5/20/14 5:16 PM

Sandi-further complicate your life-buy a home roaster.

5/21/14 3:41 PM

If I may bend this even more on topic. Is heavy coffee ingestion a bad thing for cyclist?

Does is not effect Calcium, Magnesium, iron, B3 etc??
We need that stuff more than couch potatoes, no?

5/21/14 3:58 PM

What's "heavy"? All the recent research I've seen finds few ill effects from coffee, and some good ones.

5/21/14 4:12 PM

I drink 3 big cups a day and more some days... Not espresso mind you, but strong brews of dark beans preferred. Guess 600+ mg day...

But I imagine 3-4 shot of espresso be quite bit of caffeine as well.

5/21/14 4:33 PM

I dunno, I also drink a few healthy cups a day (though at a much more pedestrian level the than the connoisseurs here - I like strong black coffee but don't really care for straight espresso - order Americanos).

I have issues with both Iron (too much Ferritin) and Calcium (leaches out of my bones) and coffee really hasn't come up in the evaluation. The Ferritin excess is caused by Hemochromatosis, a genetic condition for which I have a bloodletting annually to dump Ferritin; the Calcium leaching is attributed to Hyperparathyroidism, for which I am currently undergoing evaluation to determine if it is primary (corrected by surgery) or secondary (corrected by large doses of D). So coffee may or may not be a factor, but my docs have not suggested it as the cause of a major issue.

5/22/14 12:22 AM

Okay, so what's the style of drink that all the espresso drinkers are making?

For me, it's usually a shot/double pulled directly into 3-4oz of hot sugared water, with heavy "manufacturing" cream then poured in from sufficient height to mix/agitate without disturbing the crema.
I don't even know what this drink is called, but someone will probably point out that it is not called "espresso".

5/22/14 9:11 AM

I don't know what that's called, but you're right that it ain't "espresso". Sort of a variation on the "redneck latte" (Americano with cream and sugar), maybe? Not sure what "manufacturing" cream is.

I drink just double shots, with less than a quarter-teaspoon of sugar in the bottom of the cup, stirred gently during the pull, then a few more grains of sugar sprinkled atop the crema after it settles. I make capuccino for my wife in the morning. She likes it with considerable milk foam on top, not with the foam mixed with the coffee as in a latte.

5/22/14 12:03 PM

I prefer latte, with sugar.

For that, I don't have to be half as picky about the expresso itself. I have an el cheapo expresso maker, beans from random source. I can tell the resulting pull varies from time to time. But once I mixed the foamy milk in, it taste well... more or less similar. ;-) No, they don't taste the same, I can taste that. But I frankly don't have a single, preferred "ideal" result I'm trying to dupllicate. So the variation doesn't bother me (not most of the time anyway, occasionally results were unacceptable and I just brew aother one)

5/22/14 10:51 PM

"Manufacturing cream" is what heavy cream is called by coffee shop baristas, especially at Starbucks.

I don't consider such a strong brew as I make to be an Americano, the taste is solidly that of espresso, only better, because it's not too strong to taste and still wears a full head of crema.
The machines and beans have to be working well together to get good results, and the result is both bold and rich tasting, only sweet and a little creamy.
I could use any amount of water, but this is what makes the drink "work" for my taste buds.
Likewise, I wouldn't say "latte" either, since this always suggests milk is added, but heavy cream contains essentially no milk, only cream. I actually don't like the taste of milk in any coffee beverage, at all.
For me, it's espresso that's mellowed with just enough water, cream and sugar to enjoy.

5/23/14 9:14 AM

Hey, dddd, whatever works for you. No criticism was intended. "Redneck latte" is kind of a joke designation.

"Americano" generally means espresso diluted with any amount of water, even 1 to 1. Yours, at about 2:1 water, is on the strong side, but it's still diluted. Again, nothing wrong with that, if that's how you like it. It's a nice drink. I occasionally have one, and it's obviously quite different from regular drip brew, but it's not espresso, either, I do like the way the crema persists even in the diluted cup.

quote:

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heavy cream contains essentially no milk, only cream

---

5/23/14 10:01 AM

"How much cream do you put in? It sounds like a nice drink, though not to my personal taste."

I think it's about 2tbsp or 1oz, enough to get the agitation rotation moving vigorously under the crema if I hold the carton 6" above the cup.
The fat really enhances the flavors of espresso, calms the bite, but thanks for clarifying the composition of heavy cream. I just knew that I don't like what whole milk or even half & half does for the taste of coffee, even though I might indulge in a coffee house latte as a sort of meal replacement every so often.

Going back far enough, the term "redneck" supposedly means a family and/or business who didn't own or use slaves, who instead did their own labor, something that would be politically incorrect within some circles.
Thus they ended up with "red necks", so as such I would take it as a compliment.

In the current usage, the term seems to mean someone who perhaps takes on jobs that should be hired out to those more qualified and/or equipped.
In this sense, many of us who work on our bikes at home are being "rednecks", just as I am in replacing my own deck off the back side of my house.
I stepped on a nail yesterday, ill-equipped as I was with insufficient footwear to prevent it's penetration. Redneck theater it was.

5/23/14 10:27 AM

The no milk in cream comment did make me do a, 'well.... OK.." ;)

Maybe I shouldn't, but I think I will try some expresso.
I like the idea of the creme ala dddd method and think that would be to my tastes.

Laugh, but I got some fat free 1/2-1/2 recently. My brain said "how is that even possible?" I like it in coffee and made some Alfredo with it that came out very very good to my surprise. The high end cheese I use is just a tad high in fat though... but I wonder if it lowered the fat content significantly. ;) So fat or corn syrup, pick your poison I guess. I tent to skip products with corn syrup, so the occasional use of that won't kill me too fast I am hoping.

At least the flarore coffee creamer Elaine buys are real sugar and not Corn Syrup. GMO beet sugar probably. ;O

5/23/14 10:51 AM

nm

5/23/14 10:59 AM

"You guys need to get out for a ride"

Lawn day for me today. Been riding plenty to my delight of late.

But I have to say I am still feeling the metric I did Tuesday. WED short ride and yesterday's 30 piled on instead of shaking out I am afraid. ;O Not there yet I guess, slower recovery with currant age etc?

5/23/14 11:05 AM

Never heard that etymology for "redneck" -- in fact, I didn't know the term was that old. I first heard it in the 60's, in reference to conservative white people, and I always figured they had sunburned necks because they wore their hair short (unlike us hippies). I have some beloved redneck relatives, so I generally use the term with affection (except when thinking about some of their politics ;-)

Espresso's "bite" is one of the things I enjoy about it, but I understand the appeal of cream with coffee. A few years back during the Torino olympics I learned to make a "bicerin" -- the characteristic coffee-house drink of that city. It's basically espresso, melted chocolate and slightly beaten heavy cream. It's delicious, and a kick-in-the-head upper. Two of those and you're bouncing off the ceiling. Damn good taste, though.

And you're right, Andy. Need to get out for a ride. I've been commuting again since early March, but because of various events and obligations I've done only a couple of weekend rides. Sunday and Monday are looking pretty good at the moment, though it looks like there's a good chance I'll get soaked riding home tonight.

5/23/14 11:15 AM

Looks like tonight's ride home might be a tad bit moist. I'm kind of looking forward to it--I packed a rain cape this morning. :-)