Instant coffee has less caffeine than percolated and filter drip? Sources related to average caffeine content per preparation method
show:
for (6oz cup, arabica coffee)

Filter drip 150 [Mg. of Caffeine]
Percolated 125
Espresso 100
Instant   60
Decaffeinated 4

instant coffee to have less caffeine than the methods involving filtering.
I just can't get my head around that, as in instant (e.g., Nescafe) coffee preparation we practically put the coffee into the cup and eat it.How is it possible filtered beans to have more caffeine than eaten beans?

With instant coffee, you are not "practically eating the beans;" you are drinking reconstituted dried coffee.

To create instant coffee granules, the manufacturer first brews the coffee using conventional methods and then either freeze-dries or spray-dries the coffee to create a soluble powder form. Dried coffee.

The amount of caffeine in the instant coffee will depend largely the original brewing process. Since commercial instant coffee is created in very large volumes, they are likely extracting coffee faster than our meticulous home-brewed methods. So while caffeine is water soluble, it takes more time for the caffeine to be extracted and absorbed in the water than other compounds. And "more time" is not something that the mass-produced instant process allows. Less extraction time = less caffeine.


What is Navy coffee? My interest has led me to discover 'Navy coffee'.

I would like to learn more since I do not know if this refers to a specific technique of coffee making or to a blend that is considered exclusive or historic.

I read from a website

  "it has a trace of salt so you won’t get dehydrated" ¹

What research supports this?

What is Navy coffee?

No one really knows for sure. Some naval vessels used to put salt in the coffee either to kill the bitterness (or to help stay hydrated), but it was neither a universal or permanent practice.

William Ewing, QM1(SW) USN (ret), Quartermaster E-6 has this to about the subject:

  When navy coffee was 50% chicory, 50% cheap coffee (most of my career), it was a dying practice, based on previous coffee that was very bitter. Nowadays, the 50% chicory formula is not bitter enough to require that, and many ships get Starbucks, which they then mix with the chicory coffee to smooth the taste even more.

  Now, for a while, Denny's had some bad coffee, and for over a year, my friends and I added salt to kill the bitterness and extra sugar to overpower the salt. Then Denny's switched blends to one not as awful, so we could drink it without salt. - Do Navy people put salt into their coffee?

Other sources say the complete opposite:

  I had to make many, many pots of coffee as a mess crank (one who spends their first 90 days or so working on the mess decks. Think of it as KP for 90 days straight).

  We used a large commercial drip coffeepot and coffee, period. No salt was added, at least I never added any. That it is strong comes from the fact that the Navy has no contracts with suppliers that have decent coffee.

  It is possible that the salty taste does come from the fact that shipboard water is naturally salty. When a ship is in port, she's hooked up to local water. IIRC, ships at sea have a special desalinization process that isn't perfect, but it comes fairly close. - How the Real Men in the Navy Make Their Coffee

For a number of years, I used to put salt in the grounds to help remove the bitterness of the coffee. Please not that this was not navy coffee and I was making a 100 cups at a time. No one ever complained, but that might have been to sure dumb luck too.

The Urban Possum has this to say about Navy Coffee:

  Use an economy-brand coffee. Mother Parker's, for example, or Chase & Sanborn. If you have to talk in terms of roasts, these brands are a light to medium--perfectly acceptable to a majority of people. Their virtue is that they're cheap--hey, it's Navy coffee. We're talking government suppliers here.
  Use 2 level tablespoons for each 8-ounce cup. The standard measure for coffee is 1 level tablespoon for a 6-ounce cup. The power of Navy Coffee does not derive from the strength of the roast, but from the amount of coffee used, so as you can see, this one is stronger than most. Some old chiefs like the coffee so strong that it actually seems chewy (that comes from the tannins in the coffee and their effects on the tooth surface), but we don't need to go quite that far.
  Salt the grounds before you begin brewing. Salt, as in ordinary table salt. The measurement is a pinch, which is about 1/8th to a maximum of 1/4 teaspoon per 5 cups brewed. This is the secret to True Navy coffee: the salt will cut the initial bitterness of the coffee, but takes nothing away from the aroma. Don't worry too much about the taste, Navy coffee won't taste salty unless you use too much of it.

As a side note, the navy often employs the term a Cup of Joe to their Navy Coffee. Where this tradition first came into use is unknown but some believe it was due to the Secretary of the US Navy, Admiral Josephus “Joe” Daniels who abolished wine (or alcohol) on Navy ships in 1914.  Thus, coffee (the next best thing) was the beverage of choice for the sailors.


How bad is it for people with nervous tension to have coffee? I am suffering from nervous tension and anxiety. Doctors have prescribed me regular anxiety reliever drugs and also asked me to completely stay away from tea, coffee, cola or any other beverages having caffeine.

I don't heed to their advice. But I do feel tense if I have coffee especially in excessive dose. However I am addicted to coffee.

Now why coffee is bad for me and how much caffeine per day is safe for me?

Caffeine effects everyone differently, both physiologically and psychologically. If your doctor(s) say to avoid caffeine, I would heed their advice.

Getting off caffeine can be uncomfortable but totally possible - start to reduce the amount you have every day (e.g. switch from regular coffee to regular tea to decaf coffee to nothing), and you will minimize headaches. It will take time to readjust to normal (2-4 weeks for me, but again, everyone is different), but it will happen, and you will notice you feel less anxious and more calm and steady.


Coffee ground sieves: Can they make a noticeable change in the flavor? I have seen a kickstarter project lately, named Rafino. It claims to include a set of fine sieves to separate ground coffee into finer levels.

I thought it may be beneficial, mostly for Turkish coffee and in general, to systematically determine the levels of grind for any method.

What would sieving or separating coffee do to the final flavor of the cup?

In all coffee-brewing methods, consistency is key. Different particle sizes of coffee will extract at different rates and controlling extraction rates and replicating them is part of making better and better cups of coffee.

The Rafino seems to be tailored more towards the filter or french press brewer. In these brewing methods, fines, the smaller coffee particles produce the majority of the problem in extraction and off-flavours produced in the end cup. With filter brewing, it restricts water flow and can cause inconsistencies in the extraction. With french press, the fines can overextract due to the full immersion process and cause a lot more bitter flavours to be present.

Filtering out inconsistent coffee grounds results in a much more evenly extracted coffee as the majority of grounds will extract more uniformly without any under or over extracting much more than the rest. This should give a much more balanced and bodied cup assuming other variables are as diligently controlled.

Better grinders can minimise fines but an extra step can ensure particle size consistency. However I'm not sure about the extent of adverse effects of exposing ground coffee to air for so long would be to which I would suggest minimising grounds-sifting time.


In terms of taste, what is the correct way to produce a full cup of coffee using an AeroPress? When I made my first cup of coffee with my AeroPress I couldn't help but notice that it only filled my cup half way. I've watched a few videos on YouTube of people using an AeroPress and from that I've build a short list of ways you can top your cup off.

Just add plain water to top your cup off
repeat the entire process (new filter, new grounds and water)
Once empty just add more water on top of the grounds that you just used. (This is the method I use.)

In terms of overall taste, what is the best way to get a full cup of coffee from an AeroPress?

My personal preference is to just add a bit of water to top my cup off.  I do not use the inverted method, and by adding additional water during the brewing (since I tend to get just a bit of drippage during brewing) I tend to end up with pretty close to a full cup.

However, if you are looking for a much stronger (pseudo espresso) cup, the second method may be for you.  It has only really the drawback of using an additional sum of coffee and filter.

I would not recommend using the 3rd method.  At that point you are just headed to over extracted grounds and a less desirable (by most people) cup of coffee.

To sum up, you are looking at producing a cup sized quantity of good coffee with method one, a cup sized quantity of Aerpresso with the second and a cup sized quantity of likely over extracted coffee with method three.  Any of these may be fine depending on what you are trying to achieve.


Does adding salt to coffee reduce bitterness? Although this was kind of asked in this question, it was as a side-question that wasn't really answered.

I've heard people say you should put salt in coffee to reduce bitterness. Does this actually work? If so, why?

The fundamental science seems to be: Sodium salts suppress the perception of bitterness. It specifically mentions caffeine, which is one of the bitter components of coffee. This About article lists a few more references to the same thing: The sodium ion works by "interfering with the transduction mechanism of [bitterness]."

The point is, it's a change in perception; e.g., the salt is not chemically changing the bitter compounds, just interfering with the bitterness receptors in your tongue. Conversely, the article seems to suggest that the bitterness doesn't reduce the perception of saltiness; this to me suggests that your coffee will taste salty. Caveat emptor! There's a bit more discussion on the saltiness and bitterness sections of the Wikipedia article on taste.

This question from Seasoned Advice discusses the same and provides some additional links. The Good Eats article linked from that question is interesting. A search at Seasoned Advice discusses related topics of salt and bitterness.


How to brew 1-3 servings of coffee with as little waste as possible? I'm looking for a quick/easy way to brew coffee in small servings, usually one cup. However I am looking to make no waste (except for the used coffee grinds). Is it possible to use a teapot like this one to brew? Maybe similar to a pour over method.

I have a grinder for beans, and I have a french press (but am looking for an alternative).

You can always try a mesh pour over like this one.

Also teapot like the one you described seems like it would work as well will coarser grinds (like the one needed for a french press) but like a french press leaving the grinds for too long will result in an overextracted bitter coffee. But keeping that in mind, it seems totally usable.

Hope this is helpful


Why do we need to fold the border of filters? Standard and V60 paper filters require we fold the border before spreading them for dripping.

I believe this is just because of their manufacturing process. But would there be any other reason?

Folding that border makes the surface uneven in the end, and it can sometimes be harder to control the water flow.

I did a little bit of research at the site of inventor of the coffee filter. It's Melitta from Germany. In the german FAQ I found the following:

Warum falte ich Filterpapier vor dem Einlegen um?
Damit die Kaffeezubereitung optimal funktioniert, muss das
Filterpapier genau in die Form des Filters gebracht werden. Dies
geschieht, indem Sie die beiden geprägten Ränder umfalten. Das
Filterpapier schmiegt sich dadurch an den Rand des Filters an und
sitzt tief im Filtereinsatz. Durch diese gute Passform kann sich das
Filterpapier während des Brühvorgangs nicht einklappen

In English:

Why I fold the coffee filter?
For a good result the coffee filter must be in exactly the form of the
drippter. This is done by folding over the two embossed edges. The
coffee filter is nestled by the edge of the dripper and sits deep in
it. Through these good fit, the coffee filter can not collapse during
the brewing process.

Additional fact: The coffee filter was not invented by Melitta the company, but by Melitta Bentz.

Sorry for that bad translation. My English is really not the best. Please improve me!


Keurig K155 intermittent water level detection failure I have a Keurig K155 that I use at my office and have been using it without fail for almost three years now.

Lately, it keeps telling me to fill the water reservoir even though it is not empty.  Sometimes re-seating the unit will work, but it can take several times.

I'm not sure what method the machine uses to detect water levels, nothing in the owner's manual or cleaning/maintenance manual seems to cover this problem.

There does appear to be a small hole where it does seem that there's a glass recessed where I'm thinking there might be an "electric eye" but I can see no other visible way for it to detect water level.  I realize that's not likely it because the graphic display will show actual level, not just empty.

The manual does refer to a "float" device, but it doesn't document it very well, and it looks like it might be difficult to get to, requiring disassembly of the machine.

I have to admit (embarrassingly) that I've never cleaned the machine in the years we've all used it.  Should that be my first step?  equal parts white vinegar and water?  Or is that likely to have no effect on my water level detection problem?

Most coffee machines use magnetic water level sensors. I do not see a reason why Keurig does not have.

You may see the basic idea on this page, I copy the animation here to make it easier to understand. So, it is normal that there are not any visible parts, as it is magnetic.

So, let's focus on your problem. These kind of levels may broke for some reason from time to time. Electrical discharge, strong magnetic field near-by, and so on. I suspect that this sensor is partly broken; it cannot correctly measure the magnetic field. If this is the case, cleaning probably will not fix your problem and you need order new parts.

What you can do? You may try to trick the sensor with a magnet. I cannot think that it is practical if you cannot really build a working mechanism for daily use.

Still, I strongly advise coffee machines to be cleared regularly. At least, mold may grow inside.


Bialetti Brikka..is 2 cup really 1 cup? My bialetti brikka claims to be a 2 cup espresso maker. However, I only see one water fill line. When I use this line, it produces one cup of espresso.
I thought there might be a second fill line for the second cup.
Is it implied that I would fill the water line and pour into the base twice to achieve a 2 cup espresso? Won't this throw the whole ratio of water to heat to time ?

Any insight is greatly appreciated.

The Bialetti two Cup stove top produces 100ml of coffee. That is in fact much more than two average espressos. A double shot pulled from an espresso machine would have between 40ml and 60ml.
Your Brikka should thus produce roughly two double shots of espresso. Well it is not actually espresso, but that's a whole different topic.
As far as I know there is only one "marker", which is actually the pressure valve. You should fill the water slightly below the valve. Then you'll get the 100ml.


Can I substitute Gaggia Descaler for Sage 'the Descaler'? Having recently replaced a Gaggia Platinum Swing Up with a Sage the Oracle, I have some Gaggia Descaler left over.

Is it possible to substitute this for the the Descaler that the Sage machine uses? If so, how would I go about doing so?

The chemical composition of the Gaggia Descaler is (proportions unspecified):

Citric acid
Lactic acid
Corrosion inhibitor

(Yes, there's a double 'the' in there. It is called 'the Descaler', presumably as the appliance it's used with is called 'the Oracle')

I think the Gaggia Descaler would work fine in any espresso machine. Just use the same procedure and amount that worked for the Gaggia machine (or use the directions for The Oracle).

I have never bothered to buy any commercial descaler, since they seem overpriced to me. I buy pure citric acid powder over the internet, and use that for both a Gaggia Classic and a Ponte Vecchio Lusso.


Does french press plunger speed affect the taste? If you slowly press the plunger of a french press down will you get a stronger flavor in contrast to plunging rapidly? Does the speed of plunging affect anything?

Speed of the plunger does not affect the flavor.

When coffee is brewed in a french press, the main parameters are (apart from the coffee itself)

the temperature of the water
the duration of brewing
the water quality

However, speed of plunger may be important in this case: if you push the plunger rapidly, the flow of water push the grounds from the sides of the filter. Thus, the grounds will probably mix with the final cup of coffee. Even worse, the hot water may splash in your hand or face.


Reusing paper filter by placing metallic net filter in it First, what I do; then, the question.

I tend to brew coffee one cup at a time. To avoid waste, I only brew as much as I need, so I usually drink it all.  In order to further reduce waste, I have tried metallic net filters instead of paper filters, but they tend to allow an ultra fine silt to pass through, the presence of which at the bottom of the cup is annoying if the plan is to drink all the coffee.  So, I started doing this: first I place a paper filter in the coffee maker, to collect the ultra fine silt, which is actually very small in volume, and inside the paper filter I place the metallic net filter to collect the actual coffee grounds, which are 99% of the volume. Then, I brew my coffee.  When it is time to make more coffee, I only remove and wash the metallic net filter; the paper filter stays in its place, and gets reused about five times before it has collected so much ultra-fine silt that it is time to replace it.

Now, the question.

Do you see anything seriously wrong with this technique?  Does it perhaps have any side effects that I should be aware of?  Would such a practice be considered yucky by some?  (If it is, then this is a cultural issue that perhaps I should be aware of.)  Obviously, the coffee smells and tastes fine to me, but I have to wonder whether noses and palates that are more sensitive than mine think otherwise.

I know, it says "we prefer questions that can be answered, not just discussed", so if you have something to say, please just state it without starting a long discussion about it!  C-:=

Brewed coffee ages like milk.  As soon as it is brewed its flavor begins to degrade and deteriorate, which is why it always tastes much better freshly brewed.  While you may not necessarily taste the difference from one pot to the next, it has definitely changed your overall expectation of the flavor.  The bouquet of coffee also is very complex, as is obvious from the fact that there is a distinct change in the scent from the time you grind to the time the brewing stops.

One flavor issue with reusing paper filters is that they tend to stop a large amount of the oils in the coffee from making it into the final product.  This could be desirable, as many (myself included) prefer the taste of paper-filtered coffee that does not contain the compounds found in the crema (the thin layer of foam on top of espresso, Turkish or French-press coffee).  These, which are often a combination of both sweet and bitter, are trapped by paper filters, but they will break down in the paper over multiple uses and wash into your coffee anyway, but not necessarily in the same form, which further changes the flavor profile.

If waste is a major concern, but you prefer paper-filtered coffee, you can make a compromise and use an Aeropress.  These use filters that are only about 2 inches in total diameter, meaning less gets tossed with each brew.  You could also look into filters made with recycled paper.  It won't reduce the waste, but it will reduce the environmental impact somewhat.

Remember, though, that in the end paper filters are biodegradable and, if thrown away along with the grounds, can actually aid in creation of compost -- a good thing.


Additions to decaff coffee to complement taste I'm alternating drinking decaf bean coffee (O2 process) alongside caffeinated beans.

Normally I drink caffeinated either black or with a little milk.
With decaf, the reduced body of the taste is noticeable, and if I've drunk a few decafs I find the persisting aftertaste not ideal.

What additives do people add to decaf to complement its flavour, if any?

It is complicated. You may try adding cream, milk, salt (for masking up the aftertaste), but I don't recall any barista adding any other stuff for improving the decaf taste.

You will hardly get it as good as a regular caffeinated coffee. The point is that the roasteries are often neglecting any improvements in their decaffeination process.

For me, what worked out was checking any local roasteries which would actually perform the method called "Swiss Water Process" for decaf. This one is quite ok for a lot of people, and if your local roastery is committed to doing it right, then it is all good.

Besides, have you tried any different brewing method?


How can I make filtering my cold brew easier? I use the "plunging" method of cold brew, and filtering the grounds out of the brew --I use a coffee filter in a funnel-- is very time-consuming (although thankfully it doesn't take me the "hours" this person describes).

How can I reduce the time and labour of filtering the grounds out of my plunged cold brew coffee?

Use a tea infuser!

I got a tea infuser with a very fine mesh and put my grounds in that. It holds fewer grounds than I used with the "raw" plunge, but it's much more pleasant to use: I just pluck the floating infuser out of the pitcher and empty the grounds from it. I may get a second filter, or a larger one, but for now I'm content making coffee more often because it's less of a chore each time.

There's no visible particulate in the resulting drink, though if I run the brew through a filter (which is a heckuva lot faster, as there's no clogging of grounds at all!) it comes out with a small amount of lint-like residue. And the last cup in the pitcher is much stronger than it used to be, but I'm not exactly complaining about that.

You could also go for an intermediate approach, using a tea strainer before you run the brew through a regular filter: that'll get the big stuff out fast so your filtering doesn't slow down. (Also, put a teaspoon in the funnel under the filter, so the grounds don't stick to the sides of the funnel through the paper. It gives the liquid more room to flow.)


Which decaffeination process changes the flavor of the coffee the least? There are many decaffeination methods available:

Swiss Water method
CO2 Process
Roselius Process
Direct Method
Indirect Method
Triglyceride process

(Thanks to Mooz for providing the list I found in his related question.)

Of these various methods, which changes the flavor of the coffee the least?

Bonus question: can I buy unroasted beans of that kind? (That's what I'm really after!)

Based on the article here and some brief experience with roasting decaf myself, I'd agree that the methylene chloride method seems to produce more flavorful beans.  That being said it's hard to make a direct comparison due to the difficulties in getting a single batch of beans and getting them processed for decaf at multiple facilities.  I think your best bet is to find a green coffee seller that you trust and see what they have to offer.


Where to measure ET on drum roaster I am considering upgrading my home roasting setup to a gas Kaldi Wide. Part of what is so appealing is that this roaster is so bare bones and will be easy to modify to try different things.

I am going to drop a thermocouple into the bean mass to get my bean temp. Beyond that I want to measure the environment temperature as well. Where should I measure that? Somewhere above the drum? As is, this roaster has no forced convection. I am considering adding a duct hose and impeller over the bean hopper with a damper depending on how things go after my first few roasts with no air flow. If I did that would it be more valuable to look at this exhaust temperature? I am under the assumption that the advantage to trying to get an environmental temperature is that it would be more responsive than the actual bean temperature to show you where the roast is going - if I am thinking about it wrong please let me know!

I'm not very familiar with the Kaldi roaster. From what little I've read, most buyers are pretty happy with it. I built a home roaster about a year ago using equipment from RK Drums, which requires a dedicated gas grill. I'm really happy with the results I get from this setup. I noticed the Kaldi also requires the purchase of a gas burner but what size and form is it? I use a single thermocouple that mounts very close (~1/2") to the drum. I'm not sure how you plan to drop one right in the bean mass while the drum is rotating. Again I'm not very familiar with the Kaldi so maybe you've worked this out. Using forced air might help if you think the beans aren't getting even temp distribution. I don't use forced air. The thermal mass of the grill cavity along with the bean rotation seems to distribute the temperate quite evenly. Wherever you place the probe, as long as you can get a consistent and reliable reading you should be able to build your roast profiles accordingly. Good luck and I look forward to your updates with the results!


How to choose a good grinder for a gaggia espresso machine? I am using a Gaggia classic espresso machine and am looking for a grinder that will work well in combination with it.

What are the characteristics I need to keep in mind when selecting a grinder? What is better? A conical burr or a flat burr grinder? What gives the better grind?

At the moment, I have a crupps, but it has very coarse grinding steps.

For espresso, you should use a stepless grinder (meaning, instead of a small number of grind sizes, you can fine tune the dial continuously) with conical burs (which are a certain shape of grinding wheels that provide consistency and precision). A standard recommendation is the Baratza Sette. The Reddit community /r/coffee provides more guidelines on shopping for coffee grinders.


How can I shift coffee stains out of fabric? I spilled my coffee all over my cotton shirt. Will it stain if I let it dry? It's not white so I can't just bleach it. Or will it come out in an ordinary wash?

Coffee stains on cotton fabric can be treated using standard laundry strain removing products like Spray-and-Wash and OxiClean. The former has worked well for me in the past. Spray it on the stain and let it sit for a day or so before putting it in the wash.

As with any laundry product, it's a good idea to spot test to ensure your garment is colorfast.


Quantifying flavor differences between varieties? Different coffee varieties can produce very different flavour profiles.
A different flavour profile points to differences in the chemical mix inside the cup.

Are there any studies that quantify these differences?

Sort of...
These links, including the redesigned coffee lexicon might help answer your question

http://worldcoffeeresearch.org/images/pdfs/WCR_Sensory_Lexicon_Edition_1_2016.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furan-2-ylmethanethiol

EDIT:

Additional information on the chemistry of coffee taste. This is produced by what we know as the Maillard Reaction -  the Maillard Reaction (MRx). Discovered by a French chemist in 1910 the MRx is what is largely responsible for transforming the mere handful of compounds found in green coffee (unroasted) to the complex aromatic beverage that it is today. As temperatures reach 150°C (302°F) the MRx causes free proteins to combine with sugars to form aromatic compounds such as furans which impart sweet, caramel like notes to the coffee. :

More on this chemical reaction  here: https://www.coffeechemistry.com/library/coffee-science-publications/unlocking-coffee-s-chemical-composition-part-2

Remember. Coffee differs from region to region - water, soil, temperature, altitude, sunlight, humidity, etc. Many, many factors go into how coffee gets its distinct flavor and notes.


Is an Americano the same as drip coffee? I'm curious about the difference between an Americano (espresso + water) and drip coffee (grounds + water).

Does an Americano taste the same as black drip coffee? Whats the difference in caffeine levels? Process?

Differences

Crema: an espresso has crema whereas drip brew coffee doesn't. The reason for this is that an espresso is pulled under pressure.
Paper filtered: drip brew tends to be filtered by paper of cloth, filtering out oily components. From Comparison of nine common coffee extraction methods: instrumental and sensory analysis (where the French press is similar to espresso in that it isn't paper filtered):

  The most efficient extraction of fatty acids was performed with French Press extraction. Brewing with a paper filter resulted in coffee with the lowest fatty acid content, which is consistent with the findings of Peters.

Of course, this doesn't apply to all drip brews, metal filters don't filter out oily components.

(Possible) similarities

Strength: since an Americano is a diluted  espresso, you can make it the same strength as a drip brew coffee by adding an appropriate amount of water. The opposite isn't true, you cannot make a drip coffee that has espresso-strength.
Ingredients: both are made using roasted coffee and water only.


What coffee and roast are best for tiramisu? Tiramisu is a famous Italian desert made of, among others, mascarpone and coffee.

As an Italian desert, I believe that an Italian roast of some blend is best to match the rich mascarpone and alcohol tastes.

Is there a "standard" roast or blend combination?

From a cooks perspective, I think it should be "espresso", or "caffè" not "coffee" in any good tiramisu recipe, which in turn would already suggest a type of beans and roast.

Note that the Italian term caffè denotes the strong black liquid you get from an esspesso machine or a moka.

The coffee in a tiramisu has to be concentrated to supply enough flavour without soaking the ladyfingers or other bisquits used. (The same principle applies when you use a liquor.)

When choosing the beans /the roast, the same rule as for wine applies: Use what you drink. And seriously, unless you are making an insane amount of tiramisu, you will be using only very little of one pack of coffee.
I use whatever I choose for my Espresso (if I feel rich, I'll splurge on something from my local roaster, in a pinch the usual suspects like Illy or Lavazza, sometimes even a Starbucks Espresso roast cough) and call it a day.

So in sort, get a classic Italian espresso roast, prepare it authentically and you should be fine. In a pinch, use another coffee, but make sure it is very strong. You'll need a few tablespoons tops for a standard tiramisu recipe.


How does one descale an espresso machine (and how often to do it)? One of the common regular maintenance items for an espresso machine is to descale it, to remove the buildup of minerals inside the machine (particularly the heating element).

How often should I do this?
What are the benefits of regular descaling?
What do I need to do this?
How do I actually go about descaling the machine?

You can use a solution of citric acid and some espresso machine manufacturers will sell this specifically, you can use general purpose descaler, for which there should be instructions on how much to dilute it by.

Talking from experience it depends on how hard the water is where you live and you should really do it every month if it is a hard water area.

I also found that I need to remove the fine filter where the coffee is pumped out to remove the gasket seal and clean all of the above, I was lazy and neglected my Gaggia for about 6 months and after a couple years the solenoid pump died.

The less hassle method would be to use bottled soft mineral water. For instance I have started to only use this with my kettle and there is no limescale build up since switching 1 1/2 months ago, whilst before, using Brita filtered water would start to show limescale after a week and I'd need to descale after 3 weeks.

These are the instructions on my descaling solution for a coffee machine:

  Add 100ml of solution to 500ml of water and add to water reservoir,
  turn on and run through the machine. Then run 2 full reservoirs of
  water before using again.

I remember with citric acid you had to pump it through and then leave for 30 minutes and then fully flush a few times.

Here is a youtube video from Gaggia about performing this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SPkjWJzUJQ

The key thing here is that if you don't do it then limescale starts to form on the metal filter and gasket seals which will affect the flow rate. This isn't the worst bit though, like with any heating system that uses hard water, the hard limescale will inhibit the heating and pumping performance which can lead to a complete pump failure which is what happened to my machine, I recommend using citric acid (which is a weak acid and safe to consume in diluted form) and/or bottled mineral water.


What is Breakfast/Morning blend? What features does a breakfast or a morning blend have that other roasts or varieties don't have?

Is it always the similar or does it vary by distributor?

Is there any difference between breakfast and morning blend?

Breakfast or morning blends are generally a lighter roast, but there is no industry standard for how light of a roast.

As for differences between breakfast and morning blends, the key is in the word "blend". It is entirely up to the producer to blend different beans and different roasts and call it what they want.

Edit:
There are some differences in caffeine levels, but a lot of contradictory information out there. I found a great explanation of why the caffeine levels can differ between roasts here, but let me summarize from the post:

  If you measure your coffee by scoops, light roasted coffee will have more caffeine. Since the beans are denser than a darker roast. However if you weigh out your scoops, darker roasts will have more caffeine, because there is less mass.

@ChrisAK is correct, the roasting process does not burn or destroy caffeine, but the level of roast will impact the weight of each bean.


Aeropress: coffee starts flowing as soon as I flip it? I do the inverted method with my aeropress. Put the ground coffee, 40g of water, stir, put 60g more of water. Wait for it to brew. Put the lid, and flip.

As soon as I flip it on the mug, I can hear the water dripping rather faster than I'd like. Is this normal? Shouldn't the water stay in (or at least drip very slowly) until I actually push the handle?

I use a 1:10 coffee to water ratio, with ~1min brew time, and ~20s push. I use grind size 11 on my Comandante.

This will happen if you are using flavored coffee, if you're using too much water relative to coffee, or if your grind size is too large.

Flavored coffee causes this because a big portion of the "coffee grounds" are actually flavoring solids that dissolve in water. When you add water, those solids dissolve, and you're left with not enough coffee to hold back the water.

Too much water relative to coffee can cause this simply because of gravity. More water means more force pushing down on the coffee beans, and that means more water can get through.

Grind size too large is a likely cause. Your coffee simply might not be creating a cohesive barrier to water. Coarsely ground coffee will do this because the coarse grinds leave little gaps where the irregularly shaped grinds touch. Water can flow through those gaps. For Aeropress, you want a grind setting between drip and espresso.


Lower-end Manual Espresso Has anyone used one of the < $500 manual espresso machines like a ROK or Flair? I've read the specs (up to 10 bars for ROK, around 15 Flair) and seen some positive reviews but I'm curious about the quality of the cup.

And, ultimately, wondering if it's worth it or THAT much better than the strong coffee I get from my Aeropress.

If your budget is $500 and below then you can afford a real semi-professional espresso machine, including Gaggia or Lelit, for example.


How should I clean my Wilfa grinder? I have owned a Wilfa coffee grinder for about 2 years now and use it daily.
I was wondering how I should clean it? I noticed you can buy grinder cleaning aids but wanted to check with everyone here first.

The owner's manual for your specific model should have good instructions. There are good tips and videos online for other grinders, but I don't know how well they apply to yours.
The general idea is to gently remove the hopper, bin, gasket, and similar parts, and remove whichever side(s) of the blades are designed to come out. Vacuum out the coffee dust, then use a small wire brush to loosen more coffee grounds, and vacuum again.
A thin wood kabob skewer is a good tool for cleaning the corners.
The hopper and such parts are probably washable. Do not get water on the grinder blades unless the manual says that's OK.
I have not used cleaning pellets but I'm skeptical that pushing additional stuff through will clean out the accumulated dust and oils from the path. If you do try pellets, follow them with some coffee beans as a "chaser" to minimize the pellet dust in your next batch of coffee.


Left on the stovetop without water -- do I need a new moka pot? I put my moka pot & coffee on the stove this morning and forgot to put water into the bottom. Definitely a strong burnt rubber and burnt coffee smell before I noticed it; the rubber gasket was warped and it stuck to the top part a bit while I was trying to remove it.
Would getting a replacement rubber gasket be good enough or is the aluminum body (and basket) damaged too at this point?

We have an almost identical Q/A, just without a burnt gasket. In short, aluminum is very heat tolerant and unless you see some unexpected warping or other deformation (unlikely, I would assume), replacing the seal should be sufficient.


Brewing with the same coffee grounds twice? My new job has me buying my own coffee for the first time in my professional career.  I'm amazed at the amount of coffee I consume.  I brew at my desk using an aeropress.  Has anyone tried to use the grounds more than once?  Any tips as I try it out?

In general, I argue that you shouldn't be able to re-use the grounds. That is, for any brewing session, your goal is to extract exactly what you want from the beans. If you do this optimally for your method and taste, there's nothing left in the beans that you want; re-extracting will give you a different result. The second brew might be drinkable and even tasty, but it will have a disproportionately small amount of stuff you might want, like caffeine and other flavour compounds.

That said, @Madmanta's answer makes a good point: it might work in some cases, such as Aeropress or espresso. But this suggests you might want to change other parameters of your brewing. If you can re-brew your coffee with a result that you like, you might be able to, for example, use less grounds. This saves money, which sounds like it's part of your goal. Alternatively, you could brew a larger cup of coffee with the same amount of beans, or increase the extraction time. In the case of AeroPress, for example, I find that many of the recipes are decidedly under-extracted, so this might be an explanation for why a second brew works for you; see this Q/A for what I mean by extraction in this case.

You could try this experimentally also: brew a cup of Aeropress or pour-over as you usually do, then brew another batch in the same way. For example, I find the last few drops of pour-over brew to be watery and off-tasting but the entire batch tastes better together than either of the two parts separately. If you like it, go for it. Or use half the amount of grounds the next time. :)

As a practical note, you might also consider simply to brew a larger batch of coffee all in one go. You'll get a slightly different product but, for example, I find that I use way less grounds for a 10-cup thermal carafe than for 10 individual cups.


Coffee ground too finely - how to deal with it? We bought a pack of coffee and had it ground on site, like many times before. The new sales girl must have misunderstood something and used a too-fine setting, finest (for espresso) instead of second finest (for my moka).

Now if I use it, I get many grounds in the top container and basically have to discard about a quarter of the brew each time as its just a grainy sludge at the bottom. Not the end of the world, but rather unpleasant.

Is there a kind of "hack" how I could still use the perfectly fine coffee?

In this case, my usual pre-coffee tiredness solved the problem:

I had planned to mix the espresso grind with my usual grind to minimize the total amount of grounds in the cup. The idea was

1/2 too-fine grounds -> 1/2 the amount of dregs in the coffee.

Being tired, I only remembered this when I had already filled the moka more than half-way with the too-fine grind, so I just topped it up with the other kind and coooked my coffee.

But lo and behold: There were no coarse grounds in my pot - just some super-fine ones that weren't noticeable. I have since repeated the experiment a few times and can confirm that a top layer of "just right" grounds seems to be able to hold back most of the too-fine crumbs, especially those responsible for the "gritty" mouthfeel.

A top layer of 1/4th to 1/3rd of the correct grind proved sufficient as "filter" in my experiments.

Also, there is no excess clogging of the moka, causing the valve to trigger or hot steam/water escaping round the gasket. The pot works just as usual. Of course one may not compact the coffee grounds in the brewing chamber, but that's standard procedure.


How many different sizes should a shop serve for a flat white? Sometimes when I visit a shop they simply list flat white. Other times there are many many options for size. What is the correct way to serve a flat white?

It is common for a shop to offer only one size of flat white because a flat is a very basic drink. It's a shot of espresso with foam added. That's all.

If you further dilute a flat white by adding milk, you have a latte. If you multiply a flat white by using two or more shots of espresso, you end up with two or more flat whites.

If you run a shop and the flat white is a popular drink, add a double size and see how it fares. Go from there based on product performance. I'd not go more than a triple though because three shots of espresso in one drink is getting a little bananas.


Milk appears to separate from steaming, how do I fix this? So I'm using fresh, semi-skinned, filtered milk in a cold pitcher. My espresso machine is a Sage / Breville Barista Express. I blast my steam wand before I heat the milk as sometimes the first few seconds are just water out the wand.
I spend the first few seconds adding air to the milk and once it's thickened a bit and the bubbles have gone, I bury the tip and spend the next 40 seconds or so just heating it until it reaches temperature.
When I pour my milk, the bit that gets to the spout first tends to look very thin and watery and kind of "below" the rest of the milk, running faster. By the end of the pour it's very thick and frothed.
I'm not sure if this is because the milk has separated somehow, or the steam wand is somehow adding water to the mix or I'm doing something wrong.
How do I get that gloss paint consistency through the whole pitcher?

If the milk is cow fresh... You will have to put it through a process called homogenization. It is normally done when the milk is pasteurized for us who are chained to grocery carts. Homogenization is where the fat of the milk becomes emulsified and it keeps the cream from separating out. The following article contains a description of the process:
https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-homogenize-milk/
Best of luck.


Grinder reassembly: should I grease the gearbox? I have a Bodum Bistro grinder that I bought used a couple of months ago, and have been fairly impressed with.  It started making a horrible gear-grinding noise today, after getting a very small, very hard bean stuck in the burrs.  Being physiologically incapable of doing otherwise, I tore it down to see what had happened.
I was shocked to see that the (delrin? nylon?) gears actually aren't all chewed up at all.  They were just choked with dirty, messy, nasty, oily grinds, presumably keeping the motor shaft from engaging properly.  I ran the gearbox through the dishwasher to clean it all out, and I think there's hope that this thing will work again when I put it back together.
But I just had a horrible thought:  The gearbox isn't sealed.  Maybe the mess in the gearbox was a combination of grinds and grease.
Thoughts please: should I be packing the gears with silicon grease before I put it all back together?
Update: What I did
I used white lithium grease, after applying foil tape to seal openings between the coffee area and the gearbox area, figuring that there would be a very low likelihood of the grease aerosolizing and getting into the coffee area.
Reassembly was a bear, though.  I ended up hardwiring past the rocker switch.
2.5 Years Later:
It's been 2.5 years, and I have not tasted the grease, and the grinder is still running strong.

Yes, I assume the gearbox was originally lubricated to function properly somehow. I cannot believe the gears just rotate by their own.

And about the sealing. Such devices produced in bulk mostly do not care about proper sealing, no worries. Therefore, some parts may get in contact with your food.

Finally, about greasing... There are food-safe lubricants made out of vegetable oils for food machinery. These are generally aroma-free, so they won't affect the taste of your coffee. You can buy one of them and use. I don't link as you can easily search the net.


How to make thick, Indian style coffee without using instant coffee? I recently had coffee in India and it was quite thick. The way they made it they took instant coffee+sugar+little bit of water. They then beat this mixture into a thick paste. Then they added hot water and it turned out really delicious.

I really liked it; however, I'm wondering if it's possible to make this without using instant coffee? I'm not a big fan of instant coffee and have specific coffee beans I'm really a big fan of. I'm a coffee nooob so any advice on making a similarly thick coffee recipe?

Just like you described it. Add water a little by little, then took a spoon and swirl it. Then repeat, maintaining a thick paste, it will start to have a creamy colour. The most important thing is DON'T ADD TOO MUCH WATER until the paste is ready (you will know when), then it's ready to fill your cup with water and drink it (it will have a lot of cream, basically created by swirling and aeration).

Just try it and then repeat next time if it doesn't go as you want to.


When making pour over coffee, why does it sometimes take a very, very long time to drip out of the filter? I regularly make coffee using a ceramic #2 Melitta-style cone and natural brown filters. Most of the time it works great and consistently makes delicious coffee. But every now and then, the coffee takes a really long time to drip through the filter and out of the cone. More specifically, it normally takes a few minutes for it to fully drip out after pouring on the water, but in these cases it takes in excess of ten minutes. If I lift up the cone, I can see it's only letting out around one drip per second. I often have to apply gentle pressure to the filter to get it to actually drip out the coffee.
I haven't found any rhyme or reason as to why this is happening -- changing the size of the ground doesn't help nor does changing to a different coffee. The only thing I haven't changed is trying out a different brand of coffee filters. Could this just be inconsistencies in the production of the filters themselves?

The problem could very well be what Stephie was touching on; very fine coffee dust restricting the flow.
I was having the same issue with my setup and was just going to live with it. That is, until I took off the hopper off of my grinder and saw really finely ground coffee stuck between the splines of the burrs. After brushing out the powder and a couple firm taps it was back to normal.
Depending on the different beans along with their level of oil, grinds can build up on the the burrs and internals of the grinder rather quickly. After a bit of time the caked on and powdered grounds give way and fall down into the stuff you just grounded. When you try to brew a cup, the smaller lighter coffee grinds/dust flow down to the surface of the filter restricting the flow by blocking all of it's pores.


How hot should water be to brew ground coffee directly in a cup? I don't have a coffee press so I just brew ground coffee as you would tea: in the cup.

How hot should be the water to brew with this method? Should it be boiling, or a lower temperature?

Your method most closely resembles Turkish Coffee, which is suggested to be served at hot, but not boiling temperatures. Since the exposure to the grounds is so direct, it's easy to burn the coffee at boiling temperatures. You want a full body, but not a burnt taste (yuck!) Turkish Coffee World recommends about 158 degrees Fahrenheit or 70 degrees Celsius.


Pressure changed overnight? (to high) Anybody has any idea what can make the pressure go up overnight?

From the normal 7,5, its now over 12 BAR.

I didn't changed anything. Just added some beans last week.

I cleaned the machine, but it had no effect. I also tried less then 7 grams, and very light tamping. But the effect is minimal (still over 10).

Any clue?

Running a Rocket R58 with a Compak F8 OD

UPDATE 1:

I checked the pressure:

without porto-filter its 7 BAR
with the blind filter its 11 BAR

I checked the blind pressure with a friend (also a R58), thats 7.5 BAR.

As the machine is cleaned thoroughly, we can eliminate any kind of blockage. Then, a very probable reason for this is the thermostat. If it starts malfunctioning overnight (it is possible as they are electronic controllers with a thermocouple attached), then the machine may overheat your boiler. This ends up over-pressure. If possible, compare the temperature with normal temperature first.


What happens to ground coffee if poured over with very warm instead of hot water? I drink my coffee by putting ground coffee into a cup and pour it over with water that comes out of a heated Nespresso machine (I don't like to use capsules). However, I noticed that the water that comes out of this heated machine is not hot but rather very warm.

What are the effects of warm water (in comparison to very hot water) poured over ground coffee beans with regards to:

taste & flavours
health effects on the human body

Well first we should probably establish how cold the water is once it hits the ground. I imagine it is heated to almost boiling temperature in the Nespresso machine, however when it comes out and hits the cold cup it cools down almost immediately to probably 85 to 90°C or something around that.

In general colder water means basically that you are extracting less solid compounds of the coffee at a slower rate. So it is impossible really to draw any specific conclusions without knowing how hot the water is and how long the extraction takes.

However there are some general rules that always apply as the aforementioned slower extraction at lower temperatures. Another one is that with increasing contact time the extraction will be higher.

In terms of flavor lower extractions are generally associated with more acidic/sour coffee and the higher the extraction the more of the bitter compounds will be in your cup. An ideal extraction will be balanced with some fruity acidity and some darker, chocolaty flavors. Since you are using a full immersion technique it will not make that much of a difference though. I imagine you wait a few minutes before you start drinking the coffee? So there's probably a short moment where the extraction is balanced but the longer you sip on your cup the more bitter it gets which means overextraction. I think time is the more relevant variable in your case (if my estimate of the temperature is more or less correct)

Health wise I don't think it will make much of a difference either for the above mentioned reasons. Most of the caffein is extracted early on and by the end the extraction will be relatively high, regardless of the somewhat lower initial temperature. And since you are doing full immersion you will additionally always ingest a good amount of coffee grounds anyways.


Home roasting and ventilation I have been home roasting with a Gene Cafe since early this last summer.  I chose the Gene Cafe specifically because it appeared to be designed for attachment to a permanent vent solution.  However, I've since found that the three inch exhaust is a very rough fit and that the chaff collector leaks smoke as well.  The vent hole I have installed in my house is also less than optimal since it tends to leak cold air in quite a bit even with two stops installed.  Does anyone have a setup in place that has very little (or better yet, no) smoke leakage when roasting?  What are the elements you have involved to create your smoke free roasting apparatus?

I finally noticed that the chaff collection unit is actually several pieces that don't fit as well as they could.  I took it apart and sealed the seams with high temperature engine gasket sealant.  I then used the sealant to connect the vent hose to the top of the chaff collector (also a very rough fit).

I still have some problems with cold air inflow on the vent through the house wall, but I can disconnect the vent hose from the house vent and stuff it with rags or other temporary insulation material if I choose.

All said and done the machine is leaking far less than half the smoke it was previously.  It seems the chaff collector was a main part of the problem.  This makes sense as the exhaust there is making a 90 degree turn, expanding into a chamber, then compressing back into another pathway.

UPDATE:

Complete misunderstanding of the problem.  The exhaust vent is sized down and WILL connect and properly seal on a piece of exhaust pipe fitting.  I am not sure why the company sized it this way, but sealing the seams and using a piece of exhaust joint (rather than slipping the vent hose/pipe over the exhaust) works like it was probably designed to.


Coffee options for those with a weak stomach? My stomach doesn't take coffee kindly for some reason, but I do like the taste and smell of it.

Are there any coffee types out there for those with a similar issue?

Preparation method will have a big factor in extraction, acidity (such as in @Patrick's answer) among them.  The method used (temperature, time, technique, filtering method) will have a big impact on what comes out in the cup. Astringency and bitterness might also be factors that have physical effects for you; see this article for a discussion of the differences between the two, causes, and related factors.

Try cold brew. Cold brew coffee will have lower acidity, and might be a good option for you; here's an article that discusses different preparation methods, but in the cold-brew section it has an anecdote of someone with similar "stomach".  Here's another on cold-brew and acidity. See also the cold-brew tag.

Paper filtering seems to remove some acids, but it's not clear whether these are the type that might argue with your stomach. For example, The AeroPress FAQ claims that their paper filter creates lower acidity brew, but I can't immediately find a better, proper reference.

Try some antacid. If you're experiencing heartburn, try a calcium-based antacid before and/or after drinking the coffee, and see if that changes things. (Disclaim: This isn't medical advice, don't take it if you shouldn't, talk to a doctor about meds, etc.).

Science! If you're into thicker scientific reading, here's a paper on extraction methods and outcomes, if you're into that sort of thing. It discusses various aspects of acids and acidity. It looks pretty dense.


What is Pablo coffee? It's mentioned in a book called Jasper Jones by the Australian author Craig Silvey. There's a child, a teenager I think, that's given it by their parent. I've never heard of it before. Does anyone know what it is?

Pablo coffee was an Australian brand of instant coffee that was a household staple in the 60s and 70s and still advertised in the 80s.

After that, it seems to have disappeared from the market.


My coffee pot is a 12 cup Cooks.It has a built in filter yet i still feel the need to put a regular filter in it as well.Am i just being foolish? Cook 12 Cup Pot
Self filtration installed
Use of regular filters as well

Totally up to you.
A paper filter will filter the oils in the coffee and give you a "brighter" flavor in your coffee. Filtering the oil out may also change the health factors of drinking coffee, since those oils provide nutrition elements that are both good for you and bad for you.
The metal filter by itself will let oils and fines into your final brew. The oils will make the coffee taste richer and more earthy. The fines (which are dust like fine grinds of coffee) will create some sludge in the final brew. Not a lot probably, but some.
I suggest that if you like how the coffee tastes with a paper filter, keep using a paper filter. And if you want to try without paper, consult the manual first to make absolutely sure this is ok with your machine. I can't tell which model Cooks 12 cup you have, so I don't know if your machine actually has a permanent filter or just a basket.


How to fix burr contact/alignment issues on an OE LIDO hand grinder on fine grinds? The burrs on my Orphan Espresso LIDO E hand grinder touch/contact and grind each other when dialing into a fine grind, even when the basket is empty of beans.

Is this supposed to happen? Are they misaligned? The burrs only contact on one side - particularly only at one section of the handle turn, and I can't get a finer grind because of this.

For the LIDO grinders, burr drag, grinding, or touching is likely due to misalignment. Misalignment is more likely an assembly issue than a manufacturing issue since the burrs are machined. This means you can fix your Orphan Espresso LIDO on your own, with some handiwork and know-how.

When I received my Lido E, the burrs would contact each other at anything tighter than +3.5 on the adjustment ring. After careful realignment, I got down to -5 from "factory-zero" before any contact, fixing a misalignment of over eight notches! -5 is now my new "recalibrated zero".

My burrs are now much better centered than when it arrived, and I can get them extremely close together while keeping them fully free spinning.

Orphan Espresso's LIDO Maintenance Video is a detailed guide on how to disassemble, clean, and reassemble your LIDO. He only goes as far as to approximately realign the burrs.

In Orphan Espresso's LIDO Grider Burr Alignment Video, he focuses on burr alignment, going more in-depth. The video is very informative, but I believe alignment can be improved further with these additional steps:

To Perfectly Align LIDO 2, LIDO 3, or LIDO E Burrs

Do as he instructs in the the alignment video until 7:24

He will:

Tighten one adjustment screw while grinder is upside down
Turn the grinder right side up
Fully tighten all screws in opposing X-order

Instead, I suggest:

Keep grinder upside down
Lightly & evenly tighten all adjustment screws in opposing X-order
The hopper should be lightly secured, locking in the outer burr's alignment

Turn the LIDO right side up and loosen the adjustment ring until the burrs spin freely when the locking ring is locked.
Slowly tighten the adjustment ring (and re-lock) bit by bit, turning the handle a full circle and testing for burr contact.
When the first burr contact occurs, note the clock position of contact (e.g. 3 o'clock)
Slowly tighten an alignment screw at either the same or the opposing clock position (e.g. either 3 or 9 o'clock) until burr spins freely again.

It will take some experimentation to figure out which screw to tighten.
Sometimes, you may need to slightly loosen a screw to free the burr.

If all alignment screws are as snug as possible without introducing more burr contact, you're done. Otherwise, go back to step 4.

If done correctly, the burrs will be so well-centered that when tightening the adjustment ring until first burr contact, the burr contacts in two or more (or all) places at once. The point of first burr contact is your new "recalibrated zero".

What this is doing

The alignment video shows how to align the inner burr and outer burr before screwing in the alignment screws. The problem is that I found the burrs can still get misaligned during tightening of the alignment screws.

My procedure addresses those last 1-2 turns of the alignment screws, between "lightly" and "fully" tightened. Slowly tightening whilst rechecking alignment makes sure that everything stays aligned even as the screws are fully tightened.


What is Starbucks's roast date? What is the roast date of Starbucks beans? I've heard rumors that it's 7 months or 8 months before the expiration or "best by" date, but is there an authoritative source for this information?

Starbucks is a huge company that wants to reduce the costs. Therefore, it is expected that they optimize for profit most of the time, not for the taste.

One cost-saving approach is to have lots of beans, roasting them all together right after the harvest --when the beans are easily available, then pack them and send to many other selling points --sometimes overseas.

As a result, it might be expected that shipping numerous of containers of packed beans overseas may take a while. However, we cannot just estimate this.

One note, checking the packaging date may help you do a closer estimation. I'm not aware of the legislation around the globe, but when I check a bag of beans in the nearby store, every time till now, the typed date is enough for me to throw the bag as far away as possible.


What is the difference between Melange and Cappuccino? Melange is the most popular coffee beverage in Vienna, Austria and surrounding. It's preparation and look is in my humble opinion exactly the same as Cappuccino. You use an espresso shot, create some milk foam, add the hot milk together with the milk foam on top. Some will sprinkle some cocoa or cinnamon powder on top.

So is it only the name or is there any deeper difference that the customer do not see?

Melange describes different beverages with coffee in different places. The Melange from Vienna is indeed very similar to Cappuccino. However, Melange is sometimes not produced using Espresso, but normal filter coffee.

In Switzerland, in contrast, Melange is made with whipped cream instead of milk.


What factors affect espresso crema? For a given coffee and roasting method, what factors of the espresso making process affect the crema and in what way(s) do they affect it? By my own empirical evidence, I would guess that time since grinding, coarseness of the grind, and tamping pressure are the biggest factors.

From Wikipedia:

  The "crema" is produced by emulsifying the oils in the ground coffee into a colloid, which does not occur in other brewing methods.

Using the right material from the start

Personally, I think this definition could use some updating. Crema exists because of the freshness of the coffee, in relation to it's roast. It contains the gasses we find from roasting, such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen gasses. You will notice that if you dig up coffee that is months old and brew it as espresso, there will be little crema. Bottoml ine, if you want crema, you need fresh coffee.

Extraction

The other factor in producing crema, is correct extraction. If you have a poorly extracted shot of espresso, it will be primarily water, with some seriously over-extracted coffee. An even extraction will produce the highest yield of crema.


How to froth milk for latte art with a delonghi magnifica I am trying to get started with latte art. The problem is that I can’t draw because the milk just flows into the coffee. Only the foam on the top remains but that in turn is too light to allow any pattern. I assume that I am doing something wrong in the frothing process.
I‘m using the integrated milk frother of a delonghi magnifica with whole milk:

First I try to let some air into the milk
Then I dip the frother into the  milk until the volume increases.
I do this until the container gets slightly too hot to hold (have seen it in a video).

Do you have any suggestions on how to improve?
Does the behavior above indicate that the milk is too cold?
I Appreciate any advice. Thank you!

TL;DR; Remove the outer panarello leaving just the inner steam tip. Turn the jug at a 45 degree angle and try to get the milk to spin round in a vortex.
Detail: The panarello brings in extra air to make the frothing and steaming of the milk a much more consistent, reliable process. Unfortunately, from a latte perspective, the bubbles end up being too big and are more suited to frothy cappuccino.
I have had this machine for two years and had given up on any chance of proper latte art. Then, in searching for supporting evidence before answering you, I found this Magnifica review where the reviewer says:

The popular option with domestic Espresso machines are panarello
wands, a sheath which covers the steam pipe and introduces steam to
the milk via holes on the side. ... They produce only large bubbled
froth, to be spooned into cappuccino – which is fine if that’s what
you like.
If, however, you’re wanting to produce lovely, shiny microfoam, with
much smaller bubbles, for making delicious velvety flat whites,
cortado/piccolo, macchiato, latte or cappuccino, and to have a go at
pouring latte art, then panarello isn’t going to work for you.
De’Longhi have recognized this, and they have made it very easy to
simply pull off the panarello to reveal the plastic steam pipe, which
is essentially a single hole steam tip steam wand, or at least works
in a similar fashion.

In truth, it's doubtful that this was actually De'Longhi's intention. Without the outer panarello screwed in, the steam tip is held in place only by friction and - at least once it has been removed and replaced a few times - will frequently pop out from the pressure of the steam. Trying to hold it in place with your thumb or finger is tricky, risks burning your hand and (most importantly!) distracts you from keeping the milk jug in the right place.
I've tried it a few times and the results have been mixed. Microfoam is certainly more achievable, but so is completely flat, textureless milk! However, there's enough potential there that I'm going to spend a small amount of money on a new panarello and then cut it shorter with a saw so that it can hold the tip in place without adding unnecessary extra air to the milk.
Edit: Rather than cutting anything, you could also put your finger over the little dimple through which air is added. Still be careful of touching the hot chrome arm.


Is decaffeinated coffee more acidic? Apparently caffeine is weakly basic. This means, presumably, that in coffee the caffeine actually neutralises some of the acids.

Is decaffeinated coffee more acidic than caffeinated coffee as a result, or does caffeine only have a negligible effect on the pH of the brew?

According this source, a study by Dionex, a part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, found that decaf coffee is less acidic than regular coffee.

That being said, all coffee causes the stomach to produce acid and the scientific results of the effect of both types of coffee on this are inconclusive. Some studies have found that patients drinking decaf have less stomach acid issues and vice versa.

According to this source, the nature of the beans used to make decaf coffee are higher in acidity in any case, because these beans are used due to their ability to retain flavor after treatment.

All in all, decaffeinated coffee beans have less acid in them than their counterparts, but because the choice beans for decaffeination are already high in acid, this may make most decaf coffees have a higher acidic content in general when compared to other coffees.


Does using two paper filters in a drip machine strengthen flavour? From time to time, I find myself somewhere, where I have to make coffee using a drip machine. Often it is one that takes flat-bottom, paper filters.

When I am in this situation, I am usually working with a weak coffee. To strengthen the taste of the coffee, I reason that using two paper filters instead of one will increase the extraction time of the coffee (which I prefer in this setting).

My question:

Will using two paper filters actually have a significant change on coffee extraction time? Or is the difference insignificant?

Yes, because it allows more time for coffee to be extracted as it stored in a longer time for coffee to drip. However, other parameters also have effect regarding this issue (such as, type of bean, roasting profile, temperature, brewing method)
But using double filter since it also filter the "flavor", making it stale (you may lose the pleasant acidic, fruity flavor, or other unique flavor your bean may offered) and double filter can make your coffee over extracted thus unpleasant bitter flavor.
If you want your coffee strong you may want other experiment

Use fresh coffee bean
the older the coffee, they tend to lose their flavor. The fresher, the better. You have to store your bean properly too, keep it in air-tight container, avoid direct sunlight
wait  to grind your bean, until the last minute coffee lose a bit of its flavor after grinding. Ground coffee is also more sensitive to the moisture
Use different kind of bean You may use robusta, it naturally has more "caffeine" compared to Arabica, therefore can "hit" you harder
Use different kind of roasting profile the darker the roast, the bitter it is, but it has less caffeine.

when brewing

Pre-warming the equipment or insulating it basically the hotter the temperature you get bitter flavor, to avoid the "upleasant bitter" you may adjust the water temperature according to your preferences. Temperature loss often occurs as a result of heat absorption by the equipment itself (and therefore stale flavor), so pre-heat the equipment would prevent it
Use finer grind Coarser grind can make your coffee under extracted
Adjust the amount of your coffee
Adjust the steeping time

In the end it comes down to your preference(s). No single technique is right for everyone. Enjoy your coffee immediately after brewing

My explanation might not answer your question directly, double filter affect your coffee, yes it is. But other factors simply can be neglected


Are there any disadvantages to shade grown coffee? Shade grown coffee seems like a great way to support sustainable agriculture in forest areas.

From the few examples I have seen these beans seem more expensive than the cheapest brands of bean but it is by no means the most expensive.

So, what are the disadvantages of shade growing coffee? Does it generally affect flavour in a noticeable way?

I suppose flavor won't be changed. Most coffee beans are grown just like that. They require shade or they will die of too much sunlight. Having too much water will sometimes drown the plant to death. Here is a website that lists three main disadvantages and some advantages to shade grown coffee.

Too much shade will cause fungal infections

If the plant is under too much shade, fungi-related infections will attack and feed on the plant. This will ruin your plant and destroy it. Yet having too much sunlight will burn the plant instead.

The real definition of shade-grown is not really rock-solid. Many places will have varying amounts of shade due to their altitudes.

You can't say that this type of shade gown plant is used in every country of different altitudes.. Some places require more shade (those with a high altitude) and others less shade (those with a low altitude). It depends on where you will plant your coffee plant.

The further south (or, north) a farm is located from the Equator, the less need there is for shade cover to protect coffee plants from the rays of the sun: the strength of the sun's rays in, for example, Brazil (where the sun is at an angle) is far less than the direct overhead rays from Central America. Thus, while shade cover may prove advantageous in Central America it might actually lead to a fall in yield of crops in Brazil.

This directly copied from the website, word for word. The amount of shade needed will also depends on the sunlight's strength. Nearer the equator, it is stronger so more shade is required. Farther from the equator, it is weaker so less shade is needed.

There are maybe more, but these are some basic and critical disadvantages to shad grown planting. I hope this helps you!


How to choose coffee that's the most stimulating without the anxiety I've never been able to figure out all the patterns to be able to understand which coffee gives me more of the positive effects - mental and physical energy, good mood; with less of the negative effects - anxiety, shakes, tiredness, angriness. So I'm looking for advice on what are likely to be the main factors and how I can make the best feeling cup of coffee at home.
Anecdotally a great expensive coffee from a good coffee shop makes me feel good. I generally have a flat white with a little sugar. At the other end of the scale cheap coffee from the supermarket prepared strong in a mocha and drunk straight up can make me feel terrible - easy to anger, anxious, shaky. Starbucks coffee makes me feel physically terrible, and I haven't drunk it for ages. The last time I did I had to sit down as I was nauseus and overcome with tiredness.
I have never found anything that lets me make a great feeling cup of coffee at home. My best feeling cup at the moment is espresso from a mocha, long, with cream and sugar.
It seems like at different times the main factors have been:

The coffee bean
The roast (dark roast = more anxious)
How it's prepared
How I consume it (with/without milk, long/short, with/without sugar)
Freshness of bean
Freshness of the coffee

And of course I can't rule out my personal mental and physical health at the time, although caffeine does affect me quite strongly so I tend not to drink it when I'm already feeling anxious.
So, what are the main factors in how a cup of coffee feels? Is it just personal or is there a way I can optimise for the positive effects? I'm prepared to spend a bit more on the coffee if it feels good. I have various mochas to make espresso, drippers and French press.
Thanks :)

Have you tried mushroom coffee? It has the effect you're looking for. 4 Sigmatic have a good range to choose from with varying effects. I find the ones with lion's mane mushroom help with focus but don't give me the jitters!


When preparing a ristretto shot, should the brew time remain the same as a normale? I have heard that a ristretto shot is in the realm of 1:1.1-1.5  bean to coffee yield ratio here. Is the brew time to remain the same? I have used about 25s as a rule of thumb for my espresso shots. If so, the flow of coffee from the machine is very slow, but if not the shot can be completed very quickly. I have tried both preparations and prefer keeping the shot time constant. Is this the prevailing wisdom?

The time could absolutely stay the same for both your ristretto and normale shots. But - for that to happen your grind is certainly going to have to change, and obviously your yield (since you are now pulling a smaller / ristretto shot).

An example:
If you pull a shot that's:

20g in | 25s | 20g out

And then you decide to pull a larger/normale shot, but you want to keep the time constant. Then you are basically forced to loosen your grind to a coarser grind size.
Then you could pull your normale at:

20g in | 25s | 30g out

Hopefully that answers your question!


Remedy for a coffee hangover? Did you ever drink too much coffee during the week, and then on your day off you have this really tired feeling with a headache?  I call it a coffee-hangover.  It has nothing to do with alcohol just too much coffee.  I'm looking for a remedy to this, but not a remedy involving coffee; I'd prefer to save that for the week.

It's probably a caffeine "withdrawal" symptom.
According to WebMD

If you stop taking caffeine abruptly, you may have symptoms for a day
or more, especially if you consume two or more cups of coffee a day.
Symptoms of withdrawal from caffeine include:
headache
fatigue
anxiety
irritability
depressed mood
difficulty concentrating

It might be best to either reduce the coffee you drink during the week, or have coffee on the weekend too.
To avoid my headaches, I choose to have coffee on the weekend too.


Does coffee stain enamel? I would like to know if ground-coffee stains the enamel of our teeth. If so, how long and how frequent would its exposure to coffee be in order to acquire a taint or colouring? It is possible too that only additives to the coffee result in an affect to the enamel of our teeth.

Yes...tea and wine too.  Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda can remove coffee stains from enamel.  Organic bits of the plants stain enamel over time.


Trying to identify which chemical is responsible for a burned plastic taste in certain flavors I used to love hazelnut flavored coffee. One day though, I noticed it smelled and tasted like burned plastic.  I chalked it up to a bad batch, but it turned out, since that day, all (or all that I've tried, including ones that used to be fine) have that smell and taste.

I figured it was something in the artificial flavoring used for hazelnut since actual hazelnuts (raw and roasted) don't have that flavor nor odor to me.

Today I just tried a coconut mocha coffee they had at my office as it looked interesting and I smelled the same exact odor. I tasted it anyway, and got the exact same taste as well. There was nothing hazelnut about this coffee.

So, I'm trying to figure out what exactly it is that I am perceiving as this smell/taste.  It's not actually hazelnuts and it's something that's in multiple flavored coffees, but definitely not all.

It's not coffee itself, and it's not a flavor that's in every flavored coffee (black coffee, cinnamon bun, blueberry, pumpkin spice, so far have all been fine)

Anyone have any idea at all what it could be that I'm tasting that way?

Being ill or recovering from being ill can certainly change your sense of taste. Can you get somebody else to try the coffee you get that smell/taste from to see if they also do? At least you can eliminate you or the coffee.

Taste Changes - Topic Overview


Looking for a good pod coffee maker I'm an occasional avid coffee drinker. That is, I don't drink much (at most 1 cup a day, sometimes a few days with 0 cups) but when I do I want it to be (really) good.
I just want a good cup of regular coffee, and possibly a latte every now and then. I don't care too much for an espresso.
Up until now I've used the freeze dried stuff and sometimes one of those glass wait-and-then-press things. Both of them with mediocre results that leaves me wanting (most likely because I'm in a hurry and don't do it properly).
So, I want to get better coffee, without breaking the bank and without needing to count seconds or measure precise amounts of anything (both are things I suck at early in the morning). To me the capsule coffee makers seem like the perfect solution. But which one should I get?
There are so many of them. Went to a Nespresso store today and they let me taste a coffee from Nespresso Vertuo Next which in all honestly was good (better than what I usually drink) although I kind of expected even better, and when I read reviews about it they were.. mixed (things like the first cup being cold). So I'm back to square one and not knowing what I need.
Maybe you guys have some tips? I'm hoping to stay within or under 230 USD.
Update 1. Was asked to define a (to me) good cup of coffee. This is hard and I doubt I know the correct terms for what you are asking me to describe.. But I'll give it a stab. I like a well rounded cup, that's not too bitter (I usually stay away from the really dark roast) but I also want a distinct strong coffee taste (not watered down). In my opinion, a good cup of coffee does not need milk or sugar (although I do add milk sometimes, and I do enjoy a latte every now and then). I also want a good crema on the cup. Oh, and it needs to be hot. I hate cold coffee, I want it above 90 degrees celcius.
On a vacation to Teneriffa a few years ago I realized that every single little mom and pop shop had this machine (or very similar) and were all extremely good at making a good cup of joe. I have since then not tasted as good coffee as I had during that week again. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back just for the damn coffee.

This may be heresy: An espresso machine plus a grinder is overkill for a one cup a day person. Try Nespresso Vertuo. Their coffee is excellent and comes in a wide selection of tastes. In my opinion, much better than anything from Kuerig. I own two Vertuo machines, one for office, one for home. I'm not in any way connected to Nespresso except as a satisfied customer.


French-press v.s. manual pour over brewing quality Does anyone happen to know the differences in brewing quality of using a french press v.s. using a manual pour over? I can imagine using filter paper might give a better quality brew with a manual pour over than with the french press' metal mesh filter but I could be wrong.

First things first, let's put the difference between French press and manual pour-over:

French-press: Coffee and water stay in the same container during brewing. The water is not very close to boiling temperatures. You wait for a while to brew it. At the end, the output is coffee with some fine residue of coffee ground in it. This may continue to brew while you drink. So, it must be consumed fast.
Manual pour-over: Coffee and water are in two different compartments. (This is a very definitive difference.) Brewing happens fast, with close to boiling temperatures. The output has no visible grounds in it. You may wait for a while till it gets colder.

And, the answer... How could we define the quality? I think it depends on the drinker's mood. I change my brewing method from day to day. I drink cold brew for a while, then two shots of espresso, then a Turkish. I never thought one of them has superior quality.


The pricier the better? Simple observation: Whenever I shifted to better coffee, I always had to pay a little bit extra for coffee itself than usual.

Does it hold true vice avers? Meaning, if price tag on coffee brand X is 10% more than coffee brand Y, can I say that brand X is better than brand Y without considering any other attributes? (e.g. location, fair trade and so on)

Short answer: Yes - up to a point

Long answer:

Ignoring things like Kopi Luwak etc, there is a cost associated with growing, harvesting and transporting arabica beans in a timely manner, roasting them while they're fresh, and getting them to somewhere you can buy them.

If you go below this price, corners will be cut. You may get cheaper robusta beans, or a mix. You will get older, staler beans. You will get the poor end of the harvest.

However, go above that price and you're needlessly spending extra cash. You're now spending on marketing for the people you're buying it from. You're paying for a fancier bag, better branding etc. This may actually make it taste bette - psychology is a powerful thing, but the beans you're getting won't be significantly different.

The problem is, this magic price-point is impossible to find, fluctuates wildly, and it's in the interests of suppliers to obfusticate it as much as possible.

My advice would be to try a variety of coffees that you can afford and find one you like.


How can I prepare an espresso machine for long-term storage I am moving abroad, and will put my espresso machine in storage for at least one year. What can I do to make sure it still works when I return?

Upon my return, what parts should I replace?

If you live in a hard water area then clean using a citric acid solution and make sure that the pumps are then empty of water.

You could if it's easy remove the gasket seal (if there is one) which sits on the metal fine filter where the coffee is pumped through, this is to avoid any residue drying and gunk/mould forming on the seals.

It may depend on your model how easy access some of this. If you have a bean to cup then you'll need to clean the waste bin and empty the bean hopper.

Finally store it in the original box, somewhere that isn't humid and you should be fine.

When you fire it up again, you'll need to pump water fully through (again you could use a citric acid solution) and restore the gasket seals. I can't think of anything else you could do.


What are the heath risks associated with grinding coffee beans a year after their sell by date? I have had some coffee beans for over a year now and the date on them is July 2015. I have been drinking them for the past year because I have a big supply. The coffee still tastes great and I can tell the caffeine still has an effect on me.

Is this bad? I'm storing them at room temperature and I grind and drink the coffee on the same day.

Normally, the main reason that roasted coffee has a shelf life is its freshness. If the package is properly closed it is mostly safe. Your concern should be its flavor which should be faded away already.

However, you must also think about the mold that may cover the beans. Mold may grow on coffee beans or ground coffee in time. It may cause allergic reactions according to this site or even more. This site includes a guide how to remove mold from coffee beans -however this method affects the flavor.

Maybe a physician could be more helpful about the health effects of mold.


What is the cheapest way to use coffee beans? I have been given two large bags of a popular brand of coffee beans, I would like to buy a machine to use them but do not want to spend a lot of money, is a standard coffee filter machine suitable please?  I have heard I might need a grinder? Many thanks

There are many ways to brew coffee, and several that are on the "inexpensive" end of the spectrum. Your tone sounds like you're not very into coffee, so to that end here are my broad recommendations in that will give you an adequate cup with minimal fuss and expense.

You'll need two basic pieces of equipment:

A grinder. You can buy an inexpensive electric rotary grinder that will be adequate for most purposes -- one example from Amazon. You can also use it for grinding spices or seeds. If you already have one, you will get some odor holdover from one grinding mission to the next, but it's probably fine if you're not very picky. 10-15 quid new, or even cheaper used from a thrift shop etc. You can even mash them up with mortar and pestle.

Some brewing mechanism. The cheapest and simplest are probably drip brew (e.g., pour-over or auto-drip), but I online a few more down below. Your options are manual pour-over (my recommendation) or auto-drip:

Manual pour-over. My pick would be a manual pour-over coffee cone, such as this one, a plastic cone holder for like 5 quid. You put the cone over a mug, put in a paper filter, add medium-grind coffee (even as fine as the rotary grinder will give you will be okay), and slowly pour water over the top until brewed.
Auto-drip. You can find a really cheap auto-drip machine, for instance this one from Amazon, for like 10-15 quid, or even cheaper used. Water goes in the reservoir, paper filter in the basket, add some ground coffee, press the button.

That's one solution for decent cup of coffee for as little as 15 quid all in (grinder, coffee cone, paper filters), or perhaps 25-30 for an auto-drip solution.

See also questions tagged as pour-over for how-to information.

Other inexpensive, though somewhat more fussy, preparations include...

French press and french-press
stove-top percolator or moka pot, see also my description of the difference between them and moka
cold brew; see cold-brew.


Increase cold brew coffee concentration I like the taste of cold brew coffee but I prefer to drink it hot. A certain proportion in which I dilute the concentrate with boiling water gives me the best taste, but the temperature of drink gets too low (even when the concentrate is at room temperature, I imagine it will be even lower if the concentrate is refrigerated).

My concentrate is brewed in proportion 1:4 (coffee to water by mass). That's the highest concentration most recipes suggest. I also tried using finer grinds and increasing the extraction time (up to 30 hours).

One way to solve the problem would be to try proportions 1:3 and 1:2, but would I be wasting too much coffee this way?

Another way would be to heat the drink, but that's inconvenient in office.

I could try boiling down the concentrate, but I'm afraid this will affect the flavor.

Does anyone have other suggestions?

You should reduce your coffee concentrate by placing it in a vacuum to lower the boiling point of the water down to room temperature. Lowering the pressure of water decreases its boiling point. This way you will boil off the water quickly without adding heat and risking any changes in flavor.

Otherwise you can put your coffee concentrate in an oven on a low heat setting poured into a glass or ceramic baking pan to maximize the surface area. Use the convection setting if you have it. The added heat shouldn't cause too much of a flavor change since the coffee beans have been removed at this point and won't continue to brew/extract harsh flavors.


Why is coffee mostly hot brewed? Why is coffee always made with hot water ?

I know there is iced coffee, but even in this case, coffee must be made with boiled water before.

My simple coffee machine heats water into vapor, then rises it to the top of the machine to fill the filter and turns to coffee. It's obvious that it's impossible to do this with cold water and a traditional machine. But if it was, would the taste be the same as of a cooled traditional coffee ?

Let's take a look at what turns coffee grounds and water into coffee:

It's an extraction process where aromatic compounds and oils and caffeine are extracted from the coffee bean into the water. It's a "standard chemical process", done in millions of kitchens and cafés all over the world.

Basic chemistry will tell you that the temperature of the solvent and other environmental parameters like pressure typically determine how fast this happens, but also the ratios of extracted substances, if applicable. Surface area comes into play as well, that's why e.g. coffee for espresso machines is ground finer than for filter machines. Using the same batch of beans in an espresso machine and a drip coffee maker gives you two totally different taste profiles.

The same applies for extraction processes that use cold water, a method termed "cold brew" and discussed on this site as well. By the same rules as explained before, this means you need significantly longer extraction times (we are talking hours here) and should expect a different taste.


Why does the same coffee in my Hario V60 drip tastes better then in Bialetti stainless steel moka pot? I use same beans (either Flowgrade or Bulletproof), and grind in a Rhinowares hard grinder (adjusting the screw by tightening max, and then unwind by 5 clicks). I use about 28 grams of coffee for 500 mL water in both cases. I have the 9-cup stainless steel Bialetti  moka pot, and a ceramic V60-02.

Some days I brew in the V60, and some days in a moka pot. The V60 coffee tastes better. From the moka pot it seems a bit sour, and lacks "coffeeness" in the taste. Why doesn't the moka coffee taste good?

As they are two different methods of brewing, it is normal that they taste different.

One very clear difference is the temperature of the water. Moka pots practically use water/steam. This let's the extraction happen in a warmer environment than recommended. Additional bitter notes of the bean is also extracted. More importantly, you loose some aromatics as they evaporate quickly. However, as you don't use a fine filter, you and up with a more bodily cup.

V60 effectively filters out the body of the bean. Also, you brew in the recommended degree (around 95 degree Celcius). The result is a more finer, light, herbal-tea-like cup of coffee.

Note: I realized that you did not mention your grind size. Grounds must be grinded in different sizes for both methods. If you use the same size, it is also another reason for the difference in the taste. In case, check this discussion.


Is there any coffee candy that actually has a similar effect to drinking coffee? A friend gave me a little coffee-flavored candy yesterday. I don't really know where this comes from, but it's just like a jolly-rancher or butter drop, just coffee flavored.

But are there any quality  coffee candies about that have a similar effect to drinking coffee?

There are chocolate covered coffee bean candies.

They look something like that:

We may build an equation such as: one cup of espresso includes around 7 grams of coffee, 7 grams of coffee could be grounded around 50 mid-sized beans. So, if you eat 50 of these drops, it will be roughly equal to a cup of coffee.

(Plus fibers, potassium and many others that I cannot list now without checking a paper.)


What coffee bean and roast are appropriate with soy milk? Soy milk tastes quite different from cow milk. Yet coffee chains seem to make their milk-based drinks from the same coffee pot. The pot is most often made of dark-roast blends "from the house", and it seems a good match for cow milk, as the fatty flavour balances the strength of the black drink. Dark-roast blends coffee seems overly strong for soy milk, though, and I am guessing that some cafes do serve "soy lattes" based on lighter roasts (from taste, not from observation at this point).

Blends are usually secrets in contents and proportions. The chains use the same pot anyway, but some cafes may be picking a different blend as well, more suitable to the flavour profile of soy milk.

Are there any criteria on the bean and/or roast when one intends to mix with soy milk?

Note: This question may seem subjective. The goal is to understand what concrete parameters are "available" to make a drink that preserves the coffee qualities and merges nicely with the soy milk flavour profile.

Though it's not primarily your question, my chief problem with soy(a) milk in coffee is with curdling as described in this question. I have noticed curdling especially in higher-acidity coffee -- e.g., especially in American-origin coffees and lighter-roasted coffees. No matter the preparation, I avoid soy milk in anything lighter than full-city roast. The resulting grainy texture is simply unacceptable! Though admittedly certain brands are less likely to split, especially if steamed, frothed, emulsified etc. as in for certain drinks like latte.

Darker-roast coffees are more common ("popular") in general at mass-market chains, so I think that can also explain some of the prevalence of dark roasts for soy milk.

As for taste, fat content and sugar content vary greatly for soy milk, even when discounting other additives like vanilla or other flavourings... so go for an unsweetened, un-flavoured brand. For my preference, the nuttier taste of soy milk is a good complement for Indonesian or other southeast-Asian coffees, which can be earthy, nutty, toasty, and take to darker-roasting well. Flavour guides such as this one from Serious Eats can help identify general characteristics. If you like a pairing of soy milk with some other food, look for a coffee that expresses that same characteristic!


Why can’t I find natural beans easily? I usually buy my coffee from dark arts, ozone, climpson & sons and workshop.

I usually buy natural as I feel it has more flavour than washed and is better with Moccamaster.

Why am I struggling to find natural lately? Is it out of favour? I can’t find natural at any of this places anymore.

Consumers (and marketers) are expanding their vocabulary for describing coffee. And at the same time coffee producers are improving and refining their methods. Both of these I think contribute to what you're seeing.

The term "natural" process can be ambiguous. You might try to search on a more specific, technical term "Dry Process," usually a synonym for natural process. Here's some dry process green offerings from Sweet Maria for example.

As for processing, dry process is going out of style in favor of the (technologically speaking) superior wet processing techniques. Wet process allows better removal of defects (bad seeds) and other benefits for making higher quality and more consistent product. As you note processing has impact on flavor. Wikipedia has a good overview of different aspects of coffee production, and roaster web sites like Blue Bottle have overviews with their philosophy.

Ethiopia and Northern Africa tend to use dry process more often than other regions, due to the dry environment conditions well suited for the dry process. You might focus your search on beans sourced from that region.