Favorite Coffee? Prep Method?

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by George Wade

Aluminium pots also contain aluminium, which is extraordinarily bad for you, especially when using fluoridated water. The two synergise to harm you.

I would very much like you to quote a source for that info. I'll quote mine that says otherwise from the encyclopedia:

In those without allergies, aluminium is not as toxic as heavy metals, but there is evidence of some toxicity if it is consumed in excessive amounts

and

Although the use of aluminium cookware has not been shown to lead to aluminium toxicity in general, excessive consumption of antacids containing aluminium compounds and excessive use of aluminium-containing antiperspirants provide more significant exposure levels.

So, just use your aluminium Bialetti but stay off those heart burn pills and antiperspirants instead! (see Aluminium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for complete info).

cheers,
Nick.

[cosmosmariner]

Originally Posted by Starbuck

Well, one of us was, anyway. My post remains both accurate and pertinent.

Yeah, Jedi, ghastly things, aren't they?

BTW, I can't find the word "percolator" on the Bialetti site. Just out of sheer curiosity, where did you learn the stovetop espresso-maker carried this name? I've never heard it referred to this way, but I'm just an American.

Starbuck is correct about percolator definition. According to Random House Dictionary of the English Language (2460 pages):

"Percolator - A kind of coffee pot in which boiling water in a repeated process is forced up a hollow stem, filters down through ground coffee in a sievelike container, and returns to the pot below."

It is the 'repeated process' that is the point here.

According to Jeffrey Steingarten (food critic for Vogue) in his book The Man Who Ate Everything, the actual time water (not quite boiling) should touch the coffee grounds is 25 seconds. Hotter water can lead to a 'peanut like taste' more time leaches out more acid. How you achieve this can vary.

[SeattleBaba]

1. Buy cheap Columbian beans
2. Coarse Grind
3. Bring tea pot to hard boil
4. Add 1 tablespoon grounds to Bodum travel press
5. Pour into press being careful not to drip on bare feet
6. Screw on top, wait 4 minutes, check weather
7. Press
8. Enjoy, think about breakfast

It also works great for coffee nudges (Irish coffee + Kahlua)....

[IMG]file:///C:/Users/Dad/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-11.jpg[/IMG][IMG]file:///C:/Users/Dad/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-12.jpg[/IMG]

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by cosmosmariner

Starbuck is correct about percolator definition. According to Random House Dictionary of the English Language (2460 pages):

"Percolator - A kind of coffee pot in which boiling water in a repeated process is forced up a hollow stem, filters down through ground coffee in a sievelike container, and returns to the pot below."

It is the 'repeated process' that is the point here.

Cosmos,

Broaden your horizon! The dictionary you mention is American, for the "American-English" language; words differ even with English-English. What you call "gas" is called "petrol" in England, for example. When you say "cookie" you use a Dutch word, introduced in American language by the Dutch settlers in NY; it's called a biscuit in England which is the French word for it which is also used in Holland, to close the circle ;-)

The word "percolator" describes a device that percolates and this is what the Bialetti does. Re-circulating is not part of percolating. The links to Wikipedia that I posted earlier show the naming mess. The Dutch version of Wikipedia als mentions the American percolator and states it's now only used in the US sometimes because the taste of it's coffee is not good.

In Dutch, the word is the same: "percolator". And it's mostly used for the Bialetti Mocha Express, like you can see here: Smaaklog.nl | Koffiezetten: Cafetière of Percolator?

I am not an expert on European languages but I guess the cultural influence is such that many will have the Bialetti in mind when talking about a percolator. Strange thing is that in Italy itself they always call it a Mocha Express and the coffee made with it a "Mocha", while we have a very different idea when we talk about "mokka koffie".

Holland has a special position in coffee-land. Not only drink the Dutch a lot of coffee (4th place in the world, after Finland, Norway and Sweden) but coffee as a ready to use product originated in Holland and was first exported from Holland. Italy is famous for their strive to coffee perfection which resulted in the espresso machines in 1901.

Also, what you call the "French press" is called a "cafetière" by us, which is the French word for it and probably the word used for it in much of Europe; Napoleon is to be blamed for that ;-) It makes sense that "French press" is about a device used by the French to brew coffee from your American standpoint (French is hard to pronounce for English speakers), but you surely understand that it isn't called that in France itself. So, for the French, and the nations around France, "French press" is a silly word, used by foreigners from far away nations.

Something not discussed yet is the Middle-East way of brewing coffee. Turkish coffee (it's the brewing process) is about the best I ever tasted and this is the original way to brew coffee (coffee brewing originated from Ethiopia and Yemen). See Turkish coffee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I always love the differences in languages with so many different words used for the same thing and those same words meaning something totally different in other nations, but it can lead to a lot of mis-understanding too.

ciao!
Nick.

[seapup]

Ist pot = any strong arabica (fine ground for drip) currently drinking Komodo Dragon...into Alfi (German - large, high grade, direct drip) Decanter (hot for hours - though 1st pot lasts only 1/2 hour @ 6-7 cups, 2 people).

2nd pot = same arabica, but 'Keoke Style Coffee' with 1 shot brandy (or cognac preferred), 1 1/2 shot kahlua, and whipped cream.

Lots of variations....MMMMMMmmmmmmmm that Isla Muheres style mexican coffee is mighty yummo!

[cosmosmariner]

Jedi,

Communication is the point. Idiomatic communication is best. Since this forum uses English it is best we use English. I believe the British use the same definition for the brewing method being discussed here. I have been to most of the countries you mention and when there I try to speak the local language. Even in my trips to Italy (I am Italian by descent) I have to speak 'idiomatically' based on whether I'm in the north or south and even from canton to canton.

Context is also important. 'Gas' is a good example. Your example in context means a fuel. However in southern Italy when ordering sparkling water it is referred to as 'aqua minerale, con gasse' meaning literally with gas, but not petrol or gasoline. In northern Italy, generally, the same order would be (and I have been corrected by the locals on this, politely though) 'aqua minerale frizante'. The phrase 'con gasse' in this context is nonsense to them.

I also assume that when you (third person singular) say 'You call...' you (third person singular) are using the word in third person plural. I (first person singular) said nothing about type of machine. In addition I (first person singular) personally refer to that particular method as a 'press' (in English, British or American definition) never with that other word preceding it.

Broaden my horizons? Among my travels because of the Navy, business and personal there isn't a hemisphere on this planet I have not visited or lived in during the last 40 years...lets (first person plural) not get personal especially with people you (third person singular) don't know.

Enjoy your brew, however you make it.

[s/v Jedi]

Cosmos,

I disagree with you. This is an International forum and idiomatic communication is only possible for one group who not only speaks the same language as their first language, but are also born in the same nation in the case of the English language. That is exactly not what we should do.

Yes, this board uses English, but it is for anyone around the world so we all should try to use the English language in such a way that anyone who can read it understands it.

I can't appreciate your lesson in English plurals and singulars either, I think I am doing well enough without it. Remember, English isn't my first language, so you should try to write your posts so I can understand them, just like I accept it that you can't speak or write Dutch and translate my efforts into English so you can understand me.

Your third paragraph is unreadable for me. With "broadening horizons" I mean to open yourself for the fact that a percolator in (at least parts of) Europe is a different device than the American version of it. You say that your horizon is broad already but at the same time you dismiss that idea by forcing your meaning of the word percolator onto people of other nations. For me and many others, a percolator will always be a Bialetti.

cheers,
Nick.

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by George Wade

I'm French pressing coffee in cool water, overnight or after 24 hrs. Interesting experiment. Thanks for the inspiration to better coffees & teas.

Heads up... When I do the cold brew I filter thru a very thick cotton knit filter, not a mesh such as you find in the french presse.

The mesh allows fine particulate to filter thru and as I do the cold brew with a VERY fine grind (to maximize surface contact with the water) I want to avoid that.

I suggest after filtering in the french presse you run it thru a melita filter or some other very fine screen.

Don't want sludge down in there!

[Highlander40]

All this is interesting but one thing comes to mind here.
At home we can prepare coffee in the best / favorite way without restriction.
On the boat- this varies with the size of the boat, like a Sundeer 64, no worries,
Space and boat movement become an issue. For me a rough anchorage rules out coffee alltogether, happened once this season. The main thing is space. We consider ourselves cruisers because we go far and often, unlike most others. The thing that allows us to go far is our light and fast approach. The plastic press fits the mission.
We do not cross oceans but in two weeks will do more than a sailor will in two months. We like sailors but have our own way to brew.

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by Highlander40

For me a rough anchorage rules out coffee alltogether, happened once this season.

Now that would have been QUITE the crisis for us... got me wondering if I should search out a method of keeping an emergency I.V. coffee drip for days on the water when it's that bad...

I think I would dive over board and swim with sharks before I would share a 28' boat with Himself sans coffee in the morning... The sharks would be less grouchy!

[Highlander40]

Nick, At one point we had a customer from Denmark.
They said that everyone had a "tank" on his/her desk and consumed coffee constantly.

[cosmosmariner]

Nick, LOL...have a nice day.

[osirissail]

Keep it light guys, too much coffee and you start vibrating. Percolate is a "process" of lifting a fluid upwards through a tube or a system. I think every language tends to use shortcuts by using the "process" name to label the device/thing. Why we even tend to label women by the "process" sometimes rather their actual name.

[cosmosmariner]

Originally Posted by Highlander40

this varies with the size of the boat...For me a rough anchorage rules out coffee alltogether, ...We like sailors but have our own way to brew.

We have both a Bialetti 4 cup espresso maker and a VEV Vigano Kontessa 12 cup espresso maker (picture in earlier post) aboard our 25' sailboat Wu-Hsin. The Bialetti has a round lower reservoir and a narrow base whereas the Kontessa has a very broad base. We have used the Kontessa while under way and in anchorages with little difficulty. Worst anchorage was Beaufort, North Carolina Mothers' Day 2008. The winds were reported at 55mph and every size boat was rocking and rolling and dragging anchor. We made coffee with the Kontessa on our 2 burner Origo alcohol stove with no problem. Only place we did not cook anything was crossing the Gulf Stream.

[CAELESTIS]

Q: Bialetti makes a stainless product as well as aluminum. Anybody try it?

Q: What size Bialetti to make two mugs at a time? 9? 12? (cup)

Q: What size grind do you use for Bialetti?