WineXpert Starting a Winexpert Selection Port

[peterCooper]

That's a load of sediment there.
I'm surprised PWP found good coffee in London. As a general rule I drink tea
in England and coffee in the US. If you've ever tried drinking British Airways
coffee, I bet you've only tried once.

 

[Waldo]

Waldo,


Great job on the Port, I think I'd like to try that one.


That's one big cat!!!!!


Archer

He is a dandy Archer. He is a Manx. I think the port is going to be very good. Will let you know in about a year

 

[Waldo]

that is another affinity I have is for really good coffee soI began roasting my own beans quit a while back.

Wow! You're right up my alley, strong (good) coffee, grated very finely... Where do you get your beans? The best coffee I've ever, ever had was in Germany. I don't know what they do with it, but it's so darn good when it's freshly ground and freshly brewed.





Mmmm... I'm getting "Coffee-thirst" again!!!!

BTW, the port is looking great! Good job!

Thanks Martina..I think it is going to be really good. I get my coffee beans from


http://www.burmancoffee.com/coffeelist/


I buy Columbian Supremo and Kenya AA and after I roast, I do a blend. The Kenya likes a darker roast to release its full flavor.

 

[Waldo]

Waldo, The port looks great! If we all meet in April will you be in charge of the good coffee?


Martina, when I lived in Germany I didn't drink coffee, so I guess I lost out. I have found that Canadians make some really good coffee though, if you want to hop the border. I didn't want to get off the Air Canada flight to London a few years ago b/c I was afraid there wouldn't be any good coffee there. I was wrong. So basically, if you want a bad cup of coffee, just drink American!

We are getting better at it though. I just wish the local eateries would find some good beans! Must go grind and brew! Keep up the good work, Waldo!

Thanks Polish...Would be honored to provide cofffe for all of us.

 

[Waldo]

Waldo,


I am interested in roasting my own coffee beans. I just ordered a book about it. I don't have access to a good coffee shop. Any suggestions on suppliers, the best beans, etc would be appreciated. I need to upgrade my grinder too when I can afford it--mine is an old Braun blade grinder I bought years ago.


Your Port looks great. That's the next wine I'm planning to make.

There are lots of places on line you can buy your beans Jackie but I have found that Burma gives me the best quality consistently.


http://www.burmancoffee.com/coffeelist/


How are you going to be doing your roasting? My preference is a cast iron skillet on my fish cooker burner and I would definately recommend getting a good quality burr grinder. The difference is unbelievable.

 

[Waldo]

Great job Waldo!

Thanks Masta..It might notbe a Taylor Fladgate 20 Year Old Tawny but I think it is going to be very good.Edited by: Waldo

 

[Waldo]

Waldo, did you have any trouble with foam while using the Fizz-X? Anyone else ever have trouble with generating too much foam?

Absolutely none Hippie, There was no foam at all

 

[Hippie]

Hhmmm......I had to thieve out alot of extra wine before finishing up the degassing because of all the foam created.


MASTA!

 

[Waldo]

I did not thieve out quite enough and did get a bit of overflow but not much and no foam at all.

 

[Jackie]

Waldo,


I haven't decided exactly how I'm going to roast. I was waiting for my book to get more educated. I like your idea though since it's stuff I already have. What burr grinder do you have? Some are really expensive. Do you vacuum pack the roasted beans? I was going to try to dothe roastingonce a week. I'm getting excited about the prospect of actual "fresh" coffee. I've looked at sites like Caribou that claim they roast right before shipping but it's twice the cost (or more)of the green beans and I really can't afford that.Most of the bean companies I've seen were far away (esp Calif) and I'm in TN so I was hoping to find one closer to save on shipping cost and time to deliver.

 

[masta]

Hhmmm......I had to thieve out alot of extra wine before finishing up the degassing because of all the foam created.


MASTA!

MASTA....what..huh ?

 

[Waldo]

I have a Solis grinder and it works great Jackie. The key to pan roasting is to keep them beans moving. Constantly stir and shake them while roasting or they will burn. I only roast enough for 3-4 days at a time for optimum freshness and you need to allow about 12 hours for the beans to rest before you grind them. Any idea of what kind of bean you are going to roast? If your not sure, I would suggest you go with a sampler pack. Try each bean at a different roast and possibly even blending them to find out what you like best. Even at that, coffee is not unlike wines in that the same beans from year to year will give you different flavors, aromas. That is another reason to try and stick with someone reputable and that you can buil a relationship with as they will keep you advised on which beans cropped better or worse and any new varieties and their opiniion on them. I typically buy in 30 lb bags. They will keep in the burlap bags for a year or longer. Mine never last that long but its comforting to knopw you can keep them that long if you wish..Again, not unlike our wines hehehe. If you have any more questions, just letme know


Edited by: Waldo

 

[Hippie]

Scott, just wondering what you do when the stirring to degas a kit causes so much foam it requires having to take out more of the wine in order to continue the degassing. This last kit I got like 6 inches of foam and it was coming out the top of the carboy. I had already taken out 2 quarts from the 3 gallon carboy. As a result, the 2 quarts taken out didn't get degassed and the rest of the wine didn't degass completely. I have had this problem before with a 6 gallon red wine kit. Am I being too aggressive with the Fizz-X?

 

[masta]

I just recently started using a Fizz-X after my old mix-stir finally broke and I had the same problem with foaming. I never really had this issue when using the mix-stir so I can only assume the Fizz-X is more efficient at forcing the CO2 out of solution. I have only degassed two batches and had less foaming with the second one since I was careful when starting to degas. My advice is to go very easy when starting to degas and as most ofthe gas is released and the foaming slows down youcan get more aggressive to make surethe batch is completely degassed.

 

[Hippie]

Yea, I think you are right, too aggressive with it.

 

[Waldo]

That may account for the low foam for me Hippie. I followed Masta's previous advice and started real slow and worked up to full speed

 

[Hippie]

10-4, gotcha!

 

[Waldo]

I read an interesting article on degassing wines in the last issue of Winemakers magazine. According to the article, The weather plays a significant role in how easy/difficult your degassing goes. The wine releases it better on cloudy/overcast days and during a full moon. Wants to hang on to it on those clear days and nights.

 

[Hippie]

Yes. Because of the barometric pressure.

 

[jojo]

Would altitude be a factor then?