Jim_F
Screenwriter
- Joined
- May 15, 2000
- Messages
- 1,077
There are a lot of tangents between the existing coffee threads, so I thought I'd try this instead of starting just a home roasting thread.
I've looked at alt.coffee, but it seems like almost all discussions go better among this group than in that jungle which is Usenet.
My gadget addiction has merged with my caffeine addiction to form a superaddiction of sorts. I'm progressing through grinders, roasters and coffeemakers to feed my habits. In an alarmingly short time, I've gone from canned coffee and an automatic drip machine to a delightful array of toys to produce a decadent brew.
My present armamentum:
Roasters:
Zach & Dani's roaster for small batches. It's nice in that it doesn't produce much smoke, so I can use it under the range hood without even opening a window.
Gene Cafe roaster for larger batches and when I can manage a bit more smoke. It's faster and more adjustable than the Z&D. I just got it and I'm really early in the learning curve.
My roasts are slowly improving. The freshness of home roasting is nice, the control over numerous variables is cool, but mostly it's just fun.
Grinder:
Refurb Solis Maestro Plus. It does a good job for my occasional serving of drip coffee, and to grind beans for my fix at work. Awfully messy though, due to a lot of static.
Coffeemaker:
(drumroll) Jura-Capresso S7 Avantgarde superautomatic. OK, now I've gone too far, but sometimes I just have to treat myself to a small taste of how the other half lives. It took a 20% Bed Bath and Beyond coupon and all of my Discover points to bring the price down to "insane", but I really like this contraption.
Beans:
I'm feeling my way on blending beans. I haven't yet hit on a blend to rival Intelligentsia Black Cat (or a fresh bag Starbucks House Blend for that matter) My base beans have usually been Columbia Huila Especial and Sumatra Mandheling. I'm developing a taste for the fine Arabicas, but wouldn't mind keeping a little bit of the bite of cheaper coffees, so I'm starting to mix in some Robusta beans.
So, how about it? Do we have enough caffeine freaks to support a thread about roasting, grinding and preparing coffee at the next level?
I've looked at alt.coffee, but it seems like almost all discussions go better among this group than in that jungle which is Usenet.
My gadget addiction has merged with my caffeine addiction to form a superaddiction of sorts. I'm progressing through grinders, roasters and coffeemakers to feed my habits. In an alarmingly short time, I've gone from canned coffee and an automatic drip machine to a delightful array of toys to produce a decadent brew.
My present armamentum:
Roasters:
Zach & Dani's roaster for small batches. It's nice in that it doesn't produce much smoke, so I can use it under the range hood without even opening a window.
Gene Cafe roaster for larger batches and when I can manage a bit more smoke. It's faster and more adjustable than the Z&D. I just got it and I'm really early in the learning curve.
My roasts are slowly improving. The freshness of home roasting is nice, the control over numerous variables is cool, but mostly it's just fun.
Grinder:
Refurb Solis Maestro Plus. It does a good job for my occasional serving of drip coffee, and to grind beans for my fix at work. Awfully messy though, due to a lot of static.
Coffeemaker:
(drumroll) Jura-Capresso S7 Avantgarde superautomatic. OK, now I've gone too far, but sometimes I just have to treat myself to a small taste of how the other half lives. It took a 20% Bed Bath and Beyond coupon and all of my Discover points to bring the price down to "insane", but I really like this contraption.
Beans:
I'm feeling my way on blending beans. I haven't yet hit on a blend to rival Intelligentsia Black Cat (or a fresh bag Starbucks House Blend for that matter) My base beans have usually been Columbia Huila Especial and Sumatra Mandheling. I'm developing a taste for the fine Arabicas, but wouldn't mind keeping a little bit of the bite of cheaper coffees, so I'm starting to mix in some Robusta beans.
So, how about it? Do we have enough caffeine freaks to support a thread about roasting, grinding and preparing coffee at the next level?