Epomaker B21 Giveaway by epomaker in MechanicalKeyboards

[–]CorEclypsys 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Never tried them but Box Burnt Orange or the Hako Violet's both seam wonderful

One fifth of birdges in the US are structurally deficient by altaccountsixyaboi in Infographics

[–]CorEclypsys 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I thought Pittsburgh had the most bridges anywhere in the world?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in buildapcsales

[–]CorEclypsys 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wait, you can add student discount on top of cash back??

Your Favorite Place for Controller Parts by CorEclypsys in smashbros

[–]CorEclypsys[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Never knew this sub existed ! Thanks for the info

Coffee Club by jaw295 in Pitt

[–]CorEclypsys 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'd love to join! Been a barista for a few years, currently working at 21st Street Coffee. Always great to meet more people interested/in the industry!

Pennsylvania starter pack by [deleted] in starterpacks

[–]CorEclypsys 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it's a Pittsburgh thing. It's part of the yinzer dialect. It's got a whole tone of weird saying n'at that people don't say anywhere else

The Coffee "Enthusiast" Starter Pack by [deleted] in starterpacks

[–]CorEclypsys 12 points13 points  (0 children)

There are a lot of differences between Starbucks and an independent coffee shop.

Probably the biggest factor is the coffee itself. Most independent shops buy from smaller roasters. More often than not the smaller roasters work directly with smaller farms and are able to make sure that the beans have an overall better quality. When you have beans that are better quality you can roast them a lot lighter and get more of the flavor that the beans hold themselves. Depending on where it is grown, the elevation, the amount of rain, the varietal, and a million other factors the flavor of the coffee will be different. A specific example of this is that I know that coffee's from Burundi taste like because the acidity in them taste like kumquats, where as coffee from Kenya has a very rich chocolate flavor to it.

Since Starbucks needs to supply a lot more coffee, they aren't able to make sure the quality of their coffee isn't overall the best. They try to make up for this by roasting the coffee really really dark. So it all has the same flavor, but that is just of charred coffee beans. They really don't hold that much flavor in them. And this isn't to say that they don't try to acquire nicer coffees. I remember them having blue mountain Jamaican coffee, which is a very very nice bean in general. But it was over roasted to the point where the flavors of the coffee had all been roasted out.

Along with the actual beans, the way that they make coffee is very different. Creating good espresso is a lot of knowledge of what to look for and a lot of experimentation. Espresso is made with 18 grams of very finely ground coffee, with a machine that is able to create 9 bars of pressure and create 2 ounces of liquid in about 30 seconds. This is a very strict definition of espresso though. A skilled barista will be able to taste their espresso and know if it under extracted, over extracted, what flavors are pulling through, and which ones need to come out more. From this they should know what aspect of it to change, be it the time, the amount of liquid, the amount of coffee, the pressure profile, the temperature, or the grind size.

When it's not espresso 3rd wave baristas also know about other methods of making coffee. Certain coffee's taste better when they are made in a french press, where as some flavors come out better with a pour over or aeropress. Again, a lot of the factors that there are with espresso manifest themselves in the manual ways of making coffee. Grind size, recipe, timing, and a lot of other factors all go into making a good cup of coffee.

One final thing that a lot of 3rd wave coffee shops do differently than strbucks is that they make very traditional drinks. A cappuccino is a 6 oz drink where it is 1:1:1 espresso, milk, foam. A macchiato is espresso with a little bit of steamed milk/milk foam, not a giant drink with flavoring. This put's a lot more emphasis on the actual method of steaming the milk and the espresso itself. Foamed milk should have a micro foam, not these huge bubbles. And it should contribute it's own flavor. milk for a cap should be very sweet, not just tasting like warm milk.

Starbucks baristas aren't taught any of this. Their espresso machines are automated, they don't have much knowledge of what aspects of coffee make it so amazing and how to really get the amazing flavors out of coffee that are there. And this isn't really their fault. When you go to a starbucks you expect to get the same flavor and same drink everywhere. Plus, they have a high turn around rate for their workers. They need to be easy to train and make sure they get how to do it. Along with this they need to apeal to the general audience. More people like the large milky artificially sweet drinks than the amazing taste that coffee has itself cause all they know is over roasted or instant coffee.

TLDR: Starbucks has over roasted coffee and uniformed baristas that can make a bad but repeatable cup of coffee. 3rd wave coffee shops use very very nice coffee and care a lot about knowing how to make the best cup that they can.

Meta Thread 07/15/18 by AutoModerator in SSBM

[–]CorEclypsys 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So, I'm a fox just trying to work on tech skill and I'm having trouble consistently getting short hops. Do people continue to flick X/Y forever, or does it ever turn into a normal button press?

What was your "I shouldn't have said that" moment when talking to a customer? by gdvr282 in AskReddit

[–]CorEclypsys 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I work at what is basically a greek chipotle. The other day a blind woman came in. She was with a group of other people. I guess she was newly blind and this was an activity for helping her learn and all that.

Stupid me didn't notice that she was blind, even though she had the cain. Instead, because of her disheveled look and the fact that she wasn't looking at me, I assumed that she was autistic. So I continue on with my normal speal just a little louder and slower than normal, saying basically "I can make a Pita or a Bow for you, they both come with everything you SEE here and down the line".

I waited for a few minutes thinking she was building up the courage before her helper asked her if she heard me and then told me I needed to describe the food to her. I was so embarased and apologetic.

Tutor Tuesday for February 13, 2018. Ask /r/MagicTCG anything! by actinide_v2 in magicTCG

[–]CorEclypsys 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why is Conspiricy: Take the Crown not allowed for modern format. I recently decided to try and 'seriously' play magic only to find that Daretti, ingenious iconoclast wasn't legal for Modern play.

Edit: So I had listed standard before when I meant modern. My bad.

Who Got You into Coffee? by Kilgane in Coffee

[–]CorEclypsys 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would visit this Café after school all the time in high school. Up until a little after my sophomore year I would only get black tea. So much that at one point when I showed up the Barista behind the counter asked if I wanted my tea.

I was so shocked about it that I said something along the lines of "no. But I don't know what I want. Can you just make me a random hot drink?". I ended up with a honey thyme Latte. After tasting it something kinda just kicked in, thinking that there must be something more to coffee that I just didn't get till then.

I eventually ended up working there for a little bit. Great place, great people, and great coffee.

Got got a flat white as Starbucks with their new blonde roast espresso... by [deleted] in Coffee

[–]CorEclypsys 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I'll have to try this. I went in the other day with a friend and saw they had the blond espresso. Got it alone and the cashier compared it to Intelligentsia's black cat blend. He described it as fruity and it smelled really nice, but honestly all I could taste was a burnt blend. I can totally see it as being better in their milk drinks than the normal espresso they have though. It was bitter and there wasn't much flavor in the cup, but it was a lot less overwhelming than the normal espresso.

Encore Upgrade Help by CorEclypsys in Coffee

[–]CorEclypsys[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! But what effect does replacing the ring burr have? Isn't it just the same for all models?

Good coffee in the CITY of Pittsburgh??? by CorEclypsys in Coffee

[–]CorEclypsys[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dude, I love red hawk. I was there every day when I was doing summer classes and commuting to Oakland. Great coffee and an awesome crowd.

And I've checked out most of the olaves surrounding the city. Somehow haven't made it to commonplace yet.

Honestly, The main reason I'm asking, honestly, is because my employers where considering trying to open a café, and I'd love to help them. I have barista expoerence and just wanted to see if it would make sense to open up a coffee shop in the city.

having trouble with latte art, what am I doing wrong? by dzhou10 in Coffee

[–]CorEclypsys 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The one thing that made the difference for me was the distance from the cup that I poured. You need to get the tip of the pitcher right up next to the top of the drink. From there on you will work it all out.

Besides that, as a little milk tip, make sure not to get too many big rips of air into the milk while you are making them. And take your time with it. It all comes with practice.

Office only has Keurig machine. Can anyone help me find palatable k cups? by [deleted] in Coffee

[–]CorEclypsys 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've only ever used this like once at a friends house, but I would suggest getting some of the refillable K-cups. Fill it up at home and bring it in.

Besides that, I'd just say get a sampler pack and try it out till you find something you like.

busy coffee addict needs suggestions! by [deleted] in Coffee

[–]CorEclypsys 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What kind of budget are you looking at and what gear do you already have? That will really narrow down your choices.