Ultimate Coffee Geek trys Caffenol Developing...

TheBigYin

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While watching a few reviews trying to work out what the best replacement for a friends aging bean-to-cup machine was, I came across James Hoffmann's youtube channel. Oh dear, that was a lost weekend.

But in amongst all the espresso geekery, there was an interesting take on using Caffenol - of course, Mr Uber Coffee Geek couldn't use cheap instant, he had to go with his coffee geek roots...

The video doesn't really go much into the actual processing or any of that - but it's a lovely way of spending a few minutes. How the worlds most caffeinated dude manages to be so laid back is fascinating to me...

This really does have to be the most Hipster thing in the universe though....

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bhOtTUtPhg
 
I chose the worst tasting cheapest instant coffee to try caffenol when my daughter was doing her BTEC in photography. The active ingredient is not caffeine but caffeic and chlorogenic acids which are what makes bitter coffee.
 
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Bobsyeruncle said:
What was your conclusion?
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While I was looking into it, I got a text from them saying they'd already bought a Gaggia Cadorna Prestige direct from Gaggia UK as they had a offer on (and, they're just up the road from us in Halifax). Looks a good machine, if a little automated for my taste - but then again, I'm not really into "milky" coffees - I just want something that does a really good Espresso shot, and I'm not averse to a bit of faffing/making it a hobby to get what I want - whereas my mate wants something that can turn itself on before he gets up on a morning for work so it's up to temperature - walk into the kitchen, put the milk jug from the fridge into the machine and press a button, and get his coffee how he wants it, while he's preparing his Weetabix ;)
 
My suggestion was going to be to find a local coffee shop whose brew was to his taste!
 
Nod said:
My suggestion was going to be to find a local coffee shop whose brew was to his taste!
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It's "working from home" thats basically killed his last machine - His reasoning was that as decent coffee hasn't made it to our village (or to my knowledge any of the ones within a 3 mile radius...) - so going into one of the local towns, paying parking for a 1 hour minimum, and buying a coffee 3 times a day makes a decent coffee machine a reasonably sensible option.
 
We have definitely been going through the beans a lot more since lockdown. We drink filter so have a Technivorm Moccamaster and a Baratza Virtuoso
 
TheBigYin said:
It's "working from home" thats basically killed his last machine - His reasoning was that as decent coffee hasn't made it to our village (or to my knowledge any of the ones within a 3 mile radius...) - so going into one of the local towns, paying parking for a 1 hour minimum, and buying a coffee 3 times a day makes a decent coffee machine a reasonably sensible option.
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Should have put a ;) after my first post. A mate of mine is seriously into his coffee and used to do his own roasting (a popcorn popping machine was his weapon of choice for that, doing a daily roast made his house smell gorgeous!!!) but had a problem over lockdown - a seal blew. A call to the seller/servicer saw a seal arrive by return of post but sod's law meant that it was the "other one" on that bit of pipe that was needed. Another call got a most humble apology and the next day's post contained a complete set of seals for the whole machine! The girl had taken it upon herself to make sure he got the right seal by sending him every option - "I just walked down the spares shelf and picked out one of everything!" Makes nice coffee but it took 2 people to lift it onto it's bit of work surface!
 
Nod said:
Makes nice coffee but it took 2 people to lift it onto it's bit of work surface!
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Yep - had one similar to that - had its own electrical spur for power and was plumbed direct into a softened/filtered water supply. Bought it at a disposal auction from a restaurant that'd gone out of business. Nobody else bidded on it, because it was missing both portafilters. They hadn't spotted that they were in the lot before - a large box of espresso and cappuccino cups. I bidded on the cups and got them for £40, Machine went up at first bid of £100, I offered £40, someone else bid £50, and I took it for £60 - all told, a machine that was list price of about £3k for £100. I then proceded to keep half a dozen of each type of cup and saucer, ebayed the rest in 3's and got £80 back...

Of course, fitting the machine wasn't cheap, and every other year it needed a service that basically cost somewhere near the same as a second hand Gaggia Classic - eventually, after I had the heart attack and was confined to "decaf only" I decided to sell it on, and made enough for a new Rancilio Silvia and a PID kit...

Its nice, but it's not as nice as the pro equipment - mainly the "solidity" aspect - and if i'm doing any milk based drinks, I really miss that it's not a double boiler setup. for me, generally, it's not that important - i'm kind of "all about the espresso shot" - even though I very often drink Americano's these days. Never thought I'd say it, but after 4 years of being decaffinated (apart from occasional accidental and extremely worrying one-offs usually involving blues-two's-and a feet first entry to A&E ) I actually really enjoy some of the Decaf Beans out there...
 
TheBigYin said:
I actually really enjoy some of the Decaf Beans out there...
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I get my decaf beans mostly from Monsoon Estates, but their website doesn't list what they've got, which is annoying. They usually have 3 or 4 kinds, with Brazil being the default I think. I usually pick them up at Warwick Market. Drinking Sumatra Swiss Water at the moment. It's nice being able to chat to the folk who roast your coffee!

My other option, particularly for my favourite, Ethiopian Sidamo Swiss Water is Decadent Decaf. They only roast 3 times a week, and their delivery is a bit slower, but the Monsoon folk can't get Sidamo at the moment!

When I started drinking decaf coffee from really good quality beans well roasted, I was staggered. Decaf is no longer second best, IMHO!
 
Decaf is a lot better these days using Carbon Dioxide rather than Trichlorethylene (dry cleaning fluid/anaesthetic) or n-Hexane - both nasty.
 
dmb said:
I chose the worst tasting cheapest instant coffee to try caffenol when my daughter was doing her BTEC in photography. The active ingredient is not caffeine but caffeic and chlorogenic acids which are what makes bitter coffee.
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Going back to the Caffenol developing sub-thread: would Camp coffee work - that's truly vile - but I seem to recall it's not actually coffee?
 
lindsay56 said:
Going back to the Caffenol developing sub-thread: would Camp coffee work - that's truly vile - but I seem to recall it's not actually coffee?
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After sugar, that has no polyphenols, the next ingredient in Camp coffee these days is chicory that does have polyphenols including chlorogenic acid. Coffee used to be the second ingredient when I was a kid.
 
dmb said:
After sugar, that has no polyphenols, the next ingredient in Camp coffee these days is chicory that does have polyphenols including chlorogenic acid. Coffee used to be the second ingredient when I was a kid.
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Was that a "yes"?
 
TheBigYin said:
Never thought I's day it, but after 4 years of being decaffinated (apart from occasional accidental and extremely worrying one-offs usually involving blues-two's-and a feet first entry to A&E ) I actually really enjoy some of the Decaf Beans out there...
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Result on the machine (the bit I've snipped out!!!)

I suppose I could get to dislike decaff a little bit if a trip in an ambulance was the alternative but I suspect I'd give up coffee instead!
 
ChrisR said:
Was that a "yes"?
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Might be worth a frame snipped off a bulk roll and a cup of camp if you have it - less unpleasant than drinking it... ;)
 
I actually really enjoyed that video, and I was surprised how well a couple of the shots came out.

I think he may be right about the smell being directly related to the quality of the coffee... my first few batches smelled like bad fish, but I've used a 'better' instant since then that didn't smell nearly so bad.
 
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