OB Senior Member Joined: 5 Apr 2012 Posts: 26 Location: Pace, Florida Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: Rancillo Silvia V3, w/PID Grinder: Baratza Vario Drip: Black and Decker Roaster: Fresh roast +8
Posted Tue Apr 24, 2012, 5:38pm Subject: What is going wrong?
I roasted some SM Guatemala beans to City+, Let them sit for 3 days. Ground them on a coarse setting on an el cheapie modified Cusinart burr grinder and then tried making some coffee in a press pot. The beans had a lot of chaff that the grinder evidently cut loose, but I went ahead and tried the press pot. Followed all the directions and it came out tasting bleah. Didn't get very many fines so guess the grind was OK. u The same grinder was turned down to fine for expresso and I ground some SM expresso classic blend that was roasted to about Full City + and made a pot with the Mokka. It also tasted bleah. So what is going on? Is it the el cheapo Cusinart grinder or the roasting with the Fresh Roast +8? that is causing me all the troubles?
Posted Tue Apr 24, 2012, 7:54pm Subject: Re: What is going wrong?
I understood that part, but sadly, bleah cannot be attributed to a particular problem as well as "tastes like Cheerios" can. Be more descriptive, and we can be more helpful.
For example, off tastes can be attributed to:
Water too hot
Water too cold
Stale grounds
Improper grind
Incorrect water chemistry
Improper bean storage
Dirty equipment
Baked roast
Too light of roast
Too dark of roast
And on and on
(Cheerios, by the way, would be the oaty/grainy flavor coffee takes on at a just-before-first-crack type of roast, probably accompanied by grassy and vegetal flavors)
Posted Wed Apr 25, 2012, 5:05am Subject: Re: What is going wrong?
Steve's right, the question of "what is wrong" must be answered by another question: "what do you mean by 'wrong'?"
For example - which directions for press pot did you follow? Is your press pot a glass Bodum or an insulated press pot? Are you SURE you used 205°F water to start? Some directions recommend a 3 minute steep, or a 4 minute steep, or if you ask another expert they'll tell you that the standard press pot is a 6 minute steep (with the proper grind) in an INSULATED press pot setup. Some recommend a 5.5% brew ratio, others 6.75% brew ratio.
All of these would vary the result of your brew, independent of the bean or roast.
You roasted to City+, how many seconds after the end of first crack? Batch size and roaster?
There's plenty of advice here, but specifics are the order of the day for a geek... ;^D
------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------- Le café doit être noir comme le diable, chaud comme l'enfer, pur comme un ange, et doux comme l'amour.
"There is no right answer with coffee. There is only the elixir in your cup at the moment you partake."
"...I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind;..." - Lord Kelvin RECIPES thread => http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/585708
OB Senior Member Joined: 5 Apr 2012 Posts: 26 Location: Pace, Florida Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: Rancillo Silvia V3, w/PID Grinder: Baratza Vario Drip: Black and Decker Roaster: Fresh roast +8
Posted Wed Apr 25, 2012, 6:05am Subject: Re: What is going wrong?
Gentlemen, thanks for your help. After looking over the replies, I see the only thing that was probably incorrect was the grind. I have determined that the modified cusinart is a POS. I will be ordering a new Barzarta vario as soon as the seattle store opens.
Then we will see if my coffee making skills improve.
Posted Wed Apr 25, 2012, 7:03am Subject: Re: What is going wrong?
OB Said:
Gentlemen, thanks for your help. After looking over the replies, I see the only thing that was probably incorrect was the grind. I have determined that the modified cusinart is a POS. I will be ordering a new Barzarta vario as soon as the seattle store opens.
Then we will see if my coffee making skills improve.
The Vario is the wrong grinder for a press, unless you're plunking down the extra $60 for the steel burrs designed for coarser grinding. I'd suggest the Encore if you're an FP drinker who may also do filter brews.
Posted Wed Apr 25, 2012, 10:45am Subject: Re: What is going wrong?
Agreed with two things: 1) the cuisinart is a crappy grinder. RUN don't walk away from this grinder. 2) the Vario is probably not the right grinder for very coarse grinding.
Couple of things to try:
-if you have a local coffee shop or place that has a decent Malkhonig or Ditting (depending on how friendly you are with the local *$s, they MAY allow you to use their grinder at slow times) and get a good press pot grind (Ditting should be on max setting, usually "9"), try brewing that.
-You still could be experiencing brewing woes.
-Your City+ may be too light.
-You may not have allowed it to rest long enough
------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------- Le café doit être noir comme le diable, chaud comme l'enfer, pur comme un ange, et doux comme l'amour.
"There is no right answer with coffee. There is only the elixir in your cup at the moment you partake."
"...I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind;..." - Lord Kelvin RECIPES thread => http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/585708
Posted Wed Apr 25, 2012, 12:14pm Subject: Re: What is going wrong?
JPDyson Said:
The Vario is the wrong grinder for a press, unless you're plunking down the extra $60 for the steel burrs designed for coarser grinding. I'd suggest the Encore if you're an FP drinker who may also do filter brews.
Well, it's not fantastic at coarse grinds, but that doesn't mean it's poor for press! I use a slightly coarse drip grind, 5 minute steep, break & clean, and a further 5 minute rest before decanting (pouring passively through my filter, not pressing), and often through a paper filter. It hasn't overextracted on me yet, and while a bit cooler than some like, still yields some fairly tasty coffee. This was based on something James Hoffmann recommended in his blog, I believe, and is a method I won't soon be turning away from - when I actually get around to making a press brew, that is.
True, though, the Vario is fairly inconsistent at the coarsest settings.
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