Health, fitness and wellbeing

Read somewhere and could be a load of BS, but by putting milk in coffee you change the chemical makeup and this negates the health benefits...
Go Black!
Yeah I love coffee....

Yep, I have no more than 2 a day. I have a piccolo every morning after a surf and an espresso at lunchtime. I used to always have a large or a medium cappuccino twice daily but now can’t have too much liquid sloshing around in my belly.

Roadkill wrote:

Yep, I have no more than 2 a day. I have a piccolo every morning after a surf and an espresso at lunchtime. I used to always have a large or a medium cappuccino twice daily but now can’t have too much liquid sloshing around in my belly.

So YOU are the guy who had the two litres pumped out of his belly after Mardi Gras back in the day! You were the stuff of legend amongst my brother’s gay mates.

Not my scene at all but I’ll never say you’re good for nothing again. Big effort bloke.

I've never been a visitor of vegemite valley and have no intention of ever going there.

etarip wrote:

Back to health and well-being…
Where’s everyone stand on coffee? I’ve read that coffee after midday can mess with your sleep.

I went through a stage in my late 20s where I was drinking 6-8 a day. Became properly dependent on it.

Now I make an espresso (small double shot FW) first up in the mornings then make a small plunger at work at about 8:30. Might have a coffee if I’ve got a meeting later in the morning. Green Tea in the arvos.

Seems to work for me, no issues sleeping.

You want to check out the caffeine content of your green tea, some have up to 1/3 the caffeine per cup than coffee according to the dietitian I see. I have 2 coffees in the morning and dropped the green tea for hot water and herbal tea and the difference is amazing.

I have 2 strong coffees to start the day, everyday , but only early in the morning. Can't live without the shit.
Had a period of drinking those Red Bull and other highly caffeinated drinks at work but found they made me way too edgy. Gave them away pretty quickly.

An espresso or short macchiato after a real good dinner is the best. Don't do it often, but never have trouble sleeping after one.

How good is an affogato with a sneaky shot of Baileys or Tia Maria after a good feed and a few ales. Recharge the senses.

Recently discovered espresso martini’s - delicious

Only just discovered the affogato. They are great. No probs with Coffee I recall I photographic series some animal behaviour scientist did with spiders giving them minuscule amounts of certain drugs and watching how they made a web -photo graphic illustrations. normal web pretty good some mistakes. LSD web all over the place. Amphetamine web done too quick missing bits and patchy. Caffeine web perfect better than natural.

If I don’t get my early morning coffee my head is all over the place at work til I do. Don’t know if it’s the caffeine or the routine.

Post dinner espresso / affogato at a top restaurant… unreal…

It amazes me how addicted I am to my morning coffee but feel zero craving after the second.
And those that know me understand that talking to me before I'm halfway through my second cuppa will usually be met with a somewhat gruff response. Don't get me wrong , I like mornings , 'people in the mornings' not so much.
And God help anyone in my house if there's not enough milk left in the morning for my brew.
After that, I'm usually pretty easy to get along with.

One stovetop “Bialetti” with freshly ground beans for me in the morning then a second takeaway mid morning another stovey back home after work.
If I don’t have one first thing I have a headache come late morning.

Always have one just before the Arvo Granny nap
Manage 20 -30 mins sound sleep...wake up ready to Go as the Caffiene kicks in.

We have had various espresso machines in the house for the past 18 years. . The current one has an attached grinder and freshly ground beans make the best coffee. Best investment ever. One strong one to start the day and another mid-morning. Cant do coffee after about 2 pm as it tends to disrupt my sleep, unless it is post-surf when it doesn't seem to matter. I have overcooked it on a few occasions and the jitters are not very pleasant.

Just invested in an espresso machine again after trying a nespresso for a while. So much better. Got the grind and the dose dialled in. Also much happier to be putting grinds into the compost rather than the ‘compostable’ pods (that never seem to compost).

Make/model/price?

This thread has rolled on nicely, tried the sitting up thing, looks like I am a goner by years end but standing on one leg I am likely to live for ever.

Groundys story wasn't as gripping as the opening barrage but sure as hell beat the hell out of any of my over seas forays.

Coffee if doing expresso measure every thing, dose, and the amount extracted (around 40mil, for a 21 gram dose, as a starting point) over roughly 30 secs at 93 degrees C.

Joshy2000 wrote:

Make/model/price?

Breville machines do the job at a reasonable price, we have the Barista Pro with the grinder (around $700) but the basic compact espresso ($250) does the job if you already have a grinder.

I’ve been looking at that model. Choice magazine recommended

Breville Dual Boiler is probably the best of the 'cheap' machines until you get into ECM, Rocket, etc. territory. Better off spending more on the grinder than the espresso machine, e.g. Bambino + Niche but a cheap WDT tool can hide a myriad of sins. Also coffee addict.

J2K, we got the Breville Barista Express. Built in grinder. RRP ~$900. EOFY sale for $600. Cheap end of the mid-price range.

IFocus, that’s what I’m running for dose / output. Tried messing about with the single shit basket but it was just painful to get a consistent shot, so run with the double as standard now.

Clearly, meant to be *shot* basket

Thanks guy’s, will look into it. I have the Breville smart grinder but only using stovetop to brew. I enjoy the coffee I get out of it but it’s not true espresso, no crema etc.

Sprout what’s a WDT tool?

https://alternativebrewing.com.au/products/normcore-wdt-tool

Thanks Udo.
Guys are scales required for measuring beans?
All this dose and extraction talk is what’s put me off such a machine in the past. Seems to be quite a science to it.

That's one thanks udo, as per that website: "Making sure your bed of coffee is clump-free and evenly spread in your basket is essential to making good espresso." Reduces channeling so you're soaking as much grind as possible, as evenly as possible for the best and hopefully tastiest extraction.
Range of prices for them, people shove a $5 packet of acupuncture needles in a champagne cork, there's 3D printed ones for cheap, then super quality like Sworksdesign, Normcore, etc. It will absolutely help with the Smart Grinder.
It's really more a hobby (obsession) than just making coffee. It's a great one though and slippery slope to spending lots of money haha. If you're interested James Hoffman is the man for all things coffee. Great at explaining things...

Joshy2000 wrote:

Thanks guy’s, will look into it. I have the Breville smart grinder but only using stovetop to brew. I enjoy the coffee I get out of it but it’s not true espresso, no crema etc.

Even the basic machines are a significant step up Josh, you won't regret it. We used stovetops for years but were astounded at the difference, hard to get the temperature right on the stovetop and often burnt the coffee. Also used the same grinder as you until the seals went on the old machine so we stepped up. Find the right beans and you are good to go.

Looking at the Breville range I think the Bambino coupled with existing grinder should do nicely and not take up to much bench space.
In the case of beans I order from Industry Beans.

Measure out the qty of beans (with a small electronic scale)and grind on demand. You can get a tamper that has the right ‘weight’ and ‘depth’ to keep that consistent. It doesn’t take that much time once you’ve got it right.

There’s definitely a lot of jargon around making coffee. I’m no guru, but I’ve gotten my basic shot dialled in with fineness of the grind, qty and length of shot. You can really notice the flavoring with different beans.

Thanks etarip I’m stepping up my game, wish me luck.

Godspeed J2K

etarip wrote:

J2K, we got the Breville Barista Express. Built in grinder. RRP ~$900. EOFY sale for $600. Cheap end of the mid-price range.

IFocus, that’s what I’m running for dose / output. Tried messing about with the single shit basket but it was just painful to get a consistent shot, so run with the double as standard now.

@ Etarip Yeah single just wont cut it generally better off running a double shot basket and keeping the other 1/2 in the fridge which will normally be still really good.

The whole process is pretty simple once understood, use digital scales 0.00g (cheap as).

I keep the beans in a vacuum bag (1k) fresh is best under a month from roast date two weeks better and measure off 21 grams throw into the grinder each time. Amount will depend on the group head that you are using.

Tamp pressure needs to be firm but consistent pour should be around 30 secs ish adjust grind to suit time.

Find out how much to exactly extract from the bean you are using (this is critical) and measure the pour using your digital scales... exactly.

I use Fat Puppy from Leftfield (oh man its really fu(king good) which means 40 mil per 20 grams of bean, my basket takes 21 grams but I stick to 40 mils.

Learn to texture milk well, you can hide a bad coffee from well textured milk.

I have the basic entry setup Breville dual boiler (which is pretty good) with the Breville smart grinder, the grinder is pretty ordinary but gets the job done definitely get a better grinder if possible as mentioned all ready but the Breville will work, its rare that I buy a coffee as good as I can make.

Every morning the wife and I just sit back sipping our coffees smiling at how good it is.

DudeSweetDudeSweet wrote:

How good is an affogato with a sneaky shot of Baileys or Tia Maria after a good feed and a few ales. Recharge the senses.

Affogatos are great. Or a Caffe Corretto: espresso with a shot of Grappa.

So I’ve ordered a Breville Bambino found for $399 on catch and after watching James Hoffman went on Amazon and ordered a WDT tool, scales and a dosing funnel. Exciting times ahead.
I feel this thread has strayed slightly from original topic, but I guess if strangling your cock mid wank and rooting Indo slappers falls under the health and well-being umbrella then there’s a place for coffee also.

Meanwhile Stuart is sucking on after surf Gudangs in Ubud of all places...

udo wrote:

Meanwhile Stuart is sucking on after surf Gudangs in Ubud of all places...

He’s gone full Julia Roberts.

Awesome Joshy2000, you can easily get better than cafe quality coffee with that setup. Lance Hedrick is another great source of learning if you're interested. Explains basics pretty well too.

I'm drinking instant coffee and slicing fresh turmeric and ginger into it.

it's great.

You want a strong body?

Get planking.

Seriously.

DudeSweetDudeSweet wrote:

udo wrote:

Meanwhile Stuart is sucking on after surf Gudangs in Ubud of all places...

He’s gone full Julia Roberts.

Eat. Pray. Clove.

Todays exercise:

Paddling on a swept point for 4 hours.

Similar to battle rope training I put targets on peoples heads and push hard to catch them. Concentrate on your breathing per stroke (3 strokes breath in, 3 out)

Before you know it, you’re back in the line.

Absolutely cooked now.

stunet wrote:

DudeSweetDudeSweet wrote:

udo wrote:

Meanwhile Stuart is sucking on after surf Gudangs in Ubud of all places...

He’s gone full Julia Roberts.

Eat. Pray. Clove.

Ahhh, the good life...

[quote=Island Bay][quote=stunet][quote=DudeSweetDudeSweet][quote=udo]Meanwhile Stuart is sucking on after surf Gudangs in Ubud of all places...[/quote] He’s gone full Julia Roberts.[/quote] Eat. Pray. Clove.[/quote] Ahhh, the good life...[/quote]

You got it...

The other day, my own little Wayan asked me, "Dad, were you ever a smoker?"

To which I answered, "Mate, some people surf once a year, but they're not surfers."

Ha, great answer!

Yes..great
There's a line in there about Groundy and ladyboys.....

How often are you Smoking these days Groundy ?

Nice. Wonder if it was Jake B?

I've clocked plenty of six and seven hour days in the water here, paddling non-stop on the bigger days, fuelled by good healthy food, with a tang and a dang for dessert, head on the pillow shortly after sunset.

Don't need the battle ropes just yet.