Espresso and French Press?

[Lincsong]

Many espresso blends....they're not espresso. Espresso is a method of making coffee.....have second rate robusta beans in them. Often, they're the beans that give the coffee that crema which so many associate with a finely turned out cup of espresso.

Not the espresso blends my company sells. We use 100% Arabica beans. The only time we use robusta beans would be for the hospital blends.

 

[Lady Day]

It's not quite as good, no. But if my choices were instant or water, I'd take the water. lol

AMEN!!!

LD
:eusa_clap

 

[jake_fink]

I'm glad the coffee experience worked out for you. No worse way to start your day than coffeeless. You should have one of these on hadn. Everyone should have one of these on hand.

 

[HLSheppard]

Many espresso blends....they're not espresso. Espresso is a method of making coffee.....have second rate robusta beans in them. Often, they're the beans that give the coffee that crema which so many associate with a finely turned out cup of espresso.

I'm pleased to hear that you all have had good experience running finely ground coffee through your press. I grind as coarse as possible for use in the press. When in doubt, you could go Turkish style too. I have an ibrik however, I don't see why one couldn't do Turkish in a regular pot, on the stove.

Simply put the amount of ground coffee, fine grind, that you normally take; then put double the amount of water as grinds. Boil it until it nearly boils over, cut the heat to low, then repeat again twice more. Pour slowly into your cup. You can mix the sugar in there too.

Thank you for saying what was on my mind.... :eusa_clap

As you can tell from my avatar, I take roasting and preparing coffee pretty seriously at my house!

 

[jazzbass]

I still haven't used an Ibrik. I was just looking for one recently.

As has been noted here already, You should use a fairly coarse grind for Press pot coffee. The screen mesh filter is simply not fine enough to screen out the mud. You can add a nylon fine filter that fits after the metal screen to your French press if you like. This helps a lot but the proper grind is still the best solution.

As for espresso blends containing some Robusta beans, I believe that it's fairly common practice with roasters in Northern Italy. And as was also mentioned, it's addition is primarily to make a better crema or even to add more caffeine (Normally Arabica beans have about half the caffeine of Robusta .) I have not yet tried adding any Robustsa to the blends I roast at home but I'm curious if their addition would sacrifice taste since they are generally considered inferior beans. The best coffee I've ever had was in Florence but my Italian language skills are far too feeble to have inquired about the bean types in the Espresso. It's all the end result anyway and how all the flavors, aromas and textures play together.



jazzbass

 

[HLSheppard]

I have not yet tried adding any Robustsa to the blends I roast at home but I'm curious if their addition would sacrifice taste since they are generally considered inferior beans.
jazzbass

As you stated is is a VERY common practice to add quality Robusta beans to espresso blends (and also, for the exact reasons you state).

However, the general consensus that Robusta is an inferior bean is largely due to the horrid Vietnamese variety that is the mainstay of the large coffee roasters (Maxwell House, Folgers, etc).

There are very high quality Robusta beans available. They're just very hard to find. For instance Dr. John Josuma has a very smooth Robusta that is part and parcel to his signature blend, Malabar Gold. He refuses to divulge his source because - well, they're that much better than others. Sweet Maria's has a very high quality version available as well.

It's at this link (along with some great information about this very thing):
http://sweetmarias.com/coffee.robusta.html#SethuramanPB

They also carry a Grade #1 Vietnamese (which is like drinking burnt tires!):cry:, just so folks can truly roast 'em up and compare for themselves. Let me tell you - it's not something your apt to forget!

 

[Twitch]

Just thinking, an interesting exhibit would be a history of coffee brewing apparatus. Think of how many time the coffee pot has been reinvented.

 

[HLSheppard]

Like this one?

http://www.gardfoods.com/coffee/coffee.brewings.htm

 

[BegintheBeguine]

I certainly didn't expect that first sentence, HL.

 

[jazzbass]

Wow! Great link, H.L. Sheppard. The origin of the term "espresso" was very interesting. I always thought "expresso" was a mis pronunciation or Westernized version of "espresso". I can even remember cafe's using the word "Expresso" in the 60's.

I've been meaning to try Tom's (Sweet Maria's) Robusta offering in my espresso blends but haven't got around to it. I'm not surprised that it's a high quality bean considering who's selling it.

Is that an S1 in your avatar?



jazzbass

 

[MissQueenie]

I'm glad the coffee experience worked out for you. No worse way to start your day than coffeeless. You should have one of these on hadn. Everyone should have one of these on hand.

I'd say dead would get my vote for "worst way to start the day" -- but coffeeless is nearly as bad!

I'd like to have one of those on hand eventually. Maybe my family will get terribly clever this Christmas and give me a practical gift

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

Is that an S1 in your avatar?

Well, for a pro this is an easy question: the characteristic bend of the steam wand, the form of the sides of the cup storage area, the pattern of the drip tray, if you look close, the writing beneath the drip tray looks like La Spaziale…. Well, and then the big, fat letters "S1" near the centre of the picture.

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

We use 100% Arabica beans.

That's a pity. Some of the best coffee is made with a mix of, say, 80% Arabica and 20% Robusta. And it goes without saying that there are good and bad Robustas just like good and bad Arabicas.

 

[jazzbass]

Well, for a pro this is an easy question: the characteristic bend of the steam wand, the form of the sides of the cup storage area, the pattern of the drip tray, if you look close, the writing beneath the drip tray looks like La Spaziale…. Well, and then the big, fat letters "S1" near the centre of the picture.

Yeah, I saw the big "S1" right after I posted. For now, I'll blame my poor observational skills on my bad vision.



jazzbass

 

[Elaina]

I take coffee seriously here at my house too, but the bad thing is, I make my regular every day ol' coffee in a percolator my dad gave me that he bought brand spanking new in '59. He's a retired truck driver, and it's seen miles and miles of road use.

I also have a campfire perc from the '20's the man upstairs (short version, my Aunt was a recovered alcoholic, turned her house into an apartment for recovering alcoholics, and the man upstairs was an old drunk trying to recover. His family wouldn't have anything to do with him, and he was just this nice old man who was so lonely and I never could remember his name). He got it thinking it was a toy, and since he was illiterate didn't know it was an antique for me to play with. I used to make hot chocolate in it when I was a kid, and now I use it on my stove when I need coffee yesterday.

I have all kinds of all kinds of coffee pots here. I just seem to like the worst way possible to make coffee for myself.

 

[jake_fink]

Like this one?

http://www.gardfoods.com/coffee/coffee.brewings.htm

Yikes. Someone could have used an editor. That's barely readable. And the layout and design nearly gave me a seizure.

This documentary is an interesting history of the beverage, if not the makers, and it has lots of nice images of Ethipoia, Italy, etc., etc: Black Coffee

 

[HLSheppard]

Wow! Great link, H.L. Sheppard. The origin of the term "espresso" was very interesting. I always thought "expresso" was a mis pronunciation or Westernized version of "espresso". I can even remember cafe's using the word "Expresso" in the 60's.

I've been meaning to try Tom's (Sweet Maria's) Robusta offering in my espresso blends but haven't got around to it. I'm not surprised that it's a high quality bean considering who's selling it.

Is that an S1 in your avatar?



jazzbass

Yessir! That S1 is my pride and joy (along with my Mazzer Mini... )

 

[Lincsong]

That's a pity. Some of the best coffee is made with a mix of, say, 80% Arabica and 20% Robusta. And it goes without saying that there are good and bad Robustas just like good and bad Arabicas.

We have those blends; but the only ones who buy it are; hospitals and prisons.

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

We have those blends; but the only ones who buy it are; hospitals and prisons.

Sure? Not people who won a prize on hospitality?

 

[olive bleu]

never underestimate the devotion of an addict