c/coffee-enthusiasts

Just heard someone at my local roastery order a pour over with a specific bloom time...

I was waiting for my usual drip coffee at Blue Bottle in San Francisco last Saturday and this guy walks up and asks for a V60 with a 45 second bloom. I never really thought about timing the bloom that precisely. I always just let it sit until it looked right, maybe 20 or 30 seconds. He said he noticed a huge difference in acidity when he started timing it to the second with a kitchen timer. I tried it this morning with my own beans and honestly, the flavor was way cleaner and less sour. Has anyone else played around with exact bloom times like that?

2 comments

simon717•7d ago

Pro tip: Ice cubes made a huge difference in my cold brew this morning

I was complaining to a barista at the shop on Main Street that my cold brew always tasted a bit flat. She told me to try brewing it double strength and then pouring it over big ice cubes instead of just diluting with water. I tried it with a batch of beans from a roaster in Portland and the flavor actually popped way more than I expected. Has anyone else found a weird trick like that for cold brew?

2 comments

the_fiona•7d ago

Had a customer tell me my Ethiopian Yirgacheffe tasted like 'dirty socks' last week

I mean I get it, light roasts can be acidic and weird if you're used to dark French press stuff. But she said it with such confidence, like she knew something I didn't. I've been roasting that same bean from the same Importer in Portland for about 2 years now. It got me thinking, maybe I'm too used to the funk and I've lost touch with what normal coffee drinkers actually want. Has anyone else had a customer totally call out your taste and make you doubt your whole setup?

2 comments

jones.anna•7d ago

Does anyone else find it weird when people store beans in the freezer?

I keep seeing posts online where folks toss their whole bag of expensive single origin beans right into the freezer. From my experience working retail, moisture is the enemy of anything stored long term. I ruined a $25 bag from a roaster in Portland that way because the beans absorbed freezer smells and tasted off. Am I the only one who thinks an airtight cabinet is better than the freezer?

2 comments

matthewkim•8d ago

That morning I pulled four bad espresso shots in a row at home

Honestly, last Tuesday was brutal. I woke up early at 6 AM to dial in some new beans from a local roaster in Portland, but every shot came out sour or bitter no matter what I tried. My grinder was set to the same number I always use, but the beans were way denser than I expected. Has anyone else had a coffee day where nothing goes right and you just have to walk away for a bit?

3 comments

margaret304•8d ago

Just realized my grinder was the problem all along

I was in my kitchen last Tuesday pulling my hair out because every pour-over I made came out bitter and over-extracted. Turns out my cheap blade grinder was creating tons of fines that clogged the filter at the bottom. I switched to a $20 hand burr grinder from Amazon and my V60 tastes way cleaner now, has anyone else dealt with uneven grind size ruining their morning cup?

3 comments

juliag10•9d ago

Just found out my fancy $30 bag of single-origin beans was roasted 4 months ago from a date stamp I missed on the back

Walked into a local roaster in Cleveland and the guy pulled out a bag with a roast date from June and said most shops hide that info, has anyone else checked their labels to find old stock?

3 comments

ross.kevin•9d ago

Wasted $80 on cheap coffee beans from Amazon before a friend made me try fresh roasted local stuff

I used to think coffee was coffee, you know? Bought a 2 pound bag of some random brand on Amazon for like $16 and thought I was saving money. Drank it for months, bitter and flat, just adding more creamer to choke it down. Then my neighbor brought over a bag from a roastery down the street, cost $18 for 12 ounces. Made a cup and I couldn't believe the difference. That first sip actually tasted like fruit and chocolate, not just burnt water. Now I'm kicking myself for wasting around $80 over 5 months on that Amazon junk. Has anyone else made the switch from bargain beans to fresh roasted?

3 comments

margaret304•14d ago

Guy at the roastery said cold brew should never go past 14 hours steep time

I've always done 24 hours myself but he was adamant that anything past 14 extracts bitter stuff you can't taste. Has anyone actually tested side by side to see if there's a real difference?

2 comments

the_evan•15d ago

Caught myself tamping with too much force for 2 years straight

I always pressed down super hard on my espresso tamp, like putting my whole body weight into it. At a cupping class in Austin last month, the instructor had us all grind the same beans and tamp differently. My shot came out at 18 seconds while theirs hit 27 seconds with way better flavor. Turns out I was compressing the puck so much the water channeled right through. Now I just level it with gentle pressure and get consistent pulls every time. Anyone else find out they were overdoing a basic step way later than they should have?

2 comments

jenny_coleman•15d ago

Just realized my local roastery in St. Paul overcharges for pour-overs

I stopped into Fika Coffee last Saturday and saw they want $6.50 for a single pour-over. That's more than I spend on a whole bag of decent beans from the grocery store. Am I missing something about why that price makes sense?

2 comments

derek_schmidt6•16d ago

I finally saw what 2 years of using a French press did to my morning routine

Used to be a pour-over guy, then switched to a French press about 2 years ago because my buddy in Austin swore by it. Yesterday morning I realized I haven't had a single rushed, messy coffee spill since I made the switch. With pour-over I was always burning my hand or dripping water everywhere. French press is just dump grounds in, pour water, wait, press. Did anyone else find their setup changed their whole morning vibe after a while?

2 comments

willow407•17d ago

Shoutout to that barista who said I was grinding way too fine

I kept getting these bitter shots and blamed my beans, but after Dave at Brew Lab told me to back off the grind setting by 3 clicks my espresso finally ran at 28 seconds instead of 45, anyone else stubbornly ignored grind advice for months before trying it?

3 comments

barbaraw47•17d ago

Why doesn't anyone talk about how cold brew can actually taste bitter if you steep it too long?

I let a batch sit for 30 hours instead of 24 and it came out so harsh I had to dump the whole half gallon down the sink, so now I'm wondering if anyone else has messed up their ratios or steep times worse than me.

3 comments

clark.robin•20d ago

Hot take: Cold brew versus iced pour over is a real debate people keep getting wrong

I was at a shop in Portland last weekend and this barista told me cold brew is the only way to get smooth iced coffee. But I think iced pour over brings out more flavor notes, like that bright acidity you lose in cold brew's 12 hour steep. Am I missing something or do people just follow the trend without testing both side by side? Has anyone else done a taste test and landed on one over the other?

2 comments

the_joseph•20d ago

Threw $50 at a fancy pour-over kettle that took forever to boil

I used to think spending more on gear meant better coffee, but that kettle was so slow I'd just microwave water instead. Wasted two months before I went back to my old stovetop one. Anyone else blow cash on kitchen gadgets that just sit there?

3 comments

parker_thomas•22d ago

Grinder died mid-pour over yesterday morning

My Baratza Encore just stopped working right as I was grinding beans for my morning coffee. It made this weird grinding noise and then nothing. I tried cleaning it out and checking the burrs but it's completely dead now. I've had it for about 4 years and put maybe 500 pounds of beans through it. Anyone have luck fixing these yourself or is it time to just buy a new one?

3 comments

the_ryan•23d ago

Vent: People who call themselves coffee lovers but only drink caramel syrups

I was at a cafe in Portland last week and overheard a guy order a "black coffee with oat milk and 4 pumps of caramel." That's not black coffee, my friend. I'm not here to judge what anyone drinks, but if you can't taste the actual bean through all that sugar, maybe don't call yourself a coffee enthusiast. It's like saying you're a car guy but only drive automatic rentals. Had to walk away before I said something rude. Anyone else run into this at local shops?

2 comments

the_kevin•24d ago

Can we talk about people who store their beans in the freezer

I keep seeing posts online where folks swear by freezing their coffee beans. I tried it once with a bag from a local roaster in Portland. After a week the beans tasted flat and stale. I think the moisture in the freezer messes with the oils. Anyone else notice this or am I doing it wrong?

3 comments

felix147•27d ago

Question about dialing in espresso after a kitchen reno in St. Louis

So we redid our kitchen last month (new counters, new layout, the whole deal) and I had to pack up my Gaggia Classic for 3 weeks. Got it all set back up yesterday and now I cannot get a decent shot to save my life. The grind seems off, the pressure feels different, or maybe my taste buds are just rusty? I've gone through a whole bag of beans trying to dial it back in and spent like 2 hours this morning pulling sink shots. Has anyone else dealt with this after moving their setup around? Any tips on resetting your routine without wasting a ton of coffee?

3 comments

shaneb16•1mo ago

Bought a $20 french press from the thrift store vs my fancy $150 espresso machine, and honestly the press wins every morning for the pure taste.

The espresso machine gives me 30 seconds of loud noise and a bitter shot, but that french press just sits there quietly for 4 minutes and makes a cup that actually tastes like the beans I paid for, has anyone else ditched their machine for something simpler?

3 comments

stella_murray•1mo ago

The guy who said my espresso was 'too sharp' - was he right?

Last month at a local shop in Portland, this older dude watched me pull a shot and just said 'that's way too sharp, you're rushing the pre-infusion.' I was honestly annoyed at first because I've been dialing in for months. But then he showed me his method with a 10-second bloom phase and it actually smoothed out the acidity. So now I'm torn - do you stick with your own style even if someone calls it out, or is it worth taking advice from a random expert every time? Curious how others handle feedback when you're proud of your setup.

2 comments

julia_miller24•1mo ago

Just realized my French press technique has been off for 3 years

Last Tuesday I was at a shop in Portland called Press House and the barista asked how I brew at home. I told her my routine and she just kinda stared at me. Turns out I've been pressing too fast this whole time. She showed me to push down slow over 30 seconds instead of like 5. Made a cup right there and it was way cleaner. Anyone else find out they've been doing something basic wrong for way too long?

2 comments

the_anthony•1mo ago

My espresso scale crapped out mid-pour yesterday and I nearly lost a $6 shot

It just died at 28 seconds into a 30 second extraction with my new Ethiopian beans from Blue Bottle, and I had to eyeball the rest - has anyone else had a scale fail at the worst possible moment and what did you switch to?

2 comments

olivia_harris19•1mo ago

Blew $40 on a fancy coffee thermometer. Totally unnecessary.

I bought this Acaia lunar scale with a built-in temp probe. Thought I needed exact numbers. Turns out my $10 instant read from the grocery store works just fine. Boiling water is 212 degrees. Who knew. Anyone else waste cash on coffee gadgets you don't really need?

3 comments