dmiessler.com | grep understanding - Latest Comments in A Coffee Primer

Re: A Coffee Primer

brad — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 08:44:18 -0000

In case you didn't know, I am a big coffee fan. We have a coffee roaster just up the street from my office. I always enjoy walking up there and grabbing some fresh roasted coffee and a cup for the road.

I have recently turned away from Starbucks because of the attitude. I was actually told that I could not have a latte macchiato as they do not exist. I could have a macchiato or a latte, however. Anyway, next time I know that I will see you, I'll grab you a pound of coffee from the roaster here.

Re: A Coffee Primer

Daniel Miessler — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 03:38:01 -0000

Fixed.

Re: A Coffee Primer

Daniel Miessler — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 03:37:51 -0000

Fixed.

Re: A Coffee Primer

Cat — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:38:48 -0000

Is COLOMBIA not COLUMBIA!!

Re: A Coffee Primer

Barista-Norvigia — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:54:16 -0000

Great article! I'm a student in Norway and loooooooooove my coffee (very mutual relationship)! Being able to know a little more about it makes me feel much more "capable" of drinking and brewing my coffee. Cheers mate!

Re: A Coffee Primer

jbenson2 — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:22:59 -0000

I prefer my coffee from the Aerobie Coffee Press.

It is similar to a French Press, but does not use a metal filter which can easily clog.
http://www.aerobie.com/Prod...

Re: A Coffee Primer

Alan Brookland — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:35:58 -0000

Interesting article, but I am having to resist the temptation to add [citation needed] against your claim that the widely accepted best way to brew coffee is a french press! Espresso all the way!

Coffee is also better if it's roasted fairly soon before brewing - say about a day before for espresso. Green beans can be kept for much longer than roasted ones too.

Re: A Coffee Primer

Hugh G. Rection — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:02:34 -0000

>> Brazil is the world’s leading producer of coffee, not Columbia.

I think you mean Colombia.

Re: A Coffee Primer

Daniel Miessler — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:23:11 -0000

Thanks, Dustin. I've updated the piece about the grinders.

Re: A Coffee Primer

Dustin — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:17:28 -0000

Great article Dan. The statement about burr vs. blade grinders was incorrect. The difference between burr grinders and blade grinders in simple terms is that burr grinders are just better than blade grinders; "conical" burr grinders being the best of the bunch with a price tag to match.

Blade grinders are just a spinning blade that creates randomly misshapen bean fragments which can result in a bitter brew. On the other hand burr grinders actually pass the bean through a burr of a thickness you set before grinding according to the desired grind size. I have a $60 burr grinder and my results are close to perfection every time.

Regarding roast types: When something has a distinct flavor or aroma based on origin, it is a "varietal". We know that we cannot brew un-roasted coffee beans but the more you roast the been the less you are tasting its flavor of origin and the more you are simply tasting the roast. Just like bread, the line between a fine slice of sourdough and Wonder bread begins to dim the more you toast them.

Certain coffee applications (like the aforementioned espresso and espresso based drinks) pretty much require the extra sweetness of a dark roast but many people seem to think dark = better for any coffee application. This in my experience is wrong. So the next time you find yourself at your local coffee shop, buy a half pound of a good light roast like the Ethiopian. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Re: A Coffee Primer

icepyro — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:02:56 -0000

The Discovery channel has a show called How Stuff Works (based on the website) which did an episode about coffee. Most of what you just explained was mentioned.
As for the other article asking about brands, my uncle swears by Eight O'clock which he grinds himself and even stores the package in the freezer to help preserve freshness. I must say it's better than most nationally distributed brands, but I personally try to stick to local roasters for even fresher coffee. (The rest of my family somehow manages to get maxwell house black down their throats so they don't count imho). If I get if resh enough and ground it soon enough, it means I can enjoy espresso, altho usually I prefer a cafe breve (cappuccino made with half-n-half instead of milk).

Re: A Coffee Primer

Daniel Miessler — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:54:11 -0000

It might be a while, but I'll get there.

Re: A Coffee Primer

brooksgarrett — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:26:50 -0000

So when can I expect a beer primer?

Re: A Coffee Primer

dylan — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:22:47 -0000

I have to mention my favorite, which is the "black-eyed susie". It involves two shots of espresso poured in a regular cup of coffee. The effects are similar to crystal meth.

Re: A Coffee Primer

Brian — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:33:21 -0000

This is awesome! I love coffee (americano style, with lots of ice) and have grown to appreciate (if one can use that term) stronger brews over the past few years. I used to drink it with lots of cream and sugar and now I couldn't dream of adding anything to a cup of dark roast. You should recommend some gear at Amazon (create a List or whatever using your affiliate code) so us n00bs can get the right stuff. I use a percolator now for regular coffee and I like that method of brewing over the standard 'glass carraffe' style.

Re: A Coffee Primer

Rick — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:15:39 -0000

Ummm, good... I think I'll have a cup right now. Great article.

Re: A Coffee Primer

CarlM — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:57:15 -0000

Daniel, you should go to the roaster in Americus (http://www.cafecampesino.com/).

I went to an open house there where they talked about their process and I was particularly intrigued by the way they do the decaffeination of their de-caf products. It's a cool process and is partially described here: http://www.cafecampesino.co...

Re: A Coffee Primer

Maxo — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:52:15 -0000

http://www.sciencefriday.co...
You should listen to the above show on Science Friday about shade grown coffee. It is very interesting. i haven't listened to the following ones, but they are also Science Friday shows where coffee is discussed:
http://www.sciencefriday.co...
http://www.sciencefriday.co...