Bialeti Brikka with Silver vs Black Bottom I ordered the Bialetti Brikka off of Amazon, the new one I think with the silver bottom:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008G48DW4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

But I received one that looks like this with the black bottom:

https://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-Brikka-Limited-Edtion-Bottom/dp/B07F3SMMYD/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=bialetti+brikka&qid=1568493637&sr=8-4

that one is listed as cheaper and is I think an older model. Is that correct?

This is more a question for consumer advice rather than a coffee q&a. From what i can see you have 2 options :

1 - Keep the model they have sent and ask for a refund for the difference in price
2 - Return the model they have sent and wait for them to send the correct model

The links you provided are pretty vague but they appear to be the exact same just a variation in colour, with the black being sold as a limited edition, I'm not sure why the limited edition would be cheaper though, normally words like that are marketed to increase price.


How many grams of coffee to use with the George Howell Kalita Wave recipe? Ever since reading this article from Prima Coffee comparing Kalita Wave recipes, I've been using the George Howell method. This recipe calls for 25-28g of coffee for 390g of water.

I find this to be fairly strong and I wonder why the recipe calls for this large amount of coffee. In the past I had done ~18g of coffee for my pour overs and thought it brewed a decent cup. I understand I'm free to change the amount per my own tastes/roast, but I want to know if there's specific reason why 25/390g seems to be the chosen ratio.

Thanks

The given ratio is maybe a bit unusual - many sources for pour-over irrespective of the exact brand (Chemex, Hario,...) give 1:17 or 60g per liter of water, which is 16.666. This seems to be the ballpark number for pour-over.

But is the Kalita different?
Your source calculates between 1:13.9 to 1:15.6. Interestingly, at least one source (in German, sorry) agrees with the ratio of 1:15.4 for the Kalita, yet another goes as low as 17.8.

  Conclusion, sort of:
  The ratio is opinion-based and a matter of taste.

Of course it’s up to you to go significantly lower - you won’t be breaking any laws - and I will freely admit that I am a total whimp when it comes to coffee strength.


How vigorously should I heat my moka? I usually use a moka pot on my gas stove, and on the smallest flame adjusted so it's roughly the same size as the base, I get good results.

However, when I'm at my parents', I use their moka on an induction hob, which is very fierce. On the hottest setting, the moka practically explodes - boiling over (even from cold) in a few seconds with a powerful spurt of superheated steam - not ideal.

My question then is how do I judge what setting on the induction hob to use for a good brew? How long should I expect a 6-cup pot to take to start extraction? Is turning down the heat once extraction has started to prevent the violent spurt at the end a good idea?

I'm going to start by answering your last question first just for fun. In this site, it says that:

  Place the pot over a low flame. A low flame increases the brew time, which enhances the flavor. At a later step, you’ll want a slow trickle of espresso instead of a full-force fountain.

You would want a nice, long brew time. The flavor will be enhanced rather than the quick brew time with a large fire. So flavor and brew time can be changed depending on the size of your heat. To answer that question, YES it is a great idea to turn down the heat. EXTRA: The site also shows how to make a nice moka (not spam)! Second, you really answered your last question yourself. Low heat is better than high heat.

Now I'm going to answer your second question. Looks like this site uses Italian pots just like your induction hob. For stovetop pots and not stovepot pots, it says that:

  When the water in the tank has been exhausted, that's when you hear the ‘gurgle’ that signifies the drink is ready to pour (approximately 4 to 5 minutes).

Looks like 4 to 5 minutes is just the right time for the coffee to be ready for extraction here. You should know the sound of someone using mouthwash and gurgling. The coffee pot will start to produce that sound when coffee is ready.

Now I will answer your first question. I can't seem to find any significant information on your question, so I'll take a shot at it.

  Supposedly, it might be your decision.

Maybe some people like this setting while others like another. I don't know what your standards for a good brew is so I'll just say that you should choose it. Sorry for the lack of information! I hope this answer answered all your questions!


What is white coffee? What is white coffee?

Does "white coffee" refer to the roast level of the beans, or additives to the beverage, or is it some other type of coffee bean, or a different beverage completely?

As suggested by several previous comments, there's several things that could be called "white coffee."

According to the white coffee article on Wikipedia, and other sources (e.g., coffeefaq, Nescafé); others listed below.

Simply referring to coffee with whitener (e.g., milk, creamer, etc.);
A Lebanese drink ahweh bayda, made from water, orange blossom water, and (perhaps) sugar (more here)
Something called Ipoh white coffee; of Malaysian origin, this refers to beans that are lightly roasted with margarine (and perhaps sugar and wheat), brewed and served with sweetened condensed milk.
Coffee beans that are roasted to the "yellow" roast level, then ground and prepared as espresso; the result is a pale yellow brew with a nutty flavour and assertive acidity.
A beverage originating in Yemen, probably from the literal translation qahwa bayda. I've never had this, and can't find consistent information on it, but things that I have seen suggest that it's any number of different preparations, including the following: coffee made from lightly roasted beans plus spices; or a spiced coffee cherry tea (e.g., qishr); or even something non-coffee similar to the Lebanese variety above.
A longer shot (so to speak...) is that it could indicate a flat white, which is a coffee drink similar to a cappuccino or latte but with higher proportion of milk.
There is also a company called White Coffee Corporation, but perhpas not what you're looking for.

I hope this is a reasonable (albeit, perhaps not acutely helpful) summary.


Using just a filter without a pour-over to brew coffee A friend of mine sent me an image of how he brews coffee some times when he doesn't have a pour over to brew filtered coffee:

If this is possible, is there a particular advantage in brewing when using a pour-over together with the filter than with the filter alone?

It is certainly possible to avoid using a cone, and I have also done this in a pinch. Though it works, there is no real benefit to using a bare filter (that is, using a paper filter without a filter-holding cone or other device) as far as the brew/outcome is concerned (other than the obvious, trivial facts of less equipment and not having to clean the cone). There are other reasons to not use a cone, and there are also a few downsides.

The main downside is that paper filters are quite flimsy, especially certain brands and types (e.g., Hario V-cones are very thin as compared to thick, almost fabric-like Chemex). They are meant to be used with a supporting cone or basket. With support, they hold together nicely. Without support, they can easily rip, be otherwise damaged, or collapse when filled with water. The consequences are natural: contamination of brewed coffee with grounds, spilled near-boiling water, or other mess.

One might argue that you have better control over the speed or length of infusion, but the coffee will not drain as well or as quickly. You can precisely control the length of water/grounds contact with reasonable pouring methods. The ridges on the cone filter (like this or that question) help to wick the coffee away from the filter so that it drains better. You can also find cones that have a drain plug (one example), so that you can steep the grounds for some time before draining, but I don't believe in that either. No matter what, I argue there's no benefit to a bare filter for this reason either.

That said, there are reasonable ways to use a bare filter. I sometimes use a bare filter for cold-brewing coffee without other equipment: I use a large basket-style filter (arbitrary example) with some grounds, then tied up with a piece of kitchen string into a small sachet like a tea bag, then submerged in a jar of water (see other cold-brew questions, and my problems with same). However, I still have to be very careful to prevent the filter from tearing when removing it from the brewed coffee.

Your friend is clever and plucky for sure; however, I don't think your friend's method is going to catch on at your local coffee shop as the next fancy brew method.


What are the common Ethiopia Sidamo roast suggestions? I usually roast Brazil and Colombia beans, and I must say I have already found the profile I've been wanting in those beans, like the chocolaty nutty, the right balance of acidity and all.

It happens that a friend gave me a couple of kilos of Ethiopia beans and I was a bit hesitant to roast it for I'm not sure what exactly is the preferred roasting style, and I might just waste a great coffee origin, yet I am excited to roast it, any suggestion?

Actually it depends where you want to use your coffee.

If you are using you coffee in an espresso machine, you may want to prefer a darker roast, maybe Vienna Roast. Just a bit darker than medium. This will keep acidity at lower values.

If you are using French press, your cup will not be as acidic as in espresso. So, to taste the fruity flavors, it is better to roast lighter, somewhere around Light Roast to City Roast may be preferable.

Final words: it is up to your taste.

A guideline for roast naming is here.


What is the appropriate climate for a coffee plant? In the tropics I know that coffee requires some elevation, but increasingly coffee is being grown in the subtropics.  What are the necessary and sufficient conditions for growing coffee?

I found this website which prescribes the following subtropic and equatorial growing conditions.

  The subtropical regions, at high altitudes of 16-24° (Illy, 21).
  Rainy and dry seasons must be well defined, and altitude must be
  between 1800-3600 feet.  These conditions result in one coffee growing
  season and one maturation season, usually in the coldest part of
  autumn.  Mexico, Jamaica, the S. Paulo and Minas Gerais regions in
  Brazil, and Zimbabwe are examples of areas with these climate
  conditions (Illy, 21).

  The equatorial regions at latitudes lower than 10° and altitudes of
  3600-6300 feet (Illy, 21).  Frequent rainfall causes almost continuous
  flowering, which results in two coffee harvesting seasons.  The period
  of highest rainfall determines the main harvesting period, while the
  period of least rainfall determines the second harvest season. Because
  rainfall is too frequent for patio drying to occur,  artificial drying
  with mechanical dryers is performed in this type of coffee growing
  environment. Examples of countries that have this climate are Kenya,
  Colombia, and Ethiopia (Illy, 21).


To what temperature do coffee grounds need to be freezed at, after getting wet? As per this question Can I store wet coffee beans in fridge? "From a food safety perspective, three to four days should be fine. For longer periods, simply freeze them"

Although the link references to beans, I am more interested in coffee grounds, so not sure if it would still be applicable. To what temperature can I freeze them to prevent mold and how much time is the maximum I can store it ?

The standard refrigerator temperature most official websites assume are around 4C. Yes, there are different temperature zones in home refrigerators, but that’s included in the general recommendation of 3-4 days for “prepared foods” category - which wet coffee grounds would fall into.

Freezer storage below-18 C is “unlimited” from a microbiological perspective - the activity of mold and bacteria is near zero. But over time, the quality of frozen food will suffer. Interestingly, it’s often the fats that still will go rancid, especially if the item isn’t wrapped tightly and oxygen can reach the product. Improper packaging and temperature fluctuations can also create freezer burn. As the oils in coffee are an important contributor to flavor, I wouldn’t exceed three months of freezer time, but that’s purely for quality reasons, not due to food safety concerns.

Our sister site Seasoned Advice has a generic Q/A on safe storage times and a lot of additional information.


Can a cup of coffee explode if heated in microwave? Hello this is a serious question, and I dont know if I am really in the right part of stack exchange:

A friend of mine was trying to make a coffee in her lab, she used the microwave to heat the water (I hope you enthusiast do not crucify us for this bewildering savagery). She set the timer to 2.5 min, but then had to run some work. After returning the water had already cooled beyond usability, thus she restarted the heating process for approx. 30s. Before reheating she realized that there was a lot of steam in the microwave cavity.
After the reheating she takes out the cup, and after having taken it out, the water in the cup explodes in her face.

Some word on the used hardware:

The microwave is an old model from Carrefour home
The cup is an ordinary ceramic cup with shape of a truncated cone.

This is not a joke, she did really burn herself and was lucky that she chose her glasses instead of her contacts. However more interesting is, how this explosion came about. There must have been some pressure build up inside the cup but how would such an inhomogeneity in such a small volume be explainable?

As others have stated, superheating can happen in a microwave, especially when using a smooth vessel, e.g. a new, unscratched cup. It is more likely in pure water, but not unheard of from other liquids.

But you need a hack:
The key to prevent superheating and a subsequent flash of steam when the cup is moved or so is to supply nucleation sites, or, simply put, some rough surfaces or gas bubbles where the water can turn to vapour.

Many recommend using a teaspoon in your cup, but at least in some microwave models that can lead to "fireworks" of electric sparks. So questionable at best.
If you can get your hand at some lab equipment, get one of those glass sticks with a hollow lower end or a little porous ceramic stone.
But probably the simplest way is floating a toothpick in the mug.
Or use an old, scratched mug, provided it is microwave-safe.


Why is chicory added to coffee beans while grinding? In south India, we used to add chicory to our coffee. In the UK, I have not seen this blend of coffee anywhere. Is there a reason why South India adds chicory?

Chicory was added to coffee in order to stretch the supply of coffee because it was in short supply and expensive. Though it doesn't taste exactly like brewed coffee, chicory has a similar flavor profile and for some the flavor is complementary. Today, chicory use is predominately due tradition, as is the case here in Louisiana where many, especially in the more southern region of the state, prefer their coffee include chicory.


Bulletproof Coffee: how to blend butter well When making Bulletproof Coffee, is there a good way to blend the butter or coconut oil well to prevent the oil floating?

I have been drinking Bulletproof coffee since 2012 now, so made a few of them. Originally I made a BIG mistake of just stirring butter in the coffee with coconut oil or MCT Oil. You can see how horrible the oil slick looked with an old video I did years ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rap-spa3RfI

What I have found is that you basically need a high speed blender. Vitamix or Blendtec are two brand names Dave has suggested. My wife and I use one called Magimix and it revolutionised how the coffee looks and tastes. So speed is the key. I haven't found a difference by adding the butter or oil in a certain order or way into the blender.


How to make a delicious cold coffee from ground coffee? I am new to coffee drinking and I just checked what I am drinking till now is instant coffee. So, I was wondering is it possible to make cold coffee? Not cold brew, just a normal cold coffee with ground coffee? And, how to make it an amazing one?

What you have mentioning is widely known as iced-coffee.

The most widely adopted method is to brew any type of coffee: filter, drip or french-press. Then, adding ice cubes in a cup and pour the coffee to fill the cup. After that, you mix it to homogenize the temperature, add milk and sugar if desired.

Another method is known as Japanese brew. In that method, you prepare an ice cube filled cup beforehand. Then, pull your shot of espresso on top of ice. (Optionally, filter/drip on top of ice.) This method is known to preserve aromas better than the previous.


Coffee stain in coffee cups I've noticed that my coffee cups are getting stained.  Neither myself nor the dishwasher can get the stains out.  Any suggestions? (Other than buying new cups ;)

Baking soda. I use a standard dish sponge/scrubbie with baking soda and a little water and it comes completely out. I've actually tried it with just a damp paper towel and baking soda and it's almost as easy.

Baking soda has natural whitening properties and is a very gentle abrasive. I actually started using it elsewhere (sinks, counter tops, greasy pans) before discovering its use in coffee cups.

I've also tried baking soda + salt on counter tops and pans with great success. Salt has similar whitening properties (surprisingly to me) and is a stronger abrasive. Haven't tried it in coffee cups, but you might consider trying that if you need a little extra cleaning power. (Also: Aside from being cheap, baking soda / salt are food-grade and non-toxic!)


Does the flavour of coffee beans improve after opening the bag? After I open a bag of beans, the flavour of the coffee seems better after the bag has been opened a day or more.

Does the flavour of coffee beans improve for a period of time after the bag has been opened?  Perhaps I'm imagining it!

That is almost the opposite of my experience, after opening a bag of beans, they have noticeable less flavour after a couple of days. Coffee beans are more resistant than ground coffee though, as that decays in a couple of hours. Obviously, if beans are exposed to air for long enough, their quality is decreasing.

However there is an effect that improve them at first, simply because some of the processes from the roasting takes time to finish, and may require several days in order to do so. They may even require exposure to air (oxygen) in order to oxidise some of the compounds causing the flavour. Keep in mind that even though some of the compounds improve, other does not. The most notable degradation in the first days is caused by the most volatile aroma compounds evaporating.

This graph shows the stalling of coffee as a function of time. Note that this is just a visualisation of the aroma compounds evaporating, not necessary a measure of quality. The remaining compounds are also changing, and some of them improves over time.


Any idea on auto clean coffee filter mechanism? Do you have any idea on how to design a filter for fine substances left over after the brewing process (e.g. ground coffee or tea) without human intervention? This filter will be used in a vending machine, so the auto cleaning process must be done with rotation, blowing, washing, etc.

Not sure if I understand your question correctly but here's what I thought: Maybe a strip of some sort stretched by two rollers. This would enable the use of a rotating cleaning brush. For the material of the strip I'm not sure..

Hope it's of any help..


Can my tamping method damage the basket or portafilter? I have developed the following tamping method:

press the grinds with the tamper without much force, to smoothen it
leave the tamper in the basket
holding the tamper and the portafilter together, whack the silicone tamping mat with the portafilter so that the inertia + my pressure drive the tamper into the grinds.

Can damage my equipment in this way?

In general, by the majority of baristas, the recommended method to tamp is this:

safely hold the basket (with the portafilter)
fill and tamp the grounds using appropriate force (5–20 kgf)
make a circular movement (180–360°) with the tamper to smooth the surface

Regarding your question, any kind of shock may be harmful for your gadgets in the long run.


When accounting for bloom, why is the common instruction to stir with very little water? There is already a question on What is coffee bloom here, and one about why "blooming" the grounds is necessary over on seasoned advice. A currently unanswered question here is is blooming actually necessary in French Press, which an answer to that may help answer this one.

A fair amount of instructions I've seen that refer to this step instruct you to stir after adding just enough water to get all the grounds wet. However, there are accounts of people getting the same effect just stirring after all the water is added (in non-drip styles of coffee).

Is there a significant difference between blooming with some water and blooming with all? I like being able to rinse off the stirrer with the rest of the water, but I'm curious nevertheless.

Blooming is the outgassing of CO2 (carbon dioxide) from the ground coffee in response to hot water being added.  The more recently the coffee has been roasted, the more bloom you can expect.  It doesn't make a huge difference ultimately if this is done quickly or slowly when you brew your coffee.  What I have noticed myself is that it's sometimes diffcult to predict how much foam is going to be produced when the water is poured over the grounds.  More than once I have misjudged the amount of bloom and made a foamy brown mess on my countertop.  If you just add enough water to wet the grounds first, you accomplish two things.

First, all the coffee is wetted at nearly the same time which better controls how the flavors are extracted, since different flavor profiles extract at different rates.  Sometimes adding all the water at once creates lumps of dry coffee mixed in with the bloom and wetted coffee and it takes a bit of stirring to get all that wetted.

Secondly, adding a small amount of water controls how quickly the bloom will occur. You'll get most of the bloom done well within the pot and you'll avoid the huge foam ball at the top of your brew that might overflow the pot (or AeroPress in my case), but really this is more of a technique thing than a chemistry thing.


What's this ring around the inside of my moka pot? I just bought a Bialetti moka stainless steel pot and when I went to wash it for the first time (before any use) I noticed this rust-looking ring around the inner bottom portion of the top pot where the coffee brews out. I've had aluminum moka pots before but this is my first stainless steel one, so I'm not sure if this is normal from the welding or if I should return the pot for a new one. If anyone has advice I'd greatly appreciate it!

It looks like the seam from when the pot was manufactured and the brown stains will be coffee not rust. If you soak it in some diluted bleach over night, the stain will disappear.
Thanks,
Simon


What is a good recipe for high quality coffee beans that are no longer fresh? I have a subscription to a roaster who mails me a 250g bag of freshly-roasted, single origin coffee beans every week. To my taste, the beans are best within the first 20 days after roasting after which the aroma declines pretty quickly.

Sometimes, when I travel for instance, I end up with bags that I wasn't able to use by the time a fresher bag arrives. The older beans are not bad by any stretch-- in fact they are still far better than 99% of the beans that are sold in supermarkets which are generally a year old-- but I'd always rather use the fresher beans to make coffee if I have the choice.

Are there any good recipes or preparations that could put these once-fresh beans to good use?

One option is a somewhat obscure preparation method, but one that works best with older-ish beans: Nel drip (nel pot) preparation recommends beans that are a few weeks old; here's a Nel preparation guide from Blue Bottle. I don't know why older beans are recommended, except perhaps tradition.

See also other questions tagged nel-drip including another question of mine on Nel.


How can I identify whether coffee is expired or not? My coffee jar is half used. I can't find an expiration date on it. Maybe it is misprinted or the label has been removed because it's a year old. How will I know if it's safe to drink?

Roasted coffee beans behave differently during storage than raw ones. Heat treatment not only changes the color, smell, taste and even the size of the coffee beans, but also reveals the coffee – a bouquet of aromatic oils that evaporate very quickly. The shelf life of roasted coffee varies greatly depending on the storage conditions.

Processed grains, which are stored in a conventional, leaky container-jar or box – have a shelf life of 10-14 days.
Packaging in household conditions using foil will extend the shelf life up to 3-4 weeks.
Fried grains Packed in sealed four-layer paper bags can be stored for up to 6 months. If the packages have an additional polymer coating inside, the period increases to 9 months.
Roasted coffee beans can be stored for up to 12 months in heat-sealable film or foil-based packages. Such packages have a special gas discharge valve. It is required for freshly roasted coffee beans, after roasting, they continue to release carbon dioxide, thanks to the discovery of the smallest internal capsules. If you let the beans completely exhale, then they will be subjected to strong oxidation.Fried grains in opaque jars with hermetically lapped lids, Packed in a factory way, also have a long shelf life-up to 18 months.


thread locker / sealant for espresso machine maintenance I have started disassembling my Nuova Simonelli Oscar, for descaling and fixing purposes, I have checked all the electrical section and I am about to start with the hydraulics.

I have seen that all threads are fully locked and sealed with some hard material, I assume I will have to place it back reassembling it. What kind of thread locker / thread sealer / gasket sealer / gasket replacement is that? can I use any that will sustain high temps or it has to be food safe?

You can use pretty much every kind of drinking water sealant that you would use in home installations. You DIY–/ Homework–market (I do not know the English word), normally has such stuff. Just make sure it meets three requirements:

For drinking water
Can be used with boiling, hot water
Does not harden over time

There is no number one choice. I personally used plastic–fermit (which is used for home hat water drainages) with success. I do not even need tools to lock down threads, all are just tightened by hand and it opens easily again.

Usually the manufacturers use something that I would recommend to avoid like the devil the water: PTFE/ Teflon. This locks things down forever. One winding too much and you will break your thread when trying to open it.

Edit: As grease, I can recommend to use silicone. The thing I used on my current machine is by fermit again. If it does not get in contact with water, I would recommend using copper paste (for e.g. by Liqui Moly), which can be used up to 1.4k°C. You will need the grease only for the steam wand and hot water outlet. If you are unsure what to buy, search for (German/ DE) Amaturenfett or Hahnfett, which is safe for hot potable water and is used for bathroom fittings and similar.


What causes the crema in my latte to appear so charred? My latest attempt at creating latte art (admittedly theres still room for improvement).

My question is, what is causing the crema around the milk to have such a charred look to it?  It isn't immediately noticeable after adding the milk but within a minute after it starts developing that charred appearance.

Hard to diagnose just on the back of a photo, but if I had to guess, I'd say the milk is not "sunk" properly (i.e. the consistency of your espresso is different to that of the milk). This would also explain why the base of the rosetta is a bit "murky". That took me a while to figure out, but I had the same issue (check this out, then compare to this). So in practical terms, avoid wiggling the pitcher before a white "dot" appears on the surface. Only once the white dot appears on the surface and the stream of milk coming from the pitcher has pushed it further into the cup, should you start rocking the pitcher left to right (good examplehere albeit a different pattern). Hope this helps!


Reliable and safe stove top milk steamers I'm not yet ready to "invest" in an espresso machine with in built steam wand and am looking for a gateway to convince me it is worthwhile.

Are there safe, dedicated, decent stove top milk frothers capable of generating microfoam?  I'm currently reasonably happy with what I can get out of my Aeropress but want to "do milk right".

So far I have seen the "Bellman" on line, but it looks pretty awkward to use and I am not convinced this exactly brimming with safety features.

I recently got a Bellman and consider it very hefty and well made. I am not a professional barista, but I have been chasing beautiful (and not overheated) microfoam in cafes since at least 2007. I was able to achieve microfoam on my first try (though not my second), and am super happy with it as a purchase.

For safety, I would give it mixed results. It's not going to explode like an old school pressure cooker unless you leave it to boil dry, which would definitely take a while, even if you only put in an inch of water, and it does have an escape valve on the handle to reduce that kind of craziness. It does get hot, so you do have to watch where you put your hands, though if you keep the burner low/narrow flame as you heat it, the handles stay cool to the touch. I didn't feel comfortable with it for the first few times I used it, and did hit my knuckle against a hot bit the first time I used it, but I figured out that because I'm left handed, if I orient it with the steam wand pointing left, it's fine. Probably more flexible for me than a standard machine.

I agree that you can fill it only about an inch, and have it heat much more quickly. And with that smaller amount of water you can do a handful of drinks, in my experience. You might have to put it back on the burner for a very short time between drinks to bump it back up to steam, but you only use a small amount of the water each time to steam.

The Nespresso milk heater/foamer my friend has is a plug-in appliance, and it was a less satisfying result. Less control over the milk temperature, a consistent, but eh foam quality. It was trivial to use, but I didn't care for the results.


What are the reasons to roast coffee yourself? Based on some common sense and on (not very numerous) articles online, I could think of the following advantages of roasting at home:

you get the freshest possible coffee as you need it
green beans are significantly cheaper than roasted ones, and keep longer
you get finer control over the result (?) than just guided by labels on coffee bags

But there are also downsides:

there's smoke during the roasting that you need to handle (see also Home roasting and ventilation)
you need some specialized (and more or less expensive) equipment, or else invent tricks with a popcorn popper or a cast iron pan (which may not be too bad in fact)
in order to obtain the finer control over the result you need to know what you're doing (which probably means you may not get a better-than-shop result in a number of initial trials) (e.g., this question)

All of that is my armchair coffee science though, and I hope that the practitioners here can say what of that is real and what is fictional, and what other reasons there are pro and contra homeroasting.

You have already listed most of the main points and hit them correctly, but I'll add some additional.

Pros:
You can get things not available commercially, and generally a much wider variety of coffee.  For instance, almost all Sumatran coffee is traditionally dark roasted by companies.  However, light roasted Sumatran coffee has a truly unique set of flavors that is fairly distinct from anything else, without light roasting some yourself, you'd be hard pressed (or French pressed if you are into that) to ever find it fresh.  Tastes are remarkably individual and it's highly likely that you like may really like some random type of coffee that either isn't a big seller and available, or isn't traditionally roasted how you prefer.

Cons:
Time.  Roasting takes some amount of your time.  It takes far more when you start (I can now roast a pound of coffee in roughly 5 minutes of my time, because the machine does most of the work and I have a system).  Depending on your equipment and learning curve, this can vary widely.  With the equipment I started with and my initial knowledge, a pound of coffee would have taken me a full hour to roast.

Snobbery.  You will likely get to the point were most other coffee that's commercially produced will be unthinkable to you.  I can't drink coffee at any restaurant without cream (I normally drink it black).  I have a few friends who roast and their coffee is the exception.  But, more or less, home roasting may ruin "other" coffee for you.  Along these lines, you may get to the point where you don't enjoy roasting as much anymore, you just want the coffee.  If your time curve is fine, then it works out.  If it's not you might be left with the terrible choice between doing something you don't love or buying less good coffee.


Is there any specific orientation when using ESE pod? Recently I got Handpresso POP.
At first I used ground coffee, but it makes huge mess on my office desk through whole brewing process.
So, I bought some ESE pods. It was way easier and cleaner than using ground coffee. Really satisfied.

But after that, I got two problems.

When I make espresso with pods, it's noticeably weaker than ground coffee. Actually, I've already expected that because of pod's paper wrapping, but it's way over my expectation.
When I close portafilter after put pod, sometimes water leaks from valve. After few tries with pods, I discovered that water leakage occurs when I put pod into pod adapter with certain orientation. When I touch pod's surface, I can feel one side is little thicker than other, and I got leakage when put thicker side down.

So, here's my question - is there are any specific orientation when using ESE pod? I heard that illy's ESE pod have certain orientation when using it, but I can't assure it's same with other pods.

They never mentioned about the orientation in their own site. Both sides should work. My experience also overlaps with that. However, as this is an open standard, some producer may produce an ESE in a bit different way.


What machine is Caffe Vergnano using to make my coffee? I went into Caffe Vergnano (a chain of coffee shops in London), and my cuppa was prepared with the following device:

From a rudimentary inspection, it seemed to be an arcanely constructed espresso machine, but is there something special about it?

Elektra Belle Epoque P1C:

See this page: http://www.elektrasrl.com/belle_epoque_2grel_cr.php

You can still buy these, they are very expensive of course, I don't think there is anything particularly special other than the design and finish: http://www.elektrasrl.com/belle_epoque_details.php

The home version is this one: http://www.elektrasrl.com/fam_retro_1grsa_c_a1c.php

Which will set you back over 1000 English pounds: http://www.myespresso.co.uk/product.php/27/elektra-mini-verticale-semi-automatic-espresso-machine---chrome

You may be wondering how come I answered this so quickly, it is because I have also been to the very same cafe you showed, the one on shaftesbury avenue, and was intrigued myself. The finish of the machine is hand made so it takes time for one to be delivered to you. I don't think there is anything particularly special about it but one of the nice things is the internal covered area for storing and warming cups. The internal guts are no different to other modern espresso machines.


How do I heat this very old vacuum pot? We recently found this old vacuum pot at my grandparents`. It seems to have all the parts needed for brewing, but no separate heater. We didn't dare to put it on a ceramic stove without further knowledge. All we know is it was last used some 40 to 50 years ago.  It says "Original Santos" on the side and seems to have capacity for 8 cups. The bottom is flat, and has no burn marks (in case a heater would leave some). We have access to ceramic stove, but is this safe to use on it? Are there any other options, possibly in Do-it-yourself spirit?

Edit: I'm starting a bounty for any precautions I should take if I am to place this old treasure on a ceramic stovetop. Any tricks to make sure it will not explode?

Great find! How fun. You do indeed have a vacuum coffee maker -- a.k.a. vac-pot, syphon, or siphon.

This style of vac-pot is intended to be used on a stove-top (specifically: having a flat bottom, and with a handle on the neck of the bottom part -- the "bulb") -- looks a lot like this current model from Bodum - c/o Amazon. There's a good primer on the history and types of vac-pot at WeCraveCoffee with some good pictures.

However, in general, glass pots are generally not recommended on flat glass-ceramic cooktops for a couple of reasons: they can scratch or otherwise damage each other, and the poor conductivity of glass makes glass-on-glass heating less efficient. More info on this from a question on Seasoned Advice, and recommendations from GE Appliances for their own stovetops. I did see some products such as this one that depicted glass vac-pots on glass-ceramic cooktops. If all of the glass is high quality, as should be expected for cookware intended to be used on a stove, it should be able to withstand the temperature changes induced by a cooktop. I (personally) would be comfortable using this vac-pot on a gas flame, but cautious/wary of using it on glass-ceramic cooktop. Glass cookware works well over gas flame, but I have less experience with glass cooktops... your "mileage" may vary.

For a more "DIY" adventure as you suggest, consider a mechanism to suspend the vac-pot over a flame heat source. Other styles of vac-pot (such as this Hario model - c/o Amazon) have a scaffolding that holds the bulb (bottom) and the hopper (top) so the whole apparatus can be suspended over a separate heat source, like an alcohol or butane stove. Check some vac-pot brewing guides that show this type of integrated round-bottom bulb and holder (e.g., from Blue Bottle, Stumptown, CoffeeGeek, and many others). Warning: this may remind you of Chemistry lab from School. ;-) And of course be careful with fire.

Separately, just for completeness...

It also looks like you're missing the filter piece. These are inexpensive (relative to the whole apparatus) and you'll want to purchase a new, compatible one anyway (see also another question on siphon filter replacement).

Another thing you'll want to check is that the rubber seal between the bottom and top parts is still in good shape, especially if this pot hasn't been used in a few decades. This is for reasons both practical (you need a tight seal for the vacuum to work well) and safety (you don't want the seal to come lose and spray boiling-hot water everywhere)!


How does humidity affect roasting? How does the humidity affect the length of time required to reach a good light roast in a gas fired roaster.

I believe heat and humidity play a key role in the role of energy transference in the roaster. I roast (professionally)in a very dry climate and find it easier (more forgiving) to roast in a climate that generally has a more humidity.

Here is a link to a conversation about heating and humidity that hopefully will help answer your question.

I think the 3rd answer is the most appropriate in its relation to heat transfer and "other" objects in a room (i.e. Coffee beans).

How air humidity affects how much time is needed for heating the air?


Moka pot sputters and gurgles despite my best efforts Videos like this one show a smooth, viscous flow of coffee from the bottom of a moka pot into the top. Moreover, I've read that you should cut off the heat as soon as you start to hear a gurgling sound, lest the coffee be bitter. However, I can't reconcile either of these with the behavior of my moka pot:

The pot starts to sputter and gurgle as soon as the coffee starts to come up: there is never a smooth flow.
Thus, if I were to cut the heat at that point, there would only be a tiny amount of coffee in the pot.

I assume I'm doing something wrong. Here's my current procedure:

Hot water up to the steam release valve.
Bustelo grounds in the filter basket, leveled but not tamped. (Nope, not freshly ground.)
Low flame.
Turn off flame when gurgling becomes less steady.

What, if anything, should I be doing differently?

I make coffee with a moka every morning, and this is the procedure that works for me:

Use cold water: it will take a bit longer to boil, but the amount of steam in the chamber will be higher, thus you'll have higher pressure later on.
Water level must be at the safety valve, as others pointed out.
Coffee must fill the funnel without tamping. It can be a little higher than the funnel edge (a few mm) so that it gets a bit tamped when you screw the upper part. This is valid for a small-medium moka (up to 6 cups). On larger ones the coffee must not fill the funnel over 2/3 of it.
Low flame usually gives better result, but if I'm in a hurry I use a high flame...no significant difference.

A trick that usually works when your moka starts sputtering is to cool down the lower chamber under the tap until you don't feel any boiling on; then put it again on the fire with a very low flame.

If you're experiencing this problem regularly, try changing the gasket and the filter on the bottom of the upper part. This should be done at least every year.

If your moka is still not working as expected, consider to change it. There is a chance that lower and upper part cannot be screwed tightly because of a weared-out or malformed thread.


Is it a good idea to keep a coffeemaker if I only occasionally drink coffee? Say just two or three cups of coffee per week. Is cleaning these a trouble?

Cleaning is a hassle, sure. But something else to consider is the recurring cost of the coffee itself. Where I live, a bag of coffee costs almost as much as a coffee maker. Cheap coffee makers can be found for as little as $10 - $20. Small French presses are around $20 to $30.

According to wikipedia:

  A customary "cup" of coffee in the U.S. is usually defined as 4 fluid ounces, which is the commonly used as the measure for an amount of coffee.

So if you really mean just a few "cups" per week, then it might not be worth it to buy a coffee maker, because your bagged coffee will probably get stale before you can even use it all. Just grab a drink from your local coffee shop occasionally.


How do I backflush my espresso machine? I just recently purchased an ECM Technika and have noticed recently that my shots have been fairly inconsistent. A friend suggested that I backflush the machine, but didn't have a chance to explain to me exactly how to do that. Can anyone tell me how to backflush my machine? How often should I do this?

Backflushing is a fairly straightforward procedure. You only need two things:

a backflushing disc
coffee machine detergent

The procedure needs repeating a few times (3-4):

Install the disc in the portafilter
Add in a bit of cleaning detergent.
Turn on the coffee machine until you hear the pump start to labour, once this happens turn the pump off, and the hot water with detergent will spray out of your 3-way valve. This is quite likely to cause spraying so try to be careful.

After you've done this, repeat the procedure without detergent to flush the soap suds from the machine.

Normally you would do this about once a month. This is highly dependant on how you feel the machine is doing, but it's definitely recommended that you do this if you use the machine a lot (Some people recommend doing it around every 30th espresso).

After this it is a good idea to run one espresso shot through the machine to clear everything out and not leave any residue.

You can find further details here


Why does my Moka pot sometimes produce GREAT coffee and sometimes awful coffee? So I try to grind about the same each time but for some reason if I don't hit the jackpot on adjusting my hand grinder I get sour or bitter coffee. Why is my Moka Express so finicky?

Actually, this question is self explanatory. I assume you only need some guidance and confirmation for what's going wrong.

A better known fact is:

if your coffee is underextracted, it tastes sour.
if your coffee is overextracted, it tastes bitter.

Now, let's tie up this to grind size:

if your grounds are finer, your coffee overextracts if other conditions are kept stable.
if your grounds are coarser, your coffee underextracts if other conditions are kept stable.

It's known that Moka pots are not controllable devices. So, all the other conditions (temperature, pressure, etc.) are nearly same each time. Thus, it's obvious that your grinding directly affects the taste of your cup. You should be consistent about your grounds. :)

And a final note, one of the jewels of this site is this extraction chart that you may check.


I have some coarse ground Espresso and a Bodum French press Is it possible to make espresso in a Bodum French press coffee machine?
Unfortunately, the Espresso beans were ground coarse instead of fine.

No
There is no way of brewing espresso with a french press.
Espresso is brewed under pressure, typically 9-10 bars.
You cannot achieve this level of pressure no matter which brand your french press has.
Additionally, the TDS (total dissolved solids) of espresso is around 8-12 while for french press coffee it's 1.4-1.7.
However, you can get a cup of coffee which has more texture and a fuller body than filter coffee by grinding finer and increasing your dose. It won't come anywhere near espresso but it's not as "watery" as filter coffee. Being able to adjust your recipe for taste like this is one of the many advantages of buying your coffee in beans and grinding them before use.


Can decaf coffee be addictive? It is evident that decaffeinated coffee still contains a very low amount of caffeine.

What I'm interested in is that if decaf coffee still contains some very low amounts of caffeine, and caffeine is addictive, therefore: is decaf coffee addictive?

★ I'm not talking about the 'habitual' dependence. I.e. the routine of drinking the same cup of decaf coffee everyday, but rather the 'physical' or chemical dependence.

Since decaf coffee isn't the same as caffeine-free coffee, the key point regarding addiction is the amount of daily servings of decaf coffee that deliver the 100 milligrams of caffeine needed to acquire some sort of dependence 1.

The amount of such cups of decaf will vary according to the brand chosen. According to a study published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology, and cited in the article Decaf coffee isn't caffeine free, they say that in average, a cup of decaf can hold about one-twentieth of the caffeine you get in a normal drip brewed coffee.

In that same article, they state that drinking more cups of decaf can compensate the lack of caffeine, and still be able to produce addiction.

So, it is indeed a matter of how many cups of decaf you drink.


How to avoid coffee grounds in my cup with a Bialetti? When I make coffee with my Bialetti, there is a bit of coffee grounds in my cup. Is the coffee too thin ? On the package is written that it is fine for the Bialetti machine.

The reason is that your coffee grounds are too fine. Your Percolator needs coarser grains for various reasons:

Allowing water trough it more easily – else the pressure needs to go too high and your coffee will taste burned as it is roasted a second time from the overheated filter basket [1].
Not allowing small small grounds to "whirl" up in the water and reach the top [2] and flow into your final coffee.

In addition to this and if above does not help, you can —if needed— still go with what @Ecnerwal suggested as a last ressort.

[1] You can avoid a good part of this by using very warm (non boiling) water, instead of cold water. This means the water will boil earlier and the grounds will not get exposed to too much heat over a longer period of time.

[2] Do not over–power your stove. When I cook my coffee, I turn the (electrical) stove to between level 7–8/12. Using a lower heat not only makes the coffee drinkable and removes a lot of the overly strong and often bitter taste, but also prevents smaller grounds to whirl up as the water has less energy, moves less and allows smaller grounds to sink back into the filter again.


What gives "diner" coffee its distinctive taste? At least in the US (and probably elsewhere), late-night diners are a popular place to get a cheap cup of joe. In my experience, diner coffee has a taste that's generally not found elsewhere (most people call it "bad", but that's not what this question is about).

I'm wondering what causes this taste, and how they all get such similar tasting coffee? I assume the brewing process has something to do with it (those big commercial drip brewers which they all seem to use), but I've been to other places that used those with various different roasts and they all tasted different.

So what else makes diner coffee taste like diner coffee? Examples of the kinds of places that serve this include chains like Waffle House, but also individual / locally owned diners.

I think it is a combination of old stale grounds sitting on a burner for long hours. The places you mention are generally open 24/7 or something close to it and have people ordering coffee at all times of day, so it's all made ahead of time and kept warm all day.

The cheapest coffee suppliers usually mix beans from all over the place and they all store them way past any freshness date. Diners run on small budgets and generally buy the cheapest stuff, thus they all have the same "flavor".

That combination is not just a diner thing, I would also say it is the same as cheap gas station coffee in the US.

I would knock it more if it didn't keep me awake behind the wheel more than a few times.


How is green coffee different from usual black coffee? I recently saw green coffee on the shelves. I do not know how to prepare it - should I treat it like regular coffee? Or is another technology used?

The green coffee beans are, if not spared for home-roasting, are very lightly roast coffee beans. They are known to be very fruity and light when brewed. You may try to use the regular coffee brewing methods but the result may taste too weak. You may also try to brew them for longer periods just like any other "herbal tea". I assume, longer periods in a French-press would do it. You may try different periods to find your desired taste.

Please see this previous discussion on green coffee:

How to create green coffee?


Does coffee affect people from all races the same? I strongly assume that, if the looks from people all over the world vary, then also there metabolic system should vary and wonder, if there are noticeable differences how caffeine affects people from different cultures.

I tried to look it up on the Internet, however I didn't find much, so I would assume there is not much of a difference. But surely there are people, who know a lot more than me in this field. Therefore I were very happy for any constructive comment.

I do not consider myself an expert, but I do remember one study done on this. In "The world of caffeine: The science culture and world's most popular drug," do indeed hypothesize that Japanese (and Asians in general) metabilise coffee slower than other races. So the effects of caffeine are felt longer.


Coffee machine repair I own a Delonghi Magnifica ESAM 3300:

It has served me fine but it is like 10 years old.  It has broken three times and twice I have been able to fix it myself (fittings).  It is like $130 to just have it looked at and no guarantee it can be fixed (for less than the cost of a new machine).  Given the age I am reluctant.

When it is turned on the motor engages to move the grinder for a few seconds and then just moves it back (to the bottom position).  An electrical type override as I took it apart and there is no mechanical obstruction.  When I had to send it in before for the exact same symptom they told me yes that is a start up check that failed.  Same symptoms does not mean same failure but I was not charged for parts before.

Only place I can find a service manual is a Russian domain.  I do computing for a living and the link to it is a script.  I know not to click it.

Any advice on how to fix this or how to get a service manual?

I'd start by contacting their customer support for a service manual and for tips on this particular problem.

The key idea in debugging (diagnosing) is to think of hypotheses that could explain it, and ways to test those hypotheses, then do the tests.

E.g. for this symptom, my first hypothesis is that there's a switch or optical sensor or other sensor to protect the mechanism, and the sensor could be clogged or covered with gunk.

It's good to think of multiple hypotheses and tests to distinguish between them. So here's another: The mechanism itself could be clogged with gunk, and after detecting too much load or force, the control software backs off for protection.

A test for both of these hypotheses is to open the machine and clean the works. The difference between the two hypotheses is whether it's the sensor or the mechanism that needs cleaning.

The service manual would help with hypothesis generation and testing. What start up checks does it do? What & where are the sensors? What parts need to work properly for the grinder engagement mechanism to work?

Another hypothesis: The mechanism needs lubrication. The service manual should indicate what to lubricate, what not to lubricate, and what lube to use. Or you could guess.

Another hypothesis is a rubber O-ring has worn out or broken. This is also consistent with what you've written, i.e. your existing experience can rule out some hypotheses. It can also make other hypotheses less likely, e.g. if the cause is the same as last time (not a sure bet), a burned out motor would've cost you for parts, while a worn out O-ring might not have.

Also: There are local and online repair clinics to help with appliance repair.

It's worth trying. In the worst case, you spend some time and learn something.


Is Starbucks a fast-food like coffee company? Well actually it is obvious that they are pretty fast. But to the proffessionals i ask : does Starbucks's coffee is not organic ? not healthy ? or includes so much chemicals ? I do realize it depends on the type and flavour of coffee but , anyway ..

I , buy at least 1 cup coffee from Starbucks a day , usually Filter coffee without milk or Americano. Should I stop shopping with them ?

Basicly , I'm asking if it is unhealthy to frequently drink filter coffee(without milk) or Americano from Starbucks , like if it is real coffee or something artificial ?

As far as actual speed, that based mainly on the barista working shift, the load, and amount of available equipment.  Starbucks does not have any patented magic equipment that  lets them pull shots faster than any other coffee house (that I am aware of).

If you enjoy their beverages, then there probably isn't any reason you shouldn't continue to drink it.  I would guess you are in the minority of people buy what amounts to black coffee from Starbucks.  Starbucks is a fairly divisive brand among most consumers.  Most of the people I have talked to that like their beverages are buying mixed drinks from them and not straight espresso, drip coffee or americanos.

Starbucks does sell organic, fair trade and the like specialty coffees as whole bean or ground.  However, the vast majority of their beverages sold daily is likely made with whatever their "espresso" blend is.  My personal opinion is that it's horrible and over roasted.   However, it's also consistently the same tasting and consumed on a fairly mass scale daily, so if there were any inherent dangers to it, we'd likely all be aware by now.

As a brand, Starbucks is mainly aimed at consistency.  In general, that's what fast food chains strive for as well, so in that respect, they are very similar.  Proper branding ensures that you can buy a product at any of hundreds of locations (or thousands) and it will taste the same.  However, many consumers prize quality and uniqueness over consistency.  In most industries (distilling, wine, food, beer) the most expensive and "highest end products" are items that were perhaps only produced at a limited run, or were very good in a particular year.  That mindset tends to be the antithesis of the mass produced "good enough for everyone" standards that huge market brands set for themselves.

TL;DR Summary:  Yes, Starbucks shares many characteristics with fast food companies.  The most notable aspect being their branding strategies and tactics.


Using an areo press with Maxwell house? Can I use an AeroPress to brew Maxwell House? It seems like most people around here drink fancy coffee but they don't sell it where I'm from. I asked the lady at the grocery store if she had Sumatran beans and she gave me a funny look.

I searched, but I don't see anyone who has tried it. Think it will work?

Yes, of course! As "fancy" coffee company Counter Culture says: Any Coffee, Any Brew. In fact, even things that aren't actually coffee (barley, tea, herbs, etc.) could be brewed like coffee in an AeroPress or other coffee-brewing equipment.

But if fancy coffee is not your preference (or not practical, or not available, or whatever), try something different. And why not a cultural staple like Maxwell House (or Folgers or Nescafé or Eight O'Clock or Café du Monde or ...)?

In fact, a mass-market coffee like this might benefit from AeroPress treatment. For example, some of these blends include a significant portion of Robusta beans, which is a traditional component of many blends (including some Italian espresso blends). Robusta might have some advantages in an AeroPress. Robusta produces more crema in espresso, and might be a way to get more crema from AeroPress. Robusta also has slightly more caffeine than Arabica, so that's something else you might be looking for. Since AeroPress (generally) infuses for less time than drip, you might reduce a bit of the bitterness sometimes present in mass-market coffees (regardless of bean makeup).

There might be a few problems, though. First, the default grind of pre-ground coffee like Maxwell House is rather course for an AeroPress. You could try to re-grind the coffee to be a bit finer, but it's generally not recommended because it can clog grinders (see more on this from Home-Barista and Bunn). Second, if there are other "stuff" in the coffee (e.g., "Folgers Crystals" or other additives) this might not behave the same way in the AeroPress as it might for drip.

But give it a try! In the best case, you can enjoy a mass-market coffee even more than you'd expect. In the worst case, you're out a few quid, but you have a fun story and a hefty caffeine buzz.


Decreased blood acidity How can blood acidity be prevented by eating coffee and its acidity level balanced to alkaline ?
Of course, except for drinking a lot of water.

Our blood ph level drives our respiratory rate, if we are not breathing out enough CO2 we build up carbonic acid which in turn drives our respiratory rate higher until such time we have reduced our PH levels to a 'normal' range which is around 7.35 to 7.45 Ph.
 Simply put it's not possible to alter blood acidity or alkalinity without making yourself sick and usually ending up in an ICU.
The human body (and other species) uses a process called homeostasis which is our autopilot of systems integration to keep us alive and relatively healthy. Illness and chronic disease can impact on our bodies ability to balance itself but it will do it's best to keep its chemistry balanced.
There are a number of cases (Illness) where php drops (acidity) and the body moves other chemicals around to balance this which can have a knock on effect throwing other systems out (I.e. cardiac arrhythmias due to sodium/ potassium  / calcium imbalances etc.). There are other cases where calcium.is scavenged from our skeletal system (which can cause early onset osteoporosis, and a cohort of other nasties.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5118493/

I studied medicine and am a registered Paramedic and a massive consumer of fresh ground black coffee.
Hope this helps....


Why they collect coffee beans that are eaten by wild civets? Why don't they use fresh coffee beans instead of collecting these unhygienic beans. How is this possible to collect coffee beans that were eaten by wild civets in forest? Is it  hygienic? Why so expensive?

The coffee bean we brew our coffee from is the seed of a fruit and the flesh of that fruit must first be removed. There are a number of industrial / cottage industry means for processing the fruit for the bean, but the civet's digestive system also does the job. :) The beans are raised well above the 140F needed to kill bacteria during the roasting process before we brew coffee from them, so no worries about the hygienics unless you're brewing green beans.


What is the next best milk substitute for a latte? I used to drink lattes every day and realized the milk (lactose) was making me feel bad. I'm looking for a good substitute that will steam well, taste good, and be nice for making latte art. What will get me closest? Soy milk? Lactaid? Unsweetened almond milk?

Here's another take, but going in the direction more of performance for foam (i.e., more for cappuccino than latte), mostly because I found links about that :) and because steamed milk should foam. If you're not looking for much foam, the differences are probably less profound.

There's a few other plant-based milks out there also; coconut and rice weren't mentioned in the other answers. In sum, I know of 5 common plant milks: almond, coconut, hemp, rice, soy. But there are probably others as well.

Here's some comparisons, summarized from the linked articles:

YouTube video - milk froth-off. They compare rice, coconut, and almond. They got the best performance with almond milk, coconut did almost as well, and rice milk did not perform well.
MarkBittman dot com has an article on the search for a vegan cappuccino. It suggests that soy is the best alternative for foam, followed by almond. The text and comments suggest (but doesn't outright state) that hemp works well also.
The Peaceful Dumpling article (linked previously in @PythonMaster's answer; summarizing the original article's conclusions here) concludes that soy is best, followed closely by hemp, and that almond doesn't work as well.

The conclusions tend to be suggest that cow milk will perform better than plant-based "milks." This probably suggests that lactose-free milks (i.e., with lactase, like Lactaid and others) will be your best bet. Of course, you could always take a lactase pill and enjoy your cup with conventional milk. Various articles suggest that certain soy milks are best, and that coconut, hemp, and almond will also work.

There's a ton of other factors, but these probably reduce to preference: some milks will be sweetened, or import their own taste (e.g., almond, coconut). Others might have emulsifiers or other additives (such as carrageenan), which impact the steaming (maybe helping or hurting).

Another take would be to look at the "science" of what happens during steaming: it's a combination of fats and proteins that are being agitated and changed in the right way to make foam.  This CoffeeGeek article discusses frothing and what's at work; this was interesting for me, and might help you pick a milk based on protein and fat content among the various milk options.


Pour over coffee is too bland or too acid I buy coffee from local roaster and when I make it in two mins, pour over with v60, it gets too acid. If I make it in 2:45 it gets too bland. My other settings are the same.

3 seconds off boil. 17-18 grams coffee per 250ml of water. Washed filter, pre infused for 40 seconds, dripped in spiral form.

I fear that the roaster is not worth the effort but it's the only local roaster I know. They leave the roasted coffee in a pot for 2 days and they put it in a bag with valve only when you buy it.

What should I try to give this coffee a chance?

It sounds like the main thing you're not carefully controlling for is temperature.  I have found that if I use cooler temperatures (80-92 degrees celsius) for my pour-over, I get very bright/acidic tones.  Hotter water (92-100 degrees celsius) always gives me more bitterness and earthy flavors.  I use an electric kettle with a thermometer to maintain the temperature accurately so I can keep a temperature in the middle, in order to get both sets of flavors.  I would guess that by 2:45, your water is too cool and you're just extracting the acidic notes.  Try keeping your water hotter (and measure to see what temperature you're using).

I might also suggest giving your coffee a nice 60 second bloom time (pour enough water over them to get them wet, then wait for the gas to escape).  That helps you extract everything (complex and bitter notes included) from the grounds.

You could also consider letting your coffee age a bit longer.  Sometimes, beans are best 7+ days after roasting.

Good luck!


Is rate or consistency of flow related to quality when pulling a shot? Depending on the many variables applied when pulling a shot of espresso, the rate and consistency of the flow of the espresso varies.

Does variable speed or consistency suggest that a shot will be of lower quality? Conversely, does a steady speed and flow indicate that a shot will be of higher quality?

A more watery/lighter consistency with a high flow rate is going to leave you with a terrible tasting shot of espresso with too light of crema (this foam on top can tell you a lot about a pulled shot even if it does look as if it came out OK). The opposite applies here to, a super dark and slow pouring shot can occur too.

In my 4 years of coffee house experience using professional grade equipment it all came down to the grind size. You can tell just by the way the shot pours out. If it's quick make the grind a little finer, if it's slow make it a bit more coarse.

And also depending on the temperature in the room can effect the pulls as well, half way through my morning shifts I would have to adjust the grind.


How can I figure out how much caffeine is in my cup? I haven't been able to find a good way to approximate the amount of caffeine in the coffee I make. Googling yields information like this Mayo Clinic article that mixes serving sizes and brewing methods, and it reports one 8 oz coffee contains "95-200 mg" of caffeine, which is a huge range. If I have three cups of coffee in a day, is that 300 or 600 mg of caffeine?

There are so many variables in prepared coffee, different extraction methods, beans, roasts, serving sizes, mixed with different amounts of water or milk.

Is there a general method for calculating the caffeine in prepared coffee? Something like "most brewing methods extract X mg of caffeine from each Y grams of ground coffee"?

Or more specifically, what method would I use to accurately estimate how much caffeine is in an 8oz serving from my 10 oz french press, made with medium- (not course-) ground medium-roast arabica beans, brewed 4 minutes before decanting?

I read everyone's answer and did some of my own research to find an estimation method that satisfies me and might be helpful to others too. I think it should be roughly ±20% accurate.

For any amount of "good strength" American-style coffee by any brew method, weigh the dry coffee in grams and multiply by 0.008, or 80mg of caffeine for each 10g of dry coffee.

Weakly extracted coffee might yield 0.6% of its weight in caffeine and very strongly extracted coffee might get close to 1% caffeine.

These numbers are for typical 100% Arabica or mostly Arabica blends. 100% Robusta beans (uncommon) could be about double the caffeine.

Explanation below:

Maximum caffeine content

Typical premium roasted Arabica coffee beans like mine contain close to 1% caffeine by mass when measured by spectrophotometer (p 311)
though Robusta (less common and usually blended with Arabica in cheaper coffees) has
roughly twice that
much.

If you have a health concern like wanting to stay under the 300 mg guideline for pregnant women, you should be able to use this as the upper limit: each 10g of Arabica coffee contains about 100mg of caffeine.

I use a 2 Tbsp scoop to measure beans before I grind them. One scoop of
beans weighs about 12 grams (yes I tared the scoop, but I did only weigh
once and am not comparing light or dark roasts which will vary in weight
and volume).

So if I eat that scoop of beans or grind them finely and drink them
with any amount of water I will be consuming the 120 mg (1% of 12g) of caffeine
present in them. That should be an upper limit to this estimation
exercise. The strongest or biggest/weakest cup of coffee I can brew with
that scoop of beans will have no more than 120mg caffeine.

How strong is my cup?

Typical American-style brewing methods and water ratios result in
1% (weak) to 1.65% (too strong) disolved coffee solids, with 1.25%
considered optimal whereas
"a typical espresso will contain on average 1.8-2.2%"
solids

So 1 fl oz of brewed coffee or espresso weighs almost the same as water
(29.57 g) and contains 1-2% coffee solids (so about 300-600mg, or 380mg solids for optimal brewed coffee and 600mg solids for espresso). That would be the upper limit if the coffee solids were pure caffeine, but they can't be.

On the other hand,the caffeine is probably more soluble than the other parts of the bean,so even though it's only 1% of the mass of the beans it's probably more than 1% of the dissolved solids. That's the hard part. Coffeechemistry.com says brewed coffee ends up with 8-15 mg caffeine per oz and espresso 30-50 mg caffeine per oz. That's a pretty huge range. It means caffeine is 2.5-4.0% of the solids (380 mg) in an ounce of "optimal" brewed coffee or 5.0-8.3% of the solids (600 mg) in an ounce of espresso.

So: I typically make a nice strong 10 oz cup of coffee with my 12g of
beans containing a maximum of 120mg (or 1% of the coffee mass) caffeine. So let's say this maximum 12 mg caffeine per each oz of coffee corresponds to 1.65% or 500 mg solids (1.65% of 29.57 gr = 500 mg). In this case the 12 mg caffeine is 2.4% of the solids. If I brew it "too weak" and it ends up 1% solids (or 300 mg per oz) I would guess I'd proportionally get no more than 60% of the max caffeine, 7.2 mg (again 2.4% of the solids) per oz or 72 mg for a 10oz cup. So that narrows the range to 72-120 mg of caffeine in my cup depending on the brew strength.

I'm guessing a good cup ends up somewhere in the middle, so I'm going to estimate my typical cup contains around 100 mg of caffeine from its 12g dry coffee, or about 80% of the maximum caffeine present in the beans. From this I would suggest a decent rule of thumb for "optimal" strength American-style brewed coffee is around 0.8% (or 0.008) of the mass of the beans used, or 80mg of caffeine for each 10g of dry coffee.

Bonus corollary/sanity check

Using the same method, a shot of espresso made with 7g of ground
coffee maxes out around 70mg caffeine (77mg if 10% Robusta sometimes typical for Espresso blends), but the serving size and strength are more standardized than brewed coffee, so the 64mg/shot reported by the USDA and others also ends up being 80-90% of the caffeine present in the beans.


Why are lattes often served in big, wide cups? Lattes are often served in a cup that looks like this:

Apart from size, is there a particular reason for the shape of the cup? I know that, with cocktails, the many different cocktail glasses you can get are suited to different kinds of drinks. I'm assuming it's the same here, so what is it about a latte that makes it suited for this shape of mug?

It may be just me, but I think it has to do with aiming for a ratio of foam to liquid in each sip.

Basically a taller cylindrical cup with the same amount of foam on it would cause the first couple of sips to be mostly, if not entirely, foam. With a shorter wider cup you can have a lot of foam, but in a thinner layer, allowing for a more balanced sip and better mouth feel through the duration of the cup.


Kopi Luwak coffee beans Kopi Luwak are the most expensive coffee beans, but I was wondering if there is a special taste to these coffee beans.

I was also wondering if there is  a recommended method of brewing which would harness the flavor of the coffee beans?

If I would get the beans, how should I prepare my equipment? I am using an espresso machine. Should I clean the machine extra well? How about the grinder?

Each coffee has it's own special taste and distinctive flavours. Whether it is pre-ground Maxwell House or small-batch roasted single origin, there will be different flavour profiles and smells.

The "quality" of coffee is mostly determined by the bitterness and taste. Fresh, great quality coffee is often bright and has complex flavours that fill your palette. Diner coffee is usually bland and more bitter.

In high-quality beans, the enjoyment of the coffee is then more down to personal taste. That is, whether someone likes a bright, almost tea-like single origin from Ethiopia, or a deep-bodied Sumatran coffee with herbal notes.

This Kopi Luwak coffee will certainly have it's own distinctive taste, that's for sure. Will it taste better than cheap coffee like Maxwell house? Yes, probably. Will it be the best coffee you've ever had? Maybe not, and that is just fine. People drink this coffee because it is rare and sought after, not neccesarily because they are looking for the best cup.

As for brewing it, I would suggest trying it a number of ways, because each brewing method brings out different flavour profiles. French press will allow you to experience the body that is likely from a South-east asian coffee and will allow the natural oils onto your palette. Pour-over will take away some of that body but accentuate the herbal tones and bring out the top-end in terms of flavours. Espresso is always interesting, and the concentrated method could yield some surprising flavours.

If you have the means to try it, I would. It's a neat experience and if you are keen on coffee, tasting more coffee, no matter where its from, is always a good thing.

As for cleaning your equipment, just make sure to do a regular cleaning of your espresso machine/french press to remove any residue. This doesn't have to be intensive, just make sure there are no leftover grounds. For you grinder, I would disassemble as much as possible and wash and dry the parts. Grinders always retain a decent amount of grounds, and those mixing in with the expensive Kopi Luwat could change the flavour.

Here are three videos where people try this coffee:

Tested

Travel Blogger??

News Anchor

Hope this helps!


How fresh is the coffee provided in hotel rooms? I travel frequently, and sometimes in the morning I want a quick cup of coffee.

The first thing I see is these mini coffee machines in the room.  They sometimes come in generic pouches, but at fancier hotels they'll have brands (doubletree serves branded ones).

How fresh is this kind of coffee?

There is a great variation as to how "fresh" this coffee is. Being pre-ground coffee it was ground a while before you arrived in the hotel; however, it is not any fresher or less fresh than other store bought pre-ground coffee.


Pannarello wand on Delonghi Dedica EC685 for latte art I've read online that removing the sleeve of the pannarello wand and just using the inner rubber as a wand can create better micro foam, I was excited to try as I couldn't get my EC685 wand to produce nice foam for latte art. I've read that you need to release the pressure (purge) first before removing the sleeve. So I did. It worked for 5 seconds (and I can see it works so much better than with the sleeve). However...5 seconds later, the rubber flew into my jug and milk splashed everywhere. Has anyone had similar issues? Is it just not possible to use the EC685 wand without the sleeve?

I have the exact same machine and the inner rubber wand is tightly attached. It doesn't come off even if I pull it firmly. If yours is falling off that easily it could be that either it is clogged (so the steam pressure is shooting it off), or it is lose (which you should be able to push it back in place) or it is defective (or missing a part).


How long should I steep an AeroPress (inverted)? I've been going back and forth between a French Press and an AeroPress for a few weeks now and I can't achieve a great flavor with it yet. I'm pretty sure that I just need to spend more time experimenting so I'd like to ask the community for some advice.

What is the optimal timing for an inverted AeroPress with fine ground coffee?

I typically aim to finish plunging at 2:30, using a fine grind and 200F water. But I'm always experimenting when it comes to the Aeropress, and would probably have a different answer in a month.

I found it helpful when I first started with the Aeropress to try out some of the recipes from the World Aeropress Championships.


Advantages and disadvantages of French press Asking around, I've noticed that public opinion about the french press is rather mixed. I've heard people shun it and others praise it. I have never actually seen a decent explanation why though.

As for advantages, I can tell that it's obviously pretty simple to use. Only hot water and ground coffee is required to operate it, but I'm sure that this process of making a cup of coffee must have some effect on the taste.

What effect does this have then, does this change the bitterness, dilute the taste? Is the pour-over method superior?

It depends on the press. I personally use a double-walled (which means air-insulated) press with very very fine screens in the plunger. This means my coffee stays hot for quite some time, and I don't commonly have issues with grounds at the bottom of the second cup (it's a 2-cup press).

I also spent over $300 for it, hand made in Japan by expert crafters with some beautiful stainless steel hardware framing it. It's actually guaranteed to resonate at a certain frequency if you wet your finger and run it around the rim. I digress.

Most presses can have some or all of the following issues:

Grinds leak through the screen on the plunger quite easily, even with a good coarse grind
Coffee can fall below serving temp before you plunge it if you're not careful
They are a bit of a pain to clean, most can't go near a dishwasher
They tend to be rather fragile
They can stain with certain kinds of water, depending on the glass used
Some argue that the taste of a coarse grind is inferior to finer grinds (a matter of taste is difficult to document)

The actual mechanics of making the coffee is very simple. Mix the grinds and water, then using a screen, separate the grinds from the water. The taste is going to depend more on how clean the press is, the quality and temperature of the water, the quality of the bean, grind, how long you let it brew, etc. The same holds true for pour-over brews, provided that the filter is decent and doesn't add its own taste.

I personally prefer my press, but it's really a matter of preference. I don't mind cleaning it, in fact one of the reasons I went with a press a while back was in hopes that the prospect of needing to clean it would slow down my consumption. Didn't work.  I love the consistently-good brews I get out of mine, and I love that it keeps my second cup hot long enough for me to enjoy the first.

Some people do mind the quirks, and prefer not to use them. Something decent usually starts at around $40, so they're not prohibitively expensive for experimentation. All I can say is try both and see what you think.


So I got some roasted beans wet, how to dry them? I know it's a bad idea and it won't be good.

But let's say I really want to dry some roasted beans that are soaked, how can I do it? I've tried to let them dry in the sun for some time but it didn't work. Any ideas?

I would probably throw them out - I would just roast more - but I might also try and spreading them out on a flat tray that fits into the oven and turn it up to 200F (or lower) and let them sit in there until they are dry again. Just keep your eye on them and check frequently. If you start to smell them, they are probably past dry.

No idea how that will turn out, but my wife does a similar thing with crackers that have lost their crunchiness.


What is the process to reduce bitterness in coffee? I've heard of adding salt to coffee to reduce its bitterness.
I've also heard that using freshly roasted and ground coffee would reduce the bitterness experienced when drinking coffee. Though it seems making freshly roasted coffee could actually make things worse, according to this question.

Is there a documented process (not additive) to reduce the bitterness of coffee and any research in why that's the case?

There are a lot of factors that contribute to the bitterness of coffee. Some of these have to do with the concentration of various compounds in the coffee and the roasting process, but the way you brew the coffee can make a big difference as well.

Assuming that you are not going to be harvesting and roasting your own coffee, we can focus on the brewing process.

Buying Beans: Robusta vs Arabica

To decrease perceived bitterness in coffee, the best choice is Arabica. Arabica beans are often sweeter with notes of sugars and fruits and a somewhat wine-like acidity. Robusta on the other hand tends to be harsher with more bitterness. This difference in quality is reflected in cost however, as Arabica tends to be more expensive than Robusta.

In terms of roast level, medium roasts generally contain fewer soluble solids, more acidity and a stronger aroma than dark roasts. All of these should contribute to making medium roasts on average less bitter than dark roasts.

Water: Temperature and Chemistry

You have to find the sweet spot when it comes to temperature, a little trial and error can be used here depending on the blend and brewing method. For example, the people at AeroPress recommend a much lower temperature to reduce bitterness that what you would use in a french press.

In general research has shown that coffee brewed in hot water is perceived to be less bitter than when cold water is used. Additionally, bitterness is reduced when hard or soft water is used when compared to distilled water.

Brewing [Extraction]

Bitterness is strongly correlated with the amount of dissolved solids in the brewed coffee. To ensure that the amount of dissolved solids and the overall extraction is correct (and minimally bitter), make sure to use the correct grind coarseness, water temperature, and brew time for your chosen method. Over extraction can be a major cause of bitterness.

Drip and pour-over brewing methods tend to have less bitterness than a french press or other immersion methods. This can be attributed to less dissolved solids in the coffee.

SCIENCE

Much of this section will be outside the control of most, but it is interesting nonetheless.

Research has found that the introduction of polyphenols reduces the bitterness of coffee. The metallic bitterness found in some coffee has been attributed to  dicaffeoylquinic acids. Trigonelline is perceived as bitter at concentrations of 0.25% and its degredation is proportional to roast level. Roasting Trigonelline produces a byproduct called pyridines and helps create the roasty aroma found in some coffee.

Chlorogenic acid is also found in coffee, higher concentrations in Robusta than Arabica, and that contributes to the bitterness as well. Additionally, Quinic acid is a product formed from the degradation of Chlorogenic acid and is present in coffee at twenty times its taste threshold, contributing to the bitterness.

Furfuryl alcohol is also known to increase the bitterness of coffee.

More Information

Coffee Chemistry: Cause of Bitter Coffee

Coffee Basics: The Difference Between Arabica and Robusta


How to grow coffee at home? I am a heavy coffee user and I want to know what's in my coffee and therefore I'd like to grow coffee in my home.

Is it possible to grow coffee in an apartment?

It is possible to grow coffee indoors. If allowed to grow as a tree they can reach 8 feet tall but if trimmed occasionally you can get the plant to grow more like a bush around 3-4 feet. This will change some based on the exact type.

Coffee plants prefer shade with a couple hours of direct sunlight in the morning. Keeping it by a window should be about right. Depending on your climate you want to be careful taking it outside during winter.

As J Musser mentioned, this will be a long process that will yield very little, but it can be done.

On the plus side, coffee plants are evergreens and look very nice as indoor plants.

You can read more here.

Edit: Stealing @JMussers comments to add to my answer

  One large apartment plant will only produce enough coffee for a few cups worth each year, and that's after years of growth. They do look good, though. My point was, indoor coffee plants aren't that effective. Outdoors, a good plant will produce around 2-3 lbs. of grean beans per year. They are usually planted about 8'x8' apart, or a near equivalent, so 680 plants per acre, = around 1700 lbs of green coffee per acre per year, under good conditions.


What is a good ratio for nitro cold brew that will not be diluted? I am looking to serve nitro cold brew on tap into clear glasses without dilution or ice. I've seen a good number of people share ratios for cold brew, but what would be a good place to start if I don't want to dilute the pour (and use nitro)? We prefer a strong flavor, but don't want it to be TOO strong.

I'm roughly looking at:

~11oz coffee for 128oz (final ratio after diluting).

I reached this number by looking at the numbers various commercial coffee makers have posted online. For example: Stumptown has a .214 ratio, but then recommends diluting with 2 parts water for ever 1 part concentrate.

Right now, my plan is to make a concentrate with 3.5lbs of coffee, and then top up to ~5 gallons (or less depending on taste).

Can anyone provide any recommendations from experience? Thanks.

The two big numbers I use when brewing are ratio and time. With these set correctly, you can do batches from 1L to 25L and the only difference is how hard it is to drain/filter.

I cold brew large batches to keg with nitro and also drink it straight and here are a few notes I have about my two numbers.

Time:

The time range everyone says is 12h-24h. I think this is about right and I think the sweet spot for normal brews is about 16h at room temperature. Closer to 24 hours can often taste "over extracted" and will be more bitter, but also more caffeinated. If you're trying to brew stronger, I'd try keeping your ratio the same and adjusting time to see what you want the brew to taste like first. Higher ratio brews seem to also benefit from longer steep times as solubility can become a factor, so usually if I like a coffee at 0.125 ratio for 14 hours and I go to make a 0.200 ratio brew, I'll steep it for 15-16 hours instead to make sure I can dilute it down to how I like it. This is where things tend to be by "feel".

Ratio

Ratio is much more scientific. It's just how much water and how much ground coffee you use. Protip: Use metric units and measure your ratio as Kg coffee : L water. This makes life way easier since you don't buy water by weight, but 1 Kg of water = 1 L of water, so your ratio makes sense. Here are the ratios I regularly use:

0.100: "Beginner" Nitro cold brew. If you want to serve a keg of cold brew and nitrogenate it, but your audience is family or non-coffee enthusiasts, this is a good ratio so that people don't chug a cup of it and feel like their eyes are going to pop out from the caffeine.
0.110: "The book" cold brew: loads of people swear by "1 gallon of water per 1lb of coffee" ratio. That's 0.110. I rarely use it, but here it is for reference.
0.166: Flat, everyday cold brew, fresh. I frequently make fresh cold brew overnight for myself. When I wake up it's room temperature and when it drips through a filter, it has a pleasant CO2 frothiness to it. I drink this over ice, which dilutes it close to 0.125 and if there are leftovers, I'll store them in the fridge and drink them straight later. It's a good ratio if you're not planning anything and want it to be flexible.
0.185: Strong. When I make nitro for enthusiasts, I brew here. This is a really rich, strong flavor. The creaminess of the nitrogen makes up for the fact that it's not diluted. Make no mistake, this is very strong to drink straight.
0.200: Concentrate for 1:1 dilution. I don't typically do water dilution. I rarely brew here, but this concentrate could work with a mix of ice and condensed milk or just cold cream.
0.250: Strong concentrate for 1:1 or higher dilution. If I make concentrate, I make it at this ratio for 16h+. Again, I don't do water dilutions, but over ice and cream or condensed milk, this can really make a good coffee flavored beverage or save space for storage.

Right now, I like Ethiopian beans for flat cold brew. I've tried several beans for Nitro and not had one I didn't like.

Hope that helps!


Optimal moka pot size for flavor extraction? My hunch is the smaller the moka pot, the higher the pressure buildup, resulting in higher extraction.  Is this true and are there any other variables that may negate this theory?

I would assume that size doesn't matter - if the amount of water is proportionally the same then the steam pressure should also be the same, regardless of the size.

But it seems to be much more complicated than that, and part of your answer probably lies in the research paper entitled "Experimental investigation of steam pressure coffee extraction in a stove-top coffee maker" published in volume 29 of Applied Thermal Engineering, which states:

  Despite its well-established usage, the moka has never been the
  subject of detailed analysis, which led to a series of unclear
  descriptions or misinterpretations concerning its functioning...

That is if you can understand the thermodynamics, though the study itself seems to be a bit inconclusive. One of the closing statements is interesting:

  The quantity of dry air can influence both temperature and flow rate,
  thus affecting final extract quality, and it is meant to be the
  subject of further studies

In the end, though, even the researchers decided that the moka is a bit of an enigma ("...a popular, yet mysterious, device, which so much diverges from other coffee-brewing methods"), so I don't know that you'll find any better answers outside of your own stove-top trials...


Can I get rid of this wood fiber taste? The first thing I taste when I make coffee is a wood fiber taste. By the second sip, its gone and the coffee tastes tolerable.

I buy a Costa Rican Arabica roast from BJ's. I buy several pounds and stick it in the freezer. I grind before brewing. Have just bought a Breville Smart Grinder Pro and a Behmor Brazen Plus drip coffee maker (gold tone paperless filter). My grind size on the Breville is 48, the high end of medium according to their guide. However, I might be inclined to call it fine as pictures I've seen on the web lead me to this conclusion. Also, grinds tend to float in the air as I grind. As to the Brazen, I brew at 204 degrees with a 1.5 minute soak cycle. I use eight cups (setting) of grinds to make six cups of coffee. I intend to experiment but I'd like to hear some expert advice also.

So, the question is, can I avoid that wood fiber flavor or am I stuck with it?

I would suggest buying any other kind of non-flavored coffee (or borrowing some) and using your same parameters to make a pot.  That should determine whether your machine/process is imparting that taste to the beans or if it's just the coffee itself.

Lightly roasted coffee often has tastes described as woody, grassy, or sometimes tea like.  This can vary from very noticeable at light roast levels to not at all noticeable at moderate levels.  Even if you have purchased those same beans before and were not expecting the taste, it's possible you purchased a bag less roasted than previous bags you have bought.


How much time should I wait between drinking coffee? Whenever I drink the first coffee in the morning, initially I get energized from it. However if I go for a second one right after, or even wait a while, I don't get the same rush.

How long should I wait between each coffee drink so I can get the same buzz?
 Is there an equation for this?

I don't know that this is a standard time period.. Honestly, the more coffee you drink, the less you are going to get the 'buzz' going. A lot of this depends on your body type, activity level, and genes.

You have to think of caffeine like a drug, because that is what it essentially is.  When you take your first sip of coffee, it takes about 45 minutes for 99% of the caffeine to be absorbed by your system.  The caffeine has a half life of roughly 4-6 hours in the human body.  That buzz you are feeling is because as you have slept, all of the caffeine in your system has been depleted and thus when you get that first cup in the morning, your system gets a big blast of caffeine after not having any.

Here's a pretty interesting article that contains a lot of the information I just parroted above (plus quite a bit more):

Caffeine Metabolism


Shelf-Stable Half and Half - How stable? At my place of employment, they supply coffee.  Along with cups, lids, and sweeteners they provide the little plastic containers of half and half.  The box these come in states, "No Refrigeration Necessary."  The date on the box is usually a few months into the future.

Occasionally, I will find what appears to be curdles in the half and half.  Has it really curdled or is it more of a settling or congealing in the half and half?

These "curdles" are small, white, and float in the coffee.  The larger "curdles" do not dissolve when stirred.  I think I have noticed an odd/off taste but I don't use half and half consistently so I'm not sure if it's due to the "curdles".

So, how stable is this type half and half?
Will it get REALLY chunky if left long enough?

If the curdles swim on top and are without much structure it is likely milk fat.
If they are fluffy it could be proteins.

Breakdown due to germs is unlikely as a shelf life of several months wouldn't be possible with fresh milk. Manufacturing errors excluded.


Why does instant coffee need more milk/sugar to get desired taste? This morning I brewed some coffee at work using a pour-over and noticed that the amount of milk and sugar required to get the desired taste and whiteness was significantly less.

I do not mean because it tastes better it needs less, the amount of milk and sugar needed was less. Is this due to the density of instant coffee which requires it to have more for the taste to be recognizable? Or is there more to it?

This question is fairly ambiguous as you've simply described the result as a 'desired taste' so I cannot tackle the question from a specific angle. However, the differences you describe may be a symptom of the fact that there are big differences between instant coffee and your pour-over.

Actual coffee. Your pour-over must be done with coffee grounds and so you are producing a cup of coffee freshly extracted from the grounds and subsequently freshly enjoyed. Not to mention the quality of the beans used might simply be of a higher quality than that used in instant coffee manufacturing.

Pour-over. The brewing method itself is often known to produce much more nuanced flavours as it allows the brewer control of water flow as opposed to other automated brewers. This means that you can better extract the sugars and compounds that give coffee its aroma and flavour. Instant coffee is not fresh and the general manufacturing process is done en masse so the level of control that you would have to fine tune your cup of pour-over coffee will simply not be present in instant coffee. Also, due to the extra processes involved in freeze-drying and packaging the instant coffee, many flavourful compounds can be lost well before it reaches your cup.

The factors noted above can change the resulting cup you enjoy and therefore change the amount of milk or sugar you will need in order for you to achieve your desired taste. Since the pour-over method can extract more sugars and delicate compounds that make coffee so delicious, it will also reduce the requirement of extra sugar.


What does over-extracted taste like? The recipe says to stir less if the coffee tastes over-extracted and to stir more if it tastes under-Extracted. Is this different from stonger and weaker? What does extraction taste like?

Yes, over- and underextracted are quite different from weak or strong coffee. The strength is determined by the amount of grounds, more grounds = stronger coffee. But that’s not what your recipe is talking about.

Preparing coffee is a physical and chemical process (although some aficionados will claim that it’s an art) where soluble compounds (“flavors”) are dissolved in water. The coffee bean contains various compounds that dissolve at different speeds, with acidic flavors being quickest and bitter notes, e.g. tannins slowest.

Without going into the details:

An under-extracted coffee will be acidic, and missing the “fullness” from the coffee oils.
In a just right extraction, acidity will be a side note to a full body of coffee oils and sugars with a bit of bitterness for balance.
An over-extracted coffee will be unpleasantly bitter, masking the desired flavors, and sometimes even with an astringent mouthfeel.

The beans, roast, grind size and brewing method are all parameters that influence the ratio of aromatic compounds and/or rate of extraction, but the principle described above remains. clive Coffee has a neat blogpost on the topic and there’s even a Wikipedia article on coffee extraction.