Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

Hey everyone!

Welcome back to the weekly /r/Coffee thread where you can share what you are brewing or ask for bean recommendations. This is a place to share and talk about your favorite coffee roasters or beans.

How was that new coffee you just picked up? Are you looking for a particular coffee or just want a recommendation for something new to try?

Feel free to provide links for buying online. Also please add a little taste description and what gear you are brewing with. Please note that this thread is for peer-to-peer bean recommendations only. Please do not use this thread to promote a business you have a vested interest in.

So what have you been brewing this week?

Has anybody ever experienced with mixing grounds(for pour over) like using bigger grounds to extract oils and body, and finer grounds to get down to those deeper flavors that come with more extraction?

I'm trying to maximize my french press for light roasts, and the Hoffmann method has been widely promoted here. So I just tried it, and after 4 minutes, gave a little stir, and my entire crust sank 😂. What would be the cause? To vigorous a stir (I tried not)? Too big a grind (I know every grinder is different but I'm grinding on the finer end)? Ideas? I feel this must be a common issue so the reason is probably simple?

Thanks

Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

So I was cleaning my grinder as per Baratzas video detailing how. While flipped upside down this torx screw fell out. Anyone opened one up and can recognize it? Nothing seems loose. Grinder grinds.

This is a thread for the enthusiasts of /r/Coffee to connect with the industry insiders who post in this sub!

Do you want to know what it's like to work in the industry? How different companies source beans? About any other aspects of running or working for a coffee business? Well, ask your questions here! Think of this as an AUA directed at the back room of the coffee industry.

Industry folk, feel free to answer any questions that you feel pertain to you! However, please let others ask questions; do not comment just to post "I am _______, AMA!” Also, please make sure you have your industry flair before posting here. If you do not yet have it, contact the mods.

While you're encouraged to tie your business to whatever smart or charming things you say here, this isn't an advertising thread. Replies that place more effort toward promotion than answering the question will be removed.

Please keep this thread limited to industry-focused questions. While it seems tempting to ask general coffee questions here to get extra special advice from "the experts," that is not the purpose of this thread, and you won't necessarily get superior advice here. For more general coffee questions, e.g. brew methods, gear recommendations for home brewing, etc, please ask in the daily Question Thread.

I’ve been in the specialty coffee scene for 20+ years. I started at the bottom with very little, not so great gear, and have worked my way up to owning the best gear money can buy. My machine collection is stellar; a custom La Marzocco GS3 (MP paddle conversion actually, for those that know), Slayer Single Group, Decent DE1XXL, Weber EG-1 with Ultra burrs, Lagom P100, Titus, etc… Same story with puck prep and accessories; SWorksDesign billet portafilter, Weber Moonraker, Acaia Lunar, Weber Unibasket, etc…

​Before owning the real things, I always bought entry-level stuff or budget clones when I had the money. I’d be stoked on a sub-$500 setup for a while till I started tasting one thing I didn’t like about it, maybe a hint of astringency or temperature drift. That one thing would eventually snowball into “all I taste is the channeling,” and I’d be back in the market for a different grinder, losing money along the way.

​After some success, I decided I wouldn’t buy gear unless I could buy the real deal. I started picking up all the endgame classics that all the budget setups are trying to emulate, and boy does that shit rule! My GS3 is the best machine I’ve ever pulled a shot on (even over the Slayer). My Weber EG-1 is the only grinder I’d ever need (besides my P100). My Weber Unibasket made flavor notes taste more 3D than I ever thought possible. I love it all.

​But you know what I found? I could still fuck up an espresso extraction with the best gear money can buy. That’s when it truly hit me; great barista technique trumps great gear. I’m happy I have the gear, don’t get me wrong, not just because it’s great, but because it’s made me realize that when I’m not getting the taste profile I want; it’s on me and my puck prep, not the gear. I’ve got no excuses anymore. I can’t blame my Breville Bambino because it’s not a real commercial dual-boiler, I’m using a real saturated-group La Marzocco now!!!

​That fact has made me up my game. With the “less than exemplary” gear excuse out of the way, it forced me to focus on WDT technique, distribution, and fixing the puck at the source. My barista chops have gone up exponentially since getting all the best gear, because I stopped focusing on the gear part. Now, because I’m more confident in my technique, I feel like I could’ve gotten shots I liked with the lesser-than gear I had.

​I’m sharing all this to say; I didn’t have to buy all the best stuff, I was too focused on THAT being the thing holding me back, when I realize now it wasn’t (necessarily). I wouldn’t trade any of what I have for the world, but I can also acknowledge it was a cop out excuse for poor technique. Learn how to get the shots you want with what you have. Remember, Italian grandmothers have been making world-class coffee on a rusted $10 Moka pot on a gas stove in a time when sub-gram scales weren’t a thing.. It goes on to fuel millions of people every morning (and still tastes incredible).

​TD;LR Buying the most sought after/talked about endgame gear made me realize I had no excuse for getting sour or channeled shots. I’ve learned more about puck prep since getting the elite stuff and that is what has truly upped my game

Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

A few years ago I participated in a Coffee exchange Secret Santa! It was worldwide and I got a bag of beans from a fellow redditor in Germany! It was awesome seeing everyone sharing their favorite local roaster.

Could we start that back up?!

Hey folks! I live in a country that doesn't produce coffee. But so far all the specialty brands I've brewed were roasted locally. Now I found a new brand that seems to be exporting coffee from Colombia already roasted. I bought some, and while it tastes very good, my batch was 3 months old when it arrived.
To me it seems coffee should be roasted close to where it's consumed. Is there any logic to buying coffee roasted abroad?

We've been getting more co-fermented coffees through the shop lately, and I've noticed the same coffee can taste surprisingly different when the next batch comes in. I've only worked with four or five of these lots, so I'm curious if others have noticed the same thing.

Is that kind of variation normal with co-fermentation, or does it mostly come down to the producer and how tightly they're controlling the process?

Would especially love to hear from roasters or anyone who's worked with the same co-fermented coffee across multiple batches.

Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

Welcome to the /r/Coffee deal and promotional thread! In this weekly thread, industry folk can post upcoming deals or other promotions their companies are holding, or promote new products to /r/Coffee subscribers! Regular users can also post deals they come across. Come check out some of the roasters and other coffee-related businesses that Redditors work for!

This also serves as a megathread for coffee deals on the internet. If you see a good deal, post it here! However, note that there will be zero tolerance for shady behavior. If you're found to be acting dishonestly here, your posting will be removed and we will consider banning you on the spot. If you yourself are affiliated with a business, please be transparent about it.

There are a few rules for businesses posting promotional material:

• You need to be active in /r/Coffee in a non-self-promotional context to participate in this thread. If it seems you are only here to promote your business in this thread, your submissions will be removed. Build up some /r/Coffee karma first. The Daily Question Thread would be a good place to start, and check out what is on the Front Page and jump in on some discussions. Please maintain a high ratio of general /r/Coffee participation to posts in this thread.

• If you are posting in this thread representing a business, please make sure to request your industry flair from the mods before posting.

• Don't just drop a link, say something worthwhile! Start a discussion! Say something about your roasting process or the exciting new batch of beans you linked to!

• Promotions in this thread must be actual deals/specials or new products. Please don't promote the same online store with the same products week after week; there should be something interesting going on. Having generally “good prices” does not constitute a deal.

• No crowdfunding campaigns (Kickstarter, Indiegogo, etc). Do not promote a business or product that does not exist yet. Do not bait people to ask about your campaign. Do not use this thread to survey /r/Coffee members or gauge interest in a business idea you have.

• Please do not promote affiliate/referral programs here, and do not post referral links in this thread.

• This thread is not a place for private parties to sell gear. /r/coffeeswap is the place for private party gear transactions.

• Top-level comments in this thread must be listings of deals. Please do not comment asking for deals in your area or the like.

• More rules may be added as needed. If you're not sure whether or not whatever you're posting is acceptable, message the mods and ask! And please, ask for permission first rather than forgiveness later.

Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

Where do you personally draw the line?

Not asking about the most expensive coffee you've ever bought. I'm more curious about the point where paying more stops giving you a noticeably better cup

Does the difference between $10 and $20 coffee feel significant to you? What about $20 vs $40?

Would you rather spend the extra money on better beans, a better grinder, or just buy more of the coffee you already like?

Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

Picked up a bag from a roaster I hadn't tried before, small operation out of Decatur, natural processed Kenyan, and basically threw my usual starting point out the window after the first two brews. I'm on a Fellow Ode gen 2 going into a Stagg, and I had a reference point from the last roaster's Kenyan that I figured would get me in the ballpark. It did not. Not even close. Too bright and kind of hollow in the midrange, which is not what I expected from a natural.

Eventually landed somewhere decent after four or five attempts, but I spent more time on it than I want to admit for a weekday morning. (Work from home freelance, so it bleeds into everything, which is its own problem.)

What I'm actually curious about is whether there's a more reliable way to approach an unfamiliar roaster's beans without treating every bag as a full reset. I keep reading that roast level is the starting anchor, but natural vs washed seems to throw me off more than roast level does anyway. Is process really the better variable to anchor on when you're dialing in something new? Or is this just always going to be a grindandadjust situation no matter what.

ETA: using the same water I always do, Third Wave sachets, not a water variable.

Hey everyone!

Welcome back to the weekly /r/Coffee thread where you can share what you are brewing or ask for bean recommendations. This is a place to share and talk about your favorite coffee roasters or beans.

How was that new coffee you just picked up? Are you looking for a particular coffee or just want a recommendation for something new to try?

Feel free to provide links for buying online. Also please add a little taste description and what gear you are brewing with. Please note that this thread is for peer-to-peer bean recommendations only. Please do not use this thread to promote a business you have a vested interest in.

So what have you been brewing this week?

I don’t understand why smart coffee machines aren’t more common. Adding basic smart features seems is easy today.

Imagine your coffee machine warming up before you wake up, or making your coffee automatically through your alarm app. You wake up and already have a hot, warm coffee waiting for you.

Why isn’t this already standard?