Coffee Beans what's in your grinder ???


 
JohnTak said:
Has anyone noticed that coffee doesn't taste as good now? I have tried all of my favorites and they just taste okay but not as good as they used to. It's not my taste buds because everything else tastes fine.
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I have noticed this I think. Even one of my standby favs (Cameron's Velvet Moon) seems a little in the insipid and uninspired side. It's good but, lately is not producing the same "wow that's great" wake up call. I'll have to play around just a bit. Could simply be me or a couple minor changes I made to the brew control on the Aiden. I'll report back
 
JohnTak said:
Has anyone noticed that coffee doesn't taste as good now? I have tried all of my favorites and they just taste okay but not as good as they used to. It's not my taste buds because everything else tastes fine.
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Yes! I have a Phillips coffee machine. When we got it tried some regular beans from grocery store. Then tried Sprouts Hawaiian Gold Coast beans and was blown away by how good they were. Last year or so been buying beans bulk at HEB, usually Hawaiian. Three or four months ago had to buy another kind of beans, didn’t really notice any difference between them and the Hawaiian. Now after trying three different beans and going back to Sprouts Hawaiian beans I really cannot tell much difference between them all. I jokingly told my wife that I thought HEB started getting beans in big bags and dumped them all into whichever container needed to be refilled.
Ironically, I can tell the difference between what my machine makes and brewed coffee bought at restaurants, c-stores, etc.
 
IDK how to identify all the "fancy terms" or tastes these fancy pants tasters claim to taste. But, I can note some of the overtones like a chocolate type aroma/taste but when they start with "stone fruit" and those other terms. Nah, I'm lost. But I do know if it tastes and smells good or not and can notice subtle differences
 
So, in taste testing quite a lot of coffees I find as a rule I enjoy the darker end of the spectrum. Not burnt dark i.e. Starbucks but stuff I've found I like tends to be labeled as "dark" or "medium dark". But it hits me with a little dilemma. So far still am enjoying using the Fellow Aiden (once I figured out grind sizes to keep it from over flowing). If you have seen that machine you'd know it has "profiles" built into it's control. I.E. "Instant Brew" where you put water in the tank and coffee in the basket and it simply brews at 205F and as much water as is in the tank. If you select "Guided Brew" in has rather generic profiles built for ratios, bloom ratios, temps and pulses. From there (especially easy in their app) you can build custom profiles and get very "granular". Controlling # of pulses, ratios, exacting temperatures and what not. Actually it's quite dizzying what you can make it do. (but fun and pretty cool).
But many times I find myself in sort of a "no man's land) because I tend to dislike medium roast or lighter but am put off by the "burnt" flavor/aroma profile of "dark".
Not sure how I should treat that "in between" level I favor. As a "dark" profile or a "medium" profile.
Anyone else experiment like this?
 
I think to get a true understanding of the different roasts, it would help a lot to visit a high-end coffee shop that serves really good coffee, because those baristas would know how to brew a specific roast. And I mean a place that brews specific cups for the customer, like Philz in San Francisco. You can't brew a light roast like a medium roast, and you can't brew a medium roast like a dark roast. I was a shocked as anybody when I discovered how good a good medium light roast can be because I always considered myself a dark roast guy. I was equally shocked to discover how good a dark roast can be when brewed correctly. But if you try to brew a medium light roast at home like you would a dark roast, you're gonna be disappointed, regardless of how good the coffee is. Right now, I can say I don't have a preference. They're all good! ...Provided they are good coffees to start with.

I think once one realizes how good a medium light roast can be, he can begin trying to teach himself how to brew it perfectly - at home. But it's a long process - a lot of trial and error - but fun at the same time.

When I brew a medium light roast relative to a dark roast, I use more coffee beans, a finer grind, a longer brew time, and I make sure the water is at the high end of the acceptable range, which would at around 205 F, but no higher.

Here is an example of a good coffee shop.


"I guess the difference is tasting something that actually has all the right numbers for the first time. And that's a totally different way to experience the coffee."

-Ben Turiano
 
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Mark_E said:
I think to get a true understanding of the different roasts, it would help a lot to visit a high-end coffee shop that serves really good coffee, because those baristas would know how to brew a specific roast. And I mean a place that brews specific cups for the customer, like Philz in San Francisco. You can't brew a light roast like a medium roast, and you can't brew a medium roast like a dark roast. I was a shocked as anybody when I discovered how good a good medium light roast can be because I always considered myself a dark roast guy. I was equally shocked to discover how good a dark roast can be when brewed correctly. But if you try to brew a medium light roast at home like you would a dark roast, you're gonna be disappointed, regardless of how good the coffee is. Right now, I can say I don't have a preference. They're all good! ...Provided they are good coffees to start with.

I think once one realizes how good a medium light roast can be, he can begin trying to teach himself how to brew it perfectly - at home. But it's a long process - a lot of trial and error - but fun at the same time.

When I brew a medium light roast relative to a dark roast, I use more coffee beans, a finer grind, a longer brew time, and I make sure the water is at the high end of the acceptable range, which would at around 205 F, but no higher.

Here is an example of a good coffee shop.


"I guess the difference is tasting something that actually has all the right numbers for the first time. And that's a totally different way to experience the coffee."

-Ben Turiano
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Yep with the type of granular control the Aiden affords I've been amazed at how much variation on a theme there is. I keep finding myself partial to (don't laugh at me) good ol Kirkland Signature House Blend in the green & white bag. So Aiden has guided profiles (generic) for light, medium, dark as well as a plain old "instant" brew (just brews what's in the tank at 210). So, because I'd not "built" a profile for House Blend I made a copy of the "medium" brew but modded it slightly. So instead of a bloom at 210, and one pulse at 205, I changed it to a 1:2 bloom 30 sec at 210, then one pulse at 195. with a 1:16 ratio. Came out REALLY nice. No bitterness or sour. Great body. I could play more but I don't think I could make it better.
Another cool thing it does when you use "Guided Brew" is it does the ratio math for you. (no need to calculate xxx grams to xxxx oz water). You fill the tank, tell it how many cups, set the guided brew to the profile you want tells you how much grounds to place in. And it does it all from there. Even measuring the correct volume of water with uncanny precision.
Once you get used to how coarsely a grind it wants because of how close the shower head is to the grind bed, and the brew chamber is fully sealed (no steam comes out and no temperature is lost) it's a pretty amazing brewer.
With that sealed chamber and close proximity if you want to brew at say 205.. It's not like other brewers that claim they heat to perfect temp i.e. 205 but if you stick a thermocouple in it the water has lost 10-15 deg by the time it hits the bed. With this thing there is no loss at all. And no steam under your cabinets :D
 
When I brew a medium light roast relative to a dark roast, I use more coffee beans, a finer grind, a longer brew time, and I make sure the water is at the high end of the acceptable range, which would at around 205 F, but no higher.

This is the general rule. Dark roasts tend to over-extraction. Light roasts tend to under-extraction. So lighter roasts should get more coffee dose, finer grind, hotter water, long brew time.
 
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