Coffee

My main to go is a La Pavoni for espresso, Chemex and randomizes french press for others. Also a pod coffee thing for travel-camping.

That’s a cool looking unit, after my espresso machine went bad and I couldn’t figure out how to get it fixed I finally just started using one of those little stove top moka espresso pots but I never get a comparable crema, still good though. I actually had a kidney stone recently and I suspect a big part of it was too much coffee not enough water, so I am trying to dial it back a bit, been drinking more matcha which is a bit more expensive of a habit but equally good I think. Still I might need to look into this press style espresso machine, looks like it would be easy to maintain in the long run also. The crema is pretty good on it?

I’m mildly paranoid about kidney stones myself, so I drink a lot of water - but usually in the form of tea. Matcha is good, and the premium stuff is worth paying for when it is fresh in the spring. Oolong is a tea you can drink all day long with multiple infusions. Puerh is the modular synth of tea.

Moka pots are a great way to make coffee. I had a Brikka, found that it exploded too easily, and then moved to the more conventional Moka pots. They will produce good coffee, but are incapable of producing the pressure required for espresso.

The Flair does generate enough pressure for espresso, and my shots regularly have a nice topping of crema.

The thing I really love about the Flair is that +/- 10 seconds of extraction time, or small variations in grind make a big difference in the shot pulled. I can usually dial in a decent shot with most beans, even Illy. My partner is very sensitive to caffeine and doesn’t generally like coffee, but has taken to sampling any espresso drink I make that is smothered in milk. All of this from about a year of daily practice (I was starting to get consistently good after six months)

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Espresso isn’t sitting too well with my stomach at the moment so I’m going for French Press, all good so far but not sold yet, I still need to find the right coffee.

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Broadly speaking, flavor is extracted before caffeine when making coffee. The espresso process is optimized for flavor (strong!), but you get more caffeine per unit ground coffee from soaking/drip processes like french press. Milk can help mitigate the harshness of coffee, so long as you aren’t lactose intolerant.

I‘m hooked on freshly ground Saula Coffee beans from Barcelona.

Yeah good matcha is crazy good even the basic drinking grade is pretty spendy when compared to how many cups I get out of a bag of coffee. Speaking of bay area there is a guy who does traditional Ethiopian coffee brew at farmers markets around the bay, it’s pretty great stuff especially with a little ginger in it.

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I’m not a supplements guy, but it is L-Theanine that makes young matcha so chill. You can get L-Theanine capsules everywhere, but they aren’t as pleasant as a good bowl of matcha.

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Hm, let me throw in from my current fave Murnauer Kaffeerösterei a Malabar Monsooned, french pressed, and my day can start.

I’m embarrassed to say that after nearly 23 years in Japan I have yet to properly get into matcha. I should really learn a bit more.

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One giant cup of PG Tips, every morning. No exceptions. Then whatever other tea I fancy after that. Usually I average 1-3 cups a day. Up to 6 on the weird days.
My favorite teas include PG Tips, Gen Maicha (a Japanese green tea with puffed rice in it), a Watermelon-mint tea from Trader Joe’s, and a particular blend called Sailor’s delight, from Capitol Teas.
Oolong, Jasmine, Earl Grey, Puer, and Matcha are all good too.

Btw, yes, I don’t put any sugar or cream in my tea. I’m weird like that.

I drink coffee 2-3 times a month. While sweet “coffee,” (a la Frappuccino) is good, my taste buds are tired of sweet stuff, so black coffee is my favorite. Funnily enough, I had my first real espresso today. Finally, something strong! Now I understand why they only give you 2oz. :rofl: A nice iced cold brew with heavy whipping cream is good too.

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…ok…listen…
if there is anything in the world, where i could end up with a little bit of a nazi mindset…
it’s coffee…
i don’t need it…i enjoy it…as a daily ritual…twice a day…
one in the morning…one after a decent siesta nap in the afternoon…
everybody who’s havin’ coffee in a rush is nothing but a victim with an addiction problem…

especially if u get ur coffee dose from starbux and co…
or as instant powder…
or from capsules…which is the worst of it all…
since that’s fakin full on the good coffee experience with cheap and unhealthy addons and is killing our enviroments globally cause of one way aluminium trash…almost as worse as microplastic…

coffee must be fresh grinded…each time…
from a good roast of full beans…coming in at some at least half way fair traded chain of supply…
always fresh brewed…
no filter coffee soup…truu coffee…with truu crema…which only happens when brewing procedure is takin’ place with the right amount of boiling water pressure…
if ur not into plain black…then it’s oatmilk or truu and hi quality cow milk…
heated and foamed up manually…truu barista style…
never in a cup…always in a decent small glass…
make it a truu ritual…or just leave it alone…
focus while consuming…
make it a qualitytime moment of ur day…

if u don’t get it and just suffer from another addiction to get through ur day…
chew on some coffein gums…instead…

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I do love my coffee. I too grind fresh and pour over nearly every morning.

In the summer especially, I like to do cold brew. ~4:1 (water/coffee) overnight or longer. The taste is a bit softer than hot brewed coffee, but still super rich. I’ve turned a few people at work onto coffee with my home-brewed cold brew.

I’m not sure if all these ellipses suggest you’ve already had too much coffee today or none at all. :joy:

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:wink: …fair enough…but i can assure u, as mentioned…i don’t need it…i enjoy it…as a ritual…
makin’ it, is part of the whole thing and as much as important as consuming it…

if i don’t do it on my own…i go to a decent, u can call it fancy, i don’t mind, dedicated coffee shop, where a decent barrista is doing it the way i want it…
and if they don’t know me there already and the way i want it, but every truu barista knows it as described anyways, be assured, i’ll let them know right upfront…
if it’s not done right…i’ll return it…
yup…it’s that bad, with me and coffee…
but only in style…not in addiction…
if i don’t have a day with coffee…well, then i have a day without it…

This is probably the cheapest DeLonghi, but it’s a workhorse. I’ve had it for years and absolutely love it. I would have to immediately replace it if it died. One of the most important appliances in my home and worth every penny.

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Not as good as French pressed.

Every now and again over the years I’ve used a french press for a while until I got lazy and gone back to instant powder. Last year (or maybe early this year) had a crack at doing pourover coffee; which was delicious but too fiddly. Gave up coffee for a while so I got rid of all coffee making things.

Currently drinking the cheapest supermarket brand instant powder. Definitely doesn’t taste anything special but it’s good enough.

What Michael Pollan Learned from Quitting Caffeine for 3 Months

I thought this Joe Rogan interview of Pollan about quitting caffeine was informative. Still, I’m not ready to quit. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Small PSA (although the research is very preliminary):