Caffeine Thread

nice bit of bovril innit

Whenever people tell me they don't drink coffee I tell them to grow up and make them feel bad

Edited January 24, 2015 by Candiru

it is weird when you look in a kitchen and there's just hot chocolate... Not even tea

  On 1/24/2015 at 1:32 AM, Candiru said:

Whenever people tell me they don't drink coffee I tell them to grow up and make them feel bad

 

hearty lol

irish coffee, the best a man can get

  On 1/24/2015 at 2:42 AM, Mesh Gear Fox said:

i don't get not drinking coffee, unless you have specific health issues or bad reactions. love it. drink black espresso errday, no sugar. love the taste and subtle mood lift.

I'm super sensitive to it, so I generally drink tea. Coffee tastes great, but I'd prefer getting a full night's rest.

 

Plus, the comedown is super hard on me. Be thankful for your biology, I guess.

Same here. Stick to green tea mostly now, which is a bit milder (l-theanine?). Used to drink loads of coffee no problem but suddenly became sensitive one day and not entirely sure why. Been sensitive ever since. I'll have a small cup every now and then.

Espresso isn't too common, I don't think?

 

It's usually used in latte's or whatever but I don't see it drank as a standalone drink, basically ever. I can't say I've ever seen anyone, not even once, order just an espresso.

Edited January 24, 2015 by StephenG

  On 1/24/2015 at 4:15 AM, Mesh Gear Fox said:

that's totally understandable

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

you weaklings

 

 

 

haha nah i kid.

 

people that don't like the taste i feel either haven't given it enough of a try or haven't had a decent cup before. no one likes the taste of grog at first but you get used to at and you learn to appreciate what makes a good drink. coffee is the same but imo better in the taste department.

 

yankees and canadians: where are you at with espresso over there? in aus it's the default drink. is starbucks espresso? if so it is very watered down. surely ny, montreal, san fran and philly have some good cafes for this sorta stuff, am i right?

 

psssh!

i agree though. the taste is amazing. pre-ground bean is bullshit though usually.

Oi!

 

I live here in Calgary Alberta!

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary

 

Come for a visit, beer and poutine abound.

  On 1/23/2015 at 3:54 AM, tauboo said:

Safer how?

 

You know when you boil veg you lose antioxidants to the water and porous (like courgette) or small (like petit pois) lose more? A porous veg like courgette loses antioxidants when you griddle it dry, why? Because the moisture isn't retained.. where does it go? It evaporates. You grind coffee, so that process occurs the instant boiling hot water makes contact with it, so you either want to minimise steam by using lower temperature water, or ideally use a percolator because the steam rises through it and cools as it drips though and there's a lid on it (the stove should be turned down or off as soon as the espresso begins to come through).

 

btw espresso tastes good

 

You should never pour boiling hot water over coffee. Goddamn heathens. ;)

 

I use a french press, sometimes do a pour over if I just want one cup, got a nice little hario kettle from Japan. Buy beans from a local roaster (cheap and I love one of their medium roasts). Grind them up coarse for the press, finer for the pour over. If water in the kettle boils, let it settle for 40 seconds before pouring onto grounds.

 

Percolaters are great, very simple, but that is one of the supposed hipster issues - is that boiling water is going over the grounds. Still, have a beat up old fashioned one that is great for camping.

  On 1/24/2015 at 4:15 AM, Mesh Gear Fox said:

that's totally understandable

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

you weaklings

 

 

 

haha nah i kid.

 

people that don't like the taste i feel either haven't given it enough of a try or haven't had a decent cup before. no one likes the taste of grog at first but you get used to at and you learn to appreciate what makes a good drink. coffee is the same but imo better in the taste department.

 

yankees and canadians: where are you at with espresso over there? in aus it's the default drink. is starbucks espresso? if so it is very watered down. surely ny, montreal, san fran and philly have some good cafes for this sorta stuff, am i right?

 

Starbucks is not esperesso, starbucks is barely coffee (although their true north blend is passable in a rush). Espressos are not hugely popular here, usually just drip brewed or pour overs. Although espresso based drinks like cappucinos, lattes, etc are popular. Some people do order them.

This Italian guy I met in Burma, his first order of business when he got there was to buy an espresso machine. lol. much cliche. so coffee.

  On 1/24/2015 at 8:31 AM, chenGOD said:

 

  On 1/23/2015 at 3:54 AM, tauboo said:

Safer how?

 

You know when you boil veg you lose antioxidants to the water and porous (like courgette) or small (like petit pois) lose more? A porous veg like courgette loses antioxidants when you griddle it dry, why? Because the moisture isn't retained.. where does it go? It evaporates. You grind coffee, so that process occurs the instant boiling hot water makes contact with it, so you either want to minimise steam by using lower temperature water, or ideally use a percolator because the steam rises through it and cools as it drips though and there's a lid on it (the stove should be turned down or off as soon as the espresso begins to come through).

 

btw espresso tastes good

 

You should never pour boiling hot water over coffee. Goddamn heathens. ;)

 

I use a french press, sometimes do a pour over if I just want one cup, got a nice little hario kettle from Japan. Buy beans from a local roaster (cheap and I love one of their medium roasts). Grind them up coarse for the press, finer for the pour over. If water in the kettle boils, let it settle for 40 seconds before pouring onto grounds.

 

Percolaters are great, very simple, but that is one of the supposed hipster issues - is that boiling water is going over the grounds. Still, have a beat up old fashioned one that is great for camping.

 

nah the steam goes through the coffee,not boiling..never mind science shiz, you can straight up taste it does only good

According to coffee enthusiasts you should brew your joe between 195-205 Fahrenheit.

  On 1/24/2015 at 9:17 AM, tauboo said:

 

  On 1/24/2015 at 8:31 AM, chenGOD said:

 

  On 1/23/2015 at 3:54 AM, tauboo said:

Safer how?

 

You know when you boil veg you lose antioxidants to the water and porous (like courgette) or small (like petit pois) lose more? A porous veg like courgette loses antioxidants when you griddle it dry, why? Because the moisture isn't retained.. where does it go? It evaporates. You grind coffee, so that process occurs the instant boiling hot water makes contact with it, so you either want to minimise steam by using lower temperature water, or ideally use a percolator because the steam rises through it and cools as it drips though and there's a lid on it (the stove should be turned down or off as soon as the espresso begins to come through).

 

btw espresso tastes good

 

You should never pour boiling hot water over coffee. Goddamn heathens. ;)

 

I use a french press, sometimes do a pour over if I just want one cup, got a nice little hario kettle from Japan. Buy beans from a local roaster (cheap and I love one of their medium roasts). Grind them up coarse for the press, finer for the pour over. If water in the kettle boils, let it settle for 40 seconds before pouring onto grounds.

 

Percolaters are great, very simple, but that is one of the supposed hipster issues - is that boiling water is going over the grounds. Still, have a beat up old fashioned one that is great for camping.

 

nah the steam goes through the coffee,not boiling..never mind science shiz, you can straight up taste it does only good

 

 

That's not how a percolator works.

 

"The name is derived from the word "percolate" which means to cause (a solvent) to pass through a permeable substance especially for extracting a soluble constituent.^[3] In the case of coffee-brewing the solvent is water, the permeable substance is the coffee grounds, and the soluble constituents are the chemical compounds that give coffee its color, taste, aroma, and stimulating properties."

 

Anyways, like I said, I have an old beat up one for camping, it does a great job. There's something even more refreshing about having fresh coffee in the morning when camping.

this thread is WAY cooler than the Charlie Hebdo thread

I usually treat myself to a decent cappuccino 3-4 times a week, usually on my lunch break at work and on a day off where I'll relax in a coffee shop for an hour or so and read a book. There's a really nice new independent place that's opened near me which does great coffee. I don't drink coffee at home often because I prefer espresso based coffee drinks but when I do its cheapish instant stuff just to give me a little jolt if I'm lagging. I get free coffee from a machine at work and it is the worst stuff but sometimes you need that perk up.

 

I love a good coffee buzz but sometimes it makes you feel strange as hell.

 

Coffee.

Edited January 24, 2015 by QQQ

  On 1/24/2015 at 4:18 AM, StephenG said:

Espresso isn't too common, I don't think?

 

It's usually used in latte's or whatever but I don't see it drank as a standalone drink, basically ever. I can't say I've ever seen anyone, not even once, order just an espresso.

I did once a few years back when I didn't know shit about 'fancy' coffees. I asked for one, and the barista was kind of confused, "that's it, just an espresso?" So I should've known something was wrong.

 

I got a tiny shot in a full sized cup and slowly sipped it for 10 minutes, like an idiot. Learned my lesson at least.

 

Sent using magic space waves

I regularly order an espresso (or a double one), never had any weird looks.

  On 1/24/2015 at 9:52 AM, chenGOD said:

 

  On 1/24/2015 at 9:17 AM, tauboo said:

 

  On 1/24/2015 at 8:31 AM, chenGOD said:

 

  On 1/23/2015 at 3:54 AM, tauboo said:

Safer how?

 

You know when you boil veg you lose antioxidants to the water and porous (like courgette) or small (like petit pois) lose more? A porous veg like courgette loses antioxidants when you griddle it dry, why? Because the moisture isn't retained.. where does it go? It evaporates. You grind coffee, so that process occurs the instant boiling hot water makes contact with it, so you either want to minimise steam by using lower temperature water, or ideally use a percolator because the steam rises through it and cools as it drips though and there's a lid on it (the stove should be turned down or off as soon as the espresso begins to come through).

 

btw espresso tastes good

 

You should never pour boiling hot water over coffee. Goddamn heathens. ;)

 

I use a french press, sometimes do a pour over if I just want one cup, got a nice little hario kettle from Japan. Buy beans from a local roaster (cheap and I love one of their medium roasts). Grind them up coarse for the press, finer for the pour over. If water in the kettle boils, let it settle for 40 seconds before pouring onto grounds.

 

Percolaters are great, very simple, but that is one of the supposed hipster issues - is that boiling water is going over the grounds. Still, have a beat up old fashioned one that is great for camping.

 

nah the steam goes through the coffee,not boiling..never mind science shiz, you can straight up taste it does only good

 

 

That's not how a percolator works.

 

"The name is derived from the word "percolate" which means to cause (a solvent) to pass through a permeable substance especially for extracting a soluble constituent.^[3] In the case of coffee-brewing the solvent is water, the permeable substance is the coffee grounds, and the soluble constituents are the chemical compounds that give coffee its color, taste, aroma, and stimulating properties."

 

Anyways, like I said, I have an old beat up one for camping, it does a great job. There's something even more refreshing about having fresh coffee in the morning when camping.

 

What? I know how a percolator works. Why are you telling me that? It doesn't burn coffee at all because it rises before it reaches that temperature. It doesn't overcook it because it doesn't stew at all. You don't need thermometers and stuff, it's just designed to do it correctly.

Edited January 24, 2015 by tauboo

  On 1/24/2015 at 5:01 PM, th555 said:

I regularly order an espresso (or a double one), never had any weird looks.

Yeah, same here.

 

There are quite a few decent coffee places in Los Angeles but even Starbucks can do this without any difficulty.

 

And while it won't be the best espresso you've ever had, it most certainly is espresso. There are a coupla Starbucks baristas at my local one who know what they're doing.

 

There are some, mind, who don't, and the difference is very noticeable if you order an unsweetened drink.

 

If I needed milk in a drink at Starbucks (which I'd do to get some calories if I had to skip breakfast) I used to order a double tall latte, which was just a double espresso and steamed milk in reasonable proportion. A normal tall latte there is drowning in milk, as is anything beyond a tall size. They do flat whites now at Starbucks in North America, and possibly because the baristas are freshly trained in how to make them with double ristretto, they're a bit better. Will likely decline in quality in 6 months when most baristas cease giving a fuck.

Edited January 24, 2015 by baph

  On 1/24/2015 at 7:35 PM, tauboo said:

 

  On 1/24/2015 at 9:52 AM, chenGOD said:

 

  On 1/24/2015 at 9:17 AM, tauboo said:

 

  On 1/24/2015 at 8:31 AM, chenGOD said:

 

  On 1/23/2015 at 3:54 AM, tauboo said:

Safer how?

 

You know when you boil veg you lose antioxidants to the water and porous (like courgette) or small (like petit pois) lose more? A porous veg like courgette loses antioxidants when you griddle it dry, why? Because the moisture isn't retained.. where does it go? It evaporates. You grind coffee, so that process occurs the instant boiling hot water makes contact with it, so you either want to minimise steam by using lower temperature water, or ideally use a percolator because the steam rises through it and cools as it drips though and there's a lid on it (the stove should be turned down or off as soon as the espresso begins to come through).

 

btw espresso tastes good

 

You should never pour boiling hot water over coffee. Goddamn heathens. ;)

 

I use a french press, sometimes do a pour over if I just want one cup, got a nice little hario kettle from Japan. Buy beans from a local roaster (cheap and I love one of their medium roasts). Grind them up coarse for the press, finer for the pour over. If water in the kettle boils, let it settle for 40 seconds before pouring onto grounds.

 

Percolaters are great, very simple, but that is one of the supposed hipster issues - is that boiling water is going over the grounds. Still, have a beat up old fashioned one that is great for camping.

 

nah the steam goes through the coffee,not boiling..never mind science shiz, you can straight up taste it does only good

 

 

That's not how a percolator works.

 

"The name is derived from the word "percolate" which means to cause (a solvent) to pass through a permeable substance especially for extracting a soluble constituent.^[3] In the case of coffee-brewing the solvent is water, the permeable substance is the coffee grounds, and the soluble constituents are the chemical compounds that give coffee its color, taste, aroma, and stimulating properties."

 

Anyways, like I said, I have an old beat up one for camping, it does a great job. There's something even more refreshing about having fresh coffee in the morning when camping.

 

What? I know how a percolator works. Why are you telling me that? It doesn't burn coffee at all because it rises before it reaches that temperature. It doesn't overcook it because it doesn't stew at all. You don't need thermometers and stuff, it's just designed to do it correctly.

 

 

The steam doesn't go through the coffee, the steam pressurizes the boiling water to go up through the spout where it then splashes over the grounds. And if you leave a percolater on the heat source for too long, you will get some bitter as shit coffee. From wiki: "Percolators often expose the grounds to higher temperatures than other brewing methods, and may recirculate already brewed coffee through the beans. As a result, coffee brewed with a percolator is susceptible to over-extraction."

Made that mistake more than once camping - making coffee and then getting distracted by a nice wake'n'bake is not a good idea - if you want good coffee that is.

 

I'm not dissing your preferred brewing method, just pointing out some of the possible pitfalls. Same how the french press and/or pour overs have their own pitfalls.

Starting to see why the Aeropress is used a lot by taste testers. Can pick up the moment the beans start to go shite quite a bit earlier than I ever noticed with French press.

 

RIP bag of beans, hardly knew ye

  On 1/24/2015 at 10:07 PM, baph said:

Starting to see why the Aeropress is used a lot by taste testers. Can pick up the moment the beans start to go shite quite a bit earlier than I ever noticed with French press.

 

RIP bag of beans, hardly knew ye

 

I generally buy a 300g bag of beans and go through that in a week, maybe 10 days. That seems to be about the limit before the beans go off.

  On 1/24/2015 at 9:15 PM, chenGOD said:

 

  On 1/24/2015 at 7:35 PM, tauboo said:

 

  On 1/24/2015 at 9:52 AM, chenGOD said:

 

  On 1/24/2015 at 9:17 AM, tauboo said:

 

  On 1/24/2015 at 8:31 AM, chenGOD said:

 

  On 1/23/2015 at 3:54 AM, tauboo said:

Safer how?

 

You know when you boil veg you lose antioxidants to the water and porous (like courgette) or small (like petit pois) lose more? A porous veg like courgette loses antioxidants when you griddle it dry, why? Because the moisture isn't retained.. where does it go? It evaporates. You grind coffee, so that process occurs the instant boiling hot water makes contact with it, so you either want to minimise steam by using lower temperature water, or ideally use a percolator because the steam rises through it and cools as it drips though and there's a lid on it (the stove should be turned down or off as soon as the espresso begins to come through).

 

btw espresso tastes good

 

You should never pour boiling hot water over coffee. Goddamn heathens. ;)

 

I use a french press, sometimes do a pour over if I just want one cup, got a nice little hario kettle from Japan. Buy beans from a local roaster (cheap and I love one of their medium roasts). Grind them up coarse for the press, finer for the pour over. If water in the kettle boils, let it settle for 40 seconds before pouring onto grounds.

 

Percolaters are great, very simple, but that is one of the supposed hipster issues - is that boiling water is going over the grounds. Still, have a beat up old fashioned one that is great for camping.

 

nah the steam goes through the coffee,not boiling..never mind science shiz, you can straight up taste it does only good

 

 

That's not how a percolator works.

 

"The name is derived from the word "percolate" which means to cause (a solvent) to pass through a permeable substance especially for extracting a soluble constituent.^[3] In the case of coffee-brewing the solvent is water, the permeable substance is the coffee grounds, and the soluble constituents are the chemical compounds that give coffee its color, taste, aroma, and stimulating properties."

 

Anyways, like I said, I have an old beat up one for camping, it does a great job. There's something even more refreshing about having fresh coffee in the morning when camping.

 

What? I know how a percolator works. Why are you telling me that? It doesn't burn coffee at all because it rises before it reaches that temperature. It doesn't overcook it because it doesn't stew at all. You don't need thermometers and stuff, it's just designed to do it correctly.

 

 

The steam doesn't go through the coffee, the steam pressurizes the boiling water to go up through the spout where it then splashes over the grounds. And if you leave a percolater on the heat source for too long, you will get some bitter as shit coffee. From wiki: "Percolators often expose the grounds to higher temperatures than other brewing methods, and may recirculate already brewed coffee through the beans. As a result, coffee brewed with a percolator is susceptible to over-extraction."

Made that mistake more than once camping - making coffee and then getting distracted by a nice wake'n'bake is not a good idea - if you want good coffee that is.

 

I'm not dissing your preferred brewing method, just pointing out some of the possible pitfalls. Same how the french press and/or pour overs have their own pitfalls.

 

Um it appears there's two types of percolator. I don't mean that kind... I mean 'mocha pot' type which does exactly what i'm saying,no splashing on the grind,and you turn off the heat as soon as the water rises. You're referring to the kind that has the water return to the heating chamber as coffee... which is just a bit weird and actually just filter coffee which isn't what I'm talking about.

 

 

watch that

 

http://youtu.be/fRdCic2f7PI?t=4m8s

 

see how the coffee is in the chamber above, away from the heat? you can also just turn off the heat anyway. there are no pitfalls. it's a perfect invention and has been used for a very long time. i've had one since i was 11 years old. :P

Edited January 24, 2015 by tauboo