Am I missing something? I have a Moka pot and a couple of presses, but I keep going back to my drip - not as oily, I guess. What other ways are there to keep the oils to a minimum, or again am I just missing something?
I Keep going back to my drip - does that make me a jacka$$?
- Thread starter sean
- Start date
thejavaman
BoM December 2012
Paper filters are about the only way to trap the oils. Espresso, Moka Pots, French Press, etc. all let most of the oils through into the cup. I go out of my way to GET the oils. Different strokes, brutha.
javajunkie
BoM July '12
yeah, i use a bunn with a wire mesh basket to get the unctuous goodness (and i'm lazy mostly). if the heavier texture is not your thing, man, no shame.
we're just going to call you javalady from now on. o)
we're just going to call you javalady from now on. o)
Can you brother's enlighten me as to what I am missing then? I mean, I know that I have grown up on a drip - it is what I know best - and maybe I need to venture out of my comfort zone. But when I try, I just end up with greasy teeth that taste like char... No me gusta. I am sure that I am grinding too fine with my press (I always over-grind, even when I am trying not too), and then I am probably screwing up the grind/water ratio because my pressed coffee is bordering on something Turkish...
Slidzero
Belicoso Brother
What size of french press do you have? 8 cup? 4 cup? And grind and ratio will make a huge difference in how your coffee comes out. The flavors and subtleties of the coffee and the roast are found in those oils, which is why many coffee aficionados prefer pressing. Much like the oils of a cigar enhance the cigar. If your cigar dries out and all those oils evaporate then the cigar will never be the same again even if you are able to re-humidify it.
Since you guys are talking about French presses. I don't own one but have been thinking about getting one. What make/model would you recommend. I've only had pressed coffee once when I went to England more than 10 years ago...it was the best cup of joe that I ever had. I currently use a Bunn with paper filters and it's OK but I feel that I can do better.
thejavaman
BoM December 2012
Slidzero
Belicoso Brother
As far as the grind it should be a medium-coarse grind. I tend to go for a coarser grind. As far as ratio I use an electronic food scale to measure out my beans. For an 8 cup press I weigh out 0.12 lbs. of beans. Then I grind them, put them in the press, heat the water to just off boil (I go for 185-200). You don't want it boiling though. If you want you can start playing with water temperature as that will change how your coffee tastes too.
Here is a link to picture showing grind.
http://www.blogiversity.org/blogs/alexgreene/coffee-grind-size-large.jpg
Here is a link to picture showing grind.
http://www.blogiversity.org/blogs/alexgreene/coffee-grind-size-large.jpg
thejavaman
BoM December 2012
thejavaman
BoM December 2012
We're gonna have to make you the honorary third java brother on here if you keep droppin' knowledge like that!
So I have an 8 cup... I put about 6 tablespoons in (which is not as course as in your picture, but halfway in between the Press and Espresso).
Slidzero
Belicoso Brother
6 Tablespoons of ground beans or whole beans? And I would go coarser.
Slidzero
Belicoso Brother
6 Tablespoons maybe slightly weak depending on your taste in coffee. If you aren't able to weigh your beans before grinding them (which I highly recommend) the general rule is 2 Tablespoons per 8 oz. of water. So for an 8 cup (34oz) press 8 Tablespoons would be a good baseline and then tweak up or down accordingly.
I think that you should try to get a coarser grind too. If you buy your beans from a coffee shop they will probably grind them for free for a french press, but if you are grinding them yourself it just takes a little trial and error unless you are using a burr grinder.
The only other reason that i can think of that would cause you to get a bitter charred flavor is the beans you are using. There are several factors that can harm the flavor of the coffee: If you using beans that have been opened for longer than a week, you aren't storing them in an airtight container, if you are storing them in the fridge or freezer, or if they are exposed to high amounts of light. I have an airtight, UV tinted container that I store my beans in and I have noticed if I haven't used them all and it is nearing a week then the flavor suffers and I do get some weird burnt flavors that are off.
I hope this all has helped.
I think that you should try to get a coarser grind too. If you buy your beans from a coffee shop they will probably grind them for free for a french press, but if you are grinding them yourself it just takes a little trial and error unless you are using a burr grinder.
The only other reason that i can think of that would cause you to get a bitter charred flavor is the beans you are using. There are several factors that can harm the flavor of the coffee: If you using beans that have been opened for longer than a week, you aren't storing them in an airtight container, if you are storing them in the fridge or freezer, or if they are exposed to high amounts of light. I have an airtight, UV tinted container that I store my beans in and I have noticed if I haven't used them all and it is nearing a week then the flavor suffers and I do get some weird burnt flavors that are off.
I hope this all has helped.
I grind my own. The beans are in an airtight, opaque container, kept in a cool dark place... and I am beginning to think that I may not have an 8-cup. It has been a while since I bought it and I even forgot about it for about three years when my wife first moved in and we used hers (which was bigger). I am going measure it tomorrow morning, just to double check.