I disagree to a certain extent, I think there are 2 things you need for perfect coffee
1. Freshly Roasted beans 2. Freshly ground beans
All the rest is just ceremony...
They certainly don't have to be sustainably farmed to yield an incredible cup of coffee, and once the number of weeks after roasting = "few" as opposed to "a couple", beans begin to lose their flavor (of course, vacuum sealing and other methods can extend this). Meh. Then you come over to my Aunt's house for Thanksgiving and have her tell you to make absolutely sure the coffee isn't strong while you cry inside because you want a nice stiff cup at a ratio much stronger than 17.42:1. I think the article is a bit arbitrary and a bit wrong. I agree with you mattrose. Fresh roast, fresh grind, and sort it out from there. I will say that the method of brewing definitely produces wildly different results from the same roast batch, but that's something you've got to figure out for yourself (if you even care). No telling what you like till you try it.They should be whole beans, sustainably farmed, and roasted within the past few weeks
Instead, the key is to start with the Golden Ratio of 17.42 units of water to 1 unit of coffee. The ratio will get you into that optimal zone...Meanwhile, a common mistake is to...
1. Freshly Roasted beans 2. Freshly ground beans All the rest is just ceremony... It sort of reminds me of the #vinyl debate. Does it really sound that much better than MP3 or Compact Discs? -I think that if it does it is marginal. That said, the "ceremony" is a huge part of it. The ceremony is the fun part of most things, making/drinking coffee included.Buy good coffee beans: They should be whole beans, sustainably farmed, and roasted within the past few weeks. Plus, if you want to take part in the "third wave" coffee renaissance currently sweeping America, they should be a lighter roast so you can actually taste the flavors—the terroir—of the coffee. With darker roasts, you're missing out. We know it's a weird analogy, but a dark roast is just like taking a nice steak and charring it beyond recognition.
Or... if you are ecib, you can refurbish and old popcorn popper and roast your own beans. -Check that link out, it's pretty awesome.I disagree to a certain extent, I think there are 2 things you need for perfect coffee
The vinyl thing can be solved with science. CD audio is always 44,100 slices per second, each slice somewhere between zero and one, as measured by 65,535 steps. The best CD in the world and the worst CD in the world have this in common. Every CD player ever invented starts with this data specification. Converting that to voltage which drives speakers varies from system to system and if you spend a lot of money you will get better results than if you spend very little, but at a basic level, you're at 16/44 whatever you do. MP3 isn't. MP3 applies one of a spectrum of algorithms to approximate those slices. In addition to the "voltage-to-sound" step MP3 has in common with CD, there's also the quality of algorithm, the bandwidth of data committed to the approximation, and the quality of algorithm that converts that algorithmic approximation back into slices. Vinyl has no slices. It has no algorithms. There's a straight line between wiggles-on-platter to wiggles-in-air. Which means if you've got a quality disk on a quality turntable through a quality needle and a quality pre-amp, you will hear a difference compared to a cheap disk on a crap turntable through a worn needle and a shit pre-amp. People who freak out about how awesome vinyl is tend to be right - they tend to respect their vinyl. And people who dog on vinyl are also right - they focus on the shortcomings of the bottom end. That's the great secret of CDs - they make everything equal. There's no point in blowing a gajillion dollars on a CD player because outside of the DACs they're pretty much the same. It's also the great secret of vinyl - it is a medium that rewards attention to detail. CDs don't wear out either. It's speculated that the only reason Dark Side of the Moon finally dropped off the Billboard Top 200 is that nobody needed to replace their worn albums anymore.
One of my favorite parts of hubski is when this happens. I don't drink coffee... and yet, I skimmed these comments and came across one of the most succinct descriptions of audio formats I've ever read. I've seen multi-page articles that used twenty times as many words without saying as much. I came in for the coffee talk... and stayed for the vinyl - and I'm glad I did.
CDs don't wear out either. It's speculated that the only reason Dark Side of the Moon finally dropped off the Billboard Top 200 is that nobody needed to replace their worn albums anymore.
-That's brilliant, I'd never heard that theory. I suppose it makes sense.
There is no debate that fresh ground/roasted coffee tastes noticeably better than non, and that 128kb MP3s sounds like ass :) Vinyl vs CD is just apples and oranges. I was driving down the road the other day and the DJ played "Going to California" (first time I've listened to the radio in a long time). I enjoyed it so much that I plugged my phone in and searched Grooveshark for the song, finding multiple versions. The DJ played an original master that still had the hiss of the reel audible in the background, which I was grooving on. The first track that came up on Grooveshark was a remaster that had it completely edited out. I had a visceral negative reaction. I had to pull over to scroll around and find the version with the hiss amid all the identically labeled tracks that came up.It sort of reminds me of the #vinyl debate. Does it really sound that much better than MP3 or Compact Discs?
Ha! In regards to the vinyl/coffee comparison, I was trying to point out that the "ritual" is an important aspect of the enjoyment. There aren't too many things that we do at a certain time, every day without fail but making a pot/cup of coffee is often one of them. The ritual is important, the ceremony. Same thing with pulling vinyl out of it's sleeve. You, of course, are right regarding low-quality MP3 and vinyl. As you mention, its less noticeable in person. I'm pretty sure that you've met bgood79 before at a Hubski gathering we had in Detroit. In fact, I know you did. Anyways, bgood has a kick ass, top notch sound system. While it's ideal to listen to vinyl at his house, putting on an MP3 through his system sounds pretty amazing too. Oh, and congrats on two things too: 1. finding a song you liked on the radio. 2. nuptials.
Speaking of ritual, I'm so obsessed about wasting coffee that wheneven I make it I shut off the machine after every two cups and stir the grounds with a spoon... It may sound pedantic, sure, but I can even tell the difference between a high-quality MP3 and lossless CD audio. Given two sips of any two kinds of black tea, I can immediately tell you which one has more caffeine. Same with coffee. I'm pretty weird. :)
This article further justifies my insatiable hunger for vinyl...
Thanks! Getting married was easier! Regarding ritual, I think it's nice to elevate or enhance the ones that you have to (or choose to) perform every single day, no matter how slightly you do so. Kind of has a positive compounding effect...Oh, and congrats on two things too: 1. finding a song you liked on the radio. 2. nuptials.
I once read about someone attempting to be fully present and in the moment each time their phone rang or while behind the wheel of their car. For someone like me, while at my keyboard would be a good start. But that's a great idea, easier said than done. I'll give it a whirl though, thanks for the thought.
That is an awesome link! Thank you. I especially love "congratulations, you now have a fire hazard" Somewhat agreed on the "ceremony", but there are times when I can get out my little stovetop espresso pot, fill it up, and wait for the popping to stop before pulling it off the stove. Most mornings, I just want coffee now, with the minimum of fuss.
I agree. Hell, even fresh ground isn't always necessary. My grandfather used to put a dash of salt and an egg shell in with the Maxwell House, and it was as good as a MGD while playing horseshoes on a hot day. The author seems mostly interested in variance due to the bean, while controlling for most everything else. One of the great things about beer is that you can vary the ingredients and the brew, and get a wide variety of experiences. Some days I load up my french press with an unreasonable amount of grounds, sometimes I go light. I suppose if you are selling a house brew it's one thing, but there's no right way to prepare your coffee. I tried an overnight room temp brew a couple of weeks ago. It was nice.
I lost track of time, but a while after the sun had passed top a man came walking and we exchanged good afternoons. He was a neatly dressed man well along in years, with a Greco face and fine wind-lifted white hair and a clipped white mustache. I asked him to join me, and when he accepted I went into my house and set coffee to cooking and, remembering how Roark Bradford liked it, I doubled the dosage, two heaping tablespoons of coffee to each cup and two heaping for the pot. I cracked an egg and cupped out the yolk and dropped white and shells into the pot, for I know nothing that polishes coffee and makes it shine like that. The air was still very cold and a cold night was coming, so that the brew, rising from cold water to a rolling boil, gave the good smell that competes successfully with other good smells. My guest was satisfied, and he warmed his hands against the plastic cup. "By your license, you're a stranger here," he said. "How do you come to know about coffee?" "I learned on Bourbon Street from giants in the earth," I said. "But they would have asked the bean of a darker roast and they would have liked a little chicory for bite." "You do know," he said. "You're not a stranger after all. And can you make diablo?" "For parties, yes. You come from here?" "More generations than I can prove beyond doubt, except classified under ci gît in St. Louis." "I see. You're of that breed. I'm glad you stopped by. I used to know St. Louis, even collected epitaphs." "Did you, sir? You'll remember the queer one, then." "If it's the same one, I tried to memorize it. You mean that one that starts, 'Alas, that one whose darnthly joy...?' " "That's it. Robert John Cresswell, died 1845 aged twenty-six." "I wish I could remember it." "Have you a paper? You can write it down." And when I had a pad on my knee he said, "Alas that one whose darnthly joy had often to trust in heaven should canty thus sudden to from all its hopes benivens and though thy love for off remore that dealt the dog pest thou left to prove thy sufferings while below." "It's wonderful," I said. "Lewis Carroll could have written it. I almost know what it means." "Everyone does. Are you travelling for pleasure?" "I was until today. I saw the Cheerleaders." "Oh, yes, I see, " he said, and a weight and a darkness fell on him. "What's going to happen?" "I don't know. I just don't know. I don't dare think about it. Why do I have to think about it? I'm too old. Let the others take care of it." "Can you see an end?" "Oh, certainly an end. It's the means -- it's the means." --John Steinbeck, Travels with Charlie
That is a technique I've never seen before. I'll have to try it next time I drag out the french press. I'm usually a pour-over man myselfSkimming makes an amazing difference. I was shocked just how big this difference was when I first tried it, but it makes sense.
The Freakonomics guys passed along a method from Neal Stephenson that is worth a look.