HemiSam

The only thing I'm doing with a darker roast is espresso. It makes using the espresso maker much easier, but I do find it can be a bit much...the heavy caramelization, etc... from an espresso roast. Whereas I have to fight a light/medium roasted Ethiopian to get great espresso, but boy is the result lovely when I do nail it. Gotta love first world problems... HS

Couldn't agree more, gents. Coffee is a personal thing and I say you do you...whatever delicious means to the driver...how can one go wrong? Some of what Mr. Hoffman puts on video has worked as a guide and some I found way too nuanced to be worth the climb. I do enjoy mixing it up my coffee making between the Chemex, the espresso maker (love me a cappuccino / flat white / latte), and on rare occasion these days going back to the French press I used exclusively for several years. The biggest things I have found to make a difference that I can meaningfully identify is quality coffee, type of roast and measuring. Crap in and I get crap out...simple enough. I also prefer a light/medium roast for pour overs... HS

Steve, Please accept my sincere condolences. It looks as if you were a very good friend and mentor. Godspeed, Shaun.... Sam

Depends on the pour. Mostly I drink on ice but for stuff like the Zafra 30 I'll go neat...it deserves the respect. Just needs about 20 min's to air properly IMO. HS

Godspeed, Matt...and best friend. Please accept my sincere condolences for your losses, Brent. Sam

At a neighbor's house and he brought this out for me Friday. Tasty.... He's been a good friend for a long while and surprised me with a nice gift of the Foursquare for a milestone thing. I have not tried it yet...a lot going on there. HS

That's great value for money IMO, n_maher. You can't go wrong. There are some nice rums, Opthimus. 15 yr is good for starters and they go up. I avoid the ones finished in casks other than oak as I find them to be a bit much...there's already a lot going on. Cheers! HS Very nice naamanf! The Barbadian I was sipping on late last week is the Gregarious Grump 16 yr. It's a lot of ABV for me personally. Sourced from FourSquare...they're good but way proud of their products IMHO. I have a bottle of the Grander...it's good. I'm not a big Abuelo fan, but if you can get your hooks in the Panama Pacific 23-yr I think you will not be disappointed. HS

I think we are in the wrong thread…lol i like Panamanian rums very much. Used to love Venezuelan rums as well (four and a half years down there), but quality can be an issue. Diplomatico Ambassador is very good but not worth the $$$ IMHO. Love Zafra 21. Zafra 30 is nectar from the gods…. Flor de Cana 18 is great value for $$$. The 25 is good but not great. I have a lot of rum… HS

I'm chuckling. My coffee doesn't come close to my rum... HS

I drink good coffee on the weekends. 30gr drip in morning and 20gr espresso in the afternoon. One day it will be good coffee everyday 😙 HS

They pissed me off but good a few years ago when they went to the Neimann Marcus packaging and lowered the amount of coffee, n_maher. Stopped buying altogether until I went back recently...this was my second order in years. I agree it's pricey but damn they do a good job choosing and roasting beans... HS

Looks like a beautiful cup, Jacob! My latest batch of coffees... The Costa Rican is a great on the Chemex. I'll have to try it on the Hario next. The Eclipse makes making espresso almost too easy... Nice dark oily beans. Definitely has a backbone. HS

Godspeed, Olivia. Thank you for my prepubescent crush... HS

Godspeed, Isabella. Beautiful girl.... HS

Round 2 with the V60 was an improvement. In case it is of any use to others: 203 F water temp target; warm the ceramic V60 first; filter goes in and wet it to remove any tastes; 15:1 ratio on Ethiopian light/medium roast (pic included if things go to plan...); ground with Niche on the coarser side but a finer than my Chemex which uses a thicker filter (I went even finer this time which i believe slowed the process); 4:00 minutes total from first water to dampen the 30gr of coffee (60gr of water) and then grabbed the Hario w/ cup and swirled it per Hoffman method up to ~30 seconds...CO2 released IMO; added water up to 230-250gr by roughly 1:15-1:30min...swirled the slurry per above/Hoffman once some liquid cleared; added remaining water up to 450gr and used a small spoon to swirl one direction and then the other although this time I flipped the spoon around and agitated the coffee bed directly like I do with my Chemex at ~4:00 done and cleared the V60 from my cup and tasted. Overall, a much better cup for me than my first attempt but I would argue it still seems less forward/full of flavor...cleaner or something than the Chemex which has me scratching my head given the finer filter and same ratio of water to coffee...interesting. Only delta is 4:30 with the Chemex, I'm assuming given heavier filter more than offsetting the finer grind for the Hario. I'll play with it again next weekend... HS