Food & Cooking

[whm1974]

12 minutes ago, greenhorn said:

From my experience, milder roasts tend to have more acidity and less bitterness than darker roasts, so that along with possibly the weaker brews might explain why the second and third brews still taste fine. I once tried a dark roast that even tasted a bit like charcoal, so there is quite a large spectrum there.

Just out of curiosity, do you like coffee because of the taste, because of its effects (caffeine), both?
Do you drink black coffee or do you add milk? Milk tends to mask parts of the taste, that's why I always try an espresso when deciding which type of coffee beans to buy.

Both the Caffeine and Taste. I put a packet of sweeter and just a splash of milk.

[tikker]

17 minutes ago, whm1974 said:

Well I think Ruler Foods goes their Stock of coffee fairly quickly. I never had any issues with their Breakfast Blend since I started drinking it.

Certainly decent coffee out there

11 minutes ago, greenhorn said:

From my experience, milder roasts tend to have more acidity and less bitterness than darker roasts, so that along with possibly the weaker brews might explain why the second and third brews still taste fine. I once tried a dark roast that even tasted a bit like charcoal, so there is quite a large spectrum there.

True, it ranges from barely roasted to pretty much charcoal. Indeed like you say generally darker roasts are more bitter. If it's undrinkably bitter however it's likely not the coffee, but overextraction and you should try tuning grind or amount.

16 minutes ago, greenhorn said:

Just out of curiosity, do you like coffee because of the taste, because of its effects (caffeine), both?
Do you drink black coffee or do you add milk? Milk tends to mask parts of the taste, that's why I always try an espresso when deciding which type of coffee beans to buy

I like the taste. I like to try various beans and also brewing methods as some beans are just more suited for a certain extraction method to my tastes. Drinking mostly black, but when making espressos I mix it up with lattes.

 

30 minutes ago, whm1974 said:

I drink about three 5 cup pots a day.

That's 3.5 L of coffee per day lol... Not sure what definition of cup your coffee maker uses, but if it's 8 oz/cup that is like 120 oz. At ~240 mg / 12 oz average that puts you like 20 times over the recommended safe intake of caffeine at 400 mg. Just sayin'... stay safe lol.

[greenhorn]

2 minutes ago, tikker said:

That's 3.5 L of coffee per day lol... Not sure what definition of cup your coffee maker uses, but if it's 8 oz/cup that is like 120 oz. At ~240 mg / 12 oz average that puts you like 20 times over the recommended safe intake of caffeine at 400 mg. Just sayin'... stay safe lol.

I also think this is a very large amount. While there are people who can tolerate a lot of caffeine, there are also those who cannot (at least not to that extent). I would recommend OP to watch out for signs of caffeine poisoning and when in doubt to ask a physician, just to be on the safe side.

[whm1974]

1 minute ago, tikker said:

Certainly decent coffee out there

True, it ranges from barely roasted to pretty much charcoal. Indeed like you say generally darker roasts are more bitter. If it's undrinkably bitter however it's likely not the coffee, but overextraction and you should try tuning grind or amount.

I like the taste. I like to try various beans and also brewing methods as some beans are just more suited for a certain extraction method to my tastes. Drinking mostly black, but when making espressos I mix it up with lattes.

 

That's 3.5 L of coffee per day lol... Not sure what definition of cup your coffee maker uses, but if it's 8 oz/cup that is like 120 oz. At ~240 mg / 12 oz average that puts you like 20 times over the recommended safe intake of caffeine at 400 mg. Just sayin'... stay safe lol.

Well I didn't get the manual for the Maker, but maybe 6 oz cups?

[whm1974]

2 minutes ago, greenhorn said:

I also think this is a very large amount. While there are people who can tolerate a lot of caffeine, there are also those who cannot (at least not to that extent). I would recommend OP to watch out for signs of caffeine poisoning and when in doubt to ask a physician, just to be on the safe side.

I believe that I am safe as far as caffeine intoxication goes. I was drinking Diet Mountain Dew, and a lot of it. Both Coffee and Tea are safer and considerable cheaper then any soda with caffeine in them.

[whm1974]

So as far as Darker Chocolate goes, how Dark are the Posters enjoying? And no I don't consider 51% to be True Dark. The reason I don't is due to getting the Health Effects of such Cacao, it has to be ~70% or higher. I personally enjoy 85% of the undutched type.

 

I just brought a bar of baker's Chocolate from Ruler Foods yesterday morning. I can enjoy a piece at a time....

[Guest]

Idk, they're all fine if they're good chocolates. 

[TetraSky]

If I'm going to eat something, I may as well actually enjoy eating it instead of hating myself by choosing something bitter and pretending it's good.

Milk Chocolate it is.

[Monkey Dust]

Depends on the beans and how they are treated. Some are lovely at 90%, some are like eating soil. 

[whm1974]

So it's 40% for both Milk and Dark, with 20% for Baker's.

[The1Dickens]

When I was a wee lad, we had a fancy restaurant and would use dark chocolate for all our deserts. When we ended up selling the restaurant, we had 2 slabs left over. I don't recall what level of darkness, but it for sure was not milk. But after I found out we had so much left, I would break off chunks and eat them in my room in the middle of the night. We didn't make deserts all the time at home, so it took a while to go through the first slab. But by the time my folks got to the second slab, there wasn't much of a slab left. I ate maybe 85-90 per cent of it. Can't recall how long it took me, now, but I think it was a couple months.

 

Anyways, more direct response to the topic: I enjoy chocolate, sometimes milk, if I'm in the mood for it, sometimes dark. As I've aged, I tend to favor dark more than milk chocolate though.

[kelvinhall05]

Cheap dark chocolate tastes like shit, but 85% is sweet (semisweet? lol) spot imo.

[Moonzy]

white chocolate

 

i dont like bitter

[whm1974]

22 minutes ago, kelvinhall05 said:

Cheap dark chocolate tastes like shit, but 85% is sweet (semisweet? lol) spot imo.

Bittersweet Chocolate I think?

[whm1974]

16 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

white chocolate

 

i dont like bitter

You do know that it is Cocoa Butter with a whole lot of Sugar mixed with that?

[Moonzy]

1 minute ago, whm1974 said:

You do know that it is Cocoa Butter with a whole lot of Sugar mixed with that?

yes, and it's not bitter

 

and goes well with some variation of curry, or so i've heard

been wanting to try that

[RevTadd]

4 hours ago, Moonzy said:

white chocolate

 

i dont like bitter

Agree, white chocolate. All other chocolates are a mistake

[PlayStation 2]

Considering that I don't fucking hate myself, milk chocolate is the only acceptable answer.

[Moonzy]

by the way, if 51% chocolate isnt milk chocolate, what's in the 49%?

 

i always assumed it was milk to cocoa powder ratio (or at least, majority of the other % is milk and sugar)

[Master Disaster]

1 hour ago, Benji said:

By the definition that chocolate has to contain actual cocoa beans, white chocolate doesn't even quality as real chocolate. It is decent to me, but I don't like eating it outside of garnish on cake or so. I prefer milk chocolate and up to ~65%. Above that it just tastes bitter.

Incorrect, for something to be classified as chocolate it must contain either cocoa solid or cocoa butter (or a combination of both). Some good quality white chocolate contains more cocoa butter than cheap milk chocolate contains cocoa solid. In my cupboard I have some white chocolate that is 34% cocoa butter.

 

13 hours ago, whm1974 said:

So as far as Darker Chocolate goes, how Dark are the Posters enjoying? And no I don't consider 51% to be True Dark. The reason I don't is due to getting the Health Effects of such Cacao, it has to be ~70% or higher. I personally enjoy 85% of the undutched type.

 

I just brought a bar of baker's Chocolate from Ruler Foods yesterday morning. I can enjoy a piece at a time....

From a keen bakers POV I've never heard of "Bakers Chocolate" however I suspect its probably what we call compound chocolate over here in the UK. It contains almost no cocoa butter (and actually usually has worse things like palm oil in it instead) so when its melted it doesn't require tempering to set hard and shiny. I'd advice you look at the ingredients list and check what oils it contains, you might be surprised.

 

If I want dark chocolate I use Lindt 75% or higher or I tend to buy big bags of Callebaut Callets from Amazon as they last almost forever when sealed in a bag in a dark cupboard.

[Master Disaster]

3 hours ago, Moonzy said:

by the way, if 51% chocolate isnt milk chocolate, what's in the 49%?

 

i always assumed it was milk to cocoa powder ratio (or at least, majority of the other % is milk and sugar)

Really good quality chocolate should contain some mix of any (or all) of cocoa solid, cocoa butter, milk powder and sugar. Anything else in there and its cheap crap.

[Master Disaster]

Yeah, apologies if I sound snobbish but baking (in fact cooking in general) is my favourite hobby and sweet is my favourite flavour profile so I tend to use A LOT of chocolate

[mousesnob]

Dark chocolate can be pretty nice. Unless theyre like 90%. I very rarely really candy/chocolate so dark chocolate is appropiratley sweet imo. Goes well with coffee. 

Milk chocolate can also be very tasty but i find most brands to be pretty bad.

[Master Disaster]

18 minutes ago, mousesnob said:

Dark chocolate can be pretty nice. Unless theyre like 90%. I very rarely really candy/chocolate so dark chocolate is appropiratley sweet imo. Goes well with coffee. 

Milk chocolate can also be very tasty but i find most brands to be pretty bad.

Yeah, 90% isn't really intended for eating though I don't mind it in very small doses.

 

It exists because, when cooking with chocolate, if the recipe requires you to add sugar (things like real French chocolate mousse) then its SUPER important you start with chocolate that has as little sugar in it as possible otherwise the sugar that's already in the chocolate will split out of suspension and you'll end up with watery syrup in the final product.

 

Yeah I know, I sound like a cooking nerd but that's because I am. Might as well own it . It helps that I grew up with a Mum who was classically French trained.

[whm1974]

2 hours ago, Master Disaster said:

Incorrect, for something to be classified as chocolate it must contain either cocoa solid or cocoa butter (or a combination of both). Some good quality white chocolate contains more cocoa butter than cheap milk chocolate contains cocoa solid. In my cupboard I have some white chocolate that is 34% cocoa butter.

 

From a keen bakers POV I've never heard of "Bakers Chocolate" however I suspect its probably what we call compound chocolate over here in the UK. It contains almost no cocoa butter (and actually usually has worse things like palm oil in it instead) so when its melted it doesn't require tempering to set hard and shiny. I'd advice you look at the ingredients list and check what oils it contains, you might be surprised.

 

If I want dark chocolate I use Lindt 75% or higher or I tend to buy big bags of Callebaut Callets from Amazon as they last almost forever when sealed in a bag in a dark cupboard.

It just says chocolate on the package. No long list of Ingredients...