Espresso Enthusiasts

[Scepticalscribe]

Woke up at 5. Meditation followed by coffee, two soft boiled eggs (using my new toy), strawberry oatmeal, and a glass of orange juice.
I read the WSJ and USA Today... good article about baseball on the WSJ.

Sounds like a wonderful start to the day.

Sipping a most agreeable mug of piping hot Ethiopian coffee.

 

[LordVic]

Just bought myself my first Espresso machine. Nothing fancy, and probably on the "cheap" side.

Quite happy with my first few pulls. Had a great shot before I Ran out the door this morning.

I wouldn't call myself a coffee snob. I will drink tim horton's if I really want a coffee and there's no other options. But I would almost always prefer an Americano, or a quality drip (metal filter's only)

I Like my coffee to have some volume to the texture and not just be watery coffee flavoured water.

Currently, I've got some medium grind Kicking Horse "454 Horsepower" and their espresso beans.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoyed a lovely coffee (a blend prepared from two different types of Ethiopian coffee, one naturally sun dried, the other washed) with organic raw warm milk, and organic brown sugar.

 

[JamesMike]

It will be a late-night, staying up to watch the Yankees/Astros baseball playoff game. A blend of Ethiopian and Kenya beans are ready to brew, that should keep me awake.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

It will be a late-night, staying up to watch the Yankees/Astros baseball playoff game. A blend of Ethiopian and Kenya beans are ready to brew, that should keep me awake.

Cannot comment with any authority on the game, but I can express the wish that your blend of Ethiopian and Kenyan coffee (an excellent blend) is sipped, savoured and thoroughly enjoyed.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoyed an excellent Ethiopian coffee this morning; a blend of two types of Ethiopian coffee, warm milk (raw,and organic), and organic brown sugar. Yum.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Thoroughly enjoying a delicious Kenyan AA coffee, with hot milk (raw, full fat, organic) and brown sugar (also organic).

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Treated myself to two new Ethiopian coffees today.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Sipping a seriously good coffee, (with raw, organic, full fat milk - served hot, and organic brown sugar) made from a blend of two Ethiopian coffees.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoying a mug of Ethiopian coffee.

 

[adrianlondon]

Every time I read one of your short posts, I think "Why? Why tell us about that lovely cup of coffee you're having; what does it achieve?" and then around a minute later I'm standing in the kitchen making a coffee.

Who do you work for? Your subliminal advertising is working too well.

 

[stylinexpat]

This place called Soma in Taipei has great drinks if you like tea and coffee.. They add a shot of Espresso to their milk tea. Really good if you like a mixture of milk tea with a shot of Espresso. Stopped by here yesterday for a drink.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoying a coffee that is a blend of thee different coffees: Two from Ethiopia (one washed, one naturally dried), and the other an AA coffee from Kenya.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I can smell it. ☕ Kindly explain one thing before I Google it...what is "washed" coffee?

I have only ever come across these descriptions of what are referred to as "washed" versus "naturally dried" coffees in descriptions of Ethiopian coffees, although each process may be used (and semi-dried certainly is) elsewhere in the world.

Just over a year ago, I spent a year deployed in the Horn of Africa which entailed frequent flights to and from Nairobi, - both to and from Europe, and to and from other places within the Horn of Africa - as Nairobi is one of the main hubs for the region (and the place where many international and diplomatic bodies and organisations have their regional headquarters, and also where they have hosted back offices for places where they had far smaller offices, which they visited a lot less frequently, such as Somalia).

When in Kenya, on business, I often took an additional day or two of leave, and visited national parks (the wildlife is stunning), as well as tea and coffee plantations (and Kenya produces excellent tea and coffee).

While visiting a coffee plantation, where I was given a tour, I was shown the coffee plants, and was allowed (and encouraged) to handle some coffee cherries/berries.

To my surprise, the coffee berries come - almost like an onion - with several layers, before one actually gets to the seed (what we then come to call the bean, and this is the green bean we are familiar with); however, unlike an onion, these different layers themselves differ from one another, and one of them is a kind of mucilage with a sort of slimy skin.

The 'washed' method involves removing the cherry - outer shell, and this mucilage and submerging the rest of the cherry in water which removes the remaining flesh surrounding the coffee seed (or berry, or bean). After the remaining flesh has been removed, these beans are then washed again.

This method is thought to lead to a "cleaner" - and sometimes, a more "complex" taste.

Naturally dried coffee, - which is an older, and more 'traditional' method, (and is especially useful in places where the water supplies might not be regular or reliable, or where drought may be a feature of the climate) by contrast, doesn't remove the respective 'layers' of the coffee cherry until after it has been dried.

In east Africa at least - this involves the coffee cherries being dried - separated individually - on raised beds so that the air can circulate entirely around the coffee cherries. Only then, are the seeds/berries removed from the rest of - or remainder of - the coffee cherry. However, as the cherry shell and mucilage are still part of the bean when it dries, this is thought to enhance the qualities of the bean and the flavour of the bean when it is finally extracted from its cherry shell.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Thoroughly enjoyed a piping hot coffee on my return (feeling frozen having met a heavy hailstone shower) from the farmers' market.

The coffee was made from a blend (of my own devising) of three different coffees: Two coffees from Ethiopia (one washed and the other naturally dried) and a Kenya AA coffee.

To this was added very hot - almost boiling - milk (raw, organic, full fat milk) and organic brown sugar. Very tasty. And very, very warming.

 

[0388631]

I had probably one of the nastiest coffees I'd ever brewed on the dripper with the SS basket. When I say nasty I'm not being sweet about it, it was so vile I went into a fit of wanting to throw up. Rancidity.

Turns out the last time I used it a few days ago it had back filtered, I suppose and coated the internals with oil and coffee and caused it to go rancid due to it being warm in the kitchen since I rarely set the climate control to cool the kitchen down. Two hours of cleaning and sanitizing later, pleasant coffee.

You're wondering "Don't you have a stupid amount of coffee makers, two espresso machines, multiple mokas, pourovers?" Yes, but I wanted drip. And if not me, who else was going to clean it?


So in case you're wondering, @Scepticalscribe I'm not terse with you in the cheese thread. I'm terse over this and other niggles that take up a proper amount of my weekend.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I had probably one of the nastiest coffees I'd ever brewed on the dripper with the SS basket. When I say nasty I'm not being sweet about it, it was so vile I went into a fit of wanting to throw up. Rancidity.

Turns out the last time I used it a few days ago it had back filtered, I suppose and coated the internals with oil and coffee and caused it to go rancid due to it being warm in the kitchen since I rarely set the climate control to cool the kitchen down. Two hours of cleaning and sanitizing later, pleasant coffee.

You're wondering "Don't you have a stupid amount of coffee makers, two espresso machines, multiple mokas, pourovers?" Yes, but I wanted drip. And if not me, who else was going to clean it?


So in case you're wondering, @Scepticalscribe I'm not terse with you in the cheese thread. I'm terse over this and other niggles that take up a proper amount of my weekend.

Actually, I had indeed wondered, but your explanation is more than sufficient in the circumstances; poor cheese (or pork, or lamb, irrespective of where I eat it), I shrug off, and instantly dismiss from my memory.

But, poor (or worse, atrocious) coffee upsets me for the best part of a day........

So, you have my full understanding.

 

[0388631]

Truth be told, Scepty, a few months ago I'd run a citric acid solution I'd made with the food grade stuff and left it sit overnight, albeit it being a fresh bath of solution in the reservoir. I didn't remember I had the next morning. Just imagine seeing someone become increasingly frustrated when four mugs of coffee curdle various types of dairy thrown into it. I felt like an idiot.

 

[decafjava]

Well this might be of interest and take one's mind off bad coffee experiences. Fascinating clip from one of the better YouTube channels, about the spread of the drink we all love here.

The fellow presenting is Even Hadfield - son of Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield (the one who sang the cover of Bowie's "Space Oddity" on the ISS).

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoying a blend of coffees from east Africa (Ethiopian and Kenyan) with organic hot milk and organic brown sugar.

 

[stylinexpat]

Breakfast at the Dark. Flat white coffee with Arabica/Columbian blend. Coffee here is great. At EmQuartier in Bangkok. Do not order pancakes here as they are very bad in my opinion. They do not know how to make pancakes here

 

[0388631]

Arabica Colombian?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Arabica Colombian?

Indeed.

I had thought that robusta featured (or features) quite prominently in central and south American coffees; but, as far as I am aware, some arabica is also cultivated there.

 

[yaxomoxay]

Day started at 4:15am with meditation followed up by a double shot espresso. Gym at 4:45 (lifting). Back at home at 6 for some breakfast (two large soft boiled eggs, strawberry oatmeal, mandatory coffee) and newspaper reading.
I plan to go back to the gym for 60 mins of cardio at 5:30pm.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Day started at 4:15am with meditation followed up by a double shot espresso. Gym at 4:45 (lifting). Back at home at 6 for some breakfast (two large soft boiled eggs, strawberry oatmeal, mandatory coffee) and newspaper reading.
I plan to go back to the gym for 60 mins of cardio at 5:30pm.

How is your exquisite egg equipment working out for you?

About to prepare another coffee presently.