The random chat thread for throwing out things that don't matter

Posted by: @cspidy

Posted by: @dev

Posted by: @cspidy

Posted by: @dev

Posted by: @cspidy

Posted by: @dev

I got another batch of coffee from Blue Macaw coffee roasters. Its their 5 bean espresso. Steam up some milk its delicious. 

 I have cut down the amount of milk I use which is coming very close to a flat white which is 50% espresso and 50% steamed milk. Im starting to get why the Italians are obsessed with espresso shots. 

 

 

Dev,

I have an espresso machine and really enjoy it

I haven’t used the milk steamer yet

not sure I will like it but mostly too lazy to clean it

I take my coffee black

maybe I will give it a try

Dave

 Dave I take it that you are making Amaracanos which is espresso shot with water.  

 Milk steaming is very difficult depending on the machine. There are some that are automatic where you add the milk  but but those tend to be very coarse and there is clean up involved afterwards. 

  When you have a espresso machine with a traditional steam wand it give you the best result but it takes a lot of practice. The goal is to inject air as the milk is being heated and at the same time spinning and folding it over on its self which requires a good amount of control.  A good result is when the milk is has micro bubbles and looks silky not frothy.  When done right it adds to the texture of the coffee. 

 The Italians drink Lattes and Cortados only for breakfast not like we do. The rest of the day they are drinking straight espressos and they are obsessed. Same with Brazil, Cuba and many other countries. My goal is to acquire the taste so I can enjoy espressos and it starts with weening off the milk. As I am getting closer to my goal Im starting to understand. 

 

 

I just do the espresso straight,

no added water or milk

usually a double

part of my retirement plan

maybe the next time I’m in a coffee shop I’ll try the milk froth added

 Thats really cool. How did you get there with drinking it neat.  I cant seem to do that yet but I am getting there. 

 

 

When I was a flight tech on flights to Africa

they only had an espresso machine onboard 

so if wanted a coffee that was it

I haven’t added milk to my coffee in 40 years

so I just put down like a shot of good sipping whisky 

 

 So that is how you acquire a taste for it. I bet it was rough at first until it got better. 

Posted by: @dev

Posted by: @cspidy

Posted by: @dev

Posted by: @cspidy

Posted by: @dev

Posted by: @cspidy

Posted by: @dev

I got another batch of coffee from Blue Macaw coffee roasters. Its their 5 bean espresso. Steam up some milk its delicious. 

 I have cut down the amount of milk I use which is coming very close to a flat white which is 50% espresso and 50% steamed milk. Im starting to get why the Italians are obsessed with espresso shots. 

 

 

Dev,

I have an espresso machine and really enjoy it

I haven’t used the milk steamer yet

not sure I will like it but mostly too lazy to clean it

I take my coffee black

maybe I will give it a try

Dave

 Dave I take it that you are making Amaracanos which is espresso shot with water.  

 Milk steaming is very difficult depending on the machine. There are some that are automatic where you add the milk  but but those tend to be very coarse and there is clean up involved afterwards. 

  When you have a espresso machine with a traditional steam wand it give you the best result but it takes a lot of practice. The goal is to inject air as the milk is being heated and at the same time spinning and folding it over on its self which requires a good amount of control.  A good result is when the milk is has micro bubbles and looks silky not frothy.  When done right it adds to the texture of the coffee. 

 The Italians drink Lattes and Cortados only for breakfast not like we do. The rest of the day they are drinking straight espressos and they are obsessed. Same with Brazil, Cuba and many other countries. My goal is to acquire the taste so I can enjoy espressos and it starts with weening off the milk. As I am getting closer to my goal Im starting to understand. 

 

 

I just do the espresso straight,

no added water or milk

usually a double

part of my retirement plan

maybe the next time I’m in a coffee shop I’ll try the milk froth added

 Thats really cool. How did you get there with drinking it neat.  I cant seem to do that yet but I am getting there. 

 

 

When I was a flight tech on flights to Africa

they only had an espresso machine onboard 

so if wanted a coffee that was it

I haven’t added milk to my coffee in 40 years

so I just put down like a shot of good sipping whisky 

 

 So that is how you acquire a taste for it. I bet it was rough at first until it got better. 

 

 

Not at all, it’s bitter every time 

that’s the beauty of it

I drank coffee the same way since I first drank coffee. never liked creme, milk, sugar, honey,(as my one grandfather used, way back when), never like it with anything. espresso the same way, My wife can't see how I can drink it that way. I was in my late 20's before I had real espresso.

I tried a double espresso with a shot of milk yesterday and found it to be ok

I forget what they called, couldn’t pronounce it anyways

I had it at devs favorite coffee shop,

Starbucks 

but

I will stick with my straight espressos

the few times I went to Starbucks has been 3/4ths strength if that, including their espresso. Their regular coffee is closer to half strength. Coffee for the masses.

Posted by: @cspidy

I tried a double espresso with a shot of milk yesterday and found it to be ok

I forget what they called, couldn’t pronounce it anyways

I had it at devs favorite coffee shop,

Starbucks 

but

I will stick with my straight espressos

 

 Starbucks is like driving a U Haul truck and then driving your Spyder. LOL

  I go to Starbucks for the hipsters.  

Posted by: @grumpy

the few times I went to Starbucks has been 3/4ths strength if that, including their espresso. Their regular coffee is closer to half strength. Coffee for the masses.

 Its not coffee. Its coffee flavored soy milk with the syrup of your choice for people that like to display the apple logo on their Mac books. 

Oh we're back to the coffee thread... Excellent. I've continued to explore bluemacaw's catalog, and have been converting friends/family/coworkers steadily along the way. The conversions have become handy to deal with the current inflation, as the roasters have raised their prices along with everyone else. I discovered macaw prices get very friendly once you're buying at least 5lbs at a time. So now I have something akin to a coffee co-op going. 

My favorite from them to date is the Colombia la Esperanza Granja Geisha. Can't recommend it enough. Something like $24 to get a single lb from them now, but 5lbs gets to your door for $73. It starts to decline in flavor quickly after 2 weeks but those two weeks are heaven in a cup. It is wonderfully aromatic as well... The plug goes in my compost bin in the morning and 8-12hrs later my kitchen still smells like a fresh brewed cup. 

Other notables are the Panama bouquet (dark, haven't tried it in medium yet), Sumatra SHB (dark and syrupy), and Rwanda (medium). My last order of JBM was underwhelming compared to previous but beyond that, I've been pleased with everything else I've ordered from them. Have Brazilian Yellow Bourbon on the way next.

Posted by: @marsrock7

Oh we're back to the coffee thread... Excellent. I've continued to explore bluemacaw's catalog, and have been converting friends/family/coworkers steadily along the way. The conversions have become handy to deal with the current inflation, as the roasters have raised their prices along with everyone else. I discovered macaw prices get very friendly once you're buying at least 5lbs at a time. So now I have something akin to a coffee co-op going. 

My favorite from them to date is the Colombia la Esperanza Granja Geisha. Can't recommend it enough. Something like $24 to get a single lb from them now, but 5lbs gets to your door for $73. It starts to decline in flavor quickly after 2 weeks but those two weeks are heaven in a cup. It is wonderfully aromatic as well... The plug goes in my compost bin in the morning and 8-12hrs later my kitchen still smells like a fresh brewed cup. 

Other notables are the Panama bouquet (dark, haven't tried it in medium yet), Sumatra SHB (dark and syrupy), and Rwanda (medium). My last order of JBM was underwhelming compared to previous but beyond that, I've been pleased with everything else I've ordered from them. Have Brazilian Yellow Bourbon on the way next.

yikes, I don’t do the shopping

so

I’m not sure what we pay for our coffee 

does that include shipping 

have you tried any of the African coffees?

Posted by: @marsrock7

Oh we're back to the coffee thread... Excellent. I've continued to explore bluemacaw's catalog, and have been converting friends/family/coworkers steadily along the way. The conversions have become handy to deal with the current inflation, as the roasters have raised their prices along with everyone else. I discovered macaw prices get very friendly once you're buying at least 5lbs at a time. So now I have something akin to a coffee co-op going. 

My favorite from them to date is the Colombia la Esperanza Granja Geisha. Can't recommend it enough. Something like $24 to get a single lb from them now, but 5lbs gets to your door for $73. It starts to decline in flavor quickly after 2 weeks but those two weeks are heaven in a cup. It is wonderfully aromatic as well... The plug goes in my compost bin in the morning and 8-12hrs later my kitchen still smells like a fresh brewed cup. 

Other notables are the Panama bouquet (dark, haven't tried it in medium yet), Sumatra SHB (dark and syrupy), and Rwanda (medium). My last order of JBM was underwhelming compared to previous but beyond that, I've been pleased with everything else I've ordered from them. Have Brazilian Yellow Bourbon on the way next.

 I tell you what. I have bought coffee from a good number of boutique roasters and although they are good Bluemacaw is better and cheaper with more variety.  

 If you get darker roasts they last longer.  I will probably try one of the ones you suggested. I have tried the Brazilian Yellow from another brand and its nice. 

 I found out that the vintage Espresso machine that I rebuilt a few years ago has doubled in price. Its crazy and meaningless because I want to keep it for life unless I decide I want to try a commercial lever but the problem is, it takes at least an hour to warm up. 

Posted by: @cspidy

Posted by: @marsrock7

Oh we're back to the coffee thread... Excellent. I've continued to explore bluemacaw's catalog, and have been converting friends/family/coworkers steadily along the way. The conversions have become handy to deal with the current inflation, as the roasters have raised their prices along with everyone else. I discovered macaw prices get very friendly once you're buying at least 5lbs at a time. So now I have something akin to a coffee co-op going. 

My favorite from them to date is the Colombia la Esperanza Granja Geisha. Can't recommend it enough. Something like $24 to get a single lb from them now, but 5lbs gets to your door for $73. It starts to decline in flavor quickly after 2 weeks but those two weeks are heaven in a cup. It is wonderfully aromatic as well... The plug goes in my compost bin in the morning and 8-12hrs later my kitchen still smells like a fresh brewed cup. 

Other notables are the Panama bouquet (dark, haven't tried it in medium yet), Sumatra SHB (dark and syrupy), and Rwanda (medium). My last order of JBM was underwhelming compared to previous but beyond that, I've been pleased with everything else I've ordered from them. Have Brazilian Yellow Bourbon on the way next.

yikes, I don’t do the shopping

so

I’m not sure what we pay for our coffee 

does that include shipping 

have you tried any of the African coffees?

 I believe that includes shipping and they are very quick. The order is roasted in the morning and sent out priority shipping that afternoon. 

It is always best to order on a Sunday night or Monday morning so it isn't being still shipped on the weekend. It is, after all uSPS.

@cspidy The rough prices I mentioned were "shipped to door" yes.

Regarding African coffee from Macaw I have so far only tried two. The Ethiopian Yirgachefe, which was pleasant but didn't make my repeat buy list, and the Rwanda which I have ordered 3 times at least now and will likely be doing again in the next month or two. It is complementary to almost an other food flavor (in my opinion anyway), pleasant hot, cold, or in between, and goes well with my preferred tobaccos. My 8yo son will drink it black and says it tastes like the hot chocolate from Starbucks (that's mom's doing, I am not an SB patron any longer). Probably not the best review but I think an 8yo drinking black coffee and enjoying it speaks louder than his comparison. 

Dev and grumpy are both correct, they roast daily and ship fast, ordering Sunday or Monday is best so you don't let your beans sit over the weekend. 

I've also located one local roaster who can deliver beans comparable to Macaw, and to my door for free as long as I spend $25 with them (local only). They roast on weekends I believe. They only have three different roasts available, two mediums and a dark (and I'm not fond of their dark). I buy from them occasionally to support local, but it is no cheaper... 12oz bags are now $14 each, so that comes to $18.67/lb before shipping... But if anyone else wants to support this roaster, you can find them here:

https://442coffee.com

Garage Days is my favorite and their best seller, Day Break is a bit darker of a medium and a close second. They also have a sampler you can buy which is 4oz of all three.  

@marsrock7

good stuff,

I will give 442 coffee a try

the coffee I picked in Africa was Kilimanjaro

the African coffees come in a sealed bag covered in a hand made cloth bag with African prints on them

my dil collected them and sowed them together to make a quilt.