Coffee: we drink it or we get angry.

Discussion in 'Food and Drink' started by Jeb, Jan 16, 2016.

  1. LauriCular

    LauriCular Acquaintance

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    And I thought I was an enthusiast for drinking real coffee, as opposed to instant! Just a cafetiere and a French blend that Tesco does, here in the UK. Yep it's entry level, but a pint of black coffee in the morning is all I can handle before getting tweaky.
     
  2. Mikoss

    Mikoss Friend

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    Ever try quitting coffee?

    I have quit two or three times in my life... I've never been a super heavy user or anything, but in the past couple of years, I've ran into some issues dealing with stress. Long story short, I was drinking 2-3 mugs of coffee in the morning. I have to wake up at 5am for work, and I've never been a morning person.

    I found I was waking up feeling tired, never feeling like I got a full rest. I would wake up sometimes in the middle of the night, 3 or 4 times... and really only ever got maybe 5-7 hours sleep. A big motivation for me to get out of bed at 5am was knowing that I could have a nice hot cup of coffee (I take mine black and like Costa Rican, or French roast... but I'm not picky).

    I saw a doctor, who recommended to try cutting caffeine, as it can completely mess up your adrenal gland, which regulates cortisol, which is one of the ways our bodies deal with stress. She asked if I could go down to 1 cup a day, and I told her I probably couldn't, so now I'm going cold turkey.

    It's hell. I'm on day two and feel like a bag of crap. I wanted to stay in bed all day and just lay there. I feel like there are a bunch of bees flying around inside my head, clouding up my thoughts. The clearest thought in my brain is that I need coffee. I went to the gym, even though my body is aching and unmotivated, and the entire workout my brain was scheming of ways to stop for a coffee on the way home. Grr, wonder how long it'll take to break the addiction.
     
  3. bobmysterious

    bobmysterious Facebook Friend

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    ^ The headaches that come with that are an absolute bitch too!
     
  4. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    Yes. I need coffee in my life to stay alert because of my work environment.

    Thing is a day or two without coffee for me is doable. I will feel slow but I will manage. These days though I am drinking more small espressos and lungos for when I need a small energy boost. One proper meal/breakfast remains mandatory.

    Without breakfast I am worse than without coffee.
     
  5. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    I've been through some wicked caffeine withdrawals in past years, I can remember one that was worse than any hangover i've ever had. So I manage my intake so that if I had to go a dayor two without it, I don't get the headaches. I drink 8-10 os of good, home roasted coffee before I go to work, and then at work I drink green tea or yerba mate. I never drink any caffeine after 1:00 pm. This system seems to work pretty well for me.
     
  6. Artasia

    Artasia Friend

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    I have quit coffee a few times, sometimes by choice and others with no choice (living in a country where coffee is rare to find). I am now at a pretty moderate level, no where near the level I used to be.

    I know what you are going through, and I would say quitting cold turkey is not the most effective method. Its just not worth it. Why dont you try one half cup less a day for a week and then gradually wean yourself down to where you want? Also, have you replaced it with tea? Green tea is wonderful but may not have the caffeine you crave at first, but eventually you can work down to it. I have found green tea really helped me lower my need or desire for coffee for the past five years now.
     
  7. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    Agreed on the green tea.
     
  8. xLn

    xLn Acquaintance

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    chemex with a fino coffee pot and an aeropress with the mesh screen for single cups. kickstarted handground, still waiting on that to come in...
     
  9. uncola

    uncola Friend

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    Thanks for mentioning the hand grind. Seems like a good intermediate step between cheap Hario and expensive Lido
     
  10. TwoEars

    TwoEars Friend

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    I have and use the exact same thing, fancy enough for me.
     
  11. xLn

    xLn Acquaintance

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    really excited for it to come in! i'll report in when i receive it. it looks promising though, the creator seems genuine enough.
     
  12. recarcar

    recarcar Friend

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    NIce! Let us know how it goes. Been looking for an upgrade to my Hario for a little bit and this seems promising.
     
  13. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    This thing is awesome:

    [​IMG]
     
  14. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    Yeah, those milk frothers are great. The IKEA one is just as good and super cheap. On the other end of the scale is the Nespresso Aeroccino. I find I have to monitor the milk temp with my finger, and stop it early to prevent it from making a thick hard layer of foam separated from the milk underneath.

    I carried my bro-in-law's old Rancillio Silvia and Rocky from Canada back to Taiwan in my luggage at Easter, spent a weekend cleaning 10 yrs of crud out of them, and am gradually getting everything dialed in. It takes about 45 min to warm up Silvia, dose/WDT/tamp the basket, surf temp, pull shot, then clean up. My wife is done with her Nespresso procedure in a couple of minutes.
     
  15. Eric_C

    Eric_C Friend

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    Is that a normal amount of time for the Silvia, or is it due to its age?
     
  16. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    It's mostly leaving it to warm up "uniformly". I've read people saying to leave it for 45 minutes. I figure half an hour is good enough. It only takes a few minutes for the boiler to reach temperature and the light to turn off after switching it on, but there's a lot more metal that needs time to warm up. I was emphasizing the the length of time the entire procedure takes from warmup to cleanup. My wife is fussy, so I have to leave the counter spotless, which takes a lot of time :(
     
  17. Eric_C

    Eric_C Friend

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    Wow. I use a Gaggia Classic and just check temperatures by looking at the indicator light.
    My parents (who I live with) have a Nespresso too. I use it in a pinch to save time, but I always end up having to add milk because it tastes so bad.
     
  18. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    When making coffee, a clean machine is a divine machine. Clean machines need clean space and yes I was trained like an old school barista with a big Italian shiny metal multi-espresso machine. Cleaning is only a small cost for a great joy...
     
  19. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    I'd heard about temperature "surfing" and looked it up. Found this for the Silvia.


    And this: http://www.swisswuff.ch/wordpress/?p=385
    [​IMG]
    Presumably, these people have used a PID controller (or at least a thermometer) to determine the optimum point to pull a shot.

    @Eric_C here's a thread for your Gaggia Classic: http://www.home-barista.com/espress...fing-are-all-gaggia-classics-same-t27457.html

    @Deep Funk Oh I make sure the machine is completely clean. It's making sure to wipe all the coffee grinds off the white counter and floor that's a PITA! :p
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2016
  20. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    Simple: always have some coffee cloths for coffee use only; the floor can wait but keep the counter clean.

    I detest baristas who do not understand the importance of having their coffee cloths ready. Making good coffee can be so messy...
     

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