Obsessive Compulsive Coffee Disorder

Here’s a great video by James Hoffman of Square Mile Roasters on how to brew for French Press. This is the method that I have been using for quite awhile and it greatly improves the cup. It’s easy to “over brew” with the French Press and end up with a bitter cup. Follow these steps and you should be good.

Videocast #2 – French Press Technique from James Hoffmann on Vimeo.

Intelligentsia is really cranking out some nice vids. Here’s another one about syphon brewing.

Syphon, Intelligentsia from Department of the 4th Dimension on Vimeo.

Kyle Glanville of Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea does an interesting piece on Espresso. Great vid!

Espresso, Intelligentsia from Department of the 4th Dimension on Vimeo.

It’s been a long time since my last post, but perhaps this post will get me posting regularly again. Here’s a video I found on brewing coffee. Very comical!

How to Brew a Good Cup of Coffee from Ben Helfen on Vimeo.

James offers a response to his first video regarding his opinion about espresso and crema. I have to admit that I never thought of it this way and it’s a very interesting discussion. If you missed the first video, click here, then watch his response below.

James Hoffman explains why crema is overrated. Would love to hear what others think about this! *UPDATE* His followup to this first video can be viewed here.

This morning’s brew – El Machete, Panama from Intelligentsia brewed via Chemex. Very fruity, very delicious!

Very delicious brew. Received from Intelly's brewed coffee tasting class at their lab.

El Machete Panama brewing in the chemex.

Top view of El Machete in the Chemex.

4th of July 2009 gets off to a good start. Sophia, Janice and I explored Greepoint and Williamsburg in Brooklyn, then made our way over The Williamsburg bridge to the East Village section of Manhattan. A great way to understand a neighborhood is to walk around in it, eat the local fare, and indulge in it’s coffee culture. That’s what we did.

The café crawl begins at Gimme! in Brooklyn. Ristretto, triple basket, 1oz.

Sophia cups frothed milk with 3 drops of crema at Gimme!

Sophia saw a display of carniverous plants at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. She agreed to this tour with the condition that when we were finished touring neighborhoods, we would buy a Venus Flytrap for the apartment, but keep it out of her room so it wouldn’t eat her at night. She also liked the fact that she would get a Sophia style-cappuccino – frothed milk with 3 drips of crema. Not a bad deal for a 4 year old!

After Gimme!, we stopped by for some spro at Ninth Street in the East Village.

Janice samples the Ninth Street spro, Sophia looks on.

Just when I thought the fun was ending, it continued.

In need of lunch we visited Mercadito Cantina, a couple of blocks from Ninth Street.

Inside of Mercadito. Great service and delicious food!

Sophia enjoys her passion fruit bubbly at Mercadito Cantina.

Fourth of July weekend, Day 2. From Brooklyn.

A recent study shows that an extract from coffee can inhibit the bacteria that causes bad breath. However, where one gets into trouble is when they put milk and sugar in coffee, which can ferment into smelly substances.

For the full article, follow this link.

Brewing at home lets coffee lovers control many variables that affect flavor is a great article for those wanting to improve the taste of coffee they prepare in the home by switching to manual brewing. Manual brewing allows for more control over the process, which can result in a better tasting cup of coffee. This article provides a basic summary of the variables that manual brewing allows you to control.

One note regarding the grinding section of this article. The time description for grinding implies that one is using a whirly-blade type grinder. If at all possible, use a burr grinder. A burr grinder will provide the best grind. Whirly-blade grinders are the type where a blade spins like helicopter blade and essentially chops the beans in little bits. The longer you hold the button the smaller it chops the pieces. This type of grinder produces inconsistencies in the grind size, which leads to underextraction and overextraction and ultimately affects the taste of coffee. To acheive really good tasting coffee, a burr grinder is essential. For more information on grinding, follow this link.