resting

by **DrZeus** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 11:27 am

You know what? This 'resting' thing is really annoying. I mean, I understand the reason why you rest your coffee after roasting it, but...well...the injustice of it just kills me! Here you are, becoming 'one with the coffee' for a period of time (and, if you're like me, you're thinking about it's origins, the people there, the culture, envisioning the coffee farmers hand-picking the very beans I'm roasting, etc) -- then you have to place them in a cupboard and forget about them for awhile! You can't finish the process by grinding and drinking because you know the flavor won't peak until after it's rested.

Imagine if you had a 'resting period' with other things in life. You spend 3 hours cooking a nice meal, but you can't eat it until tomorrow. You buy a CD or a DVD or a book that you've been wanting for months...but you can't listen/watch/read it for another week. You're copulating, and you can't...well, you get the idea. The horror!

Speaking of resting coffee...do you have a standard rest for every coffee, or is there a rule of thumb by roast or origin?

by **Raf** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 11:47 am

Imagine if you had a 'resting period' with other things in life. You spend 3 hours cooking a nice meal, but you can't eat it until tomorrow. You buy a CD or a DVD or a book that you've been wanting for months...but you can't listen/watch/read it for another week.

If you cook meat - especially game (or venison, or whatever exotic names you English have for it - the quality of your kitchen seems to be diametrically opposed to the vast number of different names you have for foodstuffs - and btw "cooking" meat (except chicken maybe) is the worst thing you could do, you should bake it or grill it or whatever) - you should always let it rest for ten minutes. (Rant, you say? Flamebait? Much!

)

And since I buy all my books and dvd's online, I sometimes have to wait for weeks to read them or see them! On the other hand, it's fun when I unexpectedly find a "present" in the mailbox.

by **phil** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 12:11 pm

One TMC founder member, grilled rare. You want fries with that sir?

You don't bake meat, you bake bread and cakes. You roast meat and you definitely roast cheeky Belgians!! BTW John's American!

by **phil** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 12:18 pm

Anyway, pretend flaming over, serious answer time.

My understanding is that waiting time is longer for lighter roasts and shorter for darker roasts. I always allow 48 hours anyway (unless I'm completely out of coffee that is!). The Smithfarms Kona that Eeffoc and I adore is best after 4 - 5 days.

However, like a lot of things it's "suck it and see".

by **Raf** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 12:41 pm

Well, of course I wasn't talking to John, I was taking aim at you, Phil!

by **phil** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 12:46 pm

No! Really!

And that from a guy who has mayonnaise with his chips (sorry, fries) :lol:

by **DrZeus** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 12:50 pm

phil wrote:And that from a guy who has mayonnaise with his chips (sorry, fries)

Ahem...that would be Freedom Fries to you, buddy. Don't forget about the "special friendship" our two countries have. :roll:

by **phil** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 1:02 pm

Ermmm - I'm not going to be tempted. The metaphors that spring to mind to describe my response to that are all majorly scatological so I won't.

by **Raf** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 2:11 pm

My dear Phil (you touch a raw nerve when venturing into "chips" territory)
they aren't chips. They're fries. The difference, as they say, is in the cup - or bag, cuz we eat them in cardboard, pointy bags. Fries are baked/cooked/fried twice, once at 140 degrees Celsius, then cooled (v. important) and fried at 190 degrees. The substance they are fried in is part beef tallow (if that's the word) and vegetable oil. To compare them to your British, way-too-thick, only-fried-once chips is, frankly, a grave insult that could have far reaching repercussions on our friendship. Also, our mayonaise is made with fresh eggs, mustard and oil, making it a near perfect sauce that fits perfectly with the crispy (not: soggy), golden (not: brown outside, raw inside) fries (not: chips). When you come to Brussels, I will personally supervise you whilst eating (and enjoying) the world's best fries, from a frituur on the Place Jourdan.

by **phil** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 3:05 pm

Yes well Neku don't get too aerated :lol:

- what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander

Couldn't take one with a Harris Hawk though, which is a serious shame. I love roast goose. That's roast, note, not baked. :wink:

by **Raf** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 3:39 pm

No problem, Phil. Hmm, goose. If you don't like, say, the beasts liver next time you catch one, feel free to send it to me

.

by **phil** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 3:44 pm

Catch one? I wish! Bunnies are hard enough.

by **Steve** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 7:04 pm

My resting time is fairly stadard for beans of which I'm cupping 48hrs is enough but try again at 72hrs (come on kopi luwak only a day to go

)

But as phil says I play about with some of mine. The kenyan I did over the weekend tastes better than it did after both 48 and 72.

Perhaps I have no idea so I'll skulk of into the corner again :oops:

by **carolynb** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 10:41 am

We had a customer who returned a grinder to us with all the finger guard melted into the burrs. When we asked him what on earth had happened he told us that he always roasted and then ground the beans straight away - no resting time and obviously no cooling time! He was adamant that his local coffee bean retailer had told him that they did not rest beans.

BTW - I LOVE mayo with my chips/fries - and sometimes even redcurrant jelly.
I agree that 48 hours is good, but it depends on the bean, roast etc - best to experiment!

by **phil** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 11:17 am

I just finished the Kihenia batch this morning. That's six days after roasting.

And all of a sudden I was finding the green tea and cardamom Tom mentioned.....

Must get some more. I love Kenyans to bits.

resting

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