The Coffee Thread

[AJAYJAY]

anything too beat that fishy smell

[FFOUR]

Originally Posted by -ajayjay

even try ice magic..chocolate flavor....mmmm

Mmmm? So you like the taste of ice magic and cum? Fair enough, I'm not one to judge.

[Splat_man]

Originally Posted by BALISTC

P.S. there is another new cafe in Perth CBD for anyone who is interested.

Tartine's Cafe, at the entrance of Trinity Arcade on St Georges Tce (near Dome, across the road from Allendale Square).

VERY solid. Packing a Synesso Cyncra 3 group and their own Five Senses coffee blend, its about the best you'll find at that end of the CBD.

im gonna give place this a try this week!

[DEDLYWEPN]

Figure Joe will be best to answer this, but others may know too.

What is the optimum temperature for the water in a modern machine and what is the optimum temp for milk when making flat whites?

[BALISTC]

The temp of the coffee extraction should be between 88 and 93 degrees celsius. My controller is set at 99-101 normally, but thats because the temp is measured at the boiler.. by the time it flows through the pump and brew head, it reaches the target temp.

The 5 degree variation is because different beans produce different results.. a 1 degree temp difference can change the taste of a shot completely, so thats why most hardcore users will experiment with their water temps to get it just right, depending on what bean they're using.

AS FOR MILK, the temp is supposed to be between 60 and 70 degrees... most aim for between 65 and 70 though. I find that the microfoam comes out better when its closer to 70, but the quality of it drops off VERY quickly after that temp!

After using a milk thermometer for a while, you get to learn how hot the milk is by feeling the outside of the jug and knowing when to stop when it reaches a certain level of "hotness". It's actually a very accurate way of doing it!

[DEDLYWEPN]

Cheers bud, my olds are looking at one of those bloody nespresso machines and I'm trying to talk em in to something better.

Tried one yesterday at myer and i thought it was near on bloody cold, when i questioned it, the guy reckoned any hotter and it'd burn the coffee. He reckoned the optimum temps were 85 and 65 for the water and milk respectively.

He made one for my mum and i and i got the first one, but the machine hadnt been brought up to temp yet, but even my mums one wasn't all that hot.

He reckoned if you got a traditional coffee in italy, they're only warm so you can drink em straight away. Any truth to this?

[BALISTC]

Ha ha typical salesperson and manufacturer bullshit..

The water temp might be 85 in the BOILER, but by the time it goes through the pump, the cheaply constructed brew head, and the pod, its probably dropped about 20 or more degrees (yes, THAT much), due to the lack of thermal stability in the cheaply built Nespresso machine. Thats assuming it even has a boiler.. it may just have a thermoblock, which is like a miniature instantaneous water heater.. the water heats up as it goes through the heated aluminium block. This is even worse for temperature stability!

Better built (and subsequently more expensive machines) have good thermal stability because they are made of solid materials... for example, my machine has a solid brass boiler and brass group head, it does not drop temperature as easily when brewing!

Yes, the espresso's in Italy are cool enough to drink in a split second, but also hot enough so they don't taste like crap. This only happens when the brew temp is 88-93 degrees! By the time it goes into the cup and gets to you, its dropped about another 10 or so degrees.. which is excellent for espresso drinking. If the coffee is cold, it tastes like crap.

[BALISTC]

P.S. studies have shown that coffee begins to deteriorate in its quality and freshness 30 SECONDS AFTER ITS GROUND...

How good is the ground coffee in a pod, if its been ground up, packaged, sent to the supplier, sent to the store, then sat on a shelf for who knows how many weeks? Same reason I always tell people that pre-ground coffee is junk.

You NEED a grinder, or a machine with a built-in grinder!

One more thing.. storing ground coffee in the fridge doesn't help.. in fact it can f*ck the coffee up even quicker through the introduction of moisture.

[American Dave]

Thanks for the insight on coffee Joe.

In hebrew you are a Chochem!
pronounced, KHOH-chem

A chochem, or the female chochema, is a possessor of wisdom, a brilliant person. It's the ultimate tribute to a scholar. But it can also be said of a shrewd man because he's so clever, or inventive. It is said with the highest respect, like “A chochem of the Talmud.”

[BALISTC]

LOL Dave, your hebrew sayings are classic