coffee misadventures and tomfoolery

Hooray!

The last parts in my coffee machine conversion arrived today (parts to turn my pod-loving coffee machine into a fully fledged coffee ground brewer)! My lovely wife went and picked them up from the city (thanks hon!) and I was able to attempt to make a real coffee this evening.

Result: better but disappointing simultaneously.

Better? Well, the coffee was stronger and more intense than before, that's for sure! There is an intensity to well-brewed coffee that I haven't ever experienced from instant/drip/steamed/pressed coffee.

Disappointing? Not much crema, sour aftertaste.

Lessons learnt:

1. when a real tamper cannot be found (where did I put it?! besides, the missing tamper is the wrong size) improvizing with a nesquik lid and a spoon is a poor substitute

2. overfilling the basket with coffee makes it hard to put the basket in the machine

3. old coffee grounds that have been sitting around for months are a Bad Idea (tm)

4. don't forget to heat up the basket and the machine

5. enthusiasm does not make up for preparation and technique

hehehe

Well, now that THAT is over with... time to buy some fresh grounds and make some real coffee. Or time to make some more mistakes!

C'est la vie! Carpe coffee!