Excited to try some of the things mentioned here! Especially the water in the grinder to get rid of static. If I ever want to learn coffee stuff I look to Scott Rao or Intelligentsia.

In Chicago, Metric is my favorite. It tends to have a brown sugar-ish taste that I really like. It's more than I want to spend so I rarely buy it. Passion House, Gaslight, and Intelligentsia are all pretty great. Dark Matter has a lot of hype and it's fine but too dark for me. If I'm at the grocery store, I'll buy whatever Intelligentsia has roasted most recently, and if they're similar I'll buy the one that has an African country on it. I used to roast my own with a perforated baking sheet and now I'm learning my way around a Behmor roaster.

I've got some cheapish burr grinder from Amazon but used to hand grind every morning with a Hario burr grinder. There's a flavor quality difference but not enough to want to do all that work. In the morning I split a french press with the lady then have a second cup in a pour over. I've got an electric gooseneck kettle. The electric part is the best. A boiling pot of water is not fun to deal with. Gooseneck is nice. I always boil then try to be patient enough to not be able to hear the water anymore to get the temperature down some.

1:16 ratio coffee to water is a good rule of thumb.

French Press - 45 grams course ground coffee. Pour 100 grams water and stir. Let sit 30 seconds. Add 700 grams water and stir. Let sit 4 minutes. Plunge and drink. We pour both cups immediately but if I was letting one sit, I'd scoop the coffee out before plunging. Pour over is fussier though it's so ingrained that relearning how to throw a pot of Maxwell House in a Mr Coffee would be harder than just letting muscle memory do the work.

Guatemalan stuff is my favorite when it's good. I worked for Bow Truss briefly and while that one dude sucked, the roastery was really great. One guy regularly went to different countries to source beans. On a trip to Guatemala he accidentally came across a small farm. He said if it cupped well, he'd buy everything they had. It did and he did. That was the best. The beans were all different sizes. Some were huge. Just googled his name and looks like he's at Conscious Cup now!

Tree wrote: Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:36 pm

losthighway wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 5:37 pm I have a boutique shop in town that imports and roasts their own beans. I have found their stuff is such high quality I like all of their beans and my taste buds now are repulsed by generic or diner coffee. I never enjoyed black coffee until this routine started years ago.

If this is who I think it is, you're in Denver. What is this shop?


I think Peruvian is my jam.

Hey Tree! Yeah, it's me, Trevor.

Kaladi is the shop. Their Peruvian beans are excellent, as are their Nicaragua and Costa Rica beans. If you haven't already, check them out next time you're in south Denver.

chrisc wrote: Thu Jan 20, 2022 10:36 pm Excited to try some of the things mentioned here! Especially the water in the grinder to get rid of static.

This is the exact trick I use and it works flawlessly:

Tom Wanderer wrote: Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:06 am Like any 'specialty' niche there is a significant amount of smoke being blown up the ass. It really is worth it to get good coffee though.

In my experience, If there is any one secret to great coffee, it is this.

Coffee is my only snobbery (well perhaps bread too), so I indulge myself the best I can. I would just go to shops and sample until you find what you like. If you can drink it black and it still tastes good to you, you're on the right track.

Father of three little kids, so I'm not doing the whole circus, hell I don't even own a grinder, but I get my beans freshly ground every week at my preferred shop, and do half assed pour-overs with a Hario and an electric kettle. By the end of the week it's less good than Day 1, but it's STILL better than going into the VIP "select" lounge at a fancy Starbucks, and getting them to do a scientific fresh-ground pour-over of whatever detritus they're selling as premium.

On the weekends I might purchase an espresso drink from a fancy shop and drink it at the park, if I'm feeling frisky.

chrisc wrote: Intelligentsia

I completely spaced Intelligentsia and take back my Metropolis is probably the 'most known Chicago coffee'. I never had great luck with their beans at home (and thought it was expensive for what it was) but pour overs in their cafes (don't be a dick if there's a long line..) were usually great.

This morning I weighed what I was putting in the french press and it was 26g grounds to 500g water. That's a 1:19 ratio. Should I go a little stronger? I'm reading 1:16 here, that's the magic number?

twelvepoint wrote: Fri Jan 21, 2022 9:11 am This morning I weighed what I was putting in the french press and it was 26g grounds to 500g water. That's a 1:19 ratio. Should I go a little stronger? I'm reading 1:16 here, that's the magic number?

The most important thing is what tastes good to you. I'd experiment with a lower ratio and see if you like it better. When I first started I heard 1:15 was the magic ratio, but I don't usually use that today, unless I want it a little bit stronger.

penningtron wrote: Fri Jan 21, 2022 8:33 am

chrisc wrote: Intelligentsia

I completely spaced Intelligentsia and take back my Metropolis is probably the 'most known Chicago coffee'. I never had great luck with their beans at home (and thought it was expensive for what it was) but pour overs in their cafes (don't be a dick if there's a long line..) were usually great.

The office in which I work carries (carried?) Intelligentsia coffee. It was nothing to write home about, but I'd imagine that's probably the case for just about all coffee brewed in mass quantities for consumption in the office. I remember co-workers complaining about it being more expensive but tasting pretty much on par with whatever big brand coffee the office cafeteria carried previously.

I have not visited any of their cafes (they all appear to be in the city proper) but would be willing to try at least once..

brephophagist wrote: Fri Jan 21, 2022 11:11 am

twelvepoint wrote: Fri Jan 21, 2022 9:11 am This morning I weighed what I was putting in the french press and it was 26g grounds to 500g water. That's a 1:19 ratio. Should I go a little stronger? I'm reading 1:16 here, that's the magic number?

The most important thing is what tastes good to you. I'd experiment with a lower ratio and see if you like it better. When I first started I heard 1:15 was the magic ratio, but I don't usually use that today, unless I want it a little bit stronger.

I mean, I live my life in perpetual fear that I'm not getting enough caffeine

Can anyone please recommend a good brand of vietnamese coffee/robusta beans I can order online in the UK? Occasional treat when I eat out, but want to be able to make it at home.