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Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: AmbulanceDriver on September 26, 2012, 11:40:36 PM

Title: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: AmbulanceDriver on September 26, 2012, 11:40:36 PM
Ok.  First off, I know it's not *true* espresso....  Not high enough pressure, etc.....

That being said, being back in Brazil reminded me of how coffee is the fuel for that country.   There isn't a single social or business event where coffee isn't involved.

And it's *good* coffee.  Yes, I'm biased.  Go 'way....

All this to say, a few years back, I bought a "stovetop espresso maker".   So tonight I broke it out, packed the funnel with some *good* coffee, and set it over the fire....

A few minutes later, and the laws of physics and chemistry produced something so dark, so thick, that I was afraid it was gonna stain my mug.... (yes, mug.  It should be served in a demitasse cup, but I wanted it in my mug, dagnabit.)     And ooooooooooooh so yummy.   I love coffee, but this...   This transcends mere coffee.   This is a nectar, an ambrosia if you will.  It's being savored, not merely imbibed....   

The scary part?   I'll probably be asleep in 60-90 minutes.      =D


Either that or completely bouncing off the walls.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: brimic on September 26, 2012, 11:54:04 PM
Thanks for the tip, I think I'll try one soon, looks like they sell them at Target.
My normal Saturday morning ritual involves a hand burr grinder and a french press, time to try something different.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: Tuco on September 27, 2012, 09:14:29 AM
Moka pot gets close enough and keeps me out of "Fourbucks" Coffee.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: charby on September 27, 2012, 09:48:46 AM
I have one that I use in my camper, wife doesn't drink coffee so it makes a great one cup for the morning.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: brimic on September 27, 2012, 01:13:43 PM
Quote
I have one that I use in my camper, wife doesn't drink coffee so it makes a great one cup for the morning.

Do you by chance have one of those tin/ceramic coffee pots that gets hung over the fire?

At my son's cub scout camp, the camp head put on a dutch oven cooking clinic for us adult leaders. He made coffee in one of those pots alongside andit was the best coffee I've ever had. I drankso much I thouyght my heart was going to explode.

Somehow I just associated  the guy with cooking over the fire skillz with you....
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: charby on September 27, 2012, 01:42:59 PM
Do you by chance have one of those tin/ceramic coffee pots that gets hung over the fire?

At my son's cub scout camp, the camp head put on a dutch oven cooking clinic for us adult leaders. He made coffee in one of those pots alongside andit was the best coffee I've ever had. I drankso much I thouyght my heart was going to explode.

Somehow I just associated  the guy with cooking over the fire skillz with you....

I do have an enamal wear one, but there is no sight glass on the top, so you can't see the coffee perking and know when its done by the color.

Making campfire or stovetop perculated coffee is an artform, if you can get it down it makes awesome coffee!

My camping coffee pot is a stainless one I use on the campstove. It is a GSI Glacier 6 cup perculator, $24-32 at most camping/outdooe stores.

(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.campmor.com%2Fwcsstore%2FCampmor%2F%2Fstatic%2Fimages%2Fkitchen%2Flarger%2F82564_l.jpg&hash=113cd1a239a05b220cc4efbf49ea0ef69c1df799)

Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: brimic on September 27, 2012, 01:53:54 PM
Quote
Making campfire or stovetop perculated coffee is an artform, if you can get it down it makes awesome coffee!

What the man said was that he let it boil over 3x. It would just sort of bubble out of the spout for a few seconds, then simmer for 5 minutes and boil up again. The pots he had were pretty big, he said he found them in garage sales over the years.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: Tuco on September 27, 2012, 04:15:55 PM
I do have an enamal wear one, but there is no sight glass on the top, so you can't see the coffee perking and know when its done by the color.

Making campfire or stovetop perculated coffee is an artform, if you can get it down it makes awesome coffee!

My camping coffee pot is a stainless one I use on the campstove. It is a GSI Glacier 6 cup perculator, $24-32 at most camping/outdooe stores.

(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.campmor.com%2Fwcsstore%2FCampmor%2F%2Fstatic%2Fimages%2Fkitchen%2Flarger%2F82564_l.jpg&hash=113cd1a239a05b220cc4efbf49ea0ef69c1df799)


I've got one, too.  It percs coffee rather than water over the grounds, resulting in a potent brew.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: charby on September 27, 2012, 04:21:42 PM
I've got one, too.  It percs coffee rather than water over the grounds, resulting in a potent brew.


All perculators do that.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: Tuco on September 27, 2012, 05:14:02 PM
All perculators do that.

Thus the name, percolator.  It percolates the coffee.  Lots of young pups don't know the finer points of bean drinking.  Fellas like you and me need to keep reminding them that a cuppa good Joe can be built without wearing a green apron.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: roo_ster on September 27, 2012, 07:31:45 PM
One of the best damn cups of coffee I ever had was perked by my own self over a campfire with a $10 Wal-mart camping coffee percolator of the enamelware sort.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: gunsmith on September 27, 2012, 11:47:18 PM
http://www.beveragefactory.com/coffee/makers/stovetop_coffee/bonjour_cafe_milano_9_cup.html?CAWELAID=1372129132&catargetid=1553582813&cagpspn=pla&gclid=CO3A_Pat17ICFSgOOgodV0sAqg

this is kind of what I have, I got it at a thrift store for 2bucks! =)

I use Cafe Bustelo in it-how about you amb driver? whatta you drinking and is this what yer using?
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: AmbulanceDriver on September 28, 2012, 12:08:59 AM
This is what we have: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30149839/

  using some pre-ground Brazilian espresso roast we brought home.   Once I get through that, will be a whole bean espresso roast from Brazil.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: Tuco on September 28, 2012, 11:20:16 AM
Moka pots, both of them.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moka_pot

I use whatever I've got, ground to a very fine espresso texture.  A dark roast seems to have the most traditional taste, but all we usually have are lighter beans. The ultra fine grind is key, backed full.  "Joy of Cooking" has a nice section on making coffee in a moka pot.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: brimic on September 28, 2012, 11:24:03 AM
Quote
Quote




Moka pots, both of them.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moka_pot
I picked one up at Target yesterday.
Made a pot this morning- potent and pretty good- at least for my first try with it.
http://www.target.com/s/moka+pots

The pot itself is not of impressive quality though, it leaked a little in one spot when the top and bottom screwed together.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: gunsmith on September 28, 2012, 12:09:28 PM
I looked around in Reno for a yr before I found one in a thrift store-I had no idea what they were called, my neighbors in NYC when I was a kid had one, before the coffee craze started.

No one knew what I was talking about. One of the Reno "winco" stores has a pretty good deal on bulk coffee you can grind yourself at the store, I'm going to see if its any better/cheaper then Cafe Bustelo.

Cafe Bustelo was very popular in the Puerto Rican shops in NYC when I was young, they make it much better then I do but I think they are using real espresso machines
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: Chuck Dye on September 28, 2012, 04:25:05 PM
Another brewing method that seems to amaze Americans, this one anyway, is the ibrik that produces Turkish coffee, or the Greek version, the briki.  The key to either is to grind fresh beans to a powder immediately before brewing, buying powder ground or attempting to store preground coffee is a mistake.  When shopping for brikis or ibriks, mind the metallurgy, there are some decorative products out there that are not really food safe.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: 280plus on September 28, 2012, 04:56:56 PM
I uysed to mix regular coffee and expresso in my Mr Coffee. Buzz buzz buzz...

Gives me too much heartburn these days.  :'(
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: Jamisjockey on September 28, 2012, 05:12:56 PM
I only order the "blackeye" at fourbucks....that's bold drip with two shots of espresso. 
I'd probably test positive for caffeine at any given time of the day.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: Chuck Dye on September 28, 2012, 05:22:38 PM
I uysed to mix regular coffee and expresso in my Mr Coffee. Buzz buzz buzz...

I grew up on cheap commissary coffee, Maxwell House, MJB, Folger's,  et al, blended with Medaglia D'Oro canned espresso.  The morning blend was one measure per cup, half plus one of the cheap stuff, the balance espresso.  The after dinner brew was half and half.  Brewed in a percolator, the result was very drinkable and much better than anything I got elsewhere until I went overseas.  I now keep dark roasted Costa Rican and Kenyan in the freezer for early and midday, Ethiopian and Yemeni, and sometimes Blue Mountain or Kona, for after dinner.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: Chuck Dye on September 28, 2012, 05:25:04 PM
I'd probably test positive for caffeine at any given time of the day.

If you smell of coffee when you sweat or pee, as I do, then you can speak of addiction...=D
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: SADShooter on September 28, 2012, 07:19:25 PM
If you smell of coffee when you sweat or pee, as I do, then you can speak of addiction...=D

Ah, the sweet aroma of used coffee...
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: Jamisjockey on September 28, 2012, 07:36:24 PM
If you smell of coffee when you sweat or pee, as I do, then you can speak of addiction...=D

Duh.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: Lee on September 28, 2012, 07:38:37 PM
Quote
If you smell of coffee when you sweat or pee, as I do, then you can speak of addiction...

I thought that was natural...just like how green beans taste like bacon.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: AmbulanceDriver on September 28, 2012, 07:46:35 PM
Another brewing method that seems to amaze Americans, this one anyway, is the ibrik that produces Turkish coffee, or the Greek version, the briki.  The key to either is to grind fresh beans to a powder immediately before brewing, buying powder ground or attempting to store preground coffee is a mistake.  When shopping for brikis or ibriks, mind the metallurgy, there are some decorative products out there that are not really food safe.

Mmmm.  Love me some Turkish coffee.   

Methinks I need to get me an ibrik...  :)
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: gunsmith on September 29, 2012, 03:01:30 AM
I grew up on cheap commissary coffee, Maxwell House, MJB, Folger's,  et al, blended with Medaglia D'Oro canned espresso.  The morning blend was one measure per cup, half plus one of the cheap stuff, the balance espresso.  The after dinner brew was half and half.  Brewed in a percolator, the result was very drinkable and much better than anything I got elsewhere until I went overseas.  I now keep dark roasted Costa Rican and Kenyan in the freezer for early and midday, Ethiopian and Yemeni, and sometimes Blue Mountain or Kona, for after dinner.

I've been thinking on stretching out the coffee that way, Folgers or something, mixed with Bustelo or madalia dora ...now that I see others have tried that, what the heck.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: 280plus on September 29, 2012, 07:37:44 AM
 
Quote
Medaglia D'Oro
That's the one!  ;)
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: MillCreek on September 29, 2012, 07:44:51 AM
If you smell of coffee when you sweat or pee, as I do, then you can speak of addiction...=D

No, when you have 200 pounds of unroasted green coffee beans in the garage, three coffee roasters, a $ 1500 espresso machine, three grinders, six french presses, a drip coffee maker and up to three pounds of different roasted whole beans in the freezer at any one time; then you can speak of addiction.  Wankers.
Title: Re: Stovetop Espresso
Post by: gunsmith on September 29, 2012, 12:54:39 PM
Quote
Quote from: Chuck Dye on September 28, 2012, 09:22:38 PM
I grew up on cheap commissary coffee, Maxwell House, MJB, Folger's,  et al, blended with Medaglia D'Oro canned espresso.  The morning blend was one measure per cup, half plus one of the cheap stuff, the balance espresso.  The after dinner brew was half and half.  Brewed in a percolator, the result was very drinkable and much better than anything I got elsewhere until I went overseas.  I now keep dark roasted Costa Rican and Kenyan in the freezer for early and midday, Ethiopian and Yemeni, and sometimes Blue Mountain or Kona, for after dinner.

Drinking cheap wally world coffee mixed with Cafe Bustelo, its excellent! Good tip!