16
votes
What can I do with bad coffee beans?
Cold brew it! Make sure you start with very cold water and a coarse grind. Cold-temp chemistry has a better chance of taking what's good and leaving what's bad.
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14
votes
How should I order an espresso to get a less sour shot?
Here's a few thoughts based on what causes sourness/acidity in coffee and ways to temper it.
Order an espresso lungo. Sourness (acidity) is characteristic of the "stuff" that is extracted relatively ...
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14
votes
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What can I do with bad coffee beans?
If you're wanting ideas that don't include brewing, I would suggest using the coffee grounds as a steak rub or placing the coffee in a compost pile (if you have one).
Also, there are a number of ...
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12
votes
What are the 4M's of espresso?
4M is a term mainly used among Italians for espresso. It is a placeholder for four words that start with "M" in Italian that affects espresso preparation. Some information can be found here.
These M'...
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11
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to grow plants in used coffee ground so that they get coffee flavor?
Adding coffee grounds to a planting medium (e.g. soil) adds fatty acids, essential oils and nutrients that enrich soil which can help the growth of the plant and it may also affect the colour. One ...
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11
votes
Accepted
Why is coffee mostly hot brewed?
Let's take a look at what turns coffee grounds and water into coffee:
It's an extraction process where aromatic compounds and oils and caffeine are extracted from the coffee bean into the water. It's ...
- 4,053
10
votes
What can I do with bad coffee beans?
If you drink alcohol, you could also try making Kahlúa. Soak coffee beans and vanilla beans in vodka for a while (3-4 weeks), then mix with a simple syrup. There are plenty of detailed recipes on the ...
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10
votes
Does there exist a coffee which is not bitter?
To answer this shortly, no there is no coffee that has no bitterness. Bitterness in coffee is determined by different factors on which I will elaborate a bit now.
First of all there are bitter ...
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8
votes
What can I do with bad coffee beans?
Use them for decoration:
Fill a glass vessel with the beans, stick a candle or tea-light in.
Looks neat, costs nothing extra and if you use a tea-light, the heat of the light will help disperse the ...
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8
votes
Is dark roast stronger than light roast?
Strength is an interesting wording, but some people use it. Mostly, caramelized or burnt flavors get visible during the roasting process.
Understanding Coffee Bean names as they relate to roast
As ...
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8
votes
Non-plastic version of an AeroPress?
This may be off topic because it is opinion-based and hypothetical in nature. There may be some merit however because it is presented with a "fair and impartial tone" and invites experiences over ...
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7
votes
Accepted
Coffee cup patina; is there any logic in not washing the cup
The origin of not washing your coffee cup stems from the age when coffee cups were made of metal. An example can be still be seen with the Italian practice of seasoning a moka pot. When a metal ...
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7
votes
What are the flavor characteristics of under-roasted coffee?
I suppose under-roasting and over-roasting are somewhat relative. I generally prefer a lighter roast (just after the completion of first crack) which might be under-roasted to some tastes.
I've ...
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7
votes
What can I do with bad coffee beans?
Ground coffee works well as an odor reducer. You can place it in a sachet or, more simply, in a bowl in the back of your refrigerator to help reduce/eliminate unwanted odors.
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6
votes
Is it possible to grow plants in used coffee ground so that they get coffee flavor?
Although the way plants digest food is very different to humans, the overall principle is the same: nutrients go in, and are completely broken down into very basic building blocks (amino acids, simple ...
- 6,987
6
votes
Accepted
How best to reduce tannins in black coffee?
Salt can reduce the perception of bitterness.
Sugar-alternatives can help too (stevia, et al.).
But assuming you don't want to add anything to your straight black coffee, I would change what you have ...
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6
votes
What makes Brazilian coffee unique compared to coffee from other countries?
Brazil is unique in that it is the largest producer of coffee, but it is also unique in that it produces a huge volume of dry processed coffee. Dry processing is not unheard of, but is much rarer in ...
- 6,455
6
votes
Accepted
How should I get the most flavors from my coffee in different temperatures while drinking?
Interesting question.
You are not alone when noticing flavor differences with different temperatures of coffee. When cupping coffee in a controlled lab situation for Quality Control purposes, I will ...
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6
votes
Accepted
Does there exist a coffee which is not bitter?
great question.
There are a few factors that will give your coffee the flavor and such that you want. To fully answer your question, we also need to understand some of your preferences and the ...
5
votes
How should I order an espresso to get a less sour shot?
Taste is subjective but a high-end espresso should not taste sour. Old coffee, poorly roasted coffee, and inferior grade coffee are the main culprits.
The following is a pet theory, not science: ...
- 1,267
5
votes
How does coffee grind size affect coffee taste
In your title, you mention grind consistency. This is different from but related to grind size - an inconsistent grind (such as a whirling-blade type "grinder") will have sizes all over the map, from ...
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5
votes
Does the hardness of water matter when making coffee?
Just to provide more information to reaffirm @joshua's answer, there is an entire book that talks about this topic: Water For Coffee - Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood & Christopher H. Hendon with ...
- 616
5
votes
Accepted
Differences between Chemex & V60
Here's a few more things to add to @fredley's answer.
Since the water is going to be in contact with the grounds for a longer time (1- using greater volume of water, and 2- Chemex filter will be ...
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5
votes
How much does the shape of the drinking vessel change the flavor?
According to my "Lavazza Barista Guide" the shape of the cup affects the foam of the espresso and indirectly affects the taste.
It is explained as; the foam helps to protect the valuable ingredients ...
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5
votes
What makes Brazilian coffee unique compared to coffee from other countries?
Actually, Brazilian Coffee is not so unique. According to the book on coffee that I have (from 2014), Brazil is the leading producing country for coffee in terms of volume - it produces 35% of the ...
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5
votes
Accepted
What are the basic parameters that affect the flavor?
After some time has passed and no one answered, yet. Maybe I can come up with an answer. The question is not clear and if I understood correctly, the answer is too broad. Therefore, I will try to ...
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5
votes
Accepted
How can I determine the origins of coffee beans in a blend?
The short answer is no. Short of genetic testing, it is near impossible to determine the origin of beans.
You may be able to make an educated guess at the whether or not Robusta beans are in the ...
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5
votes
What are the flavor characteristics of under-roasted coffee?
I think this discussion should start with the Maillard reaction; known as caramelization.
When the beans are roasted, a chemical reaction activated by heat reduce sugars (more correctly, hydrocarbons)...
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5
votes
How to prevent Bonavita 1900 TS drip-brewer from producing bitter flavored coffee?
I recently purchased the Bonavita as well. After years of using basic automatic drip coffee makers this was an adjustment. I still haven't perfected the art of the cup using the Bonavita. The problem ...
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5
votes
Accepted
What makes coffee from a coffee shop/cafe better than the coffee I make at home?
Three things contribute to a good cup of coffee.
The coffee itself.
The tools used to prepare the coffee.
The skills of the person making the coffee.
Unless you're talking about espresso or espresso ...
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