The other adult beverage.....

So, while I appreciate discussions of the fine points and the arcana of food
and beverages (it's probably no secret that I love spending time in the
kitchen), and such talk is never out of place in any setting (ya gotta stop
fishing to eat and drink once in a while, right?), I've never really been a
great fan of hard liquors. I don't mind that talk of various single malt
whiskies crops up here from time to time, but it doesn't resonate for me.
Beer, I know something about, having sampled more than my share and even
brewed a bunch of my own for a few years, but I can't drink it
anymore.....gives me a headache every time. Wine, I like, but I've found
that I'm not interested enough to spend the time and money needed to learn
about it in depth. Besides, the ten dollar a box stuff works well enough
for my daily needs with supper.

No, my concern is really more for the other end of the day. For years now
(many years) I have been dissatisfied with the pitiful trash that passes for
coffee in this country. I've always known, of course, that something can be
done about it but never got around to doing it. That just changed.

One day last week, Becky stopped by with some freshly roasted and ground
Colombian caranavi. It got lost under a heap of something or other for a
day or two and then I brewed up a pot when it turned up again. Hey, this is
GOOD! Becky says talk to my dad, he sent me the roaster and a bunch of
coffee for Christmas. Becky's father has been roasting his own coffee for
25 or 30 years. He'd talked to me about it a couple of years ago but at
that time it just sounded like too much to get into in a life already
crowded with many other things. But now I'd tasted the result. It was time
to talk to Rodger again. So, Friday night I talked to him for about an hour
and ended up going he

http://coffeeproject.com/index.html

and ordering a roaster and a couple of pounds of coffee, Ethiopian harrar
and something listed just as Bolivian shade grown organic (I wanted the
caranavi but apparently it's only sold bundled with other things in some
sort of sampler).

This morning I roasted and brewed my first pot of the harrar. WOW!


Anyway, I've done a bit of research on line in the past couple of
days....there is a ton of stuff about coffee. But I'm wondering if anyone
else here has played with this and if so, I'd appreciate hearing about your
experiences, preferences, etc. If not, any true coffee lover should
definitely look into the do it yourself thing.

Wolfgang

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...
So, while I appreciate discussions of the fine points and the arcana of
food and beverages (it's probably no secret that I love spending time in
the kitchen), and such talk is never out of place in any setting (ya gotta
stop fishing to eat and drink once in a while, right?), I've never really
been a great fan of hard liquors. I don't mind that talk of various
single malt whiskies crops up here from time to time, but it doesn't
resonate for me. Beer, I know something about, having sampled more than my
share and even brewed a bunch of my own for a few years, but I can't drink
it anymore.....gives me a headache every time. Wine, I like, but I've
found that I'm not interested enough to spend the time and money needed to
learn about it in depth. Besides, the ten dollar a box stuff works well
enough for my daily needs with supper.

No, my concern is really more for the other end of the day. For years now
(many years) I have been dissatisfied with the pitiful trash that passes
for coffee in this country. I've always known, of course, that something
can be done about it but never got around to doing it. That just changed.

One day last week, Becky stopped by with some freshly roasted and ground
Colombian caranavi. It got lost under a heap of something or other for a
day or two and then I brewed up a pot when it turned up again. Hey, this
is GOOD! Becky says talk to my dad, he sent me the roaster and a bunch of
coffee for Christmas. Becky's father has been roasting his own coffee for
25 or 30 years. He'd talked to me about it a couple of years ago but at
that time it just sounded like too much to get into in a life already
crowded with many other things. But now I'd tasted the result. It was
time to talk to Rodger again. So, Friday night I talked to him for about
an hour and ended up going he

http://coffeeproject.com/index.html

and ordering a roaster and a couple of pounds of coffee, Ethiopian harrar
and something listed just as Bolivian shade grown organic (I wanted the
caranavi but apparently it's only sold bundled with other things in some
sort of sampler).

This morning I roasted and brewed my first pot of the harrar. WOW!

Anyway, I've done a bit of research on line in the past couple of
days....there is a ton of stuff about coffee. But I'm wondering if anyone
else here has played with this and if so, I'd appreciate hearing about
your experiences, preferences, etc. If not, any true coffee lover should
definitely look into the do it yourself thing.

Wolfgang


Wow, what a great discovery!
I remember when I did the same, 27 years ago when I started
in the workforce. The group was brewing and mixing coffee beans, which
easily found a way to my tastebuds. It was a Columbia, French Roast blend.
Since then my wife and I have been experimenting with blending our
own mix of coffee beans. Today we enjoy the Columbia/Mocha Java.
I only drink one cup of coffee on the weekends now, cut down because it was
tearing my stomach up. I do love the smell of a fresh brew
and the taste on a cold weekend morning.
Since I know you're in the kitchen quite a bit and an outstanding cook,
Try complementing your favorite coffee blend with a biscotti.
-tom

Wolfgang wrote:

One day last week, Becky stopped by with some freshly roasted and ground
Colombian caranavi.

You should get whole beans and grind your own as needed. Ground coffee
loses its freshness quickly. Keep it in the freezer in a sealed container.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

"rw" wrote in message
m...
Wolfgang wrote:

One day last week, Becky stopped by with some freshly roasted and ground
Colombian caranavi.

You should get whole beans and grind your own as needed. Ground coffee
loses its freshness quickly. Keep it in the freezer in a sealed container.

O.k., I'll try to remember that. Thanks.

Wolfgang

On Jan 10, 6:07 pm, "Wolfgang" wrote:

. But I'm wondering if anyone
else here has played with this and if so, I'd appreciate hearing about your
experiences, preferences, etc. If not, any true coffee lover should
definitely look into the do it yourself thing.

Wolfgang

Many people here do this, although the vast majority doubtless buy
ready roasted and ground coffee, most supermarkets and a large number
of other shops, including specialist coffee shops, ( where you can
also buy a cup of coffee, but that is not their raison d étre ), offer
green coffee, roasting, grinding and blending facilities. Even the
cheapest coffee tastes a lot better when freshly roasted and ground.

Although using the grinder/blender for ready roasted beans in the
various shops is most popular, I know quite a few people who roast
their own. Most use the hot air stream method.

When my wife was alive, we used to roast our own as well, but I don´t
bother any more as I don´t think it´s worth it for the amount of
coffee I drink. It is of course best consumed fresh! The only really
critical step is knowing when to stop the roast. The German sites
would probably not be a lot of use to you, but these seem to cover a
lot of stuff fairly comprehensively. The first roaster I used was made
with a temperature controlled hot air gun, and a metal sieve on a
motor driven cam. Worked perfectly.

http://www.sweetmarias.com/instructions.html

http://www.breworganic.com/Coffee/HowToRoast.htm

http://www.ineedcoffee.com/00/11/whyroast/

Difficult to get some beans in the ( small ) amounts required now, but
there is still a large choice here. Large cities usually have a couple
of shops with "special" or rare beans. Should be even more in
America ?

MC

"Tom Nakashima" wrote in message
...


Wow, what a great discovery!
I remember when I did the same, 27 years ago when I started
in the workforce. The group was brewing and mixing coffee beans, which
easily found a way to my tastebuds. It was a Columbia, French Roast
blend.
Since then my wife and I have been experimenting with blending our
own mix of coffee beans. Today we enjoy the Columbia/Mocha Java.
I only drink one cup of coffee on the weekends now, cut down because it
was tearing my stomach up. I do love the smell of a fresh brew
and the taste on a cold weekend morning.

I've already read a good deal about blends, but I'm not anywhere near ready
to try that......with my virtually non-existent experience in roasting,
blending would be an entirely random experiment.

Since I know you're in the kitchen quite a bit and an outstanding cook,
Try complementing your favorite coffee blend with a biscotti.

I'll be trying it with LOTS of stuff.

Thanks, Tom.

Wolfgang

On Jan 10, 6:07 pm, "Wolfgang" wrote:

.. But I'm wondering if anyone
else here has played with this and if so, I'd appreciate hearing about
your
experiences, preferences, etc. If not, any true coffee lover should
definitely look into the do it yourself thing.
Wolfgang

I wanted to add, if you get serious on coffee tasting, you'll eventually
graduate to espressos or caffé espressos, and then it becomes an art.
-tom

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...

"Tom Nakashima" wrote in message
...


Wow, what a great discovery!
I remember when I did the same, 27 years ago when I started
in the workforce. The group was brewing and mixing coffee beans, which
easily found a way to my tastebuds. It was a Columbia, French Roast
blend.
Since then my wife and I have been experimenting with blending our
own mix of coffee beans. Today we enjoy the Columbia/Mocha Java.
I only drink one cup of coffee on the weekends now, cut down because it
was tearing my stomach up. I do love the smell of a fresh brew
and the taste on a cold weekend morning.

I've already read a good deal about blends, but I'm not anywhere near
ready to try that......with my virtually non-existent experience in
roasting, blending would be an entirely random experiment.

Since I know you're in the kitchen quite a bit and an outstanding cook,
Try complementing your favorite coffee blend with a biscotti.

I'll be trying it with LOTS of stuff.

Thanks, Tom.

Wolfgang

Coffee is long term Wolffie, it's a pleasurable passion like fly-fishing.
Enjoy!!
-tom

May also be of interest;

http://www.madcoffeemaker.com/learn/...-roasters.html

http://www.homeroaster.com/homemade.html

http://www.sweetmarias.com/homemade-homeroasters.html

It is important to get ( or make) a machine where you can see the
beans properly during the roasting process. many closed rum machines
will not allow this, and you are forced to rely on smell. This can be
a problem.

Also, a really good grinder is half the battle;

http://www.madcoffeemaker.com/learn/...-grinders.html

Most "ordinary" kitchen grinders are no good.

There are a large number of sites now with various info. I don´t know
how up to date some of these links are, I got them together for
somebody else who wanted them.

MC

On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 11:07:35 -0600, Wolfgang wrote:

So, while I appreciate discussions of the fine points and the arcana of food
and beverages (it's probably no secret that I love spending time in the
kitchen), and such talk is never out of place in any setting (ya gotta stop
fishing to eat and drink once in a while, right?), I've never really been a
great fan of hard liquors. I don't mind that talk of various single malt
whiskies crops up here from time to time, but it doesn't resonate for me.
Beer, I know something about, having sampled more than my share and even
brewed a bunch of my own for a few years, but I can't drink it
anymore.....gives me a headache every time. Wine, I like, but I've found
that I'm not interested enough to spend the time and money needed to learn
about it in depth. Besides, the ten dollar a box stuff works well enough
for my daily needs with supper.

No, my concern is really more for the other end of the day. For years now
(many years) I have been dissatisfied with the pitiful trash that passes for
coffee in this country. I've always known, of course, that something can be
done about it but never got around to doing it. That just changed.

One day last week, Becky stopped by with some freshly roasted and ground
Colombian caranavi. It got lost under a heap of something or other for a
day or two and then I brewed up a pot when it turned up again. Hey, this is
GOOD! Becky says talk to my dad, he sent me the roaster and a bunch of
coffee for Christmas. Becky's father has been roasting his own coffee for
25 or 30 years. He'd talked to me about it a couple of years ago but at
that time it just sounded like too much to get into in a life already
crowded with many other things. But now I'd tasted the result. It was time
to talk to Rodger again. So, Friday night I talked to him for about an hour
and ended up going he

http://coffeeproject.com/index.html

and ordering a roaster and a couple of pounds of coffee, Ethiopian harrar
and something listed just as Bolivian shade grown organic (I wanted the
caranavi but apparently it's only sold bundled with other things in some
sort of sampler).

Not much of a coffee afficianado myself, but my wife and several other
friends and relatives swear by a product called the Toddy Coffee maker.
Instead of brewing the coffee hot, you pour the coffee and a couple of
cans of cold water into a container where it steeps overnight. Next
morning it is filtered out into a concentrate - about one jigger per cup,
I think. The cold brewing takes out much of the bitter taste. I'm informed
that even cheap coffee handled that way tastes much better than hot brewed
premium brands.



This morning I roasted and brewed my first pot of the harrar. WOW!


Anyway, I've done a bit of research on line in the past couple of
days....there is a ton of stuff about coffee. But I'm wondering if anyone
else here has played with this and if so, I'd appreciate hearing about your
experiences, preferences, etc. If not, any true coffee lover should
definitely look into the do it yourself thing.

Wolfgang