Can I just put the coffee on top of the water in a French Press?

Confession:
Many rules about making coffee are writen by perfectionists (or snobs or self-declared experts...) that are always on the hunt for the elusive perfect cup of coffee. So the general advice for making a certain type of coffee has to be taken with a grain of salt - which some people actually like to put in their coffee, btw.

To be honest, if you are using pre-ground beans anyway1, which is a compromise based on convenience already, and if you like your coffee, I see no reason why you should not continue your current process. I personally might give the grounds a quick stir, just to make sure they are all wet and there are no dry lumps, before putting the lid on. If you are unhappy with what your method produces, I would suggest giving the “official” order a try or start tweaking the various parameters.

1 There are affordable and good hand-cranked grinders available, just saying.


How can I shift coffee stains out of fabric?

Coffee stains on cotton fabric can be treated using standard laundry strain removing products like Spray-and-Wash and OxiClean. The former has worked well for me in the past. Spray it on the stain and let it sit for a day or so before putting it in the wash.

As with any laundry product, it's a good idea to spot test to ensure your garment is colorfast.


Can you prepare orzo coffee in a moka pot?

Yes.

With coffee moka, you have to fill the funnel with barley only for one half;
Otherwise, you can use the barley model, named as Orzo Express, they have the funnel shorter and you can fill entirely without problems.

Using a moka for coffee, and a different one for barley coffee, is a good practice, otherwise the taste of (ground) coffee will be highly altered.


There are many things to consider.

It is not really important whether it is copper or not. (Copper is for tourists in Turkey and generally of bad quality.)

I advise you to choose a stainless steel one. If you choose copper, find a real thick copper one.

Here, you can see a very good, thick copper cezve that I encountered. However, this is quite expensive (>100$) and really hard to find even in Turkey.

The thermal capacity... The thermal capacity must be high. It's hard to explain this on text. The cezve must be a bit sturdy. This is all I can say. The copper ones aren't generally sturdy. A bit thicker stainless steel ones are nicer for that. So, you can brew your coffee fast and also homogeneously distribute the heat. This is quite important when preparing your coffee in your own hands. The traditional copper ones are traditional as copper was easier to produce historically. Steel is easier to shape now. So, you can go for steel. An indicator for good thermal capacity is the boiling character of your coffee. If your coffee starts to boil from the edges, then it is possible that the thermal capacity is less than it should be (or the fire is way too strong to brew coffee).
The bottom must be a bit larger than the top. So you can easily keep it on the oven.
The slope I can advice is abut 10 degrees from bottom to top for best brewing.
The height must not be more than 10-15 centimeters to stir the coffee easily.
Take care about right/left-handedness. Some cezves have the option to flow the coffee only on one side.

I hope this will help.

Here, I'm adding a photo of my own. It is a right-handed stainless steel one. It's thickness is about 1 mm. No slope at all.


Does coffee affect people from all races the same?

I do not consider myself an expert, but I do remember one study done on this. In "The world of caffeine: The science culture and world's most popular drug," do indeed hypothesize that Japanese (and Asians in general) metabilise coffee slower than other races. So the effects of caffeine are felt longer.


How do I effectively clean a metal Chemex filter?

This problem seems quite normal. Over time, the little holes are filled up with small coffee grounds and stuck there by the help of gluing force of grease. This grease is extracted during brewing process.
So, how could we get rid of these remains?
Pretty easy. As they are organic compounds, you should dissolve them. As they include grease, dissolve the oil that includes particles.
Best options are:

Heat (self cleaning oven or BBQ)
Acetic acid, thus vinegar
Citric acid, thus lemon juice

Heat is the most effective option as it burns out the organic compounds without leaving any residue. Place the filter in the oven or BBQ while doing a cleaning cycle. You’d be amazed  at the results.
Check the comparison: Before cleaning After cleaning
As for the to other options, These acids are food, so they are safe to use. You may leave the filter in these for a while. Apart from that, you may try alcohol, but check whether it damages the filter.
Last option may be bleach. It dissolves any organic compound quite easily as it is corrosive. However, it is not safe. You must rinse it thoroughly.


Do flavoured coffee beans need to be brewed at a different temperature?

Here comes an unintentionally snarky answer:

Flavored coffee and high quality coffee are rarely synonymous. Since flavored coffee masks the organic and natural flavors of the coffee itself, it's rare that a quality bean is used in the first place. Imagine ordering a Glenlivet 18 with Pepsi.

Ergo, I'd say that your brew temperature with a flavored coffee isn't extremely important. In the end, you're really just going to be tasting artificial (natural if you're lucky) flavors that cover up the taste of the bad coffee underneath.

What I would say, however, is before you start using quality coffee after using flavored coffee, be sure to clean your equipment thoroughly. The flavors used in those coffees have a tendency to stick around long after they're gone.


Caffeine content of different brewing methods

Short answer: No
Slightly longer answer: The temperature, pressure and method of brewing barely impact the amount of caffeine extracted from the bean.
Because caffeine dissolves so readily in hot water, the single most important factor in determining the amount of caffeine in the cup is the amount of coffee used to prepare said cup. Arabica beans contain about 0.8-1.4% of caffeine by weight, depending on the variety. So if you were to brew an espresso (15g in 30g out) or a pour over (15g in 250g out), you would have the same amount of caffeine in each beverage.


Reviews of the Melitta Molino indicate that the unit is not actually capable of achieving the very fine grind needed for espresso. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Espresso grinders require very tight tolerances in manufacturing to enable the close proximity of burrs required for very fine grinding. This is why the vast majority of grinders made by reputable companies and advertised as "for espresso" tend to start in the several hundreds of dollars range. There's unfortunately no way to shortcut this requirement; loose tolerances would result in too many units being returned when burrs lock up from touching or people complaining that the grind isn't consistent enough. You might sometimes get decent results from cheap grinders, but cheaper grinders will lack consistency and may not be able to achieve very fine grinds at all with some beans.
Unfortunately the cheapest grinder I would recommend for espresso is the Eureka Mignon Filtro, which is generally priced in the US at $210. Also, the vast majority of grinders that grind well for espresso cannot grind well at coarser grind settings, so you'll likely want a separate grinder if you use other brew methods. Your Melitta should be ok for Aeropress, drip, and maybe French Press (not sure at that level of coarseness), so it's not a waste.
Regarding coffee tasting better a day after grinding, this might have to do with the coffee itself. Roasted coffee retains some natural gasses that are created when the coffee is roasted. These gasses slowly seep out as the coffee "rests" after roasting. When coffee is left as whole bean, this process can take quite a long time due to the small surface area of exposed bean. After grinding, the process is expedited a lot as a result of (much) more bean surface area being exposed. If you're sensitive to the flavors of these gasses or if you're buying freshly roasted coffee, this degassing process might explain the flavor difference. This would also explain why water seems to run right through the beans on the first day but not on the second: the gasses are highly soluble in water. The "fast flow" problem is frequently observed among coffee roasters when the coffee is too fresh.


How fresh is the coffee provided in hotel rooms?

There is a great variation as to how "fresh" this coffee is. Being pre-ground coffee it was ground a while before you arrived in the hotel; however, it is not any fresher or less fresh than other store bought pre-ground coffee.


What causes the crema in my latte to appear so charred?

Hard to diagnose just on the back of a photo, but if I had to guess, I'd say the milk is not "sunk" properly (i.e. the consistency of your espresso is different to that of the milk). This would also explain why the base of the rosetta is a bit "murky". That took me a while to figure out, but I had the same issue (check this out, then compare to this). So in practical terms, avoid wiggling the pitcher before a white "dot" appears on the surface. Only once the white dot appears on the surface and the stream of milk coming from the pitcher has pushed it further into the cup, should you start rocking the pitcher left to right (good examplehere albeit a different pattern). Hope this helps!


Is there any way to overcome cycling with a moka on an induction stove?

As far as my experience with Moka pots, I don't have them on the stove for long. Something that I got in that habit of doing when using moka pots is to boil the water before I put it in the Moka pot, then introducing it to heat, then removing shortly after it starts to percolate. Stumptown illustrates a similar method.
As for the induction stove cycling to maintain a steady temp, if you set the temperature over boiling(212F, but may differ by altitude) it likely won't cycle. This is because water will not exceed boiling point, under most circumstances, in a liquid state. For instance water is often used to prevent things from burning, because it keeps the temperature below the boiling temperature until all the water is evaporated. So if you set the induction stove to above the water's boiling point it will likely not exceed that temperature. It might take a bit to find a sweet spot. Though I'm not sure, I have never used an induction stove with a moka pot.
UPDATE:
Something I had not considered is the boiling point increases with pressure. So it might be worth turning the heat up quite a bit beyond 212F/100C. Its pretty difficult to burn water. Then again if you're using an induction stove to avoid heat pollution on the moka pot, then you can just use a traditional stove with the method I described and avoid the need to use an induction stove.


Why isn't coffee commonly sold in sachets, like tea bags?

As a matter of fact, coffee is "commonly" sold in some kind of sachets.

In Japan, there is what is called "one-drip bag coffee". It consists of a flat sachet that you can unfold to deploy a small scaffold. The scaffold adapts to any mug-like cups. It unveils a filter containing ground coffee, as it unfolds. You just need to pour hot water in the filter to get a decent cup of coffee.

I will not link to any maker or brand, but most coffee dealers in Japan offer these bags---pretty convenient and offering a decent cup for the price. These bags seem somewhat popular in Japan.

I am not sure about global availability, though. Several countries do not sell them (e.g. Europe, perhaps because of the French / Italian influences).


How to make 50 litres of cold coffee from ground coffee?

I use almond milk bags and a one gallon pitcher.
I grind French Roast coffee beans for 36 cups on a semi-course grind, fill the milk bag with the grounds, add cold water to the pitcher with the bag inside, let it sit on the counter over night. The next morning my cold brew is ready to add ice and water for drinking (I make mine half water, half cold brew, as it is strong). I store mine in a 64 ounce growler in the refrigerator. Multiply that by the quantity you need. I have included links, only for pictures. If I were to purchase, I would look for the best deal.
https://www.amazon.com/Pro-Quality-Nut-Milk-Bag/dp/B00KLT6X9W
https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-711717429960-Gallon-Covered-Pitcher/dp/B00YF7II9O/ref=sr_1_10?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1548194608&sr=1-10&keywords=1+gallon+pitcher+with+lid
https://www.amazon.com/Growler-64-Ounce-Phenolic-Kombucha-Distilled/dp/B075ZZNNJZ/ref=sr_1_73?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1548194678&sr=1-73&keywords=growlers+for+beer


How to make thick, Indian style coffee without using instant coffee?

Just like you described it. Add water a little by little, then took a spoon and swirl it. Then repeat, maintaining a thick paste, it will start to have a creamy colour. The most important thing is DON'T ADD TOO MUCH WATER until the paste is ready (you will know when), then it's ready to fill your cup with water and drink it (it will have a lot of cream, basically created by swirling and aeration).

Just try it and then repeat next time if it doesn't go as you want to.


Disclaimer: I don't own the machine, but I've checked its pictures on the Internet at a glance.

As far as I understand, the definition you've made is called Coffè Crema and discussed under this question along with Coffè Lungo. In some bean-to-cup machines you may set the details how each button prepares each kind of coffee. If this is not the case, I can see that the machine has capability of preparing two espresso at once. So, you may try to prepare a Doppio (double espresso) to make a stronger beverage. Here is a quick wiki link.
See the link in the previous item.
There should be a button for that on such machines. At least, I hope there is one.


Are morning or breakfast blends/roasts more of a purgative than other blends/roasts?

No.

Breakfast blends are simply coffees which are blended to present a particular flavor.  Typically breakfast blends are lighter, and cleaner which are appetizing as a morning drink as opposed to a heavier, darker blend.  Honestly, there's no reason why this is a 'breakfast' blend, other than it has become pseudo-standardized by so many roasteries using the name connected with this style of blend.


Why do we wait four minutes before pressing down the French press?

The process of brewing coffee is chemically speaking an extraction - flavor compounds, caffeine etc. migrate into the hot water (compare to steeping tea). The speed of that process is determined by various factors, temperature and surface/contact area amongst them.
For French press, you use a comparatively coarse grind which translates to less surface area than pour over (finer grind) or espresso (really fine). So you have to give the water-coffee mix more time for a good extraction. The customary time, which on average should give the desired results, is four minutes, but you are of course free to experiment with other timings, especially if you are also playing around with grind size.


Yes, the term is an oxymoron.

Miriam Webster agrees with your definition of brewing involving hot water:

  to prepare (as tea) by infusion in hot water

That is why the word cold is used as a qualifier to show that it is done with cold water rather than hot water.


Is it possible to make nitro cold brew coffee with a siphon?

I assume that it is possible. However, what will be the benefit? This is my opinion, but... We must try to drink coffee, not generate fancy chemical experiments.

Now, the objective part:

Pressurizing seems quite easy in room temperature. Depressurizing is quite problematic in a siphon. So, it will be a mess when you try to collect your brewed coffee. Or, requires fancy equipment or conditions.

In a siphon, you collect the brewed coffee very rapidly. However, in cold-brew methods, the aim is brewing in a very very long time to extract the floral notes. This, again, seems problematic in your proposal.

The main aim of siphon: you make infusion on top for desired amount of seconds, then, rapidly filter the infused coffee to the bottom layer. If you want to make infused cold brew, the easiest method is still again, going for a french press.


How long does it take coffee beans to degas?

Degassing is discussed a few times. The most cited answer in Coffee SE is probably this question.

In short:

Degassing takes up to 2 to 4 days to achieve drinkable coffee. If you really want to shorten this, grind earlier. But you should try yourself for best timing.
The best flavor is around 1 to 2 weeks. Again, you should follow your taste buds based on the beans and the roast degree.


How long do the effects of caffeine take to appear?

I'm sure there are a lot of studies out there - but ultimately it's personal.  It's like asking, how long after drinking a glass of wine do you start to feel the affects?

Averages can be arrived at but ultimately everyone is different.

As for me, it may be psychological, but I start to feel the affects seconds after my first sip. (Assuming it's high octane coffee and not the lukewarm water found in some diners.)

I've seen several articles say that coffee takes ten minutes to kick in. Others say 45 minutes.

I don't know how they're measuring things but speaking for myself, and numerous others, the psychological affects kick in much sooner. I don't think coffee would be as popular as it is if it took 10-45 minutes to kick in.

  It takes around 45 – 60 minutes for caffeine to kick in after it is consumed.
  https://www.scienceabc.com/humans/how-does-caffeine-work-affect-brain-body-adenosine-receptors.html

  see also: https://www.caffeineinformer.com/caffeine-metabolism
  and: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1100767/A-cup-coffee-works-just-10-minutes-drink-greater-impact-men.html

The scienceabc.com article continues with:

  One of the reasons coffee remains so popular is that the effects of caffeine can often be felt for 4-6 hours.

4-6 hours? Ha. Maybe in a controlled environment, where one can measure things to the last drop. In the work environment coffee addicts need to a boost in far less time than that.


Do I need to boil the water before using my moka?

It is true.

Preboiling the water will make the coffee tastes a lot better. It will reduce the bitterness and give space for a lot of other notes.

Heating up the Mokka too much releases also metallic taste from the machine itself and you boil the coffee.


How can I lock my coffee filter when it's too hard?

You probably have a broken shower (dispersion disc).
Try removing the shower screen - the metal part that faces the coffee. There's a screw in the center.
Above the screen is a plastic dispersion disc (shower); it's job is to spread the water across the bed of coffee. Remove it as well - should pry right out, no additional screws.
It's pretty common for this disc to break - it's made of plastic and is subject to a lot of heat and pressure. Breville sells replacements on their website, you might also get one at ereplacementparts.com [I have no connection to them but I have purchased this part from them].


I had an idea. It hasn't worked yet, but based on my theories, it ought to work.

To calibrate the triple-shot button when the single part is too long for the double part,

Queue-up several triples.
Just before it grinds for the single, crank up the grind 10 (or more) clicks finer.
Just before it grinds for the double, crank down the grind 10 (or more) clicks coarser.

This should exaggerate the problem so the little computer can "see" it, and apply whatever self-correction it may.


I think caffeine can´t make you lean if you eat well & health food, and of course doing some exercises, gym, jogging etc. Caffeine is most consumed psychoactive drug, legal of course(more at wiki). Also, I like to start day with warm cup of coffee. :)

Btw, about year ago I use caffeine pills (200mg pure caffeine per pill , it really have effect, adrenaline increases, you feel energy). Than and today, when I don´t consumed this pills anymore, I have almost same weight.
A suggest you to eat food which contains proteins, avoid too much (white) sugar etc.


Coffee in a flask - How long can I store?

There are a few factors at play here. The temperature that the coffee is brewed at and how well the flask holds that temperature are primary.

While the coffee stays hot the caffeine level will decrease. The speed will depend on the temperature and the amount of caffeine to start with (which is thoroughly discussed in other questions here).

When the coffee cools bacteria growth will start. At what point this bacteria become dangerous not only depends on temperature but also how clean the flask was to begin with and what quality water is being used. Clean tap water in the US, brewing coffee in a very clean french press, and placed into an incredibly clean flask could last two weeks (although it would taste terrible and have little caffeine) but if any of those steps is less than ideal there is a good chance of bacteria growth. Some people's guts will handle that bacteria without a problem, other people may get sick.

Edit: I should point out that as I have researched more I'm less certain about the statement regarding caffeine levels over time. Caffeine should not burn at any temperature coffee is left at, and it does not evaporate. So either experiments that say caffeine levels decrease are wrong or the reason it decreases is not clear. Some suggest that bacteria eats the caffeine, which does tie into why it becomes less safe to drink over time.


This question is probably best answered in two directions:

If you feel the need to add sugar to your coffee, it may simply be that the coffee that you are drinking is not very good. Sugar makes a lot of things taste better in addition to the sweetness that it adds. There are many ways to improve the quality of your coffee, like buying better and fresher beans, grinding right before brewing instead of buying pre-ground coffee, etc. Whether any of that is feasible depends on your coffee drinking circumstances - e.g., if you need to use your office's drip coffee machine with the coffee bought by the kitchen management, there is not a lot that you can do.
If you want to add sweetness because you like it sweet, but you still want to avoid adding sugar for some reason, you can try the following:

There are a couple of coffee bean types that have a slightly sweet flavour. For example, I have a some "Starbucks 2015 Christmas Blend Espresso" here, which is described by the producer by "Cedar and herbal spiciness with an intense caramelly sweetness". When using the beans in a pump-driven espresso machine, the espresso indeed has some sweetness. But don't expect too much. Coffee is natually low-calorie, which means that there can only be a little bit of sweetness. There are some coffee types that are naturally sweeter than others. According to a book that I have, lightly roasted Arabica Bourbon coffee beans should have a "fine sweetness". Panama Volcan Baru Coffee is also listed as particularly sweet. Against, don't expect too much - "particularly sweet" means in comparison to other beans!
In case you prefer to drink your coffee with milk, you may want to switch to lactose-free milk. In that type of milk, the lactose has been split into shorter sugar molecules, which makes the milk taste quite sweet without a noticeable change in calories.


What skills/techniques are necessary for making espresso?

If the concern is solely production of great espresso, I would argue that the 'skillset' required actually consists of a single point.

Palate. Being able to discern flavours and work out what is good and bad about any shot is essential in being able to improve your espresso.

This is a skill that you'll need to train and perfect but is the only necessary ability in making good espresso.

The real bulk of what makes espresso great is simply being able to control the factors and variables in making it which requires an ability to taste what is wrong with any given shot. I wouldn't say the specific factors that contribute to good espresso are skills (as skills are traits of the barista), but are simply parameters that is up to you to modify and control.

The parameters you need to keep in mind when making espresso are:

Freshness of coffee
Grind size of coffee particle
Water quality and composition
Brew temperature
Brew pressure
Coffee distribution in portafilter
Amount of coffee used per shot
Length of shot/Amount of water pulled/Final output volume

Tamp level and pressure are things that affect the shot but aren't exactly variables you would change. These would just be things you would aim to get 'right' every time. 'Right' here means ensuring a level, horizontal bed of coffee and a consistent tamp pressure. Tamp pressure is easier to normalise than it sounds; tamp until the coffee bed stops compressing.

Many of the above will be down to the grinder and espresso machines chosen.

Having a bottomless portafilter enables a clear view of the exit of the shot which serves as an invaluable tool in recognising uneven extractions.

Tips:

Never tap/knock the portafilter after tamping. This completely destroys puck uniformity.
Use a distribution tool to help evenly distribute coffee in your portafilter. Use a pin with the Weiss Distribution Technique or a Pullman Chisel/OCD.
VST baskets are replacement baskets for your portafilter with filter holes positioned and sized to aid uniform extractions. Would recommend getting one.
Grind uniformity is also a thing to keep in mind. Higher quality grinders will result in a lower deviation in particle sizes of the resulting coffee grounds. Lower deviation means more consistency in extraction.
Use a scale and a timer to weigh and time your shots. You will need to know what you did in order to know how to improve it.
When chasing a good shot, change one variable in your method at a time. If you change multiple, you will never know what contributed to making your shot great.


What's this ring around the inside of my moka pot?

It looks like the seam from when the pot was manufactured and the brown stains will be coffee not rust. If you soak it in some diluted bleach over night, the stain will disappear.
Thanks,
Simon


How does one calculate extraction percent?

You have everything right. If you want Extraction % you need to measure:

Total dissolved solids: You will have to measure this using a refractometer. There are many out there, for commercial settings they start at around 300€. I have no experience with cheaper, "home use" refractometers but I'd assume they lack accuracy.
Dry coffee mass (in g): You have to weigh the ground coffee before brewing, that's all there is to it.
Brewed coffee mass: As in 2. you will have to weigh your brew. Tar your kitchen scale with the cup on it, brew coffee and put the cup back. Voila.

Now you just all pluck it in the equation and you are good to go. Suppose you have 15g of ground coffee, yield 190g of brewed coffee with a TDS of 1,3%, which is great for a pour over.

That gives you an extracted mass of 2,47g.

2,47g/15g = 0.165. So the extraction % would be 16,5%.


The Barisieur Coffee Alarm and Coffee ground freshness

Define bland...

If you compare just-ground to ground last evening and left open, yes, as a connoisseur you will probably notice a difference.

Comparing store-bought pre-ground coffee, a few hours in the open won’t matter too much.

Plus, there are a few minor issues that may outweigh the “freshness” question: Morning breath? Being half-awake? Before the caffeine kicks in, I, for example, am in a somewhat zombie-mode. If it smells like coffee, I will probably drink it... Leaving the finer brews for a time when I can appreciate them.


Difference between Turkish and Greek coffee?

...also called Arabic, Cypriot, Bosnian, and what not -- it is the same method.

In Greece, it's become Greek coffee (along with the former "Turkish" Greek delight) after conflicting with Turkey and the 1974 invasion of Cyprus.

The method itself (boiling finely ground coffee in copper cezve, typically sweetened, and served in a demitasse) is said to stem from 15th century Yemen, reaching Constantinople in 17th century and consequently spreading across Ottoman Empire.

Apparently, there are interesting variations to it. For instance, Syrian coffee (and probably some others) is flavoured by cardamom.


It depends greatly on the actual machine, e.g. when used correctly, a £1000 manual La Pavoni lever machine will by far produce a better espresso more consistently than a £60 semi-auto from your nearest department store.

There are two different types of semi-autos: those where you have to flick a switch on to start the pump and flick it off again to stop the pump (you can use a measuring glass to ensure you're yielding the same amount of espresso each time), and those that are 'volumetric', i.e. you program into the machine how much water you want it to dose, and it will dose this amount every time.

Manual machines (e.g. the La Pavoni Europiccola) require you to use your hand to push a lever that will in turn force water through the coffee. It's not as easy to get consistent results right away, as there are more factors involved that will very easily vary (the amount of force you apply, the time over which you apply it)

If you could provide more information, or share any particular machines you've been looking at, that would help us to build a better response that would answer your question a little more fully!


French-press v.s. manual pour over brewing quality

First things first, let's put the difference between French press and manual pour-over:

French-press: Coffee and water stay in the same container during brewing. The water is not very close to boiling temperatures. You wait for a while to brew it. At the end, the output is coffee with some fine residue of coffee ground in it. This may continue to brew while you drink. So, it must be consumed fast.
Manual pour-over: Coffee and water are in two different compartments. (This is a very definitive difference.) Brewing happens fast, with close to boiling temperatures. The output has no visible grounds in it. You may wait for a while till it gets colder.

And, the answer... How could we define the quality? I think it depends on the drinker's mood. I change my brewing method from day to day. I drink cold brew for a while, then two shots of espresso, then a Turkish. I never thought one of them has superior quality.


With the dry process, the fruit is left intact for an initial fermentation stage. Then the beans are hulled, washed, dried again, sorted and graded (as with other processes).

It's more expensive than other processing methods because of the real-estate and time and labor invested in the initial fermentation. But it seems to get more fruit into the bean. Dry-processed coffees tend to have very complex fruit and wine notes that are not found (or rarely found) in washed and semi-washed process coffees.


What happens to ground coffee if poured over with very warm instead of hot water?

Well first we should probably establish how cold the water is once it hits the ground. I imagine it is heated to almost boiling temperature in the Nespresso machine, however when it comes out and hits the cold cup it cools down almost immediately to probably 85 to 90°C or something around that.

In general colder water means basically that you are extracting less solid compounds of the coffee at a slower rate. So it is impossible really to draw any specific conclusions without knowing how hot the water is and how long the extraction takes.

However there are some general rules that always apply as the aforementioned slower extraction at lower temperatures. Another one is that with increasing contact time the extraction will be higher.

In terms of flavor lower extractions are generally associated with more acidic/sour coffee and the higher the extraction the more of the bitter compounds will be in your cup. An ideal extraction will be balanced with some fruity acidity and some darker, chocolaty flavors. Since you are using a full immersion technique it will not make that much of a difference though. I imagine you wait a few minutes before you start drinking the coffee? So there's probably a short moment where the extraction is balanced but the longer you sip on your cup the more bitter it gets which means overextraction. I think time is the more relevant variable in your case (if my estimate of the temperature is more or less correct)

Health wise I don't think it will make much of a difference either for the above mentioned reasons. Most of the caffein is extracted early on and by the end the extraction will be relatively high, regardless of the somewhat lower initial temperature. And since you are doing full immersion you will additionally always ingest a good amount of coffee grounds anyways.


Coffee ground sieves: Can they make a noticeable change in the flavor?

In all coffee-brewing methods, consistency is key. Different particle sizes of coffee will extract at different rates and controlling extraction rates and replicating them is part of making better and better cups of coffee.

The Rafino seems to be tailored more towards the filter or french press brewer. In these brewing methods, fines, the smaller coffee particles produce the majority of the problem in extraction and off-flavours produced in the end cup. With filter brewing, it restricts water flow and can cause inconsistencies in the extraction. With french press, the fines can overextract due to the full immersion process and cause a lot more bitter flavours to be present.

Filtering out inconsistent coffee grounds results in a much more evenly extracted coffee as the majority of grounds will extract more uniformly without any under or over extracting much more than the rest. This should give a much more balanced and bodied cup assuming other variables are as diligently controlled.

Better grinders can minimise fines but an extra step can ensure particle size consistency. However I'm not sure about the extent of adverse effects of exposing ground coffee to air for so long would be to which I would suggest minimising grounds-sifting time.


I brew French Press every morning. I think you are doing everything correct. I brew at a target temperature of 190 degrees. Here's what I do... I bring water to a boil and then pour into the press to preheat the press. I grind my beans and I prefer dark roast. Then I dump out the water in the press and add the ground coffee. I use ratio of 16:1 (16 grams of water for each 1 gram of coffee, so as an example in my 2 cup press I grind 17 grams of beans and pour 272 grams of water. I usually pour 1/2 the water and then stir to bloom using a wooden chopstick (no metal to avoid breaking glass press). Then add balance of water. Cover the press with the screen and then wrap the press using a dish towel to insulate and keep temp up. 4 mins to brew and you have a great cup of Joe.

Note: My opinion is not to get too crazy with what if my temp is off by a degree or so or if I have a gram of coffee or water more or less than target. If you brew it and it tastes good to you that's what counts. If you taste and it seems too strong for your taste just add a bit more hot water to your cup. I never come out with a too weak brew. Enjoy!


Trying to identify which chemical is responsible for a burned plastic taste in certain flavors

Being ill or recovering from being ill can certainly change your sense of taste. Can you get somebody else to try the coffee you get that smell/taste from to see if they also do? At least you can eliminate you or the coffee.

Taste Changes - Topic Overview


I was at a new restaurant in my area the other day, and they had this ingenious little snack: Chocolate-covered coffee beans. The beans are left as they would be just prior to grinding them into grounds, and covered in a layer of chocolate, with a nice crunch to them. It's really as simple as it sounds.

I've been working on finding them in local supermarkets. Gourmet and specialty grocers such as Trader Joe's or Whole Foods might have them; I'm not sure.


How would I approach a coffee excursion/tour in Ethiopia?

I would say reach out to a roaster that you are fond of or have established a relationship with, they would be able to give you pointers.


What is the range of ambient temperature I can keep my espresso machine at?

Any coffe machine is quite broad. I suggest considering the materials involved. Since portafilter machines are meant to operate on higher than ambient temperatures for a very long time, lower temps aren't usually a problem in terms of degradation.
I can't remember any materials involved in a portafilter machine that would degrade faster (or et damaged) in lower temperatures rather than operating temperatures.
Dependig on the age, there might be hemp sealings in the machine that could potentially dry out.


Is it necessary to allow a shot of espresso to rest before adding it to a drink?

Not necessary in my opinion.  In fact, i prefer to add it as soon as possible.  The activity you describe is the crema dissipating.  I prefer a lot of crema...  if you wait 30 seconds, there should still be decent crema integrity.  By the way, Starbucks trains their baristas to add the shot within 10 seconds of brewing.


How to brew coffee without "film" on top

Regarding the pre-ground coffee in a French Press, the website, packaging and company all say its suitable for a French Press / Plunger.  Technically it is, the big thing is usually the finer grounds being sifted through the filter and into your cup of coffee.  Most people don't like this, I personally don't mind this, though I do prefer not to have grounds in my coffee.  If you were to grind your own coffee, you may still get some finer particles pushing through, but not as much

I too use a French Press and I noticed some odd things similar to the oily film when I first started.  I changed a TON of what I was doing, so it's hard to pinpoint exactly what caused that to stop.  Here is a few things.

The grounds of the coffee could be part of that film.  As they sift through, some of the finest particles could be coalescing together and forming what looks like an oily film.
Try different grounds (just for a day, change it up)
The appearance of that film could also be due to the sheen of the bean from processing.  Many flavored coffees, even a subtle flavor or a "non-flavor" from a large company, are from the beans being in a flavor oil.  This being Lavazza, I see that it tastes like Pralines, which could be some of the flavor of the oil the company uses to mask any bitterness or roasting flavors.  Not all companies do this.
Possibly email company and see if they do add any oil to the coffee (even if its natural or during the roasting process)
Check the cleanliness of the french press and coffee cup.  I wasn't washing mine thoroughly enough at the beginning and some of that was a residue from soap I am sure.
Try to fill the french press or coffee cup with water after washing, let sit and see if it produced film
Dish Washer and detergent.  I had an apartment that had a dish washer and when it started to "go", it would still "clean" things but we would notice that everything had a film on it that was pretty much invisible.  We could tell because we would pour a glass of water, then see the film a couple minutes later.  Sometimes it was obvious.  It could also be the detergent in the dish washer.
Try to hand-wash your coffee cup and french press and see if that makes a difference.
Check the water.  You may not have control over the water or the quality of the water, but that can play a factor in that oily film.  If the water is not purified or already has a residue, then your coffee will be the same.
Pour a glass of water from the same source and let it sit for 15 minutes and see if you get a film.
Bag, packaging and storage.  I have a coffee vault for one of coffee's, and when I ran out and reordered more I put a different bean in there.  The previous bean was flavored and some of the oil from the flavor rubbed off on the sides, which then transferred to the new unflavored beans and caused some oily film.  So again, make sure its washed well.  But also, I noticed some bags or packaging have a metallic looking liner inside the bag, and that I feel is often oily.  I am not sure from what or why, could be a preservative coating or just some oil so there isn't bean on metal contact.  That may also transfer to the bean as well.
Check the inside of the bag and see if that has any oil residue inside.  Also email company see if they coat the inside of their packaging.
Lastly, I forgot, but this goes with washing your french press, wash it as soon as you are done.  Out of forgetfulness or laziness I have left my old brew in there overnight a few times, and I have noticed that the next one may have some residue from the previous still, which may be some of that oily film.
Try washing right away after done with coffee

Good luck, hope this helps and try to keep changing things and see what works for you.


I own this machine and have since moved on from it for the exact reasons you stated.

It is possible to create microfoam that is good enough for making clearly defined latte art on the Delonghi Dedica but it requires practice (as would doing the same on any machine). You did the right thing by removing the metal sleeve but the main problem is that the steam power is relatively weak and so it makes it harder to create the vortex required to properly incorporate the aerated milk. Focus on trying to create a spinning vortex/whirlpool type effect in your milk as this is the most important step in ensuring you end up with silky milk.

Aerate the milk by keeping the tip of the steam wand near the surface of the milk. You should hear spitting noises. This will introduce air into the milk.
Once you have aerated enough, dip the tip of the steam wand below the surface and try to form a vortex/whirlpool.
Spin the milk as in step 2 until the milk is at the right temperature.

For good latte milk, you should not over-aerate. A good starting point is simply raising the height of the milk in your pitcher by about a centimetre. Once again, however, it will require practice and even then it may not be perfect due to the lack of steaming power this machine has.

The Delonghi Dedica also uses a pressurised portafilter basket which means that the crema you find in your cup is a result of artificial pressures produced inside the basket (similar to how Nespresso machines make their 'crema'). You can attempt to create darker crema by making the pressurised basket not the limiting factor of extraction by grinding finer (but not so fine as to choke the machine).

Temperature-wise, you want to ensure that your portafilter is heated by running empty shots through it as it will cool down the shot as it moves through the portafilter. The steam is also not as hot as commercial machines as they have dedicated boilers for the steaming rather than interchanging between functions within a few seconds like the Delonghi.

In conclusion, if you enjoy your coffee the way you make it, stick with the Delonghi Dedica but if you put a lot of value in the quality of the crema and being able to pour latte art then you might want to consider an upgrade or investing more time into practicing milk steaming.


The short answer is yes. The absence of the milk fats means that the foam will not "coagulate" as easily.

The proteins chains in milk are polar: one end of the chain is
hydrophilic (attracted to water), and the other is hydrophobic
(repelled by water). Because milk is mostly made up of water, as soon
as those proteins unfold, exposing their ends, the hydrophobic ends
immediately try to get as far away from that water as possible. If you
were to look at a single tiny bubble in a cup of foamed milk, you'd
see that the hydrophobic ends of the milk proteins are all pointed
inwards, towards the water-free interior of the bubble, while the
hydrophilic ends stay put in the aqueous environment the bubbles are
suspended in.
This structure helps keep the air bubbles intact for a long time after the steaming > process, all the way into your cup (and into your happy, soon-to-be caffeinated mouth).

For a wonderful article on the topic see:
http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2013/12/milk-foam-what-is-microfoam-why-does-milk-foam-what-is-a-cappuccino-coffee.html


This may be off topic because it is opinion-based and hypothetical in nature. There may be some merit however because it is presented with a "fair and impartial tone" and invites experiences over opinions that may be backed up with references. Especially in the world of coffee, where brewing methods are identified by brands, it is hard to not talk about specific products. Therefore, I'll try to answer as best I can.

First, let's talk about some of your suggestions:

  Ideally, double-walled tempered glass housing

Part of the appeal of an Aeropress is that is durable, fool-proof, and easily brought on camping trips or stored in drawers and backpacks. Along with being bulky, doubled-walled glass or stainless steel would add weight and fragility.

  fine stainless steel filter

This is definitely an option, and you can buy metal filters for a few popular brew methods including Chemex and Aeropress, and off course, french press is typically a metal mesh filter. The thing about metal filters compared to cloth or paper is that even the finest ones cannot filter at the same level. Metal filters will always let in more oils and fines compared to paper, and this is why the might not be desirable for an Aeropress, where clean, bright coffee is expected.

  Is there any reason why cork wouldn't work for this?

Cork does seal well under the right conditions. But that's the key: right conditions. In a wine bottle, there is 1/2 and inch to 3/4 of an inch in diameter, and the cork is typically more than an inch long. It has also been created, molded, and formulated specifically for that task. A cork plunger would need to be thicker and be made specifically for that application to work, because you would't want it to flex and break the seal.

Also, cork is terrible at remaining taste-neutral. Every cup of coffee you brewed would impart taste into the cork and negatively effect every other cup. You could prevent this by putting a layer of something on the bottom if the cork, but then you start looking at using plastics.

If you're looking for brewing methods similar to the Aeropress, I might suggest something like the ROK. It uses hand pressure to extract espresso. No, i is not as easily carried around like an Aeropress but has a similar function.

If you're looking for brewers that have no plastic, well, there are many options in that field too such as french press, Chemex, mocha pot, espresso machine etc.

Beyond that, you could try modifying a glass french press with some sort of cloth filter to create a sort of reverse Aeropress. You can try looking around other options online too.

Hope this helps to answer your question!


Breakfast or morning blends are generally a lighter roast, but there is no industry standard for how light of a roast.

As for differences between breakfast and morning blends, the key is in the word "blend". It is entirely up to the producer to blend different beans and different roasts and call it what they want.

Edit:
There are some differences in caffeine levels, but a lot of contradictory information out there. I found a great explanation of why the caffeine levels can differ between roasts here, but let me summarize from the post:

  If you measure your coffee by scoops, light roasted coffee will have more caffeine. Since the beans are denser than a darker roast. However if you weigh out your scoops, darker roasts will have more caffeine, because there is less mass.

@ChrisAK is correct, the roasting process does not burn or destroy caffeine, but the level of roast will impact the weight of each bean.


I'm not a fan of chicory, though I know a lot of people who love it.  I'm not sure if I'd use the term bitter to describe it, but it's definitely distinct.  The taste your getting definitely isn't the coffee maker your using, it's what you're trying to brew.  Huffington Post had a decent write up on the "origin" of chicory here if you're interested.

If your new to coffee, I would suggest starting out with an Arabica coffee in a variety of roasts.  Arabica is the type of bean that grows in higher elevation and has a longer grow cycle leading to a richer and fuller flavor.  Starbucks is obviously popular and it's where I got my start when I worked there, but there are a lot of other good options.  If you have local roasters in your town or city, check them out.  A lot of local coffee shops roast their beans in house these days and they can be a good place to start.  If you don't have that option, maybe go with something like Peet's Coffee, or Caribou in the grocery store.  Seattle's Best is cheap, but it's also owned by Starbucks and is basically their second rate coffee and way-overly roasted in my opinion.

As far as the americano  or latte you're going for, I'm not sure how that will work with an aeropress as I've only really used espresso machines to make them, but you're going to want a dark roast for those as the coffee is condensed into a 1 ounce shot and diluted with water or milk respectively.  Go for a good quality espresso roast (Illy is a great choice but is pretty pricey), or something like an Italian Roast.  I would avoid going too dark (like a French Roast), but that's up to your taste preference.


A 2008 U. Colorado (Boulder) study*, suggests that merely holding warm drinks (vs. cold) can positively influence perception of people.

There is apparently some connection between the physical act of holding a warm drink and one's perception of the outside world. The association of warm beverages and positive feelings may underlie the sensation of relaxation as well, although I didn't find a study on precisely on point.

Whether the effect is physiological or psychological the authors weren't sure.

*Experiencing Physical Warmth Promotes Interpersonal Warmth, Science, 322: 606-607 (2008) Williams and Bargh.


How does moisture occur inside Trader Joe’s coffee cans?

Are you sure it is water? If you bought a dark roast, there is a distinct possibility that there is a bit of oil in the coffee.
Another possibility is a minor machine malfunction during the roasting process. With large scale coffee roasters, a small amount of water is sprayed directly into the drum just before dumping to "quench" the coffee and speed the cooling process. Almost all of this water evaporates immediately under normal circumstances. As a technician in the coffee industry, I have seen a couple issues that caused more water to go into the beans than intended, and the whole batch had to be thrown out.
Hopefully it ends up being oil. In either case, as long as the coffee isn't moldy or foul smelling, it should be just fine.


COVID-19 screening test using coffee beans

Fresh coffee is neither widely available nor inexpensive in all places. Coffee in Japan is relatively expensive because demand is relatively (extremely) low compared to western nations. I think I remember my coworkers also telling me that fresh coffee in India is almost never used because most Indians so drink coffee prefer instant. I wouldn't trust availability of coffee for this kind of test, but it also can't hurt to include it in the app as an option for people who can get fresh coffee.
I say fresh coffee because instant coffee in my experience doesn't have a strong smell in the first place.
About smell decay, that depends on a wide range of factors such as time since roasting at time of sale, quality of beans, conditions of storage, and qualities of packaging. My experience with cheap coffees is that they tend to be sold preground (which will lose scents faster than whole bean), though this will not be true in all countries or even all regions within a country.
Does it even matter though? My interpretation of the "loss of smell" symptom of COVID, having not experienced it myself, is literally a complete loss of smell. It would be far more reliable to advise acquiring a new bag of coffee and seeing if you can smell it.
Then again, there are loads of more economical options. Basically every spice under the sun (onion powder, garlic powder, curry powder, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, thyme, rosemary, etc.), aromatic vegetables like onions and garlic, vinegar, fish or fish oil, and other aromatic foods might be more widely available at lower prices than coffee in most places.


Generally, governments find it necessary to regulate addictive substances due to quality of life or health issues that stem from abuse/addiction. While I will neither support or attack this kind of reasoning, when you think about children born addicted to heroin or methamphetamine, the property crimes generally associated with addiction, and the additional strain on our health care system, you can begin to at least understand it.

Coffee addiction is far less financially taxing (my dependence costs me roughly $10/week or less), less likely to disturb my health in any appreciable way, and socially acceptable at all levels of society.

The coffee industry generates plenty of revenue for government as is.  Starbucks is paying their taxes just like every other corporation.  Creating an additional branch of government employees to regulate or adding additional employees to an existing administration (FDA perhaps?) are all expenses to regulate something that isn't currently a problem.  So it's an expense without any appreciable benefit.

TL;DR  Since coffee is a low impact and highly supportable dependence, government has little or nothing to gain by regulating it's use.


How do I stop my Hario Skerton from squeaking when I grind beans?

It depends on "where" the squeaking is coming from. Two contact points that might squeak are the burrs themselves and the top part of the crank rod. The good news is that the whole thing dis-/re-assembles rather easily, and in fact this is pretty much necessary for changing the coarseness setting. I'd suggest two possibilities based on my own Hario manual grinder.

If the ceramic burrs are squeaking, try grinding some very dark-roast beans (E.g., French roast), which will have more oils on the surface than lighter-roast beans. Use a setting about as coarse as for drip coffee. This will naturally lubricate the bits that are rubbing together, and should reduce or eliminate the squeaking. I wouldn't recommend putting any (other) oil on the burr mechanism.
If the crank is squeaking, take the top part of the crank apart as you would to change the coarseness setting. Remove the coarseness adjustment nut (looks like a toothed gear) completely. Oil the shaft and the top of the post through which the rod passes, and make sure the oil is well distributed through the parts where the rod contacts. For the oil, I recommend using a food-grade mineral oil that you are comfortable with. Use a very small amount of oil (like a pinhead size drop in total). I wouldn't use a vegetable oil because it could become "gummy" or go rancid, and I wouldn't use anything non food-safe (e.g., not machine oil, not WD-40).


Should I freeze my green coffee beans to prevent infestation?

You failed to give us any details about the variety, provenance or history of your green coffee beans. Nor did you elaborate on what kind of potential pests you are worried about so all we can do is speculate vaguely.

The only likely pest to be found in green coffee beans is the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei. This is a tiny, 2mm black beetle. And legitimate green beans would invariably have been fumigated to eradicate this pest.

Drying green coffee beans to critical water content levels, followed by freezing @ -15C for 2 - 6 days appears to be an effective alternative to fumigation. However this would normally be redundant to fumigation that has already taken place. And there remains some controversy about the impact of freezing upon cherry quality.


Are there health risks to eating coffee?

No.  Not any substantial ones.

There are several listed questions around the topic of eating coffee beans.  Ingesting roasted coffee beans without grinding/brewing them in some manner is quite common.  Many companies sell them specifically to be consumed this way.  Probably the main associated health risk would be caffeine overdose.  However, it's roughly the same as simply drinking far too much coffee.  The main difference being that since coffee (brewed) takes up so much more volume, you are likely to become physically uncomfortable from it before you could get to dangerous levels.  With coffee beans you could likely get to dangerous levels much easier since it would be possible to eat many more beans before experiencing the same "fullness" effect.


A recent study published in Letters in Applied Microbiology suggests that coffee can break down bacterial plaques that form on teeth. These studies were done in a lab on extracted teeth, using moderate amounts of coffee on lab-grown plaques formed by bacteria from saliva. Antibacterial effect of coffee: calcium concentration in a culture containing teeth/biofilm exposed to Coffea Canephora aqueous extract,
Letters in Applied Microbiology, Volume 59, Issue 3, September 2014, Pages: 342–347, N. Meckelburg et al.

Coffee can stain teeth. Is that a health issue? It's often listed with other dental health issues but I'm not sure why.

The acidity of coffee may wear down teeth over time, but it's not a prime suspect. The acidity of coffee generally falls somewhere between that of pure water and cow's milk, according to one article. Fruit juice and soft drinks are far more acidic (pH < 3). Coffee is only slightly more acidic than saliva. There is no shortage of articles claiming high acidity of coffee but
a pH of 5--a plausible average--is not very high.

There are probably hundreds of studies in English alone on the effect of coffee on dental health. In terms of acidity it's not as bad as juice and not as benign as water. The plaque-preventive effect is something new to consider. There is also a 2012 study by the American Cancer Society suggesting that coffee lowers the risk of oral cancer. Those who drank 4+ cups of coffee a day were about half as likely to die of oral/pharyngeal cancer as those who drank occasionally or not at all. Coffee, Tea, and Fatal Oral/Pharyngeal Cancer in a Large Prospective U.S. Cohort, American Journal of Epidemiology, Dec. 2012 (online), Hildebrand et al. To the extent that oral cancer is a dental health issue this is also something to weigh.

Science doesn't necessarily furnish a simple answer. It appears that the mildly corrosive effect of coffee may be offset by a tendency to reduce plaque. If coffee helps reduce the risk of oral cancer one could argue that, overall, the benefits of coffee for dental health outweigh the risks.


How much sugar can I put it my coffee before it's worse than soda?

For my calculations I'll be using Coca Cola (which has 39 grams of sugar in a single can! (375ml))

For any amount of pure Coffee (no milk), you can put 39 grams of sugar or nearly 10 teaspoons of sugar, as Coffee has no sugar in it. 30ml is a standard espresso size so to be equivalent per ml of liquid you would need to put 3.1 grams of sugar which is less than a teaspoon.

One teaspoon in an espresso makes it contain a higher percentage of sugar than coke

For a 150 ml Cappuccino which is approximately 25 ml of coffee and 85 ml of milk, (Note that in a Cappuccino a portion of the volume is made up by froth which is why 85+25<150). Approximately 4.5 grams of sugar is from the milk which means you can still add another 34.5 grams of sugar to be equivalent to a can of coke. And to be equivalent per volume (using 110ml as the volume since the froth doesn't count as it is essentially air) you would need to add an additional 7 grams of sugar (nearly two teaspoons).

Two teaspoons in a cappuccino makes it contain a higher percentage of sugar than coke


Coffee philosophy: Ice then coffee or coffee then ice

I'll give some background, a hypothesis, and (more important) instructions to find out experimentally.

The experiment is easy and fun. I did experiments such as paper vs. bamboo filter, slightly different grind sizes, fresh beans vs. 7-weeks off roast, and different coffee:water ratios within the range of a scoop measurement (i.e. is it important to weigh the coffee?).

Background: The Lady tasting tea experiment is at the start of modern statistics and randomized trials. (There's now a book, The Lady Tasting Tea: How Statistics Revolutionized Science in the Twentieth Century.) The question was, “Does it matter to add tea to milk vs. milk to tea?” It turns out the answer is yes.

Speculation and Hypothesis: Adding milk to tea lets significantly more milk get hotter than adding tea to milk does. That could enable more of it to react chemically, e.g. curdling. But that's unlikely with ice, so I'll bet adding ice to hot coffee vs. hot coffee to ice makes no discernable difference in taste. (Let's ignore the fact that dropping ice into hot coffee could splash out more hot coffee than the reverse.)

How to Experiment: Do a Triangle Test with 3 or more people. Make the iced coffee both ways, "A" and "B", keeping all other variables as constant as you can. Each person gets 3 cups, one of which is different than the other two, e.g. a sequence like A-B-A or B-B-A. Give a different random combination to each taster, of course without revealing it.

All tasters should start by tasting their 3 cups in order. Then they can go back and forth between cups as much as they like. Their job is to try to discern the difference and say which of the 3 cups tastes the most different. You might also ask them to state their preference. When they all make their choices, then you can reveal the combinations.

The Math is Not Hard: If a taster gets it right, we really don't know if they were lucky or good. The default explanation ("null hypothesis") for the combined test results is that they're within a reasonable range of random results. Dice would randomly get 1/3 of the choices right. If enough people got it right that the odds were small enough of dice getting a result that extreme or better, then we'll conclude the tasters can discern the difference. Different fields of science may use different thresholds. Pick a threshold before doing the experiment. A common standard for "statistical significance" is ≤ 5%.

With 3 tasters, if they all get it right, that's a 1/(33) = 1/27 = 3.7% chance, which beats the 5% threshold.

If K of N tasters get it right, the calculation considers the number of ways to get K of N correct choices and the probability of each random choice being correct (1/3).

The Google Sheets formula for Probability{x ≥ K of N correct choices} is:

=1 - BINOMDIST(K - 1, N, 1/3, TRUE)

so if that value is ≤ 5%, we'll conclude that people can reliably taste the difference.

Tip: To prepare for an experiment, I make paper strips with the different test sequences. Whoever pours for taster n will pick a strip at random, pour those cups while out of view, stash the strip in a pocket, and bring it out after everyone has written down their tasting choices. There needs to be at least enough strips for the number of tasters, and usually a multiple of 6 strips since there are 6 possible sequences. But when there are only 3 tasters, I prune it to 2 sequences that have one A and two B's and 2 sequences that have one B and two A's, so we can't all get the same odd one out.

Tip: Each taster gets 3 cups of coffee, a spit cup, water, crackers, and a napkin. I put painter's tape on the coffee cups to mark consistent fill lines and to label them 1, 2, and 3.


Can regular drip coffee grounds be used for pour over coffee and achieve good results?

Yes, it'll be fine.

Drip brewing and pour-over coffee are essentially the same process:  Pour hot water over ground coffee to extract flavor compounds, then let the infused hot water solution drip through a filter into a serving vessel.  As far as the final product is concerned, it doesn't especially matter if this happens in a machine that dispenses the hot water automatically (drip brewing), or if you pour the water yourself by hand.

The only reason coffee grounds might be suitable for one but not the other would be if you use different filters for drip brewing and pourovers.  For instance, if you have a drip coffee machine that takes paper filters, but a standalone metal mesh filter that you use for pourovers, you would want to use slightly coarser coffee grounds for the latter.  Even in this case, though, the worst possible outcome would be that your coffee might be a little cloudy or gritty, just like if your grounds were slightly too fine (because that's exactly what's happened).


Sealed or non-sealed immersion cold-brew

This is just a guess, but I suppose using a non-sealed container would speed up oxidation and deterioration of the coffee due to continuous exposure to atmospheric oxygen, just as storing the dry beans in an open container would.

However, from my own experience, 12 to 24 hours of such exposure would not yield a perceptibly different taste. What's more important is that you store the finished product in a sealed container, preferably with as little air as possible (I use a water bottle).

On the other hand, also in my experience, cold-brewing with a french press is more convenient, since one can simply push down the plunger and pour the finished product as opposed to lengthy fumbling with filters.


Is it possible to make latte-art with a coffee machine that has a cappucinatore?

Latte art typically requires you to pour one thing into the other (the frothed milk into the espresso). You could of course try to move the cup with the milk already in it while brewing the espresso in such a way that the coffee leaves a pattern in the milk. But that will be very difficult and will also look very different from normal latte art.

So no, that will not really be possible. You should steam your milk in a pitcher and pour it from there into the cup with the espresso.


Extending the Japanese Brewing Method to Espresso

The Japanese or Kyoto Method  and espresso a extremely dissimilar in their extraction methods and flavor profiles. It is truly like comparing apples and oranges.

Espresso utilizes pressure as its main component whereas the Japanese method uses time as its main control.
Espresso is concentrated more robust in its taste profile while the Japanese method is "more delicate with a lighter body".

Here is an article explaining the idea of the Japanese method

http://m.drinks.seriouseats.com/2014/03/japanese-style-slow-drip-coffee-cold-brewers-kyoto-yama-hario.html

To your question of adding ice to your espresso. It's should be fine. There are a few methods of doing iced espresso. Here is one of the "clearest" recipes.

http://m.wikihow.com/Make-an-Iced-Espresso

So aside from flavor profile going in you should be good to go


How does one descale an espresso machine (and how often to do it)?

You can use a solution of citric acid and some espresso machine manufacturers will sell this specifically, you can use general purpose descaler, for which there should be instructions on how much to dilute it by.

Talking from experience it depends on how hard the water is where you live and you should really do it every month if it is a hard water area.

I also found that I need to remove the fine filter where the coffee is pumped out to remove the gasket seal and clean all of the above, I was lazy and neglected my Gaggia for about 6 months and after a couple years the solenoid pump died.

The less hassle method would be to use bottled soft mineral water. For instance I have started to only use this with my kettle and there is no limescale build up since switching 1 1/2 months ago, whilst before, using Brita filtered water would start to show limescale after a week and I'd need to descale after 3 weeks.

These are the instructions on my descaling solution for a coffee machine:

  Add 100ml of solution to 500ml of water and add to water reservoir,
  turn on and run through the machine. Then run 2 full reservoirs of
  water before using again.

I remember with citric acid you had to pump it through and then leave for 30 minutes and then fully flush a few times.

Here is a youtube video from Gaggia about performing this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SPkjWJzUJQ

The key thing here is that if you don't do it then limescale starts to form on the metal filter and gasket seals which will affect the flow rate. This isn't the worst bit though, like with any heating system that uses hard water, the hard limescale will inhibit the heating and pumping performance which can lead to a complete pump failure which is what happened to my machine, I recommend using citric acid (which is a weak acid and safe to consume in diluted form) and/or bottled mineral water.


What's the science behind precision baskets?

So, it's kind of complicated. To understand why the hole area is important, we need to consider how an espresso is made and what it takes to taste good.

When does coffee taste good?

Making coffee is the processes of extracting water solvable compounds from the coffee grounds. Some taste good, some don't. The trick is to extract the right amount of each. You can control this by how much and how long the water touches the coffee grounds. Too much water and bitter, nasty compounds are extracted. Too short and only sour and volatile compounds end up in the water. You want the right balance for that delicious espresso you have come to love.

Setting up the ideal coffee puck

Espresso is about extracting coffee flavors from the small coffee particles. We want to extract each particle exactly as much. To do so, you carefully grind the particles to a certain size. The reason why people buy expensive burr grinders is to make the particle size distribution as narrow as possible (so all coffee grounds have the same size, so water touches the same surface area). You tamp the coffee in the filter basket as level as possible. Ideally, all particles are the same size and the density of coffee is homogeneous in the whole coffee puck (achieved by proper distribution and tamping level). Then water is pressed trough the puck at 9 bars of pressure. Ignoring the filter basket, the flow rate trough the puck will be the same everywhere.

It's about flow rate

The water will take the path of least resistance (lowest density, largest holes). So if you've carefully set up your puck to have a perfect particle distribution and homogeneous density but the holes in your filterbasket vary in size, more water will flow trough the larger holes. More water passes trough that path and the coffee above, therefore extracting those parts of the coffee puck more. This is an uneven extraction and deviates from the ideal where every particle is extracted exactly as much.

To get a homogeneous water resistance, we try to give the holes the same surface area. This ensures that if you have the perfect puck, water will flow evenly throughout.

When I bought my Strada basket, it came with a histogram showing the hole size distribution, which I think is pretty cool. You can see how narrow that Gaussian is, and it was a noticable improvement from the filter baskets that came with the machine.


I've tried it and liked it, but that's just because I like the taste of cinnamon in general. It doesn't enhance the taste of the coffee itself, per se, but adds its own additional flavor, which does tend to marry nicely with the coffee's. And yes, you can certainly put it in black. Actually, back in my drip coffee days, I'd sometimes put a couple sprinkles in with the grounds before brewing to spice it up. Good stuff!


You have mentioned that you've seen similar questions but... Did you see this one?

What are these spots on the inside of my moka pot? Do I need to remove them?

If yes, then I can help you with two things. First, rust is not possible as your moka pot is aluminum. Therefore, only aluminum oxide and mold are the two options left. Second, if you can remove it, it's mold. Otherwise, it's oxidation and does no harm.

How to remove mold? Bleach is probably the easiest option of you really rinse well afterwards.


I believe there is mysticism to blooming. Don't get me wrong, I feel its important, but I don't think it does all the things that people claim it does. Blooming is important when using fresh roasted beans(and you should be). Blooming simply aids in removing CO2 from the grounds, which would otherwise create negative space between your grounds and the water. It's simply used to provide a more even extraction. Blooming is important in any immersion brewing, and can even aid in pour-over methods as well.

You should also reduce your brew time slightly to compensate for the extraction that takes place during the bloom. I'd typically bloom for 30 seconds, then push the bloom down gently without agitation(agitation effect solubility).

I think its a dubious claim to state that the bloom does anything beyond removing the CO2, thus providing a more even extraction. It would really depend on how you perform your bloom. Do you bloom then start your timer? Do you bloom with a small amount of water first, then add more to prevent too much extraction during the bloom? Ultimately these differences in taste don't have anything to do with the bloom itself, but more so the extraction time brought on by how you perform your bloom.

The bloom itself does not effect taste, and it is an important part of using a french press, as its key to providing even extraction.


What's the recommended way to roast coffee beans at home?

The best would be buying a home roaster, but that would be expensive.

corn popper does an amazing job considering how cheap and easy it is.
(hair drying is like corn popper in principle, but will need you to manually make sure the heat is used evenly, corn popper just do it automatically)

Using a pan need some practice but could be lot of fun to try.

So if you have the money and want to invest in it go for home roaster if not popcorn popper would be great.

just remember, you cannot make a good coffee out of bad quality coffee beans while the opposite is true.

Have a Good Roasting :)


What kind of coffee machine can process powdered coffee?

As far as I understood, such coffee is ground for Turkish. If this is the case, you may try to prepare your coffee in a pot. If you are really considering (somewhat) automated machine, you may go for Turkish coffee machines. Keep in mind, that they don't prepare coffee as good as an experienced human; but they are nice enough to drink. I put an image of one of those, so you can search it on the web.


What measurement should I take to buy an atmospheric filter for my espresso machine?

The portafilter sizes are given as the inner diameter of the basket in mm. This is the same as the diameter a tight fitting tamper would have.


You should make sure that the coffee runs through with at least 6 bar pressure. If your pressure is below that value, you won't get a crema. The recommended pressure for Espresso is 9 bar ± 1, according to the Italian National Espresso Institute.


Aeropress: Does inverted method cause premature wear of the rubber plunger gasket?

No, it won't. I'm an owner of the first generation Aeropress (brown/amber plastic instead of gray), using it daily (skipping weekends) for six years, and the rubber is fine.


This is discussed in many different contexts many times, I assume. So, I can say not a very strange question in essence.

I advise you to check a previous answer first. It includes a very nice chart and the ideal point for quality brewing of coffee. Also, it shows the extraction ratios, a hint of TDS (total dissolved solids) etc. I copy its link just below:

What's the recommended coffee to water ratio for cold brew?

As you see, if you can manage to brew an ideal coffee, you can extract only around 20% of the valuable "essence" from the core of the beans. That's the reason why some of the members of Coffee SE tries to re-brew the used grounds for a second time (I assume), as you can follow below:

Brewing with the coffee grounds twice?

Then, of course, some other members discuss the TDS part to find the golden brewing point at the first chart. The easiest way to follow that point repeatedly is done by a refractometer. It is a device that can measure opaqueness. So, by measuring the opaqueness of your brew, you may reason on the amount of dissolved coffee "essence" in the water; therefore you may estimate the strength of your cup.

Options for measuring TDS - Suggested refractometers
Are there any Alternatives to using a Refractometer to determine extraction

I hope these previous answers and the path I've directed you helps you.


Does espresso cost more to make than drip coffee?

The primary factor is that it takes considerably more effort and skill to make an espresso than drip coffee.

A good espresso requires a far more expensive piece of machinery which requires greater upkeep and the barista needs to pay far more attention to what he is doing. The barista needs to pack the coffee correctly; pay attention to the water pressure and the resulting crema.

Outside of grinding the coffee and putting in the correct amount of water a drip coffee does not require much work or attention.

So, if you're providing espresso for your customers you need a far more expensive grinder, an expensive and finicky machine (the espresso maker) an employee who has had to undergo far more extensive training and said employee needs to be paying attention to what he is doing for each and every cup of espresso he is making.

All this adds to increased cost. Plus customers are willing to wait, and pay a few cents more for an espresso done right. As opposed to paying less and having an espresso in name only.


Do the size and shape of a cezve matter?

In short: Using a cezve of the correct size works better. The situation is similar to using appropriate equipment size in other coffee preparation methods (other examples at the bottom).  That said, you can probably brew a passable cup of Turkish (or other names) coffee when your cezve isn't full to the neck (or, using a cezve that's "too large").

However, there are reasons for the shape and size of a cezve (as you suggest in your question), and it really does help in practice:

The narrower neck of the cezve keeps the foam form. I haven't found any good references for an explanation; more discussion below.
It's easier to see what's happening. Using a bigger pot, it would be more difficult to see when the boiling/foaming is happening. Some stir it down during brewing, some don't; either way, timing is important!

There are a bunch of brewing guides that suggest reasons; this one  suggests stirring down several times, and says the size is due to "physics" without explanation; here's another. This one from CoffeeGeek suggests that the shape (narrowing toward the top) helps to prevent the foam from burning to the side of the pot (becoming bitter); this makes sense especially when using a small pot on a gas stove, when the heat will try to hug the sides of the pot. And this one doesn't say to stir. All of them suggest, but none that I could find explicitly state the reason why the foam forms better.  In a pinch, I have tried to make Turkish coffee in a regular handled pan; it simply doesn't work as well. Something magical happens in the neck of a cezve to help that delicious foam to form; the best I can figure is that it's fragile, and the narrower neck somehow helps concentrate the bubbles, helps keep the foam together, and keeps it from collapsing.

Other examples of equipment size mattering when you're making coffee with other methods:

Moka pot. The size of the pot determines how much you brew at a time; can't really make more or less (though you could brew a few pots in a row). See also moka.
Espresso. Though you can make a single or double, and a long or short, you pretty much have to stop pulling at the right time.
Cone filter. For example, #2 and #4 and #6 coffee filters exist for a reason: it's hard to get a good pour of a 12-cup carafe of drip/filter coffee through a #2 filter; it's just too small.


Well, I don't know anaything about keurig, but as the Question stands for a Week I give it a try.

From my expierience with electronics, there are 3 ways how a low power mod could be done, depending on the details.

the first is to mod the power supply to the boiler (e.g. put an inductor in searies) and hope the machines software can cope with this.

second: If you do have to modify the software(and are able to, Replacing the controller  and reimplement the software may be required) you could implement a pwm regulation of the heating(your power line got to survive short overloads of ~0.1s)

third: The boiler has a to small heat capacity for a full cup and needs to draw full power during the pouring of coffe (my machine does this when it has to make a large cup). You have to change the boiler (bigger one might be to big for the case,) and then continue with one of the steps.

Note: If this can't be done in the fashion of “the nerd in the next cubicle does it for free coffe and no one ever is to talk about the mod” but you have to employ an external firm and need to match safety regulations you are almost definately cheaper off by upgrading the power supply to the office.


Manual grinder that fits inside the Aeropress

The Aergrind by Knock is made for just this purpose. No personal experience with this grinder, but from what I've seen it has good reviews: https://prima-coffee.com/equipment/knock/aergrind


How many times can I reuse coffe-grounds to make myself a coffee until it is tasteless/useless?

Zero.

when you make coffee, (ideally) all of the desireable solubles get extracted, what remains are, if done well, most of the undesireable ones and insoluble components. A second round of extraction will not produce anything you'll want to drink, unless you like bitter brown water.


Why is tamping necessary for espresso machines but not mokas?

Espresso machines rely on pressure to extract coffee solutes over a very short (~25 seconds) extraction time. Tamping is a critical aspect to achieving this. By tamping ideally, you eliminate channels by which water might pass through the grounds. Elimination of those channels is important for two reasons. First, channels mean that water only touches some of the grounds but not most, meaning you get very little coffee extracted. Second, tamping evenly forces water to travel through the entire bed of grounds; this is a critically important aspect to how the machine builds pressure. If channeling is present, water will simply drip through the grounds. You will not get 9-12 bars of pressure (or anywhere near that).
Moka pots are different because they build pressure below. Water is heated in the bottom chamber where it rises to dampen the bottom layer of grounds in the basket above. Because the moka pot doesn't use a pump, it requires steam to build up to create pressure. The pot is designed with a certain volume of space between the water reservoir and the grounds basket to facilitate this. If you tamp, you create resistance that the steam pressure might not be able to penetrate--at least not without causing an explosion of grounds and forcing a lot grounds up into the top chamber and making your brew sludgy.
If a moka pot filtered the coffee, something else bad could happen if you tamp. If there were a filter above the grounds, the aforementioned upward explosion of grounds caused by excessive pressure buildup would push grounds up into the filter, clogging the filter. This could cause the filter to get clogged. Best case, a steam outlet valve lets out the excess pressure and your brew is just ruined. Worst case, the steam outlet valve could get clogged and your pot could explode. Basically, even with completely effective safety features and special filtering features, tamping a moka pot would make it impossible to achieve a consistent brew because the amount of clogging of the filter would cause pressure during brewing to vary unpredictably. This isn't a problem with espresso because with espresso, a pump pushes the water through and because the machine itself controls the temperature of the water.


Yes, of course! As "fancy" coffee company Counter Culture says: Any Coffee, Any Brew. In fact, even things that aren't actually coffee (barley, tea, herbs, etc.) could be brewed like coffee in an AeroPress or other coffee-brewing equipment.

But if fancy coffee is not your preference (or not practical, or not available, or whatever), try something different. And why not a cultural staple like Maxwell House (or Folgers or Nescafé or Eight O'Clock or Café du Monde or ...)?

In fact, a mass-market coffee like this might benefit from AeroPress treatment. For example, some of these blends include a significant portion of Robusta beans, which is a traditional component of many blends (including some Italian espresso blends). Robusta might have some advantages in an AeroPress. Robusta produces more crema in espresso, and might be a way to get more crema from AeroPress. Robusta also has slightly more caffeine than Arabica, so that's something else you might be looking for. Since AeroPress (generally) infuses for less time than drip, you might reduce a bit of the bitterness sometimes present in mass-market coffees (regardless of bean makeup).

There might be a few problems, though. First, the default grind of pre-ground coffee like Maxwell House is rather course for an AeroPress. You could try to re-grind the coffee to be a bit finer, but it's generally not recommended because it can clog grinders (see more on this from Home-Barista and Bunn). Second, if there are other "stuff" in the coffee (e.g., "Folgers Crystals" or other additives) this might not behave the same way in the AeroPress as it might for drip.

But give it a try! In the best case, you can enjoy a mass-market coffee even more than you'd expect. In the worst case, you're out a few quid, but you have a fun story and a hefty caffeine buzz.


Why did espresso never catch on as a mainstream drink in the US?

Coffee spread throughout Europe in the 17th and 18th C and was brought over to the United States by colonialists and immigrants. Coffee was already a fixture here by the time espresso was invented in the early 20th C.

  Coffee arrived in Italy in the 17th century.It was made in the Turkish manner andconsumed in elite coffee houses such as Florian in Venice.Cappuccino was madeby adding the froth from warm milk to the coffee.However it was only in 1905that the first espresso machine entered into production.
  https://www.academia.edu/379110/The_Cappuccino_Conquests._The_Transnational_History_of_Italian_Coffee_2007_

Espresso did not become a staple of Italian or European culture until after WWII.

  By the late 1950s, most Italians consumed coffee at home, in the traditional moka pot—first built by engineer Alfonso Bialetti in 1933, and now an icon of Italian design worldwide, as Morris explains in his 2008 essay “A History of Espresso in Italy and the World.” But there were exceptions. A young Calvino was a regular customer at Caffè Talmone, a café in Turin where he met with other intellectuals to discuss books and politics. There, he drank Italian espresso with a layer of foam on top, the result of a patent registered by bar owner Achille Gaggia in 1947.
  https://qz.com/992879/the-curious-tale-of-how-italy-became-the-world-capital-of-coffee/

So why did espresso come to dominate European culture after WWII and not the US? Why would any fad or variety necessarily come to dominate the world? Why would a new variety necessarily overcome tradition?  For one thing - espressos require specialty machines that were extremely expensive. Until recently it was not something that would be found in an ordinary kitchen whether in Italy or the United States.


Should I press the coffee into my espresso machine?

The process of compressing the coffee powder in a portafilter of an espresso machine before pulling the shot is called tamping. There is a lot of information available on the web explaining how it is done correctly, such as, e.g., here.

Tamping is an important part of making a good espresso shot, so yes, you should press the coffee in the portafilter.

The reason for compressing the coffee powder is to allow the pump to build up the pressure needed for brewing espresso correctly. If you don't tamp it, there is typically not enough resistance and the water rushes through the portafilter too quickly, resulting in underextraction of the coffee powder (and hence, suboptimal taste). Furthermore, a good tamp prevents channelling, where the water does not flow well-distributed through the coffee powder.

If the coffee drips too slowly when you tamp, a couple of things can be tried:

Tamp with less force. The correct pressure depends on the coffee powder, the diameter of the portafilter, etc. - so 22.5 kgs may simply not be right for your combination of machine and powder.
Grind your coffee less fine - this will lower the resistance.
Change your beans. In my experience, lighter roasts cause more resistance.

Options two and three are only listed for the sake of completeness - normally the tamper force is adapted to the other variables, and not the other way around. A good espresso making tutorial should give you a starting point on how to find the correct tamping force and grind coarseness level for your combination of beans and machine. Also, if you own an espresso machine and never heard of tamping, you may want to read one anyway.


Is my new Baratza Virtuoso producing too many fines?

The Problem with Consumer Burr grinders

Burr grinders (that aren't of a very high or industrial quality) generally do not produce even grinds. I usually recommend a spinning blade grinder to the home barista for this reason.

Evaluating Your Grinds

You indicated that you will be using a drip machine with a paper filter. In my opinion, based on what I can see in the picture where the machine has been broken in, I think that these grinds are fine for a paper filter drip machine. There are a decent number of fine grinds, but I think it's alright for your purposes. If you plan to use another type of machine though, it may not be.

If you were using an espresso machine or a french press, you would have problems here (which I will not get into here). This might even be true for a permanent filter drip machine.

My Assessment

If you know that you are only going to use this for paper filter drip coffee, keep it. It seems to be pretty good for this purpose.

If you ever want to branch out into espresso or french press coffee, I recommend returning it and getting a better one.

Final Notes

Remember it all comes down to you and taste. If you are satisfied with the taste of the coffee, then be happy with your grinder. If you aren't, or want to get as close to perfection as possible, then consider something else.


Gifting coffee beans, how to put effort into them and make their taste interesting

Is there anything more I can do besides roasting the coffee beans?

I'm not sure you can even roast them - at least probably not properly. Roasting coffee requires precise temperature control which is incredibly hard to achieve with a popcorn machine, an oven or a pan.

I would like to show I put effort into them and give them a unique taste.

After picking the coffee cherry you cannot really add any quality or characteristics to the bean. The whole process can be seen as a series of windows - if everything is done well, you can see the coffee and its origin characteristics. If something is not done well, the window gets stained and the view on the coffee gets muddy. The main thing you add with roasting is sweetness, notes that go into the chocolatey and nutty area and bitter/burnt aromas.

I have plenty time and coffee for trial and error.

If you really do want to roast them yourself despite not having the ideal tools for it there are several things to keep in mind:

Make sure all of the beans are roasted evenly. This means keeping them moving a lot and not letting some beans be in contact with the heat source for too long.
Do not roast them beyond the second crack if your father does not like overly bitter coffee.
You're dealing with temperatures of above 200°C, take appropriate precautions.
Remove any defects like chipped beans or quakers afterwards so they don't negatively impact the taste.


I am unaware if this specific machine has specific requirements. If this is the case, please mention.

I mostly prefer to tamp the coffee after I put it in the portafilter. It's harder to carry the basket with coffee in it. Also it's harder to tamp the basket without easily holding it in place.


Is there a scale with a usb interface for tracking data?

So  I just found this: https://www.amazon.com/Acaia-Scale-AP001-Scale-Pearl/dp/B018RN7EP0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1541702297&sr=8-3&keywords=acaia+pearl which comes with a phone app to track the data. I don't know if this allows me to programmatically pull that data into my own personal database though.


The roasting chamber of your Gene Cafe is made of Pyrex (heat-resistant tempered glass), and leaving the old oils to accumulate and burn will cause the the inside of the drum to turn black. The darker material will likely change your roasting time, and the fouled glass will not allow you to monitor your roasts. Glass does not need "seasoning", so it should be cleaned regularly per the manufacturer's recommendations.

Seasoning is typically a way to create a stick-resistant coating on a porous metal surface (like cast iron or carbon steel). When a thin layer of fat or oil is heated on these surfaces, it forms a polymer which provides rust protection and creates a non-stick surface that will keep whatever you are cooking/roasting from reacting with the cooking surface (the juju you mentioned above).

If the roasting chamber were made of cast iron or carbon steel, seasoning would be recommended. But neither glass nor stainless steel need seasoning, and you're just changing the built-in characteristics of your roaster.

To keep your roaster in optimal roasting condition, keep your glass roasting chamber clean.


Caffeine is not that only drug that can raise blood pressure.  In fact many other drugs are much better at raising blood pressure and have fewer side effects.  If you are asking specifically about the chemicals in coffee, then yes, caffeine is the likely culprit if coffee causes raised blood pressure in an individual.

Tea and chocolate also contain caffeine, but of course lower concentration than what is found in coffee.  Eating large amounts of chocolate or drink large quantities of tea could have a similar effect to drinking moderate amounts of coffee.


What am I supposed to do when coffee shop leave some coffee beans in my latte

You should eat floating coffee beans, will add extra caffeine and also beneficial antioxidants and nutrition compared with just the drink. On average a coffee bean does contain 12mg of caffeine, adding that to your drink will not change flavor but will just increase overall caffeine content.

Is like chocolate-covered coffee beans treats, get enough caffeine from a snack.

  On average, eight coffee beans provide an equivalent amount of
  caffeine as one cup of coffee. Your body absorbs caffeine from whole
  coffee beans at a quicker rate than that from liquid coffee.

coffee beans benefits


Reliable and safe stove top milk steamers

I recently got a Bellman and consider it very hefty and well made. I am not a professional barista, but I have been chasing beautiful (and not overheated) microfoam in cafes since at least 2007. I was able to achieve microfoam on my first try (though not my second), and am super happy with it as a purchase.

For safety, I would give it mixed results. It's not going to explode like an old school pressure cooker unless you leave it to boil dry, which would definitely take a while, even if you only put in an inch of water, and it does have an escape valve on the handle to reduce that kind of craziness. It does get hot, so you do have to watch where you put your hands, though if you keep the burner low/narrow flame as you heat it, the handles stay cool to the touch. I didn't feel comfortable with it for the first few times I used it, and did hit my knuckle against a hot bit the first time I used it, but I figured out that because I'm left handed, if I orient it with the steam wand pointing left, it's fine. Probably more flexible for me than a standard machine.

I agree that you can fill it only about an inch, and have it heat much more quickly. And with that smaller amount of water you can do a handful of drinks, in my experience. You might have to put it back on the burner for a very short time between drinks to bump it back up to steam, but you only use a small amount of the water each time to steam.

The Nespresso milk heater/foamer my friend has is a plug-in appliance, and it was a less satisfying result. Less control over the milk temperature, a consistent, but eh foam quality. It was trivial to use, but I didn't care for the results.