Espresso

[Oskar]

[seraph]

[mosc]

Not that I know what American coffee is, but it seems that aside from the taste of it, drip coffee and French Press coffee are pretty much the same; at least they are very similar in strength. So, I figure both are American coffee.

After James' rant about drip coffee, I had to give the French Press a try. Maybe "ashamed" is too strong a word, but it does have some nice rhetorical value considering the tone of James' post.

[dewdrop_world]

Incidentally, I have nothing against a French press. I keep one at my desk at work, and while the brew is not necessarily stronger than drip coffee, I feel somehow it has more body and "character," whatever that means.

It also depends on the coffee you put into it. For me, there's nothing like a hot cup of French roast just after lunch.

What's really deadly, though, is the Nordstrom cafe just across the street.

By the way, are you familiar with Bach's coffee cantata? I enjoyed it in grad school, and just downloaded it on a lark from ITMS.

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=4337198&s=143441

Libretto: http://home.houston.rr.com/oehl/coffee.html


4. Ei! wie schmeckt der Coffee süße (Aria - Liesgen)

Ei! wie schmeckt der Kaffee süße,
Lieblicher als tausend Küsse,
Milder als Muskatenwein.

Kaffee, Kaffee muß ich haben,
Und wenn jemand mich will laben,
Ach, so schenkt mir Kaffee ein!

---

Ah! How sweet the coffee's taste is,
Sweeter than a thousand kisses,
Milder than sweet muscatel.

Coffee, coffee, I must have it,
And if someone wants to treat me,
Ah, my cup with coffee fill!

James

[mosc]

Bach's Coffee Cantata is fabulous. I saw the Bethlehem Bach Choir perform it once in English and it was a show stopper.

[dewdrop_world]

I should also clarify -- what is deadly about the Nordstrom cafe is not the coffee, it's the potential damage to my pocketbook. It is only through immense force of will and discipline that its convenient location to my office does not put me into the red.

I am, of course, not concerned at all with the heart-choking amount of milkfat in their best beverages.

James

[mosc]

I was off for the last few weeks in Florida visiting fam and friends. One coffee loving friend uses a drip maker. I suggested the French Press made better tasting coffee. She said she doesn't use the FP because it leaves harmful oils in the coffee.

Has anyone heard about this? What are the harmful oils?

[mosc]

To answer my own question see this link: http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/203453

Of interest is this post which I'm including here:

At one time, it was believed that only Scandinavian boiled coffee had harmful levels of the LDL cholesterol-raising lipids (diterpenes) cafestol and kahweol. However dozens of studies have now shown that French press coffee is as bad or even worse. For example:

"Levels of the Cholesterol-Elevating Diterpenes Cafestol and Kahweol in Various Coffee Brews" - Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry; 1995; 43(8) pp 2167 - 2172 by Rob Urgert, Guido van der Weg, Truus G. Kosmeijer-Schuil, Peter van de Bovenkamp, Robert Hovenier, and Martijn B. Katan - Department of Human Nutrition, Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

This report found the following levels of these dangerous lipids in each five-ounce cup (which is about half of a typical American mug):












Brewing Method	Cafestol	Kahweol
Scandinavian boiled	3.0mg	3.9mg
French press	3.5mg	4.4mg
Drip – Metal Filtered	2.5mg	Not given
Drip – Paper filtered	0.1mg	Not given



This study, and nearly all others, found that paper filtering eliminates the danger. The above study is not available on line. But here are some links to reports that are available:

http://www.sciencenews.org/pages/sn_arch/11_30_96/food.htm

A quote from this link:
"Of far greater concern, Urgert believes, were increases of between 9 and 14 percent in the concentrations of low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol -- the so-called bad cholesterol -- in volunteers drinking the pressed brew. An increase this large in LDLs, a risk factor for heart disease, might over a lifetime elevate an individual’s chance of developing coronary disease by up to 20 percent, he notes."

Other links:

http://atvb.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/11/3/586

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/313/7069/1362

You can do your own search on Google with the words

cholesterol "French press"

French press coffee users like its strong brew. AeroPress (my invention) is paper-filtered and can brew even stronger than the French press if you wish. It is also faster and easier to use. See www.aerobie.com

I appologize for this plug, but it could save lives.

Sincerely,

Alan Adler

[v-un-v]

[mosc]

[Keysandslots]

Wow, coffee bigots! Who'd a thought such a thing would exist. I use a drip coffee maker at home, works great. To say one form of making coffee is better than another form is too simplistic. Variables like coffee quality, water quality, temperature, etc. are often difficult to precisely control.

I use one of these:

http://www.capresso.com/prod_makers_s.html

and it works great. Grinds the beans and then makes the coffee. It needs fairly frequent cleaning to make a fast batch of coffee but I can put up with that. I don't use the charcoal filter beause I don't use tap water in the coffee maker. This thing makes the best coffee I have ever had.

Oh, and I really hate Starbucks coffee.

Randy

[dewdrop_world]

[mosc]

OK, I just got my Areopress gizmo delivered direct to the house. See: http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress.htm . It cost about $30 US including shipping.

It is pretty neat actually. It seems very well made. It looks more like my friend Roy's portable dialysis machine than a coffee maker though.

I have already made a couple of cups with it. The plunger makes an air-tight seal so what pushes the hot water through the coffee is air pressure. This makes this press more like an espresso machine than a French Press.

It is very easy to clean compared to a French press because the piston can be pushed through and the grounds come out in a neat dry manner. It is a bit faster than a French press too because you only let the coffee soak in the water about 20 seconds.

This device makes espresso which you then dilute with hot water if you want a weaker drink like American style coffee. You have a great deal of control by using water of different temperatures and varying the amount of coffee used. I can see this will take a bit of experimentation.

How is the coffee?

Well, the first cup was way to weak. I didn't follow the instructions correctly so I brewed a second one. The flavor was excellent and there was virtually no bitterness. Unlike the French Press, the coffee is much cleaner with virtually no particles. IMHO, it tastes more mellow than a French Press - I like it better.

The designer says that the micro filter removes the harmful oils in the coffee which is why I wanted to give it a try. I think that after one gets the hang of this thingie, it may be close to the Holy Grail of coffee gizmos.

If you are an obsessive coffee geek, you might want to get one. The price is very reasonable. If you aren't, you probably haven't read this far in this thread.

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[deknow]

howard, i might have to get me one of those....

for completeness, i've recently inherited (my parents moved) one of these chemex makers. it is insanely big.

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[deknow]

...also, this site has more than you need to know.

http://www.jitterbuzz.com/coftrip.html

...i'm not sure i'm clear on the diffearnce between a percolator and "vaccum" maker.

deknow

[mosc]

A great link, Deknow. My mom used one of these when I was a tiny tot. Brings back memories. I never drank any coffee then though.

[deknow]

howard...that's how i feel about the chemex (a little nostalgic). i never drank coffee as a kid, but i remember the chemex from parties they would have...i was always intrigued by the shape (i guess it's in moma for the same reason).

i used it for company recently (christmas dinner), and using my cafe bustelo, it was fantastic.

ramona broke our french press the other day (i broke the last one a few years ago)....she doesn't want glass again, so i am going to show her that gizmo you just got.

deknow

[mosc]

The Areopress can make more than single cups. It makes espresso and you dilute it to taste. I've made a couple of more cups with it and it really makes delicious brew. It's a winner, IMHO.

It probably uses a bit more coffee per cup than the drip or French Press methods. Since the coffee spends so little time in the brew chamber and the water temperature is not near the boiling point, there is very little bitterness or after taste. Of course, you can adjust this to taste by adjusting coffee amount, water amount, and brew time.

[deknow]

...just got an aeropress (and one for my folks)...it rules. somehow, i have the feeling i'm going to start drinking 4 espressos at a time first thing in the morning.....it's a damn good thing that this isn't any bigger or i might kill myself with it.

it does make a very fine tasting coffee...A+

deknow

[mosc]

Glad to hear you like the Areopress, Deknow.

After having it for a short while, I am more and more impressed. It seems to have all the capabilities of an expensive espresso machine, but you have more control over the variables. I'm still experimenting with it. It is amazing the control over the taste one has using the same coffee.

The instructions say the 80 degrees C (175 F)is the best tasting temperature. This is a little bit lower than what most people say the best temperature is for espresso. I have found if I decant a few ounces of boiling water into a Pyrex measuring cup, the temp drops immediately to the ideal range - quite simple.

[deknow]

...i've "calibrated" our little plug in water boiler (it has a temp knob that goes from little circle to big circle) using a candy thermometer.

deknow

[deknow]

ok, we are visiting my parents in florida....and my father bought a $700 espresso machine. when we arrived, he wasn't sure if he was going to keep it or not...and then i showed him the aeropress (i bought him one).

we just did a head to head of a decaf espresso made by each method....to my taste (and ramona's) the aeropress was far superiour...no contest.

my father is pretty attached to his gadgets.....he readily admits that the aeropress is less bitter and very good, but is not willing to admit that a $30 piece of plastic from a toy company is "better" than a fancy machine that takes up more counter space than a toaster oven. he misses the foam in the aeropress coffee, and also likes to be able to steam the milk in the machine.

to be fair, it's possible that water temperature is a factor....but boy, do i like the aeropress. i've been finding it hard to _not_ start the morning with 4 cups of espresso (thank god they don't make a party version!).

deknow

[mosc]

Interesting...

I find the Areopress can make foam. Maybe you need to experiment with the grind coarseness. (I think very fine grinds make foam.)

You can even make bitter coffee with the Areopress by using more water, using boiling water, and/or leaving the water it in the brewing chamber for a long time.

If you guys are going to do another AHNE, I think I'll come up for a cup.

[softfreak]

sorry to spoil this beautiful thread.
but ugly reality of my everyday life needs to be told
this is the device my boss has purchased for our office.
most of the time the "liquid" doesn`t even get a proper brown color...
the hand : myself, doing some helpless trial and error tweaking.
maybe I should post that under "gear porn"... maybe ....

[deknow]

...i'm sorry to hear about your "dirty water" at work. get an electric water boiler, and an aeropress.

also, while here at my parents house, i've installed a new "instant water heater" in the sink. they are pricey (about $200), but i've calibrated it to 180f, and now making an aeropress coffee (and cleaning the maker) takes under one minute. it's great for tea as well....now i really want one at home.

deknow