[UserAccessDenied]

UAD

you have just proven my original comment

remember when you didn't care about all the nuances of source and process...all you wanted was a good lens or camera or bicycle or fly rod or even coffee

your brew sounds interesting

the closest I've ever gotten to your process is beans in a cast iron skillet
browned
smashed with the flat of a hatchet
brewed in a porcelain boiler
decanted through a clean towel
enjoyed as the sun rose

now I open a pack of starbuck's and call it good

Right, a lot has changed since the wild west days.
Except I don't drive a Honda or wear ball caps, lol.

I love campfire coffee.
I also roast in cast iron on open fire. I don't see the point in buying another appliance for the purpose of roasting when I get phenomenal coffee out of a 50 year old cast iron dutch oven over flame.

It's really just a hobby of mine, but the more information we have access to, the more advanced our hobbies become.

This concept applies to everything. Photography, coffee roasting, brewing techniques, etc.

I'm just glad I am able to home roast and home brew.

[ccc_]

those "hobbies" seem to consume us

I have several boxes of exotic and specialized tools for creating a variety of arcane and anachronistic objects

it is a lot of fun but the church mice are going to have to bury me in THEIR potter's field

as an aside I saw a tabletop still on cool tools yesterday
just the next step, you know

[normhead]

Our campfire coffee tastes exactly the same as our coffee at home. French press at home and french press in the bush.

But I take it from the conversation campfire coffee is coffee that has been boiled all day on a campfire in one of those old double boiler style coffee pots.

[UserAccessDenied]

those "hobbies" seem to consume us

I have several boxes of exotic and specialized tools for creating a variety of arcane and anachronistic objects

it is a lot of fun but the church mice are going to have to bury me in THEIR potter's field

as an aside I saw a tabletop still on cool tools yesterday
just the next step, you know

haha yes, my coffee roasting and photography definitely consumes my life outside of work.
There are worse things that could consume us though!

My wife also appreciates a super fresh roasted cappuccino, so if she's happy I'm happy!

I'm also up 4-5 hours before her, so I try to stay busy to avoid waking her up
That means tending to things outside, like photography, gardening, roasting, etc.
Just curious what the next hobby will be!
Welding perhaps?

[ccc_]

Our campfire coffee tastes exactly the same as our coffee at home. French press at home and french press in the bush.

But I take it from the conversation campfire coffee is coffee that has been boiled all day on a campfire in one of those old double boiler style coffee pots.

campfire/cowboy coffee can be as you describe and it can have lethal amounts of bitterness and caffeine
however scoops of coffee dumped into a pot not a percolator is how I've had it

now I just carry a sealed bag of coffee and a stainless steel French press

---------- Post added 02-02-17 at 08:32 AM ----------

...Welding perhaps? ....

you could do worse

what I have wanted is a laser cutter
however I am not willing to go back to work to afford one

[UserAccessDenied]

My personal opinion, but I think there are at least 5 factors to great coffee

1. Quality of the beans
2. Freshness of the roast, and appropriate resting period
3. Quality and method of grinding - ceramic burr grinding over metal blade...
4. Quality of the water - RO is actually going to produce a flat brew. Hard water is better in most cases.
5. Method for brewing - all comes down to preference, but the 4 factors above should work together towards a particular brew.

At the end of the day, it's coffee.
Drink what you like!

[clackers]

My personal opinion, but I think there are at least 5 factors to great coffee

1. Quality of the beans
2. Freshness of the roast, and appropriate resting period
3. Quality and method of grinding - ceramic burr grinding over metal blade...
4. Quality of the water - RO is actually going to produce a flat brew. Hard water is better in most cases.
5. Method for brewing - all comes down to preference, but the 4 factors above should work together towards a particular brew.

+1.

I did a barista course for fun.

It has ruined me, though ... if I was dying in the desert now, and I was offered some powdered coffee, I'd end up feeding the vultures rather than drink it.

[PDL]

When I was a lot younger, I had a friend that knew where there were some sheep herders out in the "boonies". I was working on my BA in Anthropology and we all knew that the guys who really knew where the arrow heads (actually they are called projectile points by Archaeologists) were to be located. One weekend we jumped in my friends truck and drove out to find the guy.

When we got to his camp he offered us a cup of coffee, of course we said yes, not wanting to offend. The coffee was in a large porcelain pot that sat directly on the coals. He slowly poured a little coffee into a small white enamel cup. Then poured out three cups and we began to talk "arrow heads". During the discussion we got around to asking about the coffee (it was syrupy and a bit gritty). He said when he sets up camp he puts a pound of coffee in the pot, fills it with water and has it come to a boil. As necessary he adds water as the level drops, when it gets too weak he would add another pound of coffee refill the pot and let it boil. The reason he was checking the brew with the white cup was to see how full of grounds the pot was. If the white cup showed more grounds than liquid it was time to bring out the cheesecloth and filter the coffee. When the pot was full of grounds, he would dump out the grounds and start over along with knowing that it was time to move the herd to fresh ground. After that cup, I think I had a really hard time sleeping for at least two days.

Now that is coffee, thick (literally), gritty, hot and the cup we had --- STRONG. We also brought fresh steaks (we both worked in a grocery store so we had connections) and he "cooked" them for us. Built up his fire and got his dutch oven to almost glow red. He put the steak on the oven tapped his foot 7 or 8 times flipped the steak tapped his foot again the put the steak on the plate. Handed me the steak and put the next steak on the oven but added taps to make up for the heat being lower. His steak was last with just not quite as many taps of the foot. He then apologized to me for "overcooking" the steak since he did not know if I liked it well-done or not. One of the better steaks I have ever eaten and convinced me that rare is the way to go.

I live in the land of Starbucks, all of you guys fussing over coffee remind me of the wimpy little waifs that order a non-fat, no foam, decaf (aka a why bother), vanilla, two Splendas in their "special" cup that was blessed by Juan Valdez. Go find yourself a person that boils coffee grounds in a big pot - that is "real" coffee.

The best cop of coffee I ever had, however was a flat white in the coffee/breakfast/lunch shop around the corner from where we stayed on our vacation in Christchurch NZ. A flat white with a ginger snap cookie and a breakfast sausage - man that was living the good life. Unfortunately the building housing the shop was destroyed in the 2011 earthquake. Looking at Bingle maps all you see is dirt (the apartment building we stayed at is still there).

[lithedreamer]

and a fine opinion it is

however this is the internet
the internet is hardly fact-based
it does have a certain charm
where else can you digress from opinions about lens performance to opinions about hot caffeinated beverages

consumer reviews are opinions based on who knows what reasoning
most really just say I like this thing or I don't
i'm good with that... but it isn't science

have you ever (honestly) purchased an item based solely on online "reviews"?

I haven't nor would i
for fear of disappointment and future regret

however I do enjoy reading them

I've based all of my photography purchases on online reviews. I've only been let down by one purchase, so I'd say it's working out pretty well.

[UserAccessDenied]

I live in the land of Starbucks, all of you guys fussing over coffee remind me of the wimpy little waifs that order a non-fat, no foam, decaf (aka a why bother), vanilla, two Splendas in their "special" cup that was blessed by Juan Valdez. Go find yourself a person that boils coffee grounds in a big pot - that is "real" coffee.

The best cop of coffee I ever had, however was a flat white in the coffee/breakfast/lunch shop around the corner from where we stayed on our vacation in Christchurch NZ. A flat white with a ginger snap cookie and a breakfast sausage - man that was living the good life. Unfortunately the building housing the shop was destroyed in the 2011 earthquake. Looking at Bingle maps all you see is dirt (the apartment building we stayed at is still there).

I agree to a certain point, but there's nothing wrong with experimenting different regions of coffee.
Did your herder explain where he got the coffee beans from or if he ground them himself?
Did he mortar and pestle the beans to a course grind for his pot-brew?

I agree on the black coffee statement.
People that fuss over what type of sugar or milk is used is absurd to me!

You wouldn't buy a nice bottle of bourbon and make a whiskey/coke with it, right?
Why waste quality coffee in a similar fashion?

[ccc_]

I agree to a certain point, but there's nothing wrong with experimenting different regions of coffee.
Did your herder explain where he got the coffee beans from or if he ground them himself?
Did he mortar and pestle the beans to a course grind for his pot-brew?

I agree on the black coffee statement.
People that fuss over what type of sugar or milk is used is absurd to me!

You wouldn't buy a nice bottle of bourbon and make a whiskey/coke with it, right?
Why waste quality coffee in a similar fashion?

you never know
one of my immediate supervisors was all about jack and tab

a crotchety old bartender once told him was a wuss
stab 'n' kill was what he was going to get with his damn tab
jack was sour mash not bourbon
but whatever it was she wasn't ruining it with pop especially fake pop
and if he had to drink that crap in front working folk he couldn't do it in her bar

an alcoholic I worked with was killing himself by way of bleeding ulcers and eighteen hour a day imbibing
his doctor said if he had to drink...scotch and milk
h drank glenlivet and cream, he called it a tammy shammy... when he had an audience and hennessy otherwise

there are as many levels of joy to be derived from superior sugars and dairy as the coffee you put it in

so I think we are back to...no rules, do what you want

[PDL]

I agree to a certain point, but there's nothing wrong with experimenting different regions of coffee.
Did your herder explain where he got the coffee beans from or if he ground them himself?
Did he mortar and pestle the beans to a course grind for his pot-brew?

I agree on the black coffee statement.
People that fuss over what type of sugar or milk is used is absurd to me!

You wouldn't buy a nice bottle of bourbon and make a whiskey/coke with it, right?
Why waste quality coffee in a similar fashion?

I did not ask him where he bought his coffee. I am sure that he did not grind it himself meaning that the one pound added into the pot came out of a can. You could grind beans at the old - old Safeway in my home town in the late 50's and early 60's, but this guy would spend months at a time tending the herd so dropping into town was not a real option as he carried his supplies for the long term with him. This was in Wyoming in the 70's after all where most coffee came pre ground in cans. So, quality coffee? In this case --- ah no. Most of the coffee from this era in that place was really best used as bug remover on windshields. Cream and sugar were mandatory or the acid would eat the enamel off your teeth. Starbucks coffee from a shop (which I do get on occasion) is really not comparable to 70's coffee from a can - i.e. sheepdip. The coffee I drink at home today is cold brewed using a "Coffee Toddy". I buy the coffee beans at Costco (store brand, Starbucks roasted) and grind the two pound bag there. The coffee concentrate is nearly acid free, mellow in flavor and I can vary the strength by adding more or less concentrate. I have a on demand hot water supply, so the coffee is fresh every cup (I have cut back to 1 cup a day).

I do not drink Coke (or soda/pop) anymore so no Bourbon and a coke is not what I care about. I do like Bourbon, but take it straight or get a Manhattan at Oliver's in downtown Seattle. However, if you want to get me to sit and discuss the ills of the world - Single Malt Scotch Whiskey - neat, with a few drops of water (about a table spoon). Sipping whiskey, in moderation.

[ccc_]

Costco does have some nice coffee varieties doesn't it

I never cared to much for beer or mixed drinks...too much down time
but I did love two whiskeys...jamesons and glenlivet (they were at the upper limit of my income then)
a bartender I was dating finally got up the nerve to ask me how old I was...21 last month
but you've been..
yep. swilling very expensive whiskey for four years and nobody asked
the old gal at the first bar I tried told me a zit-faced kid asking for a bbbbbbud wasn't going to cut it
she handed me a tumbler of scotch and said...now say chivas

I do miss drinking but not as much as no cigarettes