On Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:08:49 -0400, jeff wrote:

Vic Smith wrote:
On Wed, 30 Apr 2008 03:56:44 GMT, Jere Lull wrote:

On 2008-04-27 10:04:01 -0400, "Eisboch" said:

The boat in question has a propane system and stove, so there are other
ways to quietly heat water.
In that case, use them. No need to carry extra "stuff" for such a
trivial chore.

Trivial chore? Did you say trivial chore?
http://coffeegeek.com/guides/presspot

As you can see, there is NOTHING TRIVIAL about brewing exquisite
French Press coffee.
I wonder how sea air affects the bloom?

Quotes from the link, and my comments:

"you're only using fresh beans, roasted within 10 days or less,
right?"
(Of course, I have a chopper making timely deliveries.)

"One thing you may not want to do with a press pot, especially a
larger model, is use beans roasted less than 2 or 3 days before."
(Wouldn't think of doing that. That's absolutely mad.)

"I'll say it once more. Don't skimp on your grinder. A quality conical
burr grinder, from the Bodum Antigua, up to the Solis Maestro Plus and
beyond will suit."
(It's actually quite obscene to put electro-mechanical friction to a
coffee bean. The heat produced from such forces and applied to the
bean, while not immediately evident to the senses, has a deleterious
effect on the grind and is manifestly evident in the quality of the
brew. A well manufactured and maintained manual coffee grinder,
cranked at the proper pace* is required for a decent grind.
* See Lord Farhquarghtington's well known treatise "The Art of Manual
Coffee Grinding and Ethics of The Grind" for more on this.)


Yes, CoffeeGeek is fun, but I have to say that some folks get a bit
carried away. I had dinner with the guy who started it, and he was a
smoker! I kind of lost my faith in the self-proclaimed connoisseurs!
Also at the table were the folks from smithfarms.com who have supplied
much of my green beans since.

I would recommend that anyone looking for home equipment check out the
reviews in CoffeeGeek. Most home brewers are junk - the common fatal
flaw is that the water boiling element is actually in the bottom, and
the hot water is run through the cold water reservoir, ensuring that the
temp has dropped 40 degrees before it hits the grounds. In the 'Geek
reviews you'll find that people have measured the temp and speed of most
brands, so you get get a good idea of the quality of brew it can make.


Well, take all that as you will.
Now, some say making a good cuppa coffee is a "trivial matter."

It really is - all you need is a good grinder, preferably a burr grinder
(rather than a whirly blade) that you can get for about $60. After
that, a simple paper filter setup (a few bucks) or a press pot will get
you the equal of any coffee brewed. Of course, good beans help a lot!

I always get a chuckle when people say they don't have time to make
"real" coffee, since even with instant you still have to measure the
coffee, boil the water, etc. The difference between instant and the
best coffee in the world is really only a couple of minutes.

As for cost, a mug of top quality coffee is about 50 cents, easily the
best bargain out there.

...


ps. I think Jeff has mentioned he roasts his coffee aboard his
catamaran, so I bet he's a good sailing partner for the coffee
connoisseur.

Yes, when we traveled for a year I roasted on board, using the lo-tech
method: a Whirly-Pop on the BBQ. Nowadays, with a kid in school, we
don't go out for more than a month, so I roast at home, then pre-measure
one Thermos loads into baggies, and vacuum seal a week's worth
together and put it in the freezer. Although there is a slight loss,
its within the range of variability of the manual roasting process.


I assume that being a devotee you drink nothing but the rarest coffee.
Kopi Luwak (coffee luwak) which comes from the island of Sumatra and
only a tiny quantity, in coffee shipping terms, is raised each year.
Very expensive and difficult to find outside Medan or other parts of
North Sumatra.


Bruce-in-Bangkok
(correct Address is bpaige125atgmaildotcom)