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a) I don't believe they are associated with Craft Coffee, but I'm just a pleased customer, with no inside information. They looks very, very similar, but with just enough difference to suggest that they are separate. Craft Coffee only supplies NA, so, I guess I'm happy to see similar companies for the Germans, and the Brits, etc. b) I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I'd suggest you look at more of the "newer" West coast style of roasts. Look for "medium" roast beans; the old "full city" (or darker) will give you the strength, but little else. Growing location will not have as much of an impact on those qualities as the roast (different regions tend to have different aromatics, but if you aren't picky about berries versus vegetal versus leather, then ignore the growing source). As for the combination of all of those qualities, it might be tricky: "strong" usually comes at the expense of "aromatic", and "acidity" may be present no matter (although, for my palette, "bitterness" is MUCH more important than acidity--some acidity can be quite nice). The basic tips to get quality coffee are: (medium roast) beans between 3 days and 2 weeks old, use more coffee than you would think is correct (best is to weigh your beans & water), have your water temp at about 95c (not boiling), and make the amount of time between grind and brew as short as possible (ideally <10seconds). c) Certainly not! My daily brew method is an Aeropress (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AeroPress) available on Amazon or better cafes for <$40 (including all the filters and everything). It only makes a cup at a time, but if you are drinking solo this works (and it takes <2 min start-to-finish to brew). Alternatively, try a "pour over", which is really just a holder for a coffee filter, which you can pick up for $5 practically anywhere (most people think of it as "camping style" but they are totally wrong!). Or, French press (<$40), which won't have the aromatics of the other two methods, but will make a nice strong cup. Also, consider splurging on a good (burr) grinder (~$100), it is WAY more important than your "machine". |
Thanks for the detailed answer, sir :)