How do you make *your* coffee?

You know the descriptions of flavors are very subjective. When I read Sweet Maria’s tasting notes, I’m hard pressed to get many of the things in their description. Does the coffee taste good, yes. “Hints of cashews and elderberry”, well maybe not

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Bonavita is a excellent brewer. Will hate to see it go. For the price it’s hard to get a better drip that brews at the correct temp and distributes the water over the grounds.

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I always wet my basket filter before adding just ground grounds

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We added two new appliances around Mother’s Day:

  1. a Cusinart PerfecTemp pot (which is fine, if not “Golden Cup” certified; I like that it’s programmable and the carafe keeps it hot. I still think the OXO pour-over device makes a little better coffee, but it doesn’t make for me while I sleep;

  2. a Breville Bambino+ espresso machine with automated milk steamer. I’m totally obsessed with this thing. I make an almond milk latte every morning and even some decaf drinks in the afternoon/evening. It works well for iced espresso drinks, too. And my kiddo loves milk steamers with a dash of vanilla or almond extract. Glad I got it $100 off.

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I thought you might get a kick out of this video. Lots of talking, but a good tutorial.

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Thank you for this. I have progressed to the dysfunctional hearts stage. I don’t think Rosettas are in my future. :pensive:

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Purely from ignorance, I ask how long–if at all-- you let the roasted beans off-gas before using.

Yeah, I’m not having much luck, either. I need latte cups.

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This is the best one. Watch, practice, rewatch, practice, rewatch, practice. Then realize you don’t really care that much and go back to what you’re doing now.

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If I could offer my experience, every bean is different. I roasted 2 different beans yesterday. One brewed fine today, the other needed a few more days. Three days is a good rule of thumb. For espresso, it’s best to wait at least a week, if not two. Otherwise even with preinfusion you can create a mess from the gassing, at the very least channeling.

I apologize for this late reply. Without exaggeration that video is the most beneficial training aid I’ve watched. It seems there’s tons of videos on everything (including “workflow”, which cracks me up…workflow? It’s coffee at home) but I always questioned my steaming. Anyway, thank you so very much for posting this. I already feel it has made the difference. I owe you. :moneybag:

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Depending on how much coffee I have before using a new batch, it could be a day or several days. I store my off gassing beans in a foil tray and will transfer to a Ball jar after a day or two depending

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OK, showing my ignorance again, how does anyone know how long to allow off-gassing? Do you grind, brew and taste and think to yourself “Oh, it needs another day”? What distinguishes a too-early use?

You can use the beans right off the roaster but you will get some foam from the C02 off gassing. I usually let fresh roasted beans sit a couple days or more before use. They usually sit in a foil tray for a day or two before going into a Ball Jar.

Thanks! So you merely get foam in the brew, nothing affecting taste?

Not much, although I think the flavor improves a little as it degasses. And the excess gas when brewing can make it foam up a bit. Could get messy, depending

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Sweet Maria’s is one of the best (IMO) coffee knowledge sites on the web.

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I have at least 6 varietals in my pool house sauna. Who needs a sauna in central west coast Florida? Usually buy several 5-10 lb bags

Coffee roasting gives me a little time to just relax and watch the drum rotate as the beans roast. I keep an eye on the bean color and smoke as well as the temp read out. Pull the beans at the onset of 2nd crack and hopefully before 3rd crack where beans are dark and oily. At that point you have lost a lot of the varietal flavors. But if you like dark roast then “this beans for you”

The only way I could take up roasting (& I would in a heartbeat!) is when that long lost billionaire uncle leaves me a fortune. Then I could afford a place with a kitchen that has actual counter space. Right now it’s a galley kitchen & all space spoken for. :unamused:

It was interesting to me that Sweetmaria’s states that the preferred NYC roast is “City Roast” & not “Full City Roast”. I think that’s true-- at least up to the 1990’s. :thinking:

Anyone using an ECM Synchronika?