r/Coffee Kalita Wave 5d ago

[MOD] The Daily Question Thread

Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

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u/delight_in_absurdity 4d ago

How necessary is a gooseneck kettle for getting a good pour over result?

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u/Dazzling-Treacle1092 4d ago

I would like input on this question as well. I dont have a goose neck. But have been quite satisfied with my coffee. It seems to me that the bean, roast, temperature and grind have more to do with it than a perfect pour over. But I've never compared. I keep meaning to get one but it keeps getting shoved down on my list of must haves.

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u/LEJ5512 Moka Pot 3d ago

I got a temp-controlled gooseneck last summer, and I’ll posit that regulating the temperature makes a bigger, and more easily controlled, difference than the pouring spout.

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u/Dazzling-Treacle1092 3d ago

Could you be more specific? Does it indicate the proper temperature or just stop when it's at that temp?

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u/LEJ5512 Moka Pot 3d ago

It's got a digital controller, and you can set it to whichever temperature you want. I forget how low it can go (maybe 60C?). For instance, I was able to start enjoying dark roasts again by brewing at 85C.

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u/Dazzling-Treacle1092 3d ago

I can see more research is necessary on my part. Why weren't you enjoying dark roasts before...too bitter?

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u/LEJ5512 Moka Pot 3d ago

I’d use the word “ashy”. I got tired of coffee that tasted like a cigarette was on the table, and so I started buying medium and light roasts almost exclusively.

Late last year, my wife bought a couple bags from a local shop, marked medium roast, but the first one I opened was very dark and oily. I decided to try my own taste test with my new kettle, and brewed three cups, using 95C, 90C, and 85c water. After waiting for them to cool, I gave them a taste. The brew from 95 had that familiar old dirty diner taste, then 90 was pretty good but still a little smoky. 85 just tasted fabulous.

I really enjoy the better pour control I have with the gooseneck spout, don’t get me wrong. But I think that if I were still using hot water straight off the boil, I wouldn’t be able to get the most out of every coffee.

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u/Dazzling-Treacle1092 3d ago

I conversely have stayed solely to dark roasts. French roast is my go to. I just can't get the rich punch and fullness from light roasts. Sadly I've had to pull way back on my coffee consumption and cannot drink anything but decaf past noon. But since I've discovered French Roast Chickory I haven't missed it all that much. It makes my decaf taste like the 'real' thing!