What’s on your coffee bench?

[flying]

Originally Posted by goonster

Yes, but you can't control temperature, which is very high.

True but I start with hot water from my kettle & add that to the Moka pot
then use a very low flame to finish & it is quite good.

Before that method I would start heating from scratch & it was just too long & too hot for the grinds

I know in the end the temp is the same which causes the perking reaction to occur but the coffee grinds spend less time on the heat & I think that makes a big difference

[R3awak3n]

Originally Posted by d_douglas

I need to learn to drink espresso black. I can’t stand anything in tea, but I’ve convinced myself that I need (oat)milk in my coffee…

My daily consumption is


Americano in the morning

Cappuccino later in the morning

Espresso after lunch


I love coffee coffee black and shot of espresso. All my drinks are single shots (once in a while I do a double). I love a good black coffee, when its good its fantastic. I have these beans right now which are just incredible, very sweet and bright, I would never put milk on this because its just so good.

[froze]

Originally Posted by goonster

Yes, but you can't control temperature, which is very high.

Actually the Moka pot releases the coffee at 190 degrees F; espresso comes out at between 190 to 194 depending on the machine. Both come out at slightly lower tempsi than other makers because they extract under pressure instead of from hotter water of 195 to 205. The Keurig is at 192. But both the Moka and the espresso brews their coffee ideally at between 190 and 194. So no, the Moka pot is not very high, it's perfect for Moka coffee.

[froze]

Originally Posted by NHAero

I'm curious what ratio of coffee in grams to ounces of water people use with their Aeropress. I use the inverted method and put about half the water I heat into the Yeti directly, then invert the Aeropress and press the coffee into the Yeti after it has sat for a minute. I use two Aeropress scoops of coffee (about 25g) to 10 ounces of water.

I don't get too scientific with this stuff. AeroPress has a scale on the side of their unit that guides you, read the instructions. The instructions will show you how to make the coffee setting over a cup, which means you put the coffee medium grind up to 1 on the coffee maker, then water is added to the 3, then the press is put in to the 4. Now to use the inverted method, you simply flip the numbers, you put the plunger into the tube to number 4, fill with coffee to the number 3, add water to the number 1.

I don't get into weighing the grinds or worry about the fact that dark-ground coffee weighs less than light roast, blah blah blah. I like it when things are not perfect when it comes to my coffee, it adds a different taste to the coffee, a surprise if you will.

Besides, the weight difference between light and dark roast is only 2 beans...2 BEANS! I dare anyone to be able to taste the difference of two beans less or more in their coffee! That's why I don't get all bent out of shape into making sure the grounds are right on the gram.

[HenryA]

Originally Posted by NHAero

I'm curious what ratio of coffee in grams to ounces of water people use with their Aeropress. I use the inverted method and put about half the water I heat into the Yeti directly, then invert the Aeropress and press the coffee into the Yeti after it has sat for a minute. I use two Aeropress scoops of coffee (about 25g) to 10 ounces of water.

I use one Aeropress scoop of coffee and fill the tube completely full of hot water. Water is heated in my microwave for 3:30 in a pyrex measuring cup. (almost to boiling) Stir, let sit some time - varying a bit depending on how I want that cup and then add a bit of water to top it off and press. I end up with a full 12oz cup of great coffee. This seems to work well with the different coffees I have tried.

[goonster]

Originally Posted by froze

Actually the Moka pot releases the coffee at 190 degrees F; espresso comes out at between 190 to 194 depending on the machine.

Depending on the coffee cake, the moka pot may "release" at, or below, 190 deg F, but all the data sets I've seen* show the temp profile rising quickly above 200 deg F.

(I use 200 deg F for espresso, and 194 would be well below industry standard)

Without very careful heat transfer modulation, the thermodynamics of the moka pot almost demand overheating.

(* = Here's an example)

[froze]

Originally Posted by goonster

Depending on the coffee cake, the moka pot may "release" at, or below, 190 deg F, but all the data sets I've seen* show the temp profile rising quickly above 200 deg F.

(I use 200 deg F for espresso, and 194 would be well below industry standard)

Without very careful heat transfer modulation, the thermodynamics of the moka pot almost demand overheating.

(* = Here's an example)

But if you look on the internet espresso machines don't push the heat past 195, there might be a few where you can adjust that output? I don't know, the ones that I've seen do not have that ability. The moka to a minor degree, and the espresso to a much higher degree make pressure work for them instead of higher heat.

Italians have been making coffee for hundreds of years, the first coffee "machine" was the Neopolitan maker, this is still made today and is more widely used than the Moka pot in Italy, but the Moka pot came around later and is the second most widely used way of making coffee. So I think that if people have been making coffee this way for generations I have a feeling it's done correctly.

The Bialetta Brikka moka pot that I have holds the pressure longer than the standard moka pots, and that one is probably another 5 to 10 degrees hotter, I haven't measured it but I could, in fact later today I'll put water into it and let the water come through and stick my probe into it to see what I get.

The point is, the Italian way of making coffee is slightly different, but other than making Turkish (called by other names depending on where it's made) style coffee, which is the oldest way done by much of the world, cowboy coffee, requires the coffee to boil, that means 212 degrees which is over the "ideal" temperature.

There are different rules for making coffee, you can't set yourself on what the Coffee Association says is correct, those rules were made for other types of coffee, like drip, pour over, french press (AeroPress), and the like, but it does not apply to espresso, moka, and Turkish style. If you google "how hot is the coffee that comes out of "fill in the blank", you discover that even drip makers are coming out at between 180 to 190 degrees, so the rules made are just that, rules, and those rules don't apply to every situation.

[goonster]

Originally Posted by froze

But if you look on the internet espresso machines don't push the heat past 195, there might be a few where you can adjust that output?

Most espresso machines at a pricepoint above ca. $1000, and certainly all commercial machines, allow adjustment of the brew temperature setpoint.

Originally Posted by froze

The moka to a minor degree, and the espresso to a much higher degree make pressure work for them instead of higher heat.

The word "instead" is misleading here, imho. In the moka pot, higher pressure always comes with higher heat.

Let me just say that I own several moka pots (in addition to espresso, pourover, french press, vacuum, Aeropress, ibrik, phin and cold brewer), used them for years, but mostly stopped because I concluded that the product suffers from high-temp overextraction that can't be fixed.

Originally Posted by froze

The point is, the Italian way of making coffee is slightly different

Italy has wonderful coffee culture, and I understand why someone would want to adhere to "authentic" Italian methods and blends/roasts. I've been there, I get it. But today we have a choice between authentic/traditional and better.

[R3awak3n]

yep, any espresso machine worth their salt can dial temperature. usually btw 195 and 205.

I personally pull shots always at over 200F. I think lighter roasts respond well to hotter temps, but would not go under 200 so a machine where I can't choose my temperature would be a no go for me.

[froze]

I tested my Bialetta Brikka Moka pot, I put two probes into the coffee as it was filling the moka pot upper chamber with coffee, my OTC multimeter read 198 degrees F, and the mechanical cooking thermometer read 197 (which surprised me it was that accurate being mechanical) when it was almost done making the coffee.

I can't test my old Bialetta regular Moka pot because I threw it away, but that one did not have a pressure hold-back valve like the Brikka has, which makes me wonder if that one would let slightly cooler temperature coffee since there was nothing holding it back a bit longer. Italians know how to use the regular Moka pot with excellency, I kept getting coffee flavor all over the map, sometimes bitter sometimes not, and everything in between, the newer Brikka doesn't do that, it makes it perfect every time, only flavor difference I get is whatever coffee I'm using, but no more bitterness, and it tastes much much closer to what coffee from espresso machine makes.

I've had bitter espresso professionally made too by very expensive machines, so espresso or the cost of the machine doesn't guarantee perfect results either.

[SoCalSteve]

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

yep, any espresso machine worth their salt can dial temperature. usually btw 195 and 205.

I personally pull shots always at over 200F. I think lighter roasts respond well to hotter temps, but would not go under 200 so a machine where I can't choose my temperature would be a no go for me.

Dark roasts I pull at 199, lighter at 203.

[jwess1234]

Need to build a shelf for the tamper and tools, but close to complete.

[Ramshackle]

Gaggia Classic with Quamar M80 grinder. La Pavoni Europicolla as backup and when travelling. Fresh Roast SR 800 coffee roaster which I use weekly.

[professerr]

Originally Posted by NHAero

I'm curious what ratio of coffee in grams to ounces of water people use with their Aeropress. I use the inverted method and put about half the water I heat into the Yeti directly, then invert the Aeropress and press the coffee into the Yeti after it has sat for a minute. I use two Aeropress scoops of coffee (about 25g) to 10 ounces of water.

Internet coffee guru with bona fides James Hoffman did a series of comically (e.g. swirling vs stirring the brew) detailed videos on using the aeropress, but if you want to cut to the chase, here's the one with his recommended recipe. You still need to figure out the right grind to use because he only provides a short video of the fineness he recommends. Try following the recipe exactly as he suggests, and I bet you'll be pleased with the results. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6VlT_jUVPc

[skuberneter]

A la James Hoffman, spent a while with a Decent Espresso and a Niche, and just recently unpacked a Monolith Max as a silly extravagance.