What is the most effective way of consuming coffee (and caffeine in general)?

I suppose I would consider optimal caffeine (primarily through coffee)
  usage to any usage that maximizes fatigue
  reduction/alertness/wakefulness whilst minimizing tolerance build-up.

Ok Rumps, given that interest, let me offer a few notes-

Adaptation: first off, our brains adapt to caffeine over time, so a dose that may give you effects now, may give you zero effects later.
Plan to back off from caffeine every month or so if your goal is this effect rather than just the pleasure of the beverage. Why? Some receptor clean up in the brain needs to happen and that takes time.
Caffeine does not reduce fatigue - just to be clear - fatigue is a set of system level responses that tell you you are potentially under slept or under nourished  - using a drug to mask that doesn't sort that problem. What caffeine can do is?
Caffeine assists "alertness" by again blocking what the body is telling you about rest - So, it's a kind of chicken and egg thing in terms of how it works: Caffeine will block adenosine receptors in the brain especially later in the day (when this substance builds up in the brain to start a wind down cycle) - and that's for many people about the worst time to have a coffee - because of its half life it can really start to disrupt sleep - and make it harder to get to sleep.
Caffeine also seems to be associated with helping folks work out hard, and also perform better on cognitive tests - when used as a dose in an experiment right before a test. So that may say something about "strategic dosing" for an acute effect (effect right at time of need), and having to work hard physically can be boosted here by the connection to serotonin - and other cool stuff happening in muscles.
And yes caffeine is a long time supporter of fat burning too - so it seems to rev up fat burning - but so does green tea.
As much as I'm skeptical about some of this - the weight of evidence suggests that moderate coffee drinking has no ill effects, and while some of the benefits may be attenuated as one adapts, it's not causing harm.

A nice overview from 2010 is here

I haven't checked into more current research on each of these topics, but one review suggests that coffee compounds, when sent to a Petri dish of cancer cells, arrests proliferation of the cells - this seems like an awesome thing.
See

In working with athletes and university students - to get a performance boost, however - they cycled their dosing - really tapering off before a key event, and using it strategically in a period before the event to get the benefits.

So, as to your question about optimal dosing - you can test a few things for yourself.

Find out what your optimal cut off time is for coffee not to disturb you getting to sleep. Earlier is probably better:

Most work suggests 6-8 hours before hitting the sack for sleep is needed to have caffeine flushed out of the system.
Also, coffee ups stomach acids - not a good idea before going to sleep
and finally - If you don't need to push yourself awake don't do it. Figure out ways to get more rest - a challenge but after awhile if we rely on coffee to keep us upright, other things will break. So, try for a week to stop 8 hours before bed time - and after that week - play around. You might also wish to check out adding to that, reducing the amount of coffee you drink overall - but doesn't sound like a lot anyway.

Think about using coffee strategically - if you're doing something creative - see if having a coffee makes a difference; if you're doing a workout - see if coffee 20-30 mins before your heavy sets makes a difference - and if it does do you need it all the time - or maybe again strategically on particular sessions only.
Get into the pleasure of coffee as a beverage.
Like building up a taste for dark, special really well made chocolate ups experience and reduces cravings (a little intense shot goes a long way), consider doing this with coffee.
personal story: it's gotten to a point with me that I really prefer to roll my own: I pick the beans, grind them, make my coffee and enjoy it with intent - or with colleagues who share that experience. I no longer enjoy grabbing just any coffee. This means I have one or two cups a day (or sometimes none at all) because I enjoy the real thing so much I don't spend my caffeine/coffee nickle anywhere else.

So take-aways are:

Test it for yourself - It's not only you in one moment but learning how different contexts affect this beverage.
Consider strategic dosing if that's what you're using it for
else.
Maybe explore getting into coffee as a gorgeous food that you can give yourself as a daily ritual / treat.
Think about tapering off from time to time to re-up your sensitivity and enjoy even more - without being any food that's a drug too b**ch.

All the best
m.c.

PS - On effect on both workout intensity and on fat burning.

Because coffee is a food and has way more going on than caffeine, when I'm really focused on the caffeine properties around work outs (super hard training for an event) or fat burning (when already just a wee bit away from target body fat) I prefer to use caffeine pills as part of a "stack" for those effects - this may be way outside anything of interest, but it's just a focus/control thing.


What's the optimal size of a moka pot for a single espresso?

I figured it out. I bought a 2 cup Bialetti Brikka. It's a moka pot with a special valve. The main purpose of the valve is crema formation. It's also a bit easier to use than a regular moka pot:

It is designed to start with cold water. Just use the exact amount (there is a measure) not more, not less.
It streams coffee for only few seconds and you don't have to play with the heat intensity while brewing.
The brewing occurs at higher pressure and temperature - thus stronger coffee.
And yes, decent crema!

I get exactly one full espresso cup of strong and nice tasting coffee.


What to use in place of gooseneck kettle?

There are two important factors here: temperature and control.
Temperature
Temperature is probably the most important factor here. You don't want the temperature to be too low, when that's the case you won't be able to extract all that you want. You can easily ensure you're not using water that's too cold, either by pouring straight from the kettle (goose-neck or otherwise) or by preheating the pouring vessel (e.g. your pouring cup).
Control
Control is important for pour over brews, but it's not absolutely necessary. You can simply use a regular kettle to pour but you'll have less control over the flow rate (how fast water flows out) and where you irrigate the grounds.

So it's definitely possible to use a (pouring) cup instead of a goose-neck kettle, just make sure it's pre-heated.


Why do sugary foods taste so good with black filter coffee (no sugar)?

I recently visited a coffee festival in Amsterdam and there were some discussion on this topic, or more generally about the effects of caffeine on our perception of taste. Apparently, research has shown that caffeine makes it harder for us to taste sweetness. After a bit of googling i founds the study I think they were referring to here. The abstract gives you pretty good idea about the study so I won't paraphrase here.

This perception of sweet food as less sweet apparently makes us crave and enjoy sweets more, which might explain what you have experienced.

Another explanation I've heard is that sweet food compensates for the bitterness of coffee but I couldn't find any scientific evidence for that :)


Roast Profile vs Rest Time, any connection?

This relationship is often discussed on coffee websites that I visit, such as such as http://www.home-barista.com and http://www.greencoffeebuyingclub.com. I have had a similar experience, although my roast times are much shorter than yours (typically 11-12 minutes total).

I roast 3-4 coffees each week. Based on my own taste buds, coffees that are roasted closer to second crack are ready much sooner. I measure the length of time that I roast from the start of first crack. Here are some of the timing / aging notes for my recent roasts

Gedeo Worka 2014 -  roasted to 1:45 after 1st crack, ready for drinking after 4 days
Yirga Cheffe Beriti 2014 - roasted to 2:15 after 1st crack, ready for drinking after 4 days
Rwanda Abakundakawa 2014 - roasted to 2:15 after 1st crack, ready for drinking after 4 days
Sumatra Gayo Mountain 2014 Bener Meriah - roasted to 3:00 after 1st crack, ready for drinking after 3 days


Good is completely subjective, so I cannot comment on that part.

You already mentioned two basic components: ristretto and the microfoam. These should do the flat white. However, I may have a useful hint for useful microfoam. Check whether you can spill the microfoam directly on top of ristretto. If you can't and you require a spoon or something similar, then it is not wet enough.


Taste of coffee that has not rested long enough

To me, the more likely result of insufficient "rest time" is a lack of flavor. It tastes like coffee, but without enough depth of flavor. In that case, I will simply let it rest for two days, then try the coffee again. Usually there is a noticeable improvement.

In some cases, the flavor will not improve with more rest. That means that I did not roast the bean far enough. So I make a note to roast a bit longer (10 to 15 seconds) next time.


A number of things aren't clear from your question. I can think of three issues that might result in the problem you're having.
Clogged strainer
If the strainer is clogged, the air has trouble being pushed out. That may make it harder to push it down as the air stays under your strainer.
The solution is easy, make sure the equipment is cleaned well, a bit of soap does wonders to remove oily residuals.
Equipment
You may be using large equipment to make a small amount of coffee. That way, when you're pressing down the strainer is already near the bottom of your container meaning you cannot press much further. To solve this, try using a container of an appropriate size. If your French press is filled at least halfway at step 4 then this shouldn't be an issue, if it's much less, consider making a larger batch or using a smaller French press.
Blooming
Blooming is technique for letting gasses (mainly carbon dioxide) escape the coffee beans. I don't think this is what causing you trouble, but I think it's worth mentioning. To get a good bloom, you just need to take some time between step 4 and step 5. After stirring the beans, you wait 30 to 60 seconds to allow some of the gasses to escape.


opening a new unopened Starbuck's coffee bag

I always prefer to cut this type of bag open. There probably isn't TOO much chance of plastic ending up in your coffee grounds, but I feel better with a clean cut rather than the ragged ends.  Starbucks has top quality machinery, so their bags are always sealed very thoroughly, thus hard to open. With some other companies the heat seal on the bags is not as perfect, so the bags are easy to open.


Bulletproof Coffee - Is There A Good Replacement For Grass-Fed Butter?

I have seen folks use coconut oil as a substitute for grass fed butter (or organic butter, or Irish butter or many other variations I have heard).  Almost all of the substitutes I have heard are fat sources designed to get fat based calories into the coffee.  The vanilla bean powder you have heard about adds almost no calories, but will certainly add flavor.  It accomplishes a very different goal than what the Bulletproof folks are espousing.

Keep in mind there are any number of things you can add to coffee to make the caffeine more palatable.  There is an entire industry surrounding this.  What you really need to ask is what you are trying to accomplish by adding something and find the best ingredient for your needs.  Low or no calories flavoring agents maybe suited if you are just not into the taste of coffee.  If you are looking for a fat calorie source, experimenting with different oils until you find one that fits your needs and has a flavor you can deal with may be the way to go.

Personally I look for more protein and not as much fat in my diet.  I like the taste of coffee.  A plain cup of cone coffee and a serving of organic Greek yogurt accomplishes what I am trying to do just fine and doesn't require breaking out or cleaning a blender.


Should I change my coffee drinking habits when using braces?

Coffee should be fine (unless you've heard otherwise from your dentist or other health care people of course!). There should be no additional concern about coffee, e.g., its acidity or temperature (other than normal caution).

There are some foods to avoid, but I don't see coffee or anything similar on any list of foods to avoid; here's a few curated lists:

Dental Associates, a practice in Wisconsin, US
Oral B, a manufacturer of dental products

In general, the recommendations are to avoid hard foods (e.g., crusty bread, ice cubes, popcorn) or sticky foods (e.g., gum, hard candy, caramels), and to be careful of sweets in general (which can promote tooth decay in general but can be more difficult to clean-out with braces.)

If anything, take less sugar with your coffee! Otherwise, continue to enjoy your coffee.


What are the side effects of drinking too much coffee?

Caffeinated beverages like coffee and soft drinks give short bursts of energy, but can actually cause fluid loss. Caffeine has been shown to temporarily raise blood pressure, and reduces blood flow to inactive limbs.
Like many drugs, caffeine is chemically addictive and recent publication of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), caffeine withdrawal was finally included as a mental disorder for the first time.
Soon after you drink coffee (containing caffeine), it’s absorbed through the small intestine and dissolved into the bloodstream and it’s able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and enter the brain.
Regular ingestion of the drug (i.e. coffee/tea, soda or energy drinks) alters your brain’s chemistry and physical characteristics actually change over time, leading to fatigue, headaches and nausea if you try to quit. However, compared to many drug addictions, the effects are relatively short-term.
Few quotes from Daily Mail:

Large amounts of caffeine can cause heart palpitations, fits and even death, as well as raising the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Heavy consumption has also been linked to a greater risk of depression, addiction and alcohol dependency.
Energy drinks could be more likely to cause a caffeine overdose because they can be drunk quickly, unlike hot drinks like tea or coffee, the Energy Drink Consumption in Europe study said.
Several deaths worldwide have been linked to excessive consumption of energy drinks, although scientists say more research is needed to prove a link.
Recommended maximum caffeine intake is about 400mg per day – equivalent to around five cups of filter coffee.

'Reproductive-aged women (⩽ 300 mg caffeine per day) and children are ‘at risk’ subgroups who may require specific advice on moderating their caffeine intake', study said.
On Live Science we can read:

Coffee drinking could lead to a mental disorder. If you experience
five or more symptoms, such as red face, nervousness and restlessness,
during or right after your cup of Joe, you may be diagnosed with
coffee intoxication.

According to a new edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), excessive caffeine intake can lead to a condition known as “caffeine intoxication,”.
In other words, caffeine withdrawal is now a recognized disorder, and is listed in the DSM-5.

“Caffeine is a drug, a mild stimulant, which is used by almost
everybody on a daily basis,” said Dr. Charles O’Brien, who chairs the
Substance-Related Disorder Work Group for DSM-5 (via New York Post).
“But it does have a letdown afterwards. If you drink a lot of coffee,
at least two or three [236 ml] cups at a time, there will be a rebound
or withdrawal effect.”

Here are top 10 caffeine withdrawal symptoms:

Headache
Sleepiness
Irritability
Lethargy
Constipation
Depression
Muscle Pain/Stiffness
Lack of Concentration
Flu-like symptoms
Insomnia

In rare cases when consumed at high enough doses, caffeine can kill.

In the world's most expensive Starbucks coffee featuring 60 espresso shots, according to my calculations, there is over 9000mg (150x60) of caffeine content, comparing to recommended maximum caffeine intake of 400mg per day (equivalent to over 100 cups of filtered coffee). So drinking it will end up with headache, fast heartbeat, heart palpitations and even death, so it require emergency care as soon as possible.
Here is SAMHSA data of emergency department visits related to misuse of energy drinks (energy drinks can be looked at as caffeine) and it is really alarming:

SAMHSA report puts it:

Large amounts of caffeine can cause adverse effects such as insomnia,
nervousness, headache, fast heartbeat, and seizures that are severe
enough to require emergency care.

Related:

(article) Sales of sugar and caffeine laden energy drinks should be restricted as they 'pose a danger' to children at Daily Mail
What's the minimum recommended age for drinking a coffee?
This Is How Your Brain Becomes Addicted to Caffeine at Smithsonian
What Caffeine Actually Does to Your Brain at Life Hacker
(study) Effects of Caffeine on Human Health, P. Nawrot, S. Jordan, J. Eastwood, J. Rotstein, A. Hugenholtz and M. Feeley, Food Additives and Contaminants, 2003, Vol. 20, No. 1, pg. 1-30.
(study) Actions of Caffeine in the Brain with Special Reference to Factors That Contribute to Its Widespread Use
Caffeine Withdrawal Is Now a Mental Disorder at Time
(book) Buzz: The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine by Stephen Braun


Of all the countrys on the planet, which one has the highest number per capita and/or the largest population of coffee lovers ??

China maybe? My second option is India. As "coffee lover" is a blurry definition, I assume you wanted to ask household consumption of coffee per country.

If you check this website, you'll see the Northwestern Europe consumes the most coffee per person. The first country is Finland with 9.6 kg. Interestingly, contradictory to my beliefs, Italy is 18th with 3.4 kg. Also, Turkey is not included in the study.

If you check the total consumption of countries, the first two countries are USA and Brazil with a very close consumption of 971 and 969 tonnes.


What is the idea behind serving espresso with a lemon peel?

This article states that it is possible it started in WW II when cafe's used lemons to clean their espresso cups due to the fact that water was scarce in Italy. And the "tradition" stuck and expanded.


Is it possible to further roast instant coffee granules?

No, I don’t think that’s feasible.

When you roast coffee beans, the beans undergo chemical changes that create the desirable flavor components. When you afterwards grind the beans and brew your coffee, the flavor components are extracted into the water. If (whole!) beans you bought are not roasted enough for your liking, you can try to re-roast, although the results may not be exactly what you were aiming for. Theoretically possible nevertheless.

Now, for instant coffee you need to remember that instant coffee is not finely-ground coffee beans, but prepared (=brewed and filtered) coffee that has been freeze-dried, clumps up into small granules and can be reconstituted by adding water. The beans that are changed in the regular roasting process simply aren’t there in instant coffee, which is why you won’t be able to develop the desired flavors by roasting instant coffee. You may be able to create some burnt flavors, but I don’t think that’s what you want. You should also note that the instant coffee granules are not very stable and likely to break up and, depending on your home-roasting method and tools, may clog up and damage your equipment.


Why does some coffee "hit me" harder than other coffee?

There are a number of concrete factors that will impact the stimulation you get from a cup of coffee, but it probably boils down to the amount of caffeine (and any other stimulants) that are in your cup that get extracted from the beans. Here's a few factors that affect the caffeine content of coffee, with links to other related questions on this site:

Certain beans have more caffeine (themselves, per mass) than others, so there's more of it to get extracted into the cup;
Certain roasts (e.g., lighter) have more caffeine than others (see also lowest-caffeine roast, or calculating caffeine content)
Certain preparation methods have more caffeine (e.g., caffeine content of preparation methods)
There are factors in strength and extraction -- e.g., more grounds and higher extraction will generally provide more caffeine.

I'm lumping this all under "caffeine", but there are probably other stimulants in coffee besides caffeine (e.g., as suggested in this article and others).

And then there's the intangible factors in "stimulation", such as marketing, cafe atmosphere, and so forth, which might have some other kind of effect (like "conditioning" or other "mind games") that might help you feel like the coffee is even more stimulating than it would be otherwise. These veer off-topic too much to discuss further.


What is wrong if my espresso pours out slowly but the first drops shoot out?

Looks like you've got too much ground coffee in the basket. What's the weight that you're using? It looks like the recommended dose for the stock basket is 14g, which is a bit lower than the "standard" of 19g or so.

You have an indentation (ring) around the outside of the grounds -- an indentation from the group/dispersion screen (in addition to the notorious protruding center screw on this model). If you're already tamping thoroughly, this could mean you've got too much coffee in there.

Here's a thread from Home-Barista on the Silvia around a similar topic. It discusses another way of diagnosing the dose -- inserting the PF with tamped grounds, then removing while still dry.

That article also talks about aiming for a dose+tamp to leave a bit of space between the tamped grounds and the screen: approximately the thickness of a 5-cent piece of space (1-2mm), which is a general recommendation (not just for this machine), though there is certainly disagreement on this. Another article from Serious Eats discusses this topic and notes that a "sludgy mess" can result, because the grounds will expand a bit when they absorb water. Your picture also looks a little "wet"; it could just be the picture, or perhaps a similar symptom.

Try a lower dose (14g) and do the dry-removal test, aiming for a bit of space between the top of the tamped grounds and the screen.


If you are referring to Autocrat coffee syrup, which is basically just corn sugar syrup with a bit of coffee concentrate (and likely some preservatives). So yes you can make it yourself, by making or buying sugar syrup and then add some cold brew concentrate et voilà.

Cold brewing the beans in the sugar syrup I wouldn't try, I don't think it will extract very well, since the syrup is not liquid enough and the water in the syrup already quite saturated with sugars.

If you cook down the cold brew with sugar, it will be super high in caffeine concentrate. I don't know how old your girls are, but high doses of caffeine are not usually recommended for children.


What is the best coffee brewing method to learn at home? What equipment shall i prepare?

I am unsure if you are comjng from the perspective of someone who wants to become a barista or someone who is interested in making quality coffee at home.

In my opinion learning how to brew quality espresso, and the different factors that effect a quality espresso and espresso drinks is most challenging and also requires the most knowledge (how to prepare the grinds, the whole milk steaming/foaming process etc.) it also requires expensive equipment unfortunately. I think these skills would be good if you are looking for a barista job though.

For brewing at home i think you should master the french press which is a very inexpensive method to brew coffee (french press being like $20 for a good one) but is also my favorite coffee brewing method. It is also very simple to brew, you just have to make sure you get the correct ratio (using a scale is best) of water to coffee and grind the beans well (a burr grinder is best but can be kinda expensive. This would be a cost of any brewing method should you decide to grind your own beans).


I'm going to start by answering your last question first just for fun. In this site, it says that:

  Place the pot over a low flame. A low flame increases the brew time, which enhances the flavor. At a later step, you’ll want a slow trickle of espresso instead of a full-force fountain.

You would want a nice, long brew time. The flavor will be enhanced rather than the quick brew time with a large fire. So flavor and brew time can be changed depending on the size of your heat. To answer that question, YES it is a great idea to turn down the heat. EXTRA: The site also shows how to make a nice moka (not spam)! Second, you really answered your last question yourself. Low heat is better than high heat.

Now I'm going to answer your second question. Looks like this site uses Italian pots just like your induction hob. For stovetop pots and not stovepot pots, it says that:

  When the water in the tank has been exhausted, that's when you hear the ‘gurgle’ that signifies the drink is ready to pour (approximately 4 to 5 minutes).

Looks like 4 to 5 minutes is just the right time for the coffee to be ready for extraction here. You should know the sound of someone using mouthwash and gurgling. The coffee pot will start to produce that sound when coffee is ready.

Now I will answer your first question. I can't seem to find any significant information on your question, so I'll take a shot at it.

  Supposedly, it might be your decision.

Maybe some people like this setting while others like another. I don't know what your standards for a good brew is so I'll just say that you should choose it. Sorry for the lack of information! I hope this answer answered all your questions!


It's probably a caffeine "withdrawal" symptom.
According to WebMD

If you stop taking caffeine abruptly, you may have symptoms for a day
or more, especially if you consume two or more cups of coffee a day.
Symptoms of withdrawal from caffeine include:
headache
fatigue
anxiety
irritability
depressed mood
difficulty concentrating

It might be best to either reduce the coffee you drink during the week, or have coffee on the weekend too.
To avoid my headaches, I choose to have coffee on the weekend too.


Source for Coffee beans characteristics per origin?

I roast at home the coffee I brew and I find really helpful descriptions of the cultivars from the vendor I purchase my green bean from, Sweet Maria's. I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for and I'm reluctant to post a link to a commercial site, but I think they're easily found if you'd like to see if they have the kind of information you're looking for.


Do not blame the coffee makers for what has akways been an ambiguous meassure - or rather, not a unit for meassuring at all. Only in some areas of the world a "cup" has evolved into a fixed unit.

First and foremost, a cup is a drinking vessel for usually hot beverages and usually with a handle.

How big a cup is, is primarily a cultural thing. To showcase two extremes:

An espresso cup

(source)

vs. a jumbo coffee mug .

(source)

I am from Germany. We typically use [ml] for volumetric meassurements. Whenever I come across a recipe quoting "cups" I start my research: Where did it originate? Is it from the US? I use 245 ml. From current Germany? Probably 200 ml. From my Granny's time? 150 to 180 ml probably fits the bill.

Similar rues apply for coffee, from a small espresso or mokka cup in southern Europe or the Arab world to a mug of filtered coffee in the US.

There seems to be one correlation though - the "stronger" (=more concetrated) a coffe is customarily prepared, the smaller the cup. The amount of ground coffee per "serving unit" seems surprisingly constant for the various preparation styles - about a heaping teaspoon per "cup". The rest is a matter of taste.


It is just oil from the coffee beans. Nothing to be afraid of unless your coffee tastes off. You can stir the coffee to try and reincorporate the oil or use spoons to skim off the oil from the top


Does using a french press effect the taste of coffee vs the manual method?

In the case you are describing there won't be a big difference to French press, assuming that you are able to strain the coffee as well as you could with a french press. As long as you manage to strain it properly so that most of the coffee particles are gone the result would ceteris paribus be similar (which means same times, same pre infusion, same water and same temperatures, same grind size, etc.).

That is because the methods would be identical, they are both full immersion brewing techniques. In both cases you pour the water on the grounds, let it brew and strain in the end. There are many tips on how to improve your brews with these kind of methods on the coffee stackexchange.


If I only occasionally brew at home, should I keep instant or grounds (or something else)?

I've been that person - I kept ground coffee forever. The difference in taste between fresh and old ground coffee is enormous, but so is the difference between old grounds and instant. It's just a completely different beverage, so I would say if these are your two options, it's just a matter of personal taste (I would go for old grounds).

If you're up for it, I would buy a small manual grinder and keep whole beans, it makes a world of a difference in taste and you can keep the beans for months without deterioration. Adds a bit of work to the process though, and depending on your coffee maker would require a grinder with different abilities (espresso would require much finer grinding degree than let's say a mokka express).


The crema definitely affects the initial taste of the coffee, that's where the concentrated notes of whatever bean you're using is going to be found.

I make a long black by:

Pour 3/4 cup of hot water (right from the machine)
Wait 2 - 3 minutes
Pull a double shot into it, holding it right under the group to minimize splashing
Let sit for about 30 seconds, serve

In contrast, I make an Americano by just pulling a double shot into a cup while also taking care to minimize splashing, then I serve it with a small steel or ceramic carafe of hot water (everyone likes a little more or a little less than everyone else).

In both instances, I heat the cup, and that's important because the crema will quickly break up on the walls of the cup if you don't. Most good espresso machines allow you to heat cups on the top of them.

Now, my testing is somewhat limited because I drink good quality Arabica beans pretty much exclusively. Arabica has some subtle flavors and it's easy to tell when they're more pronounced. Long blacks do hit the caramel notes more, in my experience. But, I usually just make myself an Americano because it's easier and the taste isn't all that different.

Done at home using a Breville Barista Express in manual mode. You don't really need a super expensive machine to replicate this, you just need the ability to pre-infuse, warm the cup, and be able to wrangle one under the group to minimize splashing.

Concluding, I think there's some substance to this. However, I'm not sure how much it really matters to someone kind of fumbling around to get their first cup of the day. It took close to a dozen tries to finally get a process down where the taste was noticeable and I could reliably reproduce it.

If you order either at your average coffee shop, I don't know that you'd be able to tell the difference, I never have.


Website or database to find local coffee beans

There isn't a website or database really that keeps track of this.  Use google to search 'coffee roastery near me' or something similar.  Look up local coffee shops (non chain shops) and ask them where they get their beans.

Don't completely exclude mail order!!  I am based in Broken Arrow, OK but we roast our beans to order and so if you were to order coffee from my company, you would have it in your hands maybe 4-5 days after roasting which very well could be better than you might get at a local roastery.  We pride ourselves on freshness and quality so will throw away or donate coffee that has sat on the shelf for any appreciable period of time.  I am sure that we are not the only company that is this dedicated to freshness.  In addition, most roasterys have to give some sort of free shipping in order to compete in the online market space so depending on the size of your order, it very well may not cost more per pound than a local roastery.  My profile should have a link to my website if you are so inclined as to take a look around.  I typically don't link, but figured it is a direct solution to the question so it makes sense.

Last little thought.. my company started with me being in a very similar situation to you.  I wanted fresh premium coffee, and wanted to try a lot of different options.  This led me to home roasting.  This may be another option for you, but it is definitely a time and money commitment.


Assuming you are not planning to buy a lot more machinery, you can simply use the Nespresso to make espresso - depending on your preferred strength, two to three shots should be what you need for your 20 oz mug. A Starbucks “Venti” is named for the twenty oz volume and contains three shots.

But that's basically a puddle in your mug:
You need to fill the other 16 oz. and you do that with steamed (foamy) milk. If you wanted to do this "correctly", you would use the steam wand of your espresso machine - which the Nespresso doesn't have, I presume.

If you have an immersion blender, preferably with a disk, heat (not boil!) your milk and whizz it until you get soft foam.
Other options are a stovetop or electric milk frother - the manual pump-action ones are available for the price of four to five Starbucks coffees, the electric ones cost a bit more.
Do not buy one of these teeny-tiny hand-held flimsy wire-whisk stirrers, they are a funny gadget but not sturdy enough for daily use and large volumes of milk.

The milk-to-foam-to-espresso ratio is up to you, find what you like best. I suggest starting somewhere at about two thirds milk / one third foam plus three shots and tweak your drink until you find your preferred recipe.

For more inspiration, see this answer over at Seasoned Advice.


Brewing with the same coffee grounds twice?

In general, I argue that you shouldn't be able to re-use the grounds. That is, for any brewing session, your goal is to extract exactly what you want from the beans. If you do this optimally for your method and taste, there's nothing left in the beans that you want; re-extracting will give you a different result. The second brew might be drinkable and even tasty, but it will have a disproportionately small amount of stuff you might want, like caffeine and other flavour compounds.

That said, @Madmanta's answer makes a good point: it might work in some cases, such as Aeropress or espresso. But this suggests you might want to change other parameters of your brewing. If you can re-brew your coffee with a result that you like, you might be able to, for example, use less grounds. This saves money, which sounds like it's part of your goal. Alternatively, you could brew a larger cup of coffee with the same amount of beans, or increase the extraction time. In the case of AeroPress, for example, I find that many of the recipes are decidedly under-extracted, so this might be an explanation for why a second brew works for you; see this Q/A for what I mean by extraction in this case.

You could try this experimentally also: brew a cup of Aeropress or pour-over as you usually do, then brew another batch in the same way. For example, I find the last few drops of pour-over brew to be watery and off-tasting but the entire batch tastes better together than either of the two parts separately. If you like it, go for it. Or use half the amount of grounds the next time. :)

As a practical note, you might also consider simply to brew a larger batch of coffee all in one go. You'll get a slightly different product but, for example, I find that I use way less grounds for a 10-cup thermal carafe than for 10 individual cups.


How to prepare good coffee during an outdoor trip?

I'm going to focus on the "old-school" aspect of your question.

From my perspective/experience, the classic way of producing "camp coffee" is a percolator. To use this device, you put grounds in a basket on the top, water in the bottom, assemble the apparatus, and put it over a heat source (e.g., camp fire, stove, etc.). If you want a stronger brew (as it sounds like you do), you can also use a moka pot (some call this a "stovetop espresso maker", though I don't care for that term) -- there are some very compact moka pots like this one that are targeted for backpacking/camping. This will give you very good moka-pot-strong espresso-like coffee, but you won't mistake it for espresso out of a professional espresso machine. You get the full experience of brewing a pot of coffee in the wilderness, which I enjoy. See also my related q/a on the difference between a percolator and a moka pot. Those are my preferences for camp coffee.

For a little more technology, you can use integrated heater/container systems like the JetBoil; they also have small accessories like this French press insert so you can minimize the extra gear (e.g., you can use the setup for heating water for other cooking, and (separately) use it to make coffee).

On the extreme end of low-weight and low-technology spectrum, you could use instant coffee or try coffee bags such as these, which are like tea bags, except that they are filled with coffee. You could even make your own coffee-bags (see instructables and MtBoE). Though there are tradeoffs and reasons you might not want to do this, from Seasoned Advice. These single-serve coffee bags have the advantage of minimal clean-up, and the whole package may be compostable. Also you don't have to worry about hot gear if you're packing up to get on the trail quickly (e.g., backpacking). Bags and instant are passable, ultra-light substitutes for actual coffee that get the job done but are less enjoyable to drink (for me).

Storage of beans and/or grounds is tricky -- especially already-ground coffee goes stale very quickly. You can minimize the damage by keeping everything sealed and dry. See also questions about storage in general and vacuum-sealing. You could always use a hand grinder, but that's more gear and more weight.

In sum: I go "fast and light" for coffee on the trail: gear that's reasonably light, that I can use quickly (for me, this is moka pot) so I can get the caffeine-dose done and get back on the trail. Pre-grind the coffee into a zip-top bag and evacuate as much air as possible. Deal with the slightly-stale taste and focus on being outdoors!


what makes for the difference in the price for coffee maker?

I'm going to isolate this response to only drip brewing machines since if we start talking about espresso, all my assumptions fly out the window.

Really you pay for the following on a machine:

Looks
Water Temperature Control
Proper design of brewing (water shower, pump rate, cone / basket design)
Brand

Older drip brewers lacked a few things.  The brewing chambers were simplistic, but the biggest downside was lack of accurate temperature control.  Water needs to ideally be right at 205 F plus or minus a few degrees depending on coffee type, roast and age.  Newer drip brewers rely on updated electronics that can accurately keep the water temperature in this narrow range which is going to give you improved coffee.

Look at the shower head at the top of the brew chamber.  Does it pour the water down in a single stream, or does it distribute the water nicely across the grounds?  This makes a difference in brew quality and on newer machines, more thought has gone into this design.

Pump rate -- if you read up on how people do pour over, a lot of focus is on timing.  Allowing the coffee to bloom, then proper water per minute rates must be adhered to.  All of these details will change the flavor of the coffee.  Newer machines again have better control over these variables due to improved electronics which allow them to produce more consistent, and hopefully better coffee.

Thermal Carafe -- I just had to throw this in here; these machines brew into an insulated carafe rather than a non-insulated carafe with heater underneath.  In my opinion, thermal carafes are amazing, and they have become much more available now that they once were.  Nothing will kill your coffee faster than a carafe 'warmer' (I mean cooker...) under a non-insulated carafe.

You mentioned Keurig.  Keurig is a whole different animal unfortunately.  They have managed to corner the market on a particular brewing style (which by the way is inferior to old fashioned methods), albeit more convenient.  You get the perks of the newer machines mentioned above in a $300 Keurig machine, but I don't believe the grounds chamber is big enough to actually brew a full cup of coffee, and I believe it brews too quickly to get a fully developed cup of coffee.  Read thin and bright coffee compared to pour over, french press, quality drip.  $200 bucks of the $300 goes either to the electronics of allowing you to brew a single cup at a time, validating it is a legit k-cup (they did away with the microchips in K-Cups I think?) or simply name brand.


Does the hardness of water matter when making coffee?

Yes.
That is to say it will definitely affect flavor, but how it affects the flavor is ultimately dependent upon the specific mineral compounds found in your hard water vs. other hard waters and soft water's lack of these compounds.

Here's the key: Some of the compounds in hard water are "sticky," glomming onto certain compounds in coffee when they meet (in your coffeemaker). The more eugenol the water hangs on to, for example, the woodsier the taste of your coffee will be.
Magnesium is particularly sticky, meaning water that's high in magnesium will make coffee with a stronger flavor (and higher levels of caffeine). Hard water can also have high levels of bicarbonate, though, which Hendon found could lead to more bitter flavors coming through.  - A Chemist Has Uncovered A Secret To Brewing Delicious Coffee At Home Business Insider.

So depending on flavor preferences you might prefer your hard water at home but dislike it at work or simply prefer soft water altogether. Traditionally hard water is actually sought after for other beverage processes like beer brewing because of some of the abilities described above.


What I have seen online suggests that it is what one would think of as severely under roasted (by coffee standards) coffee.  The flavor profile is very different than traditionally roasted coffee and much closer to tea with a lot of bitterness from compounds that are generally roasted off.

Sweet Maria's Green Coffee Cupping


Any idea on auto clean coffee filter mechanism?

Not sure if I understand your question correctly but here's what I thought: Maybe a strip of some sort stretched by two rollers. This would enable the use of a rotating cleaning brush. For the material of the strip I'm not sure..

Hope it's of any help..


Capsule holder drawer stuck in Minù Caffè Latte machine

Descaling was the answer!

I mixed some vinegar with water in the tank (~1:1 ratio).
I turned the dial to the dispensing positing, allowed some descaling solution to go through the machine.
I turned the machine off and left it for a few minutes.
I repeated steps 2 and 3 a few times.

At some point during the process, I heard a click inside - the lock that holds the drawer during brewing came unstuck and I was now able to pull the drawer out.

More information: Minù Caffè Latte manual with step-by-step descaling instructions


Why do barista's keep activating the doser whilst grinding coffee

Short reason: Tradition conflicting with modern brewing practices.

Long reason: This is more a result of an industry-wide legacy when purchasing equipment, where coffee shop owners will pick up mechanically dosed grinders instead of doserless, or electrically metered models because "that's how it's been done," or because the technology simply wasn't  affordable until simple microcontrollers became cheap.

Traditionally, you would grind enough coffee to fill the doser, dispensing grounds for brewing as needed and refilling the doser when the level dropped too low.  Dosers exist to allow for predictably size quantities of grounds to be dispensed into the portafilter, and that's basically it.

This, however, conflicts with the "Third Wave" coffee culture, where flavor and texture are paramount.  In this new culture, coffee beans are ground for immediate use, rather than drawing from a bin.  The moment beans are ground, the gasses contained within (gasses that are the reason Crema exist) are allowed every opportunity to escape.  The longer they sit, the less gasses will be left behind by the time they're used to brew.

So when a Third Wave coffee shop grinds using a doser, the Barista rapid-fires the dosing lever, essentially moving the coffee straight into the portafilter.

A better plan is just to use a direct-dosing grinder where the grounds are metered by time or weight straight into the filter.  Advances in the packaging options for load cell sensors and simple controllers have made this somewhat common in both consumer and commercial equipment.


Roughly how strong is one shot of espresso compared to a cup of drip coffee?

Caffeine content can vary a lot between different brewing methods and coffee beans used.

according to How Much Caffeine is in a Cup of Coffee?:

  Brewed Coffee (8 oz / 237 mL): 95-200 mg of caffeine
  Espresso (1 oz / 30 mL): 47-75 mg of caffeine

That would mean your 12oz cup contains 143-300mg, and you'd need 2 to 6 espresso shots for the same amount, or 3.6 when comparing averages. (Which, personally, would make me feel rather trippy)


If someone already have a heart condition, probably she should ask such questions to her physician.

As it's noted in the question itself, it's a known fact that caffeine may increase blood pressure temporarily. If someone is on the edge of an hearth attack, coffee may trigger this (by increasing the blood pressure). As well as, running after your grandson or arguing hot on some topic could trigger, too.

In summary, under normal circumstances, a temporary blood pressure increase should not be a problem for your health if you're a healthy person. However, we are not M.D.'s here, so, please go ask a physician first if you have doubts. Drink decaf if you feel safer.


That sounds like the generalization that drip or pour over brewing is better for light roasts and stronger brewing methods are better for darker roasts.

I'll counter that by saying that I often use my Aeropress for lighter roasts and my Clever Dripper for dark roasts and those cups come out just fine.

The Aeropress makes a sort of quasi-espresso cup that isn't true espresso, but is much stronger than just strong coffee.  I've found that it is unsuitable or less than satisfactory for beans that aren't recommended for espresso brewing.  While the Aeropress allows less control over "brew" strength.  The V60 should be more flexible.  Varying the grind and pour speed should allow a level of control not present with an Aeropress.


Fix my Breville coffee machine filter holder

I had been using an espresso maker for several years, but the group head on that is a lot less complicated.
If I understand the picture, the small part with spring sits on top of the grey clamp at the bottom of the group head, and the diverter sits on top of the spring, then the actual filter basket (pressurized?) is on top of this diverter? Sounds like this diverter can't get fasten to the group head anymore, so the spring pushes it out to burst as you said.
I don't quite understand the point of the spring. The group head on my old machine looks like this:
https://images.saymedia-content.com/.image/t_share/MTc0NjIwODYwMDg5NTc1NDE0/review-of-the-oster-prima-latte-espresso-cappuccino-and-latte-maker.jpg
Maybe you can skip the spring part, and put this filter holder in just to make sure the two exit holes align well, then use the machine as usual? You may need to take things apart to clean after each use.. but sounds like that shouldn't be too hard?


What is the clear plastic sticker on New England Coffee bags for?

Good observation in both meanings. Yes, the transparent thing is for freshness. It is a one-way valve for the coffee to release redundant CO2 gas out of the package.

A more common form can be seen here.

If you want to learn about how CO2 is emitted, you can search for degassing.


What ensures a better cup of coffee, a spotless grinder or freshly ground coffee?

Always grind fresh.

Considering that the roaster you buy the 250 gr pre-ground coffee also uses some grinder and at most wipes its burrs daily, I would go for the first option. The residual coffee could be easily removed by

wiping reachable parts first
then grinding a small amount of fresh coffee

before actually grinding for your cup.


I would follow the same guidelines as cow milk when using any alternative milk. For one you really just can't taste a liquid that is scalding hot, so you might as well not go so toasty. Other than that - If you think it tastes great, then keep doing that. If it smells less sweet, it probably is less sweet - you just gotta find that perfect sensory sweet spot. I generally aim for about 135F if it's a drink being consumed on site - otherwise about 145 togo.

Hopefully this helps!


i'm wondering if this is a wee joke?
In any coffee joint in north america it's common to have a name for the size of a drink like vente, grande or small medim large, BUT these are also associated with eactly these kinds of OZ sizes

For example on the startbucks coffee sizes page, it reads

The drink sizes we currently offer are:

Short [8 fl. oz.]
Tall [12 fl. oz.]
Grande [16 fl. oz.]
Venti® Hot [20 fl. oz.]
Venti® Cold [24 fl. oz.]

also, i may be reading you incorrectly but
"cortado," "cappuccino," and "latte,"
are types of drinks;
oz on the other hand are sizes.

you can have any size applied to a latte for example.

???
apologies if i have misinterpretted you.

m.c.


Moka pot - adding nutty flavor to coffee

Turkish coffee is often blended with cardamom.


How often do I need to change the filter on a siphon?

I've typically used the same cloth filter on a hario syphon for several (2 - 3 probably) months of continuous use (1 or 2 syphons daily). We clean the cloth after each use using a mild detergent, hot water and a soft scrubbing brush. Rinse very well after each wash. Typically, after a week or so we soak the cloth in oxyclean or similar for a couple of hours to get it super clean and then follow this up with a normal wash and thorough rinse. The coffee will stain the cloths after the first use, so don't expect it to return to the same colour it was originally no matter how often or well you wash it.

When we first bought a syphon about five years ago we were recommended to store the filter in a glass jar of water in the fridge to prevent it drying out between uses. If we aren't planning to use the filter for a while, we toss the cloth, clean the metal part and let it dry.

You can also clean the filter (with or without the cloth) in the dishwasher but I'd still recommend giving it a thorough rinse afterwards.

The cloths are fairly cheap and in my experience easy to find online so use your judgement - if you think it's time to switch cloths, it's probably time to use a new cloth!


What is a café allongé, and how is it pronounced?

Café allongé is the French for Italian cafe lungo, or in English, long espresso.

There may be previous related answers on this:

I run my espresso machine until my whole cup is full. What's my coffee called?
What are the standard espresso parameters (dose, mass/volume, time, etc.)?
And, of course a wiki page.

I don't know how to write in the pronounciation alphabet, but it is pronounced something similar to "a-lawn-jee".

Normally, it is prepared in a bit longer time than normal espresso. So, the second explanation given in the book is the standard way.

The first one is more sophisticated and uncommon with many side flavors in it. People who are into coffee mostly prefer pure coffee. However, as the author likes it that way, probably he uses such a metaphor in his book.

(As computer scientists know, JavaScript is dynamically typed which may cause many undesirable side effects according to the type theory. I assume, the second recipe is more suitable to be used as a metaphor for a programming language that has type system. Haskell maybe?)


How Can I Program A Robot to make coffee For me when I wake up?

Sure you can. Get, for example, a PR2 robot and program it accordingly. You can also use simpler robots, but in all cases, you will either end up with a ridiculous amount of cost, or with a very unreliable performance. Not mentioning the hours of programming time you will have to spend on the project.

You may be better off buying a coffee maker that you can control remotely, e.g., via Wifi. Use the app to start the coffee making process once you are awake, or program your phone to detect that and start it for you. In industrial settings, robots are almost never the answer for tasks you can do without (e.g., button pressing). This is not so much different.

(I am not affiliated with any of the producers of the products linked to in this post.)


How does using coffee filter make the coffee different?

There's two points to address.

"Weaker" coffee with paper filters as compared to brewing right in the cup. As far as I understand (although I can't find citation), paper filter does not capture caffeine or aromatic compounds very much. The feeling that filtered coffee is thinner may in your case come from less microgrounds floating in the cup (i.e., from mechanical, rather than chemical, sensation).
I'm not sure what you meant by carcinogenic properties, but you may want to read about cafestol and kahweol, two diterpines that are supposed to have anti-carcinogenic effect. They are also said to raise cholesterol levels (this study). They are removed by paper filters, and if you want to go into details of its levels in various preparations, see this article. It reports that cafestol is lower in darker roasts, and among the non-filtering methods is highest in swedish boiled coffee and lowest in moka pot ("stovetop espresso").


As suggested in comment above, descaling or decalcifying your machine may solve your problem. We just run straight distilled white vinegar through ours to do so. Running the machine with distilled water rather than tap water helps keep mineral deposits to a minimum.

Also, running it without water can create an airlock (which makes it take a while for the water to pull through), and allows the pump to spin freely, and so can wreak havoc on, or at least weaken the pump. (I don't know what specific pump is employed by your machine, but this page may apply.)

Moreover, in the event that the pump has become weakened, it can be helpful to keep the reservoir completely full of water. I do not believe that a normally working machine would be affected too much by the grinding coarseness selected.

Edited to add: While commercial descaling/decalcifying solutions are available (and might work really well) for this application, the staff on a website selling such reports in the Q&A, "Breville actually recommends using vinegar to descale their machines while you're under their warranty."

When deciding what to use, it may be to one's advantage to research whether the product is under warranty, and what the specific manufacturer recommends. Also, take into consideration that the unlisted chemicals that might be found in a given solution could put off foul odors and/or flavors (not that vinegar makes a good perfume, by any means).

P.S.  I just found out that the safety data sheet for one descaling liquid contains the following hazard warning (although the company might issue the same warning about vinegar if they sold it):

H315 Causes skin irritation.

H319 Causes serious eye irritation.


What is the difference between Robusta and Arabica?

One reason that the taste isn't as good for Robusta is that it has more caffeine compared to Arabica. Which may sound like a positive thing but caffeine carries a bitter taste which makes it an unpleasant drink. In fact the Robusta bean has 2.7% caffeine content, almost double the 1.5% of Arabica.
Arabica contains almost 60% more lipids and almost twice the concentration of sugar than Robusta. This factor also probably has a big impact on why we prefer the taste of Arabica.
From a price perspective, green beans of Robusta is about half the price of Arabica green beans on the commodity market.
Robusta is easier to tend to on the farm, has a higher yield and is less sensitive to insects - the extra caffeine is a chemical defense for the coffee seed as the quantity in the Robusta is toxic to bugs.

All of these factors help bring up the supply and lower the input costs for farmers to produce. With this more attractive price point, a lot of roasters back in the day would add Robusta to their blend in an attempt to reduce their costs and increase their profits. When coffee was initially sold in the 1900s the quality of coffee slowly and slowly deteriorated in an effort for companies to squeeze the most profit.
Where you’ll find it: Nowadays, it’s not often you’ll find Robusta in a coffee blends or in coffee shop. If you’re drinking instant coffee? Well, that’s probably all Robusta… but you probably don’t care very much about taste. In your espresso blend? That’s a mixed bag. Literally. Oddly enough, Robusta is still widely used as part of espresso blends – specifically Italian style blends. It is said to help improve the crema.
One thing to note is despite the association with Arabica of being higher quality, and Robusta as being lower quality, it’s not always the case. Top notch specialty Robusta coffee will usually taste as good as or better than low end Arabica. However, high end Robusta isn’t widely used or available. Rather, Robusta is usually used as a filler or cost reducer.

Robusta beans are much more circular, whereas Arabica are more oval.
Chlorogenic acid is a significant antioxidant and an insect deterrent. Robusta is 7-10% CGA and Arabica has 5.5-8% CGA.

Sourced from The Roasters Pack.


Unfortunately, from some quick research, it looks like the Breville Dual Boiler has a steam arm that possesses a female thread where the steam tip is inserted into the steam arm.

However the Foam Knife 1 Steam Tip you linked looks to also possess a female thread which means that it cannot be fitted on to the Breville Dual Boiler without modifying the steam arm in some way or replacing the steam arm for another compatible one that has male threading.


That site that you linked (from www.buismaningredients.com, and this one) suggest that the main ingredient is caramelised sugar. The claim is simple enough: "caramelised sugars enrich the taste of coffee" (from cited articles). Caramelisation is the thermal decomposition of sugar (sucrose); not precisely "burnt" as such but similar.

I can't find any ingredient list for that product, but the company that makes it basically produces just caramelised sugar and caramel color. I can't find any negative health claims for caramelised sugar itself other than the basic ones for regular sugar (blood-sugar effects, teeth effects, etc.). Some have concerns about caramel color.


Assuming that the cup is made from ceramic or glass there will not be any problem in cleaning and reusing it.

There may be an issue with how things react with metal over time but I sincerely doubt it.


How can I better work coffee into my morning routine

I had a similar problem and I ended with aeropress. To speed up the process I use pre-grinded coffee which I store in the fridge. Once you press the coffee, the cleanup is very fast.


Is the Baratza Virtuozo+ worth it compared to the Encore?

You can upgrade the Encore with the burrs from the Virtuozo if you are handy with some basic tools. So even if you started with the Encore and then down the road decided you wanted an upgrade, you could spend just €40 and get the same grind quality.


Single shot extraction time in Breville Barista Express

The problem seems like either in the dosage or in the tamping force or in the grind size.

First, I advise you to use freshly roasted beans.

I don't know what is the pressure value at 12 o'clock position, but I assume it is correct. Now, let's check what could have been happened.

Either

you have less coffee grounds so the water travels a short distance in the coffee

or

you tamp lightly so water channels through the coffee instead of extracting flavors from the grounds by pressure

or

your grind is too coarse, so that water could travel faster through large boulders instead of finer sandy grounds with less extraction surface

Therefore, I could suggest that you can first check your ground size, then check your tamping force (15 kg-f is more or less correct) and then the amount of ground you fill in the basket.

Then, please see these relevant discussions:

What are the standard espresso parameters (dose, mass/volume, time, etc.)?
How to keep the time before coffee get out of the machine?
How should I manage settings for single shot / double shot

I have edited an enhanced answer based on @avacado1's comments. Thanks.


Adding creamer after boiling water vs before

I wouldn't say it would amplify it, and you may very well not be able to tell much of a difference. Unless the milk or cream is hot, your coffee won't brew very well (or at least not as fast) on just the milk alone. So by the time you add your hot water, it still shouldn't have dissolved the instant coffee enough to make much of a difference.
If you wanted to experiment, I would try adding some hot cream or milk to the instant coffee first and stirring it up a bit. Still probably wouldn't make much of a difference other than it tasting more like a latte.


Most moka pots don't work on my induction stove. How can I still use them?

Yes, you just need to get a pot that's made of the right stuff. Induction hobs only work with magnetic metals. If you can stick a magnet to your coffee pot, it will work. Traditional moka pots are made of aluminium, which is why they don't.

I have one that looks like this:

A quick search on Amazon should find you what you want, or enquire at your nearest big cookware store - the advisors there should be able to show you which ones will work (most will have indicators on the box in any case).


What large batch cold brewing methods are available?

Goals

It sounds like you're starting a small business, in which case, you will quickly outgrow 5 gallon batch sizes as you begin distribution.

Depending on your needs, I would suggest purchasing industrial beer brewing equipment, such as conical fermenters and brite tanks.

Use of Conical Fermenter

The conical fermenter would allow you to long brew a batch, bubble nitrogen or CO2 up from the bottom for agitation (increasing extraction and preventing oxidation), and will let the grinds settle into the bottom shoulder of the tank when the brewing process is complete.

Use of Brite Tanks

Brite tanks come in a range of sizes from ~1 gallon up to tens of thousands of gallons. They are primarily used as a glycol jacketed pressure rated storage vessel for keeping beer (and similar beverages) in optimial conditions before storage. They may also be used as part of the forced carbonation of the liquid in the tank.  A brite tank will be useful for your cold brew business as you scale up because it will give you an intermediary vessel to blend out and store batches before packaging.

Scaling up your production

Depending on your business plans and packaging / distribution ability,
you will probably want to start with a slightly larger setup that gives you 1) room to grow and 2) the ability to expand without changing process or systems. Beer equiptment is well suited to meet these goals.

Quality, consistency, and some notes on process:

The majority of consumers demand a consistent product with an interesting flavor-profile that they can enjoy every time they purchase your product. Flavor-profile deviations will cause you to loose consumers to a more consistent product in the long run. The following points will help ensure a more consistent product:

blend out batches of cold brew from the fermenters into a single brite tank
use CO2 or nitrogen to prevent oxidation
manual agitation is inconsistent - use a bubbler with CO2 or nitrogrn instead. This will also help with goal 2.
Packaging lines make a huge difference. Invest for growth in a rotary topper, not a 4 or 6 head.
Don't attempt to use the same blend of beans for cold brew, draft cold brew, and nitro.


The site design here won't let me edit or post a comment.

The study you found found an adverse effect in animals with an exceptionally high intake of caffeine. 25 mg/kg would equate to > 2,000 mg for an average adult (U.S. average, 82 kg) which is a huge amount of caffeine, about five times the maximum amount that is generally recognized as safe (GRAS).

Animal data does not always transfer well to human situations. And we have two statistically controlled major studies that are at some odds with the McGill findings.

These findings are interesting but they only suggest areas that merit more research. It is far from certain that the results would be accurate for humans. And even if you were to make that assumption, the only datum that you really have is that people who ingest huge amounts of caffeine, many fold above GRAS may have a slow recovery from acute hearing trauma or tinnitus.

It's not even known if the effects are permanent.


Is coffee a drug that you could give to your dog?

According to dictionary.com, one of the definitions of the word drug is:

  a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being

As caffeine, which coffee contains, is an active ingredient in some medicines (such as Anadin) it certainly fits that definition so it would be correct to say that coffee contains a drug (putting aside decaf). If you take the first sentence of the Wikipedia page that describes drug:

  A drug (/drɑːɡ/) is any substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed.

Caffeine also fits that definition as there's a body of evidence that supports that description when talking about caffeine.

Would you give coffee to your dog?

Absolutely not. There is a page on petmd.com titled Caffeine and Pets: Safety Tips and Considerations which states:

  It turns out our pets react in much the same way we do. Caffeine makes them restless. They get jittery and their hearts start to race.

That doesn't sound.... ideal! It turns out that it's not, and the next part of the page makes it pretty clear why:

  But because our pets weigh so much less than we do, it only takes a relatively small amount of caffeine to cause a big problem, potentially leading to expensive hospitalization or even death.

Further on in the article it's explained that 23-27mg caffeine per lb of body weight can lead to cardio-toxicity. For a 3.5kg cat, such as mine, that equates to between 177mg and 207mg of caffeine. Based on the table in this answer, that puts a double espresso or a 200mg caffeine tablet squarely in that range.

That's absolutely not to say that giving your dog, or other pet, coffee (even decaf!) is something you should consider doing. The petmd page states it much better than I ever could (my emphasis):

  “Cats and dogs should not ingest any caffeine,” says Dr. Elisa Mazzaferro, adjunct associate clinical professor of emergency-critical care at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York.


It is safe.
If you clean it by either putting it in a dishwasher on a high temperature setting or sterilizing it with boiling water, you will be fine.
This is not specifically a question about coffee but about food safety in general, so usual measures apply:

Scrape off as much of the mold as possible
Put the dish into (boiling) hot water for at least 15min

It is a similar procedure to preparing glass jars for jam, you try to boil away as much bacteria and funghi as possible.


In a cool, dark, dry, place and whenever possible vacuum sealed.

The oils in roasted coffee degrade as they are exposed to air (oxidization) as well as heat. As with just about any foodstuff moisture accelerates the spoiling process as well. You should store your coffee in completely sealed, insulated, opaque containers. If you have the ability, vacuum pump the air out of the container for ultimate shelf-stability. Even without vacuum storage you can preserve beans for a long time by placing them inside a ziplock bag or coffee bag with a 1-way air seal and pushing as much air out as possible and then following the above method of airtight, dark and cool storage. Following these guidelines should help to ensure the freshness and flavor of the beans for as long as possible.


How hot should water be to brew ground coffee directly in a cup?

Your method most closely resembles Turkish Coffee, which is suggested to be served at hot, but not boiling temperatures. Since the exposure to the grounds is so direct, it's easy to burn the coffee at boiling temperatures. You want a full body, but not a burnt taste (yuck!) Turkish Coffee World recommends about 158 degrees Fahrenheit or 70 degrees Celsius.


How to dismantle La Scala E61 group shower

After thinking about this for days, reading every repair or rebuild history I could find in the internet, I realized that there is one more possibility. The sieve is mounted bottom facing and as it is an exposed part, facing a lot of shaking on the most outer edge (and as the La Scala engineers have shown some engineering details that already impressed me), it could be that the thread is milled counter clockwise. And yes, it is. Edit, which I forgot: It just stuck due to the massive amount of old coffee. There was no thread at all.

Dismantled sieve:


Is it more economical to use cold or hot water?

From a physics point of view, over 85%  of the energy of heating 20 C or 50 C water and boiling it at 100 C goes into actually boiling it. In fact, comparing the heat required  for equal amounts (say, 1/2 liter) of water starting at 20 C vs 50 C, the energy difference is 62 kJ or 0.017 kWh, thermal.  Electric kettles are very efficient, so figure 0.020 kWh electrical difference.
Don't waste the water.


It should work since there is no magic involved in the pour over coffee maker. The only problem could be the pressure from the wet coffee on the 'arm' holding the coffee since it was never made to keep the coffee in midair.
It wouldn't be expensive to get only the coffee dripper ( I got a plastic one for 2 euro, fancier porcelain once come for 10 euro as far as I know). With them, you apply the same principle you mentioned. Boil water, pour a little on the coffee to let it soak, wait 1 minute, slowly pour the rest of the water on the ground ( be careful not to push the coffee away with the water)
Trough the result might differ due to the plastic, which could give a little different taste.


Is coffee really useful for alcohol hangovers

No.  Coffee is often offered to people perhaps about to pass out so that they will stay awake long enough that they can be kicked out of an establishment.

Alcohol causes dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and taxes the liver.  To this extent standard medical treatment is fluid, electrolytes, and vitamins.  Caffeine is never used in a medical setting to treat alcohol overdose or withdrawal.


Moka pots (or stove top percolators) usually produce a pressure of around 1.5 bar, while most coffees require a pressure of at least around 6 bar for a crema to appear. However, there are some Moka pots with a special valve (called Cremator) which helps creating more pressures and thus produce a crema.

By the way, a real Espresso has to be brewed with a pressure of 9 bar ± 1, according to the Italian National Espresso Institute, so it can't be brewed with a Moka pot.


It sounds like you had coffee cherry tea, also called cascara, and regionally other names; in Yemen it seems to be called qishr according to Wikipedia.

It's (to me) delicious, but rather different than roasted, brewed coffee beans. It has a lovely red hue, similar to rooibos but lighter.

It's made by infusing the dried coffee cherries or just the husks (as you described in the question). It is steeped like an herbal tea, in hot water just off the boil. This article says that it can be brewed using cold-brew techniques also. I've only had it cold/iced or lukewarm, but it is probably lovely hot also.


Amount of coffee in French press vs. K-Cups

Consider trying an AeroPress coffee maker. It's kind of a redesigned French Press. It's quick, makes smooth coffee, and is easy to clean.
If you put in one heaping (rounded) scoop of coffee, that's 14 grams or 3 tablespoons, according to their FAQ.
While you're on the FAQ page, it answers interesting questions like about gentler coffee:

... about one-fifth the acidity of drip brewed coffee and one-ninth the acidity of French press brewed coffee. Because of this it’s easier on your stomach.

They have a web page comparing AeroPress with French Press and other kinds of coffee makers:

French presses use coarsely ground coffee because of the size of the holes in their filters. The coarsely ground coffee particles have less surface area than finely ground coffee. The lower surface area necessitates a long steeping time to extract full coffee flavor. Unfortunately, this results in bitterness and acidity in the cup. The AeroPress uses espresso or fine-drip grind coffee with a big surface area to quickly extract rich, full flavor without bitterness.
The coarsely ground coffee required by French press filters unfortunately includes some small particles which pass through the filter and into your cup. These particles continue to leach bitterness leading to a harsh, gritty brew. AeroPress brewed coffee is micro filtered so it is pure and particle free.
French presses cannot produce espresso style coffee and therefore the drinks that can be made with it. The AeroPress can produce regular American style coffee or an espresso style concentrate which can be used like espresso in espresso based drinks such as lattes and cappuccinos.
All ground coffee contains the molecules cafestol and kahweol, two molecules which raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. The metal filters in French presses do not filter out cafestol and kahweol. The AeroPress’s paper filters do remove them, meaning that AeroPress brewed coffee is free of these harmful elements.
French presses are notoriously difficult to clean. The AeroPress is essentially self cleaning, requiring only a quick rinse.

BTW, if you use a Baratza grinder, see this page for their recommended grind sizes. (The page also has a link to different brewing recipes, but to be honest, I'm happy with the standard recipe.)


What are the good industrial roasters and grinders ?

This questions are hard to answer as the answer may be subjective. Still, as far as I understood that you are mainly after Turkish coffee, why not check industrial coffee producers in Turkey? They have specialized roasters and grinders.

Some keywords in Turkish:

"kahve değirmeni" -> "coffee grinder"
"industrial coffee roaster" -> "kahve kavurma makinası".


Cold-brewed coffee heats well. Hot-brewed coffee that is old (whether on the warmer for hours or allowed to cool) will have pronounced flavors that most drinkers find unpleasant.

If you are concerned about wasting grounds, either brew smaller batches of hot-brewed coffee, or look into cold-brewed coffee. Most groceries carry pre-made cold brew or cold brew concentrate (read the labels to see if added water or milk is recommended), or consider getting a brewing container to make at home in the fridge. It stays good for 7-10 days once brewed so you can purchase or make a week's worth at a time.


How to increase your caffeine sensitivity?

Over the years I developed a caffeine addiction that reached fairly severe levels.  For background, the addiction ramped into high gear the summer after my freshman year of college (summer of '99) when I was consuming somewhere between 60 and 100 ounces of coffee per day.  I tried to quit cold-turkey once, and spent two weeks mostly bouncing a rubber ball off the wall of my dorm room before I decided the addiction itself wasn't even that bad.

Eventually I needed to do something about it, and I went with the only logical method: I slowly backed down my consumption, from about five to seven cups per day at the time to a hard limit of two.  I also forced myself to stop consuming any coffee after about 11:00am.

I did all this over a six-week period.  That kept the headaches away, and decreased my dependence on the drug.  However, I had to maintain at that level for several more months -- probably about six or so -- for my sensitivity to caffeine to go back up.  Now, when I drink a cup in the morning, it has the desired effect: it perks me up and prepares me for my day.  It's no longer a crutch, it's simply a pick-me-up I enjoy.

In summary: back down your caffeine intake, whatever the delivery method you prefer, by 10 to 20 percent each week until you reach a more manageable level, then hold at that level for several months.  That will increase your sensitivity.


Latte Art... How much foam is too much foam?

Ideally for latte art you should have zero foam in the conventional sense i.e. coarse foam or froth that has easily discerned bubbles. What you want to achieve is to make a completely homogeneous pitcher of microfoam.


Note:  I leave out a lot of the details of espresso shot extraction and just mention the major points of troubleshooting so don't flame me =p

Acidity is always tricky when you talk coffee because there are differences between perceived acidity and actual acidity.  Most coffees are slightly more acidic than milk, and they are in a very tight pH range.  When I talk to customers and try to describe acidity, I typically describe a spectrum where on one end, you have acidity, and the other end you have bitterness.

If you use identical beans, you will typically get the exact same amount of acids in your cup of coffee.  These acids are primarily Citric and Malic acids and they extract at relatively low temperatures compared to the other compounds in coffee which is to say, you can't use water temperature to change acid extraction without brewing at such a low temperature as to basically not brew coffee.  The caveat to that is cold brew methods which essentially trade heat for time and are known for being very low acidity.

You mention better flavor and less bitterness in your espresso.  This indicates to me that rather than being concerned about acid extraction, we need to look on the other end of the spectrum and look at over extraction.  If you think about a coffee ground like a sponge filled with flavors, the first thing to come out is the acids.  This is why when you brew weak coffee it is thin, and tastes acidic.  The longer you squeeze the sponge so to speak, the more compounds come out, the last being the melanoidins that contribute body to the coffee.  Just like too much acid in weak coffee, if you extract too much out of the ground you will start getting bitter flavors.

The first thing is determining if the flavor defect is in fact acidity, or bitterness.  The biggest identifier for me is if it is overbearing acidity, I can feel it on the sides of my tongue (that's the sour receptors).  If instead you are dealing with bitterness, or charry flavor that is going to require the exact opposite to fix it.

Here is a post where I was troubleshooting a particularly difficult espresso shot that gives a lot of the detailed mechanics of how to pull a shot, and what might be going wrong.  Coffee SE Espresso Thread

Lets say your problem is bitter espresso shots.  The first thing to check is if your beans are overroasted.  Presuming your input beans are good, and presuming the machine is functioning as intended.. let's go through how to troubleshoot.  Bitterness means overextraction which could be caused by a large number of factors, the top being too many grounds, coffee ground too fine, tamp technique, or even inserting the portafilter into the machine too early.  First thing is first, time your shot.  You should get roughly 2 fl oz of extract (2 shot glasses) in between 25-30 seconds.  Is it taking longer than this?  If so, this could be contributing to bitterness.  To remedy, reduce the amount of grounds in your portafilter, or grinder more coarse, both of which will speed up the extraction.  An additional complication, is if you tamp the grounds using too heavy a tamp, you can cause the extraction to run slow.

On the flip side, if you decide the espresso is too acidic, you do exactly the opposite, namely, tighten the grind, make sure you are applying enough pressure during the tamp, or even add a gram or two of grounds.

This is a reasonably simplified solution to troubleshooting espresso, but I hope it gives some insight into acidity vs bitterness, how to begin troubleshooting espresso shots etc.


Breville Smart Grinder Pro setting for cold drip

While I do not own a Smart Grinder Pro, most local places that make cold brew/drip use a medium-fine grind. This picture below can give you a good illustration on how coarse you want your bean.

It is really preference, however, I have found that too fine of a grind (like espresso) will usually muddy up a filter and make it harder to pass through due to the lack of pressure. I am sure there is a setting guide either that comes with the box or online that you can use for drip/cold drip. Just remember to keep it coarse enough so that it does not come out too "powdery".

Image source: http://www.bruer.co/blogs/news/12222337-cold-bruer-experiments-with-grind-size

Edit: My recommendation is to use the "Drip Grind" coarseness. That means, a grind that is not as powdered down as espresso; grinds should be no larger that ~1-1.5mm in diameter. Usually the finer a grind is, the more pressure is needed to account for the surface area created.


Does the caffeine content differ in "ristretto" shots?

Well first off what is your definition of ristretto? It's very frequently misunderstood to mean simply a short shot of espresso, when really it's all about your coffee to yield ratio. Ristretto styled shots range somewhere in the 1:1 to 1:1.5 range (arguably). For example if you put in 18 grams of coffee, and then yield out 20 grams of espresso (1:1.1)- then you are somewhere in the land of ristretto.

What does this mean as far as caffeine goes? There is no difference at all. Whether you are pulling a normale or a ristretto shot, you still want an extraction somewhere around 20% of the original coffee mass. This means that you are extracting the exact same amount of coffee, but simply putting that into a smaller amount of water.

The other thing to look at is that caffeine is one of the first compounds that is extracted in the extraction process. So even if you decided to pull the shot a bit short and under extract it, you should still have the same caffeine content.

I'm sorry I have no sources or citation. I hope this helps!


What is the difference between the coffee brew from a moka pot and percolator?

In a stove top coffee maker the water is boiled in the lower chamber, the steam pushes the water at low pressure upwards through the grounds before reaching the upper chamber, let's call it decanter. So the water is in contact with the grounds only once. Due to the high temperature there is arguably over extraction happening. In terms of flavor you can tell by the slightly bitter taste. Another factor contributing to this is that the fines are flushed out with the water, ending up in the decanter and your cup where they keep extracting bitter compounds. This can be minimized using some tweaks, but it's not preventable.

A percolator in comparison keeps circulating the water and brewed coffee through the grounds, reaching an even higher extraction ratio. The water and continuously the brewed coffee is heated, pushed upwards and "dropped" on the grounds before it sinks down towards the heat source again.

The difference in taste stems from the rules of extraction. The first substances to be extracted are caffein and acids. Caffein is bitter, but adds only partly to the bitterness in coffee compared to other compounds extracted later. The acids give coffee fruitiness, which is usually a desired quality and forms the base of the taste profile. The bitter compounds and sugars are extracted last. You want mainly the sugars in your cup to add sweetness, the bitter compounds you want to avoid. They make the coffee taste hollow, ashy, a bit like charcoal or burned rubber and leaves you with a kind of empty feeling after swallowing it. By that I mean it has no pleasant lingering after taste.

So basically that is what's happening with percolators. They over extract, meaning too many of the bitter compounds get in your coffee, which makes it unbalanced and just overall not really tasty. I would say it's probably one of the worst methods out there to make coffee nowadays in terms of extraction. There is of course a subjective component to it. Some people might enjoy exactly this taste. Maybe they want that burned taste, then add lots of sugar, milk and/or flavors and that's just what they like. That's of course ok, but the facts remain, that you lose complexity, fruitiness and sweetness.


How should I vary my steaming technique to create the correct ratios of steamed to foamed milk for the drink I wish to create?

You're on the right track for good foam by keeping the tip of the wand close to the surface. To end up with less foam, submerge the tip as the temperature rises and the hiss drops to a whisper; I usually dip down after the first 15 or 20 seconds or so for a latte, longer for a cappuccino.

When you hear milk "screaming" in coffee places, that's the sound of a submerged wand in cold milk. The result is milk that tastes flat and has little or no foam. As long as you keep the wand near the surface until the milk warms up and quiets, you can experiment with time and depth until you're getting the results you want.


How can I maximize the time the "high" lasts?

Without considering the amount or potency of the coffee as well as setting personal metabolism aside, you could adjust your coffee schedule according to your natural circadian rhythm, a methodology neuroscientist Steve Miller refers to as chronopharmacology.  Essentially, you use the caffeine as a propellant to your natural "up" rhythm. Gabrielle Taylor's article does a fine job of explaining this:

When you drink coffee during the time when your body is already releasing cortisol, it won't have as strong an effect. Ideally, you want to get your caffeine during the lulls between cortisol spikes—otherwise, you start to develop a tolerance and have to drink more to get the same effect.
Assuming you're on a regular sleep schedule, your cortisol levels naturally spike about an hour after you wake up. If you get up at 7 am, your body is naturally most awake between 8 and 9 in the morning, noon to 1 pm, and again around 5:30-6:30 pm.
So, based on a wake time of 7 am, the best times to drink your caffeine vehicle of choice are 9:30-11:30 am and 1:30-5:00 pm. Obviously you can adjust the schedule according to your own wake time if it's earlier or later.


Why does my coffee at work have a paper/wood flavor?

Since most of your variables above have been addressed and matched. Below are an additional few i could think of -

a) Servicing of equipment. At least descalling once per month depending on how often machine gets used.

b) Someone at work "serviced" you machine with a strong dose of descaller, or didnt flush the system 3 times for both group head and steam wand. It is probable you are tasting descaller. To prevent descaller taste, use food grade coffee descaller recommended for your machine, any other chemical product maybe too strong and leave a lasting taste like CLR, vinegar etc.


Effects of coffee consumption on testosterone production

In short, caffeine may increase "Sex Hormone Binding Globulin" which results decreased levels of testosterone in both men and women.

However, I don't know how effective it is. Or if this decrease is serious and supported by many studies. I have encountered this study presents that caffeine's inverse effect on women testosterone level, which is somewhat related to osteoporosis as far as I can interpret.

Please note that people who answer questions here are not professionals in the designated areas.


The bloom should be 30s for V60 and 40-45s for Chemex and Kalita and 30s for full immersion methods (like AeroPress or French Press). Blooming is not just about degassing but also to saturate the grounds (which obviously goes hand in hand) and to start dissolving solid compounds (mainly acids and caffeine, sugars come later).

If you'd want to change, just to see what happens (I doubt you will make better coffee with blooming times that diverge a lot from those "standards", since they have been proven to be optimal for the respective brewing devices used), then you could consider shortening the blooming time when the coffee is a few weeks old and has oxidized and degassed quite a bit. You notice when it stops bubbling, that would be a definite visual clue. If the same coffee that's been degassing until 30s (for V60), suddenly stops bubbling at 20s, you can try to reduce blooming time a bit. You'll run into trouble though, because your overall extraction time will likely be shorter until you figured out new grinder settings. The phases you describe really depend on the freshness of the coffee and the amount of CO2 it contains (darker roast would contain more e.g. because it's more porous). The slurry of very fresh coffee is still bubbly and has foam on top after 30s, not noticeably decreasing in volume, while a not so fresh coffee might fall flat after 15s already. I don't know what exactly you mean with cracks, I'll pay attention next time. More like holes where the CO2 exits, but I do agree it looks a little bit like chocolate cookies, when the coffee bed fell flat and the gas has mostly evaporated.

You can stir with a wooden spatula/spoon/chop stick to make sure you saturate all the grounds, but in my opinion that is not necessary and I've noticed that too much agitation somehow screws up the brewing, often over extracting. Which makes sense, more agitation, faster extraction. If you pour it nicely in concentric circles agitating the grounds slightly, you can manage to saturate all grounds without stirring and without agitating too much. That's ideal in my opinion, but the opinions on this point split widely.


How to reduce sourness in my moka-pot brew?

What I immediately notice is that you say the entire brew process takes only 5-10 seconds. Even for a 1-pot moka, this seems way too fast.

Vary some other parameters:

Start with cold water in the bottom chamber. While not the best way to brew with Moka in general, it might slow down the brewing process. You should want your moka brew to take closer to 30-60 seconds (my preference, for example). Longer time will allow the sourness to be offset by bitterness (compounds which are extracted after water has been in contact with grounds for a longer time).
Try brewing the coffee as pour-over. This will give you a more neutral preparation that will allow you to determine if the coffee itself is of good quality and too your liking.


As far as I know, there are commercial automats (machines) that can prepare custom defined hot beverages from granules or beans. (I have never seen one that can properly brew tea, though.) They can add milk powder or milk. Furthermore, those automats can even put a stick to stir the sugar at the end. There exist also small sizes that can fit onto a kitchen desk.

However, I'm not sure if this is the gadget that you desire.


Is there really a NATO standard cup of coffee?

There is no such standard, it's a slang.

This made up standard is not only applicable to coffee, but apparently used also for tea.

As far as I can confirm, this standard is a counter act against NATO's will to standardize everything in between European and American armies. Tea, is quite interesting as British army likes to consume it with milk where others prefer lemon.

Therefore, beverage (either tea or coffee) + milk + two sugar is known as NATO standard as an army slang.

Probably rooted from this, ISO 0 is another slang for beverage with milk, no sugar. And ISO 2 is the exact NATO standard.

For more info please see here.


How big of a difference is there between a pressurised and non-pressurised portafilter?

Pressurized portafilters either restrict water flow or require a certain buildup of pressure before the espresso spills out the bottom of the portafilter.

So there are several problems with that taste-wise in espresso. The resistance is now not in the ground coffee itself, but below it. Additionally, if your coffee is ground finely and uniformly in a good espresso grinder (as one would for a non-pressurized portafilter), this sort of portafilter will result in too much resistance and thus a slow, over-extracted shot. It can also make your crema look a bit odd because it can emulsify some of the oils in your extracted shot (depending on the design of the specific portafilter).

Essentially the requisite grind size to produce acceptable espresso using a pressurized portafilter is much larger than that of optimal or delicious espresso.

This sort of portafilter does have its upsides, though. If you don't have access to a quality espresso grinder, and you are using either store-ground beans or imprecisely/more coarsely ground beans, a pressurized portafilter can make acceptable espresso from them whereas the results in a standard portafilter would be very watery and underextracted.


What can I do to improve this cold-brew method?

The problem is probably temperature of the water when steeping. For a better, more full-bodied result, steep at room temperature. Seattle Coffee Gear, for example, did a test of cold-brewing in the refrigerator and at room temperature, and reported that the room-temperature-steeped cold-brew was tastier, stronger, and more full-bodied. See also this question for more.

In sum, don't refrigerate it until it's done brewing. Your fridge slows the extraction process down.


You're going to have to understand the market of the local area of where you intend to have your coffee shop. When starting out, I highly doubt people from miles away would travel just to receive a cup of coffee from your shop. So before you've been able to establish a brand you'll need to start somewhere, and that is providing for the local community.

An unfortunate observation of mine is that it seems as though there is a majority of people who do not actually know what a good cup of coffee is like nor do they care; it's all about the caffeine fix or the environment of the shop itself. Very few people will be extreme critics of the quality of your coffee and depending on where you wish to be located you may be targeting the busy commuter that pops in to get his fix, or the chill artist that wants a relaxing environment.

Target your local area and find out what people like and what ideal direction you want your coffee shop to be going in i.e. do you want to open more stores elsewhere? Do you want to become a brand that also roasts it's own coffee and makes blends? Know what direction you want to go in should help mold what your coffee shop evolves into and what type of customer you will target.


Are there any tools to help filling the moka pot with coffee and prevent wasting coffee?

Short answer is no, though you can use a common kitchen scale to minimize (but not eliminate) waste. Measure in grams if you're not already and if your scale supports it for greater precision.
The basket on your pot has a fixed volume. Coffee within a particular roast batch will also have fairly consistent density. This means that you should be able to use very nearly the same "weight" of coffee per brew. Measure your coffee with a kitchen scale to get an idea of how much it takes to fill the basket, then in the future grind or scoop that amount in weight including the excess you will later level off.
Leveling off is important. If you don't level off your basket with a moka pot, you'll significantly increase the volume of steam required to produce enough pressure to push the coffee up the tube. That's bad because it'll add some variables into your brew routine that are impossible to control. Use more heat or brew longer to get more steam and you could burn your coffee, but because you wouldn't get the same surface distribution with each brew, the amount of steam you need would change per brew.
So look at it like this: dumping 1ish gram of coffee grounds per brew is not nearly as bad as dumping an entire dose because you ruined your brew.
If you're really worried about dumping that bit, get yourself an airtight food canister and use it to store leftover grounds for your next brew. That coffee will go stale right quick, but since it's such a small amount, it won't dramatically affect the next brew regardless. Waste nothing if you save what you level off!


Why does coffee lose caffeine as it is roasted?

This is a very common misconception.  Coffee does not lose caffeine as it is roasted.  It is often misunderstood 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.  The total amount of caffeine in a batch of beans changes very little, if any.