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Thread: Introduction to brewing coffee (to help keep you awake when scripting!)

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    Default Introduction to brewing coffee (to help keep you awake when scripting!)

    What is this?


    This would be my attempt at 2 things. Firstly, to contribute in a way I think I could best, as it would be a while before I could dish out a decent script of any form. Secondly and primarily, to try introduce you to various forms of brewing coffee!

    What is this brewed coffee and how is it different from the regular cup of Folgers? It's best to just try it. Here's what, why not you walk into that independent coffee shop you see around the corner with all the hipsters and ask for a cup of filter coffee? If you've never tried coffee brewed this way, chances are you would be pleasantly surprised.

    This won't attempt to tell you of everything there is to know, or be 100% accurate in terms of theory, as coffee knowledge is constantly developing and being improved upon and as a non-professional coffee drinker, my knowledge on the matter isn't brilliant. It will however try to concisely explain brewing coffee and help gain knowledge to troubleshoot when necessary. I'll also post links to external sources when suitable, and at the end of the guide, post links to further reading if you so wish. Here we go!


    Basics



    Coffee

    Coffee can taste very different depending on origin, roast, processing, brew method and other variables like grind size, immersion/steep time, brew temperature, water to coffee ratio and so on so forth which will affect the extraction. Ultimately, the origin and the roast are the main determinants of its flavour, and the others serve to bring out its potential.

    Before dwelling into the variables and how they affect the final cup, let's touch on a few things people mean when they describe coffee.

    Acidity - I was taught that it's best envisioned that you measure acidity by the amount of saliva your mouth releases. Acidity can be good or bad. They are both sour, one is pleasant and the other is not. Bad acidity is when it's overly sour and makes your face look like >.< when it touches your tongue. Good acidity can be usually said to be bright. Good acidity is what you get when you eat fruits like orange, lemon or grapes. People usually describe acidity by relating it to a fruit (e.g. citrusy, tangy, berry-like).

    Body - It can be thought of as the weight of the liquid on your tongue or the mouthfeel of the coffee. A light or thin body would be like water. A heavy or full body would be like cream.

    Sweetness - Yeap, most coffee when brewed right, will be sweet without any additional sugar. Some are even very sweet. Sweetness is a quality generally linked to good coffee for obvious reasons.

    Bitterness - Most coffee will have bitterness at the tail end of its extraction. Bitterness can be pleasant like in the case of grapefruit, or it could be unpleasant like.. Cigarette? Bitterness being the last component our tongue tastes is why they say "a bitter finish".

    Flavour - Flavour is the overall impression you gain from drinking the cup. A well-balanced cup will have nice acidity, nice sweetness and a mild bitter aftertaste if any at all. The acidity will complement the bitterness and balance each other out, leaving a generally sweet cup. Discerning flavour notes like when fine wine connoisseurs describe wine is not needed to fully enjoy the flavours of coffee, but is something long time drinkers may pick up.

    Strength - Stealing from wikipedia, 'Strength refers to the amount of dissolved coffee solids per unit of coffee liquid volume'. 'Stronger coffee (assuming the same extraction yield) is not more bitter than weaker coffee, but simply has more solids. This is reflected in being darker and in thicker mouthfeel (oilier), though mouthfeel also depends on suspended solids (very small grinds, so-called "fines"), particularly in French press as opposed to filter.'

    Of course, most of the should and should-nots of how your coffee taste is entirely up to preference. Some people may prefer bright acidity, some may not. Some may like their coffee with a roasty flavour (bitterness), some may not.

    Extraction
    Very simply put, when water runs through coffee beans, it is extracted in the order sour>sweet>bitter. This would help understand the concepts introduced later on.

    The extraction is ideal when the three are balanced. An under-extraction is when the time the coffee is in contact with water is too short, resulting in too much sourness without the bitterness to balance it out. On the other hand, an over-extracted cup would be when the coffee is in contact with water for too long resulting in a cup which bitterness stays on your tongue like a clingy ex.

    Matt Perger with a nice page on extraction.


    With those aside, we can touch on the variables that affect our coffee. I'd skip a few that aren't too necessary for introductions to brewing coffee.

    Origin
    It is said that all coffee originate from Ethiopia, but through methods I am too lazy to read up on, it spread throughout the world. Even though they stem from one origin, coffee from different parts of the world taste differently. There is no set rule to how each continent's coffee tastes like, but very generally:

    Central America (e.g. Honduras, Guatamela, El Salvador..) - Balanced, smooth sweetness, fruity acidity

    South America (e.g. Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil..) - Strong caramel sweetness, chocolatey, nutty, smooth acidity, medium-bodied

    African (e.g. Ethiopia, Kenya..) - Complex, bright acidity, fruity, floral, strong and full-bodied

    Asian (e.g. Indonesian, Phillipines..) - Complex, savoury..?

    Well yeah I kinda took these off a site. Here you can find some info on these.


    Roast
    Short section. Light to medium roasts are generally preferred for brewed coffee. Dark roasts or also called city roast, usually carry very typical flavours like roasty and ashy and tend to cover up the complex flavours of the beans which we wish to taste when choosing this method of coffee brewing. But of course, it is all up to preference.


    Grind
    The bigger the total surface area, the higher the rate of extraction and vice versa. A finer grind size will result in a bigger total surface area, allowing the coffee to be extracted more quickly. The ideal grind size differ from method to method as the different equipment mean that there is different ideal flow rate of the water.

    Also, a finer grind would mean that the grounds compact more tightly and the water has to pass through more routes to get to the end, slowing down the flow rate. The opposite applies to coarser grounds.

    Pairing these with our understanding of extraction (sour>sweet>bitter) and over- and under- extraction, over-extraction (too long in water) can be reduced by grinding more coarsely (lower extraction rate, higher flow rate) and under-extraction (too short in water) can be remedied by grinding finer (higher extraction rate, lower flow rate).

    Grind size chart with the various brewing methods.


    Here is a page showing the different coarseness/fineness of grinds relative to a coin.

    Brewing/Infusion time
    It refers to the time the grounds are in contact with the water. The longer the time, the more the extraction. Too much and you get over-extraction. Likewise, too short and you get under-extraction.


    Water temperature
    We won't touch on this too much as the control of water temperature or brew temperature is quite.. Hard, involving thermostats, very precise this and that and that and that. People usually only play around with this after they have played around with everything else, as this is the hardest to control.

    But generally, a higher temperature would mean a faster extraction and vice versa.

    Brewing coffee is all about precision and getting the variables as consistent as possible to achieve a consistent final cup. As such, as hard as it is to maintain, brew temperature is important. A good start to it is to have a fixed wait time after the water hits boiling temperature before you use the water.

    A quick search on google will tell you that there is an optimal brewing temperature between 91-96 celcius (which isn't always true). You can get somewhat consistent results by waiting 15-20 seconds after your water boils before using it.


    Water/coffee ratio
    The more the coffee used, the more total surface area there is, which means more to extract. As of writing this, I'm not too certain on how much this affects the cup in terms of extraction, but as to strength, it should be obvious that more coffee less water means stronger cup (i.e. heavier mouthfeel, more oils).

    That said, the usual coffee to water ratio is 1:16 or 1: 17, which equals to about 6 grams of coffee for every 100 grams of water. This can of course be tweaked to your preference.



    Things to note

    Grinder

    The grinder is arguably the most important aspect of making good coffee. The use of a burr grinder is highly suggested. Blade grinders 'chop' or 'dice' your coffee, resulting in highly inconsistent grounds.

    Grinders vary drastically in price, with differing build qualities, yadaa yadaa. It is widely agreed that the current champion is this beauty called the EK43.

    Although electronic burr grinders are generally more expensive than blade grinders, you could opt for manual hand-operated burr grinders. Here is a handy page talking about the more common hand grinders on the market. They all are very affordable and can usually be bought for about $30. Remember, any burr grinder > blade grinder.

    Beans

    Whatever the beans you use, just make sure you're not using stale beans. Coffee beans hate oxygen and begin to oxidize as soon as it touches it. The usual shelf life of coffee beans freshly roasted before they go stale are about 2-3 weeks. All the fragrance you smell from the roasted coffee beans come from it oxidizing and losing its flavour. Stale beans usually taste bitter and can even go rancid. Know why all the coffee you buy at supermarkets, pre-packeted with expiry dates are bitter? This is why. They also usually like to roast it dark as there is a less noticeable difference to it when it stales.

    Most people say that the biggest improvement you can get in brewing coffee is switching from using pre-ground coffee to grinding it fresh. The difference is so amazing it's actually crazy. Why freshly ground? Ground coffee has more total surface area in contact with oxygen and hence oxidize at an infinitely faster rate.

    What does all this mean?! Yes, that Nescafe pre-ground stuff? It has been long stale.

    Water

    Coffee, of any kind, like all beverages is largely comprised of water. It relies heavily on the water not clouding its natural taste to be able to shine and taste nice. Hence, it is highly recommended that filtered water is used.

    Generally, as long as the water you're using doesn't have too strong of a taste or odour by itself, it would be alright.

    Digital scale

    It is good practice to use a digital scale when measuring out how much coffee you would want to grind. Of course, going by volume is not unacceptable. But consistency is key in brewing coffee, as there as so many variables that can change out of your control, you want to make sure that you hold an iron fist on what you can control.

    Blooming

    Blooming is a vital concept in hand brew coffee. When water meets the coffee grounds, the coffee grounds release carbon dioxide. To 'bloom' the coffee is to pour just enough water to 'wet the coffee bed', meaning pour enough water to touch every particle of grounds, is to release this carbon dioxide before pouring the remainder of the water. What you'll see is a layer of bubbly foam meaning that the carbon dioxide is being released. This is ensure more consistent extraction throughout the coffee bed come brew time, as the carbon dioxide bubbles, if present when brewing, will interfere with extraction resulting in one extra super-hard variable that is out of your control.

    Bloomz

    Note: Stale coffee does not bloom, as all that CO2 is gone from oxidization. Another way to know if your coffee is stale.

    Rinsing paper filters

    Whenever the brewing method entails usage of paper filters (e.g. V60, Kalitha Wave, Aeropress..), it is vital to first rinse the paper filter thoroughly to get rid of the 'paper' taste that results from it. The thicker the paper, the longer/more you have to rinse the paper.

    Drinking temperature

    The flavours you get from the cup will change gradually as it cools. A simple guideline is that it will turn more sour/acidic as it cools, due to oxidization. Some people prefer it cool while some people like it warm and brewed fresh. You can take sips of it at different temperatures to gauge which temperatures you like your cup best at.

    Rinsing palate

    It is generally suggested that you clean your palate with something (i.e. water) before drinking coffee in order to be able to taste the coffee better. Oily foods usually coat your tongue with a layer of oil, preventing you from tasting the coffee as well (or any other flavours from any other thing for that matter). Equally, the numbing from eating spicy food also detriments your ability to taste by some bits.

    But of course, how you consume your coffee should be up to you, as long as you enjoy it!


    Immersion Brewing

    Immersion brewing is when the coffee is, throughout the brewing process, steeped in water. The usual characteristics of immersion type brews are that it is more full-bodied and in some cases have more 'grit' or 'chew' to it, as more oils are collected. As the coffee is in contact with water for longer periods of time, a coarser grind is preferred to not over extract. Immersion type brewing is in general, easier and more forgiving as compared to pourover.

    The more common and easier full-immersion coffee brewing devices are the French Press, Aeropress and Clever dripper. Here I'll just introduce each of them shortly and proceed to the juice of the thread, the 'recipes'.


    French press
    Also called the cafetiere, the French press is signature for its simplicity and the heavier bodied coffee it makes, due it capturing all the yummy oils from the grounds.

    The French press comes in various sizes. The typical ones are the 8-cup 34.oz one and the 3-cup 14.oz one, assuming each cup as 100ml. I'll just state the coffee to water ratio in the recipes.

    I'll go with 2 ways of preparing this. First, the 'normal' way:

    1. Preheat the french press with hot water to not lose heat when brewing.
    2. Toss the preheat water. Add in 7 grams of coffee, ground medium to coarse for every 100 ml of water.
    3. Pour in your hot water. Stir gently to ensure even extraction.
    4. Place the lid but don't press down the plunger. Keep it that way for 3-4 minutes.
    5. Slowly press down the plunger, being careful not to spill it hurting yourself.
    6. Serve and enjoy.

    The second method is from James Hoffman, the 2007 World Barista Champion. His method involves using spoons to scoop out the grounds after brewing resulting in a cleaner (clearer, meaning easier to taste the subtle differences in flavour) cup and with less 'chew' from the remains. I personally use this method more often than the former for above reasons, and because my French press' filter lining is a little wonky and isn't glued to the walls as tightly resulting in fines (grounds) leaking into the final cup, which isn't in any way relevant to telling you about the technique.

    Here is a video of him exhibiting the technique.




    Aeropress

    The Aeropress is a relatively new comer into the coffee brewing scene. It's super easy to use and super forgiving, making very consistent, delicious cups, while being superbly easy to clean and super portable! Invented in 2005, it has since gained massive popularity very quickly, and even has an annual Aeropress World Championship held where baristas who are winners of their national level championships compete to showcase their Aeropress recipes. Crazy, but yeah.

    Fun fact, the inventor of the Aeropress is also the inventor of the frisbee!

    There are a bajillion recipes for this thing, the best of which can be found here.
    I'll just save time and type out the simplest method.

    1. Preheat the Aeropress with hot water.
    2. Attach the paper filter to the brew basket. Rinse it thoroughly.
    3. Toss the preheat water. Fix the brew basket on the bottom of the brew chamber and set the Aeropress on top of your cup/mug.
    4. Pour about 17g of coffee, ground a bit finer than drip, and add it to the chamber.
    5. Pour enough water to bloom the grounds for about 10 seconds, then proceed to pour the remainder up till the centre of the no. 4 thing.
    6. Stur the mixture gently, then place the plunger into the brew chamber and pull up a little to form a pocket of air or pressure seal.
    7. After about a minute, remove the plunger to get rid of the pressure seal. Stir the mixture gently again.
    8. Proceed to place the plunger back in and plunge down with even pressure until you hear a hissing sound.


    Clever dripper
    Although it is called a dripper, much of the brew time is spent with the coffee fully immersed in water, as you'd be able to see from clicking the link. Whenever you have decided that you brewed the coffee long enough and place it atop a server, a valve at the bottom of the device opens, letting the coffee flow out.

    It is a very beginner-friendly device, very forgiving and brews excellent cups consistently. Due to it incorporating drip/pourover, it is generally cleaner than aeropress or french press. Not to mention cheaper than all the others mentioned above! Highly suggested for whoever wants to get started with hand brews without investing too much effort/time/money.

    1. Rinse the paper filter and set it in the Clever.
    2. Place about 20 grams of coffee, ground medium-coarse. Even out the coffee bed by tapping the sides lightly.
    3. Pour your 300ml of water. Wait about 20-30 seconds and stir the mixture to ensure an even extraction.
    4. Cover the dripper with a lid to help not lose too much heat.
    5. After 3-4 minutes, place the dripper atop your mug. This will open the bottom of your dripper, letting the coffee flow out.

    Easy peasy lemon squeezy yummy coffee. Here is a nice video on brewing with the Clever dripper. Note when the barista says that no fancy pouring technique is needed for this!


    Here you can find a more comprehensive beginner's guide to Immersion type brewing, with nice pictures and stuff. I tried. Not hard enough, but I tried.


    Pourover Brewing

    Pourover-styled brewed coffee differs from immersion methods in that it is often more light-bodied and cleaner (clearer), as less oil is collected in the final cup. It involves you pouring hot water over a bed of coffee grounds placed in a filter set atop a flask or coffee server. As the water is constantly flowing downwards, the total time of its contact with the grounds is lower. Hence, the preferred grind size is fine, but definitely not finer than espresso grinds. The 'blooming' concept is also applied more often here to assist with flow control. The typical cup of pourover coffee is lighter in body and brighter in acidity as compared to immersion type brews, being 'weaker' and containing less insolubles in the final cup.

    A thing to note about pourover is that as the flow rate of the water is crucial in determining the evenness of the extraction, a very consistent pour is preffered, if not needed. This pushes the cost of preparing these coffee a little higher, as although the filter device themselves are generally cheap, the kettles that can provide consistent pour (gooseneck kettles) are pricey. However, don't let this stop you from trying this method out. You can still control your flow very well without a fancy kettle and achieve delicious, consistent coffee. This guy says it well.

    There are many forms of pourover devices. All a little different in terms of design, which affects the rate of water flow and ways the coffee comes in contact with the poured water. All are also thought of as having a slightly higher learning curve and mastery level than immersion type brewers, as pour control is in question, but nothing too hard for any one at all to pick up, even me. The methods I would touch on here are the Chemex and the V60.

    Chemex
    The Chemex is a sexy thing. It looks darn elegant and modern, despite being past 70 years old since invention. It delivers clean cups and is a little more forgiving than the V60, due to the slower flow rate from using thick paper filter, meaning less fuss over pour control.

    1. The Chemex can brew for plenty, so about 60-70 grams of beans can be used, ground medium-coarse.
    2. Rinse the filter thoroughly.
    3. Toss the water and place the coffee in the dripper. Pour in your coffee and give the cone a gentle nudge to even out the coffee bed, helping with even extraction.
    4. Bloom the coffee by pouring in about 10% of your total intended water volume (about 60ml in this case), ensuring that all the grounds is saturated. Let the bubbles do their thing for about 45 seconds.
    5. Proceed to pour the rest of the water. If possible, do it in a slow and controlled manner in a circular swirl, hoping to get the water to touch all the grounds evenly while avoiding the impact from the pour hitting the coffee bed to disturb the grounds, creating a region of less coffee, causing the water to flow more quickly there, resulting in some under-extraction. Also, try to avoid pouring onto the filter paper, as that will cause some 'papery' taste.
    6. Aim to finish your pour around the 4.00 mark, from your first drip of water (before blooming).

    Visual guide by Elemental Coffee in Oklahoma City.


    Hario V60
    The V60 is well-liked among coffee aficionados in that, with good knowledge of what influences your cup, anyone can control exactly (somewhat) how strong, light, heavy-bodied, bright or whatever you want your coffee to be. It is quite safe to say that learning to use the V60 is pretty easy, but requires plenty of practice to be able to fully utilise it. However, expect very good coffee from this once you learn the basics.

    Hario sells their V60 made from various materials, namely plastic , glass, steel and ultimately ceramic. There are varying opinions about which to get, due to difference in heat retention, but all have their pros and cons, and even workarounds for the cons. So.. Get the one you think you derive the most benefit from with your budget, I guess!

    There are also plenty of differing opinions about how to best brew with the V60, but most will agree on the fundamentals, which is..

    1. Set the paper filter on the cone and rinse it thoroughly.
    2. Toss the rinse water. Pour in about 6-7 grams of coffee per 100 ml of water, ground medium-fine. Gently shake the device to level out the grounds.
    3. Start your timer and pour just enough water to saturate all the grounds to bloom.
    4. After about 45 seconds, gently pour hot water in controlled, slow circles around the centre of the coffee bed, making sure not to agitate the grounds or pour onto the walls of the paper filter.

    A visual guide would probably help in illustrating the method. Here is one by Scott Carey from Sump Coffee.






    Cold brew

    Cold brew is awesome. That's it. And what's better? It is incredibly easy and cheap to make! (Depending on set-up and technique, but it can be cheap and darn good still) You really don't have to chug out that $5 for every cup of cold brew you want, cause anyone can make very decent cold brew very easily.

    The difference between Iced Coffee and Cold Brew is that, iced coffee is hot coffee cooled, either immediately with ice or with other means, whereas cold brew is brewed cold, or just not hot. With decent quality beans and non-horrible control of variables, cold brew will get you an extremely sweet, syrupy coffee without the acidity from hot coffee (or hot coffee oxidising).

    You can either brew it with more coffee grounds, attempting to make a concentrate, or brew it with less, wanting to drink it straight up. Anyhow, you will need a bit more coffee when brewing cold brew compared to other methods as there's no hot water involved helping with extraction.

    Here's one recipe for a concentrate to be done with a Mason Jar!

    1. Grind coffee medium-coarse. Pour in jar.
    2. Pour in 4 times the amount of coffee's mass of water.
    3. Refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
    4. Pour the mixture through a cheesecloth/filter or anything that can filter out the grounds. Voila!!!

    As you can see, it is bloody brilliantly simple, and delicious! Much of the deliciousness of the end product will depend on the beans though, as you can then guess. Freshness from roast date and freshness from grinding will be vital in keeping your cold brew as delicious as it can be.

    I won't write too much about this section since that really cuts it for a delicious cold brew. But if you wish to learn more, here is a great write-up on Iced Coffee and Cold Brew from Prima Coffee. Otherwise, a simple search of 'Cold brew coffee recipe' will yield plenty of results which are mostly as easy and delicious!


    I hope this guide helped in some way, or if not, was at least an informational and enjoyable read. Do note that there are no set techniques/rules to making your coffee. Coffee, like all other beverages or food, is entirely up to preference. Everything mentioned here can be tweaked to produce a cup that you like. Hopefully, the the little explanations of how coffee extraction works and how the variables affect your cup can help in troubleshooting whatever problem you're facing.

    I'd like to hear your comments/feedbacks/criticisms if you have any. I'll make changes to whatever that's necessary if anything I wrote is disputable. Thanks for stopping by and happy scripting while sipping coffee!

    Version 1.0 : Posting this to see if formatting is alright.
    Version 1.1 : Added sections to 'Things to know' and started work on 'Immersion Brewing'.
    Version 2.0 : Made miscellaneous changes. Added bits to 'Things to know', added Chemex to 'Immersion Brewing' and started work on 'Pourover Brewing'. Added ending notes.
    Version 3.0 : Finished guide. Will revise when I find out how crappy it actually is.
    Last edited by currynoodle; 07-05-2015 at 10:21 AM.

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    Instructions unclear, epididymis caught in rotary object attached to ceiling.

    All jokes aside this is a surprisingly detailed guide on coffee. I can't stand the stuff personally, but this thread was a good read.
    GitLab projects | Simba 1.4 | Find me on IRC or Discord | ScapeRune scripts | Come play bot ScapeRune!

    <BenLand100> we're just in the transitional phase where society reclassifies guns as Badâ„¢ before everyone gets laser pistols

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    Quote Originally Posted by KeepBotting View Post
    Instructions unclear, epididymis caught in rotary object attached to ceiling.

    All jokes aside this is a surprisingly detailed guide on coffee. I can't stand the stuff personally, but this thread was a good read.
    Troubleshoot commencing.. Solution: Drink more coffee.

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    Nice guide Interesting read, I have always just took the instant coffee :P maybe i can try this

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    I personally prefer Mountain Dew over coffee, but when I'm 30 and overweight I will come use this guide.

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    @KeepBotting Thanks!
    @Camel @Pavement Who knows maybe either of you will make the switch sooner than expected.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Camel View Post
    I personally prefer Mountain Dew over coffee, but when I'm 30 and overweight I will come use this guide.
    coffee > mt dew (except when youre using it to quench your thirst on a hot day or something)

    Coffee oh my. I know people that claim they dont like it because its bitter or just tastes like crap. well, to be honest, the cheap stuff does taste like crap, but if you add enough creamer/syrup/etc, you wont tell.

    So, great post. informational, etc. except im against the use of spoilers (even though it keeps it small), as its hard to read top to bottom with them. Id suggest titles and even using anchors. (uhh. i dont recall how to use them on the forums, but they are links in the page to other portions on the page)

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    @Turpinator Thanks for the feedback. Yeah now that the post is up, it seems kinda hard to read. My initial idea was to allow the reader to pick and choose portions that he wanted to read. Seems like anchors could be the solution. I'll probably do a formatting revamp some time, after I finish writing the guide.

    And yeah, that definitely works, the syrup and stuff. Just like how some coffee places get away with serving cheap(-er) coffee at exorbitant prices. *cough*Star*cough*

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    Love coffee, I don't feel it benefits me though - anytime.

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    Quote Originally Posted by GetHyper View Post
    Love coffee, I don't feel it benefits me though - anytime.
    Same. I can drink a strong cup of coffee and then go to sleep straight away. I don't feel any sort of 'buzz' or anything.

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Mayor View Post
    Same. I can drink a strong cup of coffee and then go to sleep straight away. I don't feel any sort of 'buzz' or anything.
    Same with any sort of caffeine based product, red bull etc. Just do it for the taste .

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    Quote Originally Posted by GetHyper View Post
    Same with any sort of caffeine based product, red bull etc. Just do it for the taste .
    This. 'Do it for the taste'. Yeah baby.

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Mayor View Post
    Same. I can drink a strong cup of coffee and then go to sleep straight away. I don't feel any sort of 'buzz' or anything.
    ... One of us, one of us, one of us!

    Currynoodle - Great guide mate. Anything on perculators? My Italian friend swears by them. I'm probably going to get one myself as they're quite cheap.
    The only drawback is that it takes around 10 mins to boil it on the hob (gas range) but it's worth it.

    Found this in Italy and it's been my daily ever since (quality to price): http://www.amazon.com/Lavazza-Crema-.../dp/B001E5E0D8
    Yer a wizard, 'oopi

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    Quote Originally Posted by anth_ View Post
    ... One of us, one of us, one of us!

    Currynoodle - Great guide mate. Anything on perculators? My Italian friend swears by them. I'm probably going to get one myself as they're quite cheap.
    The only drawback is that it takes around 10 mins to boil it on the hob (gas range) but it's worth it.

    Found this in Italy and it's been my daily ever since (quality to price): http://www.amazon.com/Lavazza-Crema-.../dp/B001E5E0D8
    Thanks man, appreciate it. Yeah percolators are pretty sweet. Parents did a trip to Italy recently and bought back a Moka Pot. Used it a couple of times, and damn they do mean it when they say it makes 'stove-top espresso'. Though it isn't technically espresso, it's pretty close, it'll definitely strike you as such when you drink it. Even so, I don't think I know enough about using it to say much about it. But I assume the roast used is likely a little lighter than city/dark roast, like how people drink their espresso in Italy. Correct me if I'm wrong! Here is a guide if you want to see how it's used. A word about step 5 though, some people 'tamp' their coffee bed, meaning press it down to compact it to help with extraction. You may like it after the tamp, or you may not. Experiment a bit to see what you like!

    Nice. Looks yummy too. The amazon comments seem to have people using those beans with their Moka Pot. Something you could try, maybe?
    Last edited by currynoodle; 07-05-2015 at 07:19 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by currynoodle View Post
    Thanks man, appreciate it. Yeah percolators are pretty sweet. Parents did a trip to Italy recently and bought back a Moka Pot. Used it a couple of times, and damn they do mean it when they say it makes 'stove-top espresso'. Though it isn't technically espresso, it's pretty close, it'll definitely strike you as such when you drink it. Even so, I don't think I know enough about using it to say much about it. But I assume the roast used is likely a little lighter than city/dark roast, like how people drink their espresso in Italy. Correct me if I'm wrong! Here is a guide if you want to see how it's used. A word about step 5 though, some people 'tamp' their coffee bed, meaning press it down to compact it to help with extraction. You may like it after the tamp, or you may not. Experiment a bit to see what you like!

    Nice. Looks yummy too. The amazon comments seem to have people using those beans with their Moka Pot. Something you could try, maybe?
    Yep, it's very similar to espresso. It probably needs to be lighter for extraction I guess.
    Yer a wizard, 'oopi

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    As a big coffee drinker, I love this guide

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    Oh yeah, you're definitely going to need coffee.

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