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Date: 15 Mar 2007 10:12:52
From:
Subject: Coffee at work dilemma
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Hi everyone,
Over the past year I've started roasting my own coffee at home, first
using a Toastmaster popcorn popper and now with the heat gun/dog food
bowl method. I also bought a Bodum Columbia 8 cup French press. This
setup has been making great coffee for me. I can make 8 cups, have a
mug of coffee before work then bring the rest in a thermos to drink at
work.
Yesterday, I took the next step by buying a Mazzer Mini and Rancilio
Silvia. I still have a lot to learn, but this setup definitely makes
some great espresso so far.
I have a dilemma, though. If I spend my time in the morning before
work
pulling a couple shots of espresso, I just don't have time to make a
thermos full of French press coffee to take on the road. The stuff in
the office is just totally undrinkable!
What do you do to make great coffee using a portable setup in the
office
if your coffee at work is terrible?
Thanks for any suggestions,
Eric
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Date: 16 Mar 2007 16:40:13
From: Flasherly
Subject: Re: Coffee at work dilemma
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On 16, 11:09 am, jw <notar...@emailaddress.com > wrote:
> Recently (15 2007), "Flasherly" <gjerr...@ij.net> confided in me the
> following secret information which I will now recklessly quote in this
> public forum:
>
> > Take a gold mesh coffee filter with you, and all you'll need is hot
> > water. Grind what you want at home and take that to work in a
> > container, mix with hot water to strain through the mesh. Not
> > espresso, but not an imposition or clean up for the same result as a
> > French press.
>
> This is what I do. I grind about 3 cups worth of my homeroast for my day.
> There is constant supply of hot water at the work coffee station, so I'm
> good to go once I'm there. I use a Swissgold permanent filter cup at a
> time dealy.
>
> --
> jw
>
> "Bozde bozde bop! Diddy bop!"
> --David Lee Roth
I did that last night - There's a commercial drip brewer and the exact
coffee I ground for (really messed up the grinder for a few subsequent
espresso shots), and also the gold screen.
Zambia Terranova Estate AA
http://www.ccmcoffee.com/index.php?cPath=21
Results suck compared to the same exact same coffee I just made a cup
and am drinking -- strong 3:1 espresso to milk, lungo or tad over-
extracted cappuccino. Mmmm, mmm delicious.
"Right then I knew - I said, 'Man, here it is!' I told Rick [Hall -
owner of Fame studios at Muscle Shoals] I didn't want to do session
work full-time anymore. I had found what I really wanted to do." -
Duance Allman after the first ABB practise session.
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Date: 16 Mar 2007 06:46:39
From: JN
Subject: Re: Coffee at work dilemma
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On 15, 1:12 pm, ebl...@gmail.com wrote:
> I have a dilemma, though. If I spend my time in the morning before
> work
> pulling a couple shots of espresso, I just don't have time to make a
> thermos full of French press coffee to take on the road. The stuff in
> the office is just totally undrinkable!
>
> What do you do to make great coffee using a portable setup in the
> office
> if your coffee at work is terrible?
I would grind a day's worth of coffee into a small Mason jar as
somebody else in this thread mentioned. For French Press or
Aeropress, it works fine. It even works for the morning shot of
espresso at work, as gauged by taste, crema and no black before the
first spurt out of the portafilter.
J
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Date: 15 Mar 2007 22:13:26
From: rasqual
Subject: Re: Coffee at work dilemma
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On 15, 12:12 pm, ebl...@gmail.com wrote:
> What do you do to make great coffee using a portable setup in the
> office if your coffee at work is terrible?
A whirly with an Aeropress. Makes for simple storage in the office
kitchenette, easy cleanup, engenders buzz, leads to others' dependence
on your beans. ;-)
A whirly's genuinely fine so long as you dust the grind. That just
makes for "flash" extraction with the Aeropress -- though that might
stall with a paper filter (I use poly).
A couple seconds' cleanup.
I used to count on a thermos, but more and more I find it unsatisfying
-- especially the way a SS interior will "brighten" the brew after
it's been in there an hour or more. A glass thermos has a different
effect.
In truth, I've nearly concluded that it'd be worth brewing stronger
coffee, pouring it into the thermos, then adding some ice to get it to
whatever lukewarm temperature will constitute a good serving
temperature once hot water at work is added to bring it to proper
strength. Anything to keep the storage temperature of the brew low --
which is darned counter to how thermoses are advertised.
Sheesh. Folks say don't microwave your coffee (to, say, 165 degrees),
but they're content to leave it at an average 180 degrees in a thermos
for hours. I don't get it. ;-)
If heat ruins brew (and it does), just tote the stuff in a water
bottle at room temperature, and give it a quick nuke at work.
But I second the problem with FP fines for such use.
- S
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Date: 16 Mar 2007 11:25:52
From: Roger Shoaf
Subject: Re: Coffee at work dilemma
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"rasqual" <scott.quardt@gmail.com > wrote in message
news:1174022006.063814.125170@b75g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
> On 15, 12:12 pm, ebl...@gmail.com wrote:
> I used to count on a thermos, but more and more I find it unsatisfying
> -- especially the way a SS interior will "brighten" the brew after
> it's been in there an hour or more. A glass thermos has a different
> effect.
>
> In truth, I've nearly concluded that it'd be worth brewing stronger
> coffee, pouring it into the thermos, then adding some ice to get it to
> whatever lukewarm temperature will constitute a good serving
> temperature once hot water at work is added to bring it to proper
> strength. Anything to keep the storage temperature of the brew low --
> which is darned counter to how thermoses are advertised.
>
> Sheesh. Folks say don't microwave your coffee (to, say, 165 degrees),
> but they're content to leave it at an average 180 degrees in a thermos
> for hours. I don't get it. ;-)
>
If I was home I would brew a pot of drip but I did not fire up the burner.
If the coffee got too cold I had no problem giving it a zap. As far as the
thermos goes, I would brew a pot of coffee and pour my self a cup, fill my
thermos and there would be enough for a second cup to take with me on my way
to work. After draining that cup it was normal for me to consume one more
in route and usually I would pour the next as I arrived at work. This would
satisfy me until I needed more around 9:30. Then I got the last bit out of
the thermos so my home roast never really sat long enough for the coffee to
go south.
When I was driving a truck, I had a logistical problem with home roast and
therefore I had to suffer whith what I could get on the road. The quality of
truck stop coffee unfortunatly runs the gambit from week and bitter to
almost acceptable. I reverted to taking the almost acceptable as the lessor
of evils option and covered up the flaws with cream and sugar. Here I would
fill my half gallon thermos and try and pace my consumption to make it last
until the next least worst refill could be obtained.
One suprise was Burger King coffee. This is a reconstituted liquid
concentrate that I could actually stomach drinking black. A little tricky
to fill the thermos from the tap but doable.
--
Roger Shoaf
If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent.
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Date: 15 Mar 2007 22:22:47
From: Mike Hartigan
Subject: Re: Coffee at work dilemma
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In article <1173978771.984600.133970@n76g2000hsh.googlegroups.com >,
eblau1@gmail.com says...
> Hi everyone,
>
> Over the past year I've started roasting my own coffee at home, first
> using a Toastmaster popcorn popper and now with the heat gun/dog food
> bowl method. I also bought a Bodum Columbia 8 cup French press. This
> setup has been making great coffee for me. I can make 8 cups, have a
> mug of coffee before work then bring the rest in a thermos to drink at
> work.
>
> Yesterday, I took the next step by buying a Mazzer Mini and Rancilio
> Silvia. I still have a lot to learn, but this setup definitely makes
> some great espresso so far.
>
> I have a dilemma, though. If I spend my time in the morning before
> work
> pulling a couple shots of espresso, I just don't have time to make a
> thermos full of French press coffee to take on the road. The stuff in
> the office is just totally undrinkable!
>
> What do you do to make great coffee using a portable setup in the
> office
> if your coffee at work is terrible?
>
> Thanks for any suggestions,
> Eric
I picked up a 'one cup' French Press a couple years ago for $10 (it's
the perfect size for my big mug). For another $10, I got a whirly
blade grinder that I leave in the office kitchen. I bring a ZipLoc
sandwich bag full of freshly roasted beans to work twice a week.
This has worked well for some time - once I got into a routine, it
wasn't even an effort. If that doesn't work for you, grind the beans
at home. Even week old ground coffee beats the snot out of most free
office coffee (my alternative is free Folger's).
--
-Mike
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Date: 15 Mar 2007 15:34:05
From: Flasherly
Subject: Re: Coffee at work dilemma
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On 15, 12:12 pm, ebl...@gmail.com wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> Over the past year I've started roasting my own coffee at home, first
> using a Toastmaster popcorn popper and now with the heat gun/dog food
> bowl method. I also bought a Bodum Columbia 8 cup French press. This
> setup has been making great coffee for me. I can make 8 cups, have a
> mug of coffee before work then bring the rest in a thermos to drink at
> work.
>
> Yesterday, I took the next step by buying a Mazzer Mini and Rancilio
> Silvia. I still have a lot to learn, but this setup definitely makes
> some great espresso so far.
>
> I have a dilemma, though. If I spend my time in the morning before
> work
> pulling a couple shots of espresso, I just don't have time to make a
> thermos full of French press coffee to take on the road. The stuff in
> the office is just totally undrinkable!
>
> What do you do to make great coffee using a portable setup in the
> office
> if your coffee at work is terrible?
>
> Thanks for any suggestions,
> Eric
Take a gold mesh coffee filter with you, and all you'll need is hot
water. Grind what you want at home and take that to work in a
container, mix with hot water to strain through the mesh. Not
espresso, but not an imposition or clean up for the same result as a
French press.
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Date: 16 Mar 2007 15:09:20
From: jw
Subject: Re: Coffee at work dilemma
|
Recently (15 2007), "Flasherly" <gjerrell@ij.net > confided in me the
following secret information which I will now recklessly quote in this
public forum:
> Take a gold mesh coffee filter with you, and all you'll need is hot
> water. Grind what you want at home and take that to work in a
> container, mix with hot water to strain through the mesh. Not
> espresso, but not an imposition or clean up for the same result as a
> French press.
>
This is what I do. I grind about 3 cups worth of my homeroast for my day.
There is constant supply of hot water at the work coffee station, so I'm
good to go once I'm there. I use a Swissgold permanent filter cup at a
time dealy.
--
jw
"Bozde bozde bop! Diddy bop!"
--David Lee Roth
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Date: 15 Mar 2007 13:18:37
From: chardinej
Subject: Re: Coffee at work dilemma
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On 15, 2:12 pm, ebl...@gmail.com wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> Over the past year I've started roasting my own coffee at home, first
> using a Toastmaster popcorn popper and now with the heat gun/dog food
> bowl method. I also bought a Bodum Columbia 8 cup French press. This
> setup has been making great coffee for me. I can make 8 cups, have a
> mug of coffee before work then bring the rest in a thermos to drink at
> work.
>
> Yesterday, I took the next step by buying a Mazzer Mini and Rancilio
> Silvia. I still have a lot to learn, but this setup definitely makes
> some great espresso so far.
>
> I have a dilemma, though. If I spend my time in the morning before
> work
> pulling a couple shots of espresso, I just don't have time to make a
> thermos full of French press coffee to take on the road. The stuff in
> the office is just totally undrinkable!
>
> What do you do to make great coffee using a portable setup in the
> office
> if your coffee at work is terrible?
>
> Thanks for any suggestions,
> Eric
I find the espresso I make at home- a double in the morning and a
double at noon- is so satisfying I have no desire for coffee at work.
Doing this as well as drinking filter coffee at work would raise
caffeine levels above what I would consider desirable.
John
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Date: 15 Mar 2007 12:49:22
From:
Subject: Re: Coffee at work dilemma
|
On 15, 2:42 pm, "Roger Shoaf" <s...@nospamsyix.com > wrote:
> Just pull a few more shots out of Miss Sylvia, and bring yourself a thermos
> of Americano for work.
>
That may be what I do. I usually drink about 32oz. or so. May not be
too hard to make 32 oz. of Americano.
> In the alternative, bring your French press, and your old grinder to work,
> and make a pot there.
>
I work in a cubical and the facilities people would crack down on a
grinder if I ran that around here. Actually, I just found out about a
"secret" Jura Impressa F7 in an unoccupied office around here that I
may start using...
Thanks,
Eric
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Date: 15 Mar 2007 12:46:21
From:
Subject: Re: Coffee at work dilemma
|
On 15, 2:33 pm, shall <mrf...@ihatespamearthlink.net > wrote:
> On 15 2007 10:12:52 -0700, ebl...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> >What do you do to make great coffee using a portable setup in the
> >office
> >if your coffee at work is terrible?
>
> >Thanks for any suggestions,
> >Eric
>
> I don't think french press is a good choice for thermos coffee. The
> process leaves too many undissolved solids in the water that keep on
> extracting nasty flavors. When I took coffee to the office I used an
> electric Bodum vac pot, which is quicker and filters out more solids
> than french press. The coffee stayed reasonably drinkable for about 4
> hours.
>
> shall
I alternate between drip and French press, but the French press seems
to keep pretty well for a couple hours in my thermos. The taste is
still relatively good.
-Eric
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Date: 15 Mar 2007 12:44:49
From:
Subject: Re: Coffee at work dilemma
|
On 15, 2:12 pm, "shane" <shane.ol...@juno.com > wrote:
> On 15, 12:16 pm, notbob <not...@nothome.com> wrote:
>
> > On 2007-03-15, ebl...@gmail.com <ebl...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > I have a dilemma, though. If I spend my time in the morning before
> > > work
> > > pulling a couple shots of espresso, I just don't have time to make a
> > > thermos full of French press coffee to take on the road. The stuff in
> > > the office is just totally undrinkable!
>
> > Set your alarm clock earlier.
>
> > nb
>
> Couldn't you pull the shots while waiting for the French press to
> steep?
>
> I have a Melitta pourover, a hot water kettle and a Virtuoso grinder
> in my office.
>
> Shane
I'm still trying to work out what I'm going to do, but right now, with
me being a newbie to this, it's taking me a relatively long time to
set up everything for both espresso and French press. Maybe I'll get
faster as I get more experience. I may just grind some coffee for the
French press and bring it along to the office to steep there. I know
it's not good to leave the grounds exposed to air for that long, but
it's got to be better than the drek that's served here.
-Eric
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Date: 15 Mar 2007 20:40:11
From: Johnny
Subject: Re: Coffee at work dilemma
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<eblau1@gmail.com > wrote in message
news:1173987889.766987.167080@y80g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
> On 15, 2:12 pm, "shane" <shane.ol...@juno.com> wrote:
> > On 15, 12:16 pm, notbob <not...@nothome.com> wrote:
> >
> > > On 2007-03-15, ebl...@gmail.com <ebl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > > I have a dilemma, though. If I spend my time in the morning before
> > > > work
> > > > pulling a couple shots of espresso, I just don't have time to make a
> > > > thermos full of French press coffee to take on the road. The stuff
in
> > > > the office is just totally undrinkable!
> >
> > > Set your alarm clock earlier.
> >
> > > nb
> >
> > Couldn't you pull the shots while waiting for the French press to
> > steep?
> >
> > I have a Melitta pourover, a hot water kettle and a Virtuoso grinder
> > in my office.
> >
> > Shane
>
> I'm still trying to work out what I'm going to do, but right now, with
> me being a newbie to this, it's taking me a relatively long time to
> set up everything for both espresso and French press. Maybe I'll get
> faster as I get more experience. I may just grind some coffee for the
> French press and bring it along to the office to steep there. I know
> it's not good to leave the grounds exposed to air for that long, but
> it's got to be better than the drek that's served here.
>
> -Eric
>
For press it isn't quite such a problem as for espresso.
I've done that for bbqs and it lasts well. I grind into small mason jars and
it is still good for several hours. And as you say better thatn what you'd
otherwise get.
Johnny
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Date: 15 Mar 2007 11:42:19
From: Roger Shoaf
Subject: Re: Coffee at work dilemma
|
Just pull a few more shots out of Miss Sylvia, and bring yourself a thermos
of Americano for work.
In the alternative, bring your French press, and your old grinder to work,
and make a pot there.
--
Roger Shoaf
If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent.
<eblau1@gmail.com > wrote in message
news:1173978771.984600.133970@n76g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
> Hi everyone,
>
> Over the past year I've started roasting my own coffee at home, first
> using a Toastmaster popcorn popper and now with the heat gun/dog food
> bowl method. I also bought a Bodum Columbia 8 cup French press. This
> setup has been making great coffee for me. I can make 8 cups, have a
> mug of coffee before work then bring the rest in a thermos to drink at
> work.
>
> Yesterday, I took the next step by buying a Mazzer Mini and Rancilio
> Silvia. I still have a lot to learn, but this setup definitely makes
> some great espresso so far.
>
> I have a dilemma, though. If I spend my time in the morning before
> work
> pulling a couple shots of espresso, I just don't have time to make a
> thermos full of French press coffee to take on the road. The stuff in
> the office is just totally undrinkable!
>
> What do you do to make great coffee using a portable setup in the
> office
> if your coffee at work is terrible?
>
> Thanks for any suggestions,
> Eric
>
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Date: 15 Mar 2007 18:33:49
From: Marshall
Subject: Re: Coffee at work dilemma
|
On 15 2007 10:12:52 -0700, eblau1@gmail.com wrote:
>What do you do to make great coffee using a portable setup in the
>office
>if your coffee at work is terrible?
>
>Thanks for any suggestions,
>Eric
I don't think french press is a good choice for thermos coffee. The
process leaves too many undissolved solids in the water that keep on
extracting nasty flavors. When I took coffee to the office I used an
electric Bodum vac pot, which is quicker and filters out more solids
than french press. The coffee stayed reasonably drinkable for about 4
hours.
shall
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Date: 15 Mar 2007 11:12:21
From: shane
Subject: Re: Coffee at work dilemma
|
On 15, 12:16 pm, notbob <not...@nothome.com > wrote:
> On 2007-03-15, ebl...@gmail.com <ebl...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I have a dilemma, though. If I spend my time in the morning before
> > work
> > pulling a couple shots of espresso, I just don't have time to make a
> > thermos full of French press coffee to take on the road. The stuff in
> > the office is just totally undrinkable!
>
> Set your alarm clock earlier.
>
> nb
Couldn't you pull the shots while waiting for the French press to
steep?
I have a Melitta pourover, a hot water kettle and a Virtuoso grinder
in my office.
Shane
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Date: 15 Mar 2007 12:16:17
From: notbob
Subject: Re: Coffee at work dilemma
|
On 2007-03-15, eblau1@gmail.com <eblau1@gmail.com > wrote:
> I have a dilemma, though. If I spend my time in the morning before
> work
> pulling a couple shots of espresso, I just don't have time to make a
> thermos full of French press coffee to take on the road. The stuff in
> the office is just totally undrinkable!
Set your alarm clock earlier.
nb
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