Coffee in the coach

[Chuggs]

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and Sumatran Mandheling are two of my absolute favorites. Great body and flavor. Both are hard to find in my area.

TJ

We have similar tastes

 

[Gizmo]

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and Sumatran Mandheling are two of my absolute favorites. Great body and flavor. Both are hard to find in my area.

TJ

Here a link to Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Are these the ones you referencing?

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=ethiopia...349287904&hydadcr=24633_10399728&tag=rvf01-20

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Yep! Never thought to look for coffee on Amazon; we like to use the local roasters when we can find them carrying what we want. For us, we prefer the medium roast in Yirgacheffe; the dark roast seems to hide some of the flavor. We do like dark roast in some other coffee varieties, however,

Our everyday coffee is a blend of Central/South American beans processed by a local roaster, Fidalgo Bay.

TJ

 

[Gizmo]

Yep! Never thought to look for coffee on Amazon; we like to use the local roasters when we can find them carrying what we want. For us, we prefer the medium roast in Yirgacheffe; the dark roast seems to hide some of the flavor. We do like dark roast in some other coffee varieties, however,

Our everyday coffee is a blend of Central/South American beans processed by a local roaster, Fidalgo Bay.

TJ

Since I don't have a fancy coffee maker maybe I should try these in Pods.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IW5ESUM/?tag=rvf01-20

 

[Neal]

Okay, finally happy with my coffee setup. All compact for the coach:

34 oz French Press: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008XEWG/?tag=rvf01-20

Compact Coffee Grinder: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004SPEU/?tag=rvf01-20

Electric Kettle: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FKN76ZS/?tag=rvf01-20
(I'm not sure this was necessary, a standard induction cooktop kettle is just as fast which I have)

And I'm enjoying the Arabica coffee now to get away from the Starbucks stuff.

Medium Roast: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QJD1R1J/?tag=rvf01-20

Dark Roast: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QKMRVB8/?tag=rvf01-20

Light Roast: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QG3TF6G/?tag=rvf01-20

I got the coffee bean can TJ recommended. Warning, don't try to pick it up from the lid, it can make a huge mess. A friend told me!

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

I got the coffee bean can TJ recommended. Warning, don't try to pick it up from the lid, it can make a huge mess. A friend told me!

We must have the same "friend."

TJ

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

I'm trying an online coffee roaster; freshroastedcoffee.com. My local roasters are out of stock on Sumatra Mandheling.

This online roaster sells both directly and via Amazon. Even though ordering directly costs slightly more than via Amazon (<10%), the beans you get are roasted on the day you order rather than weekly and sent to an Amazon warehouse where they may sit for 30 days or more. I prefer to get the freshest roast possible.

Shipping is free for orders over $35; not hard to do if you buy a couple of 2# bags.

If anyone else has tried this roaster, I would be interested in your comments about them. And, I will post my comments after we receive our order and try the product.

TJ

 

[Neal]

Describe the difference in good and bad coffee beans. What have you found tastes the best and describe the flavor. Do you add creamer or sugar? Doesn’t that defeat the flavor but I just can’t drink coffee straight.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

"Good and bad coffee beans" is a function of several things; origin, processing, roasting, proper storage, brewing and..., most importantly...personal taste. That said, here are a few of MY thoughts.

We prefer "single origin" beans rather than blends because the characteristics seem to be more consistent over time. Then, proper processing (hulling, washing, drying, sorting, etc.) has some effect on the beans. The biggest factor, however, is in the roasting.

The roasting level is what determines the final flavors in the brewed beverage. Some beans take well to dark roasting and some don't. Over-roasting produces bitterness; not desirable!

Finally, proper storage determines how long the bean flavors remain at their peak, even when vacuum sealed. As beans age after roasting, some of the delicate flavor nuances are lost.

WE like, single-origin coffees such as Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and Sumatra Mandheling. Some of the Central/South American blends are pretty good too, but we find them somewhat inconsistent in flavor due to changes in the mix.

[EDIT: Of course, I got the flavor profiles of Yirgacheffe and Mandheling reversed! "Of all the things I have lost, I miss my mind the most." I have corrected the text below.]

Mandheling (not Yirgacheffe) has a nice, somewhat chocolatey nuance while Yirgacheffe (not Mandheling) has just a hint of citrus and a little earthiness. Both are full-bodied in the medium roast version when brewed properly.

As for additives, I NEVER use any sweetener (sugar or artificial) while LadyDi sometimes adds just a touch of it. Until I had my gall bladder removed a year or so ago, I ALWAYS had my coffee BLACK! Unfortunately, my new, abbreviated "plumbing" system no longer handles acid (even small amounts) well, so I add a splash...just a splash...of cream. In my Spanish-Basque heritage, that is known as "Cortado" or "Kafe Ebaki" ("cut"). LadyDi likes one of the flavored "creamers."

The bottom like is to add what you like (or need) to make the brew taste just right...for you.

I'm sure this is far more than you wanted to know.

TJ

 

[Neal]

Good info! Thank you. What I'm after also is caffeine. Starbucks beans and/or Keurig pods seem to do nothing for me in the keeping me awake department. Diet Coke on the other hand does. Learning about the beans and their caffeine content hence why I'm trying the Arabica beans. I'd love to find a coffee shop that you can taste various small amounts of coffee, maybe even espresso, and learn/sample different beans and flavors.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

@Neal, if you are looking for higher caffeine levels, you need to look for beans from the Robustica family. Arabica beans are lower caffeine, not higher than Robusta. Robusta has nearly twice the caffeine. The flavor of Robusta beans will not be as full-bodied as the Arabica, however.

We don't need the high caffeine (in fact, we prefer lower caffeine), so we go with the Arabicas.

TJ

 

[CoreyinWP]

The darker the bean,the less caffeine it has!

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

The darker the bean,the less caffeine it has!

Not exactly. You might want to look here:

The One Myth About Coffee You Need To Stop Believing Right Now

Turns out the answer isn't what you probably think.

www.huffpost.com

TJ

 

[CoreyinWP]

I knew it would spur dissent!

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

No "dissent;" just enhanced research,

TJ

 

[CoreyinWP]

I stand corrected and caffeinated with my lighter roast robusta/arabica blend!

 

[Neal]

Now that we have the tools and beans. How are you all weighing out your beans, i.e. how much are you using? I have a scoop that supposedly is 7 grams. I'm using four scoops for my 30'ish ounce french press.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Our machine grinds beans and brews each cup to order/taste. We can program the number of ounces and strength of brew for coffee or espresso. That makes life easy.

TJ

 

[Neal]

Note to self: When experimenting with coffee beans and using @TJ&LadyDi great coffee bean storage cans tape the label to the outside. I have one I love (lighter bean) and the darker one less so, of my recent Arabica purchase. Really liking these beans

 

[MrsOlney]

I'm so glad I found this thread as I was searching for a new coffee pot on Amazon today!