r/Coffee • u/menschmaschine5 Kalita Wave • 5d ago
[MOD] The Daily Question Thread
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!
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u/Boomerangboom 5d ago
Hi all. I used to look up process method of decaf coffee while I was in the grocery store on a website that was very plain with just a drop down menu of brands and types of coffee. I cannot remember it or find it when i search google. Does anyone know the website? Thanks for your help.
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u/zipperhead 5d ago
Question or two about the Kingrinder K6 hand grinder:
I have a Baratza Encore, which I use at home. It's loud. My backup hand grinder is a Hario Mini Mill slim grinder. It seems to grind okay, but it takes forever for anything but a coarse grind for french press. I'm doing pourovers now.
Is the K6 going to be a faster grind than the Hario, for medium-fine grinds? Also, how will the grind quality compare against the Encore?
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u/regulus314 5d ago
The K6 has a bigger burr set than the Encore and Hario Mini Mill. And grinds more evenly than what you own now. If you buy it it might be your end game hand grinder unless you want to upgrade to a better electric grinder than the Encore. You can throw the Mini Mill too.
You can use the Encore and the K6 interchangeably since from what I noticed from owning an Encore before, it is best if you want to accentuate sweetness and texture and more clarity and acidity for the K6 (and an all around espresso to pour over grinder). But this clarity is not as intense as when you compare it with the Comandante and ZP6 which are two hand grinder known for brewing coffees if you want to experience clarity of aroma and flavours.
Yes the K6 grinds faster than the Mini Mill because of the bigger burrs. A 15g can last you like around 8-10 seconds
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u/Lone_Star_Loner 5d ago
I have questions for those coffee lovers that have enjoyed Yuban coffee, not of the present incarnation, but the 100 percent Colombian from back in the 90's. It had the Juan Valdez icon on the can.
I loved the flavor of Yuban back then so much. These days, I have moved on to specialty coffee and grinding fresh beans from a local roastery, including Colombian. I enjoy most of the specialty coffees I have tried, but I have never found one that had a similar flavor to Yuban Colombian that I so loved. In fact, the Colombian is my least favored from my local roastery.
For those folks that have enjoyed Yuban Colombian from back in the day, is there another Colombian coffee that these days tastes similar, preferably whole bean? Thanks.
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u/Optimal_Water1790 5d ago
roaster here. what you are missing is not colombia. it is the roast.
that old yuban was roasted dark and blended so every can tasted the same forever. that heavy toasty sweet thing you remember is roast flavor sitting on top of the bean. your local roastery is doing the exact opposite, they take colombia light so the fruit and the acidity come through. so it makes sense their colombian is your least favorite, it is the furthest thing from what you are chasing.
ask them what they roast darkest. usually it is a brazil or a house blend, not the single origin colombia. that is where you get closer. and just say the word yuban to them, any roaster my age knows exactly what you mean.
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u/Lone_Star_Loner 5d ago
Thank you for the advice. So far, my favorite coffee is a honey processed Costa Rican, with both medium and dark roasts being delicious. The dark roast is quite dark and oily, but is not that similar to the old Yuban. The Colombian I am currently drinking is dark roasted, but it is a lighter shade than the Costa Rican. It is also more bitter than I prefer. I will take your advice and ask my roaster about the Brazil coffee she sells and how its flavor may be effected by dark roasting. I have had it medium, and it was quite good. She is in her 50's, so I would wager she is very familiar with the old Yuban as you menioned.
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u/Optimal_Water1790 5d ago
the honey process is doing that for you. they leave some of the fruit on the bean when it dries, so you get that heavy sweet body even when the roast goes dark. your colombian is washed, all that fruit gets scrubbed off before drying. so dark on a washed bean gives you the bitter and nothing sitting underneath it.
when you talk to her ask for a natural or a honey, not the washed. brazil natural is usually the cheap one on the shelf and it will get you closest to what you remember.
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u/Lone_Star_Loner 5d ago
Brazil Natural - dried with all or a large amount of fruit on the bean. This process imparts sweet, fruity notes and produces a creamy body. The result is a well-balanced, nutty, chocolatey profile with low citric acidity and smooth body
Arabica variety: Mundo Novo and Catuaí
Process: pulped natural
Cupping Notes: dark chocolate, cranberry
The above describes the only Brazil coffee that my local roaster offers. If I understand you correctly, this coffee, dark roasted, could be my best bet? I have had this one in a medium roast, and it was very good, but I had a slight preference for the Costa Rican medium. I am not very knowledgeable in this area, so I appreciate your help. I will discuss this with my roaster. She has a reputation of being very helpful although I have only briefly spoken with her.
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u/Optimal_Water1790 4d ago
yeah that one is your bean. pulped natural means they leave some fruit on when it dries, so you get the sweet chocolate body without the sharp acid. that is the part you keep saying you like.
but dark roasting it will flatten all that. ask her if she has the same lot roasted medium, or if she will roast one to order. same coffee, two different drinks. medium you actually taste the cranberry, dark you mostly taste roast.
buy the small bag first before you commit to a pound.
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u/Twalin 5d ago
It’s also possible that the profile has changed since the 90’s as Colombia move away from Caturra, Typica and Tabi to Castillo and Colombia varieties.
The Castillo and Colombia varieties are avarice robusta hybrids that were developed to be resistant to disease…. Became widespread in the late aughts.
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u/Wise_Glass8553 5d ago
I remember Yuban's old Colombian being really smooth, almost like a milk chocolatey balanced cup, but I heard they changed the blend years ago.
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u/plantsforbrainz 5d ago
I just started making iced coffee with a French press and I wanted to know everyone's opinion on trader joes coffee? I get the mild grain one I think its good but its a little sour/bitter tasting on the end, I just drink it black. Would it be worth trying light grain? or should I go for milk.
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u/KnightoftheMoncatamu Pour-Over 5d ago
Any recommendations for Boston (downtown) and Salem? We will be traveling there. I found Gracenote and from the pictures could tell it took coffee seriously.
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u/regulus314 4d ago
George Howell is one highly suggested. I could say it is coffee pilgrimage location in Boston. Gracenote and Little Wolf are great as well.
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u/Medical_Sprinkles_90 5d ago
I stick to Trader Joe's Italian roast for French press, it's bold but still clean, and that caramel note holds up really well when you chill it.
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u/Own_Giraffe987 5d ago
huh, kinda curious about the water temp bit. ive been brewing at like 205°F lately but wonder if theres a sweet spot? i heard going too hot can mess w/ the flavor, but not hot enough doesnt extract right. anyone else got a go to temp for the perfect cup?
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u/ivancho84 5d ago
205°F is a solid default, especially for light roasts. I use 195–200°F for medium roasts and 185–195°F for darker ones. There isn’t one perfect number: if the cup is harsh, lower the temperature; if it’s sour or thin, go hotter. Change one variable at a time.
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u/CardstoneViewer 4d ago
Is there such a big difference for a normal plastic coffee filter vs Hario V60? Got into learning coffee and bought good beans and grinder, but wondering if its worth getting a Hario, not because of the price but the filter itself but I live in a small city and I would need to buy from the internet new paper filters every month, and that would be annoying.
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u/canaan_ball 4d ago
A reusable wire mesh filter — I assume that's what you mean by normal plastic — is quite different from paper. It's more a sieve than a filter. Get a dripper that takes Melitta filters that your grocery store probably carries; a Bee House perhaps.
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u/CardstoneViewer 4d ago edited 4d ago
I meant a Melitta dripper with paper filter, I do have a mesh filter, but I thought coffee was too bitter on it.
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u/canaan_ball 4d ago edited 4d ago
Ah, you're asking about flat bottom vs. cone. There's a lot of print and video on that subject. I don't own a flat dripper, but the consensus seems to be that flat bottom makes softer, sweeter coffee through more even extraction, while cone brings out acidity and clarity. Most folks will say that they are different. Melitta-style is probably somewhere in between, so less different. You can fold Melitta paper to fit a V60 by the way, if it comes to that.
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u/LEJ5512 Moka Pot 4d ago
Just understand why so many people (and internet influencers) automatically default to saying “get a V60”. It’s market timing, not inherent capabilities.
I also can’t buy V60-style conical filters anywhere in my local area, and I have an aversion to being reliant on mail order for consumables. So I buy wedge/Melitta-style filters from my corner store and use them with a couple sizes of ceramic drippers (a Chantal Lotus and a small size Zero Japan Beehouse).
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u/CardstoneViewer 4d ago
hantal Lotus small size Zero Japan Beehouse
I'll see if I can find a ceramic dripper, but right now I got a plastic one, anything too brand its hard to find here.
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u/Relevant_Positive195 5d ago
Bought an Aeropress a week ago and I'm getting wildly different cups every morning, sometimes it's magic and sometimes it's brown water. Any tips on getting it more consistent, or is this just part of the learning curve
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u/NMN22 5d ago
What would be a good flat burr grinder under 500 for non-espresso methods like pour over and syphon? I currently have a Eureka Atom 75 for espresso but am looking to add a dedicated grinder for other methods of coffee making. The atom is great but switching grind sizes constantly would end up wasting a lot of coffee and a second grinder seems worth it. I was lookin at the Mignon Zero and Fellow Ode 2. US based.