Morning Java: It's not for amateurs

dasein668 · Post by **dasein668** » Aug 13th, '05, 08:53

Oops. I see that someone else already said that! That's what I get for speed reading after being away cruising for 3 weeks!

mgphl52 · Post by **mgphl52** » Aug 15th, '05, 16:53

Yep! We also use the wonderful "Coffee/Tea" bags and they always work with little or no mess. And after 1 or 2 dunkin's, it's generally Miller Time, anyway. OK, before I get blasted too severely, that's always "weather dependent"...

If I worried 'bout roastin' and grindin' and all that other stuff, I'd be a land lubber somewhere, probably in a rain forest...

Instead, we sail at least 2 to4 days a week.

-michael
s/v KAYLA
CD28 #318
Niceville FL

neil · Post by **neil** » Aug 15th, '05, 20:11

Ok.....

DRINK YOUR COFFEE!!! THERE ARE PEOPLE IN INDIA SLEEPING!

Frank Vernet · Post by **Frank Vernet** » Aug 18th, '05, 14:59

Napoleon remarked that "An Army marches on its stomach". Astérix, upon tasting the food served to Julius Caesar's troops in "Astérix Légionnaire" spit it out and remarked "I had no idea they were so powerful". US Navy coffee, despite Neil's assertion above which proves that "there is always an exception to the rule", goes a long way to explain the Navy's competence.

Neil's story reminds me of my 30-day detachment to Sicily during the USS Kitty Hawk's 1986 round-the-world deployment. Our 1st Class Aviation Ordnanceman (AO1), whom we affectionally named "The Mayor Of Munchkin Land" due to a striking resemblance, would make 2 of those 30 cups coffee pots every morning - one for the shop & aircrew, the other for himself. The AO1 pot was considerably more concentrated and thicker than the "house" pot. Gotta hand it to him though - everything he hung on our wing stations came off just like it was supposed to. We joked he could hang a refrigerator there and that it would arm itself and eject upon command.

Thoses were the salad days...

r/

FGV

ps. I simply make "Camping coffee" using one of those polished aluminum percolators. It's strong, hot and perfect for watching the sun rise. Good fresh coffee beans is 50% of the formula, the setting/ambiance is the other 50%.

gates_cliff · Post by **gates_cliff** » Sep 2nd, '10, 10:53

Well, since I gave up spirits, nicotene, gambling, and most other vices. Therefore, I find the need for good coffee to be critical.

I was on a delivery from St Thomas to the Chesapeake and the owner had a stainless steel coffee press. I had never had coffee made that way before. Even though it did take some doing, it was a true revelation and delight. I'd make a 4 cup pot before I went on watch in the middle of the night and what a treat it was to sip a good cup of coffee while staring at the stars and avoiding big ships.

Man, I can remember being in foxholes and having C Rats, but never the luxury of coffee. An aside, the C Rats were usually better than the mess hall food. Now this will really date me, but at that time included in the package was little box of 4 cigarettes!!! I had not given up nicotene or other vices at that time.

I was drawn to this thread because to me there is nothing better than a good cup of coffe on a sailboat. Well, there are a few things but I probably shouldn't go into them.

moctrams · Post by **moctrams** » Sep 2nd, '10, 11:03

I mix half and half 8-O'clock and Starbuckâ€™s French Roast. I make 8 cups in my SS coffee pot aboard â€œGabbiâ€

Bob B · Post by **Bob B** » Sep 2nd, '10, 12:21

I love it! When sailing with the admiral, the first priority is finding a port that has coffee near the docks. The Bean in Oriental, NC is such a place. The problem with us is that I usually am up at about 0500 or so and the coffee places aren't open til about at the earliest, 0630. I now have my solution to waiting for GOOD coffee. Thanks so much.

To the Navy folks, I worked on ICW tugs and we ran on coffee.

henry hey · Post by **henry hey** » Sep 2nd, '10, 14:57

Bob,

I will forgive your invoking the Starbucks name while speaking about quality coffee. They stopped caring about coffee long ago. Seattle is, however, a (if not THE) coffee mecca. Cafe Vivace and a host of other greats reside there.

Bob's info is dead on. French press is the way to go on your boat. Fresh, locally roasted beans are ALSO the way to go.

I bought a lovely little ceramic burr conical hand grinder for my June cruise with Carter Brey. Every morning, I'd get up and grind a hopper of beans for our morning french press. It's the one thing that I can do without the assistance of caffeine!

http://www.gimmecoffee.com/Hario-Skerto ... P82C7.aspx

(copy whole link)

I also found a french press that is ok on board. The bodum 'YOUNG PRESS' has an exterior housing that protects the glass. As we know, these things can clunk around on board so it's nicer to have a press that is unlikely to break.

http://www.bodumusa.com/shop/line.asp?M ... &CHK=&SLT=

(copy the whole link)

Coffee is definitely an obsession of mine.

My home setup is:

PID modded Rancilio Silvia with Rocky Grinder & reg barber tamper

h

BillyO · Post by **BillyO** » Sep 2nd, '10, 15:33

Yes a favorite subject.
Patrick Henry said it BEST..."Give me Librium or give me Meth."

Kilgore · Post by **Kilgore** » Sep 2nd, '10, 15:55

henry hey wrote: PID modded Rancilio Silvia with Rocky Grinder & reg barber tamper

h

Cheers to another coffee hound (also with a modded Silvia and Rocky). I highly recommend home roasting...cheap (~$5/lb for green beans) and just a little extra work.
www.sweetmarias.com

Tod Mills · Post by **Tod Mills** » Sep 2nd, '10, 19:56

Here is what I subsequently bought and am very happy with...

A Bodum Columbia coffee press & Zassenhaus knee mill.

Since then, I've all but ceased visiting any coffee shops; I like mine better!

As for the beans, I try various ones, but if I had to settle for one, Dunkin Donuts' are mighty fine.

wingreen · Post by **wingreen** » Sep 2nd, '10, 20:26

I the past, I've used those one-cup Melita drip filters that sits neatly on top of a large coffee mug. One heaping tablespoon of grounds, fill the filter twice with boiling hot water, and let it drip.

Of course, for a day-sailor like me, the best way is to brew your coffee before you leave shore, and bring it in a real glass thermos, not one of those stainless thermoses.

Numbah134 · Post by **Numbah134** » Sep 2nd, '10, 23:04

wingreen wrote:bring it in a real glass thermos, not one of those stainless thermoses.

...because you enjoy the taste of broken glass? I've been very happy with my Stanley for 30 years, a bunch of ski races (gatechecking was what I bought it for in the first place - 3-4 hours of standing on the cold mountain) and countless drops and dents. If cleaned (boiling water and baking soda are generally sufficient if it gets beyond the need for a simple soapy rinse) it contributes no flavor to the content, and it keeps it hot/cold much longer than the glass Thermoses I used to use. Many of those ruined an outing by becoming an undrinkable mass of glass shards and liquid after some minor intrusion of real life....

Coffee-snob-wise I've come way down. I used to be a fussy bean buyer - I did some straight up double blind testing - I now buy Maxwell house. Just over $2.50 a pound (at the right grocery store - twice that at the wrong one.) Either they got better or I can't tell anymore. I don't buy chock full o nuts or folgers, those failed in double blind testing. Simplest (and cheapest) way to make better coffee - use more coffee. Add another scoop, spoon, measure, or whatever.

As for Cap'n Ahab's First Mate's contribution to overpriced emporia that can't manage a large cup of coffee ordered in the vernacular language of the country, feed 'em to Moby.

Joe CD MS 300 · Post by **Joe CD MS 300** » Sep 3rd, '10, 04:31

I like the percolator on the stove. It takes a while but I love the way the smell of the coffee gadually builds up in the cabin.

No Starbucks for me, can't take that burnt bitter flavor, Dunkin Donuts, WaWa. 8 o'clock, brands.

henry hey · Post by **henry hey** » Sep 3rd, '10, 08:06

Kilgore wrote:
henry hey wrote: PID modded Rancilio Silvia with Rocky Grinder & reg barber tamper

h
Cheers to another coffee hound (also with a modded Silvia and Rocky). I highly recommend home roasting...cheap (~$5/lb for green beans) and just a little extra work.
www.sweetmarias.com

Yeah, I have heard many talk about home roasting. However, I wonder if I could really get the same consistency that I get with shops that hand pick all their beans and check their roast. These things aren't undertaken lightly, and I have found that my silvia 'likes' some stuff more than others. I almost always have fantastic results with Counterculture Toscano and also either of the Vivace variants (Dolce or Vita), but my results are more spotty with Blue Bottle Retrofit. Hairbender can be a successful bean but it depends on whether it's from the Portland or Brooklyn roaster. I haven't tried brooklyn recently, they were turning out sub-par stuff for a while but I think it has improved. Black Cat, although very popular, is not really my favorite. 9th street espresso (here in my neighborhood) carries a black cat variant that I like quite a bit more, but still not as much as Espresso Toscano.

Where do you get your beans and what roaster did you choose?

h

The Cape Dory Board

Morning Java: It's not for amateurs

It's 5'o'clock somewhere...

US Navy Coffee

Good Kofe

Bob C is right on the money!

Morning JAVA

Re: Bob C is right on the money!

as long as this thread is revived...

Use a mini-Melita

Re: Use a mini-Melita

Re: Bob C is right on the money!