Coffee

Cold brew is huge out here. Starbucks evens sells it with an upcharge.

I am not a fan of the Toddy method of cold brew as it tastes to me overextracted but it is really easy to make. Example: Toddy, French press.
What has been popular here is the Slow Drip method where individual drops of water fall on top of a bed of coffee grounds. Ex: Yama rack, Cold Bruer.

Adding Nitrogen to the Cold brew method has brought the extra bonus of taste and mouthfeel. The next step has been having Nitro Cold brew on Tap which makes for an even better experience as visual, mouthfeel, and taste improve. Ex: No milk or sugar was added to this cold brew pressurized with nitrogen which pours somewhat creamy and sweet. Straight from the tap it looks like a Guniness,


La Colombe is adding nitrogen to their draft lattes which incorporates milk right into the pressurized mix making a thicker and sweeter drink.

I take my Cold brew straight but out of curiosity I had to try Blue Bottles New Orleans style iced coffee which has chicory, cane sugar, clover, and whole milk.
 
Travel Channels, "Dangerous Grounds," with Todd Carmichael is back on Mondays.

Season 3 schedule:

Dr. Carmichael, I Presume? Sep. 5, 2015
Big in Japan, Sep. 14, 2015
Havana Nights, Sep. 21, 2015
American in Paris, Sep. 28, 2015
Turkish Delight, Oct. 12, 2015
Iceland's Strange Brew, Oct. 19, 2015
Jamaica Me Coffee, Oct. 26, 2015
A Man, a Plan... Panama, Nov. 2, 2015.
 
Some of my fellow coffeegeeks at NASA Ames have gotten into coldbrew, and I tried several variations when I was out there earlier this year in April. It just doesn't do it for me in general. Not bad for making iced drinks, however.

Now this Nitro thing is news to me. That could change my opinion of coldbrew. I can imagine it now... A Nitro-charged kegerator with Guinness from one tap, and cold brew coffee from the other. :cool: :thumbup: MY IDEA!!! Patent Pending!!! You heard it here FIRST!!! :D :p
 
Coffee buyer/importer here. It's a discussion that pops up fairly often. After speaking to many behind the scenes including agronomists, botanists, farmers and producers this is my take:

Gesha - Heirloom varietal, native to Gesha in Ethiopia.

Geisha - Gesha hybrid - bred to acclimatize to Central and South America.

Genetically these are not the same plants. Both very delicious coffees however.

SpyderPhreak said:
:rant mode on:

Yeah, I know. But I'm a purist... ;) :rolleyes: 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. :eek: Not that it hasn't happened before.

:rant mode off:

:foot: :p

It's just a small pet peeve of mine. :o
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wukiwu said:
Coffee buyer/importer here. It's a discussion that pops up fairly often. After speaking to many behind the scenes including agronomists, botanists, farmers and producers this is my take:

Gesha - Heirloom varietal, native to Gesha in Ethiopia.

Geisha - Gesha hybrid - bred to acclimatize to Central and South America.

Genetically these are not the same plants. Both very delicious coffees however.
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Interesting... I'll have to keep my eyes open and see if I notice that trend. Thanks for the heads-up.
 
I've been reading back through this thread some, since I feel like garbage and can't sleep. Noticed this:

cchu518 said:
PS I had to be in San Jose, Ca. for a client. I tried Crema Roasting Company Coffee and Espresso. I wasn't blown away by it. The espresso was entirely too acidic and fruity, and the coffee roasted a way too dark for any flavors to come out. It seemed like a popular coffee joint. Their Madeleines on the other hand were heavenly! Like a cross between a corn cake and a pound cake. It just need a splash of lemon zest and it would have been the perfect accompaniment to a cup of joe! That said the weather out in Ca is just ridiculous. The produce, (salads for example) are the best in the country bar none. Had dinner at Land & Compass and the food and after dinner coffee were all spectacular.
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I've spent a LOT of time in that area over the past 10 years doing work at NASA (on the order of 2 years total over the 10). :eek: So you know I've sniffed out the best joints in the area (short of my fellow coffeegeeks at NASA who also homeroast). ;)

If you get back into the area, do yourself a favor and try out Chromatic Coffee (previously Barefoot Coffee Roasters, sorta). It's my favorite shop in the San Jose area. Their espresso bends are pretty good, but they usually also have a SO on tap as well. My S.O.P. is to get a double shot of whatever SO they have at the time, along with a breve Macchiato of whatever current blend they're pulling (breve, in this case, meaning made with half and half instead of milk).

Honorable mention goes to relative newcomer Bellano Coffee (and sister store B2). They don't roast their own stuff, but use some great coffees.

A new place that popped up at several locations recently in the SJ area is Philz coffee (started in SF). "One cup at a time" is their motto. They specilaize in single-cup pourover brews, and roast some of their own beans. When I was there in April, they had replaced their usual high-end JBM with a Panama Gesha. $18 a cup... :eek: But it was wonderful, and for I wasn't paying for my own food. :D

Also of note, the Whole Foods grocery stores in the South Bay are known to have a pretty good selection of fresh, artisan-roasted coffees. Some local, some other good ones too (Chromatic, Blue Bottle, Verve, Ritual, 4-Barrel, Sightglass, etc.).

ETA - Forgot to mention Philz...
 
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First cup of coffee for the day. It's a Honduras, roasted to City+. Lots of strawberry in this one at the lighter roast. Brewed through the Technivorm with the Swissgold filter. Smooooooth. :D



Knife is a RichardJ neck knife blank that I blued and dressed with Hawaiian Koa scales. :cool: And yes, the ~20 degree convex chisel-ground edge IS mirror-polished. :D

ETA: Mug is 8 oz. Bodum Borosilicate double-walled.
 
Seems I'm talking to myself in here today, lol. :p

Afternoon cappuccino. Sweet Maria's "New Classic" espresso blend. Roasted about 15 seconds into second crack. Yum!!!



My latte art didn't turn out so great on this one. :rolleyes: It IS only a 4oz cup though.



Spyderco Fluted Ti Military, model #C36Tifp. :cool:
 
I had the pleasure of tasting two of the Best of Panama placing coffees today. The Elida Geisha Washed and the Altieri Geisha Reserva Washed. Was too absorbed to take photos unfortunately but the coffee was delicious! Jasmine florals, chocolate, honeyed sweetness, mandarin, sweet blood orange. Clean and sweet, both very elegant coffees.

The Elida Geisha scored 91.82 and auctioned at USD$55.10 per/lb for 100lbs. The Altieri Geisha Reserva scored 91.61 and auctioned at USD$64.50 per/lb for 150lbs.
 
No worries.

Today, a Costa Rican Tarrazú at Full City roast. One of my favorites.





First production 717/1000 Neil Blackwood Benchmade 630 Skirmish. :cool:
 
SpyderPhreak said:
Seems I'm talking to myself in here today, lol. [emoji14]

Afternoon cappuccino. Sweet Maria's "New Classic" espresso blend. Roasted about 15 seconds into second crack. Yum!!!



My latte art didn't turn out so great on this one. :rolleyes: It IS only a 4oz cup though.



Spyderco Fluted Ti Military, model #C36Tifp. :cool:
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The photos are great! Just didn't have anything I Teresa ingrown Contribute today. Spent most of today mulching and planting fall flowers.
 
wukiwu said:
I had the pleasure of tasting two of the Best of Panama placing coffees today. The Elida Geisha Washed and the Altieri Geisha Reserva Washed. Was too absorbed to take photos unfortunately but the coffee was delicious! Jasmine florals, chocolate, honeyed sweetness, mandarin, sweet blood orange. Clean and sweet, both very elegant coffees.

The Elida Geisha scored 91.82 and auctioned at USD$55.10 per/lb for 100lbs. The Altieri Geisha Reserva scored 91.61 and auctioned at USD$64.50 per/lb for 150lbs.
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SUPER JEALOUS!!! :cool: :D :p Can't wait till the Panama Gesha prices start to come down more. They're not as high as a few years ago, but IMO they're still 3x-4x what they should be. Supply and demand though. :rolleyes:

cchu518 said:
The photos are great! Just didn't have anything I Teresa ingrown Contribute today. Spent most of today mulching and planting fall flowers.
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:confused: Some kind of weird autocorrect??? LMAO if so! :D ;) Thanks for the compliment on the pics! :thumbup:
 
PrimitiveEnergy said:
PT's Cofffee Elida Estate Series.
Producer: Wilford, Lamastas.
Location: Boquete, Panama.

[URL=http://s330.photobucket.com/user/Benkyo13_photos/media/PTsElida_Panama/f969aaf2-ad4e-4f39-b118-7be6209312b6_zpsk2sqpqcd.jpg.html]

[/URL]
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Interesting. You don't see that every day. :cool: Most estates typically pick one processing method and stick with it. I assume those are all roasted the same? (to keep everything else equal)

One thing my wife noticed right away when I started roasting years ago was that there was something she didn't like about certain coffees. Turns out every time I tried a dry processed coffee, she didn't like it. Too "earthy" or dirty-tasting to her. Since then, every so often I'll still try and sneak one in on her, and she notices it and makes a comment every single time. Honestly, they're not my favorite either, so I tend to stay away from most dry processed stuff unless it scores really high or has some other "redeeming" attribute in my eyes. Would definitely be interesting to try multiple processing methods side-by-side like that. :thumbup:
 
Here is an afternoon El Salvador, freshly roasted (yesterday evening) to Full City. You can see oil droplets stuck around the edge of the mug. Gotta love the 'Vorm!!! :D



ZT 0560 with sweet Rival LSCF scale. :cool: My primary EDC for the last couple years. :thumbup:
 
wukiwu said:
I had the pleasure of tasting two of the Best of Panama placing coffees today. The Elida Geisha Washed and the Altieri Geisha Reserva Washed. Was too absorbed to take photos unfortunately but the coffee was delicious! Jasmine florals, chocolate, honeyed sweetness, mandarin, sweet blood orange. Clean and sweet, both very elegant coffees.

The Elida Geisha scored 91.82 and auctioned at USD$55.10 per/lb for 100lbs. The Altieri Geisha Reserva scored 91.61 and auctioned at USD$64.50 per/lb for 150lbs.
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Awesome, I wish I had those connections. Klatch sells theirs for $120.00 a pound.

SpyderPhreak said:
Interesting. You don't see that every day. :cool: Most estates typically pick one processing method and stick with it. I assume those are all roasted the same? (to keep everything else equal)
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I am excited as this is as close to a cupping session for me yet. Unfortunately their website doesn't say how they were roasted.

PT'S Coffee facts,
Traditional Washed (Wet Process): The bean is removed from the cherry before it is dried on the patio. Brighter with a delicate body.

Honey (Pulped Natural): The skin is removed from the coffee cherry, leaving the mucilage on the coffee as it dries on the patio. Balanced acidity with a medium body.

Natural (Dry Process): Coffee that is dried inside the coffee cherry. Sweet with a heavier body.
 
bobs1415 said:
If you have an Ethiopian grocery store nearby, you can probably find green (unroasted) coffee beans. You can roast them at home in an air-type popcorn popper. Freshest coffee going!
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We have friends that do this....buy the green beans, roast them in the oven, and if you use it within 5 days the coffee "blooms" when you brew it....it will change your whole perspective on coffee. This is the real way to drink it. I can usually make a pot of regular coffee, have a few cups and then go to bed at night but if you drink coffee the way mentioned above, you won't be sleeping.
 
PrimitiveEnergy said:
PT'S Coffee facts,
Traditional Washed (Wet Process): The bean is removed from the cherry before it is dried on the patio. Brighter with a delicate body.

Honey (Pulped Natural): The skin is removed from the coffee cherry, leaving the mucilage on the coffee as it dries on the patio. Balanced acidity with a medium body.

Natural (Dry Process): Coffee that is dried inside the coffee cherry. Sweet with a heavier body.
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Yeah, I had to look that up. Couldn't figure out what the "honey" process was, lmao. :p And then to call dry processed "natural" just doesn't make any sense. :confused: Trying to confuse people? Why didn't they just list it as wet, natural (or pulped), dry process like everyone else??? Gotta make it sound fancy? Whatever. :rolleyes:
 
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