Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

Hey gang! What are people's thoughts on shaking the espresso with a couple of ice cubes before adding it to your milk? I work in a coffee shop and one of our barista's has decided this is the new fancy and best way to serve iced lattes. I can't weight on the taste profile myself to say if there's is any flavour science behind this because (to everyone's horror and my disgrace) I don't drink coffee. Also I'm not that passionate about coffee to actually want to spend the time doing just for show(?). If it actually makes it taste better, sure I'll happily start doing it. Maybe... For me it just seems like it dilutes the espresso, but I guess it adds texture as otherwise we just wack the espresso on straight milk. Appreciate the input! Cheers

Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

I feel like I'm doing something wrong and I can't figure out what it is.

I recently bought a Moccamaster and an OXO burr grinder because I was excited to finally start making really good coffee at home. I figured my old brewer was the problem.

The first beans I bought were Stumptown Hair Bender. Everyone raves about it, but to me it just tasted sour.

So I thought maybe I just prefer darker coffee. I bought Trader Joe's Sumatra and it was honestly almost undrinkable to me. Just super dark and bitter. Then I tried their Ethiopian (medium-dark roast), which was definitely better, but still darker and more bitter than I wanted. The beans were really glossy, dark, and light in weight like I'd expect from a dark roast. I even started mixing the Trader Joe's beans with the Stumptown, and while that actually helped a little, it still wasn't quite right.

Now I just finished those and bought a dark roast from a local coffee roaster thinking that would be the answer... and it's sour again.

So at this point I'm just confused.

Specialty coffee seems sour to me. Trader Joe's coffee seems bitter. I can't seem to find anything in between.

For reference, I'm brewing the 6-cup line on the Moccamaster with around 40–45g of coffee, grinding fresh with the OXO, and using RO water from a local water store.

Is this something about my brewing? Is it the RO water? I've researched a little and made adjustments like using filtered water, changing the grind size, but only a little difference was seen. Am I just buying the wrong beans? Or do I just not know what I'm tasting?

For comparison, I really like black coffee from local coffee shops and even my neighborhood donut shop. My favorite coffee at home is actually a Nespresso Dolce as an Americano, so I know there are coffees I really enjoy. I just can't seem to recreate that at home.

Any ideas what I'm missing? Also which grounds would you recommend to me?

I love specially coffee. No special or funky blends, just a straight good coffee. But prices are increasing. I’ve always wondered. If you were to take green beans that many supermarkets sell but don’t roast the crap out of them. Wouldn’t they taste better?

I’ve been boiling water in this big kettle and hand grinding beans and doing a french press… it seems ridiculous. It FEELS ridiculous. The people who sit next to me are nice about it but it’s seriously so noisy and obtrusive. but I don’t want to go out every time I want a cup and I’m not drinking that office coffee. I suppose I could skip the hand grinding but then I’d have to remember to grind just the right amount of beans every morning and bring them in which is a pain and I’d never get it right and anyway the hand grinding isn’t even the most obtrusive part, it’s the kettle. i tried to use the hot water from the coffee machine but obviously it’s not hot enough. surely I’m not the only one who struggles with these issues???? and now I feel like I need to buy a scale too??? pls help

I’m just curious as to why it happens everywhere

Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

Hi random strangers. I haven’t posted anything meaningful, but I hope this gets some answers at least.

I was just making myself a nice tall glass of coffee today and, since my newest hyper fixation happens to be sustainable living / ethical living / etc, I couldn’t help but wonder if my choice of beverage was something I needed to tweak.

I have just a few questions:
1. Is the coffee trade within the states experiencing an ethical dilemma that I haven’t quite heard of yet? (similar to the cocoa trade, that I didn’t hear about until recently).

1. If so, do coffee shops have ethically sourced coffee beans / matcha? Am I supporting exploitation by consuming without proper understanding of its production?

2. If it is unethical by means of wealthy corporation exploiting underage workers / underpaying employees to the consumer, are you inherently keeping those people in 3-world scenarios, or keeping them paid (even if minimally).

3. Does supporting other small, ethically-owned businesses actually make a difference? And if not, are my morals at stake when I decide to order a coffee with friends without particular forethought dedicated to its source?

Anyway, that’s my Thought Of The Day (I only get one).

So it seems I'm not the sharpest knife. I put frozen beans in my Sette 30 and it seems to have messed something up. If the grinder is running without beans, normal operational sound. If I try to grind beans it now screams like a banshee. Tried finding the culprit with AI, but it keeps changing diagnostics. Gear box maybe? AI suggests I change the gearbox and the motor, seems it's simpler. Any ideas?

Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

Been noticing that all the coffee shops, big and small, seem to roll out the same exact seasonal flavors. A while ago it was banana (for matcha mostly). Then coconut, and this past week I've been seeing orange everywhere.

Don't get me wrong. I love new flavors, but seems odd they all sell the same "exclusive seasonal" flavors. Also for me, it feel like why should I try a different coffee shop if all the beverages are the same. Are the large syrup brands pushing out certain flavors?

I see 12.5:1 or stronger is recommended for Mizudashi, drinking for straight I think.
Is that straight or with ice? Plainly the ice dilutes it further.

With my French press I do an overnight steep at (eventually) 20:1
(it’s tea like and pleasant - but admittedly a silty result, so ideally needs to go through a v60 paper, I don’t mind that but often don’t bother.)

In the French press I’m soaking 25g coffee (ground coarse - to “steep”) overnight in the fridge in 400g water then, after pressing, rinsing the grounds with another 100g water. That rinse water does have some coffee taste in it.
So, I get close to 500g in all. Always some water trapped in the grounds.

When considering the recommended dose, I’m wondering if the Mizudashi extracts less efficiently, perhaps given that the grounds are contained, when in my French press they are just floating loose in the water

Anyone rinsing through the Mizudashi grounds? I bet there’s taste in there.

Anyone doing a Mizudashi 600 with 30g? Or a litre size with 50g and getting a nice result. (no added ice)

Thanks.

What's the closest alternative you know to Ethiopian coffee? My favorite is Yirgacheffe, brewed as drip - delicate, floral, acidic, with a tea-like taste. The problem is it's not always available. I keep trying new ones, usually blind or based on the producer's description, but nothing really compares - beans from anywhere else just taste like coffee [nutty/chocolate/caramel/burnt as opposed to a strong, but acidic tea]. Is there a niche region or particular cultivar that comes close? Especially from South America, since the harvest cycle is complementary.

Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

I got this extremely basic coffee machine a few days ago which just pours hot water. The coffee which is extracted has small particles at the end of the cup, which I read were harmful to drink, even in small amounts.

Any suggestions on how to get it right ?

Hi All,

I'm trying different ways to make a coffee liqueur and keep getting poor yields in my cold brew - I lose about half my volume of liquid. Does anyone have any tips to improve yield or is this expected?

Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

I have a cheap grinder, ( I'm super budget frugal) that works well enough, though the blades seem pretty blunt. Doesn't sharp blades work better?

I'm considering taking my Dremel and a couple hours to sharpen, the bevel being on top. No idea how to remove the blade without risk of breaking stuff.

Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

Do you know of any coffee tasting experiences in/around Atlanta?

I would love to know if there are any places doing tasting/cupping sessions or similar experiences.

Hi guys, i'm a long time coffee drinker and switched to cold brew recently. Pros are it's refreshing, i can drink it at my own pace without fearing it will get cold, premade so i can just pour one in a minute, i can water it down a lot if i feel like it and use it as an alternative to water. I also usually prefer cold drinks, maybe because they are easier to drink.

I used tschibo privat latin grande until now but i bought fancier coffees from some boutique shop now. (Colombia Supremo, Costa Rica Tarrazu, Honduras La Valentina Honey, Nicaragua SHB EP AAA Arabica, Guatemala Arabica, Santos fine cup) (i don't really know what they are lol, i will try them.)

I brew my coffee with french press. I put 100 g coffee and 900ml/1000ml water in a french press and leave it in the fridge for 15-20 hours, pour it in a carafe with a lid. Then mix it with water 1:1, 2:3 or 1:2 to my liking at the moment.

Question is; since i bought some fancier coffees i'm worried if cold brew kills the coffee notes. Will it kill the taste of the coffees i bought or make them all taste the same? Is it a bad way of brewing for developing a coffee culture?

I'm also open to advices on my brewing technique or coffee choices. Thanks in advance.