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Well, reading your posts where you have discussed drinking this coffee, I am struck by the fact that Diesel is an appalling name for a blend, especially if it is a good quality blend.

I would be hard put to overcome a prejudice against such a name, - and only the strongest of personal recommendations would persuade me to disregard my distaste for this name and actually risk sampling this coffee.

It is a very delicious dark roast blend which makes a wonderful espresso (just ask our friend @SandboxGeneral) and a wonderful FP. It is full bodied, bold, and deep in flavor...and not muddy or bitter if made correctly.

That said, I would not recommend it to you, dear friend @Scepticalscribe, as you are not a fan of dark roast.
 
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It is a very delicious dark roast blend which makes a wonderful espresso (just ask our friend @SandboxGeneral) and a wonderful FP. It is full bodied, bold, and deep in flavor...and not muddy or bitter if made correctly.

That said, I would not recommend it to you, dear friend @Scepticalscribe, as you are not a fan of dark roast.

No, you are right.

It is the 'muddy' 'bitter', and 'tannic' aspects of the dark roast that I do not much care for; I prefer coffees that are 'smooth', and somewhat 'sweet'.

But, as you suggest, if they are made properly they should not be 'muddy' or 'bitter'. If this is what is served outside, I will drink it, but thank the divinities in whose existence I doubt for the presence on the table of milk and sugar.

Now, several coffees manage both smoothness and sweetness; however, of the African coffees, - some of which, such as the Kenyan (or, indeed, good Rwandan) are excellent - only the Ethiopian coffees have those 'clean, bright' notes that I love.
[doublepost=1477919071][/doublepost]And, while we are on topic, yes, I am currently drinking a mug of Coffee. Ethiopian. Hot.
 
I would be hard put to overcome a prejudice against such a name,
The blend called Diesel being a dark roast notwithstanding, what is that old cliché, don't judge a book by its cover? Trust me when I say that the thought of diesel fuel never enters my mind when I'm preparing and consuming the espresso. To me it’s a wonderful and much anticipated blend of coffee.
 
The blend called Diesel being a dark roast notwithstanding, what is that old cliché, don't judge a book by its cover? Trust me when I say that the thought of diesel fuel never enters my mind when I'm preparing and consuming the espresso. To me it’s a wonderful and much anticipated blend of coffee.

Oh, I agree, but when a product has a name such as that, some conditioning, or preconceived ideas, or subconscious prejudices have to be overcome before one might try it the first time.

In my case, reviews, or recommendations from individuals whose views I would be happy to take into consideration could serve to overcome that initial reserve.

After that, if you like it, you simply return and re-prder the product - the name, packaging and everything else pales into insignificance beside the fact that you know you like it.
 
Currently enjoying a nice cup of the Ethiopian Chire SO beans from the Hario V60. I'm still perfecting this method's timing. It ran a bit long today so the next time I'll make the grind a bit more coarse. Regardless, the mug of coffee tastes great.

I'm a big fan of the dripper method if all you wish to do is prepare a single cup of coffee. Pretty pain free, efficient, and easy. And, as long as you are using good quality coffee, it is usually very tasty, too.
 
Actually, the dripper method is still quite fast - faster than a French Press - and every bit as forgiving as a French Press - should you need to prepare two mugs - by that I mean, one for an unexpected guest - or - worse, or better - an expected guest - in a hurry.

These days, as I have two drippers - a lovely and reliable Hario ceramic one, and a gorgeous Kallita dripper made from copper, I can make two coffees more or less simultaneously.
 
Just a quick point…

Whenever French Press or pour over is mentioned it is almost inevitable that some statement about the methods being "idiot proof" or very forgiving are included. Is my point of view that all methods of coffee production require some precision and fine tuning to produce a good cup of coffee. I'm excluding the espresso from my comments because, quite clearly, espresso is the extreme in the need for precision in all of the many variables involved in the production.

But even in French Press or pour over, and other forms of coffee production, determining the exact proper grind for that particular production method and roast is essential. The amount of water are used and the extraction time needs also be closely monitored. In order to produce a really good cup of coffee by these methods requires precision in the variables associated with the production method ... and also allows for consistency in producing good cups of coffee.

I don't mean to sound defensive (and in reading the above it does sound that way) but I do mean to point out that even the less demanding (in terms of the exact precision with many variables) forms of the coffee production are far from idiot proof if you want to good cup of coffee.
 
Just a quick point…

Whenever French Press or pour over is mentioned it is almost inevitable that some statement about the methods being "idiot proof" or very forgiving are included. Is my point of view that all methods of coffee production require some precision and fine tuning to produce a good cup of coffee. I'm excluding the espresso from my comments because, quite clearly, espresso is the extreme in the need for precision in all of the many variables involved in the production.

But even in French Press or pour over, and other forms of coffee production, determining the exact proper grind for that particular production method and roast is essential. The amount of water are used and the extraction time needs also be closely monitored. In order to produce a really good cup of coffee by these methods requires precision in the variauebles associated with the production method ... and also allows for consistency in producing good cups of coffee.

I don't mean to sound defensive (and in reading the above it does sound that way) but I do mean to point out that even the less demanding (in terms of the exact precision with many variables) forms of the coffee production are far from idiot proof if you want to good cup of coffee.

Oh, dear.

That time of day, when the sun (invariably obscured by dappled, layered clouds of an unwelcome charcoal hue) crawls above the horizon (that imaginary line where the sky meets the....um, ground), the one that silly twits describe as morning - as they bounce into the gym, with a mad, unnatural energy......is still terra incognito to me, mentally, and certainly, physically.

Very well then: If idiot proof (actually, apart from current affairs, - always compelling - or classical or jazz music - I want silence, of a Trappist nature in the morning..) coffee making does not exist (and, hey, the tooth fairy, does, right?), let us settle for 'more forgiving' coffee making.

For me, the bottom line, especially if my mind is elsewhere (briefings, lectures, stuff) is not to have to expend anything remotely resembling mental bandwidth on the preparation of coffee; ideally, I would live in a hotel (actually, come to think of it, I have done that, for years at at time).....

Thought, and concentration, on coffee, is reserved for Sundays, and long days where my mind is not hijacked, kidnapped and otherwise compelled to respond to the demands of others, basically waylaid......

The rest of the time, I want something that is "more forgiving" (preferably idiot proof - hey, I can't stand manual cars for that exact same reason - give me automatics any - and every - day) - and requires a lot less than my full attention.....
 
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Currently enjoying a nice cup of the Ethiopian Chire SO beans from the Hario V60. I'm still perfecting this method's timing. It ran a bit long today so the next time I'll make the grind a bit more coarse. Regardless, the mug of coffee tastes great.
Enjoying another mug of this SO beans. I adjusted the grind from yesterday to be more coarse and I almost nailed it perfectly and overshot my target time by 13 seconds. That's vastly improved over yesterday when I over shot the time by almost 4 minutes!

The target is based on the guide I found on Intelligentsia's website which was 3 minutes for 415 grams. Today I got 417 grams in 3 minutes and 13 seconds. Yesterday was like 7 minutes.
 
Enjoying another mug of this SO beans. I adjusted the grind from yesterday to be more coarse and I almost nailed it perfectly and overshot my target time by 13 seconds. That's vastly improved over yesterday when I over shot the time by almost 4 minutes!

The target is based on the guide I found on Intelligentsia's website which was 3 minutes for 415 grams. Today I got 417 grams in 3 minutes and 13 seconds. Yesterday was like 7 minutes.

As my dear friend, and deeply warped coffee lover, @SandboxGeneral points out...no matter what method of coffee production one uses, precision and attention to detail results in the best cup of coffee possible with that method, and leads to accurate replication of all future coffee thus produced.

See, I told'ya! :p

o_O
 
My kettle is about ready for my afternoon cup of French Roast blend.

Unfortunately I can't have a chocolate...I need to watch my calories to keep my weight down. Much better for my legs and balance with my weight where it is, so I can't risk gaining weight.

I'm jealous of missing that chocolate.:mad:

Well, the consumption of chocolate is a rare enough occurrence for me, too.

As I will only eat (very) dark chocolate (70% cocoa) - even as a child, I couldn't abide milk chocolate - and then, will usually only have it in winter, it is a rare - but enjoyable - treat.

And even then, I will only contemplate a chocolate if I plan to have a coffee in the afternoon. A winter afternoon. Chocolate is not for mornings.

But - when I next have one - I shall remind myself to consume an additional one for you, too, @Shrink.
 
I quite like 90%+ dark chocolate. It's delicious. And they say it's good for the heart. Bought a half kilo of Turkish grind coffee on my home. Despite having an expensive grinder, I can never get a quality Turkish.

During the winter, the only "junk" I like is some quality Turkish delight. Even the ones that go outside of the normal flavors.
 
I quite like 90%+ dark chocolate. It's delicious. And they say it's good for the heart. Bought a half kilo of Turkish grind coffee on my home. Despite having an expensive grinder, I can never get a quality Turkish.

Yes, I quite like some of the even more bitter dark chocolates, too.

Re Turkish coffee, it may sound a bit of a cliché, but the best places I have had it were Turkey, Bosnia and Kosovo, (and, of course, each of the latter two places have been heavily influenced by Ottoman culture). To be honest, this is not a type of coffee that I would think to have outside of someplace that had not been ruled by - or influenced by - the Ottoman Empire.

Good luck with it.
 
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Yes, I quite like some of the even more bitter dark chocolates, too.

Re Turkish coffee, it may sound a bit of a cliché, but the best places I have had it were Turkey, Bosnia and Kosovo, (and, of course, each of the latter two places have been heavily influenced by Ottoman culture).

Good luck with it.
Not at all. It would go without saying those locations would serve the finest coffee. And thank you, but it isn't my first go with Turkish. I drank it and only it for several years before going back to regular coffee and or espresso. As strange as it sounds, each fresh ground purchase had its unique flavor. I'm simply thankful that roasters accommodate many grind types.

I think the worst Turkish I ever had was in Poland. I believe I've said this before. But it was both incredibly earthy and acidic. The chum I was with asked me later if they'd used dirt instead of coffee. It was poorly made coffee and remember making me stomach ill later that day.
 
Not at all. It would go without saying those locations would serve the finest coffee. And thank you, but it isn't my first go with Turkish. I drank it and only it for several years before going back to regular coffee and or espresso. As strange as it sounds, each fresh ground purchase had its unique flavor. I'm simply thankful that roasters accommodate many grind types.

I think the worst Turkish I ever had was in Poland. I believe I've said this before. But it was both incredibly earthy and acidic. The chum I was with asked me later if they'd used dirt instead of coffee. It was poorly made coffee and remember making me stomach ill later that day.

Hm.

But my memories of Poland are that this is a tea culture (and a beer, and vodka one, too) rather than a coffee one. I traveled extensively in the country for conferences and seminars over a number of years ago when we ran a TEMPUS scheme, and I cannot remember the coffee with any enthusiasm, so your tales of poor quality Turkish coffee come as no great surprise.

Nevertheless, I daresay that things have improved considerably in recent years.

Well, enjoy your Turkish coffee. Macedonia had decent Turkish coffee, too, as I recall, and the coffee in Montenegro was uniformly excellent, (as it was in Bosnia) irrespective of whatever type of coffee was served.
 
Well, the consumption of chocolate is a rare enough occurrence for me, too.

As I will only eat (very) dark chocolate (70% cocoa) - even as a child, I couldn't abide milk chocolate - and then, will usually only have it in winter, it is a rare - but enjoyable - treat.

And even then, I will only contemplate a chocolate if I plan to have a coffee in the afternoon. A winter afternoon. Chocolate is not for mornings.

But - when I next have one - I shall remind myself to consume an additional one for you, too, @Shrink.

I, too, especially like very dark chocolate. Milk chocolate always struck me as so bland as to be undeserving of the appellation "chocolate"

I will make some cuts here and there to allow for a bit of good chocolate.

Enjoy some for me, nonetheless.:D
 
I, too, especially like very dark chocolate. Milk chocolate always struck me as so bland as to be undeserving of the appellation "chocolate"

I will make some cuts here and there to allow for a bit of good chocolate.

Enjoy some for me, nonetheless.:D
Put me down as an aficionado of dark chocolate, preferably 80% or above and these days I enjoy it with the insertion of orange or chilli in the bar. Yumm. :cool:
 
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