# Let's have a coffee thread: equipment, types of beans, anything really! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** coffee\ **Created:** [December 8, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553 "2011-12-08T20:13:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/21 "2011-12-09T03:02:00Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > [hijack]Speaking of espresso and travel, how do you handle feeding your espresso habit when traveling, Doc? I’m used to a perfect little ristretto at 5 or 5:30 in the morning, and it’s rough to have to settle for Starbucks when on the road. And even then, the Starbucks are usually a drive from the hotel. > > Hotels nowadays will have a laughable excuse of a coffee bar serving up espresso-like drinks, but they don’t open until 7 or 8 a.m.[/end hijack] I basically just skip espressos on vacation and settle for coffee. Unless I’m fortunate to discover a decent espresso place. Starbucks are not worth hunting down to me, their espresso is invariably so inferior as to be a real waste of time and money and taste buds. Every once in a while I find a little mom and pop place that knows how to make a proper espresso, though. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/22 "2011-12-09T03:22:11Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > Anyone out there done home bean roasting? I think the house we are building requires a home roasting unit. I’m starting to research and would love to hear feedback. I used to roast all my own coffee. I had a Swissmar, The Alpenrost if I recall correctly. I liked the machine, but I had reliability issues and had it replaced (free, at least, under warranty) twice before I gave up on it. The HotTop had just come out and got good initial reviews, but was hard to get and my interest waned, so I have yet to get back into roasting. My biggest complaint was that the Alpenrost was the largest roaster available before getting into pro equipment, and it would still only roast about 1/3 to 1/2 pounds at a time. My wife and I go through plenty of coffee, so it seemed like I always needed to fire up another batch. Makes a hell of a lot of smoke too, more than a standard range hood can deal with. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/23 "2011-12-09T05:08:27Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > I just wanted to contribute that I am in the process of becoming a trained coffee taste panelist for major mass-market coffee company. Assuming I make it all the way through training, I will be part of a “descriptive” panel of people who will taste coffees and assign values for a set of specific flavor attributes. Right now, I’m also serving on a “discrimination” panel, in which we are given sets of three samples of coffee, two of which are the same, and we have to identify the one that’s different in the set. > > The descriptive panel work is really, REALLY challenging. I would be interested in hearing more about this, provided it is not considered proprietary info. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/24 "2011-12-09T13:47:59Z")
While we enjoy our lattes, we aren’t coffee aficionados so we think our super-automatic is pretty great. Apparently it’s a low end one, as it cost about $650. When you compare our rate of consumption to the going rate for the nearest good commercial latte, it pays for itself pretty quick. My father was roasting coffee beans in an old air-pop popcorn machine for a while. He thought the resulting coffee was okay but it was too much trouble. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/25 "2011-12-09T16:39:33Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > I would be interested in hearing more about this, provided it is not considered proprietary info. I don’t want to hijack this into a “Ask the…” thread, but I’ll answer what I can. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/26 "2011-12-09T23:46:33Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > I don’t want to hijack this into a “Ask the…” thread, but I’ll answer what I can. I’m just curious what the flavor attributes are that you are judging. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/27 "2011-12-09T23:48:53Z")
I’m not going to lie, while I’ve found the SDMB to be hugely influential in my enthusiasm for various foods and drinks, espresso is one case where it has intimidated me to the point of not wanting to get a machine for home use. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/28 "2011-12-10T01:09:33Z")
> [@tr0psn4j](#): > > I’m not going to lie, while I’ve found the SDMB to be hugely influential in my enthusiasm for various foods and drinks, espresso is one case where it has intimidated me to the point of not wanting to get a machine for home use. It’s really not that tough. Decent semi-automatic home machines can be had for 2 or 3 hundred dollars, most come with video clips as to how to best use them (and more can be found on youtube), and you can be making espressos as good as or better than most chains in a few hours. But then if one gets into it, there’s so much room to fine-tune the process, and spend lots of time and money in the process, _if one chooses_. Or not. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/29 "2011-12-10T01:56:39Z")
I found a local roaster over the summer, who roasts right here in Roger’s Park, at the Monday Farmer’s Market around the corner from my place. He buys organic cooperative coffee from all over. Right now I’m finishing up some Ethiopian. I was sad the Market was ending, until he told me a local store called The Armadillo’s Pillow carries his coffee. That store is only a couple blocks from me. Happy. I just do the coffee press, and have a hand-grinder. I really like my mornings/afternoons in the kitchen to not be marred by loud electric motor sounds. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/30 "2011-12-10T02:07:32Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > I’m just curious what the flavor attributes are that you are judging. The scorecard right now includes dark roast, nutty, woody, chocolate, wine/berry, cereal/grain, prune/molasses, burnt, ashy, papery, green/vegetative, fermented, rubbery/skunky, caramelized, as well as the basic tastes: sweet, sour, and bitter. We also score astringency and body, although those aren’t really flavors. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/31 "2011-12-10T02:16:15Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > The scorecard right now includes dark roast, nutty, woody, chocolate, wine/berry, cereal/grain, prune/molasses, burnt, ashy, papery, green/vegetative, fermented, rubbery/skunky, caramelized, as well as the basic tastes: sweet, sour, and bitter. We also score astringency and body, although those aren’t really flavors. Wow. Sounds arduous. No wonder people have to qualify and train. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/32 "2011-12-10T04:16:28Z")
I would love to do that, too. My tasting ability is strictly amateur, although I did learn a lot about coffee while working at Starbucks. Say what you will about them, but they’ve done a lot to inspire appreciation of specialty coffees. ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/33 "2011-12-10T06:11:01Z")
I finally broke down and got a Keurig. I had used Melitta coffee with the cone-drip method for years and avoided Keurig because I was worried that there wouldn’t be any k-cup varieties I would like as much. The ones that came with my machine (model B60) mostly sucked, but then I can’t tolerate dark roasts. But the 2 Green Mountain varieties were very good. I don’t have a very refined palate and so don’t make fine distinctions but I think I’ll be happy with those 2. I probably should go a bit out of my way to find better coffee though. I bought Don Francisco before my local store stopped selling it and liked it quite a bit more than Melitta. Oh well. It’s the price I pay for being lazy. ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/34 "2011-12-10T09:19:12Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > My passion: **Espresso**. Celebrated most by me in its ristretto form. That is, all the beans, half the liquid! 🆒 > > Machine: Rancilio Silvia, with a post-manufacture precise temperature control added. It’s about the best home machine I’ve found. I’ve worn out 4 lesser machines in under 10 years with daily use. The next step up would be a commercial unit with two boilers. Not gonna go there. > > Beans: Alterra, a local roaster, their whole bean espresso roast. I go through 5 lbs of beans every month or so. At that rate of consumption, the beans stay fresh. > > Grinder: Baratza Maestro Plus. It is standing up to heavy use, 5-6 x a day. Only 40 grind settings. If I do upgrade, it’ll probably be to something like the Baratza Precisio or the Rancilio Rocky, with more grind settings and more durable parts. > > Tamper: Espro calibrated, it ‘clicks’ at 30 lbs of pressure, but you can feel it build up towards that, and modify the pressure you bring to bear. > > Water: From my own well, but softened. > > Cups: Bodum canteen, glass double wall, 3 oz. Keeps it hot a looooong time. > > Frequency of consumption during the typical workweek: 1 shot at 5:45 AM, another at 4:30 PM, a final one about 6:30 PM. > > Frequency of consumption on weekends/days off: Usually not more than 6 a day. 😃 > > Other machine uses: Makes lattes, cappucinos of which the Mrs. consumes at least 2 a day. > > About 22-28 seconds of brewing at 215-225 degrees should produce from 1/4 cup of finely ground beans tamped between 20-30 lbs of pressure nearly 1 oz. of ristretto or 1.5 to 2 oz. of espresso. > > Key tips: > > 1. Grind beans just before brewing. > 2. Grind finer, tamp lighter. > 3. Make sure that not just the machine, but the portafilter is completely warmed up before brewing. The water in the boiler may be at the appropriate temperature, but if the equipment’s not hot also, the brew will be inferior. > 4. Heat the cups that are to receive the brew with water that’s at least 170 degrees, dumping out the water _just_ before brewing. > 5. Look for tiger striping and mottling in the crema. If the crema is fine, the brew is divine!! Nice setup -and good tips. I’ve got Several Bodum canteens A Rancilio Silvia. I, too would love to have a machine with two boilers. ( **QtM** who did the temperature control unit for you?) Ascaso grinder (excellent, seamless grind setting). As for beans I buy them freshly roasted, but I don’t prefer anything in particular for espresso - I go with whatever my coffee roaster recommends. For the Bodum I usually drink South Indian Malabar coffee. Very little bitterness. Water: Nothing special, though we have to filter it, since the water is quite hard around here. Aah. Coffee! ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/35 "2011-12-10T13:54:41Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > I would love to do that, too. My tasting ability is strictly amateur, although I did learn a lot about coffee while working at Starbucks. Say what you will about them, but they’ve done a lot to inspire appreciation of specialty coffees. The irony is that I don’t know what I’m tasting! Everything comes to us as numbered sample without any other identifier. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/36 "2011-12-10T15:17:05Z")
> [@Panurge](#): > > A Rancilio Silvia. I, too would love to have a machine with two boilers. ( **QtM** who did the temperature control unit for you? Dave at [http://hitechespresso1.virb.com/](http://hitechespresso1.virb.com/) did the job. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/37 "2011-12-10T15:20:35Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > I did learn a lot about coffee while working at Starbucks. Say what you will about them, but they’ve done a lot to inspire appreciation of specialty coffees. I like their coffee okay. But I swear, I’ve never gotten a decent espresso from them. Miniscule to non-existent crema, burnt and bitter. And I’ve tried lots of different outlets, across the country, looking for a different outcome. Now, if I go there, I get coffee. And lately when I’ve been in their shops, all I see are the fully automatic espresso machines! :eek: :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/38 "2011-12-10T17:57:54Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > I just wanted to contribute that I am in the process of becoming a trained coffee taste panelist for major mass-market coffee company. Assuming I make it all the way through training, I will be part of a “descriptive” panel of people who will taste coffees and assign values for a set of specific flavor attributes. Right now, I’m also serving on a “discrimination” panel, in which we are given sets of three samples of coffee, two of which are the same, and we have to identify the one that’s different in the set. > > The descriptive panel work is really, REALLY challenging. That sounds fascinating. Do you all have an aroma wheel, like is used in wine appreciation? If so, what does it look like? Can you provide some of the metrics that your group uses for assessing coffees: scoresheets, that sort of thing? Does your group rely on reference scents at all. What are the standards that you grade against? I see that you’ve answered some of my questions in your reply to **Oslo**. I’ve found triangle tasting to be fun in wine appreciation. Really forces you to pay attention and makes sure that you’re tasting what’s there, not what you think is supposed to be there. For the OP: I really need a burr grinder to avoid the sludge that **Brown Eyed Girl** talks about. For me, it’s French Press with beans from [Java Coffee and Tea](http://www.javacoffee.com/) in Houston. Usually, it’s either Mocha Sanani or one of the Sumatra/Sulawesi “dark as midnight” group. Beans from ‘La Minita’ Tarrazu from Costa Rica are excellent too. Their Jamaica Blue Mtn. is spendy but not as crazy expensive as I would’ve thought. A little too expensive for everyday though. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/39 "2011-12-10T22:34:50Z")
I like coffee, but it’s often too harsh for my taste. I find that cold brewing really helps. I follow the instructions from [The Pioneer Woman Cooks](http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/06/perfect-iced-coffee/), and it works great. I typically go semi-hedonistic, with sweetened condensed milk and fat free half and half. With those add-ins, Eight O’Clock coffee, pre-ground, works just fine. If I wanted to drink it straight, I’d go for something with a bit more body and caramel notes, fresh-ground. ---
**Author:** ![King\_Bobo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@King\_Bobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_Bobo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553/40 "2011-12-11T06:19:31Z")
You want good coffee - Indian. Freshly roasted 90/10 coffee to chicory ratio and made in a french press-type maker. Added to frothy full fat milk or cream (whipped, not steamed)… Nectar of the gods. Come to my house any morning and I will make converts of you all! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-have-a-coffee-thread-equipment-types-of-beans-anything-really/605553.md?page=3)