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AugustusRex
Posts: 136
Joined: Mon May 04, 2015 2:13 pm

Post by AugustusRex »

zane9 wrote:
AugustusRex wrote:...
Possible Topics:
...
3. Brewing methods/techniques (technically its steeping...)
4. Home roasting tips
...

**For those of you with cheap grinders (like me) buying a sieve works wonders or improving cup quality by removing fines and making a more even extraction. Its like day and night.
Great thread, and thanks for starting it.

I have been roasting greens at home for a few years, currently with a nano-sized fluid-bed roaster (FreshRoast SR500). The challenge comes in the colder months, as I must roast outdoors! I participate in a couple of FB Groups: FreshRoast Coffee Roasters and Home Coffee Roasters. Much valuable information from both groups.

My favorite brewing methods are pour-over and Aeropress, but the daily grind usually begins with the common "coffee-maker".

I have a cheap burr grinder, and thanks for the tip on using a sieve. If you're using a blade grinder you need to prevent overheating the beans due to friction. So make sure to vary the speed, and stop/start during grinding.
I have the same roaster. I keep the lid off during the initial drying phase and stir the hell out of it while the temp is low until they are light enough to move on their own. Then put the lid back on, put the fan on full and crank the heat on the highest setting until the first pop. I lower to med throughout the crack and I stop about 30-45 sec after first crack is done. (I roast pretty much the same for all beans). The faster you get to your roast profile the better.

I have a cheap 30 dollar burr grinder, and for 27 grams, 8g are fines which get filtered out when using the sieve. My cup quality has improved so much, it's even more important than freshness! Give it a shot, Dollarama is your best bet.

zane9
Posts: 429
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 1:05 pm
Location: Hamilton

Post by zane9 »

Will be on the sieve idea asap!

I do more or less the same as you, when starting the roast. But no bean shaking or stirring for me. I go 2 minutes at high-fan-low-temp, to get the beans to an even colour. I let the roast take its time to get to FC. Depending on the bean, and roast profile I want, things vary from there on.

I do 3-4 approx 100gr batches per session.

My tip for the SR roasters: Fire some compressed air into the slats in the base (just below where the glass cup sits). It gets any chaff out that has made its way in.

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Belgian
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Post by Belgian »

I've heard or read that the problem of blade grinders is complete randomness of the size of bean particle, and therefore uneven extraction. So a very good grinder should give a fairly even-sized 'grain.'

I've also heard from roasters at my local café that adequate rest time (few days) to blow off by-products is important after a roast, which is much like brewing when you think. Roast coffee goes from not ready yet then to perfect for a short window of time then to you-know-what. Supposedly freezing ground coffee does not magically suspend the flavors because of the way the oils coalesce.

I was buying French-press grind (Bodum) for a while, that was fun except the fines that take time to settle by gravity. I would recommend a good press to anybody half-heartedly tinkering with making better coffee at home.
In Beerum Veritas

zane9
Posts: 429
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 1:05 pm
Location: Hamilton

Post by zane9 »

Belgian wrote:I've heard or read that the problem of blade grinders is complete randomness of the size of bean particle, and therefore uneven extraction. So a very good grinder should give a fairly even-sized 'grain.'

I've also heard from roasters at my local café that adequate rest time (few days) to blow off by-products is important after a roast, which is much like brewing when you think. Roast coffee goes from not ready yet then to perfect for a short window of time then to you-know-what. Supposedly freezing ground coffee does not magically suspend the flavors because of the way the oils coalesce...
Yes, blade grinders can't give an even grind, except if you watch the grinding very carefully. Burr grinders allow you to dial in the grind you want, i.e., appropriate to the brewing method you're doing.

Rest time is a good idea, in that the just-roasted beans continue to off-gas C02 for 24 hours+. By the time we buy roasted beans from the local roastery, the off-gasing is long done and the beans are ready to grind and brew.

The enemy of roasted beans, like for any fresh product, is air. So proper storage is vital. If you get them in a bag with a one-way valve, your beans will be fine.

Don't freeze roasted beans. The rapid rise in temperature from freezer to counter will inevitably introduce condensation. Not good.

atomeyes
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Post by atomeyes »

i've been an aeropress convert.
love it.
it does take some skill to get the right set-up, right water, right timing, etc. But i made a perfect cup of coffee yesterday (decaf, of all things) with zero sourness or astringency.


also, fave latte in the city is still Broadview Espresso

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Craig
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Post by Craig »

What causes that sourness? I've been to top rated places in the city where the baristas are award winning and gotten very sour Americanos. Other, less-heralded places, have never had a trace of it.

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Belgian
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Post by Belgian »

Craig wrote:What causes that sourness? I've been to top rated places in the city where the baristas are award winning and gotten very sour Americanos. Other, less-heralded places, have never had a trace of it.
Also wondering this. I'll go to Buds and espresso coffee # 1 is gorgeous and rich with a peanut-buttery character. Immediately after a second one is the weirdest sour crap with an almost chemical edginess, so different and unsettling in flavor I almost want to dump it out. Except sour crap still costs three bucks everywhere so I drink it anyways.

Operator error is possible but come on, how hard can it be to do it consistently? Today's Americano at Dark Horse Queen East was chemically and bitter with tomato-like off flavors (possibly inexperienced Barista), while yesterday's Bulldog was rich and nuanced (Stu the owner/early pioneer) - those really good cups make the bad ones all the more frustrating.

I think I will comment more just to see the response to feedback. We ARE Canadians here after all! Shamed of any cognizance of error...
In Beerum Veritas

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Craig
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Post by Craig »

The best coffee I've ever had in the city was poured for me by Stu.

atomeyes
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Post by atomeyes »

from what i understand:

sourness is from lack of contact time with water and grind i.e. you pour too fast.
bitterness/astringency is from too hot of water
vegetal? no idea

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Belgian
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Post by Belgian »

Craig wrote:The best coffee I've ever had in the city was poured for me by Stu.
Yes. Bulldog's fresh-made croissants & other snacks are hard to beat as well, worth a detour.
In Beerum Veritas

mattg
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Joined: Mon May 04, 2015 8:27 pm

Post by mattg »

I have had great luck at Sense Appeal (on weekends) and Boxcar Social. I've been frequenting the newer Queen St East Boxcar location, and they weigh the filter holder with the grounds before every shot, and watch the timer like a hawk. I had one barista pull a shot 3 times, as it wasn't up to par. Haven't had a bad cup yet.

Also, Northwinds, Rainhard, DDC, TDD on tap and good whisky selection!

AugustusRex
Posts: 136
Joined: Mon May 04, 2015 2:13 pm

Post by AugustusRex »

atomeyes wrote:from what i understand:

sourness is from lack of contact time with water and grind i.e. you pour too fast.
bitterness/astringency is from too hot of water
vegetal? no idea
Sourness comes from under-extraction, bitterness from over-extraction. Temperature and time are two variables but there are many.

Surface area (grind size)
Temerature
Pressure
Pouring over vs steeping
Freshness
Brew time

The worst flaw is rancidity and staleness. Thats that body odor smell and oniony taste that most coffee has and turns people off from being regular coffee drinkers. Lemony underextracted coffee is ok by me some of the time, as long as its not too bad. I'd rather go under rather than over.

atomeyes
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Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2011 1:39 pm

Post by atomeyes »

AugustusRex wrote:
atomeyes wrote:from what i understand:

sourness is from lack of contact time with water and grind i.e. you pour too fast.
bitterness/astringency is from too hot of water
vegetal? no idea
Sourness comes from under-extraction, bitterness from over-extraction. Temperature and time are two variables but there are many.

Surface area (grind size)
Temerature
Pressure
Pouring over vs steeping
Freshness
Brew time

The worst flaw is rancidity and staleness. Thats that body odor smell and oniony taste that most coffee has and turns people off from being regular coffee drinkers. Lemony underextracted coffee is ok by me some of the time, as long as its not too bad. I'd rather go under rather than over.
yeah, i learned that with my aeropress. it was coming out quite sour. googled a few different ways to use the aeropress and i'm getting damn good cups of coffee

AugustusRex
Posts: 136
Joined: Mon May 04, 2015 2:13 pm

Post by AugustusRex »

atomeyes wrote:
AugustusRex wrote:
atomeyes wrote:from what i understand:

sourness is from lack of contact time with water and grind i.e. you pour too fast.
bitterness/astringency is from too hot of water
vegetal? no idea
Sourness comes from under-extraction, bitterness from over-extraction. Temperature and time are two variables but there are many.

Surface area (grind size)
Temerature
Pressure
Pouring over vs steeping
Freshness
Brew time

The worst flaw is rancidity and staleness. Thats that body odor smell and oniony taste that most coffee has and turns people off from being regular coffee drinkers. Lemony underextracted coffee is ok by me some of the time, as long as its not too bad. I'd rather go under rather than over.
yeah, i learned that with my aeropress. it was coming out quite sour. googled a few different ways to use the aeropress and i'm getting damn good cups of coffee

I have never used an aeropress before. Do you prefer it over a pourover?

atomeyes
Beer Superstar
Posts: 2153
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2011 1:39 pm

Post by atomeyes »

AugustusRex wrote:
I have never used an aeropress before. Do you prefer it over a pourover?
i think that it partially depends on the bean you're using. what's i've read says that aeropress - due to the fine grind and the pressure used - gives more flavour at the slight sacrifice of body and heat retention. the pressure of the syringe will extract more flavour and move it towards espresso territory.

french press was the old steep method, so i'd put pourover in that territory.

but i've seen some beans that will direct you towards aeropress vs pourover versus syphon.

if you have a bean whose flavour shines, i'd definitely use aeropress. and for $30, which includes 100+ filters, it's not an expensive purchase to make. the trick is figuring out how to best use it. ignore the instructions that come with the aeropress and google ways that champion aeropress baristas (yes, such a thing) use it. when i was doing it the old way, i was getting more sour coffee and less flavour. now, i use the upside-own method and i stir for 10 seconds with 30 ml or so of water in there, then stir while topping up. and i pre-wet the filter.
in all, post-kettle boil, it takes 3 min to make a cup of aeropress coffee.

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