Better coffee and tea at Lakeside?

[Kevin K]

6 hours ago, Bisbee Gal said:

Kevin,

I like my hot beverages, hot.  Really hot.  

I use a Melitta plastic manual drip cup when I travel and have access to a microwave or stove. I start with boiling water, but by the time it finishes dripping, it's not quite as hot as I'd like it.  I brew one really large mug  and realize its size may be increasing my drip time, but I'm really not in the mood that early in the AM to brew two separate cups of coffee.

I like strong coffee, so I've looked at the clever drippers, but figure the longer I let it brew, the cooler it will get.   

If I invest in a porcelain or glass Melitta (or other brand) manual drip cup, will it keep the coffee noticeably hotter?  Of course then I'll have to fret about breakage when I pack it for travel.  Oy, it's always something.  

 

Hi Bisbee Gal, 

I preheat the Clever Dripper when I use it and yeah, there are even porcelain versions of it available that retain heat a bit better but I don't think you'll be happy with the temperature of the finished brew. 

What I recommend instead is the Espro Press (the link I'll provide is to the description of it on Sweet Maria's but you can buy them from Amazon). It's a double-wall stainless steel mug with an integral French Press that because of its microfine filter yields a cup that is entirely grit free and thus sure to make a drip coffee fan happy. If you preheat it with boiling water and then brew with it too the coffee will not only be scalding hot when ready but will stay that way for hours. I often end up decanting it into a mug to let it cool, so it'd obviously be perfect for you as is. AND it is unbreakable, even on Mexican tile floors. 

https://www.sweetmarias.com/product/espro-travel-press

[Bisbee Gal]

Thx for the suggestions, Kevin. 

[mudgirl]

On 2/23/2017 at 1:45 PM, Zeb said:

Are they ground properly for the French Press, which requires a coarse grind?  I have never found anything already ground that was good for a french press as most packaged coffee is intended for a drip coffee maker..

No, it's a fine grind. I have been making French Press coffee for 30 years and while they say to use coarse ground, I have always used fine with no problem. I've noticed that most people don't bother to loosen the plunger part and wash it out between the screen and the hole plate above it, which gets full of old grounds and results in the sediment not being pushed down properly. IMHO using coarse ground is a waste of coffee.

[Kevin K]

18 hours ago, mudgirl said:

No, it's a fine grind. I have been making French Press coffee for 30 years and while they say to use coarse ground, I have always used fine with no problem. I've noticed that most people don't bother to loosen the plunger part and wash it out between the screen and the hole plate above it, which gets full of old grounds and results in the sediment not being pushed down properly. IMHO using coarse ground is a waste of coffee.

To each their own, but there are good reasons why a coarse (percolator) grind is specified for the French Press:

1. Drip (or even more finely-ground) coffee has more fine particles which results in microfine grounds, oil and sediment in the finished brew since the pluner pot filter is just stainless steel mesh. 

2. Finely-ground coffee offers a lot more resistance to the plunging process, resulting quite often in either scalding from a gusher of the grounds/boiling water slurry or a broken glass breaker. 

The Espro press (available in both one liter and 12 ounce sizes) which I recommended earlier solves the sludge and sediment problems and is virtually unbreakable but you'd still want to use a coarse grind and 4 minute infusion time. Also do bear in mind that consuming French Press coffee of any sort as your go-to brew can increase cholesterol levels. It's the only brewing method where this has been proven to be the case. 

 

[Bisbee Gal]

Anyone with thoughts on Cold Brew Coffee?  

I'm in US right now and was surprised yesterday to see FOUR different brands of cold brew coffee concentrate in the refrigerated section of my local Publix (grocery chain).  I swear there weren't any a month ago! 

I didn't purchase any as I wanted to do some research first.  My googling found that this is a growing trend in the coffee market. 

Evidently it is  diluted with water (or any liquid) and made into either hot or iced coffee.  Supposedly its cold brew technique results in higher caffeine and lower acidity.  

Any sightings of this phenom at Lakeside yet? 

[Kevin K]

Yeah it's all over the place in the U.S.

The original "cold brew" was the old Toddy coffee maker, where you put a pound of coarse-ground coffee in it, cover with cold water and let it steep overnight. There's a nylon (felt-like) filter at the bottom with a stopper and in the morning you pull the stopper and let the concentrate slowly drain into its glass beaker. You can then dilute the concentrate 5 or 6 to one to make a cup of hot (or iced) coffee. 

The cold brew extraction doesn't capture anywhere near all of a coffee's flavor and aroma but the brew is smooth. The "low acid" claim is B.S. since a "high acid" coffee (e.g. Kenya) has about the same PH as a carrot. I've been listening to consumer complain about "acidic" coffee hurting their stomachs for years and almost invariably I find out that they have coffee and orange juice (which IS high-acid) together, or let their coffee sit on a burner all day long, etc. 

Anyway, if you want great iced coffee the way to get it is to brew in a Melitta cone or Clever dripper and pour the brew directly onto a full (unbreakable!) mug of ice cubes. Since you're brewing with near-boiling water you extract the flavor and aroma (unlike cold brew). 

Most of the canned cold brews have lots of added sugar and dairy. Ironically the best of the bunch in terms of actually tasting like coffee is probably Starbucks Double shot, which has been around far longer than the new brands.