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I will not go into any political discussion, theory or similar, but I can give you a few historical facts.
There have always been times in the last few centuries when coffee was a rare commodity. And it has always been expensive to some degree, making it "something for special occasions" in the poorer parts of European societies.
People used and still use ...
7
On the less conspiratorial side of things, the problems you are describing can also be explained by less sinister circumstances. Coffee that has been roasted too dark is often bitter and somewhat fishy (depending on the varietal of beans and other factors). Robusta beans may also be blended with the more widely accepted Arabica coffee to lower cost and ...
7
An easy (but unscrupulous) way to lower the seller's cost of coffee is to add coffee that is cheaper, older, or unfit for consumption because spoiled or contaminated. The frequency and severity of this problem is almost impossible to quantify because the resale of such coffee is by definition illegal and, when discovered, probably not front-page news.
...
5
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 based drinks (cappuccino) the skill involved is easily developed.
Do you use a burr grinder or a blade to grind your coffee? Or do you use pre-ground coffee? ...
4
If the coffee is, (ground or not) sealed directly after roasting, the coffee will still gas out, releasing CO2 as a result from the roasting process wich leads to inflated bags. On many coffee bags, especially from "smaller" roasters there is a little valve integrated to let this excess CO2 escape rahter than blow up the bag.
This happens for up to two weeks ...
4
One method to stretch coffee is to grind it finer. This leads to over extraction and a bitter taste. There isn't much of a saving. In the plant I managed, we produced 2.5 oz. pouches for coffee service companies. A coarser grind in 2.75 oz. pouches was produced for hotels and restaurants.
4
Robusta is often used to "cut" blended coffee because it is most often cheaper to purchase than Arabica beans. Since it generally has a higher level of caffeine than Arabica, it may also be used to up the "kick" of blended coffee.
Robusta is generally though to have an inferior flavor to Arabica, partially because the extra caffeine imparts some ...
4
It's important to note that you should be thinking of your entire espresso budget (i.e. Machine, Grinder, and Accessories) when trying to find the "right" price. If you were to buy a $1000 machine, you'd want to spend minimally $300 on an espresso grinder. If you're looking at spending a $1000 total and go with something that requires a little more technique,...
3
Inert gases are known to be chemically stable; they don't react with materials around. Based on that fact Ernesto Illy, the son of the founder of the famous coffee roasting company, invented the method of filling a can of roasted coffee beans with pressurized inert gases. Many years they held the patent for this method and still pressurized roasted coffee ...
3
Coffee is at it's heart and agricultural product and suffers from some of the same issues apples do plus some additional ones stemming from it's need to be roasted/stored/ground and brewed before use.
Different strains of arabica beans will produce varied tasting quality similar to the types of apples. However, even the highest quality plants still need to ...
3
This is a fairly general question, so pardon me for a slightly generic answer.
First thing you'll want to consider is the quality of the coffee itself. Typically, the more expensive a coffee is, the higher quality it will be. It's the age old phrase, 'You get what you pay for".
Secondly, the less steps from it being picked to it being in your cup, the ...
2
First, I think you need to start with the quality of the bean you bought. I have noticed both at Sam's Club and Costco that more often than not, the bags of beans are not sealed. You need to dig to find a bag where the beans don't slide around inside the bag. If you can shake the bag and the beans move around like a box of cereal, move on to the next bag! ...
2
After years of experience, the answer is simply depends on your budget and how much you want to invest in coffee.
This is coffee; if you are experienced, you can brew magic out of one dollar cezve or a two dollar moka. If you use low quality beans you may spoil ten grand espresso machines.
First, believe in your technique and invest in your experience, ...
2
Regarding quality issues, the chances are the gas in the pod isn't air. Perishable products are frequently described as being 'packaged in a protective atmosphere'.
As to why, I'm not sure what the need would be. It could just be a difference in atmospheric pressure between the factory and your location which means the pods bulge.
1
These things can affect grind buyoancy:
Roast level--lighter tends to be more buoyant due to greater retention of gasses during roasting
Roast freshness--fresher roasts retain more gasses due to less time spent off gassing; this effect is compounded by roast level
Grind freshness--fresher grinds retain more gasses due to less time spent off gassing
Grind ...
1
It is perfectly normal for the grounds to fall to the bottom relatively soon, even before pressing. In fact, you don't even need to press, you can just use the plunger as a strainer when you're done brewing. If your coffee tastes too sour, it is most probably underextracted. A weak ("light") body also hints at underextraction. To increase ...
1
My first espresso machine was a Nuova Simonelli Oscar which I bought for $400 on Craigslist. I have switched to a fully manual Olympia Cremina since then, which costs three times more, and is in a sense, a far more difficult machine to use.
The Oscar was exceptionally temp stable, had massive steaming power, made repeatable shots, and was a whole lot of ...
1
I suggest your first port of call should be the operators manual. Here is an excerpt:
• Empty and clean the coffee grounds drawer daily, with the machine turned on.
• After having removed the coffee grounds drawer, remove the liquids from the tray placed under the brew group.
Note: We recommend emptying the container if the machine is not going to be used ...
1
In Spain, it's common to find "Torrefacto", where the beans are glazed with sugar during the roasting process, historically to increase shelf life and mask the taste of low-quality coffee:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torrefacto
From the Article:
According to Sagi Cohen, the Torrefacto process allows coffee to be kept fresh for longer; lowers its price,...
1
I store beans two ways, 1. Place bag the beans came in, inside a plastic zip lock freezer bag, squeeze out the air and zip lock freezer bag. Place in freezer, when removing beans, allow to warm to room temperature to avoid moisture collecting on frozen beans after opening. The squeeze air out of original bag, the place inside plastic zip lock freezer bag, ...
1
Yeah, why not? Imagine a big container with all of your beans, there are gonna last the same time if you separate it on 3 containers. And the "oxygen expossure" will be minimal (not necessary), but at least will be better than having it at one big container.
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