How to Make Perfect Coffee?

[double u]

Originally Posted by goat

But why?Attachment 158924

obviously you are nt a coffe aficionado...

[LakeSuperior]

I drink coffee made from the same 5 lb bag of roasted beans until the bag is empty. The coffee from that bag is ground and brewed exactly the same each morning. Every morning the coffee tastes different. Sometimes to die for and sometimes just OK. Doesn't seem like there is a baseline.

[BlackHeron]

Freshly-ground from hand--crank burr grinder to the Aeropress. Just to the 2-cup mark.

Heat (don't boil) the water in a kettle on the LP galley stove. When the kettle starts to steam but WAAAAAAY before it begins to push out enough steam to make a whistle pull it off the kettle and fill the areopress to the top. There are ways to get the perfect temperature using an infra-red thermometer and such but I have found I like coffee at whatever temperature this is when the steam first starts to come out of the pot.

Stir the coffee in the press with the little paddle stirrer for about 5-10 seconds. The water level will drop about a tablespoon. Rinse off foam of stirring paddle with a bit of hot water into the areopress which refills that tablespoon of water level drop. Press the coffee with the plunger.

Distribute the pressed coffee into two coffee cups as it is double-strength at this point. Add more hot water from kettle to get to correct strength (this varies according to taste.

The beans really don't matter as long as they are not old and rancid. Some roasters over-roast and burn beans (like starbucks brand) and they taste horrible but just about any brand is OK as long as they are not burned like starbucks. All that matters is that they are fresh and not more than a few weeks old if kept sealed. They will keep almost indefinitely if kept under vacuum. A burr-grinder works great and doesn't need power. It doesn't take up much room and can be packed and carried in the smallest of boats.

A vacuum jar-sealer is a great addition to any home kitchen or boat galley. An Aeropress coffee maker is a great kitchen gadget too, since it can be used when out backpacking even. It can be used in a boat in nearly all conditions. We make it in the galley sink in case we get hit by a big wave when making coffee. All you need are cups, a coffee grinder, and a way to heat water. This is not rocket science.

[weavis]

I made this in 2012 when I was associated with a coffee roastery.

I recommend the clever dripper as a better filter coffee maker than even a French Press.
Small room taken up on a boat.

This was a test video so there is no need to measure the output... just place directly on the mug or cup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5Bm92Get-Y

[JeffH]

Your perfect cup of coffee will not be my perfect cup of coffee.

My perfect cup of coffee has changed over the years &, though it has been quite stable for some years now, will continue to evolve (as my body changes).

In spite of this, there are some common elements to the perfect cup of coffee; many of them have already been disclosed by others in this forum (freshly roasted beans {roast your own}, freshly ground beans, beans correctly ground for the coffee you are making, correct temperature brewing, etc). The Greek/Italian style stovetop espresso maker will always produce a superior cup of coffee with no need for filters.

One crucial ingredient not yet mentioned, the perfect cup of coffee also requires the right ambiance, which is not the same from perfect cup to perfect cup. I often find the right ambiance at sunrise when mine is the only boat anchored in the cove. Or at sunset, after a very pleasant day or afternoon sailing, when the anchors are down & firmly set. I do confess that some of those perfect cups of coffee have been tainted by judicious addition of Jameson’s or Bushmills.

But above all else, remember that it is _your_ perfect cup of coffee & YMMV.

[Pelagic]

Nicely said JeffH [emoji106]

[Meanderthal]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Nicely said JeffH [emoji106]

Seconded! I'm sipping a cappuccino made with a minipresso and a hand frother, on our boat, with views of a winter mountain sun setting AND my husband cooking a Thanksgiving meal. (I'm backseat driving a little, but since he mostly bought boxed mixes and et cetera...I think dinner is safe &#128521

Ahhh....

[weavis]

Originally Posted by JeffH

The Greek/Italian style stovetop espresso maker will always produce a superior cup of coffee with no need for filters.

Disagree completely.

The type of berry, the roast temp, the degassing period, the texture of the grind... these are common but essential steps...

Superior coffee in a stovetop espresso maker? If it were true then I would not have spent thousands on my machines, and neither would everyone else. You dont see them in coffee shops much.

Jes sayin'

[GrowleyMonster]

Stovetop espresso? Well, it tastes good, yeah, better than French Press or pourover, but I miss the crema, and no, it isn't exactly like espresso. Honestly, once you get the hang of it, a steam powered Krupp or Mr Coffee espresso machine makes to me, a better near-espresso than a moka pot or a Bellman. Then there is the cleanup hassle. My superauto does everything except read my mind and push its own buttons. And once adjusted, it just keeps doing the right thing the right way. It takes up precious space on a small boat and pulls a good current from the inverter for a minute while it is running, and certainly it costs more than most other methods, but it is perfect for me.

[Don C L]

Ok, I have been going through all this, giving it a lot of thought. I have bought various things, a percolator, a coffee press... but so far the best coffee I have had was when I visited the in-laws in Honduras and a while back my mother-in-law left this , probably by accident, and still, so far, it is the best coffee. Honduran beans, finely ground. The sock, homemade of course, I don't know how old it is, but it never gets washed, only rinsed in hot water. It is made of a fine weave of cheese cloth called "manta" according to my wife.
It's extra good when served with fried bananas, black beans with cream and fresh hand-made tortillas and a view of a turquoise sea framed by palms. And my favorite is to add cacao too!

[Tudorsailor]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I love coffee.

But that perfect cup has been eluding me for my whole life. Once or twice a year, I taste one, and wish I could recreate it on the boat, but I have always failed. You can't get it at Starbucks, either.

I have experimented with lots of methods of making coffee, and have settled on two:

Hand-grinding with a Japanese ceramic burr grinder and either French Press or Aeropress......

So coffee is now one of the main mouth-pleasures, still left to me. I'm thinking it is a good time to try to break through to another level with it.

Can anyone shed some light?

Since you are in the UK, buy yourself Espresso blend from Kimbo online. I used to grind the beans but the ready-ground is just as good, and much simpler on board. Use the Aeropress inverted method. 15gm of ready ground is one aeropress spoon. Use the 3 mark to make the coffee. Oviously not with boiling water. FWIW, the decaff version is indistinguishable from the caffinated

Enjoy!

TS

[Stakaman]

I have a fine lelit espresso machine and I am having excellent cups of espresso (when I am plugged to offshore power) , but I also love the taste of a Turkish/Greek /Arab style of coffe (all of those counties claim the Origin of this type of coffe but I thing turkey have right on this )
It is very easy to produce with only gas flame needed and a manual grinder ..

[frozenhawaiian]

for me it's a pretty simple formula: good beans, coarse ground, french press. enjoyed black.

[GrowleyMonster]

My morning cappuccino, made with my DeLonghi Magnifica, 8 OClock Central Highlands beans, whole milk. Aint it purty?

[Jdeuel]

Old thread, but my advice as a coffee roaster...

Start with the freshest coffee possible. Coffee gets 'good' a couple days after roasting when off-gassing is complete. It will get better every day for 7-15 days after that. Dense, small beans take a bit longer to peak than big 'ol Colombians.

Grind it right before you brew. Sea salt consistency for drip, kosher salt for perc, and Grape Nuts for French Press.

Weigh your water. Empty your pot, tare your scale, fill with water, and weigh. Or just keep in mind that 1L weighs 1000g. Divide your water weight by 16. That's your starting point for coffee dose. That gives you about 63g per litre.

If your coffee is sour, use less coffee. If it's bitter, use more. If you're using a press or pour-over, water should be just off a boil. If you're using a Mr Coffee, you're probably not getting hot enough water. 205f is our sweet spot.

Once you have the dosage dialed, you'll get to the point where you can eyeball the amount of coffee. I make my living in coffee, and I don't bother weighing it every day.