Recommendation

Since you want a bean-to-cup brew machine, you're limiting yourself quite a bit in terms of choice. That can be a good thing as it narrows down your options.

When to bean-to-cup brew machines I'd recommend the Breville Grind Control™. It's not a commercial-size machine, but with only 6 people that would probably make it needlessly expensive.

Since I have no first hand experience with the machine, I recommend watching this YouTube video, again by SCG, to get a good impression of the machine. Should you have machine-specific questions then I recommend asking those as a separate question.

As for price, it's advertised at around 300$ on Breville's website.

As for capacity, it's 60 oz (1.77L) machine. That means you can get 7 decent cups (250 mL / 8.45 oz) out of it.

You have some control on strength (in practice, more or less coffee going in) and grind size (finer or coarser grind). Furthermore, the can is insulated so your coffee keeps warm longer as opposed to machines that keep the can at a certain temperature (which eventually impacts taste).

The only criterium it doesn't meet is the ability to connect it to your water line. You might be able to make it work somehow, but it's not a feature of this machine (as opposed to others which are designed to be built into a kitchen or something).

For non-Americans: note that the machine is rated for 110-120 volts. It may not work in places with higher voltages and I'm not sure if there's a higher voltage version of this machine. Just something to consider before buying.

My answer consists of three parts. The first is an on-topic advice. The second is an option to get more information to better inform you which could be used to edit / ask a new question that is more refined. The last part is more of a comment which you should take note of in a purchasing situation.

Advice

Without knowing any more specifics, I understand that you don't want to spend a lot of money and that brew machines worked in the past but lacked capacity. I'm going to suggest getting multiple consumer-grade-ish brew machines, possibly with some fancier options (e.g. programmable turn on and off times). Since these features are so general, I cannot recommend a specific machine, but you can easily find some based on those criteria.

Info on commercial grade

Seattle Coffee Gear has a playlist on YouTube dedicated to coffee makers for commercial use. With your description, it's hard to give good advice, but I think you can get pretty far by going through all the videos (I am not affiliated with them, I just know they make good videos).

I suggest watching those videos to either settle on one of those options or to refine your criteria and post them here. Things you may want to specify:

Price (range)
Energy consumption
Brew versus espresso-based

Comment on cleaning and maintenance

As for cleaning, you're going to have to do some level of cleaning with any coffee machine. Can you minimise or automatise it? Yes, but never forget that it's there.

Also note that machines do sometimes break down or go out of the running because of maintenance. The best way to avoid that impacting your workflow too much would be to have multiple smaller machines (though that's not your question now).


Why is my drip-coffee machine making watery coffee lately?

Well this is a strange problem but it seems to have to do with the new grinder you are using or the way you use it since the grind is the only variable that has changed (according to your story).

Watery coffee most often means that you don't use enough ground coffee. Try using 6g of coffee per 100ml of water for a medium roast. If the roast is very light you may use a slightly higher coffee to water ratio. If it is not the quantity of coffee it is probably the grinder setting. Try a finer grind, something between table salt and sand (probably just the medium-fine setting on your grinder, however do check with your fingers). The problem may be what was suggested in the comments. If the grind is too coarse, the water is just running through the coffee and doesn't leave the time to spread and steep. This is in line with the hole in the center of the coffee bed you are describing. Maybe try to measure the time the coffee needs to run through and see if it changes if you grind finer.

If this doesn't help then I'd suggest you properly clean the spout and make sure the water is dripping out the way it is supposed to. Maybe scale has built up which is channeling the water, forcing it through the spout in a stream that hits the coffee grounds with too much pressure.

I suggest you try all of the above which will most likely solve your problem. Additionally however you could cut up some standard paper filters and place them on the ground coffee so that it is completely covered. In theory the water should then distribute much more evenly through the grounds. I'd suggest you do this only after you have solved the general problem as a means to improve the flavor. It'd definitely be a quite "hacky" solution and I think first of all your machine should work the way it is supposed to.


How can I clean my these spots on my aluminium moka pot?

That looks very much like aluminum oxide, caused by exposure of aluminum to oxygen in the air. Don't worry. However unsightly it looks, it's not dangerous. You should be able to remove it with white vinegar or a solution of vinegar in water. Wet a soft cloth or soft-bristled brush with it and gently scrub.


What exactly is the difference between coffee and coffee extract?

As clear an answer as likely there is:

Extraction is everything that the water takes from the coffee.

So a cup of coffee is coffee extract. A shot of espresso is coffee extract.

As far as natural coffee flavor, it's just marketing geek talk, maybe trying to distance themselves from products like the following:

  It is hardest for people to understand how we can use coffee flavor without having any coffee in the product. The components of coffee flavor can be extracted from a number of natural ingredients that include coffee, chicory and even, believe it not, garlic! It’s hard to imagine that coffee and garlic share the same flavor component, but they do. The expertise of flavor chemists allows them to derive flavors by isolating them from other compounds that don’t contribute to flavor.
  Thus it is possible to produce coffee flavor without caffeine.

So maybe your coffee product is emphasizing that it is made from actual coffee. It's like saying "meat (with natural meat flavor)


As an avid composter I can say that I have always used lots of coffee grounds and my compost has always done well with it. There are a few reasons why it is beneficial:

used grounds are fairly pH neutral. If your compost is too acidic they even help a little by absorbing extra acid. Unused grounds however would add to acidity.
coffee grounds are considered "green material" in compost lingo which is usually what compost piles need more of, as opposed to brown material that is fairly abundant in average land plots (maybe not for apartment composters).
coffee grounds attract worms, so even if some bacteria are harmed the worms are compost rock-stars and they make up for it

A good rule of thumb with composting is everything in moderation, so there is such thing as too much used coffee in the pile. When I empty my indoor compost bin into the outside bin coffee is generally 10-25% of that green material. If it is more than 50% you probably need to reduce the amount to compost or find more green material sources.


Are coffee 'vaults' like Friis really effective?

So there are a fair few, well, questionable claims on that page, and some downright contradictions:

  One Year of Friis Freshness Valves included, to vent freshness damaging CO2 gases

CO2 gasses are not 'freshness damaging'. CO2 is, to all intents and purposes, inert in this context. The only gas you really care about when freshness is concerned is Oxygen.

Also, a well-designed valve shouldn't wear out. It's not like a filter that gets clogged over time, it's just a mechanism.

  Air-Tight Storage

Air-tight with a valve? It's either air-tight, or it has a valve...

What this product is, is a well sealed and opaque container. It will likely perform no differently from any other well sealed and opaque container.


Store Costco beans in individual vacuum sealed canisters?

First, I think you need to start with the quality of the bean you bought. I have noticed both at Sam's Club and Costco that more often than not, the bags of beans are not sealed.  You need to dig to find a bag where the beans don't slide around inside the bag.  If you can shake the bag and the beans move around like a box of cereal, move on to the next bag!  If a bag has lost the seal, you don't know if it has been 'open' for a week or three months.

Second, the debate goes back and forth about freezing or not freezing. Do what fits your life style best.

Third, the more you can limit exposure to oxygen until you use the bean the better.  Coffee beans are like a lot of other items, they can become stale over time if cared for properly.


Does there exist a coffee which is not bitter?

To answer this shortly, no there is no coffee that has no bitterness. Bitterness in coffee is determined by different factors on which I will elaborate a bit now.

First of all there are bitter substances naturally in coffee. The most obvious and widely known one would be caffein. However in truth only around 15% of the bitterness in coffee comes from caffein. There are hundreds of active substances in coffee, some of which are bitter. Most importantly are chlorogenic acids. They contribute most to the bitterness. So it is unlikely that you will ever find a coffee that has no trace of bitterness at all.

There are however some influenceable factors that contribute to bitterness. I want to address first the roasting process, bean type and origins and then preparation methods and some tweaks that might help.

 1. Roasting

As I've said before, key to how bitter coffee tastes are the kind of chemical compounds found in it. And the roasting process determines exactly this. When the beans are heated chlorogenic acids are broken down into first acid lactones and later in the roast process into phenylindanes. Chlorogenic acid itself is not bitter, but the compounds it breaks down into are and especially phenylindanes. As they appear later in the roasting, darker roasts tend to be more bitter than light roasts. So my advice here would be to try very light roasted beans. Here's another source that also refers to some of the other points I'm making.

2. Bean type and origin

There are two main types of Beans, Arabica and Robusta with Robusta containing both much more caffein as well as chlorogenic acids. Thus stay clear of Robusta or mixed coffees, since it will add extra bitterness to your cup. Also in my experience light roasted african coffees, e.g. ethiopean or kenyan coffees are the mildest coffees when it comes to bitterness, but do have more acidity than central or south american coffees.

3. Preparation methods

First of all, avoid espresso. Because of the pressure applied to the coffee much more bitter compounds are extracted. A general rule of thumb is that with higher extraction you will extract more bitter compounds, that quickly dominate the flavor of the coffee. The bitter compounds are usually extracted at later stages of the extraction process, thus the shorter your extraction the less bitterness. I would suggest you try pour overs, as extraction can be controlled very well and they are just by design made for a cup of coffee with a brighter, more acidic flavor. V60 or even better a Chemex are your best options. The thick Chemex paper will filter more of the bitter compounds and leave more of the acidic, fruity, floral flavors. There are plenty of instructions on youtube or also here in the forum. Avoid overextraction due to a too small grind size, too high water-grounds contact time and too hot water (around 94°C would be perfect, you can go a bit lower however). Additionally make sure you have a good grinder that produces a consistent particle size. If the variation is too big (the downward variation in this case) and if the grinder produces too many fines (very small coffee particles), they will be over extracted and add bitterness.

4. Possible tweaks

Adding a pinch of salt to your coffee reduces bitterness.
Use freshly roasted whole bean coffee from your local specialty coffee shop (you can recognize them because they usually offer a variety of pour over methods and have a generally kind of hipstery look) as preground packs of coffee tend to be over-roasted to mask the low quality.
Grind fresh, with a good grinder and even filter out the fines (just sift it through a fine mesh filter)
Lastly you could look for a specialty coffee shop that offers whole light roasted decaf beans. Although caffein only plays a secondary role, it still is bitter and removing it might help reduce bitterness.
Of course there are other factors such as the water for example. However the answers there are not as straightforward and the influence arguably less than the above mentioned ones.

I hope this can help you in your quest for finding a coffee that you like. I suggest you also go to some local roasters and talk to them. They might be able to help you, suggest coffees etc. and who knows, maybe you can even interest one of them in experimenting with roast profiles that minimize bitterness.


Just make cold brew! It's called "cold brew", but you can still make good hot coffee out of it.

Cold brew is essentially hyperconcentrated, but slow-brewed, coffee. It's very popular in the United States in the summer, because it's very easy to make excellent iced coffee with a cold brew concentrate. (Just add water and ice.) But you can also make a cup of hot coffee out of cold brew concentrate: just add hot water instead of cold water and ice.

Here's a recipe, but I'll summarize it.

You need:

~12 oz coarsely ground coffee
~6 cups water

Pour water over coffee in a large bowl or pitcher and stir. Cover with a tea towel and let sit on the counter (or fridge) for 24 hours. You can vary the coffee:water ratio and brewing time depending on your preferences. Strain thoroughly. Reserve the delicious liquid and discard the grounds. The concentrate will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

To make a cup of hot coffee, add about 2 parts hot water to 1 part cold brew (depending on your taste). Add the hot water slowly until it's tasty to you. Dilute with a similar amount of cold water for iced coffee - then add ice. Add milk, sugar, and other fixings as desired. (If you're drinking it iced, you'll want to use simple syrup to sweeten, since plain sugar won't dissolve well in cold liquid.)

Bon appetit!


Why they collect coffee beans that are eaten by wild civets? Why don't they use fresh coffee beans instead of collecting these unhygienic beans.

The coffee bean we brew our coffee from is the seed of a fruit and the flesh of that fruit must first be removed. There are a number of industrial / cottage industry means for processing the fruit for the bean, but the civet's digestive system also does the job. :) The beans are raised well above the 140F needed to kill bacteria during the roasting process before we brew coffee from them, so no worries about the hygienics unless you're brewing green beans.


They are very good as de-odourizers, we use them in the kitchen and sometimes in a small perforated plastic container in the footwell of the backseats in our car.

The fragrant smell lasts a long time also surprisingly.

Also it seems to be useful in fridges too.

That link lists the following:

Deodourize fridge
As a scouring agent
A cheap varnisher
Dye for paper
Promoting Hydrangea health
Ash absorber
Exfoliant
Cockroach trap
Fortifying plants
Compost

So the above is quite a good list of uses that could be applicable for your situation

I just found 34 uses here too, I have to say though that using ground coffee as a method for salting a path didn't work for me.

Additonal uses:

slug killer
mushroom grower
carrot and radish feed
worm attractor
cat deterrant (this didn't work for me)
play doh dirt
make a pin cushion
garbage disposal cleaner
drain cleaner
add weathering to wood
meat tenderizer
make energy bites
egg dyeing
coffee candle
make fossils
treasure stones
paint
flea bath
remove build up from hair
eye bag remover
deodorizing salt
salt scrub
face mask
path/road ice melter


What causes the mouthfeel from a French Press?

More of the oils in the coffee remain as opposed to being filtered out. The coffee sits in the water, nothing is filtered out. The plunger leaves the oil in the coffee and prevents the grinds from going into the coffee cup (unless you used a very fine grind in which case the fine particles will go through the filter).


What equipment do I need to make espresso at home?

Easiest thing is a bean to cup machine like any of these, these will grind a pre-measured amount of beans, heat water and pump through into your cup and dispense the used grounds into a grounds bin internally.

Going the other way you need a minimum of some form of grinder (preferably burr type) which can be manual or electric.

A 'normal' espresso machine like these which may or may not have a milk frother.

You can opt for a digital scale machine to weigh your beans, possibly mineral water if you hate descaling your machine.

The scales are for measuring an accurate amount of beans, I do this because I have a manual grinder. The water is cheap still mineral water because I live in the south of England and the water is so incredibly hard that it has tattoos.

Also you need cups to drink the final product.


Does café Cubano have a distinct taste of cane sugar alongside the flavor of coffee?

I can’t give you an answer based on tasting the authentic product, but:

The various “brown” or “raw” sugars are characterized by the molasses content, which is part of the original cane sugar juices. This juice has a characteristic flavor profile with notes reminiscent of caramel and malt. In the production of white sugar, they are filtered out, leaving behind the white “just sweet” sugar.

The darker (and sometimes “wetter”) a brown sugar is, the higher the molasses content and the more extra flavor components are in the sugar. In cooking and baking, brown sugars are often used not just as sweetener, but also for the flavor.

The logical conclusion regarding your question is: If brown sugars are used in not-just-minute amounts, they will be noticeable. So the flavor of the Cuban coffee will and should be different from espresso with white/refined sugar. How intense the brown sugar flavor is, depends on how much sugar is used per serving and how dark it is. The term “natural brown sugar” in your source suggests a rather intense flavor, which should be quite similar to jaggery.


Home Roasting beginner green bean suggestions for learning?

I'm trying to narrow my focus for learning purposes so I can really develop a sense of how the process works regarding one specific kind of bean.

That's a good way to start to learn the basics of your roaster, but keep in mind that other roasters will roast the bean differently, especially a tumble or hot air "popcorn" roaster. You'll learn more about the characteristics of that one bean, rather than how to judge the differences in roasts. To truly understand the roasting process, you need see the common events in different beans.
I suggest learning about roasting by trying several beans to the same roast level. Each will take different times to get there.
Get an Ethiopian, a Central/South American, a Sumatran, and a decaf (Brazil SWP!!) and roast 1/4 lb (125-135 g) lots to end of 1st crack or start of 2nd crack. Take notes on how they behave: time to start of 1st crack, time to start of 2nd crack, do I like the taste of the results, color change versus time, amount of chaff. Enjoy the results, a different cup every morning.
Then take them to the middle of 2nd crack. With fire extinguisher at the ready, take them to end of 2nd crack.
All beans roast differently, even under identical roaster settings. Next year, the same source bean will be slightly different. Some beans are great 30 s after start of 1st crack and others are terrible (Sumatran need to be dark, IMHO, otherwise you get too much "earth"). Some need full city or beyond. A few make a great cup anywhere from 1st crack through 2nd crack with different flavors.


What is the ratio of Arabica and Robusta in blend coffees available in markets?

This is highly dependent on the market, I think. Still, based on my observations regarding corporate Italian espresso blenders, I would like to write a short answer.

If you purchase packaged coffee, which is not labeled as 100% Arabica, you are mostly buying from 10% to 30% Robusta.

Still, I would like to add, some quality Robusta's (especially Africans) may be superior to not so good Arabica's.

Again, the ratio of Robusta may go up to 50% in some house blends or horeca blends. You may even consume pure Robusta in Indonesia or in Vietnam.


All coffee preparations can be improved with an application of science! Simply by monitoring and carefully controlling conditions such as water temperature, brew-time, grind etc., you can improve the taste of your coffee. No doubt with the array of instruments available to them in Breaking Bad they could have done a fine job of this!

As for the aparatus, this Chemistry Stack Exchange answer goes into a lot of detail. It seems a vacuum pump is being used to boil the water at a lower temperature than otherwise. This setup might be a bit beyond what non-chemists are able to construct though!

If you want to pretend you're in Breaking Bad while making your cup of coffee without a PhD in Chemistry, the closest you're going to get is with a Chemex flask:

It's basically pour-over drip coffee, albeit with proprietary, thicker filters that change the taste of the coffee (by removing more of the oils).


Refers to those shots of espresso. You have 2 in there by default. (The iced Venti drinks typically get 3, because the cup is a little larger (24 oz.))


Is there a way to get Caffe d'orzo in North America?

You should be able to find the roasted barley itself in an international food store, often sold for steeping like tea (a tisane). It is often called mugicha (Japanese) or other names. When prepared for tea, it is sometimes sold blended with, e.g., green tea, so be sure to check the label. Alternatively, a home-brewing outlet will probably have roasted, malted barley available. This will be even sweeter and maltier still.

Amazon also sells roasted barley for tea in bags. I'm sure it would be a bit different when brewed like espresso but maybe similar enough and convenient in tea bags. I like the taste of the tea-like infusion, like toasted malt.

I think your idea to brew in a moka pot is a good one, but you'll have to find a grind that works well: I suspect a grind just a bit coarser than you would normally use for moka would be a good place to start. I don't think you need to be worried about equipment damage, but I haven't tried this (yet!). Next time I can get my hands on some mugicha I think I shall!


How do you fit a double espresso into a demitasse?

Actually it turns out the demitasse fits under the double basket, but you have to hold it up closer at the start otherwise it spills over the sides a little (as in the picture below)

.


Do reusable hemp filters filter out cafestol?

Dried and cured hemp will absorb liquids, so they do filter some oil. The material isn't as porous as paper though, so it won't absorb as much as paper. Consider it in between metal and paper in this regard. Also, the absorption properties of hemp will degrade with saturation. This is true for paper filters too, but since hemp are reusable, remember to wash them with soap that removes oil (like Dawn) regularly. More often when brewing dark roasts and extra often with extra oily dark roasts.


Can caffeine be extracted by the body when digesting coffee grounds?

Yes. Coffee grounds are simply the ground up seeds found inside the berry of the coffea plant, so eat up! Even after the beans have been ground and extracted into your favorite coffee beverage, they still contain plenty of caffeine and are perfectly digestible.

Before people learned to brew coffee, folks were eating the beans to get that coffee boost. Today we eat straight coffee beans through all sorts of preparations. Chocolate covered espresso beans are quite popular and pack quite the kick.

Eating coffee beans has even more effect than drinking coffee because not all of the caffeine is extracted through your brewing process. According to the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, leftover coffee grounds from filter and espresso-type coffeemakers are especially abundant in antioxidants. Plus, you'll get all the benefit of the dietary fiber that's not present in your morning brew.  Enjoy!


How does the temperature of the water affect the taste of the coffee

Temperature affects extraction rate, but also varies between compounds in the coffee beans.

Coffee grounds contain a hodgepodge of volatile and non-volatile components, such as various oils, acids, and other aromatic molecules [2]. Collectively, these compounds that are found in coffee grounds are referred to as “coffee solubles” and significantly contribute to coffee flavor [2]. Brewing is the process of extracting these components from the grounds, so coffee beverages are technically a solution of coffee solubles and water. Given that coffee grounds are used in both of our brewing methods, the principle variables are temperature and time.
Temperature affects the solubility and volatility of the coffee solubles. Relative to brewing, solubility describes the ability of the solubles to dissolve out of the grounds and into the water; volatility refers to their ability to evaporate into the air. Coffee solubles dissolve best at an optimal temperature of 195-205°F [3]. With more coffee solubles extracted, hot brew coffees are described as more full-bodied and flavorful when compared to cold brew. Moreover, due to increased volatility with higher temperatures, the aromatics are more readily released from coffee, giving rise to that beloved scent of freshly-brewed coffee.
On the downside, oxidation and degradation also occur more rapidly at higher temperatures. The oils in coffee solubles can oxidize more quickly at elevated temperatures, causing coffee to taste sour. Acids also degrade, the most notable of which is chlorogenic acid into quinic and caffeic acid, causing coffee to taste bitter [2].
Where cold brew lacks in temperature, it makes up for in time. Coffee solubles have markedly decreased solubility in room temperature water. Increasing the brew time from a few minutes to many hours aims to maximize extraction of the solubles from the grounds. Even over twenty-four hours, not all the coffee solubles will have dissolved; this is why the amount of coffee grounds is doubled, in an effort to make up for the lower extraction rate. In comparison with hot brew, cold brew is sometimes described as tasting “dead” or “flat” due to the lower yield of coffee solubles [3]. Further, decreased volatility prevents aromatics from escaping from coffee as easily, so cold brew is much less perfumed than its hot brew counterpart.
Oxidation and degradation will still occur in cold brew methods, but this happens much more slowly; bitterness and acidity are just about absent in cold brew coffee, especially if it is kept cold. Though, cold brew doesn’t merely taste like hot brew without the bitterness. Fans of the cold brew method have emphasized that cold brews contain a completely different flavor profile that can’t be found with hot brews. Going back to the idea of solubility, not all flavor compounds of coffee solubles are equally soluble. A good majority of the coffee solubles are still able to leach out of the grounds, even in colder water. The compounds that don’t dissolve are the ones often attributed to unfavorable flavors [4]: these stay in the grounds that are subsequently tossed away. Consequently, cold brews take on a much sweeter, floral profile.
To note, brew time does not determine caffeine content, nor does bitterness indicate coffee strength. Caffeine is extracted early in the brewing process, so extending brew time, by either method, would only result in over-extracted coffee [1]. Coffee “strength” is defined as the amount of dissolved coffee solubles per unit of coffee volume [1]. On that train of thought, cold brew certainly produces stronger coffee, given that the brewing process purposely concentrates the coffee solubles. Though, keep in mind that rarely anyone drinks cold brew coffee straight up; many enjoy this smooth drink diluted with milk or water. - Coffee Brewing Chemistry: Hot Brew vs. Cold Brew.


Aeropress: does filling it full with water increase the caffeine content of my cup?

Of course, I assume that the same amount of coffee is used for both cups.

In that case:
No
Caffeine dissolves very readily in water. The caffeine content in your cup is mainly and almost solely determined by the amount of coffee you use. The impact of any other factors such as amount of water, water temperature, and pressure are negligible.
To get a rough estimate of the amount of caffeine in your cup do this: multiply the amount of coffee in grams by 10, that's roughly the amount of caffeine in milligrams.


How can I make my coffee taste stronger using a french press or gold filter?

I enjoy my homemade French-pressed coffee more than anything I can buy at an espresso shop, though a long black is my preferred choice if I'm away from home.

There are a couple of strengths of the espresso shop's infrastructure which you can emulate on a smaller scale:

Good coffee beans

Buy good fresh whole beans and grind them right before you prepare the drink.

Strong extraction

Use more coffee and/or grind it more finely. More surface area will make it extract more and taste stronger. You can even make it really thick and creamy and add it on top of water for the long-black-like experience.

There's a discussion about minimizing the grounds in your cup here.


Cafe Latte comes in many variants, all of which are Cafe Lattes. If you ever see anyone ordering a "Cafe Latte with nonfat milk" at Starbucks, this typically refers to a Cafe Latte with milk that has less than 0.5% of fat.

Note that 0.0% fat milk is not available everywhere. For example, it is common in central Europe that the lowest percentage of fat available for milk is 0.3% or 1.5%. I recently checked at a German Starbucks what milk they have to pour into filter coffee, and they start at 1.5% fat. Note that even if the label on a box of milk says 0% fat, there will always be some traces of fat.

Whether it tastes well: that is subjective. Fat does add to the taste. But a 0.3% fat milk Cafe Latte is probably closer to a 1.5% fat milk Cafe Latte in terms of taste than to a coconut milk Cafe Latte, which is also enjoyed by many coffee consumers and also bears the name "Cafe Latte". Whether you will actually be able to get a close-to-0% fat Cafe Latte depends on the place that you are visiting: not all coffee places may have that type of milk in stock.


What are good methods to prepare and vend cold brew?

For large batches of cold-brew I suggest to try out the Toddy.

For more information (I suspect you have any knowledge about cold-brew) I suggest you to read this article.


What gives Turkish coffee that unique "quality"?

Assuming that:

you have found the best available beans in your market.
which are then finely grounded
and used instantly after the grounding (have in mind the finer the grounding the faster the coffee taste deteriorates as it both absorbs humidity and all smells from the environment with it and in the same time releases its aroma).

You can look for:

right Cezve : the pot shouldn't be a steel, as the temperature rises very fast which leads to bitter/ burnt taste. The preferred material is copper.
right preparation methods : make it as slower as possible and wait for it to create a thick cream (caimác) that will protect its aroma as in espresso. To achieve that you can use either direct flame (as you can directly see the flame and control the amount of heat transfered):

or sand (which has large heat capacity and it takes a lot of time to get hot):

steer it frequently till it boils: to homogenize it perfectly; otherwise the coffee and sugar go down on the bottom and melt/ burn and deteriorate the taste.


The correct term is nitrogen flushing and it does appear to increase the stored shelf life of roasted beans.  There is a school of thought that using nitrogen (80% of the air we breath) is not a green friendly technique, but it is nevertheless used in other products too.


Grinder reassembly: should I grease the gearbox?

Yes, I assume the gearbox was originally lubricated to function properly somehow. I cannot believe the gears just rotate by their own.

And about the sealing. Such devices produced in bulk mostly do not care about proper sealing, no worries. Therefore, some parts may get in contact with your food.

Finally, about greasing... There are food-safe lubricants made out of vegetable oils for food machinery. These are generally aroma-free, so they won't affect the taste of your coffee. You can buy one of them and use. I don't link as you can easily search the net.


Are ghost-burr grinders better than conical burrs?

In theory a hybrid burr set where a flat burr is followed by a conical burr would be ideal, combining advantages of both burr types. In practice though there are many confounding factors in grinder design and world class grinders can be found with all types of burrs. Some of the best grinders in the world made by Ditting is Switzerland use large precision flat burrs rather than conical burrs.

Conical and hybrid grinders are more expensive to manufacturer and are therefore less common in cafes. But that is not to say that a conical grinder like the Mazzer Kony /Robur is not a superb grinder just because it's flat disc burr brethren vastly outnumber it. It can be said that conical burrs are seen more often in higher capacity grinders. Some other well regarded commercial burr grinders include Cimbali, Mahlkonig and Bunn.

In practice though there are many confounding factors in grinder design and world class grinders can be found with all types of burrs. Some of the best grinders in the world made by Ditting is Switzerland use large precision flat burrs rather than conical burrs.

What can be said is that industrial production roller mill grinders put all of the burr grinders to shame, producing the best particle size uniformity of all. However these room filling behemoths, with similarly large price tags are impractical for use in cafes or even small to medium scale industrial coffee grinding where burr grinders dominate.

To answer the question posed then, no. Peg discs do not produce superior  particle size uniformity than true burr grinders - conical or flat disc. Quite the opposite in well established by myriad reputable sources and can be seen in plots of particle size distribution.

The flat (non burr) disc grinder crushes /fractures coffee beans in a less predictable manner than precision burrs that have a more consistent and more sharply delineated size reduction path. Excessive fines can be thought of as unwanted dust arising as a byproduct from a less precise size reduction

 conical burr (mazzer)


Lots of questions! Starting from the top...

Taste? Coffee cherries are mild in flavour and slightly sweet. The flavour is somewhat reminiscent of other red fruits, like a mild mix of fruits like raspberry, red mulberry, currant, cranberry, cherry, raisin. I've only had them dried, so they have a little bit of a "dried fruit" taste (e.g., as raisins are to grapes). To me, they also have a little bit of a mild taste of tobacco leaf. When steeped in water to make a drink called cascara (see this question/answers). The beverage tastes to me a bit like rooibos (red bush tisane). Some coffee shops sell the beverage.

Shipping? I've only seen dried coffee cherries for sale. Perhaps "fresh" coffee fruits are available in the coffee belt, but the seeds (i.e., coffee beans) are so valuable that I think the whole fruit doesn't make it very far outside of production regions.

Availability? Various specialty retailers sell the dried fruit pulp and skins (some call them the "husks") -- here's one example from Verve. Searching for coffee berries, cherries, husks, or for beverages like cascara or qishr may reveal more outlets.

Other preservation? Coffee skins/pulp dry well. Rehydrating is possible but underwhelming. I have tried to make a kind of marmalade out of them; see this seminal question, and also a follow-up question of mine at Seasoned Advice. I'm sorry to report that I have not had much success yet. The dried cherries are tough, so not pleasant to eat outright.

Good ideas! I really like the stuff, and am always happy to find others, and would be happy to hear more ideas about how to eat and drink coffee cherries.

EDIT: For completeness, here's a picture of dried coffee cherry pulp/skins that I use to make cascara.


Osaka, Shock-Absorbent Espresso Knock Box 4.7 Inch Barista Style Knockbox.

about $20 anywhere online


Why is coffee sometimes nitrated but never carbonated?

Carbon dioxide when mixed with water renders the water slightly acidic and changes the flavor of the beverage. It may also react with molecules in the coffee. Nitrogen is inert and will neither lower the pH of the coffee or the topping nor react with the coffee's compounds in other ways.


Can drinking coffee at least once a day increase anxiety?

There's a lot of studies/articles, but when it comes down to it it's just like any other "drug": it affects each person differently. I drink almost a pot a day, and have since I was around 17/18, and have no worsened conditions if I don't consume coffee. Some months I go with only a cup a day, and others its ~3-4 cups - and nothing changes drastically. As with anything else, especially "drugs", moderation is key.

This is, of course, anecdotal, so...

Brewing Trouble: Coffee-induced anxiety (WebMD)


Is there a difference in quality of using a plastic/wood/metal stirrer?

I'm just reasoning...

Polished gold or porcelain must be the ideal stirrers as they won't chemically react. I opt for porcelain as it may also help keeping the coffee warm as its thermal conductivity is less than gold.

Comparing the three you mentioned:

Wooden: Sometimes I taste it. So, I don't prefer it that much.
Plastic: There are many polymers we call plastic in our daily life. Some of these things are really of bad quality and I am suspicious if their thermal resistance is adequate for coffee. I wouldn't prefer them, too.
Metal: Especially, if you mention polished 18/10 stainless steel cutlery, they probably resist the heat and won't react with anything. So, the only bad thing about them is, they may make your cup colder a bit quicker than usual. Just take the spoon off right after use. This would be my preference.


What mechanism in premium manual coffee grinders allows coffee grounds to come out uniform?

The biggest "technology" that can affect a coffee grinder is the burr set (Aka the bit that actually grinds the coffee). With the burr set, there's a lot of factors like

The material of the burr set (Different types of Steel, Ceramic etc)
The pattern of the cutting teeth is usually specific to each burr set maker.
How fine/coarse you can adjust the grind size and the level of adjustability between these two points (stepless / stepped)

While these are the "main" factors, there are other secondary factors like the driving mechanism that makes the actual burr set turn and even just how well the entire coffee grinder is built-in general (like the materials used and body).


What volume of beans yields a tablespoon of ground coffee?

Here's an opportunity to start refining your brewing process.

Coffee brewers, including myself, tend to use weight as our measuring unit as opposed to volume since bean sizes vary significantly already without accounting for origin or roast level. All of these factors will change the real amount of coffee you believe you have once ground and also change the extraction parameters needed to make a cup of coffee of the 'same strength'.

From what it sounds, I doubt that the beans you use are of the same variety as the pre-ground coffee you used to use. Not all coffee will taste the same nor brew the same, and the best way to track and refine your brewing to your taste is to measure accurately your bean (origin/blend, roast level, weight used, grind size), water (to coffee ratio, temperature, purity), and extraction time. Depending on what brewing method you use there may be more parameters you will have to account for but ultimately the aforementioned factors will always play a role in any form of coffee brewing.

Start by weighing an amount of pre-ground coffee that you used previously to find out how much coffee you used exactly and start by grinding that much of your new beans to brew.

Good luck!


Hi not likely to be a trait of kirkland beans or of packaging of the beans.
Static electricity can build up between the grinder and the beans. - you'll note that the beans will also stick to the sides of whatever receptical they get ground into.

Here's one hack to fix this at the grinder stage
it used tiny amounts of moisture that likely reduce what's happening in the grinder that casuses static electricity: two materials rubbing against each other - and yes getting charged and repelling from each other.

Now maybe not all beans have this effect to teh same level based on moisture content - dunno - or perhaps its just humidity levels and grind sizes. But assuming for you it is just kirkland beans, and all other settings remain the same, you may want to try this hack and see if that sorts the issue.

Be keen to hear how your test goes.

m.c.


What is the appropriate climate for a coffee plant?

I found this website which prescribes the following subtropic and equatorial growing conditions.

  The subtropical regions, at high altitudes of 16-24° (Illy, 21).
  Rainy and dry seasons must be well defined, and altitude must be
  between 1800-3600 feet.  These conditions result in one coffee growing
  season and one maturation season, usually in the coldest part of
  autumn.  Mexico, Jamaica, the S. Paulo and Minas Gerais regions in
  Brazil, and Zimbabwe are examples of areas with these climate
  conditions (Illy, 21).

  The equatorial regions at latitudes lower than 10° and altitudes of
  3600-6300 feet (Illy, 21).  Frequent rainfall causes almost continuous
  flowering, which results in two coffee harvesting seasons.  The period
  of highest rainfall determines the main harvesting period, while the
  period of least rainfall determines the second harvest season. Because
  rainfall is too frequent for patio drying to occur,  artificial drying
  with mechanical dryers is performed in this type of coffee growing
  environment. Examples of countries that have this climate are Kenya,
  Colombia, and Ethiopia (Illy, 21).


Aeropress: at what stage does most of extraction happen?

Generally, the "extraction" happens when the coffee is in contact with the water. So from the initial point of contact in this case the bloom phase pour till all the water (with dissolved solids) is removed from contact with the grounds.
Technically speaking, The initial small quantity pour and stirring in your recipe is the bloom phase and the second pour, stir and press would be the main extraction phase. In the case of your recipe, most of your extraction would happen during the second wait phase "Wait time (usually 1 minute)", followed by the second stir phase.
The first bloom phase is usually to let the coffee expunge as much CO2 as possible that's trapped from the roasting process. The CO2, when dissolved can make the coffee more acidic/bitter, hence the blooming phase in your recipe to mitigate that. There is also some extraction during this phase but is rather dwarfed in comparison to the main extraction phase.


Does room temperature matter when dripping?

I would say that room temperature can have an affect on the final outcome of your coffee if the room your in is cold enough. Probably not so much if your sitting in a warm room.

I say this because to get a full extraction from your coffee, your water should be between 90°C - 96°C and being in a cold environment can cool that water rather quickly.

If you're interested in calculating the speed at which water cools, here is some "light" reading that goes over newton's law of cooling if you're interested: http://stanwagon.com/public/evaporationportmannwagonmier.pdf

Not sure what the ideal room temperature would be though. I would guess one that would allow your water to stay hot enough for the whole brew time.


Here's a study where cocaine addicts were given IV nicotine or caffeine in comparable amounts:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11160635

Basically, both drugs showed roughly equal good/bad effects, patient liking, and stimulation, but nicotine caused most of the patients' heart rates to increase, while caffeine caused them to decrease. This particular article doesn't have much bearing on non-cocaine addicts, but it's the most reputable I could find that directly compared the two.

Most scientists agree that 1-3 cups of coffee a day isn't that bad for most people, especially if you take it black (no sugar, non-dairy substitutes, and other bad stuff).

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20045678

On the other hand, nicotine, while possibly not terrible in small quantities on its own, tends to be packaged with serious health concerns (eg smoking


What are the cheapest options for making good quality espresso at home?

It is slightly dependent on your personal definition of espresso. Also the choice depends on how easy you want its operation to be.

The moka pot is certainly the cheapest espresso-type device. However, it doesn't fall within the standards of a true Italian espresso, as pointed out in this answer. In particular, you won't have any crema.

Hand pumps are inexpensive, compact and light, and have the decent pressure of 8 bars. Although they are marketed as an espresso device for camping, they can be use wherever you have hot water.

A step up for home is an aeropress. The way it operates is steep + push-filter (as in a French press), and the result ranges from filter-brew-like to espresso-like.

Next in price are probably the capsule espresso machines (such as Nespresso and its clones), which many supermarket chains have cheap versions of. Very easy to use, but unsustainable (see here and in the end of here), and coffee enthusiasts won't consider them an option because of the taste (see the previous link). For related concerns, see the (excellent) answer to this question.

And then come two best types: bean-to-cup and traditional espresso machines with a manually operated portafilter. They both are discussed in this answer. Both vary in price and quality significantly; probably a decent traditional machine may have a lower starting price than bean-to-cup machine. You may even find one not much more expensive than a capsule machine.

As far as easiness is concerned, capsule and bean-to-cup are obviously easier than moka pots or espresso machines.


Ideal brewing time varies based on grind. Finer grinds need shorter brew times. Coarser grinds need longer brew times. This is because fine grinds expose more surface area of the beans, which lets solutes diffuse quickly into the water. Coarse grinds need more time for solutes to be drawn out.
As for roast level, that's totally up to you. Different roast levels expose different flavor profiles, so you might like them all brewed for the same amount of time or you might prefer to brew darker or lighter roasts for longer or shorter times. There's not really an ideal here unless you align with the preferences of the person offering you the ideal.
You'll know that your brew time is too long if your coffee tastes bitter. Coffee brewed perfectly should taste very smooth if you're using medium or lighter roasts. Very dark coffees might taste bitter in a burnt sort of way even with perfect brewing. Conversely, too short brew time will result in weak tasting coffee. Note that weak coffee can also be caused by too high of a water to grounds ratio or poor contact between water and grinds (channeling during the pour). Bloom to help mitigate channeling.
Hope this info helps!


I'd start by contacting their customer support for a service manual and for tips on this particular problem.

The key idea in debugging (diagnosing) is to think of hypotheses that could explain it, and ways to test those hypotheses, then do the tests.

E.g. for this symptom, my first hypothesis is that there's a switch or optical sensor or other sensor to protect the mechanism, and the sensor could be clogged or covered with gunk.

It's good to think of multiple hypotheses and tests to distinguish between them. So here's another: The mechanism itself could be clogged with gunk, and after detecting too much load or force, the control software backs off for protection.

A test for both of these hypotheses is to open the machine and clean the works. The difference between the two hypotheses is whether it's the sensor or the mechanism that needs cleaning.

The service manual would help with hypothesis generation and testing. What start up checks does it do? What & where are the sensors? What parts need to work properly for the grinder engagement mechanism to work?

Another hypothesis: The mechanism needs lubrication. The service manual should indicate what to lubricate, what not to lubricate, and what lube to use. Or you could guess.

Another hypothesis is a rubber O-ring has worn out or broken. This is also consistent with what you've written, i.e. your existing experience can rule out some hypotheses. It can also make other hypotheses less likely, e.g. if the cause is the same as last time (not a sure bet), a burned out motor would've cost you for parts, while a worn out O-ring might not have.

Also: There are local and online repair clinics to help with appliance repair.

It's worth trying. In the worst case, you spend some time and learn something.


Yes they do, provided you remove the portafilter holder and don't put dosing cup too far away from the hole, it is only as wide as a portafilter after all so there could be some spilt grounds if it's not close enough.
I found a small wooden brick that fits in front of the Mignon and has the perfect height for my dosing cup. I just coloured it black and now it looks as if it's a part of the grinder.


Just guessing here, but the hole could keep the water from going up until it reaches a certain temperature. The amount of pressure from the steam varies on the temperature of the water, and if there weren't enough pressure, the water would recycle. However, if the pressure were greater, the velocity of the water would prevent it from dripping out of the hole.

This could explain the bursts, since the pressure would rise and fall depending on the amount of water it pushed out. The more water that escapes, the more room there is left behind for pressure to fill.

Also, you mentioned a weird taste. Could it be metallic? If so, you could try letting the base sit in a strong coffee/water mixture for a couple days. The moka pot needs to be seasoned to prevent this taste, so I would recommend not washing it with soap - just rinse. My grandmother has never washed hers.


Advantage of Dual Scale Setups for Pour Over?

My goodness - all sorts of new gadgets to get intrigued about - and now - you have a reason to buy BOTH sizes of acaia scales! a pearl for the base and a lunar for the pot!

for me this double weighing is to check saturation of water by beans - seems like this device could make this process reuqire fewer steps.

For instance - i like to make sure i'm getting at least a 2-1 water absorption relative to weight of beans. if the taste is less rich than i'd like before adjusting the amount or grind, it's a quick check to see how much water was actually absorbed by the bean - sometimes this absorption check tells me something about the age of the beans too - if they haven't degassed long enough they seem to absorp less - and that's even if the coffee slury is well stirred/no bubble in the slury.

It's also interesting in an abstract kind of way to see how absorption differs fro same grind, amount but different varieties. etc.

It's this kind of check that let me let the coffee sit a little longer after stir before doing a pour: higher absorption seems to relate nicely to richer flavour.

At least that's what i'm finding.

thanks for sharing this trick new device.

m.c.


I suppose you can if you can first make a decent coffee plant(s) to first make the coffee. Using this website can help you with your gardening/farming of coffee plants. It is mainly based in the USA so sorry! Some tips to notice for decent coffee beans:

Don't put coffee plants in direct sunlight for too long. It will kill your plant and ruin your life. Most coffee plants need little sunlight to survive.
It takes 10 minutes of frost/3 hours of direct sunlight outside from May and November will kill it.
Place it near or at the east-facing window to get a good morning sun and just enough sunlight from the afternoon.
Use warm water but don't flood the pots with it.

Making the drinkable coffee will the hard part I guess. Here is a seemingly a good website for roasting at home: Roasting at Home. Remember to use green, unroasted coffee beans!


Moka pot sputters and gurgles despite my best efforts

I make coffee with a moka every morning, and this is the procedure that works for me:

Use cold water: it will take a bit longer to boil, but the amount of steam in the chamber will be higher, thus you'll have higher pressure later on.
Water level must be at the safety valve, as others pointed out.
Coffee must fill the funnel without tamping. It can be a little higher than the funnel edge (a few mm) so that it gets a bit tamped when you screw the upper part. This is valid for a small-medium moka (up to 6 cups). On larger ones the coffee must not fill the funnel over 2/3 of it.
Low flame usually gives better result, but if I'm in a hurry I use a high flame...no significant difference.

A trick that usually works when your moka starts sputtering is to cool down the lower chamber under the tap until you don't feel any boiling on; then put it again on the fire with a very low flame.

If you're experiencing this problem regularly, try changing the gasket and the filter on the bottom of the upper part. This should be done at least every year.

If your moka is still not working as expected, consider to change it. There is a chance that lower and upper part cannot be screwed tightly because of a weared-out or malformed thread.


Lets answer this question with some data! My company uses machine learning, data science, and sensory science to build flavor profiling and quality control tools for the craft beverage industry.

I will use a lot of graphs, because a picture is worth a thousand words but a graph can communicate a concept, to dispel a lot of the myths about acidity in coffee.

TL;DR: Roast level is the Primary determinant of sour and acidity in coffee, where lighter roast has more natural acid compounds left unbroken from maillard reaction and strecker degradation (non-enzymatic browning).  This is closely followed by Altitude, green processing, and finally age of the coffee.

Differences by Region

Based on 10,000+ reviews, their seems to be little indication that you can determine the sourness or acidity of a coffee simply by where its grown!

Now, this lack of effect would disappear if we controlled for the altitude the coffee was grown at. Why? Because higher altitude plants are under more stress, forcing them to be more efficient - less leafs, less fruit, but each leaf has a higher respiratory rate, and each fruit is more potent!

Green Processing

This graph shows the difference in distribution of Sour & Acidity of washed coffee vs natural processed coffee. There is a very small difference in the skew and kurtosis, but it is statistically significant.

Washed Coffee brewed in a Chemex is on average more acidic than its natural washed counterpart. Why? This is most likely a cognitive, not chemical, effect. Because natural processed coffees ferment with bits of remnant fruit (the coffee cherry) they retain more sugars, some of which are preserved though the roasting process. The increase in fruity esters and sugar compounds masks the acidity - so even though there's about equal amounts, you taste it less in the natural processed coffees.

Age of the Coffee

If you really want to avoid any acidity in coffee, you could drink it stale! But I don't suggest it - stale coffee lacks the caffeine and interesting flavors that make coffee wonderful.

This plot shows the rate of acid degradation in coffee from its first day since roast. The red line marks the 14th day from roast, when the average coffee goes stale.

Level of Roast

This graph shows Sour and Acidity as a function of the level of roast; as roast increases, the average perception of acidity decreases (in coffee brewed in a chemex). The grey field shows the Standard Error within the fit.

You should note, why is the error so high at the highest level of roast? These are coffees considered "French" or "Italian" or even "Spanish" roasts - you should consider these coffees burnt. The fruity and interesting acids such as malic, phosphoric, and citric have been destroyed by prolonged heat exposure in the roaster, and these coffees contain acrylamide, a carcinogen, which is not only bad for you, but also tastes terrible.

  The levels of acrylamide, a known carcinogen, peak early in the
  roasting process (at about 120 sec).  While acrylamide is still
  detectable in fully roasted and burnt coffees, it most likely don’t
  contribute to the unpleasant, burnt flavor in over-roasted coffee.
  Multiple studies suggest that the main chemicals that cause bad
  flavors in burnt coffee are heterocyclic aromatic amines and
  polyaromatic hydrocarbons.  These increase with roasting temperature
  and time and many compounds that fall into these categories are known
  or suspected carcinogens.

Differences by Brewing Method

An extension to this question, reviewing the differences in the level of acidity by brewing method has been answered here: Could preparation method make coffee more acidic?


Freshly roasted beans start degrading after a week or so. Maybe buying cans of beans - ground or not - would be your best choice for drinking not so great coffee during the end days. Check that they "vacuum pack". Maybe that helps.

I would make another choice: properly stored green coffee beans can last for year. Then I would roast it (your going to have filled propane tanks, right?). You can roast a lot of coffee from one 5 gal propane tank.

That is my selected choice and I am prepared.


Why do aeropress columns get abrasions, or scars, near the top?

However I cannot understood the scars definitely, I would like to offer a solution to the scars I thought:

There is a possibility that coffee grounds may stick to the rubber ring and scratch the plastic column when pressure is applied as they stay in between the rubber ring and the plastic column. Still, these scratches do not affect the performance of the gadget if they are not large enough to leak.

Easiest way to clean the grounds is rubbing the surface of the rubber ring by your finger under warm water for a few seconds.

Edit: After I see the photos, my guess is, these scars are caused by the scratches first, then the polished surface of the plastic is peeled off by heat. I assume you may continue to use it without problems. For other people with brand new aeropress, my previous advice still holds: try to wash away residual grounds off the rubber ring.


Disclaimer: The great article of Reginald Smith's "A History of Coffee" is a must read for everybody who has interest.

One of the stories of coffee's discovery, which is more common than others is as follows: Kaldi, a monk and a goatherd, sees his goats gets excited after eating some berries. Then, prepares the coffee from the beans of the berries.

The second, less common one is as follows: Yemeni priest Ali bin Ömer banished to the mountains of Yemen. There he discovers the beautiful flowers of the coffee tree, then the beverage.

Etimologically coffee roots from Arabic ḳahwa (قهوة). The root of Arabic word is unknown, but some say that it is originated from some poetic form of a word for wine as it is forbidden in the Arabic world. This name is more or less similar all around the world today: Turkish kahve, French cafe, Italian caffe, German kaffee, Dutch koffie, English coffee, Latin coffea.

The wild Coffea arabica is known to be cultivated in Harar valley of Ethiopia at earliest AD 850.

The beverage stayed local for a while, then became known among Arabs. East Europe became aware of it through Ottomans; Especially Austria and Italy. Then, the rest of the world.

Coffee was a very valuable asset even in those years. Therefore, strangers were not allowed to access green beans for long in the Arabian peninsula. Baba Budan, an Indian Pilgrim, was the first one who can manage to take out seven coffee seeds out of Mecca to Mysore strapped to his belly. Then, cultivation out of Arabian Peninsula and East Africa boomed.


THEY APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN ROASTED - you are ready to go!
Roasted beans should be used within about day 2 to 10 post roast.
Same as answer 2

3 questions ... a good site for green coffee info for beginners:  https://www.sweetmarias.com/


Is espresso pre-infusion included in total brew timing?

Based in my experience, the "23-28secs" starts counting since you press the button of the water.
Those 3-4secs of "pre-infusion" that you mention, are part of the whole timing process.

But remember, it will always depends on your set-up (type-of coffee, roast, grind, etc...)

You can measure this empirically watching brewing guides, like:

Stumptown Coffee Roasters
Clive Coffee (includes pre-infusion reference)
World Barista Champion Event 2015 (livestream.com/worldcoffee)


What paper cups does can be used for both cold drinks and coffee?

I don't know that company, but I assume insulated paper cup is what you are looking for.

You may have a quick Internet search for brands and whole sellers.


What type of roast has the lowest caffeine content?

In general, darker, arabica roasts have less caffeine. Arabica (as opposed to robusta) inherently has less caffeine in it naturally, and darker coffees have less caffeine since they have been roasted longer or at higher temperatures, essentially "burning" the caffeine out of the bean.

EDIT

For some science, Arabica is usually found to be about 1.2% caffeine and Robusta is typically 2.2% caffeine

  Source: Differences between Arabica and Robusta Coffee

Chris in AK has a great explanation in the comments as to why darker roasts are perceived to have less caffeine

  It is a common misconception that darker roasts have less caffeine.  Caffeine's melting point is 455F which is well above what most beans reach during the roasting process.  Essentially, caffeine content changes because the mass/density of the beans change (they lose water and undergo changes in the roasting process).   If you measure your coffee by volume, dense greener beans will have more caffeine.  If you measure by weight, darker roasted beans will have more caffeine.


Does coffee really reduce the risk of Alzheimer's?

tl;dr: Not sure yet, but it looks promising

So there are a whole bunch of studies that have been done that have investigated a potential link between coffee consumption and Alzheimers.
The problem, as always, is that these types of 'cohort studies' are really difficult. Basically the way it works is:

Get a load of volunteers
By doing questionnaires, work out everything about them
Track them over a long period of time
See if there's a statistically significant link between combinations of behaviours (such as drinking coffee) and a particular outcome (diagnosis of Alzheimers)

All the standard stuff applies here: you are not testing for causation, only for correlation. For example, ~80% of Americans drink coffee, but in other cultures this number varies a lot. If the coffee drinkers in your study are predominantly American, and the non-coffee drinkers are predominantly not, you have a whole bunch of confounding factors. Designing your study to avoid this kind of situation is really hard, especially when you're relying on volunteers.
There's also the issue of what exactly are you measuring? Someone might drink 3 cups a day now, but only has done for the past few years. Another person might drink 2 cups a day, but has done their whole life. Another person might drink 2 cups of decaff a day. Questionnaires are usually not sophisticated enough to capture this level of detail (partly because in your big expensive study you want to capture as much information about different behaviours as possible - not just coffee consumption).
Remember also that medical studies are chronically badly reported in the mainstream press. Even in 'high-brow' publications, by the time the headline-writers get their hands on a study, the message can have changed wildly. It's always worth trying to dig up the actual paper whenever new research is mentioned in the news. If no paper is linked, just ignore the headline.
One tool against all of this uncertainty is meta-analysis. This is where you look at every single study, weighted by how confident you are in the data (e.g. by weighting more to studies with more participants, and better questionnaires etc.). You then do some careful statistics work to get a measure of confidence across all of the studies. Think of it as a sophisticated way of 'averaging them out'.
One of these was done in 2002. Only 4 studies had been done by then, but the conclusion was:

Although our pooled estimates show that coffee consumption is inversely associated with the risk of AD, the four studies had heterogeneous methodologies and results. Further prospective studies evaluating the association between coffee consumption and AD are strongly needed.

(Heterogeneous is science for 'different')
i.e., "Not sure yet, not enough data, but it looks promising, give us more money for research."


I do not know if this will be a good answer for you but here it goes.

When I lived in France (small rural community), I used to put grass fed unsalted butter into my coffee all the time. I got the idea from reading articles about Tibetans putting yak butter into their black tea.

Personally I enjoy it. It is an acquired taste because it is has a very rich and heavy flavor. Do not put milk or cream into your coffee as it will completely change your perspective on this great coffee idea. For myself, I prefer not to drink it just as it, safe the bottom of the barrel sort of speaking. I generally would dunk my rather dense bread (sometimes biscuits) into it at breakfast time and have enjoyed doing this as such for many years.

For myself I only do this in the mornings.


Site or feed covering current coffee offer

I have never heard of a site specifically for that, but definitely hit up Sprudge if you never have. It is certainly the leading site for all coffee information - and it's very easy to scroll through and find new coffee companies that are all doing great things.

http://sprudge.com/


Can the Breville / Sage Oracle grind and brew simultaneously?

It is capable of doing this, but the machine only comes with one porta filter.

In fact, my Barista Express is capable of grinding while brewing, but again only 1 porta filter. You would need to buy a second one to do both.


How long will iced latte keep in the Fridge?

When I worked in a coffee shop and we prepared a beverage similar to an iced latte, we always mixed the milk in with the chilled espresso. Keep in mind this was a beverage prepared ahead of time and not server to the client right away.

We NEVER added dairy to espresso and then chilled it for later.  It has been shown that 1 liter of milk can develop harmful bacteria after being in a room temperature space for as little as half an hour.

I would highly recommend that you do not prepare your iced lattes completely with milk and then chill them.

I recommend making the espresso, adding whatever sugar or flavor you want while it is still hot, chilling it in the fridge, and then adding milk to the espresso once it has been chilled or when you are looking to drink it. This will keep for a maximum of 48 hours.

As with all coffee, the fresher the better, but if you are indeed looking for a quick way to grab an iced latte, I would do so in the manner I described.


What am I doing wrong if the used grounds in the filter basket are like wet sand?

I have seen this happen due to the age of the coffee being used. I believe that fresh coffee, something roasted within a week of use may cause the soupy puck you are experiencing. The rule of thumb is if the coffee tastes good, don't work about the puck.


What type of coffee maker creates the most coffee scent?

If you want a lot of scent, you will want to make sure that nothing stops evaporation - so no lid and a large surface area are paramount.

The classic method would be hand-filtered pour-over, which system you choose is up to you, famous examples are Melitta, Chemex or Hario (which all follow the same principle). And as an additional benefit you get to enjoy the aroma right there while you are brewing the coffee.

An alternative could be Turkish mocca, where super-fine grounds are boiled. The boiling process will likely create more steam, on the other hand, the surface area of a cezve is a lot smaller than that of a filter. You will also have a quite different end product and have to decide for yourself whether that fits your expectation or not.

And in any case, I recommend grinding your beans fresh just before brewing, you’ll be surprised at how much of a difference that alone will be. And grinding also releases the coffee smell you are aiming for.


What is the best laptop to buy to run latest version of Cropster?

Here is the answer from Cropster FAQ, accessed May 2018:

Operating System
    •   Windows Vista or later
    •   Mac OS
    •   Linux
Minimum Requirements
    •   Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 (K8) 2.6 GHz
    •   RAM: 2GB
    •   HDD: 100MB
    •   USB standard-A port or a compatible adapter
    •   Display: 1366 x 768 resolution
    •   Java 6 Release 45
Recommended Requirements
    •   CPU: Intel Core i3 or AMD Athlon II (K10) 2.8 GHz
    •   RAM: 4GB
    •   HDD: 500MB
    •   USB standard-A port or a compatible adapter
    •   Display: 1920 x 1080 resolution
    •   Latest release of Java from java.com
Software Requirements:
    •   Please note that some users experience issues running the Roasting Intelligence while using a mismatched version of Java for their operating system (32 or 64 bit), while using certain versions of Java 7, or while multiple versions of Java are installed
A stable internet connection is required for the RI to download profiles, green lots, machines, workers, authenticate usernames, and upload roasts to our servers. You'll need to download and run the RI while connected to the internet at least once; afterwards, you can roast without an internet connection, but will need to connect to update your inventory or reference curves and to receive updates.

The RI will not run on a Chromebook.


Can you use sparkling water to brew coffee?

If you heat the water as per most brewing methods, it would no longer be carbonated/sparkling by the time you brewed with it.

You would thus be confined to a cold-brew method, and if you wanted the water to remain carbonated you'd have to cold brew in a sealed container. That would be moderately inconvenient but should be possible.

Or you could brew coffee by any means and force carbonate it after the fact, which would thus have no effect on the brewing.

Never tried it, don't find the idea personally interesting, but all it should cost you to try would be a bottle of sparking water and the hassle of getting the coffee grounds into it, waiting a day or so, and then pouring it out through a filter and cleaning up the mess before recycling the bottle. Please report your results.


The problem doesn't seem to be in your brewing practices but in the way you store your coffee.

Roasted coffee starts to stale soon after the resting/degassing period ends. Ideally you ought to store your coffee in a vacuum-sealed container that won’t impart unwanted flavors to your coffee.

Placing your coffee into the fridge, as many people do, isn't usually a good idea. The fridge is not cold enough to keep the coffee fresh and the coffee will absorbs odors and moisture.

One solution, in addition to better sealing your coffee, would be to buy whole beans and grind your coffee before you use it instead of grinding a week's worth of coffee at one time.


How to maintain the flow rate of Hario Woodneck cloth filters as they age?

Try putting a glob of coconut oil on the filter and then sprinkle a little baking soda and salt on too. Scrub with a stiff plastic toothbrush/nailbrush followed by a warm vinegar/lemon juice dosing, a final brushing, then a hot water rinse. This works well for ceramic mug coffee stains too :-)


Safe or not, I think it comes with the territory.  I've had mine (2 actually) for 5+ years now and it is quite pitted, itself.  I think this is naturally what happens when (mineral) water boils against metals.  I don't know how relevant it is, but I tend to get right to enjoying my coffee, and neglect the moka. Coffee (acidic) seeps down into the reservoir, and I suspect that might contribute to the pitting.  I have no doubt that I've drunk this metal, but thankfully being a food product it is a safe metal; they don't make these things out of lead, you know.  I'm no chemist, biologist or doctor, but I have had a fair amount of experience with a couple of mokas and friends who also use them, and they all inevitably pit.  I don't know if it's safe, but it seems to be the norm, and I have yet to hear of any recalls. Bialetti is a reputable company. And the FDA (or whoever) wouldnt approve a food product that was dangerous.


Nespresso Virtuoline long pull vs short pull

I've made a little bit research on the Nespresso FAQ and found the following:

VertuoLine - Can I make a Coffee that is larger than 230ml / 7.77 oz.?
Specific extraction parameters are set for each blend and each coffee
is developed from the interplay between the extraction parameters and
the coffee blends to guarantee the best result in-cup. However, the
machine enables brewing larger than 230ml / 7.77 oz. (to 500ml / 17
oz.). Check your Machine Manual or call our Technical Specialist via
our toll-free number.

It looks like it is possible, but depending on your machine type.


What quantity of ground coffee should I use for an automatic drip machine?

I think you have already listed the "industry standard" that is the answer to your question.  It is a good starting point for anyone and the amount can be adjusted by taste afterwards (more grounds for stronger coffee, less for weaker).

The amount may vary with brewing method of course, since depending on the method, brew components (grounds, filter, other components) may retain various levels of water.

The one add on I will stipulate is that it is always better (for groups) to brew coffee that is too strong.  It is very easy to add some hot water to a cup and weaken a cup of coffee,  however, if you like strong coffee and it's been brewed weak, you are just out of luck.


How can I get a more even grind with a rotary grinder?

"Using more or less beans in a single grinding session" will yield the most bang for buck, usually.  However, this is highly dependent on your particular rotary grinder.  Rotary grinders are like miniature blenders.  Just like in a full size blender trying to make a milkshake or something, if you over- or under-fill the blender, then the blade won't be able to mix the ingredients as it cuts through them.  Cheap grinders won't be designed to mix very well as they grind, so with terrible grinders, you probably won't see much benefit to your strides.

You need to experiment with your particular blade-style rotary grinder to see how much you can add without prohibiting movement once the beans are fully chopped up, and without leaving too much movement where they just bounce around inside.  Too much room will create friction from the grinder chamber sides, and will start to warm up the coffee oils.  Too little room will result in the same bean being over-ground (too much friction from the blade), and you'll get coffee paste in the inner center of the grinder chamber.

Achieving consistency and repeatability to the level of a fast-food chain will be impossible, as rotary grinders are way to sensitive to how many beans you put in, as well as size and shape of the bean, how hard the bean is (age of bean), lunar phase, etc.  Maybe this is why all the big coffee chains use more expensive burr grinders in-store (not that the coffee is better, which it arguably is, its just more predictable).  Some fancy rotary grinders have timers and knobs and levers to set so you don't have to count to yourself before you let go of the grind-button.  That helps, but is far from a silver bullet.


When dialing in a pour over, what factors indicate a change in water temperature might be necessary?

Agreed with the above answer by Jason: it's about taste.

That said, of late i have been surprised by how effective for extractin Scott Rao's 97degree C is for a pour over[link].In particular it seems that central and south american beans need the temp to get out the flavour - african's less so but still work in that range.

But to your question - a more specific mapping of flavours:

Matt Perger has a super chart to map when temp may come into play based on what you're tasting and how to tweak it. (2)


Will using teabags in a Keurig cause problems?

It will not damage the machine; However, it won't brew properly.  Your tea is supposed to steep inside the water for a set period of time; but the Keurig will simply pour water quickly through it, resulting in extremely weak tea.

So no, it won't damage the machine, but you will not brew your tea correctly.


What do these large bubbles in my French press indicate?

The bubbles are the result of "degassing" — carbon dioxide escaping from the coffee. Degassing will be especially dramatic in the first 24 hours after roasting, during which 40% of the CO2 leaves the bean. See this blog post: Understanding Degassing.


Keurig K155 intermittent water level detection failure

Most coffee machines use magnetic water level sensors. I do not see a reason why Keurig does not have.

You may see the basic idea on this page, I copy the animation here to make it easier to understand. So, it is normal that there are not any visible parts, as it is magnetic.

So, let's focus on your problem. These kind of levels may broke for some reason from time to time. Electrical discharge, strong magnetic field near-by, and so on. I suspect that this sensor is partly broken; it cannot correctly measure the magnetic field. If this is the case, cleaning probably will not fix your problem and you need order new parts.

What you can do? You may try to trick the sensor with a magnet. I cannot think that it is practical if you cannot really build a working mechanism for daily use.

Still, I strongly advise coffee machines to be cleared regularly. At least, mold may grow inside.


How to choose a good grinder for a gaggia espresso machine?

For espresso, you should use a stepless grinder (meaning, instead of a small number of grind sizes, you can fine tune the dial continuously) with conical burs (which are a certain shape of grinding wheels that provide consistency and precision). A standard recommendation is the Baratza Sette. The Reddit community /r/coffee provides more guidelines on shopping for coffee grinders.


How to froth milk for latte art with a delonghi magnifica

TL;DR; Remove the outer panarello leaving just the inner steam tip. Turn the jug at a 45 degree angle and try to get the milk to spin round in a vortex.
Detail: The panarello brings in extra air to make the frothing and steaming of the milk a much more consistent, reliable process. Unfortunately, from a latte perspective, the bubbles end up being too big and are more suited to frothy cappuccino.
I have had this machine for two years and had given up on any chance of proper latte art. Then, in searching for supporting evidence before answering you, I found this Magnifica review where the reviewer says:

The popular option with domestic Espresso machines are panarello
wands, a sheath which covers the steam pipe and introduces steam to
the milk via holes on the side. ... They produce only large bubbled
froth, to be spooned into cappuccino – which is fine if that’s what
you like.
If, however, you’re wanting to produce lovely, shiny microfoam, with
much smaller bubbles, for making delicious velvety flat whites,
cortado/piccolo, macchiato, latte or cappuccino, and to have a go at
pouring latte art, then panarello isn’t going to work for you.
De’Longhi have recognized this, and they have made it very easy to
simply pull off the panarello to reveal the plastic steam pipe, which
is essentially a single hole steam tip steam wand, or at least works
in a similar fashion.

In truth, it's doubtful that this was actually De'Longhi's intention. Without the outer panarello screwed in, the steam tip is held in place only by friction and - at least once it has been removed and replaced a few times - will frequently pop out from the pressure of the steam. Trying to hold it in place with your thumb or finger is tricky, risks burning your hand and (most importantly!) distracts you from keeping the milk jug in the right place.
I've tried it a few times and the results have been mixed. Microfoam is certainly more achievable, but so is completely flat, textureless milk! However, there's enough potential there that I'm going to spend a small amount of money on a new panarello and then cut it shorter with a saw so that it can hold the tip in place without adding unnecessary extra air to the milk.
Edit: Rather than cutting anything, you could also put your finger over the little dimple through which air is added. Still be careful of touching the hot chrome arm.


Brikka either too bubbly crema or doesn't work

The Brikka has a safety valve  integrated in the base which should prevent blowing up. However, the coffee will likely be burnt if the steam comes out of the side for a long time. You can try using a lond spoon/knife to lift the weight manually to not waste the coffee.
Generally I would advise against tamping the coffee at all. The amount of pressure it needs to lift the weight and the point where the safety valve opens isn't too far apart. If you tamp, the water needs to exert pressure against the coffee and the weight which is often too much or takes too long.
The key is to find the correct grind size. Start with too coarse, fill the basket, remove excess from top and don't tamp. The coffee should extract quickly with a sigle "swoosh" but taste and crema will be on the light side.
Now start reducing the grind size until you hear a bit of a strain in the "swoosh" and it will take a bit longer. This is the point you are aiming for. Since the Brikka does preinfusion, the swelling grounds will provide enough resistance to get the oils out and thus the crema. If the safety valve opens, it was too fine.
The most important measure of coffee is taste, so I'd suggest try to get the taste right before worrying about how the crema looks which is very dependent on the beans, their age, the roast. (dark roasts with lots of robusta if you want crema) Keep in mind that not all roasts are equally suited for the brikka and that due to the lower pressure you won't get the same kind of crema a portafilter machine will make.


Aeropress metal filters, are they worth it?

I have used both the paper filters and the "Able" brand metal AeroPress disk that you linked. They are a bit different, and I use both the metal disk and paper filter based on my mood. To my taste, the metal disk does produce a "fuller" bodied cup (because more "stuff" comes through the filter -- oils and macro-particles or whatever). I believe that "an average user" (by my definition) would be able to tell the difference in a side-by-side test, and probably enough to determine preference.

That said, I prefer the paper for a few reasons.

First, the simple convenience is better for me. After brewing, I plunge the filter and spent grounds directly into my compost container. After a quick rinse of the unit, it's clean enough for me.

As for my (personal) taste and preferences, I think the paper produces a better quality and more enjoyable cup. Since the perforations are larger, there is more grit in the output when using the metal disk, so you end up with a (small amount) of "sludge" in the bottom of your cup, and it will turn bitter more quickly because of longer contact with the grounds after brewing.

As an aside, I also prefer it for the marginal (and debatable) "health" reasons. Paper filters remove some compounds (such as cafestol) that have purported cholesterol-affecting properties. For more of "my opinion" on that, see this question about general comparison between paper and re-usable filters and my answer about the topic in general.


Coffee is a pure and natural product, consisting only of water and
  roasted coffee bean extract. Unsweetened black coffee is naturally low
  in calories ( <1 kcal). No additives are present in our capsules.
  Adding milk to the coffee can bring additional nutritional benefits to
  the coffee. Milk is a good source of various essential nutrients.
  Nevertheless, milk, cream and sugar provide calories which might
  become significant if regularly consumed.

Reference: https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/grands-crus-coffee-range (FAQ; see bottom of the page)


First things first, you should decide if it's better than any other brewing method, or not. Decide your cup by tasting and experimenting. (By the way, it's unclear what you mean by "regular brewer" in your question. According to my experience, there's no regular way of brewing coffee.)

I'm not a fan of percolators. However, l can add a few objective things on percolators.

Actually, you should understand how it brews as a first step. The water in the container boils, gets through ground coffee, drips over the container again. Therefore, you can fine tune brew time. You may brew for a short time for mild coffee or brew longer periods for intense cups. There are nice schemas of how it works in Wikipedia.

The final cup is generally dull as most of the volatile flavor has been vaporized during process.
As aromatics are vaporized, it smells nice.
Most people brew longer with their percolator as they like the strong coffee taste in the morning.
You may have a burnt taste out of your coffee by over brewing if you are not careful.

You may also want to see similar questions on this site just like:

Why does espresso taste different to percolator coffee?
What's the difference between a percolator and a moka pot?


What are the flavor characteristics of under-roasted coffee?

I suppose under-roasting and over-roasting are somewhat relative. I generally prefer a lighter roast (just after the completion of first crack) which might be under-roasted to some tastes.

I've occasionally stopped a roast too early and then it's under-roasted to me (and I suspect anybody else) as well! In those cases, the coffee tastes sour and I don't mean acidic, but sour. The sourness is a little like the taste in bread that has got old and soured. It also has a taste that's reminiscent of tea. I like tea but not when when it's meant to be coffee! (If you've ever had Qishr - "tea" made from the dried coffee cherry husks - it's pretty close to that, which is not surprising I suppose.)
There are also other coffee tastes which are just absent from under-roasted coffee - there is simply less of that "coffee" taste (and it also disappears of the tongue very quickly) and the coffee also has less body.

If they are not too under-roasted, I find letting the beans rest a lot longer than normal can help a bit.


Using Arabica coffee beans for making instant coffee

The process should be quite the same. At least, according to this wholeseller's website.

As far as I understand this company sells 100% Arabica or Robusta OEM instant coffee.

For example, the well-known Nescafe has several brands for different blends. (I cannot reference these as they are based on many years of aggregated information of myself. I cannot even remember when I first hear some of them.)

Nescafe Classic is pure Robusta, but this claim is hidden recently. Still, if you Google it with keywords as "%100 percent robusta Nescafe" you may see old web pages.
Nescafe Gold is a blend, ratios are unknown.
More recent Nescafe Dolce Gusto is 30% Arabica, 70% Robusta. So, I doubt the Arabica ratio of Gold is less than 30%.


It's made from 3 equal parts

Milk foam (top)
Steamed milk (middle)
Espresso (bottom)

as illustrated (bottom left) on this image designed by Lokesh Dhakar...

There is also some details here, however it does not describe the important split in foam and steamed milk.

  For a 3-ounce macchiato, use a 2:1 ratio of espresso to milk; for a
  6-ounce cappuccino, 1:2; and for an 8-or-more-ounce latte, 1:3+.

As to the second art of your question, a cappuccino with more or less milk would not be a cappuccino by definition. However would it taste better, that's down to your personal taste and how much you like foam. Personally for me, it would become more a desert ;)


What you're talking about is commonly referred to as "tamping". This is generally only used in making espresso, and is not recommended for any other brew method that I know of.

You are correct in assuming that the tamping will increase brew times and therefore the coffee will be in contact with the water for longer. This of course produces a stronger coffee.

However, this is not the "correct" way to increase the strength of coffee. The generally accepted way of doing this is changing the brew ratio. The brew ratio is the ratio of grounds to water, typically denoted in grams. The ratios range greatly depending on type of brewing. Tamping the coffee will also affect the flavour of the coffee, because one part of water will extract from one part of grounds longer, producing an undesirable taste.

If you want stronger coffee, simply add more grounds to your filter basket. This way your water is not in contact with the grounds for too long, but rather extracts from more grounds. The flavour will be noticeably better through this method.

Hope this helps!


Are there any natural sweeteners that work well with coffee?

The best natural options for sweetening are, in my humble opinion, actual sugar or sugar syrups. Options include, in general order from less to more distinct taste...

table sugar (sucrose), including common refined white sugar or less-refined options like evaporated cane juice or turbinado;
honey;
agave syrup;
jaggery or similar minimally-refined sugar;
malt syrup, from e.g., rice or barley;
maple syrup or maple sugar;
molasses.

Though I personally prefer my coffee black and unsweetened, I've used all of these in coffee. Any sweetener will change the taste slightly. The problem with stevia, for me anyway, is that the bitter notes of stevia are overpowering; I can't consume the stuff.

If you're looking for a non-nutritive or lower-calorie alternative, you can look at various sugar alcohols, which are (or at least can be) naturally-produced, lower-calorie variants of sugars. They are produced by various methods, including fermentation.

A good possibility is xylitol, which is somewhat lower in effective calories and nearly as sweet as table sugar with less off-tastes than other sugar alternatives. Another option is erythritol, but may be less-commonly available. World-wide, other options including mannitol, sorbitol, maltitol, and isomalt may be more common.

Note well: different sugar alcohols may have effects on your digestive system, including bloating and loose stool, especially when consumed in large quantities. Start slowly :)


Delonghi Dedica rubber wand is propelled into milk pitcher

I think the panarello is keeping the inner rubber tube in place, so it's normal for the tube to pop off under pressure. You can hold the tube in place by using a cable tie as can be seen in this video: Frothing milk for latte art with the De'Longhi Dedica EC685.

However, that solution will make it difficult to remove the tube for cleaning. I suggest using a wire spring clip to hold the rubber tube into place, while still being easy to remove. For reference, I'm using a Mikalor Double Wire Spring Hose Clip 12.9-13.6mm. This is quite a tight fit and not so easy to place/remove, so you might want to use a slightly larger clip.

Be careful not to use a spring clip that is too small so as not to damage the plastic over which the tube is slid.


Yes, it's perfectly safe to drink and extremely delicious. In The Philippines, we often call this 'Kopi Alamid', and it truly is one of the rarest coffees on the planet. At around $20 per 75 grams (local price), it's also one of the world's most expensive coffees.

The palm civet is a nocturnal cat (well, more like a ferret, but technically a cat) that eats the berries (beans) and is extremely picky in its diet. For the civet to choose a bean, it has to be just right when it comes to the aroma, and given the sensitivity of this creature's nose, said aroma means the bean is perfect. Some say the digestive process itself lends to better flavor, it can be a matter of heated debate depending on where you ask ;)

The thing is, the cat doesn't digest the whole bean, just the outer pulp. Farmers follow them around and wait for nature to take its course, then the beans are processed in a very safe manner. Farmers typically get just a kilo or so a day, it's quite an intensive process.

I drink it as often as I can afford to do so, and I have never gotten sick. It's a partly fruity, partly nutty and just an all over cozy and relaxing taste that I highly recommend if you're able to get the coffee. Just be prepared to pay quite a bit, and ready to consume it quickly after getting it home (it does not keep as well as others, probably due to local transportation issues prolonging the time it takes from roasting to actually get to market).

If you have a hand-powered burr grinder, I recommend using it and grinding pretty gingerly, even the heat of most ceramic grinders is enough to lose a little bit of the fruity taste you'd otherwise get. Really, treat these beans like royalty, they're that good.

If you buy some, try to avoid buying from farms with captive civets - the growing popularity of this coffee has led to a cottage trapping industry, which is (unfortunately) likely to seriously endanger them soon.


Do I need to use a tamp if using a Moka pot stove top espresso maker?

You should not tamp the coffee in a Moka. These pots don't like excessive pressure, which tamping would produce due to increased density. This is also why the water should not cover the steam valve. In the worst case they can literally explode!


Coffee brewed without filter taste less bitter and sour?

I'm not exactly sure if this is accurate, but I think it has to do with flavor extraction.

When you brew with a filter, the water is going to fall through the grounds too fast to actually develop good flavor. Sure, you'll get coffee, but you're only giving the water enough time to take the more bitter tastes with it. I have this same problem with my coffee.

When you brew directly into water, all of the water is in contact with all of the grounds for a considerably longer amount of time. The water will extract the bitter tastes AND the more flavorful aspects of the grounds, which is why you thought this tasted better. It wasn't just bitter, it was bitter and flavorful, and that's coffee.

You're not doing anything wrong with the filtered methods, it's simply a matter of opinion among coffee tasters. Some people enjoy the convenience of fast, filtered, and bitter coffee because it's what they know as coffee. The reason the Turkish method isn't suggested is because, the way you describe it, it sounds like the grounds stay inside the coffee, and many people loathe having to deal with that--even though it produces much better coffee.

So no, you're not doing anything wrong; however, the reason you're finding flavor differences is that the extraction of flavors is far different between the two methods!


homemade cleaner for basic drip coffee maker

Ordinary white vinegar works just fine, but the smell bothers some people. If so, use citric acid. You can either pick some up at your local grocer, or order it by the pound. I use about a tablespoon to a quart for descaling. It's gentle, has little or no odor (you may smell gasses released by the dissolved scale however), and safe unless you get it in your eyes.


Doppio vs. Short Black: What's The Difference?

As far as I know, a short black is a single espresso, as in it's literally just another word for a single espresso. A short black is a single 30ml shot, and a doppio is two, 60ml. Nothing added to either, and the vessel you're serving it in varies by where you are, and doesn't change the name in any case :-)


How can I identify which Keurig machines have Keurig 2.0 DRM?

It appears specific models are under the Keurig 2.0 label.  The K250, K350, K450, K550 will be clearly marked Keurig 2.0, which use the label DRM.


Oh, the famous latte!

Apparently hardly anyone knows that it simply means "milk" in Italian, so technically calling a coffee drink "latte" is pure nonsense.

So where does the coffee shop staple get his name from?

In Italy, a latte macchiato ("stained milk") is basically an espresso in a glass of hot (steamed) milk, pouring the espresso last leads to the distinct layers.

A caffellatte ("coffee with milk") is an espresso or coffee from a moka, topped with a generous dose of hot milk. No layers in this cup or glass.

So depending on whether your coffee shop makes caffellatte or latte macchiato, you get milk first or coffee first, layers or none.