Comments on: How to make espresso at home https://gregladen.com/blog/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/ Sun, 15 May 2011 19:55:44 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.8 By: DuWayne https://gregladen.com/blog/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502970 Sun, 15 May 2011 19:55:44 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502970 A very special, really hot biomed grad student gave me this sexy coffeemaker this sexy coffeemaker for my birthday. Bar none, it makes the best coffee of any coffee maker I have ever used and I have used what must be nearing every coffeemaker known to humans. Ok, I will admit that the results aren’t all that much better than other cold brew systems, but it is really damned cool…

In any case, it makes very flavorful coffee and that extremely strong – much stronger than espresso. Cold brewing reduces the acidity of the coffee, most efficiently extracts the caffeine and really brings out the flavor. It is also possible to brew coffee as soon as it has been roasted (as apposed to waiting for it to degas). It also makes an excellent base for coffee drinks…

]]> By: daedalus2u https://gregladen.com/blog/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502969 Sun, 15 May 2011 18:42:30 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502969 Stephanie, but Greg was using this as a source of hot water for coffee making which means the carbon bits would be filtered out.

]]> By: Stephanie Z https://gregladen.com/blog/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502968 Sun, 15 May 2011 17:43:32 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502968 daedalus2u, you can season aluminum. Someday, however, the seasoning might decide to just flake off and start adding carbon to your food.

]]> By: MadScientist https://gregladen.com/blog/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502967 Sun, 15 May 2011 17:39:39 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502967 Oh, I didn’t know a cabin was involved. In that case screw the nice plug-in espresso makers; the ol’ style that sits on the stove does a good job.

I can’t recall whether it’s oxygen or CO2 in the water which is the issue with over-boiled water. At any rate, don’t boil the water very long. Due to the slow diffusion of gases in water, overboiled water can take a long time to get its taste back (and by that time it’ll be too cold for tea or coffee).

]]> By: daedalus2u https://gregladen.com/blog/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502966 Sun, 15 May 2011 04:18:53 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502966 I have started thinking about what coatings you might be able to use to remove the aluminum effect. “Seasoning” it with oil might work, but doing that on an aluminum pot is a lot trickier than doing on on iron. I am not sure it is even possible to do it. Maybe “seasoning” it with sugar.

Do you have a gas stove? A slightly lower heat flux might work but I still need to think about it.

]]> By: Judy Carlson https://gregladen.com/blog/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502965 Sun, 15 May 2011 00:21:44 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502965 I’m a fan of the Aerobie Aeropress (half the cost and more packable too).

]]> By: GrayGaffer https://gregladen.com/blog/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502964 Sat, 14 May 2011 23:13:13 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502964 My wife and I are both addicted to our Saeco machine. Grinds, pressure-pumps, steams (as a separate but simple manual ritual). She gets her morning fix with one button press.

]]> By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502963 Sat, 14 May 2011 21:37:40 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502963 daedalus2u, maybe. But I can taste it. But, I can also “feel cold” in my refrigerator, but that’s really air lacking heat. So perhaps the effect you are describing is what happens.

In either case, the recommended way to limit it is to not clean the pot so it gets a layer of coffee film on it. That, however, does not work for the lower part of the pot in which the water is heated.

At least it’s not filter paper taste!

]]> By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502962 Sat, 14 May 2011 21:30:31 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502962 Gwen, I got a Nespresso for my birthday a year and a half ago. It makes excellent espresso.

]]> By: daedalus2u https://gregladen.com/blog/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502961 Sat, 14 May 2011 21:21:57 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2011/05/14/how-to-make-espresso-at-home/#comment-502961 I think your comment about aluminum pots making an undesirable addition to the water taste is not correct. I don’t think it is that aluminum pots add something, rather they facilitate the removal of dissolved O2 by presenting higher temperature surfaces where O2 solubility is lower and where bubbles of air can nucleate.

Dissolved O2 is desirable in water used to make coffee and tea because the O2 oxidizes polyphenolic compounds and makes them less astringent.

That is why the best way to heat water for tea is in the microwave, so it can be heated not in contact with a hot surface so it retains as much dissolved O2 as possible.

]]>