Delonghi Dedica rubber wand is propelled into milk pitcher I own a Delonghi Dedica EC685 and looking to get some proper microfoam for latte art, I removed the Panarello tube and tried to froth the milk using just the inner rubber tube.

Problem right now is that it works for a few seconds and then the rubber tube detaches itself from the pipe and it's propelled into my milk pitcher.

I did check the tube, it looks clean, nothing clogging it.

Any idea what can I do to prevent this?

I think the panarello is keeping the inner rubber tube in place, so it's normal for the tube to pop off under pressure. You can hold the tube in place by using a cable tie as can be seen in this video: Frothing milk for latte art with the De'Longhi Dedica EC685.

However, that solution will make it difficult to remove the tube for cleaning. I suggest using a wire spring clip to hold the rubber tube into place, while still being easy to remove. For reference, I'm using a Mikalor Double Wire Spring Hose Clip 12.9-13.6mm. This is quite a tight fit and not so easy to place/remove, so you might want to use a slightly larger clip.

Be careful not to use a spring clip that is too small so as not to damage the plastic over which the tube is slid.


Why are Costa or Starbucks lattes so good? I’m a coffee addict and I have been always having Starbucks as well Costa. I just love their lattes , but it become too expensive over time, so I am on a road to discover how to make coffee like them.
What I have tried so far:

I have tried Nespresso machine (problem is the pods are stored for ages which make coffee loose its flavour),
French press (feel too watery) and
Milk instant coffee (where it is full cup of milk with one spoon of instant coffee)(which feels too heavy) or
instant coffee (which feels fake like boiled water).

I am tired of all so these failed attempts, so I go to Costa everyday and I always have a latte. There’s something about them that make coffee so good and alive.
How can I get that without being too expensive? But without compromising on taste? In short, why do those coffee shops have such amazing coffee?

I'm not familiar with Costa, but I am with Starbucks. Let me offer my ideas in what's different.
Starbucks stores use fully automatic espresso machines with semi automatic frothing wands. The espresso machines make true espresso, unlike all of the brewing options you mentioned. This is the main reason the coffee is better.
The frothing wand also uses steam to froth the milk which creates a wonderfully creamy texture in the milk. Stick and pitcher frothers can't make the performance.
There's also grind. Starbucks stores use high quality coffee grinders that grind the coffee quite consistently. Coffee used for espresso is ground on demand for each shot. Your coffee at home might suffer if you're not grinding right before your brew or if you're grinding with a lower quality grinder.
Lastly, drink recipes. Starbucks cups are printed with volume markers to help baristas match recipes exactly. When you buy a latte at Starbucks, the ratio of espresso to milk is ideal and is the same every time. Unless you're measuring at home and know what that ideal ratio is, you're likely not hitting the right recipe.
To get coffee shop type lattes at home, you need a real espresso machine. A single boiler unit with a steam wand will do the trick, but nothing short of one will.


Is coffee really useful for alcohol hangovers When people experience a hangover due to too much alcohol intake the hours before, sometimes they are offered a good cup of coffee (at least in my country), not as the only or the main "treatment", but as a helping element in such a condition.

Is there any scientific evidence for this?

No.  Coffee is often offered to people perhaps about to pass out so that they will stay awake long enough that they can be kicked out of an establishment.

Alcohol causes dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and taxes the liver.  To this extent standard medical treatment is fluid, electrolytes, and vitamins.  Caffeine is never used in a medical setting to treat alcohol overdose or withdrawal.


Tap water or bottled water? What is generally considered better for the perfect cup of filtered coffee. Tap water or bottled water?

The water in London, UK is fairly soft but has loads of calcium in it.

Bottled water I have heard has lots of salt in it.

Which is best?

Just think that your drink, coffee, is around 97-98% water so you need quality water to make a quality cup of coffee due the following:

Tap water, beside the calcium, will have additional components and too much calcium will give a taste of acidity to the coffee, calcium makes the water harder.
In order to get a fruity taste from your cup of coffee you need to focus on the balance between magnesium and calcium, magnesium will extract flavor from the beans ... now you know why all the coffee shop coffee taste close to each others and is due the source of water is used( all use tap water) makes them high acidity and requires sugar+cream in order to enjoy that cup :(
Sodium does make the coffee taste acidic like the calcium does so you need balanced or spring water to see difference or even distilled water but the coffee will loose drastically from the flavor ... unbalanced.

At least the bottled water you know has added magnesium for taste and is in a balance with other minerals including calcium(not looking does stay in plastic bottles ... that is a different story and think tap water pipes and source of water/process used to make “safe” for drinking)

  Note: I roast the batches of coffee home and in order to feel the
  right flavor tried distilled water, tap water and spring water;
  Currently I use only spring water fresh from the ground and filtered
  so coffee or tea doesn’t require butter, creamer or any other flavors
  added in order to feel the real taste. Same does come to sodium.Even tea does follow same path
  when does come to the water .

One more thing, boil the water and check the sediment left to compare the “tap vs bottled”, “tap vs spring”, “spring vs purified/bottled”.


Shelf life of beans? My friend is able to get thousands of pounds of beans shipped to him from the Honduras from a family farm.  He's had nearly 100 pounds of these beans for over 4 months, he's insisted on selling them.  My contention has been that these beans are not fresh and will reduce the quality of coffee that is being sold from them.  Is there a typical shelf life for beans to guarantee freshness after roasting?

I think it is generally regarded that beans are still 'fresh' within one month of roasting where the flavour profile of the bean will change over that one month. Dissecting it further, people tend to agree that beans should be at their peak within 2 weeks of roasting. Past a month the bean should show noticeable signs of decline in the flavour profile, losing most of the brighter notes and acidity and providing a much flatter flavour profile as most complex compounds in the coffee would have disintegrated.

You mention that your friend has had those beans for over 4 months, even if measured since the roast date, you can safely say that those beans are stale. At this point there's really no difference between getting rid of them now or later as they should not degrade much further if at all.


What temperature to froth hemp milk to? When frothing cow's milk, if you exceed 150 degrees, you can scald the milk which makes it taste like eggs.

Is there a similar upper temperature for hemp milk?

I would follow the same guidelines as cow milk when using any alternative milk. For one you really just can't taste a liquid that is scalding hot, so you might as well not go so toasty. Other than that - If you think it tastes great, then keep doing that. If it smells less sweet, it probably is less sweet - you just gotta find that perfect sensory sweet spot. I generally aim for about 135F if it's a drink being consumed on site - otherwise about 145 togo.

Hopefully this helps!


Roast vs Body vs Acidity Coffee flavor is often described in terms of:

Roast darkness (light to dark)
Body (medium to heavy)
Acidity (smooth to bright)

I have a vague understanding of some of these, but am unclear especially on body. Could someone explain these a bit and show how they differ from one another?

I'm not really an expert, but in basic terms:

Roast darkness:

Roughly how long was the coffee roasted, much like toast, a longer roast usually brings about a darker flavor. Darker roast coffees tend to have a slightly burnt caramelized flavor.

Body:

I usually think of this as more of a texture than a flavor, probably more easily noticed at the extremes. A "full bodied" coffee sort of coats the tongue causing the flavor to linger while "medium bodied" coffees tend to be a little lighter with a cleaner finish.

Acidity:

Acidity is basically what it sounds like, lower acid coffees are often referred to as "smooth" and higher acid coffees referred to as "bright".

Now as mentioned in the comments these terms are really painfully relative, and somewhat rendered meaningless by an onslaught of advertisers claiming that their coffee is "smooth dark and full-bodied" regardless of the real characteristics.


Does café Cubano have a distinct taste of cane sugar alongside the flavor of coffee? According to Wikipedia,

  Café Cubano (also known as Cuban espresso, Cuban coffee, cafecito, Cuban pull, and Cuban shot) is a type of espresso that originated in Cuba. Specifically, it refers to an espresso shot which is sweetened (traditionally with natural brown sugar which has been whipped with the first and strongest drops of espresso).

Link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_espresso

When I made my version of café Cubano using melted jaggery which is South India's most common version of natural brown sugar, I found that my cup of home-machine espresso has the distinctive taste of cane sugar/jaggery alongside the expected flavor of coffee.

Is the taste of cane sugar distinctly present in authentic café Cubano too, or does it taste just like regular espresso sweetened with refined white sugar, which doesn't leave any specific taste of its own, apart from the coffee?

I can’t give you an answer based on tasting the authentic product, but:

The various “brown” or “raw” sugars are characterized by the molasses content, which is part of the original cane sugar juices. This juice has a characteristic flavor profile with notes reminiscent of caramel and malt. In the production of white sugar, they are filtered out, leaving behind the white “just sweet” sugar.

The darker (and sometimes “wetter”) a brown sugar is, the higher the molasses content and the more extra flavor components are in the sugar. In cooking and baking, brown sugars are often used not just as sweetener, but also for the flavor.

The logical conclusion regarding your question is: If brown sugars are used in not-just-minute amounts, they will be noticeable. So the flavor of the Cuban coffee will and should be different from espresso with white/refined sugar. How intense the brown sugar flavor is, depends on how much sugar is used per serving and how dark it is. The term “natural brown sugar” in your source suggests a rather intense flavor, which should be quite similar to jaggery.


why does coffee make some people sleepy? I have tried different types of coffee, all causing sleepiness. Except the opposite affect with iced coffee which helps with wakefulness. What causes for this?

Disclaimer: I'm not a physician, so here are only guesses based on my experience.

Besides coffeine, there are other substances to be taken into account, plus some non-chemical effects:

Sugar and milk by themselves can have relaxing effects. It is a well known fact that sugar can induce sleepiness, and hot milk is often drunk before going to bed. I've started drinking black coffee (no sugar) after lunch because of this.
Milk and coffee together are particularly hard to process by the stomach. This can bring a sort of after-lunch drowsiness.
There may be a psychological effect related to the assumption of coffee, or any other drink that is associated with relax and calm in your mind.
Warmth can have a relaxing effect by itself


How long do the effects of caffeine take to appear? Taking as a parameter the first sip of coffee we drink, and taking 10 minutes to drink a cup of coffee, how soon are the effects of caffeine to appear?

I'm sure there are a lot of studies out there - but ultimately it's personal.  It's like asking, how long after drinking a glass of wine do you start to feel the affects?

Averages can be arrived at but ultimately everyone is different.

As for me, it may be psychological, but I start to feel the affects seconds after my first sip. (Assuming it's high octane coffee and not the lukewarm water found in some diners.)

I've seen several articles say that coffee takes ten minutes to kick in. Others say 45 minutes.

I don't know how they're measuring things but speaking for myself, and numerous others, the psychological affects kick in much sooner. I don't think coffee would be as popular as it is if it took 10-45 minutes to kick in.

  It takes around 45 – 60 minutes for caffeine to kick in after it is consumed.
  https://www.scienceabc.com/humans/how-does-caffeine-work-affect-brain-body-adenosine-receptors.html

  see also: https://www.caffeineinformer.com/caffeine-metabolism
  and: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1100767/A-cup-coffee-works-just-10-minutes-drink-greater-impact-men.html

The scienceabc.com article continues with:

  One of the reasons coffee remains so popular is that the effects of caffeine can often be felt for 4-6 hours.

4-6 hours? Ha. Maybe in a controlled environment, where one can measure things to the last drop. In the work environment coffee addicts need to a boost in far less time than that.


How to weaken effects of caffeine after consumption Yesterday I had a way too big, way too strong cup of 100% Robusta. I had never tried pure Robusta before, so I had no idea what I was getting into. I experienced strong caffeine effects 6+ hours after consumption, and had mildly shaking hands + felt a little ill for six more hours (and then I went to bed).

I'm fine now, but what could I have done (or eaten, drunk) to weaken the effects of said cup? There are "home remedies" for hangovers, and if one has eaten too spicy food, bread is usually good. What works on caffeine?

What you experienced was a caffeine overdose, however mild, and that's something that you shouldn't really try home remedies to correct. Had you gone to the emergency room, you probably could have expected to been given a laxative, activated charcoal, and possibly I.V. fluids. I doubt that they would have pumped your stomach over a single cup, but they might have if your heart was beating irregularly.

Absorption of most things you swallow generally depends on how much you've had to eat - so yes, eating something filling (e.g. bread soaked in water) would probably have alleviated some of the discomfort, especially if you had the coffee on an empty stomach. Staying hydrated (but not over-hydrated) would also have been important.

I wouldn't advise self-medicating in circumstances like this, all you can do is be very mindful of symptoms getting worse (particularly any sign of irregular heart activity) while you wait it out and (eventually) crash into bed.

But, bread / crackers / water - not going to hurt, and might make you feel a little better, or better sooner. While symptomatic, I wouldn't take anything over the counter or prescription unless you checked with a doctor (because of possible heart implications)

And really, if you feel at all beyond 'blaugh' - you should see a doctor quickly. People die from too much caffeine, and it's not pretty, so be careful.


French press vs instant coffee - health At work I usually drink instant coffee, but I found out that one can buy French press mugs. I did some research about which of these methods of preparing coffee is healthier, it seems that there's no consensus. Assuming that the taste doesn't matter, which method would you recommend? We're talking about one, maximum two cups a day, so no extreme amounts.

As far as I know there are no health concerns about coffee aside from caffeine consumption. Unless there are additives in instant coffee that I'm unaware of then there ought to be no substantive difference between the two (French Press and instant).  Instant coffee is simply coffee which was freeze dried either by spraying droplets in the air or crushed after freezing.

Therefore the health concerns, if any, would be relative to the amount of caffeine you consume. You mention that you drink two cups a day. That is below every recommended max consumption I've ever seen (4 cups).


Is it safe to say that same type of coffee used with an espresso machine is ideal for a moka pot? As far as the type of:

bean;
the better-suited roast;
proper grind-size goes;

...do you treat a moka pot's coffee (bean/roast/grind) the same way as a full espresso machine? I use a Bialetti Brikka - which makes a great shot, & even approximates a "crema" (though I know it isn't actually the same "crema" as with an espresso machine) and I always thought this moka pot is like having an espresso machine on your stovetop. So naturally, I would buy stronger Coffea Arabica varieties, roasted dark, but would only grind them to a medium/fine to suit the basket filter. But as far as bean & roast, I would match what most espresso machines use. Am I wrong to match this moka pot's bean preference to that of an espresso machine? Are they better utilized using completely different bean cocktails?

Any help would be most appreciated.

First, let's clear the misconception. The posted photo in the question is a moka pot. This is a common misconception all around the globe and also discussed in Coffee SE a few times. Please see the following post to clear this out:

Does a percolator make "better" coffee?

A better answer, also including the differences in between an espresso and a moka (the cup made with a moka pot) is explained here:

What's the difference between a percolator and a moka pot?

Then, please check this answer regarding the crema and the pressure issues:

Generating crema with a moka pot?

Enormous Editing after farankoshan's change in the question is below.

If we decide to compare the moka pot (instead of a percolator) with espresso, then my answer is as follows. I keep the first version for history.

First, the grind size is very different. It is advised that ideal grind size for espresso is around 300 µ where for a moka pot it is around 800 µ.

It is also known that espresso brews are the most acidic cups and moka pots are produce generally bitter cups. A reference to espresso brews is below, unfortunately, this study does not include moka pots.

Could preparation method make coffee more acidic?

According to this knowledge, you may decide your beans and roast as you please.

For the roast, it is known that acidity reduces when roast degree increases. That's why many espresso brews are prepared with darker roasts. You may search for your taste.

For the bean origin (or the blend) you may again search for the specific acidity and bitterness. JayCo's previous study below is a good starting point again.

What coffees are the least acidic?


How is instant coffee made? I understand the basic process of making coffee (harvested beans >> roasted >> ground >> brewed), but I don't quite understand how instant coffee is made.

What, exactly, is done differently? At what point in the process does instant coffee diverge from "real" coffee?

How instant coffee is prepared in the factory:

Coffee beans are roasted
They are ground very finely (0.5 mm - 1.1 mm in diameter)
The ground coffee is mixed with water in percolation columns which reaches 155 - 180 degrees Celsius.  This is the extraction process.
This mixture is then concentrated and/or dried using vacuum evaporation, freeze drying, or spray drying methods.

The result from this is what you get in the store.


French Press: Fine Grind! fellow coffee fanatics! I have recently started learning more about coffee and have learned many new espresso drinks. However, when it comes to the French press, I am at a loss. I have tons of fine ground coffee, and the only way I make coffee is in the French Press, however, I have read that you should never use fine ground coffee in a French press. But, I know that there must be a formula out there that works with fine ground. The problem is, I always seem to put too little or too much fine ground coffee in. I just can't seem to find a good formula!!! If someone could please provide a good formula for making fine ground coffee in a French press, that would be great!

A fine grind, especially an espresso grind, are usually avoided when doing immersion brewing methods. Reason being that their extraction times are so low that is usually not practical to press a fine grind coffee. Though this isn't a direct answer to your question, I'd recommend grinding your coffee directly before brewing. This is best practice, and it means you can grind your coffee to whichever coarseness that you need.

If you want to french press this coffee I think it would be best to adjust your extraction time. If you're using an espresso grind I'd do a short bloom, then extract for 45seconds.

To eliminate fine grit, wrap a paper coffee filter over the strainer, and press immediately to achieve 45second extraction, as there will be more resistance with the added filter. If the coffee is sour or bland increase extraction time. If the coffee tastes too bitter, then try decreasing the extraction time. Bloom for maybe 8 seconds. It's hard to tell, most people press coffee because they like pressed coffee, and they'll usually use a coarse grind for this. Using a fine grind will likely negate the benefits of using a press pot, and could very well be impossible/very difficult to consistently get a good cup.


Peaberry and coffee varieties The peaberry coffee from Tanzania is well-known in the US, though perhaps partly due to marketing forces here, the corresponding flattened beans are not easy to come by.

Are there other varieties/regional coffees that feature a peaberry collection?  I'd be interested in trying some of these, esp. if one can compare the peaberry taste to that of the normal "twin" beans.

My findings are that it's actually exactly the same.  Peaberry beans occur in almost all coffee in some percentage.  They aren't grown separate, they are the exact same coffee that's been sorted out of the processed beans so that the lot looks more homogeneous and sells better.  I've actually been lucky enough to at one time have peaberry, oversized and "regular" beans all from the same lot.  The coffees all tasted exactly the same to me.  I have a friend that claimed he tasted some difference in in the larger beans, owing perhaps to not having been roasted as thoroughly.

The beans I had were Sumatran Toba Batak, sold in sorted lots of 17+, peaberry and regular.  I am sure that almost any processing station you went to in the world could do such processing if they chose, although it's probably labor intensive and would add some cost to the beans.  If Tanzania is doing it regularly, they have probably found it's financially worth it.  On occasion when I look closely at the beans I am roasting, I'll usually find a few peaberries in the mix.


Kirkland coffee beans are charged? Recently I noticed something interesting about Kirkland's coffee bean. After I ground the bean and dump on the paper filter, some fragments actually stuck to the wall of the filter - as if they were attracted/pulled by the wall and partially overcome the gravitational pull, instead of simply staying at the bottom.

I noticed this couple of month ago, over time, I observed and can confirm that: this did not happen with other brands of beans - so I do not think that this is caused by the paper filter or the grinder.

Not sure whether the ground bean is necessarily electronically charged, but that certainly can be a potential explanation.

Does anyone know what caused this?

Hi not likely to be a trait of kirkland beans or of packaging of the beans.
Static electricity can build up between the grinder and the beans. - you'll note that the beans will also stick to the sides of whatever receptical they get ground into.

Here's one hack to fix this at the grinder stage
it used tiny amounts of moisture that likely reduce what's happening in the grinder that casuses static electricity: two materials rubbing against each other - and yes getting charged and repelling from each other.

Now maybe not all beans have this effect to teh same level based on moisture content - dunno - or perhaps its just humidity levels and grind sizes. But assuming for you it is just kirkland beans, and all other settings remain the same, you may want to try this hack and see if that sorts the issue.

Be keen to hear how your test goes.

m.c.


Starting a cafe -- simple and gradual ways? There is some ground-floor space in our building, currently used only at night by a sister-in-law: for her bar. I'd like to learn more about coffee in a hands-on manner, while defraying expenses somewhat by selling it by the cup. My sister-in-law will retire eventually, so there's some possibility of turning the space into a proper cafe. My own goal is more to learn more about good coffee with an eye toward importing and mail-order sales in the longer run, as much as possible in a crop-to-cup style.

Given my goals, and my starting point, what would be the easiest path? I.e., what equipment and blends should I consider first, what skills to learn, etc. I've never worked as a barista. I have a lot of respect for how complex a business can be even when it seems simple, and I have other business responsibilities, so I'd like to approach this startup problem as gradually and experimentally as possible.

Ah, I was going to make the same point as Travelling Particle - work in a coffee shop - but then you mention that you are in Japan.

First, you will need to find a roaster where you can get fresh roast daily or as needed - hopefully with a business discount. Get a decent grinder and I would go this route for brewing a cup:

It's doesn't get much simpler then this and it looks nice. The Japanese are a people that have a Tea Ceremony and they may appreciate this.


Is there a difference in taste between bleached, unbleached and natural fibre filters? Is there a quantifiable difference to the taste or coffee brewed with bleached, unbleached or natural fibre filters? Or would you use one over the other for ecological or economical reasons?

I would assume this would be the same to some degree across all filter brewing methods.

This could depend on the brand of filters and the brewing method so it's worthwhile (and fun) to do the experiment. I'd love to see results from more experimenters.
Bamboo vs. Paper Filters:
I did this experiment. We only had three tasters but the results were statistically significant at the 5% standard -- all three of us could taste the difference. The bamboo filter made sharper coffee (analogous to sharp cheese) while the paper filter made smoother coffee. We did not all have the same preference between those two batches.
Filtering out Diterpenes:
According to the AeroPress FAQ question "DO YOU RECOMMEND USING A METAL FILTER IN THE AEROPRESS?":

We were originally planning to include a metal filter with each AeroPress but when we conducted blind taste tests comparing paper filtered AeroPress brewed coffee with metal filtered AeroPress brewed coffee, the paper filtered coffee always won.
We also learned using a paper filter is healthier because it removes diterpenes from coffee and diterpenes are potent agents that raise your bad cholesterol.

Q. Does anyone know if bamboo filters similarly remove the diterpenes from coffee? Are bamboo filters made from a combination of paper and bamboo fibers?


What is coffee bloom I make drip coffee (pour over for North Americans) at home and I would like to know: what exactly is coffee bloom?

When I pour the initial amount of water the grounds swell up, and sometimes there is a minor eruption if I'm not careful, but is this just air trapped in the grounds and water solution trying to escape or is this CO2?

Does this affect flavour? What affects the volume of the bloom?

The gases themselves are largely composed of CO2 and moisture trapped in the grinds. My understanding is that releasing the gases ahead of time prevent the gasses from interfering with an even extraction throughout the brewing process.

As when brewing coffee, we're trying to expose the grounds evenly to the hot water, the release of gas fights against this, causing channeling or uneven extraction. This can affect your flavor profile by overextracting some of the coffee, and not extracting enough from the rest.

From my own experience, fresher, better-quality coffees tend to produce more gasses. I would imagine this being because the gasses escape on their own over time from the coffee when it's just sitting around.


Is coffee grinder adjustability worth the higher price? There are a number of bean grinders out there and some include a feature to set grinding grain (steps between coarse and fine) while others have no such setting and make a finer grind bb grinding longer. The second type is much cheaper.
Is the inclusion of these fancier settings in a coffee grinder (which usually bumps up the price) worth it, as far as getting the right grind level?

You absolutely want to be able to choose grind size - even if you have a preferred brewing method and beans, you still want to be able to make some adjustments up or down if necessary. Even more so if you are going to experiment with brewing methods, where the required grind size ranges from super fine powder (Turkish Mokka) to coarse grain (cold brew). And it is a good idea to pick a grinder that has its strength at the coarseness you need most - few will actually cover the whole range.
That said, the really important detail is how homogeneous the grind is. If you have a wide range of particle sizes, you will get over and under extracted coffee at the same time and it will be a compromise at best.
That’s why I would strongly recommend that you invest in a burr grinder, that should be the kind where you can set and adjust the grind size. As said before, read a few reviews before selecting the model that matches your needs and budget.
Blade grinders work like food processors, chopping up the beans with a rotating knife and the longer they run, the finer the grind will be - so the time you run them is sort of a grind selector. By design they produce a less homogeneous result (depending on how the blade hits the beans, some particles will be bigger, some smaller), which will sometimes work for coarse grinds, but not for fine ones. They are often cheaper, though, which is why some users pick them over burr grinders. I would not choose one if possible.
There is a reason why some pros recommend to spend equal amounts on your grinder and your espresso machine. If you are brewing with a low-budget method (e.g. pour-over by hand), the grinder will likely be the most expensive piece of equipment - and probably worth the investment.


What grind to use for a Phin (Vietnamese Coffee Maker)? I got a phin at a local vietnamese market, and I will be grinding my own beans. Should the grind be fine or coarse or somewhere in the middle?

For a phin, most websites recommend using a grind that you would use for a standard drip machine or a grind that is slightly coarser. Because every phin is different, it is necessary to experiment with the grind and find the result that fits your tastes best.

For someone who cannot drink strong coffee, it is best to err on the side of caution and make their grind slightly coarser and adjust to a finer grind slowly. The best taste profile will be found this way.

Useful resources:

Coffee Geek Phin Guide for Iced Coffee
Trung Nguyen Online Phin Guide


Ground coffee or beans I have just recently started drinking coffee, and have got myself a small counter top espresso machine.

Some people in work have suggested that instead of buying ground coffee (I have been using Lavazza ground coffee) I should buy beans and grind it myself. I have asked why, but no one has been able to give a better answer than "it just is better", so I am hoping someone here can help me find a better answer to this question. Or is it just personal preferences?

Also, as a newcomer to this, I know that the coffee someone uses is down to personal tastes and what have you, but I am just wondering if there are any coffee manufacturers who are very good when it comes to espresso (I mostly drink espresso).

Ground beans have a much larger surface area by weight than whole beans. When the surface of the bean is exposed to air chemical reactions take place. I doubt that these reactions have been completely characterized but at a minimum they include some loss of aromatic oils. In other words, the processes that lead to a judgment that coffee is "old" happen faster in ground coffee.

You can do the experiment easily and cheaply by comparing the results of coffee made with freshly-ground and pre-ground versions of same brand/date coffee. You can always borrow a grinder.

The experiment might not work if both samples of coffee are old (or poor quality). Otherwise I think you would notice a difference. Whether the difference is worth paying for is a different question; but the only costs are a grinder and time to grind the beans.

A short answer to the question about brands might be: good, fresh Arabica beans are similar in many ways, up to roasting. Some people prefer a light roast, others medium or dark. Once you decide, find a brand that does what you like consistently.


How can I lock my coffee filter when it's too hard? I just bought a Breville Bambino Plus, and when I tried to hook the filter with the head it doesn't turn and lock. It seems too hard to the point I think I might break the filter.
I tried removing the ground coffee to make it less, then hook it again. I got the same result however, when I removed the basket from the filter it was able to turn and lock!
I was using the same tools provided with the machine.
I'm not sure if the reason is the basket or what though it was provided with the machine.

You probably have a broken shower (dispersion disc).
Try removing the shower screen - the metal part that faces the coffee. There's a screw in the center.
Above the screen is a plastic dispersion disc (shower); it's job is to spread the water across the bed of coffee. Remove it as well - should pry right out, no additional screws.
It's pretty common for this disc to break - it's made of plastic and is subject to a lot of heat and pressure. Breville sells replacements on their website, you might also get one at ereplacementparts.com [I have no connection to them but I have purchased this part from them].


Coffee philosophy: Ice then coffee or coffee then ice Ice + 2 Espresso Shots

OR

2 Espresso Shots + Ice

Settle the score please.

I'll give some background, a hypothesis, and (more important) instructions to find out experimentally.

The experiment is easy and fun. I did experiments such as paper vs. bamboo filter, slightly different grind sizes, fresh beans vs. 7-weeks off roast, and different coffee:water ratios within the range of a scoop measurement (i.e. is it important to weigh the coffee?).

Background: The Lady tasting tea experiment is at the start of modern statistics and randomized trials. (There's now a book, The Lady Tasting Tea: How Statistics Revolutionized Science in the Twentieth Century.) The question was, “Does it matter to add tea to milk vs. milk to tea?” It turns out the answer is yes.

Speculation and Hypothesis: Adding milk to tea lets significantly more milk get hotter than adding tea to milk does. That could enable more of it to react chemically, e.g. curdling. But that's unlikely with ice, so I'll bet adding ice to hot coffee vs. hot coffee to ice makes no discernable difference in taste. (Let's ignore the fact that dropping ice into hot coffee could splash out more hot coffee than the reverse.)

How to Experiment: Do a Triangle Test with 3 or more people. Make the iced coffee both ways, "A" and "B", keeping all other variables as constant as you can. Each person gets 3 cups, one of which is different than the other two, e.g. a sequence like A-B-A or B-B-A. Give a different random combination to each taster, of course without revealing it.

All tasters should start by tasting their 3 cups in order. Then they can go back and forth between cups as much as they like. Their job is to try to discern the difference and say which of the 3 cups tastes the most different. You might also ask them to state their preference. When they all make their choices, then you can reveal the combinations.

The Math is Not Hard: If a taster gets it right, we really don't know if they were lucky or good. The default explanation ("null hypothesis") for the combined test results is that they're within a reasonable range of random results. Dice would randomly get 1/3 of the choices right. If enough people got it right that the odds were small enough of dice getting a result that extreme or better, then we'll conclude the tasters can discern the difference. Different fields of science may use different thresholds. Pick a threshold before doing the experiment. A common standard for "statistical significance" is ≤ 5%.

With 3 tasters, if they all get it right, that's a 1/(33) = 1/27 = 3.7% chance, which beats the 5% threshold.

If K of N tasters get it right, the calculation considers the number of ways to get K of N correct choices and the probability of each random choice being correct (1/3).

The Google Sheets formula for Probability{x ≥ K of N correct choices} is:

=1 - BINOMDIST(K - 1, N, 1/3, TRUE)

so if that value is ≤ 5%, we'll conclude that people can reliably taste the difference.

Tip: To prepare for an experiment, I make paper strips with the different test sequences. Whoever pours for taster n will pick a strip at random, pour those cups while out of view, stash the strip in a pocket, and bring it out after everyone has written down their tasting choices. There needs to be at least enough strips for the number of tasters, and usually a multiple of 6 strips since there are 6 possible sequences. But when there are only 3 tasters, I prune it to 2 sequences that have one A and two B's and 2 sequences that have one B and two A's, so we can't all get the same odd one out.

Tip: Each taster gets 3 cups of coffee, a spit cup, water, crackers, and a napkin. I put painter's tape on the coffee cups to mark consistent fill lines and to label them 1, 2, and 3.


What's the difference between Turkish and Italian coffee? Is there any difference between Turkish coffee and Italian coffee?

If you mean the products you see at a grocer, the answer is simply grind. "Turkish coffee" is a finer grind setting than espresso, so that the final product very closely resembles dust. "Italian coffee" is likely either espresso ground to be used with an espresso machine or literally "imported from Italy".

Turkish coffee is for use with a special, Turkish brewing process. The coffee dust is mixed with water in a special pot called a cezve or an ibrik. The solution is brought to a boil. Then the coffee is scooped or poured from the pot. Turkish coffee is drunk unfiltered, so you drink the actual coffee like you would with cocoa.

Espresso is brewed by forcing water through coffee grounds at pressure. The pressure extracts oils and compounds from the coffee to create the famous Italian coffee called espresso. The grounds have to be relatively course compared to Turkish to support this process; too fine grinds in an espresso machine would clog the machine. Espresso is partially filtered, meaning you don't drink most of the actual coffee grounds.


What acids are there in coffee? I don't know what acids extract with what temperature. For example, in 93 °C what acids hurt and what acids extract. I want to know for better flavor and less bitterness in my espresso, what can I do?

Note:  I leave out a lot of the details of espresso shot extraction and just mention the major points of troubleshooting so don't flame me =p

Acidity is always tricky when you talk coffee because there are differences between perceived acidity and actual acidity.  Most coffees are slightly more acidic than milk, and they are in a very tight pH range.  When I talk to customers and try to describe acidity, I typically describe a spectrum where on one end, you have acidity, and the other end you have bitterness.

If you use identical beans, you will typically get the exact same amount of acids in your cup of coffee.  These acids are primarily Citric and Malic acids and they extract at relatively low temperatures compared to the other compounds in coffee which is to say, you can't use water temperature to change acid extraction without brewing at such a low temperature as to basically not brew coffee.  The caveat to that is cold brew methods which essentially trade heat for time and are known for being very low acidity.

You mention better flavor and less bitterness in your espresso.  This indicates to me that rather than being concerned about acid extraction, we need to look on the other end of the spectrum and look at over extraction.  If you think about a coffee ground like a sponge filled with flavors, the first thing to come out is the acids.  This is why when you brew weak coffee it is thin, and tastes acidic.  The longer you squeeze the sponge so to speak, the more compounds come out, the last being the melanoidins that contribute body to the coffee.  Just like too much acid in weak coffee, if you extract too much out of the ground you will start getting bitter flavors.

The first thing is determining if the flavor defect is in fact acidity, or bitterness.  The biggest identifier for me is if it is overbearing acidity, I can feel it on the sides of my tongue (that's the sour receptors).  If instead you are dealing with bitterness, or charry flavor that is going to require the exact opposite to fix it.

Here is a post where I was troubleshooting a particularly difficult espresso shot that gives a lot of the detailed mechanics of how to pull a shot, and what might be going wrong.  Coffee SE Espresso Thread

Lets say your problem is bitter espresso shots.  The first thing to check is if your beans are overroasted.  Presuming your input beans are good, and presuming the machine is functioning as intended.. let's go through how to troubleshoot.  Bitterness means overextraction which could be caused by a large number of factors, the top being too many grounds, coffee ground too fine, tamp technique, or even inserting the portafilter into the machine too early.  First thing is first, time your shot.  You should get roughly 2 fl oz of extract (2 shot glasses) in between 25-30 seconds.  Is it taking longer than this?  If so, this could be contributing to bitterness.  To remedy, reduce the amount of grounds in your portafilter, or grinder more coarse, both of which will speed up the extraction.  An additional complication, is if you tamp the grounds using too heavy a tamp, you can cause the extraction to run slow.

On the flip side, if you decide the espresso is too acidic, you do exactly the opposite, namely, tighten the grind, make sure you are applying enough pressure during the tamp, or even add a gram or two of grounds.

This is a reasonably simplified solution to troubleshooting espresso, but I hope it gives some insight into acidity vs bitterness, how to begin troubleshooting espresso shots etc.


What are some proven effective ways to set up a subscription program for one's coffee business? My wife and I own a coffee roasting company and we would like to up our coffee sales game by promoting a subscription program, whereby our customers would sign up to receive coffee from us on a monthly or even bi-weekly basis.  Does anyone on here have experience, or know someone who has experience setting up something like this?

I don't have experience with subscription programs, but I have looked at such programs. I think the following points should be addressed:

Freshness. This is a major selling point. If your deliveries are roasted over a month ago (or even less if you're doing (bi-)weekly deliveries), you lose a lot of the appeal. Why would customers bind themselves to your program if they can get as fresh to-order?
Reliability. Especially when you're doing more frequent deliveries (biweekly or even weekly) customers will rely on your delivery. That is, if I expect a delivery on Saturday, I won't stock other fresh coffee for the days after. So if your delivery runs late, I might run out (which is exactly what your subscription program should prevent).
Price. It has to be reasonably good value. In particular, you don't want to spend too much on shipping, as that means customers aren't getting good value for money. Obviously, as volumes per shipment get bigger this becomes less of an issue and as your programs serves a lot of customers you might get a better deal with the delivery companies.
Type of delivery. What I mean here is that the delivery should take little effort on the customer-end. For example, when I order beans they'll be delivered by someone ringing the door bell (because it's a big box), when I'm not home, they'll deliver to the neighbours or take it back. When you're sending small packages, make sure you customers don't need to be home, make sure it fits in / through the mailbox. That way, it will be there when they get home.
Payment. You probably want to offer a range of options. Some customers prefer to have a recurring payment that doesn't require them to authorise it for individual deliveries. Others like to pay per delivery or use pre-paid. Depending on payment options available in your country, you can offer a range of options.


What’s the best all purpose zero retention grinder for single dosing? What is the best grinder that:

is considered all-purpose (grinds coarse enough for cold brew, French press, through to pour overs & Chemex, and fine and consistent enough for espresso using non-pressurized baskets), and;
has very low or even zero retention to allow single-dosing (eg. 18g beans go in, 18g grounds come out)?

I’ve sort of been in a long search for a grinder that fits that criteria. I recently purchased a Rancilio Rocky, and while it is an excellent grinder that grinds a consistent grind-size, this grinder’s design has a chute that gathers up to 2-3g of coffee when single dosing (18g of beans go in, 16g of grounds come out.)

My needs are to have a multipurpose grinder that allows a multitude of slower immersion and faster brew methods (including a fine espresso grind for non-pressurized baskets) & doesn’t retain too much per grind cycle, which easily adds another 5-8 mins in my brewing routine just trying to tap and brush the grounds out of the grinder.

Any help would be most appreciated

I have a Baratza Sette 270 along with the S2 Cone Burr which is better suited for courser grinds and have been very happy with the result.

I like it for its vertical drop of the beans straight through the blades into the cup, rather than having to be shunted to a chute off the side.

While I find I still have to use the Ross Droplet Technique and give a few slaps on the lid during the last couple of seconds while it is grinding, when I do that, weighing the coffee before and after shows little or no difference before and after. (Can't say the same for my previous grinders that I had to thump hard to get all the grinds out.)

I use it happily for aeropress, moka pot and siphons. The reviews mention there's an upper limit of the coarseness the Sette's can produce, but it has been fine for me so far.

There's also the 30 and the 270Wi models in the Sette range depending on the features you want and your budget.


Theobromine in coffee Wikipedia lists coffea arabica as a plant species with a high theobromine content, but does not include coffee on the list of significant dietary sources. I searched around, and it looks like the theobromine content in coffee is essentially zero. How can this be? Is all the theobromine contained in parts of the plant other than the beans? Maybe it is removed by the extraction process?

According to the Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases, Coffee Arabica has one of the largest amount of theobromine in its seed (20 ppm). However, this amount is just a bit more than 1/2500 th of the amount what Cocoa includes (48 223 ppm). So... Coffee is not really considered a theobromine source, but Cocoa is.


What is the industrial method for extracting caffeine to make decaf? Is this a solvent extraction method? If so what solvent is used and if it is organic, do the manufacturers verify elimination of a certain percentage of residual solvent?

Caffeine is mostly extracted by utilizing very safe processes. Some of them, such as Swiss water, is not even really a chemical process.

Please see the following relevant discussions:

Of the various methods of decaffeinating coffee, which is the safest?
Which decaffeination process changes the flavor of the coffee the least?
How is decaffeinated coffee made?
How are caffeine pills made?

Also, you may want to see this answer to watch an animation of common Swiss water process:

Decaf coffee, how to make our own


What are the effects of caffein olfaction? Does smelling caffeine share equivalent effects on our central nervous system to those immediately apparent when ingesting? More precisely, does the aroma of coffee necessitate a beneficial neurological response?

From Time Magazine's You Can Now Inhale Caffeine Instead of Drinking It article:

  Forget coffee and energy drinks—now you can inhale your caffeine. ...
     Each inhaler boasts a pretty small amount of caffeine, which the
     company says comes from natural sources like guarana, taurine, and
     ginseng (stimulants that are also common among energy drinks).

Since it can be absorbed into your body (nasal, oral mucosa and lungs), there would be a neurological response, hopefully positive.


Is an inflated bag of coffee a problem? If an unopened bag of ground coffee is very inflated, does it indicate a problem with the coffee?

If the coffee is, (ground or not) sealed directly after roasting, the coffee will still gas out, releasing CO2 as a result from the roasting process wich leads to inflated bags. On many coffee bags, especially from "smaller" roasters there is a little valve integrated to let this excess CO2 escape rahter than blow up the bag.
This happens for up to two weeks after roasting, the most of it shortly after.

It is rather a sign of freshness, but that depends on where you got your coffee so I can only speculate if it is fresh and that that is the cause ;-)


How do I stop my Hario Skerton from squeaking when I grind beans? My Hario Skerton is very new,  and has recently developed a squeak (like scratching a black board,  but less soul piercing)  that is only present when I grind beans. It's irritating,  but also mildly concerning.  Should it be squeaky? And how do I stop it?

It depends on "where" the squeaking is coming from. Two contact points that might squeak are the burrs themselves and the top part of the crank rod. The good news is that the whole thing dis-/re-assembles rather easily, and in fact this is pretty much necessary for changing the coarseness setting. I'd suggest two possibilities based on my own Hario manual grinder.

If the ceramic burrs are squeaking, try grinding some very dark-roast beans (E.g., French roast), which will have more oils on the surface than lighter-roast beans. Use a setting about as coarse as for drip coffee. This will naturally lubricate the bits that are rubbing together, and should reduce or eliminate the squeaking. I wouldn't recommend putting any (other) oil on the burr mechanism.
If the crank is squeaking, take the top part of the crank apart as you would to change the coarseness setting. Remove the coarseness adjustment nut (looks like a toothed gear) completely. Oil the shaft and the top of the post through which the rod passes, and make sure the oil is well distributed through the parts where the rod contacts. For the oil, I recommend using a food-grade mineral oil that you are comfortable with. Use a very small amount of oil (like a pinhead size drop in total). I wouldn't use a vegetable oil because it could become "gummy" or go rancid, and I wouldn't use anything non food-safe (e.g., not machine oil, not WD-40).


What's the difference between iced cafe au lait and iced coffee? Is iced cafe au lait actually just cafe au lait with ice in it? How can a cafe au lait be iced? I've had both iced cafe au lait and iced coffee at Crazy Mocha and the iced cafe au lait does taste more like cafe au lait than iced coffee. Can someone explain?

One should know that Cafe Au Lait is literally Coffee with Milk in French, and thus - that's the thing about it - Cafe Au Lait has much more milk in it.


Source for Coffee beans characteristics per origin? Can I find an information/source for the characteristics for each coffee beans per origins ?

for example the acidity level, flavors, aroma , etc for
Brazilia-Santos, Harrar, Djimmah , etc.. ?

And the names of the coffee beans per each country ?
For example Ethiopia :
Harrar
Sidamo
Djimmah
Yirgacheffee

etc ?

I roast at home the coffee I brew and I find really helpful descriptions of the cultivars from the vendor I purchase my green bean from, Sweet Maria's. I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for and I'm reluctant to post a link to a commercial site, but I think they're easily found if you'd like to see if they have the kind of information you're looking for.


Replace gear in Whirly-Pop with metal I was roasting coffee using a Whirly Pop manual crank popcorn popper when one of the cheap plastic gears broke (luckily, I have 2 poppers).

Does anyone know where to get metal gears that could be installed in the "machine" to prevent this from happening again?

I searched and found that you can possibly get Whirly Pop to send a replacement plastic gear (which is just going to break again).  I also found that Whirly Pop sells entire new covers with metal gears, but would prefer to fix it myself (yeah, $10 isn't that much to buy one, but it would also be fun to fix for me, I just don't know where to get the gears from).  I tried to search for places that sell gears, but feel pretty lost in this area.

I understand that this is a slightly ridiculous question because a used Whirly-Pop can be purchased for under $5 (although you need to search around thrift stores or estate sales to find one for this price).

I also understand that using a hot air popper is probably a better idea and also not very expensive, and that further getting a real roaster isn't super expensive and will probably get one eventually.  I enjoy roasting coffee on a grill outside using a manual popcorn popper.  I have gotten great results doing this, so am hoping someone may already have a solution to this issue.

Don't think you can replace only the gears, but I found lots of places selling replacement lids with heavy duty gears.  Check the link out below:

WhirleyPopShop

I googled 'metal gears for whirley pop' and got a ton of options.  By the way, it appears that the gearing on the lid in the link above is held together by allen wrench tap screws so you 'might' be able to scavenge the gears off the lid and put them on your own, although, if the lid itself works well, then I don't see why you would want to do that.


Bean-to-cup coffee machines without milk steamer I want to make high quality espressos at home with a machine like this, but I don't like milk. Therefore, if there is a machine like this without the milk steamer, it would be preferred.

Do you know of any machines like this? Would it be cheaper to just get a machine with the steamer?

The primary reason I would go without the steamer is to minimize price anyway.

I have the Hamilton Beach 40792.  It will be hard to find a decent one without the steamer.  Mine cost around $100


How should I manage settings for single shot / double shot I just bought a Nuova Simonelli Musica + Eureka Mignon, so I'm practicing extracting a shot.

I usually use single shot portfilter, as I am at home, and I live alone, so I don't want to waste too much coffee.

So, I adjust grinder level, coffee quantity, and tamper.

But when I put a double shot portfilter, I must change all my settings, because coffee is to thin, and water will not go through coffee ?

Is it possible to manage both single and double shots with the same configuration ?

Otherwise, how should I manage multi configuration ???

After careful configuration, your settings should work for both occasions.

The reason to have a thin pellet (cake) when you fill your double basket with a single shot amount of grounds is, the area of the double basket is set to hold twice as much grounds of a single shot basket.

The reason behind that is the Darcy equation which defines the filtering properties based on

area (constant in both baskets),
viscosity (constant for water),
filtration velocity (constant, if we assume you have constant pressure),
filtration permeability (we'll come to that later),
and the thickness of the pellet (we'll come to that later).

So, non-constants in this equation are the thickness of your pellet and the filtration permeability. Let's consider permeability first. Kozeny&Carman equation defines this for porous medium. I can say, in short, reliable grind size defines this. Therefore, if you are ensured that you have homogeneously ground coffee and tamp them with equal force (say 15 kg-f), you can safely assume permeability as constant, too.

Now, the last one: thickness of the pellet. Please see the below photograph I have taken, first.

As you see, the single spout portafilter has less space and the water flows from a narrower set of holes to keep the thickness constant. When you fill the double spout portafilter, the water flows uniformly and the thickness will still be the same.

So, all you need to do is setting your grinder to single shot amount (7-9 grams). Then, using single or double portafilter according to your needs. When you need a single shot, fill your portafilter with a single shot amount of coffee. Filling your double portafilter with double the amount ends up a doppio or two espressos in two cups.

Enjoy!


Cleaning coffee mold from a cup I have gone on vacation for a month and forgot to clean my mug thay i left on the counter.
Im scared that after washing it out with soap and HOT water it isn't safe to drink out of. i boiled water in the kettle and let the boiled water sit in the mug for 10 minutes
This is a very special mug and i would hate to throw it away.
Is it safe??

It is safe.
If you clean it by either putting it in a dishwasher on a high temperature setting or sterilizing it with boiling water, you will be fine.
This is not specifically a question about coffee but about food safety in general, so usual measures apply:

Scrape off as much of the mold as possible
Put the dish into (boiling) hot water for at least 15min

It is a similar procedure to preparing glass jars for jam, you try to boil away as much bacteria and funghi as possible.


Did people actually drink coffee off the saucer? This website has a claim that seems somewhat ludicrous nowadays.

  "[People] used to pour coffee into the saucer to cool it off, and slurped it off the saucer.

This seems laughably silly by modern standards - enough so to make me question its veracity.

Did people actually do this in the 18th century? If so, why? We drink coffee out of cups now - what changed?

In fact, it seems that people would drink both from the cup and from the saucer: After being served a hot beverage (e.g., coffee or tea) in a cup on top of a saucer, some would pour a small amount of the beverage onto the saucer, and then drink from the saucer. There's evidence that this was reasonably common into the 20th century, and evidence that some still do, for a variety of possible reasons! Though I've never seen this practice in person, the following is what I have aggregated from a bit of online searching.

A blog post contains some good links about the topic. I find the most compelling of them to be an article that discusses the use of deep saucers for this practice; the saucer is larger and deeper like a shallow bowl, alleviating some of the awkward logistical aspects of drinking from a flat or shallow saucer. Another anecdote, according to US government legend, George Washington (in a discussion with Thomas Jefferson) used the literal practice (cooling-off beverages in a saucer) as a metaphor for the cooling-off that occurs in the upper house of a bicameral legislature. Even if this exact exchange is embellished, it still suggests that the practice was common enough to be in the vernacular.

Fundamentally, pouring part of a hot beverage into a saucer would help cool it down faster. Many anecdotal sources have that as an assumed motivation; if you're in a hurry to start drinking your beverage (and are a bit careful about the pouring and the saucer-sipping) it's a practical way of doing so. Some other anecdotes suggest that it was fashionable or polite (maybe even fun?) -- perhaps like eating peas off the back of one's fork. Cooling a portion in the saucer would alleviate the need for potentially-impolite-seeming slurping or blowing across the beverage to cool it, substituting instead acrobatic-prowess-demonstrating yet possibly-more-polite sipping off of a saucer.  Other discussion forums (one example) contain some additional anecdotes and pictures.


Coffee Sites with Flavor Profile I'm on the hunt for new kinds of coffee, and I want to know how they taste before I buy them. I've found one way of doing this on this site.

If you hover your mouse over the coffees, a flavor profile wheel appears that gives you an idea of the coffee flavor. I understand visual pictures like this much better than a written description of the coffee.

Problem is, I've already tasted many of their coffees. I'm drinking one of them as I type this. But I want to branch out and explore other options.

Does anyone have suggestions for how to find out this level of visual detail about how a coffee tastes? I'm sick of paying for a pound of coffee plus shipping, only to find out that the coffee tastes like rocks.

That is a simplified 'consumer' version of a coffee flavor wheel that roasters / importers etc use for trying to put words to a coffees flavor.  It is a really good way to try and explain the flavor of the coffee, but honestly, most roasteries won't have the development background or funds to make the fancy background on their products.

I run my own roastery, and happen to be a software developer as well and to get that to work on my site would take quite a bit of customization.

My recommendation would be to familiarize yourself with a standard SCAA flavor wheel and pay attention to the cupping notes on each coffee.  Here's the caveat.  If the roaster is terrible, his cupping notes (or flavor wheel graphics) will still probably say the same things as a roaster that is producing high quality coffee.

If you become accustomed to single origin coffees you will be able to immediately go straight to your preferred origins from each roaster faster.  For instance, I have a customers who will only drink Guatemalan coffee because it matches their particular preferences, the same for Ethiopian etc.  If you find that Ethiopian fits your preferred flavors, then you can explore more confidently knowing that most Ethiopian coffees will have a 'similar' flavor profile.  Not all coffees from a particular country will have the same flavor profile, but it's a good place to start if you are looking for something to fit a particular flavor.


What ensures a better cup of coffee, a spotless grinder or freshly ground coffee? I want to understand how I can make a better cup of coffee, so I recently purchased a Wilfa Grinder. However after reading the instruction manual it says that the 'blades' and bean cup cannot be submerged in water, only wiped clean. This means that you're never really going to get it spotlessly clean like you can with a manual grinder.

So my question is which of the following two scenarios provide a better cup of coffee:

Grinding from very good beans each time using the Wilfa Grinder, knowing that there will always be some old coffee residue on the blades.
Buying 250g of the same very good coffee, but having it ground before delivery?

Always grind fresh.

Considering that the roaster you buy the 250 gr pre-ground coffee also uses some grinder and at most wipes its burrs daily, I would go for the first option. The residual coffee could be easily removed by

wiping reachable parts first
then grinding a small amount of fresh coffee

before actually grinding for your cup.


Is it possible to burn coffee while brewing? I know some people who refuse to drink in large coffee chains as they say that the coffee they produce tastes "burnt".

Is it actually possible to burn coffee while brewing, or is the flavour they're complaining about coming from something else?

Burn? I've heard that some large chains "burn" their beans while roasting :-) But not while brewing.

A major coffee chain, seen on almost every other corner in some places, is known for their very dark, "burnt" roast. Many people like this sharp taste and associate it with caffeine and their morning pick-me up.

Other people find this "burnt" roast to be overwhelming and consider this heavy roast to be destructive when using high-quality beans. In any case the burning happens at roast - not when brewing.


How do I make a good flat white? Recently Starbucks Canada has started serving Flat Whites and after cursorily reading about how to  make one on Wikipedia, I thought I'd try my hand at it at home.

We have a Breville Cafe Roma Espresso machine and I thought that perhaps if I steam the milk for really really long, and start with only half the cup full it would create the microfoam a Flat White needs. I also tried to replicate a ristretto technique by essentially stopping the shot at 2/3rds of what I would normally pull - so stopping at the 20 seconds mark instead of at the 30 seconds mark.

Not bad, but not exactly like Starbucks, although it came out brutally hot because the milk was very hot and I poured both the milk and microfoam into the espresso. Thinking I need to put only the microfoam next time. Anyone have any tips on how to make a perfect flat white at home?

Good is completely subjective, so I cannot comment on that part.

You already mentioned two basic components: ristretto and the microfoam. These should do the flat white. However, I may have a useful hint for useful microfoam. Check whether you can spill the microfoam directly on top of ristretto. If you can't and you require a spoon or something similar, then it is not wet enough.


Will I develop a caffeine dependency by skipping 2 days? A couple of months a ago I broke my daily caffeine habit because I disliked waking up every morning already "needing" caffeine. But, I LOVE coffee and I LOVE the buzz caffeine provides. So, for the past couple of weeks I have remained disciplined in having caffeine every third day. My reasoning is based mostly on the fact that the first 48 hours of withdrawal is the worst part of it, so I thought that by waiting 72 hours, I could have my buzz a few times a week without developing a chemical dependency.

Does anyone have anything science-based that can further inform me as to whether my thinking is right on this?

You can absolutely develop a dependency.
The important thing to remember is that there are physical and mental aspects to addiction. If you look forward to it hard enough, any amount of time can pass and you can still crave it just as deeply. Sometimes a deep craving can even result in symptoms that shouldn't be explainable by chemical explanations [Psychosomatic effects].

It would also depend heavily on dosing. You would want to make sure that you don't try to compensate for your days off by going on a binge and placing yourself directly under the espresso maker until you've had 3 days worth! In fact, that could make the problem worse because the difference between your "on days" and off days would be so much greater you might await those days the same way a junkie looks forward to their next hit.

droog has the right idea. Try to see if there are ways to rotate in other substitutes for coffee. Maybe you enjoy the hot drink, or you look forward to the short break it takes to prepare it. Regardless, people just don't go well with negative feedback. If you feel as if you are deeply depriving yourself, then change your approach. The way to be successful is to find a way that cuts down your caffeine intake while also not feeling as if you have lost something.


How to make Turkish coffee in a syphon? I've been experimenting with my Syphon to make turkish coffee, my thoughts on the matter are that using the syphon without a filter would allow the water to boil, move to the upper chamber, let the vapor out, move back to the lower chamber and then boil up again... making it easy to do the three boils required for the turkish coffee. (plus it allows me to get around my lack of a proper Cezve)

However, I've been unable to find information in Google about using this approach to turkish coffee. So Im opening this question seeking to find information on using this approach, I would like to know if anyone else has experience doing something like this, or any online sources about it?

I, being a native Turkish and experienced Turkish coffee drinker for my life, quite conservative about this.

There will be some major problems on producing the genuine Turkish-style with a syphon.

The extraction process is made by heat, not by pressure in Turkish coffee. So, syphon is not what it is intended for.
Two (or even three) times is quite correct during preparation. But boiling is quite wrong. Never boil Turkish coffee.
A well-prepared Turkish coffee is layered. So, the grounded coffee subside at the bottom of the "fincan" (cup). Ideally, it never gets mixed in the drinkable layer of the coffee. (Those remaining grounded coffee is for the fortunetellers.) I assume, by moving coffee in between the chambers of syphon three times, you cannot settle the grounded coffee easily. So, it will fill into your mouth. This is undesirable.


What are the differences between americano and espresso? Can anybody tell me the differences between an americano and an espresso because I am quite confused.

An espresso is a shot of coffee produced by forcing hot water at high pressure through coffee grounds. Often, the espresso is the base shot of coffee from which other coffee drinks are prepared, although it is also quite common to enjoy it on its own.

An americano is a coffee drink made by pouring one espresso and then adding hot water on top of it. This hot water weakens the coffee a little and mitigates some bitter notes. It is also consequently a larger drink and retains its heat for longer.

As Ivan mentions in the comments, you may also be interested in the long black. It's a little like a reverse americano, where the espresso shot is pulled over hot water. This retains more of the crema than an americano does.


What gives coffee its acidic (sour) taste? I read somewhere that too cold water is what gives coffee its acidity, how does that take place?

Furthermore, does that apply only to the water during the brewing process or as my cup of coffee cools down, the acidity increase?

That's correct: as your cup cools, perceived acidity increases. This is due to variation in the chemical species affected by temperature.

Coffee is like ice cream. Ice cream is least sweet when it's stone cold, and tart and heavy when it has melted. Similarly, coffee is sweetest (and best) while it's hot, and is bitter or acrid when it has cooled. Furthermore, the cooler temp has led to chemical degradation and thus the awful taste. However, you won't perceive its flavors when the coffee is too hot -- so let it cool a bit.

As for your question whether the on-contact brew temperature affects end-result sweetness-sourness: there are a lot of baristas and coffee R&D pros who do temperature-control brewing, especially for espresso, in order to modify the flavor of the coffee.

I believe that varying temperature affects coffee flavor in a gradient.

For cold brew (in case you're also curious about that), the cold temperature is a different environment entirely. Coffee is just as soluble, however less energetically kinetic, so more time is substituted for the lack of temperature. The end result is a brew product that functions naturally as a cold product -- nice, sweet, characteristic.


What mechanism in premium manual coffee grinders allows coffee grounds to come out uniform? I'm researching the difference between premium manual grinders and cheap manual grinders. In simple language, what is the 'technology' that allows for consistent grounds on premium grinders that the cheaper ones lack?

The biggest "technology" that can affect a coffee grinder is the burr set (Aka the bit that actually grinds the coffee). With the burr set, there's a lot of factors like

The material of the burr set (Different types of Steel, Ceramic etc)
The pattern of the cutting teeth is usually specific to each burr set maker.
How fine/coarse you can adjust the grind size and the level of adjustability between these two points (stepless / stepped)

While these are the "main" factors, there are other secondary factors like the driving mechanism that makes the actual burr set turn and even just how well the entire coffee grinder is built-in general (like the materials used and body).


Does it make a difference whether the moka lid is open or not? When brewing coffee with a moka pot, I often leave the lid open so I can better tell when the coffee is ready. Is having the lid off affecting the brewing process in any significant way?

I imagine leaving the lid on will cause the water to heat up faster as the hot air inside the chamber cannot escape as easily, and I wonder if this affects the flavour or general coffee experience.

So what I've been taught is that you should keep the lid open while brewing. This is so you can watch the progress of the extraction, and cut the heat at the appropriate time. It gives you much more control over your brew this way - for example, I cut the heat (and run the base under the cold tap for larger pots) as soon as I see the coffee running from the spout turn lighter, rather than waiting for the gurgle.

However, as for lid open/closed during brewing, I don't imagine this has any effect on the extraction. The amount of heat lost will be tiny in comparison to other variables.


Is sipping super-hot coffee bad? I drink scalding hot coffee even I have gastric and stomach burning issue. But I love to sip super-hot coffee. Is it a bad addiction to sip hot coffee? Does it harmful for health?

Burning your mouth is obviously the biggest risk when drinking piping-hot coffee. Burning your tongue can lead to destroying taste buds and if you burn it badly enough, you could get an infection on that burn. Further, if I remember correctly, drinking very hot liquids often can contribute to higher levels of mouth cancer.

HERE is some research I found through a quick google.


Methods to get a better taste out of iced coffee I have been experimenting with iced coffee lately as summer has started and I haven't really had any good results. The coffee always tastes...different then what I believe it should taste like. What factors could attribute to having good iced coffee?

I brew it by using a standard coffee brewer (drip, i believe?) and then well, I ice it.

Iced coffee, specifically drip brewed coffee poured over ice has a few things to consider with respect to taste.

It has the acidity of regular coffee, often making it harsh(er) to drink, cold brewing can reduce this acidity by 70% but also potentially leave some of the flavor a behind in the coffee
It will be diluted since the ice will melt leaving you with a weaker tasting drink. Often this is compensated for by doubling the strength of the hot brew and letting the ice dilute to normal strength
Supposedly (although I've never tried it), the Japanese iced coffee method is a middle ground between iced and cold brewed coffees. In this method, hot coffee is brewed directly over ice instantly cooling it locking in the full flavor of hot coffee, but oxidizing much less.

Often it comes down to taste what in particular might work to make your iced coffee better. A different bean type or roast level, maybe on that is slightly less acidic or more bold may give you the flavor you are looking for.


What are the side effects of drinking too much coffee? Are there any side effects when you drink too much strong coffee? Is it dangerous?

In example, if I drink the world's most expensive Starbucks coffee (costing $55/£33) featuring 60 espresso shots at one go, would I have any side effects (which kind)? Would I risk my life?

Andrew told the Consumerist:

  'I gotta say, it was delicious.'
  However, he did concede he was unable to drink it all in one go.

Other drink from previous year's record includes a 48-shot frappuccino (costing $47).

Caffeinated beverages like coffee and soft drinks give short bursts of energy, but can actually cause fluid loss. Caffeine has been shown to temporarily raise blood pressure, and reduces blood flow to inactive limbs.
Like many drugs, caffeine is chemically addictive and recent publication of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), caffeine withdrawal was finally included as a mental disorder for the first time.
Soon after you drink coffee (containing caffeine), it’s absorbed through the small intestine and dissolved into the bloodstream and it’s able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and enter the brain.
Regular ingestion of the drug (i.e. coffee/tea, soda or energy drinks) alters your brain’s chemistry and physical characteristics actually change over time, leading to fatigue, headaches and nausea if you try to quit. However, compared to many drug addictions, the effects are relatively short-term.
Few quotes from Daily Mail:

Large amounts of caffeine can cause heart palpitations, fits and even death, as well as raising the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Heavy consumption has also been linked to a greater risk of depression, addiction and alcohol dependency.
Energy drinks could be more likely to cause a caffeine overdose because they can be drunk quickly, unlike hot drinks like tea or coffee, the Energy Drink Consumption in Europe study said.
Several deaths worldwide have been linked to excessive consumption of energy drinks, although scientists say more research is needed to prove a link.
Recommended maximum caffeine intake is about 400mg per day – equivalent to around five cups of filter coffee.

'Reproductive-aged women (⩽ 300 mg caffeine per day) and children are ‘at risk’ subgroups who may require specific advice on moderating their caffeine intake', study said.
On Live Science we can read:

Coffee drinking could lead to a mental disorder. If you experience
five or more symptoms, such as red face, nervousness and restlessness,
during or right after your cup of Joe, you may be diagnosed with
coffee intoxication.

According to a new edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), excessive caffeine intake can lead to a condition known as “caffeine intoxication,”.
In other words, caffeine withdrawal is now a recognized disorder, and is listed in the DSM-5.

“Caffeine is a drug, a mild stimulant, which is used by almost
everybody on a daily basis,” said Dr. Charles O’Brien, who chairs the
Substance-Related Disorder Work Group for DSM-5 (via New York Post).
“But it does have a letdown afterwards. If you drink a lot of coffee,
at least two or three [236 ml] cups at a time, there will be a rebound
or withdrawal effect.”

Here are top 10 caffeine withdrawal symptoms:

Headache
Sleepiness
Irritability
Lethargy
Constipation
Depression
Muscle Pain/Stiffness
Lack of Concentration
Flu-like symptoms
Insomnia

In rare cases when consumed at high enough doses, caffeine can kill.

In the world's most expensive Starbucks coffee featuring 60 espresso shots, according to my calculations, there is over 9000mg (150x60) of caffeine content, comparing to recommended maximum caffeine intake of 400mg per day (equivalent to over 100 cups of filtered coffee). So drinking it will end up with headache, fast heartbeat, heart palpitations and even death, so it require emergency care as soon as possible.
Here is SAMHSA data of emergency department visits related to misuse of energy drinks (energy drinks can be looked at as caffeine) and it is really alarming:

SAMHSA report puts it:

Large amounts of caffeine can cause adverse effects such as insomnia,
nervousness, headache, fast heartbeat, and seizures that are severe
enough to require emergency care.

Related:

(article) Sales of sugar and caffeine laden energy drinks should be restricted as they 'pose a danger' to children at Daily Mail
What's the minimum recommended age for drinking a coffee?
This Is How Your Brain Becomes Addicted to Caffeine at Smithsonian
What Caffeine Actually Does to Your Brain at Life Hacker
(study) Effects of Caffeine on Human Health, P. Nawrot, S. Jordan, J. Eastwood, J. Rotstein, A. Hugenholtz and M. Feeley, Food Additives and Contaminants, 2003, Vol. 20, No. 1, pg. 1-30.
(study) Actions of Caffeine in the Brain with Special Reference to Factors That Contribute to Its Widespread Use
Caffeine Withdrawal Is Now a Mental Disorder at Time
(book) Buzz: The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine by Stephen Braun


Used Keurig smells and tastes like cigarettes I was recently given a used Keurig from a relative. Unfortunately this person was a heavy smoker. I ran vinegar through the machine as well as removed and rinsed the little cup that holds the k-cups, but it still smells and tastes like tobacco. What can I do?

First of all, note that the smell of the machine itself is unlikely to come from the interior of the parts that heat and transport water -- after all, they are regularly cleaned with hot water and smoke has a hard time getting there.

So running vinegar through the machine won't change that. Rather, it is the other surfaces that cause problems. Thoroughly cleaning all surfaces of the machine may help a little bit (including the easily accessible ones behind the cover), and storing it in a room that is thoroughly aired for some months should also help to some extent. Depending on the temperature, a garage may also be an option. You need to be careful to not break the machine during cleaning and airing, though.


Why do I need to warm a french press before using it? It has been recommended in a number of youtube videos and blogs to warm the frenchpress glass before brewing coffee.

Why does one need to do this?

To keep the brewing temperature as stable as possible.

When using glassware during brewing as in French-press, V60 or Chemex, it is important to warm up the gadgets prior to brewing. Normally, the water temperature is set just below boiling point (around 95 degrees Celsius) for a good brew. When you start with cold glassware, your nicely prepared close-to-boiling-point water may cool down a few degrees, which is crucial in the taste of the final cup of coffee.

Additional note: Moreover, after brewing, pouring the prepared coffee to a cold cup may decrease the temperature a few additional degrees, which renders your beverage at most warm, instead of hot.  This is mostly visible in espresso as its volume is relatively small. As a result, it is also recommended to keep the cups warmed. Some home espresso machines have additional heating trays on top to keep the cups warm before pulling an espresso shot.


Why does French press not give enough 'Caffeine Effect'? I've been drinking drip coffee for several years. It's been perfect for me. It tastes good and most importantly it makes me awake.

Recently I started drinking french press coffee and there is something I've missed. I'm no longer experiencing that feeling of explosive energy that I used to have with drip coffee.

Is the problem with the way the coffee is prepared? I've used different kind of coffees but things aren't getting a lot better.

Here is how I prepare it:

I boil some water.
Put 2 tea spoons of coffee in the french press.
Pour the water.
Close the french press.
wait for 4 minutes.
press and pour the coffee into the cup.

One of the reasons I like my French Press is because of the caffeine boost. One simple answer to your question is to add more coffee grounds.

But aside from the type and amount of coffee used there are several things that will influence the caffeine level of your coffee. One of them is the size of the ground. You need a ground big enough that it is filtered out but not so big that the water doesn't completely extract the oils and caffeine.

You might try different grind levels and see which one works best.

Another thing you can do is increase steep time. If your grinds are just a bit too large perhaps a 6 minute steep would work better.

You will have to experiment with the grind and steep time.


Does Wacaco really produce hot espresso (and how)? Does anyone use this amazing apparatus?

I'm wondering if you can pour cold water in it and get a hot espresso (which, well, should be hot by definition)? If so, how does the heat come about?

Well according to the video presented on the website you have to provide hot water.

To my understanding of the machine's principle as well as physics there is absolutely no way it could produce hot coffee from cold water. The confusing quote from the FAQ

  Minipresso produces at ambient condition (75°F, 24°C), an espresso at perfect temperature (152°F, 67°C in cup) with a nice compact and persistent crema on top.

actually is about temperature loss during the process.


Do all Chemex brand filters fit all Chemex brewers the same? We recently got a new Chemex pot and it seems like the same filters fit the new pot differently than they fit the old. Both pots are the 10 cup. The new has wood handle, the old has glass handle.

Has anyone seen a pattern as to which filters fit certain Chemex pots best?  Or should it be same across the whole board?

According to the official website for the Chemex products, the filters available for the Chemex are:

CHEMEX BONDED FILTERS PRE-FOLDED CIRCLES (FC-100)
CHEMEX BONDED FILTERS PRE-FOLDED SQUARES (FS-100)
CHEMEX BONDED FILTERS PRE-FOLDED SQUARES (NATURAL) (FSU-100)
CHEMEX BONDED FILTERS UNFOLDED HALF MOON (FP-2)

The 10 cups Chemexes, are:
 - TEN CUP GLASS HANDLE CHEMEX (CM-10GH)
 - TEN CUP CLASSIC CHEMEX (CM-10A)

which both uses the same filters:
 Use CHEMEX Bonded Filters FP-1, FC-100, FS-100, FSU-100

The dimensions for both Chemex are the same (at least, height and diameter), so the shape should be the same. My opinion is that it's just an illusion that feels like the filters fit in a different way. Maybe you can put a filter both side to side and compare them :P

I prefer the FS-100 (the square corners comes very handy when removing the filter), but given that all filters have the same size (when it comes to filtering area), all of them should behave equally (except the natural vs bleached).


Can you stir a pour-over? Can you stir during a pour-over brewing process, or are you really just meant to let it sit?

I ask this because not all pour-over filters are created equal, and some work better than others.

Factors do include:

a. filter shape (flat-bottom, conical, combination of the two), b. filter media (steel, paper, cloth), and;
c. grind size of the grounded beans.

Usually, when it comes to drip speed, you can just adjust with grind size, try to match it to filter type, follow a decent technique in water pouring to agitate the grounds, and you'll be fine.

But is the purity of this method best left to water and gravity? Or has anyone ever stirred the coffee slush at any point during the brew process to favorable results?

I'm open to any answer really. I would very much like to hear answers from a practical standpoint (i.e. Will stirring make the coffee brew faster? Taste differently?), as well from a theoretical standpoint that Illustrates the pour-over for what it is meant to be, as a zen-like, artisanal experience.

I do enjoy the process very much, so I'm really just curious if stirring has ever been a part of it.

The short answer is yes you can stir pour overs and it can be useful but generally not recommended.

The primary use for stirring pour overs that I have seen is a very light stir to jostle grounds that have stuck to the brewing methods walls. The slight stir at the maximum volume of water in the filter makes sure that as fluid drains grounds stay in the slurry of water and are evenly extracted.


Why does my coffee at work have a paper/wood flavor? I'm at a loss. I have tried everything to make coffee taste as good at work as it does at home, eliminating as many variables as possible. I do not do anything different in my brewing between home and work, but the coffee at home is hundreds of times better.

Let's start off with the basics... Equipment: We have a Bonavita BV1900TS at home and the older Bonavita BV1800TS at work. I have the all-stainless-steel carafe up here at work and use Melitta #4 bleached filters because of the different filter cone shape on the 1800 model, whereas at home I have (or had until it broke) the glass-lined carafe and Bunn bleached standard-size filters.

Now about supplies: I'm using whole-bean coffee that I've roasted, which is never more than two weeks old. The coffee is really good. When I do a Clever at home, it tastes as that served in a really good coffee shop with baristas who know what they're doing. My water is always Ozarka Spring Water. It's world's better than Brita-filtered tap and seems to be the best of the spring waters available in this area without spending a ton of money. And, again, it makes for great coffee at home.

Making coffee: I grind my coffee just before brewing at a drip grind size and use somewhere in the neighborhood of 10g per cup. I rinse both filters under water for 15 seconds or more and shake dry. We have no hot water at work currently, so I rinse under cold. Now I had the coffee to the filter basket and fill the reservoir with spring water. Last step, I turn the machine on.

So at home, the coffee I get out is exquisite. At work, it tastes like I'm licking a cup of hot postage stamps. What is happening?! Please help!

Since most of your variables above have been addressed and matched. Below are an additional few i could think of -

a) Servicing of equipment. At least descalling once per month depending on how often machine gets used.

b) Someone at work "serviced" you machine with a strong dose of descaller, or didnt flush the system 3 times for both group head and steam wand. It is probable you are tasting descaller. To prevent descaller taste, use food grade coffee descaller recommended for your machine, any other chemical product maybe too strong and leave a lasting taste like CLR, vinegar etc.


Why is coffee comforting I find drinking coffee relaxes me. Given that caffeine is a stimulant, I would expect it to do the opposite. Why? is it psychological? does it have something to do with it being a hot beverage? is it an effect of the caffeine?

A 2008 U. Colorado (Boulder) study*, suggests that merely holding warm drinks (vs. cold) can positively influence perception of people.

There is apparently some connection between the physical act of holding a warm drink and one's perception of the outside world. The association of warm beverages and positive feelings may underlie the sensation of relaxation as well, although I didn't find a study on precisely on point.

Whether the effect is physiological or psychological the authors weren't sure.

*Experiencing Physical Warmth Promotes Interpersonal Warmth, Science, 322: 606-607 (2008) Williams and Bargh.


Understanding Coffee Bean names as they relate to roast So for example, in my local Fairway Market, I see barrels of coffee beans labeled such as "Ethiopian Harrar", "Costa Rica Tarrazu", "Ethiopia Yirgacheffe" etc.

These names literally refer to geographic locations in a country, where the beans are grown and harvested (I assume). How do these names relate to roast level of the different beans? Is there a standard? Does "Ethiopian Harrar" for example imply a particular roast level that is consistent no matter who you buy the beans from?

First things first; roasting and beans are two separate things as mentioned as a comment here:

What are the 4M's of espresso?

Probably, it is already noticed so the question have been tagged separately.

Roasting

I think Wikipedia has a very nice guideline for coffee roasting. Keep the following in mind as a principle.

(Summarizing) It is said there, as light roasts leave the origin characteristics of the bean where darker roast wipe it away, yet insert more caramelized flavors while decreasing acidity.

(What are origin characteristics? The answer is at the end.)

If you want to check the details what happens during roasting, you may check the Maillard reaction in one of the previous posts:

What are the flavor characteristics of under-roasted coffee?
Quantifying flavor differences between varieties?

Based on this principle you may answer your own question, such as this one:

What are the common Ethiopia Sidamo roast suggestions?

Bean-varieties

This chart below is a reference for me.

Are robusta and arabica the only bean varieties?

Every now and the I check this to follow the relations in between the common varieties of edible Coffea Genus. This is a taxonomic chart. However, you cannot learn how they taste by simply looking at it. You should know by heart. Or... Read from a source. There is a simple answer below, then a more complete guide, I believe.

What factors contribute to differences between coffee beans?
Single origin bean taste comparison infographic


Generating Crema with a manual machine I have a La Pavoni Pro, and noticed that I am a bit inconsistent with the crema. I have read this other post on crema and understand the freshness of the beans are the most important part, but I have noticed even with the same beans my crema is not the same. There are a lot of variables with the La Pavoni, tamp, grind, pull, temperature of the machine etc. What variables should I should focus on after considering the freshness of the beans?

You should make sure that the coffee runs through with at least 6 bar pressure. If your pressure is below that value, you won't get a crema. The recommended pressure for Espresso is 9 bar ± 1, according to the Italian National Espresso Institute.


How to prepare beans for grinding A friend brought me home some coffee beans from his back garden in Sri Lanka (I live in Ireland :) ), and I am unsure on what to do next. He said that they dried them, but I will need to toast them on the pan. They look slightly toasted already.

What I would like to know is:

How long do I need to toast them for and how to toast?
How should I store them (someone mentioned freezer)?
How long can I keep them stored as beans until I grind them?

THEY APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN ROASTED - you are ready to go!
Roasted beans should be used within about day 2 to 10 post roast.
Same as answer 2

3 questions ... a good site for green coffee info for beginners:  https://www.sweetmarias.com/


How long should I leave my coffee for in a cafetiere (French press)? I'm struggling to find a good way of timing how long to let my cafetiere stand before drinking.

Is there a rule of thumb for how long I should leave it per mug? Or is there more to it than that?

Start with a coarse ground of coffee with about 1 ounce (28 grams) of coffee for about every 15 ounces (450 ml) of water. The water temperature should be below boiling, about 200-205° F (93-96° C).

Stir in about 1/3 of your water to let the coffee grounds "bloom" for about 30 seconds; then add the remaining water, cover it, and let it steep. The total brew time should be about four minutes. Then press the plunger to the bottom and pour.

Once the plunger is pressed, be sure to dispense the coffee into another container once that brewing cycle is done. If you let the brewed coffee sit with the spent grounds, it will start to develop a more-bitter taste and be somewhat over-extracted (unless that is an effect you are looking for).

Note: There is also a "cold-brewing" method which requires several hour of extraction, but that is likely to be outside the scope of what you are asking.


How much volume of the shot should pre-infusion take up? The espresso machine I use at work has a pre-infusion step. I've been wondering if the volume of the pre-infusion affects the shot, especially the pressure of the main extraction.

I was actually reading an article on this yesterday. There is no added volume during pre-infusion. All the pre-infusion step does is wet the espresso fully to prevent channeling.

The article I linked actually shows that less extraction happens during pre-infusion. So to answer your question, it does affect the shot, but not the volume.