I started my coffee journey just a few days ago. A week at most.
I was smoking a TEMPUS robusto that was just OK but lacking something.
As I thought about the tastes that the cigar was giving me and what I thought was lacking; my mind screamed at me COFFEE!
I wasn't a coffee drinker..And I have yet to have a cup of coffee.
I read and read all the threads on equipment, technique and beanz.
I chatted with some folk and decided that a good burr grinder is the cornerstone of my equipment.
I ordered all of my starter equipment from AMAZON.

Capressa Infinity Burr Grinder
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Bialetti Moka Express Percolator 3 cup.
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And a Bodum Young 34 ounce press
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I anticipate that the Capressa Grinder will give me coarse ground coffee for the French Press.
Fine enough coffee for the Moka Pot, giving me faux espresso
My water will be filtered through a BRITA water filter that I had in use.
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As I was Studying up on good coffee I ran across the BODUM CHAMBORD 5 ounce milk frother. This will give me warm/hot frothed nofat or 2% fat froth for coffee.
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To complete the package I need BEANZ...I found the BOTL UncleBeanz is a GREAT source for quality roasted beanz. I ordered a bag of

ARI27 2008 Aricha Lot 27 1 $29.99 $29.99
Grind: WB
BEESSP 2008 Beso Espresso 1 $15.99 $15.99
Grind: WB
Shipping: U.S.P.S. Priority Mail�: $4.80
Sales Tax: $0.00
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Total: $50.78

The ARICHE is for the coffee press and the BESO is for espresso.
I fully expect my coffee experience to be like a first time cigar smoker to start off with a Cuban Trinidad Fundadore.

I expect to say
WOW!!!
at my first cup of coffee.
My beanz will arrive in tomorrow, Saturday, mail...

the coffee equipment has been checked for proper fit and cleaned it in warm/hot soapy water. The MokaPot won't see soap ever again.

Stay tuned
Mister Moo was HUGE with the info to get me to this place.
Norman, UncleBeanz, is a delight to chat with and started me off with top shelf beanz.
Tom
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OH YEAH!!!
I am looking to get some cool glasses to go with my journey...
The BODUM insulated glass sing to me but are quite expensive.
Tom
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Dag, old son! You have chosen wisely...

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Except for starting with the lot 27. Everything after that might be a disappointment. :-)
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Good luck, I'm heading down this one as well. Learn at the feet of the masters!
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Its the suspense that get me...LOL.
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The suspense is just building!!!!
I started my JOURNEY with a pressed cup of ARICHA...
I think I will add another scoop to the 1 cup bodum press in the morning.
The coffee was complex and WONDERFUL tasting.
I made it with the coarsest setting on the Capressa Infinity burr grinder.
I put one and 1/2 spoons of the grind.
It was an experience just smelling the freshly ground ARICHA.
HOT water ~ 195 degree f.

With this I had a Rocky Patel EDGE missile Coroja..
WOW!!!
What a combination.
This was a piece of heaven!
I have had no better smoke than this..
Many other GREAT smokes and this EDGE MISSILE is one of them.
Tom
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:-)
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A typical starting point for press coffee is one tablespoon of med/coarse coffee per four ounces of water. Adjust to taste from there.
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Multiply the size of your French Press in ounces by 0.057. This is the weight of the coffee you should be using, in ounces. I round up. It's an easy piece of math if you have a calculator, and you only have to do it once, ever.

Get a small kitchen scale. Use it for this once, and then you'll be able to eyeball it forever.

Have at it.
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Youse guys are right in stating that MEASURING to get a proper baseline is soooo important.
I have not done this for water as well as coffee...so I am a bit lame...
MEASURE!!!!
Know what you're putting together...
Tom
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This morning I started the day with a big cup o Aricha..
AND
My first espresso..
I made the first espresso to cure the pot..
1-3 cup Moka pot, 4 scoops of beans...
Yield was 2 ounce shot..
Have to work on technique.

THIS IS ridiculously EASY... to do...

WOW!!!
The coffee and the espresso...BESO beans espresso..
WONDERFUL


sigh....
Tom
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Today I made Kevin espresso and he spoke very well of it. He uses milk and sugar. He is looking forward to when I get the frother. :-)
I concentrated on my espresso. I was able to get a yield of 3 ounces of liquor. It was delish!
From 3 scoops of Beso beanz ground very fine. It was the largest remainder puck to date. Next time I try to squeeze more beso in the MoikaPot.

I also made a pot of Aricha...After the espresso. It was delightful with some maple syrup in.
YES!
Maple syrup as a sweetener.
8 scoops of beans ground very coarse in a 34 ounce press.
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I'm getting the technique of making MOKA POT SPRESSO.
AND
FRENCH PRESS... This is a no brainer..Coarsest setting on my burr grinder...hmmm I forget, without looking it up, how much weight of beanz for my 34 ounce press. But it's a breeze..
The MOKA POT.....
NOW THIS REQUIRES PATIENCE and TIME to be really good....
no!....GREAT

What is my technique? You ask???

WELL:
Good tastin fresh BEaNZ..Mine come from a NJ guy..
UNCLEBEANZ.COM

GREAT
FRESH
VARIETAL
Good stuff.
Today was my best spresso...EVER...
- I ground UNCLEBEANZ.COM SANTA RITA NATURAL

hMMM my bag of ground beanz is from 11/11/08.
I've been a slacker in making my coffee the last few weeks and it shows in that I have two bags of beanz that I haven't gotten to yet :-)
YUmmm

- filtered room temp water to the line in the bottom water section of my Bialetti (sp) MOKA POT.

- filled and LIGHTly packed...hahahaha, Mr Moo,,,,tamped or filled the grind basket. Tamping it a bit so the steam SLOWLY filters up through the grinds is a practiced art. I mound the grinds...just like Mr Moo shows here in his MOKA POT thread

- I clean the mating surface of the top part and the bottom so there is a clean tight seal...this is IMPORTANT!

- screw the top on tightly. FIRSTLY making sure the threads and gasket have NO caked coffee on it.

- my stove has a small burner and I put the pot on simmer with the lid closed. YES! I can now hear when the process is over. There is a discernible change in sound when making spresso and the bottom tank pretty empty of water.

- TOOK 15 MINUTES FOR ME TO MAKE A 3 CUP POT from lighting stove to finished spresso

It was GREAT spresso...
2 3 ounce shots for Kevin as he heads off to base in the 16 degree COLD morning...
AND 1 3 ounce shot for me.
- about 8 minutes between empty of the MOKA POT to cooling, cleaning then repacking...hahahahaha..(..there it is again Mr MOO....) the MOKA POT
:-)
- You should have a pretty tight puck of ground coffee in the basket when you clean it out.
So this 3 pots cost me an hour...Which is too much...I will be getting either two 3 cup MOKA POTS or ONE 6 up MOKA POT..
DEPENDING on what info I receive about any wasted ground coffee in using the 6 cup.


I heated my mug in hot water then added milk and sugar. I'll be getting some hazelnut cream and half/half for the futures' cups...


OH YEAH!!!
I lit up a CAO CX2 that have been coming. 1 stick free, with an order from Famous. Smoked it as I waited for each of three pots made to cook...
I wasn't too impressed when I was smoking it last night. I put it in the tray inside the house where the humi is 45.....6 hours later I lit it up and appreciated the taste a bit more but nothing to write home about...
BUT it was a good accompany to the spresso...MOST ANY smoke is good with spresso.
:-)



I usually smoke outside..First time in a loong time I smoked inside the house. I;ll be spraying PURE AYRE,
I bought it here

I have no opinion if it is effective or not. Today will be the first spraying experience. I got the home brew not the marine brew.
There are lots of posts on this product. Google round ...
Tom
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