"100% of people who do not save money do not have any!"--Dave Ramsey

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Hot or cold it doesn't seem to age well.

I bought some coffee and found out it was beans, so I ground them. It seems easy to get too coarse or too fine.

My buddy insisted I buy a burr grinder, and also insisted I not buy it new since they are commonly available at thrift stores. So, I spent a whole afternoon visiting every thrift store in Vancouver, and finally found one for $6.

In theory, the burr grinder will deliver consistency in the grind.

I like the idea of hand grinders except they take ages to produce a paltry amount of coffee grounds. Figured I would just buy a battery powered version of that which will "hand grind" coffee in seconds with low noise. They don't exist.

So, I can either wake up the house with the jet engine and messy burr grinder I have, or maybe I just grind the night before and consider that to be fresh enough.

The burr grinder is insanely messy though.

[Xist]

Can you attach a drill?

If you could add a motor, could you buy a used mini-fridge just for sound-deadening?

[Piotrsko]

Converted hand burr grinders overheat using a hand drill. Bad bean juju. Sometimes they twist into destruction. Ask me how I know. Looking for a BBQ spit motor. Should get a proper burr grinder but balking at the price for a good one. Have a conical that pisses grounds everywhere via static attraction.

Since there is a huge back and forth about the amount of time aging your beans after roasting to get fully developed taste I have decided that roasting once a week, grinding that batch and storing it in a sealed glass container meets my needs, but it caused me to buy a $500 roaster.

God, now I sound like Xist.

[redpoint5]

At least your house smells wonderful once a week.

That's why I pointed out nobody makes a battery powered "hand" grinder. If one was purpose made, I'm sure it would be the best thing ever. I would be fine hand grinding if it didn't take like 5 minutes where my hands are literally tied up. Ain't nobody got time for that in the morning while simultaneously trying to get all the kids ready for the day.

As I pointed out, you'll often find burr grinders in thrift stores for about $5.

[Piotrsko]

Only time I have seen a grinder in a thrift store is a worn out old style monster sized green grocery store one priced at $100. Should have bought it since I found they still make parts and burrs for it.

Hear you about the battery powered personal sized ones. A quiet one that did about 3 ounces would be perfect.

Since you brought it up, yes you should grind a batch at night, put it in a resealable mason jelly jar, live happily ever after

[redpoint5]

I need to find beans that strike the right price/taste performance. Costco might be the right price/taste combo.

... need to experiment with cold brew more. I don't think 12hrs at room temperature is sufficient time. The ultimate would be to brew a batch large enough for the week, and keep it refrigerated. The largest french press I could find (50oz / 1.5L) is barely adequate for the two of us. You can't actually get 50oz out of it.

I've been getting pre-ground Verena Street Mississippi Grogg Medium Roast simply because I don't have a Costco membership and the selection and prices at the grocery stores are poor.

[Piotrsko]

Over night is considered minimum, two days is typical. Dont actually need a french press for cold brew. I used a gallon jar and a paper coffee filter in a funnel to keep the fines out of my cup. The first 3/4 gallon siphoned out cleanly and with my beer making experience, I could probably do 6 gallon with 5 being useable. Problem is the use of perhaps 1/2-3/4 pound of coffee beans and discarding same.

The only thing a french press does is keep the major coffee grinds out of your cup. The fines sit in the bottom of your cup.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Over night is considered minimum, two days is typical. Dont actually need a french press for cold brew. I used a gallon jar and a paper coffee filter in a funnel to keep the fines out of my cup. The first 3/4 gallon siphoned out cleanly and with my beer making experience, I could probably do 6 gallon with 5 being useable. Problem is the use of perhaps 1/2-3/4 pound of coffee beans and discarding same.

The only thing a french press does is keep the major coffee grinds out of your cup. The fines sit in the bottom of your cup.

I used a french press because it's convenient. My 18hr brew this morning is just OK. I like that it has low acidity, but it seems weak for the amount of coffee I used.

Your idea is fantastic. I've got glass carboys and racking equipment I'm not using. 5 gallons would probably last a month. The internet tells me cold brew only keeps for 2 weeks if refrigerated. I'd need a mini fridge to keep it in though. It's 40lbs of brewed coffee.

[Piotrsko]

Imho I would start with 1 gallon and work up from there. I can put sterile boiling water in my carboys, they're good to 325f so that would be the same as perked/french press and be good for like 6 weeks sealed at room temp, using beer making as a guide. They also have a tap about 1 1/2" from the bottom so once the grounds settle you just open the tap and drain off the clear. Worse case is it ferments, but they have this booze/coffee mix in Italy that's pretty decent.......

[redpoint5]

I need to perfect a daily batch first and scale from there. Do I need to use more coffee per water for a cold brew than drip?