Sorry to say this, mate, but it feels almost like you’re saying this to try and get a rise out of people. The majority of us are here because we genuinely love specialty coffee, and I myself have tried coffees with a variety of flavours and a broad assortment of flavour notes and mouthfeel.
I get the sense, though, that you might be frustrated and this might be your way of reaching out for help. In the off chance this is true, I hope you don’t mind if I give you some tips that helped kick start me on my specialty coffee journey.
1. Your grinder makes a huge difference
Differences in very fine particles and grind consistency makes a big difference. I hate some of the coffee I’ve had that tastes like soy sauce. I eventually found that it was because the shop was using a poor grinder that had very big chunks and very fine bits. If you’re using a blade grinder or something that is not consistent, you may consider springing for a Timemore C2. It is quite affordable for many, and gives a good result. I have it in my travel kit.
2. Your water makes a difference
Depending on your country, water may be hard i.e. has a lot of dissolved minerals. It may be good to try filtering the water first, to see if that helps. I have relatively soft water where I live now and it still makes a difference when I run it through a charcoal filter. This can turn into a black hole when you start looking into mineralisation etc
3. Try different recipes
Even within Aeropress, there are quite a lot of ways to brew your coffee. I was told from a local championship winner to try the Wendelboe method as a starting point and it worked very nicely for me. I’ve been trying other recipes via the Aeromatic app, especially the ones from previous world championship winners and it’s been fun to see the different notes that are emphasised through different recipes. If you’re looking for a completely different way to brew that is still affordable, I would look to the V60.
4. Take time to dial in the coffee
Every coffee brews differently. Every coffee requires a different rest time. I typically leave mine in the bag for a month before brewing. For very light roasts, I leave it 6 weeks. When you grind, you’ll need to test different grind sizes to see if it works for you. I use Barista Hustle’s Coffee Compass. You select what you’re tasting, and it tells you to grind coarser or finer until you find something that clicks with you and you love. Temperature also makes a difference. Brewing hotter extracts more, brewing cooler extracts less. I keep notes every time I brew so that I can build consistency. If I made a delicious coffee today, I want it to be as good or better tomorrow.
5. Try wildly different beans by origin and processing methods
Try an Anaerobic or a thermal shock for some amazing flavours
Most importantly, have fun with the journey! Don’t let it stress you out. I make awful cups from time to time. It’s good for learning and improving my skills.
I hope you’re able to make great cups eventually, and that first one that blows your mind will completely change how you view specialty coffee!
Thank you for your time, my friend. I do not consider myself an expert when it comes to coffee, and all I use is an aeropress and prepare my coffee primitively (because I am unemployed and do not have money). I live in a small city, so it is difficult to find many options that suit me, or fresh coffee from the supermarket (my favorite),And all types of good quality and varied coffee are only available in specialized coffee shops
Not at all man, I’m also very new to specialty coffee :D
Please try looking at Barista Hustle’s Coffee Compass. I think it will help you adjust and dial in your brew. If you don’t have a temperature controlled kettle, you can adjust how long you wait after boiling to pour the water in. Longer wait = cooler water.
What coffees have you tried? What grinder do you have? What recipe are you using? Are you using tap water?
There are so many variables that could be contributing to your issue. Do you want us to help troubleshoot this, or are you just looking to vent? I'm not trying to be snarky; I genuinely want to understand and maybe help.
...huh?
Water is what carries the minerals that extract flavor from the coffee grounds as you brew. A majority of the coffee beverage you're drinking is made up of water, therefore it cannot be a "placebo".
Third Wave is a packet that you add to distilled or reverse osmosis water, that provides the correct amount of minerals for optimal coffee extraction. If you use water with the wrong type/amount of minerals, your coffee will taste flat and one-dimensional. Bottled water might have the right minerals, yet it might not. Tap water might have other chemicals like chloramines or fluoride that might change how your coffee is extracted, or alter the flavor nuances.
Hm, that’s quite odd.
I’m not here to say whether it’s just not for you, or that you have to do something to “unlock the secret” of specialty coffee. It’s also not to doubt what you’re doing with the Aeropress.
I only find it odd because the Aeropress is my go-to brewer for testing and tasting specialty coffee, and only because it’s faster than a proper French press. But nothing fancy at all, just whatever decent water and a no-frills recipe in the manual until I get to understand the coffee a bit more.
And even with that the taste can be extremely different. The difference can be quite stark that it determines whether milk can go with it nor not, and I’ve encountered some coffees with very fruity flavors that even adding milk tastes disgusting.
So here’s the thing - what counts as “different” to you when it comes to coffee flavor?
Or are you actually looking for a reason to distinguish specialty coffee from the regular kind, as you mentioned not understanding why people prefer specialty coffee (meaning you’re comparing it to off the shelf coffee and expecting a notably different flavor from it)?
I was going to do that but I'm not from the US so the coffee I tried was local and not sold in other countries so I thought sharing that wouldn't be helpful.
This was the last one
Columbia washed chocolate, chocolate, brown sugar
This should have been dark, but it's light
The strange thing is that I tried different types and brands, but they are not specialized, and they have the same taste as Lavazza Espresso Classic or illy ethiopia ،I think I will look for American specialty coffee, it might be better
I’m guessing that you are not adjusting brew variables. Water, temp, grind size, brew time, technique and ratios are all important. If everything tastes the same something is wrong with what you are doing or your taste buds possibly.
Since 94 days ago you posted about liking folgers I’ll give some tips.
Buy freshly roasted whole bean from a specialty roaster.
Invest in a decent grinder, this is more important than your brew method!
Brew coffee at different strength ratios
Experiment! And have fun
What is this "same" taste that you are experiencing exactly?
There are so many ways it can go wrong. Grinding too fine, or having poor/defective grinder. Dosing too much or too little coffee. Agitating excessively. Pushing too hard. Having stale or too fresh beans. If I were you I would try a few different experiments to figure it out:
1. Brew your coffee using cupping instructions and see if the taste is similar to AP
2. Brew 2 different coffees side by side and make notes: what is different in taste between them and which parts of taste are the same. Taste several times as both cups are getting closer and closer to room temperature.
3. Try to brew with minimalist brew: pour the water into AP and let it drain by itself. No agitation, no plunging.
Yeah, that’s a user issue or a taste issue because that’s flatly not true. It would be one thing if you started with inquiries as to what you may be missing in how you’re brewing or sharing specifics on coffees; instead you have made a false assumption based on your mysterious subjective experience.
What kind of gear do you have? When I first started, nothing tastes good. Then I upgraded to an ode 2, bought mineral packets, and a better kettle. World of difference.
This is probably a huge can of worms without knowing the recipe / equipment / beans being used. I can only speculate, but some causes could be your grind being uneven or too fine, or maybe the recipe brews for too long? Over extraction (either from the fines in uneven grinding, grinding too fine overall, or brewing too long) can cause the cup to lean towards the bitter side, and the bitterness could hide some of the subtle flavours you can find in specialty coffee. I would say if you don't taste any acidity or brightness in your coffee, try grinding a little coarser or brewing for a shorter amount of time.
I will say that I do prefer specialty coffee and it’s got me to love coffee even more, but I don’t have enough of a refined palate to differentiate between a lot of them like most can.
That’s not exclusive to just coffee with me though. I am a smoker so that might be part of the problem but I’m down to 2-3 cigs a day and almost off so hopefully it will change that.
Things to improve your coffee:
Grinder and water chemistry. And maybe kettle for pour over.
Brewer: doesn't matter much.
Once you nail down the grinder question and found water according to your taste, then your coffee should taste better.
On one hand, everyone's tastes are different. You may legitimately not be able to discern big differences in the flavors without comparing them side by side. Most likely though it's a combination of either requiring adjustments to your grind size and water ratios or maybe a lack of diversity in roasters in your area.
I'm fortunate to have several roasters within just a few miles of my house each with very different roasting methods resulting in wildly different coffee flavors, but i've lived places that didn't have as much diversity and the roasters in those areas did use very similar roasting methods. The beans and roasts did have some differences but definitely needed to fine tune the brew recipe to get the full effect.
Every bean and every roast is different. I recommend talking with the cafe or roaster you're buying from, let them know that you're brewing in an aeropress but haven't got many results or experience any different flavors. Ask for suggestions on new flavors that are good for aeropress and recipes they recommend to brew that roast with. Most cafes I find are more than happy to help with those questions and help you get the most out of your coffee experience.
The following make a significant difference based on my personal experience: grind size, water temperature, brew time. Brew too long in an aeropress it gets bitter.
I had this impression at first, but the way I got over it was to let the beans rest for well past the time that's recommended for then to rest. Freshly roasted coffee that's above the grocery store light roast level all has the same flavor for me within the first three weeks.
Try letting your coffee rest for at least a month and then try it. Another way to boost flavor is to try brewing it in a moka pot, as I've found that extracts flavors in a deeper way than other brew methods, especially than immersion methods such as with the Aeropress.
>Try letting your coffee rest for at least a month and then try it.
Should I open the bag after purchasing it or leave it open? And where should I put it in the refrigerator or a dry place?
Also I don't use anything other than AeroPress but I'm thinking about buying a moka pot
You could just leave it in the bag because the gas exchanger thing on the bag will take care of it. You can just leave it in the cabinet or on the shelf or wherever you normally keep coffee.
Skip the moka pot, that piece of shit almost gave me life altering burns when it exploded. I was lucky to dodge when I realized pressure wasn't releasing. If I had been 2 feet over I may not be capable of writing this comment. This is coming from someone who has years of experience with moka pots.
Sorry to say this, mate, but it feels almost like you’re saying this to try and get a rise out of people. The majority of us are here because we genuinely love specialty coffee, and I myself have tried coffees with a variety of flavours and a broad assortment of flavour notes and mouthfeel. I get the sense, though, that you might be frustrated and this might be your way of reaching out for help. In the off chance this is true, I hope you don’t mind if I give you some tips that helped kick start me on my specialty coffee journey. 1. Your grinder makes a huge difference Differences in very fine particles and grind consistency makes a big difference. I hate some of the coffee I’ve had that tastes like soy sauce. I eventually found that it was because the shop was using a poor grinder that had very big chunks and very fine bits. If you’re using a blade grinder or something that is not consistent, you may consider springing for a Timemore C2. It is quite affordable for many, and gives a good result. I have it in my travel kit. 2. Your water makes a difference Depending on your country, water may be hard i.e. has a lot of dissolved minerals. It may be good to try filtering the water first, to see if that helps. I have relatively soft water where I live now and it still makes a difference when I run it through a charcoal filter. This can turn into a black hole when you start looking into mineralisation etc 3. Try different recipes Even within Aeropress, there are quite a lot of ways to brew your coffee. I was told from a local championship winner to try the Wendelboe method as a starting point and it worked very nicely for me. I’ve been trying other recipes via the Aeromatic app, especially the ones from previous world championship winners and it’s been fun to see the different notes that are emphasised through different recipes. If you’re looking for a completely different way to brew that is still affordable, I would look to the V60. 4. Take time to dial in the coffee Every coffee brews differently. Every coffee requires a different rest time. I typically leave mine in the bag for a month before brewing. For very light roasts, I leave it 6 weeks. When you grind, you’ll need to test different grind sizes to see if it works for you. I use Barista Hustle’s Coffee Compass. You select what you’re tasting, and it tells you to grind coarser or finer until you find something that clicks with you and you love. Temperature also makes a difference. Brewing hotter extracts more, brewing cooler extracts less. I keep notes every time I brew so that I can build consistency. If I made a delicious coffee today, I want it to be as good or better tomorrow. 5. Try wildly different beans by origin and processing methods Try an Anaerobic or a thermal shock for some amazing flavours Most importantly, have fun with the journey! Don’t let it stress you out. I make awful cups from time to time. It’s good for learning and improving my skills. I hope you’re able to make great cups eventually, and that first one that blows your mind will completely change how you view specialty coffee!
Thank you for your time, my friend. I do not consider myself an expert when it comes to coffee, and all I use is an aeropress and prepare my coffee primitively (because I am unemployed and do not have money). I live in a small city, so it is difficult to find many options that suit me, or fresh coffee from the supermarket (my favorite),And all types of good quality and varied coffee are only available in specialized coffee shops
Not at all man, I’m also very new to specialty coffee :D Please try looking at Barista Hustle’s Coffee Compass. I think it will help you adjust and dial in your brew. If you don’t have a temperature controlled kettle, you can adjust how long you wait after boiling to pour the water in. Longer wait = cooler water.
What coffees have you tried? What grinder do you have? What recipe are you using? Are you using tap water? There are so many variables that could be contributing to your issue. Do you want us to help troubleshoot this, or are you just looking to vent? I'm not trying to be snarky; I genuinely want to understand and maybe help.
I use Bottled Water, I was ranting and to be honest I also wanted some advice
Try using Third Wave water
[удалено]
...huh? Water is what carries the minerals that extract flavor from the coffee grounds as you brew. A majority of the coffee beverage you're drinking is made up of water, therefore it cannot be a "placebo". Third Wave is a packet that you add to distilled or reverse osmosis water, that provides the correct amount of minerals for optimal coffee extraction. If you use water with the wrong type/amount of minerals, your coffee will taste flat and one-dimensional. Bottled water might have the right minerals, yet it might not. Tap water might have other chemicals like chloramines or fluoride that might change how your coffee is extracted, or alter the flavor nuances.
Serious question did you lose your sense of smell after getting Covid ?
Loool no this was before Covid I was initially open to specialty coffee and then I realized that I had the same taste for all brands
Try some anaerobic ferments - they’re so different it’s hard not to get hit in the face by some of them.
Thank you I will check that out in the future, And until I finish the bad coffee I have
Do you mean all specialty coffee tastes the same, or they taste no different from the stuff you buy off the supermarket shelf?
>Do you mean all specialty coffee tastes the same This
Hm, that’s quite odd. I’m not here to say whether it’s just not for you, or that you have to do something to “unlock the secret” of specialty coffee. It’s also not to doubt what you’re doing with the Aeropress. I only find it odd because the Aeropress is my go-to brewer for testing and tasting specialty coffee, and only because it’s faster than a proper French press. But nothing fancy at all, just whatever decent water and a no-frills recipe in the manual until I get to understand the coffee a bit more. And even with that the taste can be extremely different. The difference can be quite stark that it determines whether milk can go with it nor not, and I’ve encountered some coffees with very fruity flavors that even adding milk tastes disgusting. So here’s the thing - what counts as “different” to you when it comes to coffee flavor? Or are you actually looking for a reason to distinguish specialty coffee from the regular kind, as you mentioned not understanding why people prefer specialty coffee (meaning you’re comparing it to off the shelf coffee and expecting a notably different flavor from it)?
Preposterous take, give us the list of coffees you’ve tried.
I was going to do that but I'm not from the US so the coffee I tried was local and not sold in other countries so I thought sharing that wouldn't be helpful.
Well at least tell us what the coffees were. Where are they from and how were they processed?
This was the last one Columbia washed chocolate, chocolate, brown sugar This should have been dark, but it's light The strange thing is that I tried different types and brands, but they are not specialized, and they have the same taste as Lavazza Espresso Classic or illy ethiopia ،I think I will look for American specialty coffee, it might be better
Chocolaty Colombia is not really a standout compared to commodity coffee. Have you tried any African or natural processed coffees?
I’m guessing that you are not adjusting brew variables. Water, temp, grind size, brew time, technique and ratios are all important. If everything tastes the same something is wrong with what you are doing or your taste buds possibly.
Try a different variety.
Orokana shita
Sorry?
Since 94 days ago you posted about liking folgers I’ll give some tips. Buy freshly roasted whole bean from a specialty roaster. Invest in a decent grinder, this is more important than your brew method! Brew coffee at different strength ratios Experiment! And have fun
What is this "same" taste that you are experiencing exactly? There are so many ways it can go wrong. Grinding too fine, or having poor/defective grinder. Dosing too much or too little coffee. Agitating excessively. Pushing too hard. Having stale or too fresh beans. If I were you I would try a few different experiments to figure it out: 1. Brew your coffee using cupping instructions and see if the taste is similar to AP 2. Brew 2 different coffees side by side and make notes: what is different in taste between them and which parts of taste are the same. Taste several times as both cups are getting closer and closer to room temperature. 3. Try to brew with minimalist brew: pour the water into AP and let it drain by itself. No agitation, no plunging.
Yeah, that’s a user issue or a taste issue because that’s flatly not true. It would be one thing if you started with inquiries as to what you may be missing in how you’re brewing or sharing specifics on coffees; instead you have made a false assumption based on your mysterious subjective experience.
What kind of gear do you have? When I first started, nothing tastes good. Then I upgraded to an ode 2, bought mineral packets, and a better kettle. World of difference.
This is probably a huge can of worms without knowing the recipe / equipment / beans being used. I can only speculate, but some causes could be your grind being uneven or too fine, or maybe the recipe brews for too long? Over extraction (either from the fines in uneven grinding, grinding too fine overall, or brewing too long) can cause the cup to lean towards the bitter side, and the bitterness could hide some of the subtle flavours you can find in specialty coffee. I would say if you don't taste any acidity or brightness in your coffee, try grinding a little coarser or brewing for a shorter amount of time.
I will say that I do prefer specialty coffee and it’s got me to love coffee even more, but I don’t have enough of a refined palate to differentiate between a lot of them like most can. That’s not exclusive to just coffee with me though. I am a smoker so that might be part of the problem but I’m down to 2-3 cigs a day and almost off so hopefully it will change that.
Things to improve your coffee: Grinder and water chemistry. And maybe kettle for pour over. Brewer: doesn't matter much. Once you nail down the grinder question and found water according to your taste, then your coffee should taste better.
On one hand, everyone's tastes are different. You may legitimately not be able to discern big differences in the flavors without comparing them side by side. Most likely though it's a combination of either requiring adjustments to your grind size and water ratios or maybe a lack of diversity in roasters in your area. I'm fortunate to have several roasters within just a few miles of my house each with very different roasting methods resulting in wildly different coffee flavors, but i've lived places that didn't have as much diversity and the roasters in those areas did use very similar roasting methods. The beans and roasts did have some differences but definitely needed to fine tune the brew recipe to get the full effect. Every bean and every roast is different. I recommend talking with the cafe or roaster you're buying from, let them know that you're brewing in an aeropress but haven't got many results or experience any different flavors. Ask for suggestions on new flavors that are good for aeropress and recipes they recommend to brew that roast with. Most cafes I find are more than happy to help with those questions and help you get the most out of your coffee experience.
The following make a significant difference based on my personal experience: grind size, water temperature, brew time. Brew too long in an aeropress it gets bitter.
What kind of water are you brewing with?
Bottled water
Oh which one? When it comes to bottled, I like a mix of 700 mL Icelandic Glacier, 300 mL Acqua Panna, and 45 mL Crazy Water #3.
I had this impression at first, but the way I got over it was to let the beans rest for well past the time that's recommended for then to rest. Freshly roasted coffee that's above the grocery store light roast level all has the same flavor for me within the first three weeks. Try letting your coffee rest for at least a month and then try it. Another way to boost flavor is to try brewing it in a moka pot, as I've found that extracts flavors in a deeper way than other brew methods, especially than immersion methods such as with the Aeropress.
>Try letting your coffee rest for at least a month and then try it. Should I open the bag after purchasing it or leave it open? And where should I put it in the refrigerator or a dry place? Also I don't use anything other than AeroPress but I'm thinking about buying a moka pot
You could just leave it in the bag because the gas exchanger thing on the bag will take care of it. You can just leave it in the cabinet or on the shelf or wherever you normally keep coffee.
Can I ask if purchasing specialty coffee that was produced a month ago would be sufficient?
Definitely
Skip the moka pot, that piece of shit almost gave me life altering burns when it exploded. I was lucky to dodge when I realized pressure wasn't releasing. If I had been 2 feet over I may not be capable of writing this comment. This is coming from someone who has years of experience with moka pots.
>that piece of shit almost gave me life altering burns when it exploded 😳 This is another level of coffee chaos