That Sour and bitter drink

[BoredSysAdmin]

Not coffee related but I find quite funny and the subject was mentioned here:

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

btw: Going to visit 1st-Line in Freehold tomorrow to see machines in persona
If nothing else, it would be very helpful to have vendor whom could serve the machine in practically my backyard (20-25mins drive, but who counts?

 

[j_garcia]

Got some Subaru bistro mugs from my ambassador program. Think I'm keeping one

Found another new local spot that has some decent stuff. Roast on-site. Picked up and tried some of their Guatemalan today and it was excellent.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Went to buy this machine today: https://newjersey.craigslist.org/for/5682236320.html
Seller was willing to let it go for only $550 (it's over 2k new)
Unfortunately, a) it had issue refilling steaming boiler and b) it required plumbing, something my wife is very much againsts (due to cost and good practical issues) . oh well... search is ongoing.

 

[Swerd]

Went to buy this machine today … search is ongoing.

I noticed there are several new green coffees available at Sweet Maria's, including two new crop Guatemalans.

The Guat Acatenango San Diego Buena Vista may be of particular interest to you based on these words:

San Diego Buena Vista has a balanced and well-structured flavor profile that makes for a 'classic' Guatemalan coffee working exceptionally well for espresso too.

As espresso, this one's a killer – dark cacao, candied nut, and light citrus oil. Nice.​

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I noticed SweetMarias will be closed for week. Shouldn't be much of issue as I wanted to explore other (closer) sources of green coffee.
Any opinions on these stores:
http://www.burmancoffee.com/
http://www.copantrade.com/
http://catesgreencoffee.com/

Also my coworker told me about this place: They do group buys of green coffee and supposebly at discounted prices
http://www.greencoffeebuyingclub.com/

 

[Swerd]

I noticed SweetMarias will be closed for week. Shouldn't be much of issue as I wanted to explore other (closer) sources of green coffee.
Any opinions on these stores:
http://www.burmancoffee.com/
http://www.copantrade.com/
http://catesgreencoffee.com/

Also my coworker told me about this place: They do group buys of green coffee and supposebly at discounted prices http://www.greencoffeebuyingclub.com/

Of all those I am familiar only with Burman's, they're in Wisconsin. I ordered from them one time only. It was several years ago when I was very early on the learning curve, but I thought they were alright.

I decided to concentrate on SM's, as there was much chatter on the coffee roasting forums about how many online green coffee sources were inconsistent, or worse, didn't test roast and taste what they sold. In my opinion, SM's has over the years been very good about that. This doesn't mean there aren't other good sellers, only that I don't know who they are. Please let me know what you find out.

 

[j_garcia]

I noticed there are several new green coffees available at Sweet Maria's, including two new crop Guatemalans.

The Guat Acatenango San Diego Buena Vista may be of particular interest to you based on these words:

San Diego Buena Vista has a balanced and well-structured flavor profile that makes for a 'classic' Guatemalan coffee working exceptionally well for espresso too.

As espresso, this one's a killer – dark cacao, candied nut, and light citrus oil. Nice.​

That's essentially what I've been drinking, roasted by Verve in Santa Cruz, for a few years and it is my favorite. Chocolate, leathery notes. Maintains composure without getting bitter. Bright start and smooth finish. I have actually been cold brewing it this weekend in small batches and it is surprisingly almost better that way. Mellower, but still fully flavored.

 

[Rickster71]

btw: Going to visit 1st-Line in Freehold tomorrow to see machines in persona
If nothing else, it would be very helpful to have vendor whom could serve the machine in practically my backyard (20-25mins drive, but who counts?

Sounds like you were in my neck of the woods.
I'm a little south of there.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Sounds like you were in my neck of the woods.
I'm a little south of there.

I am pretty regularly visiting long branch and eatontown for both nice boardwalk and friend living in the area.

 

[Swerd]

Arriving a bit late this season is Guatemalan Finca Rosma. It's what I wait for each year.

https://www.sweetmarias.com/product/guatemala-huehuetenango-finca-rosma-5140

 

[j_garcia]

Finally got a chance to drop by Verve in Santa Cruz. This is the actual location where they roast. Beautiful weather and cool little spot.

 

[afterlife2]

BSA have you gone here yet? https://www.yelp.com/biz/laughing-man-coffee-and-tea-new-york-3
It's Hugh Jackman's coffee place.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

BSA have you gone here yet? https://www.yelp.com/biz/laughing-man-coffee-and-tea-new-york-3
It's Hugh Jackman's coffee place.

hmm, interesting, but too far from my office (which is near Times sq)
Farthest I've been downtown is this place - excellent cappuccino.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-colombe-coffee-new-york-2

 

[afterlife2]

Heck take the train there. You can buy it on amazon too. It's for charity. Have you tried punkin' coffeee mmmmmmmmmmmmmm...Think I tried it at whole foods a couple years back.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Til: la colombe just opened near my office in Midtown

Apparently they have already 8 locations in NY. Wow.

 

[Hi Ho]

I love a good cup of coffee. I hate a bad cup of coffee. There is a lot of bad coffee out there. Most restaurant coffee is terrible. Here in Washington, the land of Starbucks, there is no shortage of coffee stands and finding a good cup of coffee is pretty easy. Starbucks is acceptable but there are so many roasters and espresso stands around here that offer great coffee that I rarely need to resort to Starbucks.

This is my coffee making arsenal:

https://imgur.com/a/Kzven

I buy freshly roasted coffee from a local roaster. They roast in small batches and the coffee on the shelf is often just over 24 hours old. at $13/lb the price is reasonable and since I have found the precise coffee to water ratio I don't end up spending much more than I did buying the 3lb bags at Costco and I get a much better cup of coffee. I store the beans in an Airscape container. These are awesome:

https://www.amazon.com/Coffee-Storage-Canister-Container-Preserves/dp/B00167XN14/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1475863821&sr=1-1&keywords=airscape

At home I use a french press for my daily brew. I use an electric kettle that brings the water to exactly 200 degrees. I use a kitchen scale to measure out exactly 1oz of beans. I like a strong brew and I have found that this is the perfect ratio for my 16oz cup. Using more coffee doesn't significantly increase strength and less coffee makes it too weak. I have an inexpensive Krups burr grinder that I got at Costco years ago. It works well enough and has never had any issues. If it ever breaks I take the opportunity to upgrade to a nicer grinder. After pouring putting the grounds and water in the french press I set a timer for 4 minutes and stir. After the timer goes off I press and pour immediately.

I have an Aeropress and it makes an excellent small cup of coffee. I have not been able to get a large 16oz cup from the Aeropress that is strong enough. I have tried several different methods I found to no avail.

I used to have a Saeco Easy super automatic espresso machine and it made a decent espresso for a few years but then something happened and I could never get a real good cup out of it that wasn't too weak or overly bitter. I ended up giving it to a friend that is not a picky coffee drinker.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

with Latest additions I added since beginning this thread my coffee begins as Green beans. I ordered last time from Sweet Marias, but probably looking to for new source soon. Reason is they are in west cost, I'm on east. Shipping is both slow and expensive.
Then green beans go to Behmore 1600 Plus coffee roaster. I used auto-most with minor adjustments.
Basically it's 1/2lbs program, P1 settings - go. Add 1-3 minutes if necessary to time cooling time to be about 90 seconds after 1st crack starts.
Then into Rocky Rancilio flat burr grinder. It maybe not best match for my new espresso machine, but it's good enough and I still have a long to learn on the machine.

And speaking of it - I posted it's picture here before

As Rojo guessed correctly from partial image - It's Quick Mill Vetrano 2b from ChrisCoffee
Originally I almost went with cheaper Expobar Brewtus IV from WholeLatteLove, but decided to switch to Chris for reasons of long term customer service satisfaction.
Why such expensive machine at the first place? Well, reason is simple - temperature control is crucial for great espresso. Heat Exchanges machines are (arguably) no where near as stable. Single Boiler dual use - it's as accurate, but completely inadequate to make any frothed milk drinks.

Plus I wanted a machine to last me 20 years or more.

 

[Hi Ho]

It would take almost 4 years for a machine like that to pay for itself when I factor in the cost of coffee. I'd love to have one but I just can't justify it.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

It would take almost 4 years for a machine like that to pay for itself when I factor in the cost of coffee. I'd love to have one but I just can't justify it.

I can't quite justify price of new sub, even if i need one badly. Good sub can cost very similar to my machine.