EMarkM
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Post by EMarkM on May 25, 2022 8:35:37 GMT
Rather than a final swirl, I’m currently doing it thus:-
Swirl for the bloom (approx. double water weight to coffee weight)
Wait 45 seconds
Pour over to a total of ten times the coffee weight, swirl
Try to make that stage take around 30 seconds
Slower pour to get to my 250g
Carefully stir (inside the filter) to sweep up the grounds on the walls of the paper
Wait until I see the “dry” coffee bed
Lift the filter out and let a final couple of drops fall
Bin the filter, take off the V60, and give the finished mug a quick stir
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Vortex
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Post by Vortex on May 25, 2022 8:37:03 GMT
Yeah, practice does make perfect. It took me ages to get the final swirl, the one where you have dumped in all the water and are trying to knock the grounds off the filter paper, right. If once you crack it, I would definitely recommend getting a hand grinder and a bag of supermarket beans or something. You can get a Hario Skerton for like 25 quid which isnt much money for something that lets you get a feel for grind differences. Then you can either bin the whole thing or go big. Let's face it, once you're a full blown coffee wanker, going big is the only real option!  |
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EMarkM
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Post by EMarkM on May 25, 2022 8:38:47 GMT
Oh, and I’ll take a look at that grinder, thanks!
I will definitely only be going for a hand-operated one: no more big electrical appliances allowed!
I’ll be spending some time looking at reviews, and will be sure to factor in the Hario one.
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Buu
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Post by Buu on May 25, 2022 8:39:17 GMT
Aeropress is just bosh it in and give it a quick stir (title of your sex tape). They're no faff at all! I would have said so too. Then unfortunately due to watching one video from that insufferable toff James Hoffman where he tested the variables I was motivated to do my own testing. And yes, unfortunately he was right and especially the brew time makes a difference. But it doesn't have to be difficult. My method is: - Inverted - Measure coffee - Kettle right off the boil - Pour in, stir - Screw on cap - I use a metal filter disc - Time approx. 3-4 minutes - Press gently until hiss Yes, it does take a while but most of it is the brewing time which is hands off. But speaking of differences: How much do you peeps pay per 250g of coffee? I'm currently buying mostly £3.50 bags of Sainsburys single origin coffees. They're occasionally very good, mostly pretty average. Enough for an okay couple of daily cups. As Ulythium said, disrespecting James Hoffman is a bit mean! I love his videos. For 250g of beans I usually spend around £5-£6. Though I typically buy 500g as it's a little bit cheaper. I only really buy freshly roasted beans though, the difference between even the best supermarket beans (Lavazza Red, Gold and Super crema were the better ones) and fresh roasted beans is significant enough that I pay the wanker tax. I'm fortunate enough that my local roasters is on my way to the office so on the days I'm not WFH I'll pop in and grab a fresh batch of beans. I can't stay away from these Brazilian beans. Delicious. |
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on May 25, 2022 8:41:04 GMT
If once you crack it, I would definitely recommend getting a hand grinder and a bag of supermarket beans or something. You can get a Hario Skerton for like 25 quid which isnt much money for something that lets you get a feel for grind differences. Then you can either bin the whole thing or go big.
Definitely.
I know you already know this, EMarkM, and I'm sure you'll get around to it whenever you feel the time is right, but a grinder really does make all the difference.
Then you'll be a full-blown coffee wanker, and I can bust out the old "One of us!" GIF again  |
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gamecat
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Post by gamecat on May 25, 2022 8:44:37 GMT
I struggle with single cup v60 brews for this reason (getting the grinds wet on initial bloom that is), so I just do 2 cup brews with 30/500, then put the other cup in a thermos if it's just for me.
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Bongo Heracles
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Post by Bongo Heracles on May 25, 2022 8:54:44 GMT
I do 18/300 for a single cup. It does seemingly make tolerances a bit easier, yeah.
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EMarkM
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Post by EMarkM on May 25, 2022 9:07:02 GMT
Water shouldnt drain away...maybe try a slightly finer grind. At this stage the coffee should be soaking in the water rather than letting it pass through. And, second cup of the day brings with it another revelation, inspired by the above! Whilst I can't change the grind just yet, it dawned on me that I could maybe tamp it down a little more to give a less penetrable surface. So, still not really making "Hoffman's Hole" as I have suddenly termed the little "well" that is recommended, I used the back of my spoon to just push down a little firmer onto the dry bed before making the bloom pour. And this really does seem to have made the soaking bit a lot easier. Hmmm... |
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EMarkM
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Post by EMarkM on May 25, 2022 9:15:47 GMT
I do 18/300 for a single cup. It does seemingly make tolerances a bit easier, yeah. This seems to be a very common ratio - 60g of coffee per litre of water? I'm still finding, in these early days, that 12g/250ml - so 48g per litre - is much more like it for me. |
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Bongo Heracles
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Post by Bongo Heracles on May 25, 2022 9:19:57 GMT
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Vortex
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Post by Vortex on May 25, 2022 9:25:00 GMT
Nice find, never seen this before.
Bookmark for that one!
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EMarkM
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Post by EMarkM on May 25, 2022 9:27:08 GMT
Yeah, I used to think I liked strong coffee, but my 12:250 definitely suits me better than 15:250. and that goes for all the pre-grounds I've tried so far.
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minimatt
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Post by minimatt on May 25, 2022 13:50:06 GMT
Oh, and I’ll take a look at that grinder, thanks! I will definitely only be going for a hand-operated one: no more big electrical appliances allowed! I’ll be spending some time looking at reviews, and will be sure to factor in the Hario one. We've got that Hario one Bongo recommends - not sure which version, on the hario website it looks like the pro but we sure as hell didn't pay £67 for it. It's good, it remembers grind size & doesn't drift - tho if you're in the habit of, eg changing between a french press grind, and an espresso grind all the time then you're going to have to remember how many clicks for each setting, we've just dialled it in for moka pots and never touched the setting again.
Only negative is the silicone/rubber cap thing that sits round the base falls off, I guess if it were permanently fixed to the glass it'd end up being a bacteria site.
Oh and the handle slides on and off a 7mm hex nut (as designed, you remove the handle to insert beans). Attach that to a drill/impact driver and your hand grinder is now a 'leccy grinder  |
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EMarkM
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Post by EMarkM on May 25, 2022 13:57:12 GMT
Ooh, thanks for the extra info!
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Bongo Heracles
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Post by Bongo Heracles on May 25, 2022 14:14:04 GMT
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minimatt
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Post by minimatt on May 25, 2022 14:29:52 GMT
I *think* the glass, on the glass ones, is the bit still made in japan, and hence made by master craftsmen with long white beards who between dispensing cryptic wisdom blow one perfect glass bowl every year. They make less fuss of the chinese made plastic parts. But ours has been used two or three times daily (and that's mostly with an impact driver as I'm lazy, possibly not the gentlest treatment) and beyond the silicone rubber base regularly falling off it's as good as new after a couple of years I think.
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Bongo Heracles
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Post by Bongo Heracles on May 25, 2022 15:09:32 GMT
The glass one would probably be better for static, too.
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Post by Sarfrin on May 25, 2022 18:26:01 GMT
Can you use them for Starmix as well?
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Tomo
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Post by Tomo on May 25, 2022 18:38:19 GMT
I go for the £6-10 250g (now (208g) range from freshly roasted wanker beans from various companies. Mostly bought from deli/cafes/local coffee roasters in town&nearby city, but sometimes get subbed to companies for a few months to get random bean of month stuff sent in. Currently on a 6 month sub from my sister for the semi-amusingly named 'perky blenders'. Unfortunately, the couple of bags I've had so far have been a bit bland. I need to buy more beans this weekend, as I have run out, which is a disaster. A Perky Blenders has opened near me recently too and I've had a few bags from them - also found them a bit bland. Glad it wasn't just me. |
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Tomo
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Post by Tomo on May 25, 2022 18:42:06 GMT
I went back to Darkwoods recently and they are really great. The barrel aged one is so unlike any other coffee. Definitely a good one to try if you want to sample something at the extreme end of coffee tastes.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on May 25, 2022 19:48:09 GMT
I went back to Darkwoods recently and they are really great. The barrel aged one is so unlike any other coffee. Definitely a good one to try if you want to sample something at the extreme end of coffee tastes.
This! So much this!
Also, their Crow Tree product is awesome. I can't really speak for the rest of their range (yet).
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Post by Sarfrin on May 28, 2022 7:45:51 GMT
Having to drink black coffee at the moment because we've run out of milk. V60 is so much nicer than a percolator.
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Post by dfunked on May 28, 2022 8:21:53 GMT
Black coffee is the best way. Tried it a while ago as we'd run out of milk and never looked back.
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EMarkM
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Post by EMarkM on May 28, 2022 10:47:54 GMT
I like coffee either with or without milk, cream, even double cream!
Tea should NEVER have dairy products or any equivalent anywhere near it, however.
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EMarkM
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Post by EMarkM on Jul 4, 2022 10:16:54 GMT
Rather than a final swirl, I’m currently doing it thus:- Swirl for the bloom (approx. double water weight to coffee weight) Wait 45 seconds Pour over to a total of ten times the coffee weight, swirl Try to make that stage take around 30 seconds Slower pour to get to my 250g Carefully stir (inside the filter) to sweep up the grounds on the walls of the paper Wait until I see the “dry” coffee bed Lift the filter out and let a final couple of drops fall Bin the filter, take off the V60, and give the finished mug a quick stir I’ve “discovered” a “new” (obviously, I haven’t!) V60 recipe, and I’m just trying to decide whether I prefer it to the above Hoffman method. My new one, courtesy of YouTube’s Coffee with April: Still 12-13 grams for 250 ml water, then either add milk at end or don’t, depending upon mood. Soak filter. Pop grounds in. Tamp down lightly with back of spoon. Start timer. Pour in 50g of water in 30 seconds. It’s hard to take that long over it, so just stop pouring at 50g and wait for it to be 30 seconds. Repeat, so, add another 50g over the next 30 seconds, add another 50g over the next…you get the idea. The last 50g goes in starting at two minutes. Give it a swirl; not stir. Wait until nearly stopped dripping (I think Hoffman recommends that the last few drops can add bitterness, so don’t wait forever). Stir, add milk if required. Done. It means using the timer on my phone, as it’s tedious to count that many blocks in your head, but it tastes gooooood! |
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Jul 14, 2022 9:05:16 GMT
This is very nice:
25% off (£3.00 instead of £4.00) at Waitrose for the next few weeks, too.
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Bongo Heracles
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Post by Bongo Heracles on Jul 14, 2022 9:06:44 GMT
Yeah, thats my emergency bag of choice. Its good stuff.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Jul 14, 2022 9:11:16 GMT
They have a couple of other wholebean products in this Waitrose deal - Tokyo Roast and Fuji Mountain - and I'm tempted to check those out as well. Have you tried 'em, Bongo?
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Bongo Heracles
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Post by Bongo Heracles on Jul 14, 2022 9:19:01 GMT
Whichever one is the 3/5 on their scale is my favourite because I prefer a lighter blend. The above is better for espresso, tho.
I dont get them regularly but the roastery around the corner occasionally cancels orders if a shipment to them fails or something, so I pick a bag of those up.
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Tomo
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Post by Tomo on Jul 14, 2022 9:42:16 GMT
I saw those Ueshima bags on offer yesterday but my own snobbery questioned how it can be nice for 3 quid. I will give them a go in future.
My goto supermarket wholebean bags are by Union Coffee. Not bad and some lighter blends.
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