Medium Format and Coffee

[P. Chong]

interestingly, chilli works surprising well in espresso. Just a touch for some heat. Having said that, I drink mine with just sugar.

Dave,
Next time add steamed milk and cacao. Works for me...
Matt

 

[anyone]

New Espresso setup! A Flair Signature.
All manual, of course... it took a bit of practice to get a tasty Espresso out. Most important is the good grinder, as really fine adjustments make a world of difference. The Comandante I use had to be modified with an extra-precise adjustment mechanism. The testing for the right adjustments had a lot of similarities with shimming the height of film holders for flatbed scanners Very fine increments are needed.

The process of preparing Espresso itself is rather nice. Heat the water, pre-heat the components, grind the coffee, compress it, assemble the boiling group, pre-rinse the coffee with low pressure, and finally brew with higher pressure. The pressure gauge helps a lot to stay in the right range.

I really like the results and the all manual process. Needless to say it’s not for quick Espressi in the morning! For the morning coffee I continue to use my V60.



Hasselblad 500C/M, Planar 80, Proxar, IQ1 60

 

[MartinN]

Whew ! I simply could not get anything done if I started with such elaborations.

 

[anyone]

Whew ! I simply could not get anything done if I started with such elaborations.

Film shooters can spot the similarities in the process

 

[MartinN]

Film shooters can spot the similarities in the process

It is because I develop and do film, that I like to switch the on the machine, wait, grind and tamp and see the liquid emerge. Some seem to be even more busy than that.

 

[gme2815]

In 2007, I had to take a three month leave between jobs. My self-appointed task during that period was to understand why the worst cup of coffee in Italy was better than the best cup of coffee in the US. I quickly found the serious online coffee community, and learned that, as good light is to photography, so freshly roasted beans are to coffee. It doesn't guarantee a great shot (ho ho), but without it, you're screwed.

I also learned that fancy equipment had nothing to do with great coffee. But we're in the MF forum, so when did that stop us? This is my third espresso machine (the last one, similar to the current one, was with me for over 10 years.) The grinder is my 5th? 6th? You can't get a too good grinder. After the beans, it's the most important tool. There is an Italian saying that the four important elements of coffee are (they all start with the letter "M" in Italian) Machine, Grinder, Beans, and Barista, and the first is the least important.

To put these beasts in Camera terms, the machine is Leica M10 territory, and the grinder is Sony A7RIII.

If you want non-espresso coffee, which is much more versatile, a good drip (Kalita Wave), French press, Moka pot, or Aeropress will do spectacularly. But GAS...



Yes, it's a snapshot with an X1D

Matt

What brand grinder is that?

 

[MGrayson]

What brand grinder is that?

That is a Kafatek Monolith Flat. I had a Versalab M3 for several years before I got the Kafatek. Their performance was very similar, except that the belt drive on the Versalab would slip on light roasts. The Kafatek is, for my purposes, perfect. I grind mostly for espresso. If a dedicated pour-over grinder would be better, I can't say. Some people have two sets of burrs and switch them as needed. I'm not THAT fanatical.

One caveat - these grinders are produced in batches, and preorders sell out very quickly. If you want one, get on the mailing list and prepare to hit buttons very quickly on release day. They also make a conical model and a larger flat model aimed more at pour-over.

--Matt

 

[gme2815]

That is a Kafatek Monolith Flat. I had a Versalab M3 for several years before I got the Kafatek. Their performance was very similar, except that the belt drive on the Versalab would slip on light roasts. The Kafatek is, for my purposes, perfect. I grind mostly for espresso. If a dedicated pour-over grinder would be better, I can't say. Some people have two sets of burrs and switch them as needed. I'm not THAT fanatical.

One caveat - these grinders are produced in batches, and preorders sell out very quickly. If you want one, get on the mailing list and prepare to hit buttons very quickly on release day. They make a conical model and a larger flat model aimed more at pour-over.

--Matt

Thanks, Matt! Much appreciated! It's a beautiful machine...a medium format coffee grinder!

 

[MGrayson]

Coffee related, but not MF, I'm afraid.
I've moved into the big leagues - buying green coffee from importers who don't sell less than 10kg boxes. Here's what happens when you lift the coffee out of the shipping box without checking the integrity of the bag:


The coffee community eagerly awaits my results from roasting Peruvian Organic Diamante Flores mixed with small amounts of Kitty Litter (164 grams made it onto the floor).

Matt

 

[Steve Hendrix]

Coffee related, but not MF, I'm afraid.
I've moved into the big leagues - buying green coffee from importers who don't sell less than 10kg boxes. Here's what happens when you lift the coffee out of the shipping box without checking the integrity of the bag:
View attachment 192699

The coffee community eagerly awaits my results from roasting Peruvian Organic Diamante Flores mixed with small amounts of Kitty Litter (164 grams made it onto the floor).

Matt

Did your kitties think it was Meow Mix?


Steve Hendrix/CI

 

[MartinN]

Kopi Luwak anyone ?

 

[Greg Haag]

Ok, so I have been loosely following this coffee connoisseur/aficionado thread and am getting drawn in. Matt it would appear you roast your own beans, does that make a big difference? In following earlier posts, it appears grinders are important. I am more of a French press coffee drinker. Any recommendations on a starter setup? This is what I currently use today.

 

[anyone]

Ok, so I have been loosely following this coffee connoisseur/aficionado thread and am getting drawn in. Matt it would appear you roast your own beans, does that make a big difference? In following earlier posts, it appears grinders are important. I am more of a French press coffee drinker. Any recommendations on a starter setup? This is what I currently use today.

A very good manual coffee grinder is the Comandante (link is on the word) which I use. Of course it needs some dedication and manual work to grind your coffee by hand ;-) Others might be able to recommend a good electric grinder if you'd like to go down that route.

With the grinder alone, you'll be able to upgrade your French Press experience quite a bit, assuming your previous starting point was buying ground coffee off the shelf.

Now when it comes to preparing your coffee, there are several good options: AeroPress, V60 filter, French Press ... or Espresso.
I use mainly V60 filter for everyday use and like it. In order to get good results, a simple scale is needed, and a kettle with temperature control. New to my kit is the Flair Signature all manual espresso maker pictured above, but that is arguably a niche device and needs not only some, but a lot of dedication

Edit: oh, is that Bodum thing a grinder?

 

[MGrayson]

Fortunately, cats generally stay away from the beans - they're too bitter. The coffee cherries are eaten by some animals and .. returned.

New Espresso setup! A Flair Signature.
All manual, of course... it took a bit of practice to get a tasty Espresso out. Most important is the good grinder, as really fine adjustments make a world of difference. The Comandante I use had to be modified with an extra-precise adjustment mechanism. The testing for the right adjustments had a lot of similarities with shimming the height of film holders for flatbed scanners Very fine increments are needed.

The process of preparing Espresso itself is rather nice. Heat the water, pre-heat the components, grind the coffee, compress it, assemble the boiling group, pre-rinse the coffee with low pressure, and finally brew with higher pressure. The pressure gauge helps a lot to stay in the right range.

I really like the results and the all manual process. Needless to say it’s not for quick Espressi in the morning! For the morning coffee I continue to use my V60.

Ooooh! A Flair! Never seen one in the wild. Cool!

Greg,

As far as roasting goes - I certainly don't roast as well as the better roasters, especially blending, which I don't yet do. But it does let me try coffees that may not be available roasted, or roast them to my preferred level. I'm at the Conscious Incompetence stage, but learning is fun - and occasionally very tasty.

Making world-class coffee CAN be relatively simple. Recently roasted beans are a MUST. Buy them from someone with a Roast Date, NOT a use before date. Fresh beans for coffee is like good light to a photographer. Think freshly baked bread versus stale bread. It's that stark.

Next is the grinder and, I'm afraid, it HAS to be a good one. That does not necessarily mean expensive. Please take that Bodum and hurl it as far from you as possible - preferably with rocket assist. You need a burr grinder. It can be a hand grinder or an electric one. If you're not doing espresso, a hand grinder isn't too much of a pain. I don't have a lot of experience there, but @anyone has a nice looking one above. There are "good enough" electric grinders in the few-hundred-dollar range.

Here's the good news. If you want a stupidly foolproof way of making a great cup of drip (i.e., non-espresso) coffee, there is the Aeropress. It costs $40 and gets you between 80% and 100% of the way to perfection. It won't have that "strong grounds" flavor of French Press (which I quite like), but it will show off the best qualities of anything you throw in it. You need a source of hot water (simply boiling it is not optimal) but a kettle with a thermometer isn't difficult to come by. Or just pour boiling water into a container and let it cool a bit while keeping a thermometer in it.

Finally, watch some videos. There are religious wars about who knows what, but I like James Hoffmann. He has a four part series on the Aeropress, but I find that in practice, one can be a lot sloppier and still do quite well.

Almost everything I know about coffee I've learned from the forums at home-barista.com . There are beginners and people who run coffee equipment supply companies, those who roast for a living and everything in between.

Have fun!

Matt

Edit: I agree with everything @anyone says above...

 

[Greg Haag]

Please take that Bodum and hurl it as far from you as possible - preferably with rocket assist.

It has ground its last bean!! I had no idea!

 

[MGrayson]

It has ground its last bean!! I had no idea!

The problem with whirling blades is that the particle size distribution is VERY spread out. Your brew ends up with a mix of over extracted small coffee particles (stuff you didn't want to come out of them comes out) and under extracted larger particles (stuff you want is still stuck inside). You want a fairly narrow distribution so that you get mostly what you want out of each coffee particle.

 

[Greg Haag]

Matt, as @anyone recommended, I have a Comandante on the way. I am now working on finding a kettle with temperature control. So at this point would you order green beans or find a source for fresh roasted beans?

 

[anyone]

Matt, as @anyone recommended, I have a Comandante on the way. I am now working on finding a kettle with temperature control. So at this point would you order green beans or find a source for fresh roasted beans?

Good choice! I would go for fresh roasted beans. Maybe there is a local coffee roaster nearby? Don‘t forget the scale. Mine is pretty much one of the cheapest on Amazon..(any kitchen scale will be good enough, so most likely that point is already covered).

 

[Alan]

The Comandante is good. Another is the Orphan Espresso Lido series. I’ve been using one for 8 years or so with a manual lever machine.

Also, follow Matt’s advice to look for a roast date less than a week old on the beans.

 

[MGrayson]

Matt, as @anyone recommended, I have a Comandante on the way. I am now working on finding a kettle with temperature control. So at this point would you order green beans or find a source for fresh roasted beans?

Order from places that ship freshly roasted beans. I order from
klatchroasting.com
nossacoffee.com
georgehowellcoffee.com

By trial and error, I've found blends I like from those three. There's a list of sponsor roasters at home-barista.com. All of them are good, but there are plenty of others out there. Some of the more famous ones tend to get bought up by mega-corps, so it's good to keep to medium or small operations.

Oh right! A scale! We live in an age of wonders, and a good 1/10 gram scale can be had for under $15. Not that you NEED 1/10 gram accuracy, but 1 gram accuracy is too coarse.