Coffee

Could be your grinder, when coffee oils spoil they get fishy. Grinders accumulate a lot of oil. Could also be a tiny layer of mold in cup or equipment. Buy some Cafiza and soak your brewing equipment for two hours and give it a good wash. It is a cleaning product strictly made to break down coffee oils.

Exactly what I was going to say! :thumbsup:

Ok thanks I will get some of that.. I assumed there must be some kind of special cleaner, usually just rinse with pot & pan detergent which does a good job cleaning out the chemex and or wipe it all down but it's maybe in my grinder since I don't think of cleaning it with anything other than a dry paper towel

You will be AMAZED how much cleaner the Cafiza gets your coffee equipment. Another good brand I like to use is Joe Glow.

Found this copypasta (https://www.home-barista.com/grinders/grinder-cleaning-when-and-how-t29250.html) used instant rice since I had some on hand:

The purpose of cleaning the burrs is to clean the burrs. Cleaning retained grinds is a different thing. Let's start with cleaning the burrs.

I. Cleaning the Burrs:
Grinds and oils stick to the burrs and may become rancid if not removed. Clean the burrs when you notice an off taste or at least once a month as prophylactic maintenance.

A. Cleaning with Instant Rice or Grindz
There's no need to remove the hopper for cleaning with a cleaning material. Simply empty the hopper and reserve the beans so you can replace them after cleaning.

Set the grinder to the equivalent of a very coarse espresso or very fine drip grind. Then load the cleaning material -- either INSTANT RICE (do not use raw rice or par-boiled rice) or GRINDZ into the hopper. The amount of cleaning material you need to clean the burrs depends on the size of the grinder. In the case of a Vario, an ounce should be enough.

Run the grinder until all of the cleaning material has been ground and you can hear the burrs "running on empty."

After cleaning the burrs in this way, you'll need to "re-season" them and remove any cleaner caught between them or in the path by running an ounce or so of inexpensive beans through the grinder.

Clean the interior of the hopper with a damp towel. Wash out your grinds container if you have one. Clean the exterior of the grinder as completely as you can.

When everything is clean and dry, you'll need to dial-in your good beans as though from scratch.

B. Cleaning by Brushing and/or Washing
Every six months or so, it's a good idea to remove the burrs; inspect them to make sure they're still sharp and in good shape; and clean them by brushing and/or washing.

Of course, you'll have to empty and remove the hopper, first.

If you wash, make sure the burrs are thoroughly dry before reassembly. It's a good idea to air-dry on a rack overnight.

When you reassemble the grinder, you'll have to re-zero (aka re-calibrate) the grinder. Then you'll need to re-season and dial-in again.

II. Cleaning Out Retained Grounds:
I don't know about zero retention, but your Vario is definitely at the low end of the scale. However even so-called "zero retention" grinders retain at least a few grounds and you might as well tweak your regimen to get rid of them.

Brush the chute before grinding, and brush it at the end of every session.

Any time the grinder's sat idle for more than an hour or so, it's a good idea to blow out the chamber and chute by grinding an appropriate amount of beans. For your Vario and my Bunnzilla, that's a very low dose -- about 5g. In the case of other grinders, my Ceado for instance, it's more like 10g -20g.

III. Trouble Shooting:
The more you get used to drinking good espresso, the more sensitive your palate will become to bad espresso, and the better able you'll be to identify flaws. When you detect stale, "off" or "harsh" tastes, it's a good idea to start by cleaning to get rid of any possible contaminants in the grinder, the pf, or the head.
  • For one thing, it's effective surprisingly often;
  • For another, it's quick, easy and more or less free; and
  • For a third, you have to do it anyway. So what can you lose?
Hope this helps,
BDL

Perfect!!! Saved me a ton of typing! :D

I've heard of Grindz before. Good to know that they work well. I usually brush out my grinder really good at least a couple times a month and wash the plastic parts in soapy dish water. If I'm using a darker roast I try to do it more often than that. The oilier the beans are the quicker it seems to build up, causing the ground coffee to stick everywhere.

Good call. My in-laws are terrible about cleaning their grinder, and then wonder why their good home-roasted coffee is tasting funny. It's the grinder every single time... You'd think they'd learn. o_O

I am about to try the Minute rice trick right now.

:thumbsup: Works well for me!
 
With all the fancy, scmancy, high tech grinding going on here... I can completely see how.
Interesting stuff fellas...
 
It's just like anything else you know, you increase the quality and when you return to the lower quality level that you were accustomed to before by contrast the lackluster aspects you weren't aware of become apparent (run away while you still can :D)
 
LOL... You guys are great.
If I'm learning from idiots... I must be the dumbest trick on the block. Cool stuff for sure.
Ps. Does Black Duck rhum count as coffee?
I sure hope so. ;)
 
Close... More like this....

440px-Raid_at_elk_lake.jpg


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum-running
https://dp.la/exhibitions/items/show/810418

I've built boats for a LONG time, and I learned from the best.
I carry the tradition in my life, and in my heart to this day. Look up more about "Black Duck". The ONLY boat that was never caught. It floundered, and was recovered but the tradition lives on...
The boat yard that built the "Black Duck" is still working today

Is this the wrong forum for this?
I think it applies... Choice of altered reality. (zombie sh^t) Braaaiiiiinsssss (or lak ther of)
Did I spel of rite?
 
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To set all hope down in the gutter...
It would take about a Jillion pounds of coffee bean to make an ounce of liquor (ethanol)

It takes Sugar to ferment. Coffee bean lacks sugar(s) to any ferment-able degree.

Sooo the Coffee flavored liquors are just that. FLAVORED. Usually neutral spirits filtered thru coffee bean.

I read that on the "net" if anyone asks.
Just sayin'

Edit:
Green beans are different (in sugar content) but do not have the complexity of roasted bean flaavor so the end result would be neutral (ethanol/fuel/vodka)
 
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Dang that looks good! Will they ever make more or was that a complete one time deal?

There's a roaster near me Joe Bean that puts out a whiskey barrel aged coffee every year I can't remember when exactly I think sometime between Fall & Winter, last year they also did a Gin barrel one that was different really good if you like Gin/Juniper

To set all hope down in the gutter...
It would take about a Jillion pounds of coffee bean to make an ounce of liquor (ethanol)

It takes Sugar to ferment. Coffee bean lacks sugar(s) to any ferment-able degree.

Sooo the Coffee flavored liquors are just that. FLAVORED. Usually neutral spirits filtered thru coffee bean.

I read that on the "net" if anyone asks.
Just sayin'

Edit:
Green beans are different (in sugar content) but do not have the complexity of roasted bean flaavor so the end result would be neutral (ethanol/fuel/vodka)

You could add sugar or use a mix of green and roasted.. I use to bartend long ago (10 years or so) and there was a coffee flavored liquor that tasted like great coffee I think it was called Van Gogh espresso vodka but it could have been something else I do remember something that was very close to really good coffee though
 
There's a roaster near me Joe Bean that puts out a whiskey barrel aged coffee every year I can't remember when exactly I think sometime between Fall & Winter, last year they also did a Gin barrel one that was different really good if you like Gin/Juniper



You could add sugar or use a mix of green and roasted.. I use to bartend long ago (10 years or so) and there was a coffee flavored liquor that tasted like great coffee I think it was called Van Gogh espresso vodka but it could have been something else I do remember something that was very close to really good coffee though

See there you go GotSteel...
It's a flavored Vodka.

Vodka at it's BEST is a neutral spirit. It takes the character of whatever you mix/add/filter thru it.
The most prefer d vodkas are neutral.
Guess what they taste like... Ethanol.
Guess what that is... Poison.

We LOVE our poisons now don't we. :thumbsup:

Don't even get me started on Caffeine.... o_O Remember Drew Carry's show? Buzz Beer?
Coffee, and beer so you could stay up drinking all night! :D
 
Anyone try the Turkish method yet? I was thinking about giving it a shot tomorrow. One cup in the morning isn't cutting it anymore.:cool:
 
Anyone try the Turkish method yet? I was thinking about giving it a shot tomorrow. One cup in the morning isn't cutting it anymore.:cool:
Yes! In the little Berka pot. I had that first in Florida at the sponge docks. A word of advise...... don't finish the cup! :confused:
 
Yes! In the little Berka pot. I had that first in Florida at the sponge docks. A word of advise...... don't finish the cup! :confused:
I don't have any special tools to prepare it authentically. I was referring to the low budget method of just tossing the grinds unfiltered into a cup of boiling hot water and stirring it a bit. Of course, that might ironically extract less of the coffee than my mini expresso maker since I'm not applying any pressure to the grinds.
 
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