ABV Coffee

[herbgirl]

Brother, behold the Chef's Choice Smart Kettle

http://www.amazon.com/Choice-SmartKettle-Cordless-4-Quart-Electric/dp/B001I1BH98

*angels singing*

through my magic powers (and the infamous Bed Bath & Beyond 20% off coupon) i did not pay nearly that much for it, but honestly, i would have seeing how solid this thing is.

it is a TANK, far surpassing the others i've owned. It has been knocked off the refrigerator fill door at lease seven times (i mean full of water crashing to the floor) in the few months since i've had it. so it's got a learning curve. and i'm clumsy and have a tiny kitchen. poor thing is lookin' rough. ANYWAY...
it is missing it's lid, the handle has cracked, but is still hold-able and still heats just like it is supposed to.

i highly recommend it, especially if you do french press, which is optimal at 208 F. there IS a difference.

We don't do soda or juices as a rule in the house so it's black, white, green or herbal teas and coffee usually if it's not water.

I buy quality loose teas and put them in a brewer thingie called a ingenuitea.

http://www.adagio.com/teaware/iced_ingenuiTEA_teapot.html?SID=4ca2828376fb73260bdf84297fab9cea

i also get my teas at adagio because they have nice stuff and a good rewards program (anybody who wants to order, msg me - i've got a referral code with a $5 coupon)

loose teas are more expensive at the outset, but the beauty of full leaf is that you can rebrew it at a higher temperature. and you don't get a weak, bitter, insipid cup of 'skim flavored water' like DH says, like you would with a tea bag - essentially shake - you truly get a different flavor profile from each steep.
I take it to the obsession level by pairing varietal honeys, agave nectar and other sweeteners with each tea. i.e. blueberry honey with iced peach white tea (180F 3 minutes) or what i did this AM - mango black (208F 5 minutes) with pineapple infused turbinado sugar. the teas really need very little sweetening, more of a complementary thing. then tonight, i'll brew that same black tea (left in the brewer for no more than 8 hours) with dinner at 212F for 8 minutes and have a whole new pitcher. some green teas can be steeped 6 or 7 times so it's very economical in the long run.

I figure if i go to the lengths to grind my own beans and do french press and also whole leaf teas with the brewing method i used, i should at least be doing it at the right temperature.

 

[Brother Brigham]

Thanks Herbgirl, I really like your style. I think I may have a cyber crush on you and your avatar.

Thanks Everyone, this forum is mighty and strong...the only true forum upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, your prophet, am well pleased.

For some very odd reason, the first thing that popped into my mind when I read this was......Gaius Baltar.

Yea, my guy was like that too...http://lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/1.30a?lang=eng#29

 

[Toon]

As a coffee (and tea) lover I have to try this sometime, great post.

 

[lwien]

Damnit. The LAST thing I need is another gadget, but all this talk about adjustable temp electric kettles has finally got to me. Thinking seriously about this one: http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CPK...1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1298840840&sr=1-1 . Has LOTS of positive reviews.

Ok, let's talk about grinders for a bit. I've been using a FP for years, but have been using a whilry blade grinder for awhile now, but I keep hearing that a burr grinder would really be better due to the consistent grind that it produces, but here's my thoughts.

While a blade grinder will give a inconsistent grind, it is VERY easy to clean. A burr grinder, while giving a more consistent grind, will invariably leave some ground coffee in the burrs and the chute. Ground coffee goes stale in a very short period of time, so I would think that with a burr grinder, you would be getting this stale ground up coffee mixed in with your fresh grind and if that's the case, wouldn't this kind of negate the advantages of using a burr grinder?

 

[herbgirl]

a variable temp kettle will find many uses. you won't be sorry.

the advantage to the burr types is that much less heat is created to spoil the flavor of the coffee.

the grinder i link below is a conical burr grinder and fairly easy to clean. the center cone lifts out and it is pretty easy to just smack/brush the particles out. you can also grind plain white rice - not instant - in it to clean it out. i do not use flavored coffees, but i assume that the flavors may be difficult to remove.

i actually don't clean it out all that often - maybe weekly - tastes fine to us. way better than auto drip


i own this one so i'm biased. has a variable grind size adjustment and it gets coffee coarse enough for the french press (too fine and it will clog the screen). i like it a lot. it is one of the cheaper burr grinders on the market, but it is not a plate burr grinder. chances are if it's under $40, it's a plate model - does the same thing but it's tougher to clean i think.

http://www.amazon.com/Capresso-560-01-Infinity-Grinder-Black/dp/B0000AR7SY

i am NOT into uni-taskers or gadgets, but this thing rocks. i think i would just about cry if it broke.

once again, i can thank the Bed Bath & Beyond 20% off coupons for making this purchase possible

 

[lwien]

I'm thinking about getting this one >> http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Bistro-...95WW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298909813&sr=8-1
Check out those crazy colors.

 

[herbgirl]

lwien, that looks nice.
and i admit, although breakable, the glass container is a good idea.

 

[lwien]

Ok, herbgirl. You did it to me. I got that kettle in the link above as well as that grinder.

First thing, I only use a French Press. I tried out the burr grinder rather than the blade grinder that I've been using for years and used my typical way of heating water with a pan on the stove. What a difference. I knew that you could get more of a consistent grind with a burr grinder but I had no idea on the impact that it would have on the coffee. Tasted a WHOLE bunch richer.

Then I put the electric kettle to use an heated up the water to 200F for the coffee. Whatever bitterness there was before was completely gone. I'm now in coffee heaven.

Now onto the teas, and prior to this, I only drank a cup of tea about once a month. I never liked green tea because it always tasted bitter, that is until I used this kettle and had it set at 175F. Now THAT'S what green tea is all about. Bitterness................gone.

I had absolutly no idea how water temp can affect the taste of teas and coffee.

Then I went out and got some Chai Tea. Then I went out and got this...... http://www.amazon.com/Aerolatte-004...ZUNA/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1300062584&sr=8-7
check out the vid when you scroll down a bit.

Chai Latte........... !!

Now I'm banging down a few cups of coffee in the morning, a Chai latte in the afternoon and some green tea a bit later.

So now I have you to thank for turning me into a caffeine junkie........ along with going way over my monthly budget to buy all this stuff. But man...........what fun and worth every penny. Really enjoying it.

Edit: Weird thing about green tea. Even though it has caffeine, it's super relaxing.

 

[hereatlast]

Nice set-up. I love all sorts of Bodum glass (got 2 beer glasses, a nice big water glass, 2 coffee cups). I know its not exactly the grinder you have above but I also keep my ground coffee in a large Bodum jar (seems to be the same design as the one on the grinder). Those setups posted above have me thinking about another investment...I don't think I could ever go back to drip since using a French Press...I also keep ground coffee for longer than I should but the airtight jar is extremely helpful.

 

[lwien]

^^ Ya know what else I've heard that gives a French Press a run for it's money?

This >>>> http://aerobie.com/products/aeropress.htm

 

[hereatlast]

Wow that does look interesting...paired with one of them high power electric kettles and I'm sure that would be one of the quickest cups of coffee possible.

I do see some sediment in my coffee (a very noticeable amount collects on the bottom) from the french-press but I haven't seemed to mind. Maybe thats part of my preferring a stronger cup of coffee now. In either case, I'll keep that aerobie in mind too now lol.

 

[lwien]

Yeah, if you're using a blade grinder, there's really not much you can do with that sediment. With a burr grinder, you can eliminate most of it though. Not all, but most.

 

[Gunky]

Darn you, Lwien! I think I have to get that kettle now. I'm very into tea.

 

[lwien]

Darn you, Lwien! I think I have to get that kettle now. I'm very into tea.

Blame it on herbgirl. It's all her fault.

 

[herbgirl]

sorry guys.

lwein, when you do go to teas, try Adagio teas, i can pass you a coupon and they have a good points program. and that have that fancy schmancy brewer.

we experienced some serious overload at first, but now it's back down to a large mug of coffee (h&h & sugar) in the am and green or black tea throughout the day.

at least it ain't soda.

and yes, green tea has a lil caffiene, but also some relaxing substance that seems to cancel it out. very chill.

 

[lwien]

lwein, when you do go to teas, try Adagio teas, i can pass you a coupon and they have a good points program. and that have that fancy schmancy brewer.

This place is within walking distance from me: http://www.myteastyle.com/

Do ya think that Adagio would be better?

Got one of these for brewing tea: http://www.swissgold.com/e/t_produkt03.php

 

[herbgirl]

if you have a real tea shop, by all means try the local place first always - unfortunately, all the tea shops around me are really coffee shops that sell stale tea. even though i'm in a major metro area.

my first experiences with loose leaf tea were lackluster until i found a better source, you may have a diamond in the rough there though. There are tons of vendors, i just happen to like adagio, their selection is good, they always have fresh product (old greens are often bitter as are the more sencha (they look like blades of grass to me) types from Japan - you may also have had a green like that) and ship very quickly.

 

[lwien]

Got enough tea bags to last me a month. Wanna go through those first before I try this tea shop.

Thanks for the coupon offer though. Might take ya up on it.

 

[misswhisp]

I'm a barista by trade, so I'm keen to try to adapt this concept to espresso brew methods, rather than the french press.
I had a go the other day, just roughly, by sinking the honeyed-up fb stem into my milk for texturing, which did impart that nice nutty taste but didn't seem to have much effect. Not really scientific though, as I was already rather lit up. It did occur to me that my 60c. milk might not be hot enough to activate what is in the stem.

So tomorrow morning I will add a keif layer to my ground coffee in the portafilter and brew as normal. My machine is a manual pull lever style (la pavoni) so I can draw it slower and hopefully give it a real chance to develop. Latte with real buzz, hopefully.

For science, gentlemen.

 

[djonkoman]

lwien, you seem to know your tea... do you by any chance know a strongtasting tea?
I never liked tea because it tastes too weak(one time when there was no coffee available only tea, I tryed it again and only taking the teabag in my mouth and sucking on it directly got me something that resembled the strength coffee has, but the tea itself was still too weak even while I had the bag in extra long)
I also drink my coffe black since I find coffee with milk also way too weak(or there has to be a load of sugar in it, but then it can't realy be called coffee anymore), but if there is strong tasting tea in existance, I would like to give tea another chance

 

[lwien]

Naw..........I'm still a tea newb. I know my coffee, but just started getting into tea. Herbgirl would be the one to ask here.

 

[GreenLeaf]

I'll have to try your coffee recipe sometime.

 

[misswhisp]

kief in the ground coffee, through an espresso machine = success. 1/3 of a gram yielded good pain relief. Tomroo I try out just abv.

 

[Brother Brigham]

Great, thanks for the updates! I have been quietly jealous of everyone's new gadgets...I have some further conversion before I can have a really good cup O'Jo I believe.
Thanks for everyone's input, especially Herbgirl, and Lwien, and misswhisp for further experimentation. I am curious what amount of ABV it takes most people, I am admittedly a lightweight.

 

[lwien]

I haven't tried the ABV in the coffee yet, but will soon. Just got my AeroPress yesterday and tried it out this morning. Wow. What a great tasting cup of coffee. Nice change-up from the French Press. Less acidic but REALLY tasty. Highly recommended.