I do not drink out of it but I have my late dads cup he used through the Marine Corps and beyond...it's plain Government issue and VERY special
Coffee's good. How about the cup?
- Thread starter roklein
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Picture worthy?!
IMO just stay away from paper / plastic / styrofoam and you'll be fine.
For my espresso, I like to see my crema so I use these:
With an espresso shot, you drink it quickly enough that the heat loss from material really isn't a problem no matter what you use.
For my espresso, I like to see my crema so I use these:
With an espresso shot, you drink it quickly enough that the heat loss from material really isn't a problem no matter what you use.
Unless you're pulling into a cool (temperature) cup. The initial heat loss when the coffee hits the cold glass can ruin your shot.
Love the TARDIS mug!
I always boil more water than I need when making coffee via my FP. I pour the water into my mug (thick-walled ceramic) just after it stops boiling. Then I wait a bit more ( 20 - 30 seconds at most ) before pouring it into my FP. I don't dump the water out of the mug until my coffee is ready. That way the cup gets hot before the coffee hits it & my coffee stays hotter longer. Also, if my coffee has gone cold & I'm pouring from a thermos, I will fill it with the hottest tap water I can & let it sit for 10 - 15 seconds, dump & fill with coffee.
At work I have a 10oz coffee cup ( it's a dollar store cheap-o mug ). At home I have a 6oz restaurant mug that I got from a local coffee roaster/restaurant supply.
Nothing special for me. I'd rather have something special *in* my cup than on it.
At work I have a 10oz coffee cup ( it's a dollar store cheap-o mug ). At home I have a 6oz restaurant mug that I got from a local coffee roaster/restaurant supply.
Nothing special for me. I'd rather have something special *in* my cup than on it.
Thanks! I also have Tardis sticky-notes!
Very true! That's why I always purge my first shot (using yesterday's puck) into my cold glass espresso mug to warm it up. Then a quick rinse under hot water just before I pull my real shot seems to work!
Nope, I just leave it be, it's not hurting anyone! I find it useful actually to provide some pressure against my purge shot, this way the machine isn't just pouring out water for purge and it actually has some resistance. I figure these machines (or at least mine) was designed to pump out water against the resistance of the coffee, and since I like to purge a shot to get my machine fired up and more consistent (or at least this has been the case with my machine), I figure it's probably better to do it against resistance than sans-resistance.
I haven't really heard of any detriment to leaving the puck in the machine after you pull a shot. I use my machine twice a day at least, so it's never in there for too long, not like it's growing mold on it or something. Do you know if / why the puck shouldn't be left in the portafilter?
P.S. sorry for hijacking this thread a bit. Feel free to go on an commence discussion about coffee mugs!
I'll be the first to admit, I'm FAR from a professional when it comes to espresso, but I read just about EVERY new post on Home-Barista, and I've never heard of anyone leaving a puck in post shot. All the machines that interest me (Vibiemme, Quick Mill, Izzo, Elektra, Vivaldi, etc) have no issue drawing water for a cooling flush (or a purge shot as you call it). It just seems to be a lot cleaner and more efficient to dump the spent puck after every shot.
What machine do you use, btw?
I use a simple Mr. Coffee ECMP50 model. I'm far from an expert, too. In fact, the only reason I have this machine is because my father received it as a gift and he wound up not using it so he passed it along to me. It certainly isn't anywhere near top of the line, but it does for me what I expect of it at that price range. One day (when I have my own place to settle down and enough income), I will invest in some big beautiful machine, but currently this is my used toyota corolla so to speak. Gets me from point A to point B every day.
I used to search around Home Barista when I first got the machine and thought I learned "enough" to get a decent grasp of most of what I needed to produce a decent cup of espresso.
In terms of cleanliness, it's interesting, I find that sometimes my puck can be a little damp and be a little MORE messy if I try to dump it directly post shot vs. allowing it to dry a bit and then it comes out much easier. That's just my machine though. Also, this method I use is the only one I have ever used, and this is the only machine I ever used, so I probably have no right talking about what might work in general. All i know is that I've learned the peculiarities of my machine over time and have come to a place after using it for a steady 2 years + that I can say I'm happy with my consistent results (and so is everyone else that has tasted my coffee, including barista friends of mine etc)
I used to search around Home Barista when I first got the machine and thought I learned "enough" to get a decent grasp of most of what I needed to produce a decent cup of espresso.
In terms of cleanliness, it's interesting, I find that sometimes my puck can be a little damp and be a little MORE messy if I try to dump it directly post shot vs. allowing it to dry a bit and then it comes out much easier. That's just my machine though. Also, this method I use is the only one I have ever used, and this is the only machine I ever used, so I probably have no right talking about what might work in general. All i know is that I've learned the peculiarities of my machine over time and have come to a place after using it for a steady 2 years + that I can say I'm happy with my consistent results (and so is everyone else that has tasted my coffee, including barista friends of mine etc)
Ah! Ok. That makes sense. Is that a thermoblock system? And can you back flush? I don't think it has a 3 way solenoid (correct me if I'm wrong), so the chances of coffee backtracking up the line are pretty much nill.
Agreed.
No special cup? A cup w/o any meaning? Wow! Heck I have at least 20 cups I have gotten over the years. Reminders of ppeople places. And attitudes. I even have my old anchor hocking milk glass with batman on it ( I was as at least 4 yrs).
but to each their own.
My old boss use to have a nasty old cup like that. Every time he took a vacation or was on sick leave (he was in his late 70's) me or one of my folks would bleach that cup bight white. He would get all fired up when he got back
He always knew it was me or on my order... That is about the only thing I miss about that night shift! Well that and the pancakes from the mess hall on Saturday mornings just before it was time to go home!
Some people do consider that to be a "seasoning" that improves the flavor of the coffee. Fine, if it works for you. But cleanliness is everything when it comes making a top notch pot of coffee. If you ever have a poor coffee at a restaurant, inspect the coffee maker. The pot and brewing basket should be shiny with no residual build up or stains from old coffee at all. Unclean equipment is the number 1 killer for a good cup.
All of my home cups are ceramic mugs, which don't contribute any off flavors to the drink. When on a camping trip, my preferred cups are stainless steel or plastic.
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Stoneware 500ml German beer mug.
I agree with you. I understand the process that creates my coffee from boiling water. I only drink black coffee at home so there is minimal microbial growth medium to start with (no cream, sugar or other frufru). I only drink from this cup on weekends so whatever may be in the cup has had at least 5 days of dry air to die. I am in excellent health and I usually only get a cold or flu bug on average "for a few days" every 2-3 winters. I do hand-wash the cup every now and then, and this is the only cup I re-use to this degree.
I think the only reason I do this is in remembrance of all those old Navy sons-of-guns who have gone before me. When I was in all the "lifer's" cups were black on the inside and all the bulkheads had a brownish tinge from the cigarette smoke. But I am not advocating my habits (my "process") for anyone else. I'm not convinced that the "seasoning" affects the taste much, but it does affect the experience.
I actually took some pretty extreme measures on someone else's coffee cup once. A Navy friend who I have a deep respect for had been sick for weeks. He was one of these people who loved cappuccinos with all manner of flavorings and a lot of this stuff had caked up on the sides of his cup. My cup looks spotless compared to the growths he had on his cup. Even when I drew the connection between his nasty cup and his nasty cold he still would not clean it.
When he went on vacation I washed his coffee cup - by hand - and I have to tell you I got the heevy-jeevies more than once while I was cleaning it. I got that sucker spotless and put it back on his desk. When he got back from his vaca he asked who cleaned his cup. I told him it was me because I didn't want anyone else to "take the rap" for something I did. I reminded him that I thought it was a partial cause of his illnesses but he was so ticked at me he wouldn't speak to me for a long time. But he got well.
See you're an old navyman. People are always trying to steal my cup to wash out the lining. Ruins the coffee for some time. I remember someone washing the chiefs coffepot, almost going over the side with the pot!
