
A Coder's Guide to Coffee - buluzhai
http://blog.moertel.com/pages/coders-guide-to-coffee
======
chaosmachine
If you find "mainstream" coffee enjoyable, is it really in your best interest
to raise your expectations? If you suddenly find normal coffee lacking, have
you really improved your life?

~~~
discojesus
I've tried all the stuff mentioned in the article, and to me personally (allow
me to repeat this to nip the obvious retorts in the bud - to _ME, PERSONALLY_
:P) it hasn't made one bit of difference.

I still use a french press, but that has a lot to do with convenience. I just
don't grind it fresh anymore or spend tons of money on fresh-roasted beans - a
bag of 8 O'Clock Colombian works just fine.

So you might find that ultra-fresh coffee brewed in such a special way is the
cat's pajamas, or you might like me find that it was way too much time, effort
and money for way too little payoff. Trying new things is fun and worthwhile,
but in this post-Internet post-9/11 pre-intergalactic wars world, product
fetishism definitely abounds ("I won't take notes in anything except a
Moleskine journal" and such).

But as always, why em em vee.

~~~
colonhyphenp
I am in the same boat with the french press - I really can't tell that much of
a difference between a cup of freshly roasted/ground french press coffee and a
cup of coffee at Starbucks.

However, I recently switched to an Aeropress single cup coffee maker, and it
is a HUGE difference - it makes a small concentrated cup of coffee with very
little bitterness, and brings out the coffee's natural sweetness. Also, I find
it easier to use and clean than a french press. See
<http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress_story.htm>

~~~
tortilla
Yep, I did the same. The French Press was great and all, but I couldn't
produce a good cup consistently and it was quite messy. Didn't particularly
like the grit either. Have been using the Aeropress for about 4 months
straight and really love it. The flavors are great, clean up is quick and
painless. Now I'm thinking about roasting my own beans. A local roaster
recommended the Behmor: <http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.behmor.php>

~~~
xayide
I’ve never had good results using a french press with a blade grinder. You
need such a coarse grind for the press, and fine grit is just inevitable with
a cheap blade. I got a burr grinder several years ago, and my french press
coffee has improved immensely. Of course, the clean up still sucks - I only
break out the press for fresh, interesting coffee that I happen in to.

~~~
iron_ball
What's wrong with the cleanup? I've never had a clog just rinsing the grounds
right down the kitchen sink.

------
keefe
"As most software and creative professionals know, coffee is an important
technology for boosting mental acuity and maintaining peak on-the-job
performance"

I would personally worry much more about the real long term performance impact
than the tastiness of my coffee. Do some googling on caffeine tolerance and
caffeine dependence - something like 300mg of caffeine a day for 3 weeks and
you are fully tolerant and typically caffeine intoxication starts around
500mg. 300mg is often one large latte. Caffeine binds to adenosine receptors
and prevents proper sleep. It's also worth noting that caffeine has a half
life of 6 hours and stimulates with a burst of adrenaline that is much shorter
lasting than the adenosine binding which prevents proper sleep. Caffeine is a
useful tool to have in the toolbox, but long term addiction leads to decreased
performance, not increased performance. I personally will drink my coffee at
Red Rock or whatever nice cafe because I find it necessary to manage my intake
very carefully to maximize performance.

~~~
tmoertel
I'm fairly confident that the author meant the opening line to be taken as
humor, not actual advice about maintaining peak on-the-job performance. Yeah,
I'm fairly confident about that.

~~~
keefe
nevertheless, many use it in this way...

------
proee
Another Tip: Try an Aeropress

Designed by the same guy who came up with the aerobie, it makes very good
espresso shots (add water for americano) and it costs about 25 dollars. The
great thing about espresso vs. french press or drip is that it's much less
acidic so you're stomach will thank you.

<http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress_story.htm>

~~~
Shooter
I make cold-brew coffee sometimes, which also lessens the acidity of coffee
(supposedly by 67% or so.) It is especially good if you ever make iced/frozen
coffee drinks, because you can adjust the concentrate ratio and get a much
richer taste as cold coffees go. I also like the Aeropress, but my wife
prefers the cold-brew method so we probably do that more often. We're trying
to cut down on both, though. I recently read a couple of studies that say that
unfiltered coffee increased your risk of heart disease, because the diterpenes
raise your serum concentrations of cholesterol, triacylglycerols, and alanine
aminotransferase.

~~~
Shooter
By the way, has anyone tried a Chemex?

~~~
mmc
Sure, I use a 3-cup Chemex daily. It's great - the brew is consistently high-
quality, and it's so easy to clean. You just toss out the filter and rinse the
carafe clean, done in 4 seconds.

The Chemex filters tend to mellow the taste (not the caffeine) of the coffee
out just a bit compared to a french press, but I personally like that aspect.

------
tom_b
I'm a espresso fan. A double or triple shot americano to start the day is
awesome, particularly when the kids (toddlers) have kept Mom and Dad up half
the night.

I use a Gaggia Classic espresso maker (bought used on ebay for a decent price)
and a hacked Krups burr grinder (added #4 washers to allow the burrs to get a
good espresso grind). It's hard to make a bad shot with this setup - easily
beats what you can get at most coffee shops, except for one shop in my town
that has both high quality baristas and a really good commercial espresso
machine. I also have access to fresh, locally roasted organic espresso beans.
If you're a latte or mocha fan, buy a stovetop steamer and do a little
research on how to properly steam milk. Guests are usually impressed.

It's a fun setup and I enjoy the preparation ritual. If only my kids were old
enough to begin their barista training . . .

~~~
proee
Do you have any stovetop steamers you recommend?

~~~
tom_b
I have the one pictured here
([http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/accessories/stovetopfrother/ar...](http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/accessories/stovetopfrother/ardy2d/4453)).
I've had two of these - the first somehow broke at the thumb handle part
internally, but it was replaced for free.

The one thing I don't like about it is that where the top screws to the main
body, there is a rubber gasket with holes about the diameter of a pencil
eraser. You want one of these holes to match up with the hole on the steam
wand - if you tighten the lid in a way that makes the gasket slide away from
that, it seems like the wand isn't as effective.

But with a little practice (oddly enough, the sound is the key), you get a
really decent foam out of it. You won't be making latte art, but you'll do
much better than the vaguely hot milk splashed around by some coffee shops. I
found a thermometer to be really helpful as well - I use one that I bought for
$5 at Borders one day on a whim.

The other thing is that you have to let the steam pressure build back up
between drinks - you can't really do three drinks in a row without doing that.
But for one latte or mocha it's fine. It probably takes less than 5 mins on
the stovetop to get the pressure back up though.

If I get another stove top steamer, I'll probably try something like
<http://www.1-800-espresso.com/stove-top-steamer.html> to avoid the gasket
issue I mentioned.

It's funny, but the stove top steamer works better than the steam wand on the
Gaggia - the Gaggia has some weird foamer attachment that creates really bad
bubbles without making any nice pourable foam.

<http://www.wholelattelove.com> has great online videos that talk about/demo
various espresso machines and <http://www.coffeegeek.com/guides> is another
great resource.

------
pseale
Here's the article's doppelganger ('Cha': Tea-Drinking for IT Developers):
[http://www.simple-
talk.com/community/blogs/philfactor/archiv...](http://www.simple-
talk.com/community/blogs/philfactor/archive/2009/03/06/72358.aspx)

------
ianbishop
It seems like many people have problems with their french presses. When I
first got my french press, it tasted like any coffee I had ever had from
Starbucks. Recently, things have started to take a turn for the better - I can
make a damn delish cup. This is what has changed:

A lot of it comes down to grinding your beans, right before brewing. How much
do you put in the grinder? Usually I use +1 to however many cups I am making.
The average mug can hold around 2 cups - so that means 3 tablespoons of beans.

Pour slowly some boiled water (usually you want to wait a moment after it
begins to boil) over the beans. Stir briefly and let it sit.

What you should see is basically a foamy rich bit (kinda like crema on
espresso) going on at the top of the brew. I've heard a friend call this 'the
bloom', though I don't know if that is a technical term for it but I like it.

You wanna keep this bloom going, which means stirring intermittently for the
next 4 minutes. Usually I stir a single brew once at the start, twice during
the steeping, and once right before pressing it.

Place the cover and press on top and press down slowly. Try to press down with
uniform pressure and keep it straight. I know my press is kinda jiggly when
you press down. If you favour one side too much, you might let some grinds
slip through the other side.

Pour and serve.

If you still find this dull, try other types of coffee. Try drinking it black
(I know, this is daring for people who prefer 'sludge water' aka 3 milk 3
sugar). Personally I am a big fan of Ethiopian and Kenyan beans. I find they
have such strong undertones. It is like drinking expensive wine!

------
willwagner
If you are in the sf bay area and want to try freshly roasted beans, I highly
recommend ritual roasters (<http://www.ritualroasters.com/>) in the mission
district of SF, or if you are in the south bay, barefoot coffee
(<http://www.barefootcoffeeroasters.com/>). YMMV, but for me, it has made a
big difference in quality between making my own cup in the morning vs going to
a Starbucks.

I also find having a good vacuum insulating coffee mug to keep the coffee hot
makes a difference too.

~~~
keefe
I second that notion. You can also get ritual coffee at the creamery right by
caltrain.

------
syntaxfree
Modafinil, anyone?

Since I got on the stuff I only drink coffee in social situations.

------
billymeltdown
Oh it's totally show-and-tell time: I'm a big fan of the Stumptown roasters
out of PDX, in particular, their "Hair Bender" roast.

------
silentbicycle
Another interesting coffee variation is (forgive the lack of diacriticals
here) _ca phe sua da_ , Vietnamese iced coffee.
([http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Vietnamese_Coffee_-
_Ca_Phe....](http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Vietnamese_Coffee_-
_Ca_Phe.html))

------
drp
We used a vacuum press at work for a couple of years. It makes great coffee
and it's mesmerizing to watch, video here:
[http://daily.hotpads.com/hotpads_daily/2007/01/coffee_revolu...](http://daily.hotpads.com/hotpads_daily/2007/01/coffee_revoluti.html)

~~~
hedgehog
The AeroPress (<http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GXZ2GS>) is another fun device,
good coffee from a machine faster and easier to clean than a french press.

------
colonhyphenp
Whole Foods is a good place to go for freshly roasted beans - Most locations I
have been to roast their coffee in the store and put roast dates on it.

------
bena
You can do packaged coffee right. This is pretty much the only coffee I drink
now. It is semi-regional to the South, but anyone who tries it becomes an
instant fan.

[http://www.communitycoffee.com/ccc/Catalog_CS/coffee-
detail/...](http://www.communitycoffee.com/ccc/Catalog_CS/coffee-
detail/1500/traditional_coffee_blends/our_traditional_coffees/dark-roast-
ground/)

------
nihilocrat
Tea snobbery is a lot less complicated, and doesn't really require any special
tools beyond a mesh strainer of some description.

~~~
Mongoose
I couldn't disagree more. There's at least as much variety in teas as in
coffees and the "skill" needed to expertly discern between them is an equal
breed of obsession to that of the most affected coffee-snob. Tea preparation
can be equally complex, requiring certain timing and techniques, depending on
the type and grade of tea.

Just sayin'.

------
raganwald
<http://merchantsofgreencoffee.com>

I swear by them :-)

------
pasbesoin
At its simplest, e.g. at the office, I use a $2 (oops, $3, now) Melitta single
cup brewer. (1)

[http://www.amazon.com/Melitta-64007B-Single-Coffee-
Filter/dp...](http://www.amazon.com/Melitta-64007B-Single-Coffee-
Filter/dp/B0014CVEH6/)

All it requires is a cup, a number 2 filter, and ground coffee. Hot water is
fairly ubiquitous, e.g. from the hot water / tea tap on the officer coffee
machine. I also use a measuring cup (ok, this is getting complicated) to
ensure I am not pouring in too much water, which would make a mess.

At the office, grinding is not convenient. So I bring pre-ground coffee in
"flavor seal" type bag; this an impervious (plastic/foil combination,
typically) bag that has a one way valve that allows for pressure from the
outgassing of CO2 to escape. For example, Starbucks, Caribou, and the like all
sell their pre-packaged beans in these types of bags (not that I'm
recommending them especially, but most people have probably seen the
packaging; in fact, I believe "flavor seal" may be a Starbucks mark).

To help keep the coffee fresh, after dispensing a dose into the filter, I
press the air out of the bag (out of the top; the valve is not high enough
capacity for this) while folding the top over repeatedly until I have the
folds down fairly tight against the remaining grounds. Then I rubber band the
folds into place. This removes most of the air, and outgassing further reduces
O2 content as it sits.

The coffee stays reasonably fresh until it is consumed -- I'm also not adverse
to the flavor changes as it "ages" as long as that process does not go too
far. With a minimum of fuss, I get a much better cup of coffee than the office
can provide.

If you grind your coffee but hate the mess of grinds getting all over the
place, try placing the grinder inside a container like a Tupperware casserole
pan or similar. The grounds only get as far as that container, which is easily
wiped out.

I have a big old beast of an Italian espresso machine, but I found it to just
be too much hassle and mess. It sits in the corner of the counter, in need of
a descaling.

Cash is tight for me, right now: When I have a bit more disposable income, I'd
like to try:

Aerobie Aeropress

[http://www.amazon.com/AeroPress-Coffee-and-Espresso-
Maker/dp...](http://www.amazon.com/AeroPress-Coffee-and-Espresso-
Maker/dp/B000GXZ2GS/)

Pump and Seal Food Saver Vacuum Sealer

<http://www.pump-n-seal.com/>

The latter to keep the beans fresh.

\----

(1) All links are free of any referral ID's or any benefit to me. Just
provided FYI.

