjected myself to "instant coffee".....but I
remember. It's hard to imagine anything so wretched that instant would be a
step up. :)

Now, my bride has dragged me up from the depths of coffee epicures to
fresh ground (i.e. she buys bulk beans and grinds them as she makes
the pot up for me) coffee with well-filtered water (this, I believe is
one of the keys) that has had a chance to set open overnight, reducing
the clorine levels.

I haven't quite gone so far as filtering the water or allowing the chlorine
to outgas......yet. We'll see.

Granted, I'm not up to the levels of roasting my own beans yet, then
again, with the new house and kitchen on the way, I may soon have an
opportunity.

Give it a try. I think you'll like the results and, if you just roast some
in a pan you don't need to worry about a significant cash outlay.

However, I have to stress once again that roasting coffee creates a very
powerful aroma! When I got home from work yesterday, twelve hours after
roasting in the early morning, the apartment still reeked of it. Henceforth
(at least until open window season) I'll be doing it out on the porch.

Wolfgang

The other adult beverage.....
 

"Steve" wrote in message
ews.com...
On Fri, 11 Jan 2008 09:34:48 -0800 (PST), Mike
wrote:

May be of interest;

http://www.cooklikeaprofessional.com/espresso.html

From their page:
"A pump espresso machine, on the other hand, has a boiler that heats
the water to 85-90 degrees - the ideal temperature for espresso"
Um, they did a booboo.

Hm.....

Celsius?

Wolfgang

The other adult beverage.....
 

"Steve" wrote in message
ews.com...
On Fri, 11 Jan 2008 08:04:41 -0800 (PST), wrote:

Moka pressures are only slighty above
atmospheric.

It's not steam pressure that forces the water through the grounds but
air pressure. Air will expand at temps far lower than 212 degrees.

Air will expand as soon as the temperature begins to increase. Assuming the
vessel is tightly sealed (as it must be for expanding air to force the water
to move) how do you keep all the water from being forced out before it gets
hot?

Wolfgang

The other adult beverage.....
 

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...

Now, my bride has dragged me up from the depths of coffee epicures to
fresh ground (i.e. she buys bulk beans and grinds them as she makes
the pot up for me) coffee with well-filtered water (this, I believe is
one of the keys) that has had a chance to set open overnight, reducing
the clorine levels.

I haven't quite gone so far as filtering the water or allowing the
chlorine to outgas......yet. We'll see.


Wolfgang


No need to filter, because as you bring the H20 to near boil, the
chlorine will evaporate. Or just use spring water sold in the local
supermarkets. 89 cents a gal.

We visit Peets once a week and only buy 1/4 lb. bag of whole bean.
I always ask when they're expecting their weekly shipment.
Their min. size for sale is 1/4 lb. plus they will give you a free cup
of coffee, sometimes they forget to ask you that, you'll have to remind them
for the freebie.
-tom

The other adult beverage.....
 

"Steve" wrote in message
ews.com...
On Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:03:22 -0600, "Wolfgang"
wrote:

Celsius?

Has to be, but the correct range is 88 - 96.

85-90......88-96

I may or may not ever have made espresso myself (there are entire days in my
life that I no longer remember with absolute clarity) but the difference
here appears to my admittedly inexperienced eye to be well within a
reasonable range for normal disagreement. Or is there some critical factor
I'm not aware of?

Wolfgang

The other adult beverage.....
 

"Steve" wrote in message
ews.com...
On Fri, 11 Jan 2008 10:20:37 -0800, "Tom Nakashima"
wrote:

We visit Peets once a week and only buy 1/4 lb. bag of whole bean.

If you're ever down in Santa Clara drop by Barefoot Coffee Roasters,
(Take the Lawrence Expressway/Stevens Creek exit from Highway 280). I
think you would like them.

I've heard of Barefoot, haven't been there yet.
There are a couple good ones in the area.
Los Gatos roasting co.
Almaden roasting co.
Orchard Valley Coffee house in Campbell.
Of course all of these are a hit or miss, and to avoid disappointment we
just brew our own. Plus just can't see paying $$ for "cult coffee" and
watching the WiFi crowd.
At least our brew of plain black is consistent and relaxing.
-tom

The other adult beverage.....
 

"Tom Nakashima" wrote in message
...

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...

Now, my bride has dragged me up from the depths of coffee epicures to
fresh ground (i.e. she buys bulk beans and grinds them as she makes
the pot up for me) coffee with well-filtered water (this, I believe is
one of the keys) that has had a chance to set open overnight, reducing
the clorine levels.

I haven't quite gone so far as filtering the water or allowing the
chlorine to outgas......yet. We'll see.


Wolfgang


No need to filter, because as you bring the H20 to near boil, the
chlorine will evaporate.

All things take time. Evaporation, necessarily, only occurs at the
air/water interface or "meniscus," if you will. No expert on fluid dynamics
myself, but I suspect that complete elimination of chlorine from a liter of
water (or thereabouts) in the time it takes to brew a pot of coffee ain't
gonna happen.

Or just use spring water sold in the local supermarkets. 89 cents a gal.

Or just let the tap water sit out overnight.

We visit Peets once a week and only buy 1/4 lb. bag of whole bean.
I always ask when they're expecting their weekly shipment.
Their min. size for sale is 1/4 lb.

A quick check confirms that the nearest Peet's store to me is in Evanston,
Illinois......about 83 miles from here. Looking briefly at their website, I
find no evidence that they sell green beans. The Coffee Project, on the
other hand, definitely sells the green beans and they ship from two
locations, somewhere in southern California which, admittedly, is a longer
ride than Evanston, and Muskego, Wisconsin. I can't quite hit Muskego with
a rock from here, but I can get there in the time it takes to finish a good
hot cup of freshly roasted and brewed coffee. And, anyway, the brown truck
can get here (with green beans) by tomorrow if I order today.

plus they will give you a free cup of coffee, sometimes
they forget to ask you that, you'll have to remind them
for the freebie.

Well, I DO drift down toward the Chicago area once in a while. Next time I
find myself in Evanston...... :)

Thanks.

Wolfgang

The other adult beverage.....
 

"Steve" wrote in message
ews.com...
On Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:40:08 -0600, "Wolfgang"
wrote:

I may or may not ever have made espresso myself (there are entire days in
my
life that I no longer remember with absolute clarity) but the difference
here appears to my admittedly inexperienced eye to be well within a
reasonable range for normal disagreement. Or is there some critical
factor
I'm not aware of?

Well, it's more of a dictum. The Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano

Good God! There's an Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano??!!

states:

...Exit temperature of water from the unit 88°C ± 2°C...

Hm....

88-2 = 86
88+2 = 90

Neither of the two proposed temperature ranges, 85-90......88-96, quite hits
the mark. But one is certainly closer than the other.

It's like the AFTM numbers. If the first 10 yards weigh 140 +/- 6
grains, it's a 5 weight, period.
If it weighs 148 grains, what does it become?

Um.....something that would fall short of achieving the wholehearted
endorsement of the Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano, I presume.
:)

Wolfgang

The other adult beverage.....
 

On Jan 11, 6:57 pm, Steve wrote:
On Fri, 11 Jan 2008 09:34:48 -0800 (PST), Mike

wrote:
May be of interest;

http://www.cooklikeaprofessional.com/espresso.html

From their page:
"A pump espresso machine, on the other hand, has a boiler that heats
the water to 85-90 degrees - the ideal temperature for espresso"
Um, they did a booboo.

I am sure they mean °C ( Celsius)

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=782224

MC

The other adult beverage.....
 

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...

"Tom Nakashima" wrote in message
...

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...

Now, my bride has dragged me up from the depths of coffee epicures to
fresh ground (i.e. she buys bulk beans and grinds them as she makes
the pot up for me) coffee with well-filtered water (this, I believe is
one of the keys) that has had a chance to set open overnight, reducing
the clorine levels.

I haven't quite gone so far as filtering the water or allowing the
chlorine to outgas......yet. We'll see.


Wolfgang


No need to filter, because as you bring the H20 to near boil, the
chlorine will evaporate.

All things take time. Evaporation, necessarily, only occurs at the
air/water interface or "meniscus," if you will. No expert on fluid
dynamics myself, but I suspect that complete elimination of chlorine from
a liter of water (or thereabouts) in the time it takes to brew a pot of
coffee ain't gonna happen.

Not sure what percentage of chlorine is in tap water, but I'm sure it's a
very small amount (millionths per?)....at least not enough to kill you (I
think) or detect with your tastebuds as you bring it to a near boil.


Or just use spring water sold in the local supermarkets. 89 cents a gal.

Or just let the tap water sit out overnight.

We visit Peets once a week and only buy 1/4 lb. bag of whole bean.
I always ask when they're expecting their weekly shipment.
Their min. size for sale is 1/4 lb.

A quick check confirms that the nearest Peet's store to me is in Evanston,
Illinois......about 83 miles from here. Looking briefly at their website,
I find no evidence that they sell green beans. The Coffee Project, on the
other hand, definitely sells the green beans and they ship from two
locations, somewhere in southern California which, admittedly, is a longer
ride than Evanston, and Muskego, Wisconsin. I can't quite hit Muskego
with a rock from here, but I can get there in the time it takes to
finish a good hot cup of freshly roasted and brewed coffee. And, anyway,
the brown truck can get here (with green beans) by tomorrow if I order
today.

A lot of folks have use mail order...3-day air.
Unless you're ordering kilos of Columbian blend through Juan Valdez.


plus they will give you a free cup of coffee, sometimes
they forget to ask you that, you'll have to remind them
for the freebie.

Well, I DO drift down toward the Chicago area once in a while. Next time
I find myself in Evanston...... :)

Thanks.

Wolfgang

The other adult beverage.....
 

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...
So, while I appreciate discussions of the fine points and the arcana of
food and beverages (it's probably no secret that I love spending time in
the kitchen), and such talk is never out of place in any setting (ya gotta
stop fishing to eat and drink once in a while, right?), I've never really
been a great fan of hard liquors. I don't mind that talk of various
single malt whiskies crops up here from time to time, but it doesn't
resonate for me. Beer, I know something about, having sampled more than my
share and even brewed a bunch of my own for a few years, but I can't drink
it anymore.....gives me a headache every time. Wine, I like, but I've
found that I'm not interested enough to spend the time and money needed to
learn about it in depth. Besides, the ten dollar a box stuff works well
enough for my daily needs with supper.

No, my concern is really more for the other end of the day. For years now
(many years) I have been dissatisfied with the pitiful trash that passes
for coffee in this country. I've always known, of course, that something
can be done about it but never got around to doing it. That just changed.

One day last week, Becky stopped by with some freshly roasted and ground
Colombian caranavi. It got lost under a heap of something or other for a
day or two and then I brewed up a pot when it turned up again. Hey, this
is GOOD! Becky says talk to my dad, he sent me the roaster and a bunch of
coffee for Christmas. Becky's father has been roasting his own coffee for
25 or 30 years. He'd talked to me about it a couple of years ago but at
that time it just sounded like too much to get into in a life already
crowded with many other things. But now I'd tasted the result. It was
time to talk to Rodger again. So, Friday night I talked to him for about
an hour and ended up going he

http://coffeeproject.com/index.html

and ordering a roaster and a couple of pounds of coffee, Ethiopian harrar
and something listed just as Bolivian shade grown organic (I wanted the
caranavi but apparently it's only sold bundled with other things in some
sort of sampler).

This morning I roasted and brewed my first pot of the harrar. WOW! :)

Anyway, I've done a bit of research on line in the past couple of
days....there is a ton of stuff about coffee. But I'm wondering if anyone
else here has played with this and if so, I'd appreciate hearing about
your experiences, preferences, etc. If not, any true coffee lover should
definitely look into the do it yourself thing.

Wolfgang

The other adult beverage.....
 

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...
So, while I appreciate discussions of the fine points and the arcana of
food and beverages (it's probably no secret that I love spending time in
the kitchen), and such talk is never out of place in any setting (ya gotta
stop fishing to eat and drink once in a while, right?), I've never really
been a great fan of hard liquors. I don't mind that talk of various
single malt whiskies crops up here from time to time, but it doesn't
resonate for me. Beer, I know something about, having sampled more than my
share and even brewed a bunch of my own for a few years, but I can't drink
it anymore.....gives me a headache every time. Wine, I like, but I've
found that I'm not interested enough to spend the time and money needed to
learn about it in depth. Besides, the ten dollar a box stuff works well
enough for my daily needs with supper.

No, my concern is really more for the other end of the day. For years now
(many years) I have been dissatisfied with the pitiful trash that passes
for coffee in this country. I've always known, of course, that something
can be done about it but never got around to doing it. That just changed.

One day last week, Becky stopped by with some freshly roasted and ground
Colombian caranavi. It got lost under a heap of something or other for a
day or two and then I brewed up a pot when it turned up again. Hey, this
is GOOD! Becky says talk to my dad, he sent me the roaster and a bunch of
coffee for Christmas. Becky's father has been roasting his own coffee for
25 or 30 years. He'd talked to me about it a couple of years ago but at
that time it just sounded like too much to get into in a life already
crowded with many other things. But now I'd tasted the result. It was
time to talk to Rodger again. So, Friday night I talked to him for about
an hour and ended up going he

http://coffeeproject.com/index.html

and ordering a roaster and a couple of pounds of coffee, Ethiopian harrar
and something listed just as Bolivian shade grown organic (I wanted the
caranavi but apparently it's only sold bundled with other things in some
sort of sampler).

This morning I roasted and brewed my first pot of the harrar. WOW! :)

Anyway, I've done a bit of research on line in the past couple of
days....there is a ton of stuff about coffee. But I'm wondering if anyone
else here has played with this and if so, I'd appreciate hearing about
your experiences, preferences, etc. If not, any true coffee lover should
definitely look into the do it yourself thing.

Wolfgang




Coffee ? ...................you sissy........

The other adult beverage.....
 

Edmond Dantes wrote in message
...

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...
So, while I appreciate discussions of the fine points and the arcana of
food and beverages (it's probably no secret that I love spending time in
the kitchen), and such talk is never out of place in any setting (ya
gotta stop fishing to eat and drink once in a while, right?), I've never
really been a great fan of hard liquors. I don't mind that talk of
various single malt whiskies crops up here from time to time, but it
doesn't resonate for me. Beer, I know something about, having sampled
more than my share and even brewed a bunch of my own for a few years, but
I can't drink it anymore.....gives me a headache every time. Wine, I
like, but I've found that I'm not interested enough to spend the time and
money needed to learn about it in depth. Besides, the ten dollar a box
stuff works well enough for my daily needs with supper.

No, my concern is really more for the other end of the day. For years
now (many years) I have been dissatisfied with the pitiful trash that
passes for coffee in this country. I've always known, of course, that
something can be done about it but never got around to doing it. That
just changed.

One day last week, Becky stopped by with some freshly roasted and ground
Colombian caranavi. It got lost under a heap of something or other for a
day or two and then I brewed up a pot when it turned up again. Hey, this
is GOOD! Becky says talk to my dad, he sent me the roaster and a bunch
of coffee for Christmas. Becky's father has been roasting his own coffee
for 25 or 30 years. He'd talked to me about it a couple of years ago but
at that time it just sounded like too much to get into in a life already
crowded with many other things. But now I'd tasted the result. It was
time to talk to Rodger again. So, Friday night I talked to him for about
an hour and ended up going he

http://coffeeproject.com/index.html

and ordering a roaster and a couple of pounds of coffee, Ethiopian harrar
and something listed just as Bolivian shade grown organic (I wanted the
caranavi but apparently it's only sold bundled with other things in some
sort of sampler).

This morning I roasted and brewed my first pot of the harrar. WOW! :)

Anyway, I've done a bit of research on line in the past couple of
days....there is a ton of stuff about coffee. But I'm wondering if
anyone else here has played with this and if so, I'd appreciate hearing
about your experiences, preferences, etc. If not, any true coffee lover
should definitely look into the do it yourself thing.

Wolfgang




Coffee ? ...................you sissy........

Dumbass.

Wolfgang

The other adult beverage.....
 

On Jan 11, 10:10 am, Steve wrote:

It's not steam pressure that forces the water through the grounds but
air pressure. Air will expand at temps far lower than 212 degrees.

Now it's getting fun ;-) Let's say initial air temp is 20C, heated to
90C. That's 70C delta. Expansion should be proportional to temp,
relative to abs. zero. So each added degree would add 1/(273+20)
fraction of volume. My calculator says 70/293 is about .24, or 1/4. So
it would take four cups of air to push one cup water out by the time
90C is reached. Do those contraptions have that much air space? As
Wolfgang noted, this expansion doesn't wait until the water is 90C, it
happens all the way up the temp scale, so I'd think it'd be "better"
to wait and let the steam pressure push the water.

Jon.

The other adult beverage.....
 

A lot of folks have use mail order...3-day air.
Unless you're ordering kilos of Columbian blend through Juan Valdez.

Hmm, kilos of Columbian by 3-day air? No wonder Starbucks makes such
huge profits.

Frank Reid

The other adult beverage.....
 

wrote in message
...
On Jan 11, 10:10 am, Steve wrote:

It's not steam pressure that forces the water through the grounds but
air pressure. Air will expand at temps far lower than 212 degrees.

Now it's getting fun ;-) Let's say initial air temp is 20C, heated to
90C. That's 70C delta. Expansion should be proportional to temp,
relative to abs. zero. So each added degree would add 1/(273+20)
fraction of volume. My calculator says 70/293 is about .24, or 1/4. So
it would take four cups of air to push one cup water out by the time
90C is reached. Do those contraptions have that much air space?

Yeah, that sounded a little fishy to me, too.

As
Wolfgang noted, this expansion doesn't wait until the water is 90C, it
happens all the way up the temp scale, so I'd think it'd be "better"
to wait and let the steam pressure push the water.

Agreed, bearing in mind that Wolfgang also noted that one doesn't need to
bring the full volume (or anything near that much) to boiling temp, and that
pressure is relieved by the water moving through and out of the system,
thereby mooting any supposed notable increase in the boiling temperature.

Wolfgang

The other adult beverage.....
 

Conan The Librarian wrote:
wrote:

On Jan 11, 9:27 am, Conan The Librarian wrote:

Did you ever get one of those little Ikea espresso maker thingies
like I had at my campsite?


Not only do they make a good cuppa fairly quickly but they are also
pretty light in weight- the cast aluminum ones anyhow.


Is this the one?: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80080535

I've got a
medium sized one that lives in my car-camping equipment box, but it's
been known to sneak its way into my backpack for away-from-the-car
trips as well. The small amount of extra weight is worth it! (For
me, that is. Tom N's packing list impresses me, but I need at least a
FEW niceties on the trail!)


Trail? Oh, you mean where you actually carry all the stuff on your
back and *then* set up camp.

I used to do that too. These days I have a slightly different
definition for "roughing it".


Chuck Vance (just ask Jeff and Wolfgang)

well, i reckon i'd be required to concede it wasn't quite as well
appointed as a sheraton or marriott... but it wasn't far off the mark.
the bartender was a nice touch. next time, perhaps a masseuse too?

jeff

The other adult beverage.....
 

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...
Peanuts, sure. What other beans does one roast?

I guess most nuts are fruits as opposed to beans....so, you have me
thereg. That whole botanical classification thing was the culprit behind
botany being my only Biology
"B" as an undergrad....well, that, and the fact that it was the third of
three straight one-hour lectures on Mon, Weds and Friday mornings, and my
caffeine buzz had worn off by then. At any rate, roasting coffee seems an
interesting process, and, hot damn if we didn't all have a 100-plus post
discourse without folks being called idiots, morons and the like!!! Woo-hoo!
Tom

The other adult beverage.....
 

Tom Littleton wrote:
"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...
Peanuts, sure. What other beans does one roast?

I guess most nuts are fruits as opposed to beans....

Given that coffee beans are fruits too, the question might better
be what other berries does one roast?

The other adult beverage.....
 

On Jan 11, 11:57 pm, JR wrote:

Given that coffee beans are fruits too, the question might better
be what other berries does one roast?

I know a few people who have roasted, ground, and brewed various
fruit kernels. Notably cherry stones, plum and apricot kernels. The
result tastes "interesting". There was quite a lot of talk about some
ground kernels being effective against some forms of cancer, based
largely on the fact that in a particular place, where people eat a lot
of them, hardly anybody suffers from cancer, and many live long
healthy lives. ( Hunza people Pakistan, see below, and also Inuit, who
also eat large quantities of B17 [but not as apricot kernels of
course] hardly ever get cancer in any form).

http://www.anticancerinfo.co.uk/summary.htm

http://www.anticancerinfo.co.uk/why.htm

http://www.regenerativenutrition.com/content.asp?id=79

MC

The other adult beverage.....
 

In article ,
"Wolfgang" wrote:

Edmond Dantes wrote in message
...

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...
So, while I appreciate discussions of the fine points and the arcana of
food and beverages (it's probably no secret that I love spending time in
the kitchen), and such talk is never out of place in any setting (ya
gotta stop fishing to eat and drink once in a while, right?), I've never
really been a great fan of hard liquors. I don't mind that talk of
various single malt whiskies crops up here from time to time, but it
doesn't resonate for me. Beer, I know something about, having sampled
more than my share and even brewed a bunch of my own for a few years, but
I can't drink it anymore.....gives me a headache every time. Wine, I
like, but I've found that I'm not interested enough to spend the time and
money needed to learn about it in depth. Besides, the ten dollar a box
stuff works well enough for my daily needs with supper.

No, my concern is really more for the other end of the day. For years
now (many years) I have been dissatisfied with the pitiful trash that
passes for coffee in this country. I've always known, of course, that
something can be done about it but never got around to doing it. That
just changed.

One day last week, Becky stopped by with some freshly roasted and ground
Colombian caranavi. It got lost under a heap of something or other for a
day or two and then I brewed up a pot when it turned up again. Hey, this
is GOOD! Becky says talk to my dad, he sent me the roaster and a bunch
of coffee for Christmas. Becky's father has been roasting his own coffee
for 25 or 30 years. He'd talked to me about it a couple of years ago but
at that time it just sounded like too much to get into in a life already
crowded with many other things. But now I'd tasted the result. It was
time to talk to Rodger again. So, Friday night I talked to him for about
an hour and ended up going he

http://coffeeproject.com/index.html

and ordering a roaster and a couple of pounds of coffee, Ethiopian harrar
and something listed just as Bolivian shade grown organic (I wanted the
caranavi but apparently it's only sold bundled with other things in some
sort of sampler).

This morning I roasted and brewed my first pot of the harrar. WOW! :)

Anyway, I've done a bit of research on line in the past couple of
days....there is a ton of stuff about coffee. But I'm wondering if
anyone else here has played with this and if so, I'd appreciate hearing
about your experiences, preferences, etc. If not, any true coffee lover
should definitely look into the do it yourself thing.

Wolfgang




Coffee ? ...................you sissy........

Dumbass.

Wolfgang

retard

The other adult beverage.....
 

In article ,
"Wolfgang" wrote:

We've been writing about the effects of illiteracy for a long long time.
You should have re.......um......never mind.

Wolfgang

douchebag

The other adult beverage.....
 

In article ,
"Wolfgang" wrote:

As easily said as done! Well, if we invite Mr. Baker so that we can use the
electrical appliances......otherwise we have to roast in a pan over a
campfire and grind the beans by hand with twelve pounds of mortar and
pestle.

Wolfgang

****er of rotten corpses

The other adult beverage.....
 

In article ,
"Wolfgang" wrote:

Give it a try. I think you'll like the results and, if you just roast some
in a pan you don't need to worry about a significant cash outlay.

However, I have to stress once again that roasting coffee creates a very
powerful aroma! When I got home from work yesterday, twelve hours after
roasting in the early morning, the apartment still reeked of it. Henceforth
(at least until open window season) I'll be doing it out on the porch.

Wolfgang

Idiot.

The other adult beverage.....
 

In article ,
"Wolfgang" wrote:

All things take time. Evaporation, necessarily, only occurs at the
air/water interface or "meniscus," if you will. No expert on fluid dynamics
myself, but I suspect that complete elimination of chlorine from a liter of
water (or thereabouts) in the time it takes to brew a pot of coffee ain't
gonna happen.

Or just use spring water sold in the local supermarkets. 89 cents a gal.

Or just let the tap water sit out overnight.

We visit Peets once a week and only buy 1/4 lb. bag of whole bean.
I always ask when they're expecting their weekly shipment.
Their min. size for sale is 1/4 lb.

A quick check confirms that the nearest Peet's store to me is in Evanston,
Illinois......about 83 miles from here. Looking briefly at their website, I
find no evidence that they sell green beans. The Coffee Project, on the
other hand, definitely sells the green beans and they ship from two
locations, somewhere in southern California which, admittedly, is a longer
ride than Evanston, and Muskego, Wisconsin. I can't quite hit Muskego with
a rock from here, but I can get there in the time it takes to finish a good
hot cup of freshly roasted and brewed coffee. And, anyway, the brown truck
can get here (with green beans) by tomorrow if I order today.

plus they will give you a free cup of coffee, sometimes
they forget to ask you that, you'll have to remind them
for the freebie.

Well, I DO drift down toward the Chicago area once in a while. Next time I
find myself in Evanston...... :)

Thanks.

Wolfgang

Lover of Britney Spears music

The other adult beverage.....
 

In article ,
"Wolfgang" wrote:


"Steve" wrote in message
ews.com...

What was it you liked about the Harrar?
Assuming it was brewed at the correct temp, was it the flowery notes?
The spice? The acidity?

Ah, now THIS is where it gets interesting! As I mentioned, I've been doing
a bit of reading. This morning I found this site:

http://www.lucidcafe.com/homeroast1.html

One of the things the author mentions is that if you're going to talk
seriously about coffee you need to learn the vocabulary (just as in wine,
whiskey, beer, olive oil, etc.). I haven't yet. The story of my attraction
to Harrar goes back several years to a local independent coffee shop I used
to frequent. I went in there for the first time after picking up some stuff
at an Italian market next door. Not expecting much, I was pleasantly
surprised to discover that they actually made drinkable coffee. So, I used
to go in occasionally to get a decent cup of coffee. I would order whatever
they had on tap that day. One day is was Harrar. It was the best cup of
coffee I'd had since my aunt used to grind stuff she got at Kuhn's
delicatessen in Chicago with her old hand mill back in the late 50s.

What did I like about it? Well, it wasn't sour. I frequently hear people
talk about coffee being bitter if it's left on a burner too long (if it's
brewed into a pot on a hot plate it's already too long before the brew is
finished) or brewed too strong or if it's roasted too dark. Never did
understand that. Coffee IS bitter....it's supposed to be....to one degree
or another. The above mentioned ****ups make it SOUR. So, acidity? I
think maybe I don't know enough about the nuances of coffee to say just what
it is I like about this one. I THOUGHT it was the LACK of acidity. But the
descriptions of the East African coffees at the site above make much of
their acidity being one of their stong features. I dunno. Got a lot left
to learn, I guess.

If the answers are yes, you will probably enjoy most of the East
Africans. If it was primarily the acidity, that lemony tang, move over
to the Kenyans.
If it was the spiciness, try the PNGs, or a Latin American with a
review that mentions that aspect.

I'm going to have to do a comparison tasting to get any kind of idea at all
of what I'm looking at and for. And I'm going to have to have some sort of
score sheet that lists specific characteristics to evaluate. I've done that
with wine and learned a lot about why I preferred some over others.

You're going to enjoy this journey.

Oh yeah, of that much I am sure! :)

Wolfgang
and thanks for the help.

Person who molests little boys.

The other adult beverage.....
 

In article ,
"Wolfgang" wrote:


"Steve" wrote in message
ews.com...
On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:46:22 -0600, "Wolfgang"
wrote:

So, acidity? I
think maybe I don't know enough about the nuances of coffee to say just
what
it is I like about this one. I THOUGHT it was the LACK of acidity. But
the
descriptions of the East African coffees at the site above make much of
their acidity being one of their stong features. I dunno. Got a lot left
to learn, I guess.

Acidity when used to describe coffee is different from bitter.
Check this out, if you are interested
http://coffeereview.com/reference.cfm

Thanks, Steve, I'll check it out.

Every group has it's jargon. I mean, come on, we're really fling
fisherman aren't we?

Give us enough coffee......or other adult beverages......and we fly!
:)

Wolfgang

Jackhole

The other adult beverage.....
 

In article ,
"Wolfgang" wrote:


wrote in message
...
On Jan 11, 10:57 am, "Wolfgang" wrote:

Give us enough coffee......or other adult beverages......and we fly!
:)

Or ursine encouragement. :-)

I was.....um.....luring it away to save Frank. Yeah, that's what I was
doing.

Wolfgang
it's true what they say.....no good dead, however small, goes unpunished.
:(

^^^^^
Get a spellchecker, 1st grade dropout.

The other adult beverage.....
 

In article ,
"Wolfgang" wrote:


"Conan The Librarian" wrote in message
...
Wolfgang wrote:

wrote in message
...
On Jan 11, 10:57 am, "Wolfgang" wrote:


Give us enough coffee......or other adult beverages......and we fly!
:)
Or ursine encouragement. :-)

I was.....um.....luring it away to save Frank. Yeah, that's what I was
doing.

Wolfgang
it's true what they say.....no good dead, however small, goes unpunished.
^^^^

Interesting spelling. Was that an accident? :-)


Chuck Vance (no pun intended)

Opps!

Wolfgang
who would still rather be read than dead.

Dont let the helldogs butt rape you too often when you die.

The other adult beverage.....
 

In article ,
"Wolfgang" wrote:

"Larry L" wrote in message
...

"Wolfgang" wrote



If not, any true coffee lover should definitely look into the do it
yourself thing.



I drink WAY too much of the stuff and always buy whole beans and grind
them just before preparing ( I generally use a French Press style pot )

I haven't tried roasting beans but with this encouragement I just may do
so soon

What I've tasted so far convinces me that I made a wiser decision in this
than I do in most of my purchases. :)

I could have, and probably should have, done some more reading before buying
a $70 machine to roast coffee, but I trust Rodger's judgment in these
matters. Subsequent reading reveals that I could have simply bought the
beans and roasted tham in a pan on the stove top. If you try that method
first, the worst that can happen is that you're out five or six bucks for a
pound of beans. Based on my first attempt at using the machine, and Becky's
first, and Rodger's 25 years, I'd say that the worst isn't likey to happen.
If you don't like the first try, roast the second a little less.....or a
little more.....to suit your taste. And then, you only need to roast as
much at a time as suits your immediate needs.....it only takes five to ten
minutes. The remaining beans can be stored at room temp for a year or two.

There IS one potential drawback, though. Roasting coffee beans is an
extremely aromatic experience! Even a relatively light roast like I prefer
leaves my apartment reeking of coffee (I don't have an exhaust fan). I
didn't realize the full impact until I stepped outside and then came back
in. Everything I've read thus far, including the instructions that came
with the machine, says that a really dark roast WILL produce smoke. Anyone
who doesn't like a really powerful smell of roasting coffee will definitely
NOT be pleased. And we're talking about an odor that's got some staying
power.

ASIDE: As I say, I drink lots of coffee, fresh ground and brewed from a
variety of beans ... I thinnk of myself as a serious coffee drinker.
But I always feel like a real country bumpkin when forced to buy my
morning fix from a trendy coffee shop .... the list of fancy products on
the list always leaves me wondering "what the hell is a Lattie" ( or
whatever) and "how do I just order a good cup of strong black coffee?"
.... the "adult beverage" in your subject line makes me again ponder, "are
these kiddie drinks full of whipped cream really coffee?"

De gustibus non est disputandum.

What ****es me off (aside from the already mentioned fact that it all tastes
like ****) is that you can't get "a small cup of coffee." You gotta speak
some other language.

Wolfgang

Assmunch

The other adult beverage.....
 

In article ,
"Wolfgang" wrote:


"rb608" wrote in message
...
On Jan 10, 2:10 pm, "Wolfgang" wrote:
What ****es me off (aside from the already mentioned fact that it all
tastes
like ****) is that you can't get "a small cup of coffee." You gotta speak
some other language.

That's one thing I won't do. I order a "small" and let them figure it
out. Some times I *have* be there, but I don't have to speak their
language.

Sometimes, on the road and in need of a fix, it's the only thing I can find.
I ask for a small coffee. They say our sizes are ibitty, bibitty, blah.....
I say are those the names of the various sizes of cups you serve? They say
yes sir. Well then, GIVE ME THE SMALL ONE!

(For a retail cup of coffee, though, it beats most other places. Most
other places for me being fast food, gas stations, & convenience
stores. Oh yeah, and the office.)

Somewhat surprisingly, the Kwikee Marts around here (well, some of them
anyway) are starting to use something more akin to boutique coffees and
brewing them directly into giant thermos jugs. Still ain't the nectar of
the Gods, but it's a damned sight better than what's been available for at
least the last forty years.....and much better than Starbucks.

Wolfgang

Fagboy

The other adult beverage.....
 

In article ,
"Wolfgang" wrote:

"Steve" wrote in message
ews.com...
On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:29:57 -0600, "Wolfgang"
wrote:

Somewhat surprisingly, the Kwikee Marts around here (well, some of them
anyway) are starting to use something more akin to boutique coffees and
brewing them directly into giant thermos jugs. Still ain't the nectar of
the Gods, but it's a damned sight better than what's been available for at
least the last forty years.....and much better than Starbucks.

Wait until you try a McDonald's coffee from their new outlets and
recover from the shock of being served a pretty decent cup.

Many years ago they did make a pretty good cup of coffee. Can't remember
just when it was but all of a sudden it went right into the toilet.....also
a long time ago. Not that I get into McDonald's much anymore (maybe three
or four times a year for a Big Mac), but it would be good to know that
there's good coffee available somewhere on the road.

Wolfgang

Dumb****

The other adult beverage.....
 

In article ,
"Wolfgang" wrote:


wrote in message
...
On Jan 10, 2:10 pm, "Wolfgang" wrote:
You gotta speak
some other language.

My brother in law and I often muse on how it is that Starbucks seems
to have copyright on the Italian word for "twenty". :-)

In addition to your fascination with the roasting end of things,
consider- and it's not hard having seen the replies to this thread-
the various methods of passing the water through the grounds when
preparing the brew. Each method brings out a different flavor to the
end product, even if you use the same beans. I go through various
enthusiasms in this regard that last from a day at a time to months on
end- from standard drip machine through stove-top espresso maker (like
the aluminum one I use in camp on the Svea), pour-through (like the
other method I use when making a single cup in camp or the Chemex Tom
mentions), French press, and of course the simple "cowboy coffee"
method many of us use when there is a group in camp. All work equally
well- whether in the wilds or in the kitchen- and all will give a
different taste.

Yeah, I've messed around with all sorts of brewing methods for a long long
time. The French Press method looked appealing, and I still know a lot of
people who prefer it, but it does nothing at all for me.....too much sort of
in between and undecided in terms of get the grounds out or leave them in.
Percolators are an abomination, no need to equivocate. My favorite is the
drip method.....through unbleached paper, thank you very much, none of the
reusable (reuseless, if you ask me) wire mesh crap. Second
best.....surprisingly.....is cowboy coffee, which pretty much rapes all the
conventional wisdom about brewing coffee.

Most methods suggest that the water be slightly
below the boiling point when you put them on the grounds- not sure why
the espresso method works so well considering this, but who's to
argue? It works!

Espresso is a law unto itself.....it's SUPPOSED TO taste like asphalt.

Wm
(who likes milk and a little sugar with his morning cuppa.... so sue
me! :-)

Grew up drinking it that way.....well, from age 7 to 10 or so. I'll still
do that once in a while. Or, even better, plop a nice big gob of ice cream
in it! But that's not coffee. That's just a coffee flavored dessert.
:)

Wolfgang

Molestor of little girls

The other adult beverage.....
 

In article ,
"Wolfgang" wrote:


"Conan The Librarian" wrote in message
...
Wolfgang wrote:

"Conan The Librarian" wrote in message
...

Did you ever get one of those little Ikea espresso maker thingies like
I had at my campsite?

Nah, I haven't gotten one. Espresso is something I like every once in a
great while.....not enough to justify buying apparatus for making it.
I've found that mooching off of fishing companions suits my needs
perfectly. :)

That's cool. I also enjoyed mooching your advice and that Pass Lake.
:-)

Now if Wolfgang can just forgive me for using Starbucks (aka,
"Charbucks") in the thing. :-}
The one nice thing about Starbucks is that you can use any of their
beans to make espresso. No, it won't be good, but none of it will be
worse than any other.

It's sort of the McDonalds of the coffee world in that respect.

And to tie in with another part of this thread: McDonalds in
Canuckistan have been serving pretty decent coffee for quite a while. I
never drink coffee at convenience stores or fast food restaurants, but
Carol told me to try some one day and I was surprised at how much it
tasted like real coffee. :-}

Chuck Vance (who admits to knowing next to nothing at all about
coffee, except it goes nicely with a cig when sitting by the Little
River on a cool morning)
Yeah, that was good.

Indeed. And I hope to repeat that scene this year. Nothing finalized
yet, but it looks like Carol has resigned herself to the fact that I plan
to make the trip again. She even got me some new speakers for my car for
xmas, saying if I was gonna be driving all those miles, I should at least
have some decent sound in there. :-)

So I should be back about the same time of year (early May), and I plan
to camp in the same spot if possible.

I'll bring my coffee maker ... you bring the beans. :-)


Chuck Vance (and a few Pass Lakes)

I'm currently trying to decide which of several time slots and venues Jeff
has proposed to take him up on. So many choices, so little time! :(

Wolfgang

testiclelicker

The other adult beverage.....
 

In article ,
"Wolfgang" wrote:

Interesting. I've never really noted any flavor imparted by the
filter.....except when forced to use a paper towel in emergency situations.
I always opted for the unfiltered purely on the basis of environmental
considerations. Ah well, yet another set of experiments to conduct.
:)

Wolfgang

Fudgepacker

decafinated coffee and tea tasting
 

On Fri, 11 Jan 2008 09:03:27 -0700, rw
wrote:

Steve wrote:
On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:55:46 -0700, rw
wrote:


My companion and I decided we needed a cup of tea to warm up,
so we stopped into a "tea tasting" place.


We'll be in The City this weekend.
Would you share the name of this place?

I don't remember the name but it's on the east side of Grant Ave in
Chinatown.


Is it a Chinese business?
Fishing hooks, dirty books and Rebel Flags on the wall...