OT: Some things are wrong like espresso with olive oil

[jkbrwn]

Originally Posted by Likes2ridefar

I feel I went all in for maybe 10 years of trying different methods such as hand grinding then using a press or aeropress or pour over; weighing beans and water while checking with an instant temp the water. I can confidently say it was a total waste of money but a good experience. I’m apparently one of the few that thinks many single origin coffees are sour, what seems to be “fruity” in fancy coffee speak, or simply not good tasting.

I still weigh my pre ground Starbucks coffee before putting it in my cuisinart drip machine with unfiltered tap water

Feel like we have a lot of other hobby stuff in common, but this ain't one of them The unfiltered tap water really topping things off there My Third Wave water sachets and Zero filtered water are disappointed.

I do drink Starbucks Varia when backpacking, admittedly. The shame!

[benb]

Third wave is interesting stuff.

I think if I really cared I would prefer to just treat my water directly rather than starting with distilled water, it'd probably be about 1000x cheaper.

Third wave packets are made up of the same stuff you treat pool or hot tub fill water with. Those chemicals are already marked up massively but they are still orders of magnitude cheaper than third wave, and most users are supposed to adjust to a higher level of precision that 3rd wave is claiming on their products.

$25 of pH adjustment chemicals is enough to adjust tens of thousands of gallons of water. The water out of the tap most places is already very close to the range 3rd wave targets, you need very very small amounts of the chemicals.

The hardness booster I buy is $15 for a jug. I raise the hardness from 17ppm -> 200ppm and the container is enough for about 1000 gallons of water. But if I was treating it for an espresso machine it would probably be enough for 4000-5000 gallons of water as the target hardness is much lower.

It all appears to be the same stuff, the question is the purity, but 3rd wave doesn't seem to state purity.

[jkbrwn]

I am lazy and Third Wave is easy.

Despite living right next to a river that is fed by Sierra snowmelt, my tap water is so heavily chlorinated that you can smell it on your skin if you shower for too long, so I have no choice but to run it through a Zero filter. It takes the TDS down from 150 to 0 and also removes the smell and taste of chlorine. I then add Third Wave. I am the only person in my house so one pack of Light Roast Third Wave sachets has lasted me for four months and I still have a couple left. I use one sachet/one gallon of water every ten days for coffee, so its not a big expense.

[rothwem]

Originally Posted by jkbrwn

Do yourself a solid and buy some good coffee from a specialty coffee roaster. It might just be life changing. Edit: Place an order with Black and White Coffee Roasters - they're in Raleigh. They're the closest really, really great filter coffee roaster to you.

Do yourself a solid and try the Italian roast beans from Starbucks. Best coffee under $12(per 12 oz bag).

I've tried a bunch of local roasters and there's a lot of variability, just like with coffee shops, some worse than Starbucks, some better. They all cost a lot though, usually ~$20/12 oz bag. A lot of local roasters are also really into super acidic beans and while they're pretty good in a pour over, the acidity is really off-putting in a drip machine. Counterculture in Durham is pretty guilty of this, most of their coffee is pretty acidic and downright undrinkable in a drip machine.

I'll give Black and White a try the next time I'm in Raleigh though, I've got a rental there and visit pretty frequently, will probably be there in the next couple weeks.

For local roasters, I'm a big fan of Dynamite Roasting in Black Mountain. They deliver beans directly to where I work and we have $0.75 espresso shots from a Jura Superauto in the break room. Delicious. Their Suplicar Clemencia Dark Roast is delicious in a drip setup too.

[jkbrwn]

Originally Posted by rothwem

Do yourself a solid and try the Italian roast beans from Starbucks. Best coffee under $12(per 12 oz bag).

I've tried a bunch of local roasters and there's a lot of variability, just like with coffee shops, some worse than Starbucks, some better. They all cost a lot though, usually ~$20/12 oz bag. A lot of local roasters are also really into super acidic beans and while they're pretty good in a pour over, the acidity is really off-putting in a drip machine. Counterculture in Durham is pretty guilty of this, most of their coffee is pretty acidic and downright undrinkable in a drip machine.

I'll give Black and White a try the next time I'm in Raleigh though, I've got a rental there and visit pretty frequently, will probably be there in the next couple weeks.

For local roasters, I'm a big fan of Dynamite Roasting in Black Mountain. They deliver beans directly to where I work and we have $0.75 espresso shots from a Jura Superauto in the break room. Delicious. Their Suplicar Clemencia Dark Roast is delicious in a drip setup too.

That's fair enough. Different strokes for different folks. Black and White should have something for everyone's tastes, including - by the sounds of it - your appetite for a darker coffee.

Interesting Re differences of the coffee in a pourover vs machine. I hadn't considered that (as a pourover drinker).

I won't buy Starbucks coffee beans on principle alone to be honest. I don't agree with their coffee sustainability practices or lack of farming transparency. Its like trying to tell a wine person to drink 2 buck chuck from Trader Joe's. I don't drink alcohol or go out to eat very often, so I am happy to buy expensive coffee. One of my life's small joys.