Some years ago I read The Book on the Bookshelf by Henry Petroski. It’s about how book storage evolved along with the book. It might seem bit esoteric, but I enjoyed it. There are so many modern-day things we take for granted, that have an interesting history.
I made some cold brew for my husband this weekend. I just soaked the ground coffee in water and then strained. He liked the smoothness of the cold brew.
I hope you enjoy it! Essentially, cold brew is simply soaking coffee grounds in water then separating the grounds from the result so you don’t have to use your teeth to do so while drinking it.
While I think there is some inherent bitterness and acidity in coffee that will come through to the final result no matter what method used to extract, hot/fast brewing tends to extract more bitterness and acidity than cold/slow brewing. Cold/slow brewing extracts more of the full flavour profile of the coffee. So you will lose the ‘strong’ aggressive ‘bite’ but gain a fuller spectrum of flavours instead.
My experience is that drinking hot/cold makes a difference to the flavour. But keep in mind that by cold brewing you’ve already left behind most of the stuff that causes bitterness and acidity in the grounds. So drinking it hot does not thereby make it taste more bitter/acidic. The difference I’ve found is that drinking the coffee at a cooler temp enables your taste buds to distinquish the more subtle flavours when consumed hot just pass by unnoticed.
Finally, you may also find that using a paper filter changes the flavour profile. So you might want to experiment with non-paper alternatives.
Today’s coffee discoveries at Winners.
Last night I started my second cold brew batch with BOZ. I used the full amount of coffee grounds I have been using for 4 liters of coffee. The end result tonight was slightly less than 56oz / 1625ml of ‘concentrate’. I topped it up to 56/1625 by adding a small amount of water through the grounds. I then decanted into a 2-liter mason jar. From that I poured 1/4 (406ml) into my Bunn carafe and added enough water to make 1 liter total. I was not precise with my volume measures and henceforth I shall be. So in the morning I’ll experience my first ever ‘dilute from concentrate’ cold brewed coffee!
So, I did a cold brew overnight and my husband brewed the same coffee in our regular coffee pot to compare. Quite a difference in the acidity and very noticable when drinking side-by-side.
I have found my new fasting coffee! Thanks.
Congrats! I’ve never done a side-by-side taste test. When I first started cold brewing I was brewing 12 hours - essentially overnight +. I gradually increased brew time. I found the coffee had more flavour with a longer brew. Also, 24 hour brew fits better into my daily/weekly schedule - my work hours at Walmart vary a lot day to day. Brewing the same time makes it easier for me. When I brew enough for 4 days it makes things even more convenient. But mostly, I think the coffee tastes better with a longer brew time.
My first liter from ‘concentrate’ has turned out good enough, even though I wasn’t precise with my measurements yesterday. So I’m confident I can match my previous coffee results. I’m drinking it a little hotter than I’d prefer this morning. I could have mixed/dissolved my keto mix into the coffee but decided to drink it black to verify the flavour profile.
PS: I should mention that I add salt and DOM to my coffee - 2gr of each per liter. The salt is a my mix of sodium and potassium salts and I’m currently using Whole Earth DOMs. I think the salt mix enhances the coffee’s flavour and I notice if I forget to add it.
I added some salt to my second cup as I usually do when fasting (forgot on the first cup) and it definitely improves the flavor.
Something else I’ve discovered. I started drinking coffee later in life, as described here. For years I simply drank Folgers, Nescafe, Great Value, and other grocery store house brand dark roasts. Didn’t make much difference which, they all tasted pretty much the same. You might imagine my surprise when I started to cold brew and discovered that different coffees actually taste different! Significantly so. From dark and extra dark roasts I gravitated to medium and light roasts which I think retain a much more extensive flavour profile. I started to explore the world of coffee. I even bought a nice KitchenAide burr grinder. Here’s my current onhand stock, both ground and whole bean:
How fine do you grind your coffee for the cold brew? Online sources suggest coarsely ground.
How does the pre-ground coffee do with the cold brewing? That seems to be a finer grind.
When I grind whole beans I grind to approx what you would for an ordinary French press, which is around a medium grind. It’s 5.5 on my KitcheAide grinder - ‘medium’ is 6-7. I like to grind a little finer simply to extract more flavour from the beans. Very little sediment results from this grind.
Ground coffee is indeed ground fine. So I use micro filters to get out most of the sediment. To start, both the filter I used with my 4-liter vase and the filter in BOZ are very fine mesh. The ArbourFab filter is 74 microns and the BOZ filter looks to be about 100 microns. Whatever sediment forms generally sticks to the bottom. So a careful pour leaves most behind in the brew container. In fact, for years I actually siphoned the coffee out of the 4-liter vase to get as little of the sediment as possible. I have a couple of reusable micro filters that I always pour through when transferring coffee from one container to another.
Pouring through paper coffee filters is another option. That removes all sediment quite well. I don’t use paper filters, though, because I think they not only remove the sediment but also some of the more subtle flavours. Some filters are made of bamboo and maybe that would be better. I’ve never tried bamboo.
Bottom line, I drank a lot of French press coffee over the years and don’t freak about bit of sludge in the bottom of the cup. Although I still think the less the better - and none is best.
The past couple of mornings I’ve been drinking my coffee at a lower temp than previously. I’ve noted elsewhere that 145°F is supposedly the ‘ideal’ drinking temp for coffee. So I’ve been testing that claim. I think there’s a lot of validity to it! At the lower temp I’m tasting a lot more flavours than before.
For example. For some strange non-reason I made this first batch of coffee concentrate using a blend of two ground coffees one of which is almond flavoured. Consumed hot (160-180°F or more) the almond flavour dominates everything else. At the lower temp, not so much. The almond flavour actually becomes a supporting player along with the others.
For reference, my current Keto Mix:
PS: For anyone who’s interested, total calories = 526.46
The Gram Ratio and Calorie Ratio refer to fat:protein
Total Carbs - Fiber - sugar alcohol? = net carbs
At the bus stop after work. 4 Nov 21.
Very nice! Also love when all the post-rain colors are so rich and vibrant.
I actually live in the same province as this idiot.
Dupuytren’s Disease - Dupuytren’s Contracture
I seem to have this disease in my left palm. I noticed the lumps forming several months ago but didn’t think anything of them until more recently when they persisted. There are also another less noticeable lump forming inline with the two main lumps and a fourth slightly to the left but not noticeable in the photo.
I have not yet experienced any contracture of my fingers, which is the primary outcome as the disease progresses. So I’m still in the very early phase. There is no known preventative or cure. Once the fingers start to curl towards the palm the only effective treatment is surgery to cut the ligaments. The cause of this disease is also unknown, but it is common amoung males with a Nordic genetic background.
In an attempt to prevent the disease from progressing I have started applying a topical d alpha tocopherol serum. I’m hoping the serum will help keep the collagen/tendons/ligaments soft and flexible enough to prevent deforming the fingers. I’ll post updates from time to time.
Well, sorry you are dealing with this. Hopefully your healthy lifestyle will make you a best case scenario.
So sorry! Any negatives to having the surgery such as loss of grip or anything?
My oldest grandson was born with two fingers fused on his left hand - the middle and ring finger to be exact. He was around 3 before they had them separated, which was successful with the exception of some issues with his tendons. He had to have another surgery to correct because his fingers were curling in, just like you described. That also went well and he hasn’t had any issues since then with his hand - he turned 10 last weekend.
Grouse and Crown Mtns with a fresh cap of snow this morning