Monofletch
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booooooooooooooooo!
-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Coffee
- Thread starter Monofletch
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Monofletch
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I'm excited about getting this Dayhiker.....
Been roasting. I know it's a shitty little Gerber Mini-Paraframe but for it's primary tasks of opening plastic bags, cutting tape and sharpening pencils, it does the job. I can also loan it to co-workers and not have to give a damn if it breaks. On another note the two coffees were micro-lots from the Narino region in Colombia. These were vibrant, juicy coffees with lovely honeyed sweetness and lots of red fruit and a pleasant crisp apple acidity. Wonderful new crop Colombians.
Monofletch
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I'm digging that dayhiker! I just picked up this modified Element off the forum.
It comes tomorrow!
Post some better pics of that sweet thing when it arrives.
Monofletch
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I bet that is perfect in the kitchen
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How the heck did I miss this thread?!?!?! 
Wow... :foot: (sub'd)
So yeah. I've been roasting my own coffee at home for only, oh, just about 12 years now.
Who else here does that besides UffDa? I'll have to browse the thread now to see who else does, so I can root out the true coffeegeeks here. 
j/k, not really. Well, sorta. 
I roast with a hot-rodded original West Bend Poppery I. I have the fan and heater circuits split for greater control during the roast. The fan voltage is variably-controlled through a ceiling fan rheostat, and can be boosted up to about 15v (and bucked more than 40v if so desired) so I can roast a larger batch up to 1/2 pound of green coffee at a time. I typically roast between 2/3 to 1.5 pounds a week (batches of either 1/3 or 1/2 pound) to use between different brewing methods. If you've ever googled West Bend Poppery mods on Coffeegeek, you've likely run across a few of my technical posts there.
Here is an old picture (2006ish) of some of my "heavy-duty" roasters. Poppery I's and Wear-Ever Gen. 1 Popcorn Pumpers that have the same internals as the WBP I's. I've since given away two of the Poppery I's (to my Dad and Father-in-law), and obtained 3 more. They can still be had for $30-$40 shipped through ebay if you look hard and are quick on the trigger, but two of my recent finds were at thrift stores for under $10, so they're still out there. What's more amazing is that I'm still using my FIRST Poppery!!! Even with the fan voltage boosted, it's still plugging along after roasting hundreds of pounds. I checked the motor brushes last year, and they looked to only be about half worn out compared to new ones! :thumbup:
I do drip brew with a Technivorm "MoccaMaster" (using a SwissGold filter sometimes), and espresso/cappuccino with a Gen. 1 Rancilio Silvia that I PID'd what seems like forever ago. I was an early adopter of the bottomless portafilter, and love using it to this day! I also use various French presses, an Aeropress (and Able SS disk filter), Clever Coffee Dripper, many different filtercones, moka pot, Chemex, and even an old percolator sometimes. I take along my Aeropress, CCD, and a Hario Skerton when I travel, and either bring my own coffee or get some from good local roasters. My current grinder is a Baratza Virtuoso that I purchased within the last year when the motor in my 11 year old Solis Maestro Plus finally gave up the ghost.
A note on grinders - I disagree with a LOT of the common advice given about grinders to spend more on your grinder than your machine, based on personal experience. IMO, the Baratza grinders are excellent in that you can use them equally well across the grind range from espresso to press pot grind. Most naysayers have no experience with them, and feel the need to justify their $1k Mazzers. I've run my old home setup (Solis Maestro+ / PID Silvia) side-by-side with a top-of-the-line shop setup (Super Jolly / 3-group LM) at a local geek shop meet before, and even the shop owner was amazed how well it performed! Only the most seasoned 'geeks at the meet could consistently pick out the difference between my setup and the shop's. The lines got even muddier when we swapped grinders. The real proof in the pudding was using both grinders and pulling simultaneous shots on the LM, and then trying to tell the difference between the two. Only one person at the meet could do so consistently, and he happened to be a professional sommelier with many years of experience educating his palate.
Anyway, enough rambling.
Hello from a fellow coffeegeek!
Wow... :foot: (sub'd)So yeah. I've been roasting my own coffee at home for only, oh, just about 12 years now.
Who else here does that besides UffDa? I'll have to browse the thread now to see who else does, so I can root out the true coffeegeeks here. j/k, not really. Well, sorta. I roast with a hot-rodded original West Bend Poppery I. I have the fan and heater circuits split for greater control during the roast. The fan voltage is variably-controlled through a ceiling fan rheostat, and can be boosted up to about 15v (and bucked more than 40v if so desired) so I can roast a larger batch up to 1/2 pound of green coffee at a time. I typically roast between 2/3 to 1.5 pounds a week (batches of either 1/3 or 1/2 pound) to use between different brewing methods. If you've ever googled West Bend Poppery mods on Coffeegeek, you've likely run across a few of my technical posts there.
Here is an old picture (2006ish) of some of my "heavy-duty" roasters. Poppery I's and Wear-Ever Gen. 1 Popcorn Pumpers that have the same internals as the WBP I's. I've since given away two of the Poppery I's (to my Dad and Father-in-law), and obtained 3 more.
They can still be had for $30-$40 shipped through ebay if you look hard and are quick on the trigger, but two of my recent finds were at thrift stores for under $10, so they're still out there. What's more amazing is that I'm still using my FIRST Poppery!!! Even with the fan voltage boosted, it's still plugging along after roasting hundreds of pounds. I checked the motor brushes last year, and they looked to only be about half worn out compared to new ones! :thumbup:
I do drip brew with a Technivorm "MoccaMaster" (using a SwissGold filter sometimes), and espresso/cappuccino with a Gen. 1 Rancilio Silvia that I PID'd what seems like forever ago. I was an early adopter of the bottomless portafilter, and love using it to this day! I also use various French presses, an Aeropress (and Able SS disk filter), Clever Coffee Dripper, many different filtercones, moka pot, Chemex, and even an old percolator sometimes. I take along my Aeropress, CCD, and a Hario Skerton when I travel, and either bring my own coffee or get some from good local roasters. My current grinder is a Baratza Virtuoso that I purchased within the last year when the motor in my 11 year old Solis Maestro Plus finally gave up the ghost.
A note on grinders - I disagree with a LOT of the common advice given about grinders to spend more on your grinder than your machine, based on personal experience. IMO, the Baratza grinders are excellent in that you can use them equally well across the grind range from espresso to press pot grind. Most naysayers have no experience with them, and feel the need to justify their $1k Mazzers.
I've run my old home setup (Solis Maestro+ / PID Silvia) side-by-side with a top-of-the-line shop setup (Super Jolly / 3-group LM) at a local geek shop meet before, and even the shop owner was amazed how well it performed! Only the most seasoned 'geeks at the meet could consistently pick out the difference between my setup and the shop's. The lines got even muddier when we swapped grinders. The real proof in the pudding was using both grinders and pulling simultaneous shots on the LM, and then trying to tell the difference between the two. Only one person at the meet could do so consistently, and he happened to be a professional sommelier with many years of experience educating his palate.Anyway, enough rambling.
Hello from a fellow coffeegeek!
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Mmmm. I'll drink to that!
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Awesome, SpyderPhreak is here! Your thread about coffee got me into the specialty coffee world.
Cheers!
Verve Nitro Brew on Tap.
Cheers!
Verve Nitro Brew on Tap.
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Awesome, SpyderPhreak is here! Your thread about coffee got me into the specialty coffee world.
Cheers!
Verve Nitro Brew on Tap.
D'oh! I had forgotten about that thread.
Glad to see I made another convert! Coffee. My whole world relies on coffee.
Lots of good info and links there, definitely worth a browse for those who haven't seen it.
I'll be roasting a 1/2 pound batch of "Ethiopiques" espresso tonight for use this weekend.
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And here's a quote from the other thread showing my roasting setup.
A batch of my homeroast from earlier this week. This one was a Kenyan. Also roasted an excellent Ethiopian espresso blend.
I typically roast 2/3 to 1 pound per week. This is my roasting setup, which has been in use for about 9 or 10 years. It is a hopped-up, late 70's vintage West Bend Poppery I. I split the fan and heat; I have a boost transformer along with a fan speed control to regulate the amount of air in the roaster. This allows me to boost the power to the fan by about 15 volts AC, and as the coffee dries out and loses weight during the roast, I can turn the fan down to keep from blowing the beans out of the chimney. With this setup, I can roast up to 1/2 pound at a time, but I've found that 2 1/3 pound batches per week is just about perfect for us (1/3 pound for drip, 1/3 for espresso/cappucino). The chimney is two vegetable cans which I have attached together by sliding them over each other and then poking some smalls holes in them to act kinda like rivets. I have a regular thermometer on one side that I typically use, and a thermocouple on the other side that I can use with my Fluke multimeter to keep a closer eye on things if necessary (and to check the accuracy of the other thermometer every so often). I can roast with this setup throughout the year here in CO, and I've done it in tempeatures down into single digits below zero in past winters without adding more than about 2-3 minutes to the overall roast time, which is typically about 9-10 minutes.
It's a very versatile setup, and I've seen no reason to "upgrade" to a commercial unit. Many of the smaller commercial units over the past 10 years either don't work as well as this setup, or don't last nearly as long (this is from direct experience by friends/family). I checked the brushes on the motor in the Poppery about a year ago, and they're only about 1/2 worn out, so I fully expect this thing to go for a LOT longer. Just in case, I've got 4 others in a box on standby.
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One thing I haven't really gotten into yet is cold brew. I just don't care much for it, and it doesn't really fit into our normal routine. Sometimes in the summertime I desire an iced coffee, but I'd still rather brew it fresh when the odd occasion arises.
I did have a drink at Chromatic Coffee in San Jose last summer that was pretty killer. In essence, it was an iced coconut mocha. Except they used real coconut milk and a high-quality Ghirardelli chocolate to make the drink. I don't usually like flavored coffee drinks like that, but it was pretty outstanding! :thumbup:
I did have a drink at Chromatic Coffee in San Jose last summer that was pretty killer. In essence, it was an iced coconut mocha. Except they used real coconut milk and a high-quality Ghirardelli chocolate to make the drink. I don't usually like flavored coffee drinks like that, but it was pretty outstanding!
:thumbup:
Monofletch
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Great, another coffee snob in the thread....... :thumbup:
Welcome aboard! No worries --I have waved your entrance fee. Now we shall all bow down to the MASTER.
Welcome aboard! No worries --I have waved your entrance fee. Now we shall all bow down to the MASTER.
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Klatch Coffee won Coffee Reviews best of 2014 and the highest rating of 97 with their Panamanian Geisha.
Panama Camilina Natural Geisha,
REGION: Chirique
VARIETAL: Geisha
FARM: Finca La Aurora
ALTITUDE: 1675 - 1715 M
FARMER: Roberto Brenes
ROAST: Medium
NOTES: Natural Process
Kizer/Ray Laconico Gemini.
Panama Camilina Natural Geisha,
REGION: Chirique
VARIETAL: Geisha
FARM: Finca La Aurora
ALTITUDE: 1675 - 1715 M
FARMER: Roberto Brenes
ROAST: Medium
NOTES: Natural Process
Kizer/Ray Laconico Gemini.
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Klatch Coffee, Panama Camilina Natural Geisha
Verve Coffee
Verve Coffee
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Great, another coffee snob in the thread....... :thumbup:
Welcome aboard! No worries --I have waved your entrance fee. Now we shall all bow down to the MASTER.
Thanks for waiving the fee, I'm flat broke right now. :thumbup:
-----------
Two years ago, I said:
Forget JBM or Kona, they're way overpriced. :grumpy:
Anybody here ever had any (or heard) of the Gesha cultivars? These are some of the best and most flavorful coffees in the world!!! The lots from Hacienda Esmeralda in Panama are to die for!!!
And now...
Klatch Coffee won Coffee Reviews best of 2014 and the highest rating of 97 with their Panamanian Geisha.
Panama Camilina Natural Geisha,
REGION: Chirique
VARIETAL: Geisha
FARM: Finca La Aurora
ALTITUDE: 1675 - 1715 M
FARMER: Roberto Brenes
ROAST: Medium
NOTES: Natural Process
Kizer/Ray Laconico Gemini.
(Sidenote - GESHA, not Geisha.
Why is it some of these people just can't get it through their thick skulls??? LMAO! )Klatch Coffee, Panama Camilina Natural Geisha
Verve Coffee
The Gesha cultivar continues to win competitions and rank some of the highest scores in reviews. No surprise, really (for those who've tried them). Unfortunately, this continues to drive the prices higher. :grumpy: Fortunately, more and more estates are growing the Gesha cultivar, leading to greater availability and eventually lower overall prices. :thumbup: I've had a Guatemalan and a Costa Rican Gesha that I almost think I like more than the Panama La Esmeralda I've had in the past. For a LOT cheaper too!
The Gesha cultivar definitely tends to be fruity, so they're not for everybody. But the aroma released when doing a pourover on a properly roasted Gesha is unlke anything else you've ever smelled. Almost like sex for your nose!
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Both versions of Geisha and Gesha have become excepted.
From PT's Coffee website,
"Gesha vs Geisha
The "Geisha" (or Gesha) is a rare coffee tree variety that is believed to have originated in the town of Gesha, Ethiopia. The flavor of coffee that this tree produces is considered by many (including me) to be some of the best in the world. However, the spelling of the variety has left some with confusion.
Since the variety originated from the town of Gesha in Ethiopia, some producers of the rare variety prefer to spell it in this manner. Others producers, primarily in Panama, have adopted a slight variation on the spelling - "Geisha," which has been widely accepted as correct. So, at PT's Coffee, instead of taking a stand on the "correct" spelling, we are doing what we often do, look to the producers of the coffee for their opinion. You will notice each bag in this box is spelled differently. We spelled the coffee the way the producers have chosen to spell it. Both are commonly accepted and, since spelling in Ethiopia is phonetic, either one could be accepted as correct."
Even Klatch spells it Geisha.
From PT's Coffee website,
"Gesha vs Geisha
The "Geisha" (or Gesha) is a rare coffee tree variety that is believed to have originated in the town of Gesha, Ethiopia. The flavor of coffee that this tree produces is considered by many (including me) to be some of the best in the world. However, the spelling of the variety has left some with confusion.
Since the variety originated from the town of Gesha in Ethiopia, some producers of the rare variety prefer to spell it in this manner. Others producers, primarily in Panama, have adopted a slight variation on the spelling - "Geisha," which has been widely accepted as correct. So, at PT's Coffee, instead of taking a stand on the "correct" spelling, we are doing what we often do, look to the producers of the coffee for their opinion. You will notice each bag in this box is spelled differently. We spelled the coffee the way the producers have chosen to spell it. Both are commonly accepted and, since spelling in Ethiopia is phonetic, either one could be accepted as correct."
Even Klatch spells it Geisha.
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:rant mode on:
Yeah, I know. But I'm a purist... The Gesha cultivar came from Gesha, Ethiopia and therefore should always be spelled "Gesha". Just because the insolent idiots of the world can't spell, doesn't mean society should accept an alternate (incorrect) spelling to make them feel better about themselves. Not that it hasn't happened before.
:rant mode off:
:foot:
It's just a small pet peeve of mine.
Yeah, I know. But I'm a purist...
The Gesha cultivar came from Gesha, Ethiopia and therefore should always be spelled "Gesha". Just because the insolent idiots of the world can't spell, doesn't mean society should accept an alternate (incorrect) spelling to make them feel better about themselves. Not that it hasn't happened before.:rant mode off:
:foot:
It's just a small pet peeve of mine.
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