[Moderator Note: David is referring to an “adhoc” show Leo did from the attic. While it was broadcast live on all the platforms during recording, I believe access to the recording after the fact is available exclusively in Club TWiT. EDIT: Leo has published the link below.]
Great show, Mark is really interesting to listen to.
I’m about half way through at the moment and the discussion on the beans finished with no mention of the water, maybe that comes later…
One very important lesson I learnt when visiting friends in Italy is selecting the beans based on the type of water you have. I was drinking their coffee and said how much I liked it and that I wanted to take some back with me.
My friend then asked what sort of water I had, at the time, I had much harder water at home. He said I shouldn’t take the coffee they were drinking, I should use an alternative. I ended up taking 2Kg of the coffee he recommended, but also 500g of the coffee I liked so much… My friend was right, the coffee he recommended for hard water was delicious, the one I had liked so much in Italy was nearly undrinkable at home.
For Espresso we use a local roaster that blends for the type of water we have in the area. It tastes much better than some of the “artisan” espresso beans that you can buy from big names, like Lavazza, let alone standard, traditional Lavazza mixtures, which are blended to taste okay with most types of water, but not really excel with any one.
Just before the start of covid I ordered a Phillips “all-in-one” machine. It just never came. I guess all the shortages made it impossible for them to either manufacture or distribute them. Eventually, a year into the pandemic, Best Buy had a sale on the Breville Oracle Touch, with nearly $800Cdn off. I had always considered a $3500Cdn price tag to be way out of my league, despite the longing for something so nice. Long story short, I took the deal and haven’t regretted it. I usually make two double lattes a day. I don’t have ready access to local coffee roasters, so I pretty much have to stick with what I can get at a grocery store. There are quite expensive 750g bags of brands like Kicking Horse and a few others I really know little about. I have stuck with the more commercial Lavazza which I know I like. Prices have REALLY jumped (more than doubled) from the start of the pandemic… but I can usually get a 2kg bag on a sale price for around $18Cdn (regular price is $25Cdn or higher.)
One time I did order some experimental coffees from a roaster across the country (I’m east central and they’re out west.) https://eightouncecoffee.ca/ It was interesting, but I must not have the refined palate to really appreciate them. I did find I was experiencing some sort of an allergic reaction (causing an itchy skin rash) to some of them though, so I doubt I will try that again.
I find, as I have aged, that I have less tolerance for as much acid in my diet, so I also have started making cold brew for it’s lower acid. For that, I use a glass jug that has a metal mesh insert ( https://www.amazon.ca/BOZ-Coffee-Pitcher-Filter-Serving/dp/B074ZP4VB3 ), and bulk grind a bag of coffee at the grocery store at the coarsest grind. Using filtered water, I use 3/4 cup of coarse coffee to the 64oz of water in the jug. At least 12 hours in the fridge, but usually 24. I’ve had to acquire a second jug to keep a steady supply.
Glad you enjoyed it. I really wanted to make the downloads public but Lisa convinced me we needed something to get people to join the club. Was I wrong?
Ended up buying the Ninja Luxe Cafe, subscribing to Beanz, and ordering an in sink water filtration system (I’m going to see if I can get that BWT filter he was talking about). Mark is one persuasive coffee monger!
I have a Ninja blender for my smoothies, and a Ninja Creami. I am very happy with each, except that they seem to rely a little too much on plastics when sometimes I think something stronger might last longer. (The blender has a little nub on the bottom as a safety interlock that is made of plastic and has broken off on at least one blender jug I am aware of (a friend’s, not mine.))
The Creami is a fair amount of work (you’ve got to premix the ingredients and freeze them for at least 24 hours) but if you don’t mind that, it’s nice to be able to have a small serving of ice cream when you’re in the mood (each tub makes enough for 2 to 4 people, depending on how much you consider a serving or how big your group is.)
I will keep my eye on this new coffee machine… but it strikes me as a something I would mostly use for any drip coffee as, for latte, cappuccino and espresso, I like the output of my expensive Oracle Touch.
Well I’m replacing the Breville Oracle Touch with this Ninja - so I think I’ll be able to give you a good head-to-head comparison. (I am going to try to get the touch repaired, of course. It no longer steams.)
@Leo this was a great show, and the perfect way for my wife and I to spend a long, rainy drive home. Thank you to you and Mark. I will definitely be checking out his website and making some purchases.
Great show but I wonder how strict should one person be with their beans roasting time.
We get beans from a supermarket and I guess those are way out of the 5-25 after roast days window but they still produce fine crema.
I use a krups Quattro force bean to cup espresso machine.