coffee anyone?

[dranoelsy]

yesterday. i was in a rush so i just grabbed w/e

[Leonard Leroy]

Girlfriend got me a french press for my birthday

it's like coffee in HiDef

and I can't go back to SD

[Solix]

^You shut your whore mouth. Cold brew is sooo fucking delicious in the summer. In winter... not so much.

I love cold brew all year-round. I love it dark and bold, but can't take the bitterness/acidity of hot brew.

[JackCrank]

The bitterness/acidity is the point of coffee man! You can cold brew any beans and they all pretty much taste the same. You need to hot brew to make those fancy beans you just spent $16 on taste like something special.

That being said, I've been known to enjoy a cold brew on a hot day. Just need a shit ton of milk to get it to taste like coffee instead of stale scotch. If you really wanna try some insane shit, find a place that does japanese style cold brew (blue bottle in williamsburg/sf) does it.

They make it with this ridiculous steampunk looking shit.

[mpcec]

That method tastes basically the same as toddy/ other cold brew methods in my experience.

P.S. Blue Bottle is whack.

[youkinorn2]

In my opinion, Blue Bottle is fun but not worth the hype/lines compared to other places that are also doing a good job brewing nice, freshly roasted beans.

[GregoryH]

when I am in Japan, Silky Black is prob the closest to decent coffee.

Streamer Café in Shibuya

Bear Pond Espresso

Maruyama Coffee (roasting and serving in Nagano)

All AMAZING japanese cafes who both roast their own and know/love what they are doing.

here are some pics of mine cross posted from the barista thread (which sees no action whatsoever haha)

some pours of mine, my machine, and some shots from a latte art jam I was in sponsored by the vancouver based star-buckian style chain "blenz" (three baristas including myself from my cafe all won haha)

[youkinorn2]

got a bag of this today:

http://info.stumptowncoffee.com/coffee/colombia-antonio-zuniga/

It is very tasty stuff.

[JackCrank]

Totally agreed about BlueBottle. Also, compared to gimme, their espresso is pretty goddamn sub par. I've been there like 3x since they opened and was underwhelmed each time. Gimme/Grumpy/Stump all do a much better job. Loving my Silvia though, significant increase in caffeination in the last two weeks.

[DaBestSpoona]

Streamer Café in Shibuya

Bear Pond Espresso

Maruyama Coffee (roasting and serving in Nagano)

I've been to Bear Pond, its not very good. I had a single origin pour over. It tasted like it came from a Keurig machine or a flavia, but watered down. Maybe cus I dont look gaijin they made it the way Japanese like their coffee.

[Leonard Leroy]

in nyc i like la columbe's iced coffee because they throw in an expresso shot for the same price as the others (gimme et al) and it just gives the cold brew some substance.

[mpcec]

Totally agreed about BlueBottle. Also, compared to gimme, their espresso is pretty goddamn sub par. I've been there like 3x since they opened and was underwhelmed each time. Gimme/Grumpy/Stump all do a much better job. Loving my Silvia though, significant increase in caffeination in the last two weeks.

Well said. Beyond espresso, Gimme's manual drip method is MUCH tighter (well done clever >>>>>>shitty bee house dripper) and Grumpy does a fantastic job as well, although I've only been to the Chelsea location. Beyond skill/technique, the barista's I've had at Grumpy/Gimme have been infinitely more enthusiastic and knowledgeable and create a much better consumer experience.

[benriya]

Are the Hario v60 and the Kono v60 drip cones the same thing? I am debating on which one to get (I'll probably cop the cheaper one).

[JackCrank]

Cop the cheaper one.

[wayoutwest]

hey guys. I am looking for a burr grinder. Manual is fine (maybe preferred). Budget for the grinder is around $30. Also, would like a new french press or drip pot. A small one. Similar budget, around $30. Have any suggestions? Thinking about an AeroPress as well, anyone have experience with one?

[Sugar Mountain]

I use a Hario Mini Mill Slim which was recommended to me by my regular coffee spot. As long as you are making non-espresso coffees, this will be all you need. I just checked Amazon US and it's $37 - a good investment and only a little over your budget.

[po_boy_fuuma_hatesbargerz]

hey guys. I am looking for a burr grinder. Manual is fine (maybe preferred). Budget for the grinder is around $30. Also, would like a new french press or drip pot. A small one. Similar budget, around $30. Have any suggestions? Thinking about an AeroPress as well, anyone have experience with one?

Hario Slim is the best for your buck. My only complaint is the lack of marking for adjusting the grinder, when you actually open up the mill to adjust for french press/aero/etc. methods, it's a bit experiment/brew/change/repeat than I'd like. Also, you pay for the price difference because it is TAKES SO LONG at 6am to hand-grind your beans vs. using a mechanized grinder.

As for an AeroPress, I switched to one when I minimized my caffeine intake from French Press size > one cup/day. It brews a great cup, but the paper filter definitely results in a less 'oily' taste than a French Press.

Use the 'inverted brewing' method shown here (http://coffeegeek.com/guides/aeropresscoldbrew), and definitely play with the grams of coffee / time to steep before deciding on a final method.

FInally, I haven't tried this, but I think I'm going to go with 'aftermarket' filters such as the Coava (http://manseekingcoffee.com/2011/01/16/coavadisk/) or similar, but I think it'll be far superior to the included coffee filters.

edit: I've been looking through the Coava store. I want to buy everything there in this order:

1) AUTOMATED burr grinder

2) gram scale

3) a;dfkadfh everything else

[Sugar Mountain]

Good post XY. Agree that it would be helpful to have clearer markings for adjusting the grinder although at the same time, I do quite enjoy the experimentation. Gram for gram, even with premium beans, coffee makes for cheap experimentation as you work towards your perfect cup. Plus, I only brew with a french press currently, so opt for a coarse grind and leave it at that. I did find that trying to grind too finely with the Hario Slim damaged the plastic that grips the shaft/axle because of the greater resistance and I had to replace the grinder (thankfully for free) after only a few months. Learned my lesson now...

[JackCrank]

The Hario Skerton/Skelton/Skeleton is also a damn good deal but with mraking for settings and the ability to grind for espresso. However, it sucks for french press and it's a little more expensive.

[po_boy_fuuma_hatesbargerz]

The Hario Skerton/Skelton/Skeleton is also a damn good deal but with mraking for settings and the ability to grind for espresso. However, it sucks for french press and it's a little more expensive.

Honestly, if I'm buying another grinder, i'm going for an automatic burr grinder. There's no chance in hell I'm paying for another manual grinder.

6am wakeups + manual grinding = suck balls

[Baeyer-Drewson]

Piccolo latte @ Campos, Sydney AU.

[mpcec]

Stopped by RBC NYC last week and it was fucking awesome, had a Kenya Peaberry from Coava as epresso and an awesome woodneck with some Klatch Panama Katowa. Probably the best shop I've been in in NYC, the staff was fantastic, very helpful, very skilled and not pretentious or snobby at all. I also stopped by Vandaag Cafe hoping to try some Tim Wendelboe but they were out, got some Ecco instead but it wasn't very good... the food/cocktails/beer were on point though so I'd give it anither go for sure.

On the home brewing front I've been brewing with the Kalita Wave lately, and I'm really enjoying it. Fantastic for 16oz + yields, and much easier to get results with than Chemex and V60... I highly reccomend it. Also kopped a flow restrictor for my Buono kettle from Barismo and it's definitely helped prevent unwanted agitation as well as helping draw out brew time when doing a continuous pour.

[GregoryH]

Honestly, if I'm buying another grinder, i'm going for an automatic burr grinder. There's no chance in hell I'm paying for another manual grinder.

6am wakeups + manual grinding = suck balls

Baratza Virtuoso...affordable ($225ish) and a step up from the maestro...decent mid-level home grinder. I have one for sale if you're interested PM me

[JackCrank]

I have a virtuoso and it's worked great for espresso and clever. Don't really fuck with pourover or drip but I'd imagine it'd have no problem with that either. Easy to fix and very basic. It's no mazzer but it TCBs.

[KidSqueaky]

Any places you guys would recommend around Westwood/UCLA?

[jetpackbrontosaurus]

Any places you guys would recommend around Westwood/UCLA?

espresso profeta is literally right there, next to the acapuco

[Sugar Mountain]

What are you guys currently drinking at home? My latest beans:

http://http://shop.squaremilecoffee.com/products/gaturiri

Big, big round fruity flavour and the first bag of Kenya beans I've had in a while. Ususally seem to be drinking Latin American roasts so this is a nice change. Brewing in a french press FWIW.

[mpcec]

Stopped by New Harvest the other day and picked up some Honduras Los Portillos, from the San Vicente area. Absolutely fantastic... this is the third coffee I've had from this region and I'm totally hooked, super juicy/fruity and very balanced. Also picked up a a Kenya peaberry micro lot, don't know the region but it's great, so many fantastic Kenya's coming out lately.

[JackCrank]

Been rocking the Stumptown Ethiopian Duromina SOE. Love it. Bounce between that and stump's hair bender. Old reliables are Gimme! Leftist and Counter Culters La Forza.

[gramps]

I'm trying to wean off of two strong black cups in the morning so that I can shit of my own volition.

Now I'm taking it with some milk at least.

What else can I start drinking so that I'll still be upright at 9:00 but won't be walking around feeling like I've got a bowling ball up me?