Coffee press, or freedom press as Bloof would call it is an interesting way to make coffee. I had tried one years ago (one time) and did not understand the need for a coarser consistant grind. Now, thanks to Castle Crest I am home roasting and grinding with a "burr" grinder so after hearing Bloof rave about his Freedom Press I decided that I should try it again. The result is a fantastic cup as long as you remember to leave the last small sip in the bottom. It works out really good at my house because I can enjoy a cup (I am still an early riser) and start the coffee pot later so it is not so old when my wife arises.
Coffee Press, Freedom Press Method of Coffee brewing
- Thread starter KAZ
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- coffee & tea smokeasy
Right on!
I still use my electric drip machine most of the time, but when I want a really, really tasty cup of coffee to linger over I go to the Freedom Press.
When I got really interested in coffee I also immediately bought a burr grinder.
I buy my beans in small quantities from an upscale grocery store where the turnover is frequent and keep them in airtight containers until I grind them - just before brewing.
It's great!
I still use my electric drip machine most of the time, but when I want a really, really tasty cup of coffee to linger over I go to the Freedom Press.
When I got really interested in coffee I also immediately bought a burr grinder.
I buy my beans in small quantities from an upscale grocery store where the turnover is frequent and keep them in airtight containers until I grind them - just before brewing.
It's great!
When I was reading your post OldStar I realized that when we use the press we are just using an upgraded form of "Camp Coffee" where we would throw the coffee in the pot at the edge of the campfire and let it settle. Sure tasted good on a cold morning! It's good that you have a place to get fresh beans. Out my way they just opened a new starbucks which I will bet will not make it as these folks drink folgers and I don't see them spending several dollars for a cup of coffee more than once.
I seem to recall throwing egg shells into the camp coffee. It may have been to get the grounds to settle. The main defect in camp coffee was that you actually brought the water to a boil with the coffee in it, which degrades the coffee. Also, back in the days of my youth we were probably using coffee from robusta plants (like Folgers) rather than arabaica plants.
During my pre-teen and teen-age years (prior to moving to Florida) I lived in Dallas and San Antonio. Folgers was the coffee of choice of virtually everyone I knew.
I am a fairly recent convert to really good coffee and I love it. I still shy away from paying big bucks for a single cup of Starbucks, etc., and brew my "good" coffee at home.
Incidentally, you DO realize that the American Backyard store sells some high quality coffee, don't you? (Unpaid commercial.)
During my pre-teen and teen-age years (prior to moving to Florida) I lived in Dallas and San Antonio. Folgers was the coffee of choice of virtually everyone I knew.
I am a fairly recent convert to really good coffee and I love it. I still shy away from paying big bucks for a single cup of Starbucks, etc., and brew my "good" coffee at home.
Incidentally, you DO realize that the American Backyard store sells some high quality coffee, don't you? (Unpaid commercial.)
I did look at the coffee offered in the Amback store, it looked great and the price was right. For now I'm into roasting my own which makes me a green coffee bean buyer. I can roast a few days coffee in the time and ease that it takes to make a drip pot of coffee. Like CastleCrest I have a "winter's" supply in bags which they claim will store for a year with no problem. I wish someone had turned me on to roasting before, but, they have just now made the home machines to make it an easy successful endeavor. Regards
Living the good life!I doubt that I'm ready to move up to roasting, but just out of curiosity, where do you get a home roaster and what is the general price range?
Also, how wide a variety of green beans are available and where do you buy them?
:cheerschug: We need a coffee-drinker emoticon!
Also, how wide a variety of green beans are available and where do you buy them?
:cheerschug: We need a coffee-drinker emoticon!
www,sweetmarias.com is where I bought my IRoast after reading about roasters on every site I could find. I love my IRoast because it takes up less counter space than most drip coffeee makers, because it will roast 150 grams of green beans in less than 10 minutes including a great 4 minute cool down. Clean up is just brushing out the excellent chaff collector (takes about 1 minute) put the roasted beans in a mason jar and you are done. When you buy the roaster you should order the bean sampler so you can try many to find your favorites, plus there are good resources on this board (CastleCrest) who have the right answers and will help you get started. I will to, with what knowledge I have at this point. So, start at SM and read all about the different machines. I read a review on epinions about the $300 ALP roaster where the buyer said it was not as good as his old Hearthware except for size of roast and that the new IRoast (by Hearthware) had been designed with a bigger capacity so he was going to sell the Alp and buy the new IRoast at 1/2 the price. Regards
Well, I'll start looking into it, but I'm not sure my wife is ready for this step.
I got the "freedom press" and the burr grinder and switched from buying coffee grounds to buying a variety of coffee beans - and she is still drinking instant coffee!
She will occasionally try some Colombian Supremo decaf in the evenings.
Thanks for the information.
Now, where is that coffee emoticon? :wine:
I got the "freedom press" and the burr grinder and switched from buying coffee grounds to buying a variety of coffee beans - and she is still drinking instant coffee!
She will occasionally try some Colombian Supremo decaf in the evenings.
Thanks for the information.
Now, where is that coffee emoticon? :wine:
I understand OldStar, in my case my wife loves coffee even more than I do so she is very happy with the home roasting results. I know that for two of us we will recoup our roaster expenditure (one needs a burr grinder anyway) in about a year. Our favorite green coffee bean is $3.35 per pound as opposed to $10 for old shopping center beans and even if one were to buy at our local starbucks they get theirs shipped in and they are expensive. I would now still roast my own even if I were the only consumer because it allows me to keep fresh beans at all times instead of always running out, or storing excess that ages rapidly. It is one of the small indulgences we enjoy. Regards
Yeah OldStar, don't be a stick in the mud like me. I'm still paying top retail dollar for my roasted beans, but the home roasting folks keep telling me cleanup is easy, and you wind up cutting your coffee budget in half. Someday I think I'm going to wake up in a country where I'm the only one looking for pre-roasted beans. :mrgreen:
I don't know Bloof, I think that you live in an area where there are many fresh roasters as opposed to living out where no one roasts coffee. I'll bet that the nearest roaster to me is in Big D which is 2 hours one way. There are many benefits to living in the country, but, fresh coffee beans and a great cigar selection are not among them.
Well, only because I work in New York City, but I live 71 miles from work. Out here I don't have a car, and although they know from real coffee up here as opposed to supermarket coffee, they're only just starting to know, and unless I buy it in the city, it's not that available up here. But I also order a good deal of beans from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and that's the point.
With the way mail order business has exploded in it's scope over the past 15-20 years, and with the widespread use of the internet, even if you're out in cow country, as long as you can get delivery, you're in the 21st Century. And that is why I might have to switch over to what you guys are now doing. I pay top dollar for my beans at Oren's in NYC or at Green Mountain. I get wonderful product, I'm always happy with it, but I've had this conversation with some very experienced home roasters. It appears that sooner or later the realization that I could save hundreds of dollars a year with a minimum of cleanup, may draw me deeper into the club. :mrgreen:
With the way mail order business has exploded in it's scope over the past 15-20 years, and with the widespread use of the internet, even if you're out in cow country, as long as you can get delivery, you're in the 21st Century. And that is why I might have to switch over to what you guys are now doing. I pay top dollar for my beans at Oren's in NYC or at Green Mountain. I get wonderful product, I'm always happy with it, but I've had this conversation with some very experienced home roasters. It appears that sooner or later the realization that I could save hundreds of dollars a year with a minimum of cleanup, may draw me deeper into the club. :mrgreen:
71 miles, I thought my 23 miles to work when I lived in Dallas was a pain! On the clean up thing, that was a major question for me. Second to just how hard would it be to get good results, how much loss in the process. I've lost no beans at all, not even one, it is easy to get a batch of dark brown beans because you can see them turning and see when the oils just start to release. When you hit "Cool Down" is starts a really good 4 minute cycle that leaves the beans ready to pour in a jar. One batch will fill a small mason jar. Cleanup: once cool down has stopped you take the top which is where the chaff is collected off and set it aside. You pour your beans out of the container and if you have done a real dark rost that releases oil you take a paper towel and wipe down the inside of the glass (I've done this one time because I prefer a dark brown, not black roast) to get the oil out, easy deal. Then you open up the lid on the chaff container and brush it out with the supplied brush. So, cleanup is less than 1 minute and you are done. Total roast time from loading to putting away is approx 10 minutes. The brown roast makes very little smoke, a dark black roast will give off a lot of smoke and you would need to have a vent hood.
Thanks, that's pretty much what I've heard in the past. Sounds all too temptingly inexpensive and convenient. I might join the club before too long. :mrgreen:
As for that trip to work, if I was driving it would be 71 miles. It's actually 72.5 miles, because I take a taxi seven miles to the train station, the ride is 65 miles by rail, then a half mile walk to the building. :mrgreen:
As for that trip to work, if I was driving it would be 71 miles. It's actually 72.5 miles, because I take a taxi seven miles to the train station, the ride is 65 miles by rail, then a half mile walk to the building. :mrgreen:
Kaz, sounds like your off and running!
You will never go back - fresh roast is a step up!
Been to long - (that I been away from here)
I wanted to chime in a home roasting.
There is a place that has better deals on home roasters than SM
Same price but they throw in 5 1/2 pounds of green beans.
Personally I find SM beans to be a better quality, but for free they are good. (I have to look for the name and web addy - if anyonme wants it PM or email me I will do my best to help!)
The fresh roast plus (I use) cost $80
comes with the roaster a grinder and 5 - 1/2 pounds of green beans.
It roasts about 2 pots of coffee worth of beans at a time.
Sounds like Kaz's machine is a bit nicer and roasts more at a time.
I personally roast almost everyday.
When I brew my coffee I roast my next batch.
Just lazy that way!
Anytime!
CC
You will never go back - fresh roast is a step up!
Been to long - (that I been away from here)
I wanted to chime in a home roasting.
There is a place that has better deals on home roasters than SM
Same price but they throw in 5 1/2 pounds of green beans.
Personally I find SM beans to be a better quality, but for free they are good. (I have to look for the name and web addy - if anyonme wants it PM or email me I will do my best to help!)
The fresh roast plus (I use) cost $80
comes with the roaster a grinder and 5 - 1/2 pounds of green beans.
It roasts about 2 pots of coffee worth of beans at a time.
Sounds like Kaz's machine is a bit nicer and roasts more at a time.
I personally roast almost everyday.
When I brew my coffee I roast my next batch.
Just lazy that way!
Anytime!
CC
Morning CC, have you enjoyed a nice cup by your new fireside? I think your roaster would be a great way to get into the fun of roasting. With a package deal like the one you have found, it would pay for itself quickly, and, you could try a lot of different coffee from the sampler. Regards