How are your coffee beans lately? Mine are AWFUL! [Archive]

FenceFurniture

15th August 2020, 04:22 PM

In the last couple of weeks I've noticed that the flavour of my regular coffee beans tastes like it is a 50/50 blend with tea leaves, which is bloody awful. I buy the dark blend beans from Aldi which I have found to be very good, especially at $12 a kilo.

I use a stainless steel Euroline coffee pot (https://www.kitchenstyle.com.au/euroline-espresso-maker-10-cup-3952/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw7Nj5BRCZARIsABwxDKIWZJFyJR80kwHTt1McPW-XUydqLcdhyRmMJgNu7i4S5GFGV6Jb_wsaAvbWEALw_wcB), (have done for ten years) and have only just replaced the previous one two months ago. It took about a week to get a good brew out of it, but since then has been yielding really good coffee. The old one was starting to smell like an ashtray for some reason.

So I figured it must be the beans that were crook. Bought another two different types from Aldi (Brazil and Peru) and they're not really any better. So then I thought maybe it's just all the stuff coming out of the Melbourne roasters that Aldi get supplied form, and I bought a packet of Lavazza Quality Ora this morning. Same thing - no really improvement in the crap flavour. I even brought out the old coffee pot, only to find that it delivered the same poor result.

Now I'm wondering if this is a bean supply problem, given that South America has been ravaged by Covid? I even suspected the milk this morning (newly opened though), so I drank some straight up and it is fine. It must be the beans! I think I have eliminated everything else.

How are your beans going?

Note that even though these beans are only $12 a kilo, I very regularly get favourable comments about the quality of coffee I make, so it's not because these beans are "too cheap to be any good". I wouldn't use them if they were.

Chris Parks

15th August 2020, 04:32 PM

FenceFurniture

15th August 2020, 04:34 PM

Has anyone else done the taste test to remove you as a problem....serious and in no way dig at you Brett.Yep, Lola agrees - tastes like shight! Everything else tastes ok so it's not like we have Covid screwing up our taste buds (as it can).

BobL

15th August 2020, 04:38 PM

Sounds like too much fine wood dust or maybe COVID19?

My coffee beans are fine (but am paying around 4X what you're paying) been purchasing from the same roaster since 1994?.

Optimark

15th August 2020, 05:13 PM

Interesting hearing about your Aldi beans.

I run a completely manual espresso machine, a Lelit Combo which has an inbuilt grinder, it is around 12-14 years old maybe older. For around the last 8-9 years I have been exclusively using Gigante beans and their mokocino variant. Which I understand had won some pretty nifty awards in various coffee bean competitions some years ago. These were brilliant; at least to my taste.

As we are in stage 4 lockdown in Melbourne, limited to a 5km radius of our domicile and a curfew from 20:00 to 05:00 daily, I can no longer get my sought after coffee beans.

Reluctantly, I had to look elsewhere for my beans. There are only two supermarkets within my 5km radius, one is Aldi, the other Woolworths. Knowing in general how supermarket house brands fair, I opted for Aldi's house branded beans; Lazzio. Actually they're called "Lazzio, medium beans."

My favoured beans ran out yesterday, so I put the Aldi beans in and did a double espresso; extremely good. In fact I thought they were better than the award winning beans I've been using for years. Then I made a cappuccino, smooth as anything, I wondered if it was just me, so this morning I made one for another member of the house who is reasonably difficult to please with regard to coffee.

I didn't tell her what was different, I just asked for feedback. Her immediate impression was the smoothness, followed by the very nice taste. Thinking more, she asked, "are these different beans?". When she found out they were from Aldi, she too was quite impressed. This was today around lunchtime.

The interesting thing is, I've believed for years now, that when it comes to food items, Aldi have some of the best products at very sharp prices; these coffee beans are no exception.

Mick.

FenceFurniture

15th August 2020, 05:17 PM

The interesting thing is, I've believed for years now, that when it comes to food items, Aldi have some of the best products at very sharp prices; these coffee beans are no exception.

Mick.Yes indeed Mick - chocolate, cheese and coffee at Aldi are unbelievable value.

Glider

15th August 2020, 06:58 PM

Have you tasted your tap water lately? The old coffee pot with a bad smell sounds like a clue.

mick

dai sensei

15th August 2020, 07:05 PM

The ALDI beans make good pen blanks after they are stabilised :D

478807

FenceFurniture

15th August 2020, 07:09 PM

Have you tasted your tap water lately? The old coffee pot with a bad smell sounds like a clue.

mickFor a few years I was only using filtered water. A few months ago I did an A/B test, and as I thought the coffee liquor is such a strong flavour that there was no discernible difference (and we have a pretty good water supply up here - sometimes over chlorinated).

However, for the various tests this morning I went back to using using filtered water, so it can't be that.

Point to note though is that when I brought out the old pot (thoroughly cleaned before it was put in the cupboard for use as emergency spare parts..... as one does :D) I upended the top part and a stack of carbonised coffee fell out of it (it had finally shrunk after two months of being idle). It tended to gather at the very bottom of the top part in an annulus about 3mm width. More tapping revealed an astonishing amount falling out - I'd never been able to scratch it out before. So before I used it this morning it was completely carbon free. Even the new one has a bit of an ashtray smell.

It seems odd that both machines are producing the same crap flavour, which is what leads me to think it is the beans.

OTOH, the Cooper's Stout going down right now tastes the same as ever!

Lappa

15th August 2020, 10:39 PM

I use Withams coffee beans, Equatorial Blend. Bought a new batch last Tuesday - good as ever.
I haven’t tried Aldi beans yet but my BIL swears by them. Must give them ago.

poundy

15th August 2020, 10:56 PM

I'm a coffee snob, and my coffee was roasted freshly by me a few weekends ago, and is going awesomely :)

ian

16th August 2020, 01:50 AM

Yep, Lola agrees - tastes like shight! Everything else tastes ok so it's not like we have Covid screwing up our taste buds (as it can).
so the coffee tastes off
reasons could be
1. both you and Lola have Covid -- don't bother with a test as there's a perhaps 30% chance of a false negative result
2. the coffee itself is off -- difficult to check as multiple batches out of the same factory could easily be compromised by a number of factors. And both you and Lola could have Covid, see point 1.
3. the water, although filtered, is crook -- less likely but still a possibility. Or you and Lola both have Covid, see point 1.
4. the milk -- your self taste test could be compromised by you and Lola both having Covid, see point 1.

Loosing the ability to taste -- Coopers Stout tasting the same is just your memory kicking in. You and Lola could both have Covid. :rolleyes:

I don't think anyone knows enough about the subtleties of Covid and its impact on a person's taste receptors to make a definitive statement about what might or might not be an impact on the person's ability to taste stuff.

FenceFurniture

16th August 2020, 10:35 AM

Ok, I've just changed the water filter (it was kinda due anyway), although the water from it tastes pretty neutral. Even the tap water is not too bad atm (it varies). I'll run a throwaway batch through the new filter and make a brew this arvo some time.

I'll also go down to one of the local cafes today and have a coffee there - if that tastes ok then it isn't me. Mind you, they're on the same water supply as us, but who knows what the local pipes can do. I had a mouthful of tap water from a house in Camperdown the other day and it was incredibly metallic.

As far as the milk goes, it tasted just like Low Fat Lactose free milk....as it should. Slightly different to normal milk, very slightly sweeter, slightly more complex taste.

If it's Covid then we have a particularly weird strain that is specific to screwing up taste ONLY for coffee, and with no other symptoms....

riverbuilder

16th August 2020, 01:06 PM

I'm a coffee snob, and my coffee was roasted freshly by me a few weekends ago, and is going awesomely :)
Surely there’s an ACTUAL WORD for a “coffee snob”, and if not, someone should think of one. Any neologists on the forum?

Glider

16th August 2020, 02:08 PM

Brett,

Someone's got to say it. Buy another brand and see what it tastes like.

As a regular recipient of your hospitality including coffee, I have to be careful what I say here. Next time you hear me say, "I'm driving through Wentworth Falls so put the billy on", I'll be carrying my Bialetti. It's past time our differences about your stainless steel round bottomed jobbies and my aluminium conical Bialetti were put to bed.

When the coffee starts to perk, I turn the heat down very low to slow the infusion time.

mick :)

p.s. Nestle have "coffee sommelier" courses.

Bohdan

16th August 2020, 02:26 PM

Something to consider is the water quality (https://www.fivesenses.com.au/blog/theres-something-in-the-water/) and its influence on the coffee taste.

They also released a recipe to make ideal water for your coffee but I can't find it on their site.

I have added it as a PDF. 478839

rrich

16th August 2020, 02:29 PM

$12 a Kilo???

That is about 2¼ pounds.

We buy mostly Kona blend from a variety of makers and the latest is about $8 for 12 ounces or ¾ pound. And I'm not even thinking about the exchange rate.

ian

16th August 2020, 02:41 PM

Surely there’s an ACTUAL WORD for a “coffee snob”, and if not, someone should think of one. Any neologists on the forum?
Mick -- aka Glider -- suggests coffee sommelier

ian

16th August 2020, 02:52 PM

$12 a Kilo???

That is about 2¼ pounds. a bit under. A kilo is actually 2.197 lbs, but who's counting?

We buy mostly Kona blend from a variety of makers and the latest is about $8 for 12 ounces or ¾ pound. And I'm not even thinking about the exchange rate.
are you sure that you know what real coffee is? :wink:
None of that boil for hours crap that your typical yank considers "coffee".

Now if you've experienced an expresso made by a real honest to god Melbourne barista you've experienced a Melbournian's version of real coffee.
Coffee in Sydney is subtlety different to that generally available in Melbourne and different again to that sold on the Sunny Coast.

I've decided that life is far too short to drink crap coffee. And that includes Starbucks.
A tourist town like Banff has many coffee places.
Coffee from Evelyn's is passable, that from Good Earth is better, but Whitebark makes the best skinny latte

FenceFurniture

16th August 2020, 03:01 PM

Someone's got to say it. Buy another brand and see what it tastes like.
Maaaate....first post....

So then I thought maybe it's just all the stuff coming out of the Melbourne roasters that Aldi get supplied form, and I bought a packet of Lavazza Quality Ora this morning. Same thing - no real improvement in the crap flavour. I even brought out the old coffee pot, only to find that it delivered the same poor result.

Next time you hear me say, "I'm driving through Wentworth Falls so put the billy on", I'll be carrying my Bialetti. It's past time our differences about your stainless steel round bottomed jobbies and my aluminium conical Bialetti were put to bed.Yebbut that doesn't change why the coffee would suddenly become shight flavoured, regardless of which pot I use - particularly when just 2-3 weeks ago the flavour from the new one was really good (using my regular dark beans from Aldi).

I've just discarded the first run of water through the new filter, so just waiting for enough water to put on a brew. I'll use the regular dark beans for that.

FenceFurniture

16th August 2020, 03:09 PM

Something to consider is the water quality (https://www.fivesenses.com.au/blog/theres-something-in-the-water/) and its influence on the coffee taste.Covered....
For a few years I was only using filtered water. A few months ago I did an A/B test, and as I thought the coffee liquor is such a strong flavour that there was no discernible difference (and we have a pretty good water supply up here - sometimes over chlorinated).

However, for the various tests this morning I went back to using using filtered water, so it can't be that.

$12 a Kilo???Inexpensive or affordable doesn't mean cheap - read Optimark's post.

Bohdan

16th August 2020, 03:50 PM

The specific impurities that affect the taste cannot be removed by a simple filter as they are fully soluable. If the mineral content of your water supply has changed by, for example, the runoff from fire affected catchments, your filter will have no effect but your coffee will taste off.

FenceFurniture

16th August 2020, 04:33 PM

Just had a Skinny Flat White (not my favourite) and it tasted as it should. I always find flat whites too rich on milk though. What I'd like to buy in a cafe is a long black with milk added....just as I do here.

Anyhoo, it ain't me. Lola also had coffee out today and it was as it should be.

So, I bought a 250g can of Illy beans, and at $60/kilo one would hope they are good. That's brewing up an tap water right now....standby! :D

Also bought 2 litres of Demineralised Water ( I actually wanted Distilled, but not available). It says not recommended for consumption, but I can't see why not. Anybody?

Glider

16th August 2020, 04:39 PM

Also bought 2 litres of Demineralised Water ( I actually wanted Distilled, but not available). It says not recommended for consumption, but I can't see why not. Anybody?

Because they won't guarantee the biological integrity. i.e. It could have pathogenic bugs in it.

mick

FenceFurniture

16th August 2020, 04:45 PM

So, I bought a 250g can of Illy beans, and at $60/kilo one would hope they are good. That's brewing up on tap water right now....standby! :DWell I wouldn't say they are worth $60/kilo, but it doesn't taste like shight either. That's enough coffee today for me!

ian

16th August 2020, 04:50 PM

Also bought 2 litres of Demineralised Water ( I actually wanted Distilled, but not available). It says not recommended for consumption, but I can't see why not. Anybody?
Jeeze, it's nearly 40 years since dad retired. He had an MSc (nuclear chemistry) and was my go to resource for this sort of thing.

From memory -- dad's been dead for coming on for 10 years -- the "not recommended for consumption" sticker probably has something to do with the demineralisation process removing trace elements (and vitamins (?) ) that are essential for nutrition.
Also, Dr Google says: "The problem with demineralization is that it will not remove bacteria or viruses like distilling would."

edited to add this link https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutrientschap12.pdf

FenceFurniture

16th August 2020, 04:55 PM

rrich

18th August 2020, 12:51 PM

"That is about 2¼ pounds. a bit under. A kilo is actually 2.197 lbs, but who's counting?"

Ian,
My CRC (Chemical Rubber Company) book of mathematical tables says 1 Kg equals 2.204 pounds.

But what is 7 grams among friends?

ian

18th August 2020, 01:10 PM

My CRC (Chemical Rubber Company) book of mathematical tables says 1 Kg equals 2.204 pounds.

But what is 7 grams among friends?
thanks for rating me as one of your friends.

I shouldn't trust my memory with conversions. :-

Alh01

19th August 2020, 12:33 AM

The demineralised from Coles tastes fairly neutral, but not as totally bland as distilled. Maybe I might find some distilled at the hardware. (or Woolworths)

Our catchment area here didn't get burnt during Black Summer. That's not to say that some other crap didn't get into it - after all, Elvis was drinking out of it for months during the fires. (but that would have affected the taste of the water ages ago)

I have a wee testing device for demin water, and the water from Bunnies usually has the lowest impurity count (around 0.8 ppm), while the Coles and Woolies stuff usually reads around 15 ppm in the last couple of years. The Bunnies stuff is cheaper too.

If you do use any of the demin waters, watch out for corrosion of your SS coffee pot, as the low minerals in the water can strip metals out of any container. The 70/30 water seems a safer bet.

We have fabulous locally-roasted beans up here too, more expensive than your Aldi beans, but consistent and it's good to support local industries these days. But one of the best coffees I have tasted when travelling was down your way at a cafe in Oberon, made on some beans from near Byron Bay that were packed in a gold bag. Perhaps it was your local milk, but it sure tasted good.

Also, I wouldn't totally discount the possibility that you picked up a bug that affected your tasting ability. We came home from Europe early this year, when COVID was starting over there but unknown here. Our coffee tasted terrible for a few days, and my wife was really crook for about a week. They wouldn't test us then if you weren't actually dying, but we thought it was a chance she had it, and we isolated ourselves from the world. Taste came back eventually, and the coffee's been good ever since.

BobL

19th August 2020, 11:02 AM

If you do use any of the demin waters, watch out for corrosion of your SS coffee pot, as the low minerals in the water can strip metals out of any container. The 70/30 water seems a safer bet.

I agree, I also reckons it doesn't taste as good.

A friend of mine, who worked in the coffee business as a machine technician, and I have discussed this ad nauseam. Apparently small amounts of salts and dissolved gasses (ie oxygen) are required in the water to assist with a proper extraction of the coffee. We did many taste tests together - I could barely tell but he has a very sensitive palate.

Years ago did a barista judges course and exam together which included a palate sensitivity test and he scored much higher than I did on that test.

Based on my friends advice at home I set up water purification system under the sink that includes a standard sediment (1) and charcoal filter (2) and then a mains water pressure driven pump (4) that drives the water through a reverse osmosis filter (3). The RO filter is slow so it feeds a 10 L pressure tank (T) which is then connected to the coffee machine. This cuts the variable total dissolved salt (TDS) content of our water from 200+ ppm (of all Australian capital cities, Perth has the saltiest water) to around 20ppm.

There is also a demineralizer cartridge (5) under the sink that produces <0.1 ppm TDS water but I don't use that for coffee but for wares "chemistry experiments". M is a meter that monitors the after the RO or after the demineralizer.

479079

FenceFurniture

19th August 2020, 11:03 AM

I'm still no closer to getting a definite result. I did finally track down some Distilled water at Repco (for a mere $7.19 a litre) but the most nuetral tasting water is Pureau from the supermarket. It has nil minerals and so incredibly soft on the palate.

This morning I used the original beans from Aldi ("Dark Beans") using distilled water, and once more it tastes like it has been blended with tea leaves - just awful flavour, so it got thrown out. So then I made a pot of Illy (the $60/kilo beans) and it is better, but not terrific.

I believe I can eliminate water as the problem.
Certainly the Dark Beans are not up to scratch so I will be returning them.
I am certain ther is nothing wrong with my sense of taste because everything else is fine (including subtle things like telling different waters apart).
I still can't eliminate the pot as (at least part) of the culprit, but that really would seem unlikely, given it is only 2 months old and has been yielding great coffee until a couple of weeks ago.

ian

19th August 2020, 04:27 PM

I'm still no closer to getting a definite result.

This morning I used the original beans from Aldi ("Dark Beans") using distilled water, and once more it tastes like it has been blended with tea leaves - just awful flavour, so it got thrown out.
So then I made a pot of Illy (the $60/kilo beans) and it is better, but not terrific.

I believe I can eliminate water as the problem.
Certainly the Dark Beans are not up to scratch so I will be returning them.
I am certain ther is nothing wrong with my sense of taste because everything else is fine (including subtle things like telling different waters apart).
I still can't eliminate the pot as (at least part) of the culprit, but that really would seem unlikely, given it is only 2 months old and has been yielding great coffee until a couple of weeks ago.
so is the problem mostly related to the Aldi Dark Beans?

How long ago did you open the packet of Aldi coffee beans? if the taste of your coffee changing coincides roughly with when you opened the new pack of beans, could the actual beans be off?

evidence I'm associating
the Illy beans are tasting OK, not terrific, but still OK. This could just be the difference between Aldi and Illy beans.

the coffee from the "new" pot was tasting fine until a few weeks ago.

for now, I'm guessing the problem is most likely related to the beans themselves.

FenceFurniture

19th August 2020, 04:33 PM

Hmmm. :think: Maybe it's time for me to quote my original post again.

In the last couple of weeks I've noticed that the flavour of my regular coffee beans tastes like it is a 50/50 blend with tea leaves, which is bloody awful. I buy the dark blend beans from Aldi which I have found to be very good, especially at $12 a kilo.

I use a stainless steel Euroline coffee pot (https://www.kitchenstyle.com.au/euroline-espresso-maker-10-cup-3952/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw7Nj5BRCZARIsABwxDKIWZJFyJR80kwHTt1McPW-XUydqLcdhyRmMJgNu7i4S5GFGV6Jb_wsaAvbWEALw_wcB), (have done for ten years) and have only just replaced the previous one two months ago. It took about a week to get a good brew out of it, but since then has been yielding really good coffee. The old one was starting to smell like an ashtray for some reason.

So I figured it must be the beans that were crook. Bought another two different types from Aldi (Brazil and Peru) and they're not really any better. So then I thought maybe it's just all the stuff coming out of the Melbourne roasters that Aldi get supplied form, and I bought a packet of Lavazza Quality Ora this morning. Same thing - no really improvement in the crap flavour. I even brought out the old coffee pot, only to find that it delivered the same poor result.

Now I'm wondering if this is a bean supply problem, given that South America has been ravaged by Covid? I even suspected the milk this morning (newly opened though), so I drank some straight up and it is fine. It must be the beans! I think I have eliminated everything else.

How are your beans going?

Note that even though these beans are only $12 a kilo, I very regularly get favourable comments about the quality of coffee I make, so it's not because these beans are "too cheap to be any good". I wouldn't use them if they were.

FenceFurniture

19th August 2020, 04:38 PM

so is the problem mostly related to the Aldi Dark Beans?

How long ago did you open the packet of Aldi coffee beans? if the taste of your coffee changing coincides roughly with when you opened the new pack of beans, could the actual beans be off?

evidence I'm associating
the Illy beans are tasting OK, not terrific, but still OK. This could just be the difference between Aldi and Illy beans.

the coffee from the "new" pot was tasting fine until a few weeks ago.

for now, I'm guessing the problem is most likely related to the beans themselves.Beans don't get the chance to go off or stale around here. A kilo lasts for around 2 weeks. The Aldi Dark are the worst, but 2 other Aldi types (Peru and Brasil) aren't much better, and they all come from the same Melbourne roaster. Lavazza are a bit better but not great, Illy a little better still, but not great and certainly not worth $60/kilo.

There is one other device in the chain, and that's the grinder. I suppose I should eliminate that by doing a small batch in t'other grinder.

Ironwood

19th August 2020, 04:49 PM

I just read through this thread and was thinking maybe something has changed on your grinder, then got to the last post and saw you had thought to check it against another grinder.
Maybe the setting has changed, or something is worn. Grind quality and consistency has a huge effect on the taste of your coffee.

AlexS

19th August 2020, 06:34 PM

I have a wee testing device for demin water, Shouldn't you have a water testing device? Wee would have a much lower pH than demin water.:D

FenceFurniture

19th August 2020, 06:43 PM

Shouldn't you have a water testing device? Wee would have a much lower pH than demin water.:DHow did I miss that? :roflmao2:

Sir Stinkalot

19th August 2020, 09:38 PM

I too am a Coffee Snob, and when not tasting my own roasted green beans from said establishment (which is more often than not at them moment unfortunately), I use Aldi (Peru and Brasil) for simple convenience sake. No change that I can detect for the past few months, although I have been getting good extraction from the recently opened Brasil beans.

The Aldi beans seem to punch above their weight for their low cost. Not spectacular but certainly serviceable - particularly with milk. Roasting greens is always fun as it give you the opportunity to experiment with blends and different roast parameters. Unfortunately time is the enemy so Aldi are a decent backup.

poundy

19th August 2020, 10:38 PM

here's a recipe for "standard" water for coffee. It's overkill, and nothing I'd expect people to use daily, but this is how coffee professionals remove the variability of water in brewing coffee (for sampling purposes mostly)

How To Make Basic SCA Coffee Brew Water - Whole Latte Love (https://www.wholelattelove.com/blogs/how-to/how-to-make-basic-sca-coffee-brew-water)

FenceFurniture

20th August 2020, 12:13 AM

I think he must get paid by the word. Tomorrow, when I'm not so tired, I'll "distil" that down to something that makes sense and can be digested without all the verbage. I'll make it just metric too.....

Alh01

20th August 2020, 12:25 AM

Shouldn't you have a water testing device? Wee would have a much lower pH than demin water.:D

:rofl::rofl:
Must remember never to pee on the wee device, or the pH will mean many ions are free.

We always use a charcoal filter for coffee water, and that makes a brew that's OK to me. The local cafe uses a similar multi-filter and RO setup to that BobL showed under his sink, and it tastes slightly better.

Take the beans back to Aldi - they've sold you a bad batch!

FenceFurniture

20th August 2020, 09:45 AM

I used the small Moulinex grinder on the Dark Beans this morning - they taste just the same - mixed with tea leaves. :puke:

Take the beans back to Aldi - they've sold you a bad batch!I still think that is the most likely cause. I've already cleared the way with the manager to do that (including the opened bag).

FenceFurniture

20th August 2020, 11:00 AM

How To Make Basic SCA Coffee Brew Water - Whole Latte Love (https://www.wholelattelove.com/blogs/how-to/how-to-make-basic-sca-coffee-brew-water)
Using scales accurate to 0.1 gram (and not everyone will have these)
½ teaspoon Sodium Bicarbonate weighs 2.6 grams
2½ teaspoons Magnesium Sulphate weighs 12.4 grams (this is small granules, not powder which would be a little heavier)
1 US gallon is 3.785 litres
Distilled water can be substituted by Pureau brand, I'm sure. Pureau has nil salts and is a small fraction of the price - it is also obtainium.

Alkalinity buffer water - 1 litre water + 2.6g Bicarb Soda (NaHCO3) (and use 66.5 mls or grams of this solution per 4 litres of "Coffee Water")
Magnesium Hardness Water - 1 litre water + 12.4b Epsom Salts (MgSO4) (and use 195.5 mls or grams of this solution per 4 litres of "Coffee Water")

To make the Coffee Water:

remove 262 mls or grams of water from 4 litres.
add back 66.5 mls or grams of Alkalinity Buffer water
add back 195.5 mls or grams of Magnesium Hardness water

Or, do it the very simple way
Glider, as our resident Industrial Chemist, can advise on the efficacy of what I would propose here (I dunno if the solutions need to be separate - but I doubt it):

Get 4 litres of water
add 0.17g of Bicarb Soda (weigh 1g and divide it into 6 - do NOT inhale through a rolled up bank note)
add 2.4g of Epsom Salts (weigh 5g and divide it in two, traditionally done with a credit card :D)

The reason that Whole Latte Love makes up the separate litres of Magnesium water, and particularly Alkalinity buffer is because weighing 0.17g may be impossible with the instruments available. I still can't see why those two individual litres can't be combined for ease of storage though. Mick?

I have assumed that WLL has kept accurate track of all the proper measurements when he mixed Imperial and Metric, and I have assumed he means US Gallons. He may not even be aware that there are "US" Gallons and "Imperial" gallons (which are very different), for all we know.

I've checked the numbers and calcs a couple of times, but let me know if there are any errors.

BobL

20th August 2020, 11:34 AM

Get 4 litres of water

add 0.17g of Bicarb Soda (weigh 1g and divide it into 6 - do NOT inhale through a rolled up bank note)
add 2.4g of Epsom Salts (weigh 5g and divide it in two, traditionally done with a credit card :D)

Looks good. Working that out in ppms, the Na comes out at 11 ppm and the Mg (from the epson salts) is 125 ppm .

SCA water is nominally 10 ppm for Na and 17-85ppm for Ca (Hardness), and 75-250 ppm for TDS.

My TDSs are usually <30ppm.

Glider

20th August 2020, 03:55 PM

Glider, as our resident Industrial Chemist, can advise on the efficacy of what I would propose here (I dunno if the solutions need to be separate - but I doubt it)

Huh? Did someone mention my name? Give me a moment to collect my thoughts...

A quick search revealed that the pH of coffee is on the low side and using slightly alkaline water apparently makes it taste much better. That much I can accept. However, just because naturally occurring alkaline water around pH 8-9 tends to contain more minerals, it doesn't follow that the addition of said minerals will enhance the flavour of coffee. SO, I would eliminate the mag sulphate from the formula and test it against one which contains it. My bet is that it'll make little difference in a double blind test.

BTW, I would substitute potassium bicarbonate for sodium bicarb for health reasons, especially if you're a frequent coffee drinker.

If you want to try the formula but can't weigh small quantities, dissolve 10x more in the specified volume of water and then dilute the mixture x10.

mick

Now, where did I put that bloody chisel?

FenceFurniture

20th August 2020, 04:02 PM

Huh? Did someone mention my name? Give me a moment to collect my thoughts...

A quick search revealed that the pH of coffee is on the low side and using slightly alkaline water apparently makes it taste much better. That much I can accept. However, just because naturally occurring alkaline water around pH 8-9 tends to contain more minerals, it doesn't follow that the addition of said minerals will enhance the flavour of coffee. SO, I would eliminate the mag sulphate from the formula and test it against one which contains it. My bet is that it'll make little difference in a double blind test.

BTW, I would substitute potassium bicarbonate for sodium bicarb for health reasons, especially if you're a frequent coffee drinker.

If you want to try the formula but can't weigh small quantities, dissolve 10x more in the specified volume of water and then dilute the mixture x10.

mick

Now, where did I put that bloody chisel?Thanks Mick, but that's not quite what I meant. My post was about re-interpreting the somewhat long-winded and Imperial/Metric mix. (making two different litres of water to add parts of to the "Coffee Water"). In other words, can the two compounds, NAHCO3 and MgSO4 be added to the final water at the same time, or is it necessary to do it in stages?

Glider

20th August 2020, 04:23 PM

Thanks Mick, but that's not quite what I meant. My post was about re-interpreting the somewhat long-winded and Imperial/Metric mix. (making two different litres of water to add parts of to the "Coffee Water"). In other words, can the two compounds, NAHCO3 and MgSO4 be added to the final water at the same time, or is it necessary to do it in stages?

Sorry Brett. You can add all the salts together. The buffer solution would only be used to adjust the pH in case the original formula results in a lower value. Without a pH meter or the right set of indicator solutions (I don't like pH papers), you are left with taste testing.

Sydney Water adjust their pH to offset their chlorination. Your water supply comes from the Cascade Dams and Oberon Dam. The latter is water of the highest quality lightly flavoured with cattle and sheep manure from Pete H's, John B's and Paul K's farms.

mick :)

FenceFurniture

20th August 2020, 05:13 PM

Sorry Brett. The buffer solution would be used to adjust the pH in case the original formula results in a lower value. Without a pH meter or the right set of indicator solutions (I don't like pH papers), you are left with taste testing.

Sydney Water adjust their pH to offset their chlorination. Your water supply comes from the Cascade Dams and Oberon Dam. The latter is water of the highest quality lightly flavoured with cattle and sheep manure from Pete H's, John B's and Paul K's farms.

mick :)

:D

Yeah ok, he's (Whole Latte Love) is just saying to add them straight into the distilled water (which would or SHOULD be a known pH).

poundy

20th August 2020, 09:08 PM

... and Oberon Dam. The latter is water of the highest quality lightly flavoured with cattle and sheep manure from Pete H's, John B's and Paul K's farms.

mick :)
Ah the dam. Many a worm drowning occurred, plus a long time ago now the occasional sail around, when there was no natural filtering by the surrounding hills and natural yellowing may have occurred. Kids, who would have em ! (not me, don't have em)

AlexS

21st August 2020, 09:22 AM

BobL

21st August 2020, 09:41 AM

NCArcher

21st August 2020, 09:55 AM

Your water supply comes from the Cascade Dams and Oberon Dam. The latter is water of the highest quality lightly flavoured with cattle and sheep manure from Pete H's, John B's and Paul K's farms.

mick :)

You need to add Mick T to that list. Katoomba water comes from Duckmaloi too. I think we might have found the source of the contamination Brett.

ian

21st August 2020, 09:58 AM

FFS, its a cup of coffee, not some magical formula for turning lead into gold! I enjoy my coffee as much as the next man, but a plunger of Harris Park Very Strong, ground by them and in a sealed bag, makes as good a cuppa as I could wish for using good old Sydney tap water..
Ahh, AlexS you are obviously not a coffee sommelier -- full disclosure, neither am I.

and as for that "magical formula for turning lead into gold" -- I agree the coffee formula is not that magical, but still there's a big difference between the quality of the particular batch of beans that Brett is bitching about and what he expected.

Much like you I know what I like when it comes to coffee, and I'll walk (maybe not run) past places that don't deserve my business and I will definitely draw the line at Harris Park Very Strong. My preference tends towards a more subtle flavour for my beans.

Glider

21st August 2020, 10:10 AM

You need to add Mick T to that list. Katoomba water comes from Duckmaloi too. I think we might have found the source of the contamination Brett.

Mea culpa, Tony. I forgot about the weir on the Duck above Tea Tree Creek although it's pretty silted up these days. Anyway, happy to help with the flavour.

mick :))

p.s. We use Fish River Espresso Blend. Buy local.

FenceFurniture

21st August 2020, 10:24 AM

Mick, you promised me yesdy on the phone that I was safe from your minerals. :doh:

NCArcher

21st August 2020, 10:40 AM

FenceFurniture

21st August 2020, 10:53 AM

BobL

21st August 2020, 11:20 AM

Brett, I think you should make a cup from the snow that is predicted to fall here tomorrow as I have heard that recently fallen snow makes the best coffee. You need to hold the coffee pot on your head and run around catching the falling snow. Don't let it touch the ground....Oh and you need to video yourself collecting it for the best flavour.

Yeah we need the evidence.

Unfortunately rain or snow is not that clean these days, not unless it falls in the polar regions and stuff that falls near the ocean contains some salt. Remember every drop of rain and snowflake has at least one dust particle in it - that's how the condensation starts - without dust there would be no precipitation. While still cleaner than ground water, snow especially anywhere near urban and even rural areas contains combustion products including exhaust particles, and various salts. The cleanest snow/ice on the planet is derp in the middle of the Antarctica ice caps but even that contains evidence for volcanic dust from major volcanic eruptions and traces of ancient greek and roman lead mining.

FenceFurniture

21st August 2020, 11:26 AM

Whew, that's a relief Bob. I guess I can stop my preparations for strapping the pot to my head then. (insulating my partially covered scalp from the SS pot was the tricky bit).

ian

21st August 2020, 01:41 PM

The cleanest snow/ice on the planet is derp in the middle of the Antarctica ice caps but even that contains evidence for volcanic dust from major volcanic eruptions and traces of ancient greek and roman lead mining.
not to mention lead dust from Broken Hill

FenceFurniture

21st August 2020, 03:56 PM

Beans returned to Aldi (who have a very good return policy, btw). Bought 500g of Campos beans ($25) and just made a brew. Shoulda used a bit more - a touch weak - but the flavour is pretty good.

AlexS

21st August 2020, 06:40 PM

FenceFurniture

21st August 2020, 06:51 PM

Daughter & SIL in the USA have their coffee sent over in 5Kg packs from Mareeba, Qld. We tried all their blends some years ago when we were up there, and they liked it so much that they've drunk it ever since.AHA! So it's not just a cup of coffee FFS, it's worth paying horrendous postage costs via AP to USA! :D

($98 5 days air freight, $77 2-3 month Sea freight, or perhaps they choose the 2 day Express $168 option if they've run out?)

ian

22nd August 2020, 02:53 AM

ian

22nd August 2020, 03:53 AM

AHA! So it's not just a cup of coffee FFS, it's worth paying horrendous postage costs via AP to USA! :D

($98 5 days air freight, $77 2-3 month Sea freight, or perhaps they choose the 2 day Express $168 option if they've run out?)Don't know where you are getting those air freight transit times from
AP tracking is showing that one of my 2 day International Express Packages (where the packaging weighs about 5 times more than the contents) was collected by the overseas air carrier on the morning of August 14 and, 8 days later, is still at Mascot waiting to be placed on a flight.
The previous two International Express Post (2 day HA, HA) items took
14 days AUS to Canada
13 days AUS to Canada
standard air mail would be no slower.

FenceFurniture

22nd August 2020, 09:41 AM

Aldi, like the Health System, Coles, Wollies, IGA, Bunnings, OfficeWorks, Hardly Normal, et al, are all suffering from the first world's over-reliance on a global just-in-time supply chain. Among other things the pandemic is exposing how we as a community are so reliant on the operation of "lines of supply". All is good till you get a one in one hundred year event like the current pandemic.Yes, and panic buying didn't help that. However, coffee and Peanut Butter have always been problematic at Aldi. We have always kept 2-3 in reserve (coffee 4-6). It probably has something to do with their "alternative" brands policy.

Don't know where you are getting those air freight transit times fromTheir website (https://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/calculate-postage-delivery-times/#/option/international/AU/US?fromPostcode=2780&toPostcode=2780).

ian

22nd August 2020, 11:23 AM

Don't know where you are getting those air freight transit times from
Their website (https://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/calculate-postage-delivery-times/#/option/international/AU/US?fromPostcode=2780&toPostcode=2780).

Funny, the AP site I found Coronavirus: International updates - Australia Post (https://auspost.com.au/about-us/news-media/important-updates/coronavirus/coronavirus-international-updates) says for Zone 4 (US and Canada) 7 to 15 business days for Express, 10 to 20 business days for Standard, with the Economy service is suspended.

FenceFurniture

22nd August 2020, 11:41 AM

I may have to start another thread about my other first world problem involving Aldi supply problems. American Style Crunchy Peanut Butter - simply the best there is, by a considerable margin. Nothing but boring Smooth.

Haven't seen it in-store for two months. Other "substitutes" from Woolworths are twice the price and half the quality.So in the absence of Aldi CPB, I bought a few different ones from Woolies to try, and none of them were too flash....but a solution presented itself.
1. Pic's PB Crunchy - too oily, a bit bland, not too bad for crunch (although small pieces), expensive ($7 for 380g jar)
2. Bega Simply Nuts Crunchy Dark Roast - far far too oily (almost like the Camembert in The Cheese Shop Sketch), boring flavour despite the dark roast, crunch size good but not enough of it, a little expensive ($4 for 315g)
3. Woolworths Crunchy PB - good consistency, a little too sweet, good size crunch but not enough of it, very good price ($2.85 for 500g)

So the solution is to blend them all together, add a few grinds of salt to taste, and a dribble of Molasses to rev up the flavour and colour a little. The result is pretty good! Something approaching Aldi's American Style Crunchy Peanut Butter. Not too oily, not too sweet or salty, plenty of crunch, and pretty flavoursome. :2tsup:

Overall price of $15.35 for 1195 grams is $5.14 for a 400g jar - considerably more than Aldi's, but it's a result.

Noo then, aboot that coffee......:~

Glider

23rd August 2020, 02:22 PM

Mick, you promised me yesdy on the phone that I was safe from your minerals. :doh:

That little dam is only about 6 metres high & 20 across and it dried up during the last drought so I don't think it's used at all these days. You're safe, mate.

mick :)

NCArcher

23rd August 2020, 04:20 PM

Before you add too much salt you might want to check the sodium content already in PB. It's a big no no for me. My cardiologist would have a heart attach if he thought I was eating PB

FenceFurniture

23rd August 2020, 04:27 PM

Nah, always careful with salt. Just a few grinds to a kilo of PB to rev it up a little. I add salt to almost nothing on my plate, and very little in some of the things I cook.

BTW, what would he attach his heart to?

It's not that bad for saturated fat at 6-7%. Sodium levels are small too, but more variable.

NCArcher

23rd August 2020, 07:40 PM

Clearly autocorrect there :doh: I don't know what you call small but the PB I just looked at has nearly 700mg per 100g

FenceFurniture

23rd August 2020, 07:59 PM

Clearly autocorrect there :doh: I don't know what you call small but the PB I just looked at has nearly 700mg per 100gJaysus, what brand is that? The 3 I have here are 154, 184, 274mg (and the latter is the Woolworths brand). The "other" Aldi one (which was tasteless oily rubbish is a whopping 650mg sodium).

Optimark

27th August 2020, 06:08 PM

Optimark

27th August 2020, 06:12 PM

FenceFurniture

27th August 2020, 06:15 PM

The American style peanut butter from Aldi, made in the USA, has 374mg per 100g. This is the smooth version, which I believe is the best tasting peanut butter around.

Choice magazine did a test on peanut butters sometime ago, the Aldi USA smooth version came out top of the lot.

Mick.Yep, that's the one. Crunchy for me, which may reduce the salt a little (there is LOTS of crunch!). The inclusion of a small hit of molasses is a master stroke.

Ironwood

27th August 2020, 09:27 PM

Getting back to coffee, sort of. On Wednesday I visited Aldi and picked up an Aeropress coffee making unit, made in the USA.

So far, this is very, very good. I've been using beans ground in my Espresso machine grinder, but will be picking up a hand grinder with a ceramic grinder mechanism. This will complete my power less camping travelling coffee making hardware.

Mick.
I just bought one of these as well, hoping to make a decent coffee while I am away for work.
I got the Rhino handgrinder as part of a kit from “ Alternative Brewing “ , it takes a while to grind up the beans ( compared to my electric grinder at home at least) .
Still experimenting with different recipes for making a cuppa, but so far am impressed with it. Better than my plunger and preground coffee that I have been using for when I am away from home anyway.
So far have only used the dark roast beans that I get fresh from a local roaster that I like for my morning expresso’s, but just got a kilo of fresh medium roast beans to try, as most recipes online, seem to use medium roast.
Be interested to hear your thoughts once you use yours.

FenceFurniture

27th August 2020, 10:14 PM

Not quite sure what the Aeropress is, but it sounds like battery powered or summink for non-240v use?

Beans update: so a week later I've been having mainly Campos beans which are pretty good, but not particularly any better than the brew I used to be able to get from Aldi's Dark beans, and certainly nowhere nearl 4x better (price).

My personal taste is that Campos ($45) is better than Illy's ($60), and they are both waaay better than Lavazza Qualita Ora ($32).

Macro Organic (Woolworths) is tasteless rubbish. (I forget the price, but not cheap)
Brasil from Aldi is desperately ordinary ($13)
I still have the remains of the last Dark shight batch and will make a brew in a few days (after over a week away from it).

I'm hoping that it may have just been (bean?) one or two bad bags of the Dark, and I'll try another bag in a few weeks.

Certainly I can now eliminate water, coffee pot, grinder, and my palate, as the cause.

rwbuild

27th August 2020, 10:51 PM

Give Delice Coffee at Canowindra a ring, ask for the owner, roasts and grinds his own for sale, best I have ever come across +61 473 479 184 (tel:+61 473 479 184)

Optimark

28th August 2020, 05:51 PM

I just bought one of these as well, hoping to make a decent coffee while I am away for work.
I got the Rhino handgrinder as part of a kit from “ Alternative Brewing “ , it takes a while to grind up the beans ( compared to my electric grinder at home at least) .
Still experimenting with different recipes for making a cuppa, but so far am impressed with it. Better than my plunger and preground coffee that I have been using for when I am away from home anyway.
So far have only used the dark roast beans that I get fresh from a local roaster that I like for my morning expresso’s, but just got a kilo of fresh medium roast beans to try, as most recipes online, seem to use medium roast.
Be interested to hear your thoughts once you use yours.

Brad, so far it has been excellent, but not fabulous, if you know what I mean. It is way better than anything else I have that is not from a completely manual espresso machine.

I have had 6 cups from the Aeropress with the last two pretty much up there with the quality as I've zeroed in; but I was missing something. The coffee flavour was very good, but it sort of feels clinical. I reached out to a friend in WA who has had a manual espresso machine for about 20 years; he also has an Aeropress which he has had for around 4 years which he uses when camping.

His suggestion was to ditch the paper filters and get the metal disc that replaces the paper filters. Firstly it is better for the environment, secondly it allows oils to pass into the cup. Apparently the paper element restricts oils very well, letting some oils get through using the stainless steel filter, makes for a richer slightly oiled up coffee according to him.

To that end, today I purchased a stainless steel filter and a Porzex Mini II manual grinder. They have been dispatched and I should have them next week. Still in lock down here so cannot head out to the shops.

For Fence Furniture and others, here is the inventor of the Aeropress demonstrating the Aeropress unit. Very simple and quite efficient.

Brewing with Inventor Alan Adler (Single Cup) - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c14DxfVOY4)

Mick.

dmorse

28th August 2020, 07:16 PM

Wow. Is that just coincidence or did we all just see the same blog post about the Aeropress? I just ordered one from Amazon yesterday.

Lappa

28th August 2020, 09:26 PM

My son got me into an Aeropress years ago. One thing I did later on was buy the stainless filter so I didn’t have to use the paper filters. Much better on trips.

BTW I preferred the inverted method of brewing

FenceFurniture

28th August 2020, 11:30 PM

It looks like the Aeropress is a vastly improved variation of the Plunger. I've never owned a plunger ('coz I've never had a decent coffee out of one, and almost always lukewarm), but it would seem that the Aeropress variations have pleased the punters who like a good brew.

Certainly I can accept the idea of making up a stronger coffee liquor to be diluted and reheated. The purists may cringe, but with my stove-top coffee maker (what are these things called???) I very often - more than once a day - have a the remaining brewed contents some hours later. Quite regularly it stands overnight. Some of these reheats have yielded quite the best coffees. Maybe it's something along the lines of a curry needing to mature overnight, because there is certainly such a thing as an "immature" curry. If the initial brew was a little weak, then standing for a while improves that too.

woodPixel

29th August 2020, 01:38 AM

FYI - just bought 3 lots of the four-bag samplers (250g x 4) from Sicilia Coffee | Freshly Roasted | Buy Online | Delivery Aus Wide (https://www.siciliacoffee.com.au/)

A-MAZ-ING

Ive been drinking a lot of Grinders (Melbourne) many types and Harris Smooth and Strong types. These are all very good and give a great coffee.

This week I was spammed on Instagram with an offer on Sicilia. I NEVER click on ads, never.... but this one I did and ordered the samplers.

Wow. Really happy so far. They are great.

A good price too ~$19 to $22 for 4 x 250 and only $5 for delivery of the 3kg.... Sicilia Coffee Sampler Packs | Best value Australia wide (https://www.siciliacoffee.com.au/collections/sample-packs)

woodPixel

29th August 2020, 01:44 AM

Certainly I can accept the idea of making up a stronger coffee liquor to be diluted and reheated. The purists may cringe, but with my stove-top coffee maker (what are these things called???) I very often - more than once a day - have a the remaining brewed contents some hours later. Quite regularly it stands overnight. Some of these reheats have yielded quite the best coffees. Maybe it's something along the lines of a curry needing to mature overnight, because there is certainly such a thing as an "immature" curry. If the initial brew was a little weak, then standing for a while improves that too.

Bialetti.

Love a Bialetti, but its coffeezilla. It makes me reach for the aspirin/digitalis! :p

On the cold coffee, you aren't nuts. I see a lot of promotion being done by the cold-brew aficionados. They use a drip device that looks more like a mini meth lab. No heat.

I'm reasonably sure they pop it full in the fridge overnight to seep down.

Ironwood

29th August 2020, 05:46 AM

Brad, so far it has been excellent, but not fabulous, if you know what I mean. It is way better than anything else I have that is not from a completely manual espresso machine.

I have had 6 cups from the Aeropress with the last two pretty much up there with the quality as I've zeroed in; but I was missing something. The coffee flavour was very good, but it sort of feels clinical. I reached out to a friend in WA who has had a manual espresso machine for about 20 years; he also has an Aeropress which he has had for around 4 years which he uses when camping.

His suggestion was to ditch the paper filters and get the metal disc that replaces the paper filters. Firstly it is better for the environment, secondly it allows oils to pass into the cup. Apparently the paper element restricts oils very well, letting some oils get through using the stainless steel filter, makes for a richer slightly oiled up coffee according to him.

To that end, today I purchased a stainless steel filter and a Porzex Mini II manual grinder. They have been dispatched and I should have them next week. Still in lock down here so cannot head out to the shops.

For Fence Furniture and others, here is the inventor of the Aeropress demonstrating the Aeropress unit. Very simple and quite efficient.

Brewing with Inventor Alan Adler (Single Cup) - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c14DxfVOY4)

Mick.
Cheers Mick, I got the stainless filter as part of my kit, also 350 paper filters, I haven’t used the metal one yet, but have read that it does let the oils and more flavour through than the paper discs. Will give it a try at some stage.
I have been too busy to do any more experimenting with my Aeropress, opting for my standard double expresso with a bit of aerated milk. Hopefully next week I will be able to get it back out and play with it.

Maybe we need an Aeropress thread :whistling1::coffee::coffee:

FenceFurniture

29th August 2020, 09:45 AM

Bialetti.Nah, that's a brand, named after the inventor Alfonso Bialetti. The device is a Moka Pot (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moka_pot).

FenceFurniture

29th August 2020, 10:00 AM

A good price too ~$19 to $22 for 4 x 250 and only $5 for delivery of the 3kg.... Sicilia Coffee Sampler Packs | Best value Australia wide (https://www.siciliacoffee.com.au/collections/sample-packs)Might have to give that a run I think.

I've been wondering if it's Grinders that supply Aldi.

FenceFurniture

29th August 2020, 11:11 AM

I've now had about 10 days or more away from the Aldi Dark beans - just made one now, and it's definitely the beans. Bloody taste of tea in there!

FenceFurniture

29th August 2020, 12:03 PM

When it comes to grinding, I have the Aldi $100 automatic jobbie which does a great job. Set it to the finest setting, push the button and away it goes - won't start if the catcher isn't in place. Quantity is also selectable. The down side is that it's very messy, and using plastic elements in the construction makes the static charged coffee spread around the bench, and elsewhere. (and it's a very dry climate up here - tool steel hanging on the wall in the shed doesn't rust...so that contributes to the static charge).

I make 2-3 Moka pots per day, and each yields a mug for two people, plus a very small follow up. There is no way I'm going to grind up for each brew - it's in a different room, it's a messy operation. I'm not into the ritual of it.

I may be regarded as a philistine for this but.....
So I usually grind up about ½kg at a time which lasts about 7-8 days. I have a professional standard Orved 12 vacuum sealer so I can properly vac-pack the remaining beans. I pack down the ground coffee with a tamper to get the air out of it as much as possible, and keep it in a jar in the kitchen.

I can't say that I've done a head to head taste test of ground-one-week-earlier verses freshly ground, but every time I do a grind I do have a brew, and I'm blessed if I notice any difference in the flavour.

There's no "Oh, that tastes better" moment. As I said earlier, some of the best coffee I've had has been from these week old grinds, and reheated after being brewed 2-4 hours earlier, possibly overnight.

Can anyone say with conviction that they notice a difference? If so, how much? Or is it more of a part of the ritual?

Follow up on the Dark: So I ditched that last "tea" brew and made a fresh pot of Lavazza - which I regard as ordinary, only just passable - ....and it too now tastes of tea, so I think it may take a while to flush the crap flavour out of the pot somehow. If this is the case, and it sure seems like it, then this is what was throwing me off a couple of weeks ago when every blend I ground and brewed seemed to taste of tea. This was why I left the Dark alone for a good long while, so that the crap flavour would be well flushed out - and I noticed that the flavour got better. Time to do a couple of coffee-less boils to flush it out.

poundy

29th August 2020, 12:41 PM

Coffee oxidises with air. The higher the surface area, the quicker the oxidisation. If stored as whole beans, it goes at a certain rate - if you grind it (say coarse, for plunger/filter coffee) then it oxidises faster; if you grind it even finer (moka) then it oxidises faster still. It also out-gasses faster, the volatile aromatic gasses that are most pronounced in the first weeks of the coffee after roasting tend to get lost as time goes by.

I prefer to grind to order - just to maintain peak quality. If you are OK with the results, then I say do what works for you. If you can't detect a change, great ! I am spoilt because I roast my own and always have fresh coffee available (although I only roast at 4 weekly intervals) but if you're managing your supply appropriately and not using excessively aged coffee (eg stuff roasted months ago) then you're good. Some commercial roasters will use nitrogen flush to remove oxygen from the bag so it's "peak" is longer if it's unopened....

FenceFurniture

29th August 2020, 12:56 PM

Coffee oxidises with air.That figures, and is why I try to tamp out as much air as I can. When things have stabilised I might have to try some experiments with week old, freshly ground, and perhaps ground and vac packed.

Some commercial roasters will use nitrogen flush to remove oxygen from the bag so it's "peak" is longer if it's unopened....My Orved vac-pack has that facility as an accessory, but I didn't add it to the purchase. I usually just vac down pretty low, unless it's a product that can be crushed.

O'course I could dump a little Argon in the jar after I get the coffee out....

BobL

29th August 2020, 02:00 PM

That figures, and is why I try to tamp out as much air as I can. When things have stabilised I might have to try some experiments with week old, freshly ground, and perhaps ground and vac packed.
My Orved vac-pack has that facility as an accessory, but I didn't add it to the purchase. I usually just vac down pretty low, unless it's a product that can be crushed.
O'course I could dump a little Argon in the jar after I get the coffee out....

A mate of mine used a soda syphon - the one that uses little CO2 cylinders - to displace any air in the bag during opening. He claimed a difference but I could tell. I've often thought of setting up a Tee piece on the SodaStream line plumbed into a 6kg CO2 bottle under the house.

Freshly roasted coffee will continue to emit some CO2 for a few weeks afterwards, most CO2 is emitted in the few days so if you have a sealed bag you will notice the bag puff up. Serious roasters will provide coffee bags with a one way valve that release the excess CO2. This excess CO2 will help reduce the likelihood of oxygen turning the beans rancid. To get the same volume extraction in the same time the grinder settings needs to be changed about a week after the bag is opened and then another change about a week later, after that changes are much slower. 1kg bags of regular coffee rarely last more than about 2.5 weeks. SWMBO's 1kg bags of decaf last her about 5 weeks.

woodPixel

29th August 2020, 02:16 PM

Yes! Argon!

One of my favourite gasses. :)

I've never understood why its not used more in the household... paint cans, un-finished bottles of wine*, coffee....

Its impossible to impart flavour, drives out the oxygen, wont react with anything and is cheap as chips. An argon dispenser in the kitchen would be excellent.

FF, Bee-a-letttti.... say it with soul man! Its music! It sounds so much better in Italian. :cool:

With the pot, perhaps boil it in a big pot with some sort of cleaning solution, like BiCarb or a coffee-machine cleaning sauce/powder? Dissolve all the crap off it and get it nice and fresh again?

FF, I have a spare breville 800ESXL coffee machine (https://www.amazon.com/Breville-800ESXL-Triple-Priming-Die-Cast-Espresso/dp/B00092ZVXA) if you'd like it. I can courier it up. All yours, free. Its sitting in a box, down in the storage and will never be used. It might be a decent change of coffee type occasionally?

On coffee and how it be had... whatever works! There is far too much wank around how it "should" be done. If it tastes great and makes you feel good, this is what counts. I will say, in defence, I do love to grind my beans fresh each time.

* A mythical thing, to be sure, but its only a hypothesis. :)

FenceFurniture

29th August 2020, 03:08 PM

FF, Bee-a-letttti.... say it with soul man! Its music! It sounds so much better in Italian. :cool:Ha! Yes, Lola and I have a lot of fun with the authentic pronunciation of Tchaikovsky which is Chee-korrv-ski, and the voice drops to a Russian low on the second syllable.

With the pot, perhaps boil it in a big pot with some sort of cleaning solution, like BiCarb or a coffee-machine cleaning sauce/powder? Dissolve all the crap off it and get it nice and fresh again?Maybe. I put a couple of blank boils through it, but I must say that the Lavazza I had after it was desperately ordinary. Campos has been the best so far, so we are pretty keen to try the Silicia you recommended. (gotta make sure the third "i" is in that word, to be sure!)

FF, I have a spare breville 800ESXL coffee machine (https://www.amazon.com/Breville-800ESXL-Triple-Priming-Die-Cast-Espresso/dp/B00092ZVXA) if you'd like it.TVM for the offer - I'll keep that in mind.

BobL

29th August 2020, 03:44 PM

woodPixel

29th August 2020, 04:46 PM

Heavier than air gases in domestic situations come with some risk. If one discharges its guts in confined space it could suffocate people. My 6kg SodaStream cylinder of CO2 is under the house but my son's is in his kitchen cupboard, fortunately his hose is large and open plan so the likelihood of this problem is reduced.

But the dispenser doesn't need to be 6kg - even soda stream size bottle (600ml) would be handy.

True, I didn't consider that. Its the same with LPG for the BBQ, no bottles inside and no cooking inside.

So many gasses to do us in!

AlexS

29th August 2020, 07:08 PM

fortunately his hose is large and open plan

Lucky lad.

FenceFurniture

29th August 2020, 08:58 PM

So in the absence of Aldi CPB...
cetera cetera
Made a blend...
Overall price of $15.35 for 1195 grams is $5.14 for a 400g jar - considerably more than Aldi's, but it's a result.
The American style peanut butter from Aldi, made in the USA, has 374mg per 100g. This is the smooth version, which I believe is the best tasting peanut butter around.
Choice magazine did a test on peanut butters sometime ago, the Aldi USA smooth version came out top of the lot.
Yep, that's the one. Crunchy for me, which may reduce the salt a little (there is LOTS of crunch!). The inclusion of a small hit of molasses is a master stroke.Whilst I am not unhappy with the blend that I made, it's not as cheap nor as good as the Bramwell PB from Aldi that Mick refers to. Just been shopping and still no Crunchy PB....so....

479768

I WILL get satisfaction dammit!

Just have to rub the salt off a small quantity of nuts and crush them. The PB is $3.50 for 500g which makes it the second cheapest of all that I tried. Even after adding premium peanuts it will still be cheaper than the blend I made, and a better flavour.