Favorite Coffee? Prep Method?

[Southern Star]

Thanks Rain Dog, that looks way better than the glass unit that I am currently using. As to rinsing out in the marina - if you are at a marina, use a hose over the side of the dock. On board while underway (or in areas where you are afraid to rinse overboard), scrape out the coffee grounds into the garbage and then rinse the screen and then container in a pale with a small amount of fresh water, followed by a washing with the rest of your dishes.

Brad

[Highlander40]

Didn't think about the marina angle. Just came back from 17 days cruising Maine and not one day tied to a dock. Pure freedom, just the odd dolphin swimming by. Does dolphin spit come off with soap and water?

[Southern Star]

I'm envious Highlander and, dolphin spit aside (what were you doing to cause them to spit at you???!!!! ), I'm sure you would have had no problems rinsing off the coffee press in the Atlantic.

Brad

[s/v Jedi]

You can rinse the grounds off in the galley, down the drain. They will not plug up your drain. Actually, they will help keeping the drain open!

cheers,
Nick.

[osirissail]

I love Cafe Bustello also. But Cuban espresso is the best. We call that "toothpick" coffee. Drink a cup of real Cuban espresso and it feels like somebody has propped open your eyelids with toothpicks. Not even the thought of sleeping is possible.

[Highlander40]

Nick,
We rinse over the side , no water maker, no salt water faucet.
Trying to get the most out of what we have.

[Solitude]

Originally Posted by Solitude

Before you dunk the press part in the water, check whatever holds the screen on is there and is firmly attached. My very expensive insulated French Press strainer is threaded onto the shaft of the plunger. It came loose and deep sixed itself

Exactly what happened to me!


I used these for several years while living in southern Europe. Bought one for the boat and it works great. Perfect for gas stoves. Easy to clean, and most of all great coffee!

[twowheel]

Solitude, the bialetti's work great as long as you don't overfill them. I love ours when I'm craving espresso.

[Solitude]

True they do tend to spit if they are too full.

[barnakiel]

The best coffee I have ever had in a boat was a 100% arabica made in Italy (under a pretty confusing name Cafe do Brasil). Preparation method - steam espresso - 9 bar (just the kind like in any good bar).

The second best is strong espresso half and half with hot coconut cream (cream - not milk). This is my friends mod on my earlier design where I did not heat the cream. Best served on a lovely afternoon, in the lagoon of Bora Bora.

b.

[Starbuck]

Percolators violate two fundamental rules of good brewing:
1) never re-circulate coffee through the grounds, and
2) get that coffee off the heat.

Committing the first sin will leach too much acid from the grounds into the brew. Committing the second will begin to quickly "cook" the coffee, changing its molecular structure in a much shorter window than the usual ~25 min. or so an unheated container will allow.

The French press and other single-pass equipment (I use the Melita carafe & plastic cone w/ paper filter on Eagle's Wings) avoid the first and second negative result; vacuum bottles or other highly-insulated containers will stretch the "good taste window" to its maximum.

My normal two mugs is typically consumed quickly enough that wrapping the carafe with a hand towel is enough to keep the second serving hot.

[s/v Jedi]

Starbuck,

You are misinformed about percolators and missing some of the best coffee to be had at the same time. A Bialetti (and every other percolator as I know them) does not re-circulate coffee through grounds and does not keep the coffee on the heat. Absolutely not! It is actually considered a stove-top espresso maker!

A percolator has three compartments: the lower part is a kettle, where the water is heated. It is pressurized much like a pressure cooker, and the pressure forces water up a pipe, through the middle compartment where the grounds are. These grounds are there just like in an espresso machine, but with a filter on both sides. After it passes the grounds, it's forced up a pipe again all the way to the top of the 3rd upper compartment, where it is allowed to flow down (and stay) in that upper compartment.

So, it only goes through the grounds once, under pressure, just like a French press, and only the water is ever on the heat, never the coffee, just like a french press.

The difference is that the temperature of the water during the process is optimized as compared to a French press, resulting in a better tasting coffee, an espresso!

I hope this clears up this important coffee matter, and that you try and discover the wonderful taste of coffee made with a Bialetti (the original Italian percolator brand). Actually, in Italy, they call this coffee "mocha".

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moka_(coffee_pot) for details, diagrams and even an action photo ;-)

cheers,
Nick.

[aboutgone]

My wife's mother is from Italy..she gave us a Bialetti..its awesome ...I like the espresso form it better that the high dollar Krupps we have..........Bustello...Yum

[cantxsailor]

I'm still using a stainless version of the one at the beginning of this thread. I use what ever coffee is cheapest but I like Community with chicory. I put to much in the basket and cook it too long and then to foul up all thats holy I add Carnation tinned milk untill it's cool enough to drink. I like 2 large cups in the morning. If that won't get you moving(inside and out)nothing will.

My afternoon cuppa(a quart mug) is always tea, Red Rose(when I can find it)or Hayho Flowerdale if I could lay my hands on some. Both orange pekoe blends I grew up on in Canada. Milk AND sugar thank you.

Taxes, I think, had bugger all to do with that tea in the harbour row the Americans had all those years ago. They were just sick of that god awful muck that Tetley calls tea and sells to you in those ridiculous single envelopes with the string on them for plonking in luke warm water. It's black tea to boot. Yuck.
Tea MUST at least START with boiling water. Preferably in a ceramic pot but as my cup is a quart I make it in the cup.

There now. I think I've gotten all that out of my system............m

[osirissail]

Guys, there are two different machines labeled coffee percolator - The classical 1940/50's USA percolator was a metal container with a stem upon which a basket rode. this was inserted into the single compartment containing the water. The cover to the single compartment pot has a glass insert. As the water heated it traveled up the tube and "rained" down over the coffee grounds in the basket and continued downwards to rejoin the water that was being boiled. Then it kept going up the tube and raining back down over the coffee grounds until the observed color in the glass bulb part of the cover looked proper. Then you took it off the heat.
- - Obviously, the Bialetti Moka (patented process) is quite different as was described in detail and other than sharing the generic name is totally different from the classical American percolator pot. Without a single doubt the Bialetti is so far superior that even mentioning the old type of pot is embarassing. Where do you get this Bialetti Moka's? I want one.
[see: http://www.bialetti.com/BialettiUSA.htm
- - Does anybody know if the Stainless Steel versions use the exact same process as described by s/v Jedi? 40 years ago it was suggested that aluminum was associated with Alzheimers, so I have avoided any cookware made of aluminum. And the stainless units looks elegant.