# New to beans - where to start



## Phobic (Aug 17, 2016)

So you've been drinking 3rd wave cappa in the trendy cafe down the street for a while and have decided to buy a machine and grinder for home, you're in the scene and might even have grown a beard.

what's all this bean choice thing all about?! what's the cool thing to drink?

the thing is picking good beans is a bit like deciding what you like sexually, some people are nuns who like a delicate cuddle with the vicar over a cream tea, others tape on gimp masks and get rogered by cacti.

How did the nun and the gimp know what they liked? they experimented! That's just what you and your new hipster beard will need to do to explore the world of coffee.

You'll need a few non-sexual things to get you started on your journey

1. A method of taking notes - because if you can't remember what you ate last Tuesday you sure as hell won't remember why you preferred a dark roasted Bourbon espresso over a delicate floral Geisha filter

2. Some different beans - because you can't compare shit if you don't have different things to compare

3. ideally some different ways of making coffee - because minced beef tastes different in a spag bol, as a meat ball, or in a burger, it's just the same for Espresso, Cappa, and filter

Now take out your magical imaginary dice each fortnight and use them to pick a few combinations from the following

1. Roaster - none of them roast the same, some are lighter or darker, check a few different ones out

2. Variety - because sometimes the nun does want a french tickler, there are a lot of different types of coffee, just like there are different types of wine grape, they all taste different!

3. Process - try a clean "washed", funky "natural", and the non-sexual inbetweener "semi-washed"

mix it all up, given different combos a try.

it's much less about what is right and more about what tastes best for you - you have your own taste preference, you know what tastes good, you are only going to find out by experimenting!

don't forget that beans are a natural harvest, they change season to season, month to month. There's lots of different combinations out there, figuring out what's the best combination for you if part of the fun.

enjoy the journey.

are you a nun or a gimp?!


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

> are you a nun or a gimp?!


I am still trying to get my beard to stick on!!

Really good thread, it is one of the common-most questions asked here - where do I get Beans from, usually followed by - I've been using something from the supermarket . . .


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## Farravi (Dec 12, 2013)

Pact is a good start...


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## igm45 (Mar 5, 2017)

This needs to become a sticky (risque word given content). If for nothing else but the comedic value


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## Phobic (Aug 17, 2016)

igm45 said:


> (risque word given content)


that made me laugh


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## PaulL (May 5, 2014)

Shows how we're all different, I can't relate to the post at all and dislike all the sexual references. Juvenile to me but not looking for a flame war, just saying. When in Colombia 5 years ago I was given a choice of going to the coffee zone or the Caribbean and the family were stunned when I chose the latter, took all of 1 second to decide. But Paul, you're a real coffee enthusiast they said, yes I replied but it's only a cup of coffee, now the Caribbean, wow. I did get to visit the coffee zone on another occasion.


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## Phobic (Aug 17, 2016)

@PaulL it's ok not to like things, most people just move along without feeling the need to comment about it.


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## Jez H (Apr 4, 2015)

Phobic said:


> @PaulL it's ok not to like things, most people just move along without feeling the need to comment about it.


What he said.......


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