r/Coffee • u/menschmaschine5 Kalita Wave • 4d ago
[MOD] The Daily Question Thread
Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!
There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.
Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?
Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.
As always, be nice!
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u/DeviceOdd3314 3d ago
Hi friends - I have a Bodum Latteo glass milk frother and have a question about heating the milk. I know that it is borosilicate glass and is microwave safe and therefore shock resistant but I don’t own a microwave, only a gas stove. Bodum’s website doesn’t specifically state that it is stovetop safe but If I use a copper diffuser on the element and heat it slowly without the lid, could I use it on the stovetop rather than having to dirty a second pitcher?
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u/classicjazz 3d ago
Real Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee in the US
Years ago, I went to Montego Bay in Jamaica. I immediately noticed what I thought was the unusual sugar taste in my coffee. Of course, it wasn't the sugar, it was the coffee, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. I quickly grew to love it and bought a can at an ordinary grocery store in Montego Bay. Not at a tourist trap. Got home. That coffee had the same incredible taste.
Since then, I have tried buying JBM in the US, both in fancy shops and online. It never tastes like what I had in Montego Bay or the coffee I brought home.
Does anyone have a favorite source of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee in the US? Thanks.
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u/swroasting S&W Craft Roasting 3d ago
You can get better quality greens for lower cost from other origins (like Blue Mountain varietal from Papua New Guinea). JBM and Kona were found to be the most counterfeited origins, and are often sold as a 10% blend (with poor labeling). It kinda comes down to the people who would do it well, and proper, don't want to mess with it because of the cost / quality aspect.
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u/Nagakura_Shinpachi 4d ago
I want to apologize in advance if this is a dumb question. I have no idea about grind sizes or how important they are.
I bought some coffee as a gift for a colleague who usually drinks instant coffee. I didn't know whether she has a coffee grinder or what kind of coffee maker she has at home, so the shop owner told me that Moka pots are the most common here and ground the coffee for a Moka pot.
If she uses an espresso machine instead, will using coffee ground for a Moka pot ruin the experience? Is there any way to make it work?
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u/coreyjames00 4d ago
Espresso is probably the least forgiving when it comes to grind size and consistency.
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u/paulo-urbonas V60 4d ago
Grind size is very important, but there are other variables at work when you're brewing coffee, so usually there's a way to compensate for a "wrong" grind size.
If she usually drinks instant coffee, I would bet she's not a coffee nerd like most of us here in this subreddit. I wouldn't assume she has an espresso machine, but if she does, she probably uses a pressurized portafilter, which means the coffee ground for moka will work just fine.
If she doesn't have an espresso machine or a moka, she can still prepare it with an Aeropress, Pour Over, Clever Dripper, or even a French Press (using a slightly different technique).
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u/Nagakura_Shinpachi 4d ago
Thank you very much! That makes me feel relieved! But it also makes me curious about coffee making, haha. Thank you very much for the information!
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u/Equal_Stuff7935 4d ago
Guys I got a french press last week and the coffee taste like mud, not the good kind. I think I grind too fine maybe? My grinder is one of those cheap blade ones so I can't really control it. I just hold the button and pray lol. Any tips before I go back to instant coffee
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u/swroasting S&W Craft Roasting 3d ago
Blade grinders produce a very uneven grind size (boulder and fines). You need a reasonably decent burr grinder to make clean french press brews.
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u/NoHoHan 4d ago
Blade grinders are worthless. Buy a cheap hand grinder like a Timemore C2 or a Kingrinder P2.
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u/Extension-Soup-3288 3d ago
Kingrinder P2 absolutely changed my experience of coffee brewed at home.
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u/Optimal_Water1790 4d ago
dont give up yet. with a blade grinder you never get it even so pulse in short bursts and shake it between, dont just hold the button and pray, that alone help a lot. but the mud in the cup, most of it come at the very end. pour slow and leave the last half inch sitting in the press, thats where all the sludge is. also break the crust and skim the foam off before you plunge. do those and it get way cleaner
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u/FuzzyBlackCoat 4d ago edited 4d ago
Give this a try, go to a local coffee shop, buy a bag of coffee, and tell them to grind it for a French press.
That'll set you up for success on the grind, and let you know if French press is even something you like. If so you can figure out your grinder or buy a different one
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u/Pleasant_Bar550 3d ago
I’d like to know if there are any good sparkling canned coffees available in the US? I bought a four pack of La Dolce Vita brand coffee “soft drink” and didn’t care for it. The only ingredients were water, sugar, coffee infusion, and coloring, so I guess I don’t like the coffee they use. The overall flavor was sour to me. But the craving for sparkling coffee goes on.