Coffee and afternoon Tea tasting fun

[Tanked]

So, I can take the heatsink off of a spare motherboard and brew better coffee?

[dasaltemelosguy]

On 4/30/2023 at 11:42 AM, Tanked said:

So, I can take the heatsink off of a spare motherboard and brew better coffee?

Yep, that's about it! 🤣 It's hard to say how massive it needs to be, but I suppose you can just check the temps while it's brewing to keep it as close to 195* throughout the brew as you can. I think I made mine from LED heatsink stock. I forget, it was years ago. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/30/2023 at 11:42 AM, Tanked said:

So, I can take the heatsink off of a spare motherboard and brew better coffee?

I would highly encourage use of something that isn't treated and is made of stainless steel.  Most heatsinks are aluminum or copper.

In terms of cooking, you can look into materials used (and cautioned against) for cooking to find reasons why for the above.

Miir just came out with a stainless steel carafe brewer that might fit the bill.  Maintain heat, that's basically the entire goal.

@dasaltemelosguy check this out:

 

[boylesdowntothis]

 

On 4/30/2023 at 3:44 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

I would highly encourage use of something that isn't treated and is made of stainless steel.  Most heatsinks are aluminum or copper.

In terms of cooking, you can look into materials used (and cautioned against) for cooking to find reasons why for the above.

Miir just came out with a stainless steel carafe brewer that might fit the bill.  Maintain heat, that's basically the entire goal.

oh no, please don't tell me that.  i still use my beloved wagner aluminum dutch oven from 1950!  makes ahell of a ragu though!  🍴🙏 😂

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 4/30/2023 at 6:55 PM, boylesdowntothis said:

makes ahell of a ragu though!

You ain't tried noth'n 'til you've had @dasaltemelosguy's meatball recipe!  (I hope my attempts at properly spelling the vulgar vernacular I used were accurate.  It's quite challenging to be sure at times. 🤪) 

[Tanked]

On 4/30/2023 at 6:44 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

I would highly encourage use of something that isn't treated and is made of stainless steel.  Most heatsinks are aluminum or copper.

In terms of cooking, you can look into materials used (and cautioned against) for cooking to find reasons why for the above.

Miir just came out with a stainless steel carafe brewer that might fit the bill.  Maintain heat, that's basically the entire goal.

@dasaltemelosguy check this out:

 

On Friday, the Bunn machine in the shop decided to steep the coffee. It doesn't have that feature.  Coffee and grounds everywhere.  If I want to intentionally slow down the brew process at home, I just double the filters.

The video has some interesting ideas, but really good coffee is not the reason most of us buy an automated coffee maker..    

 

 

[H20 Plecos]

I am not a coffee or tea connoisseur. But I do have daily coffee consist cold coffee medium roast with liquid creamer. Because, I based 11 months out of year, I selected cold brew. The winter, I select hot tea; with earl gray or oolong tea. I would like to venture out in to this, only time will tell. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 5/2/2023 at 1:08 AM, H20 Plecos said:

I am not a coffee or tea connoisseur. But I do have daily coffee consist cold coffee medium roast with liquid creamer. Because, I based 11 months out of year, I selected cold brew. The winter, I select hot tea; with earl gray or oolong tea. I would like to venture out in to this, only time will tell. 

The last 2 bags of coffee went right into the cold brew machine 🙂   I definitely enjoy that stuff too and it's easy to make at home, generally cheap!

Alright....

Today's delight is Tazo Wild Sweet Orange Tea.  It was on sale at the store and I got 3 different types.  This is one of the morning teas that I do enjoy.  Some people have orange juice, but this is a lot less sugar intake!

Quote

Wild Sweet Orange is like finding a magical orange grove filled with the ripest and most juicy oranges but instead of using a ladder to get the fruit down, you plug in your electric guitar and blast the volume until it’s orange everywhere. That’s what the wild infusion of orange peel, lemongrass, citrus herbs and licorice root tastes like—music to your ears and taste buds.

The tea is cold at the time of tasting, but it's quite interesting.  Orange + Clove is something my mind goes into from cooking.  My brain is trained to like those two things together for whatever reason.  Some of the notes above remind me of that duality and I have to train my pallet to distinguish what's going on.

Grounds: Smells like you just cut into orange zest while cooking some Mediterranean food.  Delightful.

Nose: Slightly artificial or medicinal orange scent. The lemongrass does shade the aromatics too.

First Sip: There is a lot going on and it's difficult to discern.  The orange is hidden with other "earthy" spices.  Seems very acidic, but I am certain it's just that spice profile impacting me.  (I had to double check what was in the ingredients list just for my own sanity after tasting, I'll attach that below)

Finish:  If the start to the tea is very intense orange and spice flavor, the finish is of that lemongrass and clove (licorice root) flavor.  Very soft finish to compliment the initial harshness.  Very good for waking you up!

[nabokovfan87]

New coffee time!

First time I've had this brand and it was affordable, especially for 2.2 lbs.

Came in from the amazon a bit crushed up on the bottom, but it'll be ok.  I just wanted to note that for anyone considering.  The bag doesn't have a roast date, seems like it should be fresh.  I don't see an air valve or anything, the bag just sort of breathes as it needs to.  I don't know if that is a cause for concern with regards to oxygen getting in and making things stale, let's see....



Grounds: Very good smell!  It's like what you think of when you mentally think "coffee scent".  Oak, a bit of almond, savory spices.

Nose:  Very dark and dense.  It's been a minute since I've had dark roast coffee and it's usually one of my favorites! I'm excited.

First Sip:  A little watery, maybe the recipe is off or time brewing off, but I think this coffee is a bit stale 😞 .  Flavors are very muted.  It tastes clean and clear, but it's just a bit muted when it comes to direct flavors.  I taste roasted nutty tones, tannins, and a little bit of the rooibos tea type of acid.

Finish: A bit acidic to my taste. I don't taste a whole lot.  It's just a clean cup of black coffee.  Not a lot else going on.

Edited June 12, 2023 by nabokovfan87

[nabokovfan87]

A very neat little crossover.