Good Impression of Coffee at Las Vegas Hilton's The Buffet

My hubby and I went on a holiday to Vegas during Christmas and we stayed here: Las Vegas Hilton. There was a The Buffet restaurant in there that served coffee that in my opinion is better than most buffet coffee. Of course, it's not as strong as espresso, but it is aromatic and smooth. Not bitter. In particular, there is an African American waiter that is very attentive to our needs, topping up my coffee even before I noticed it was empty. Kudos to him!

Ever since I began studying coffee, I became aware of coffee wherever I go. Sipping a cup of coffee has become an interesting engagement, somehow enhancing my mundane life, even if by a bit. It's... a really nice feeling. 

Problem with Aeropressing for 2

Yesterday, my significant half got interested in my coffee and asked for a cup. The first inconvenience that surfaced was that the Hario could only grind for two cups (one serving size for me) at a go. That means I have to grind twice.

After grinding, I decided to do a four-cup Aeropress-ing to avoid double effort in pressing but it ended in disaster. It was impossible to push the plunger pass the midway point and when I retracted the plunger, the release in pressure caused the coffee to literally explode, sending coffee goo flying. Worse but expected, the coffee we ended up with was bad.

I distinctly remembered that I had left my Hario's nut at four "clicks" from the tightest configuration so today I released the nut to 6 "clicks" away but that was still too fine. Same thing happened.

I give up.

I think I'd just have to press separately. The advantage is that the first batch of ground would be fresher since it wouldn't have to wait for the second batch.

Virgin Hario Mini+Aeropress Brew

The Hario MMS 1B Mini Mill Slim.

Components of the Hario. Love that everything can be separated and thoroughly cleaned!

This blend tastes distinctly different from Highlander Coffee's Supremo Blend that I had back at home.

Hastily taken picture of my Aeropress in action.

Some of the things I had on the table. The rest were dumped into the kitchen sink.

This is the day I made the virgin brew from my newly acquired Hario MMS 1B Mini Mill Slim coffee grinder and the Aeropress.

I took approx. 5s to study the instruction manuals of both products before tossing them aside and deciding to trust my instincts. The Aeropress looks simple enough. I can clearly see where the filter paper, coffee powder and water goes. There are number markings on the cylinders to indicate the amount of water for my decided serving. The Hario looks more complicated but it's nothing I can't handle. There is a 3-spook nut at the bottom of the cover and I must use it to adjust how fine I'd like my grind to be.

After examining experimental grinds from a few settings of the Hario, I decided to leave the nut four "clicks" in the opposite direction from the maximum I could tighten. Then, I grounded two Aeropress spoon scoops of my Peet's Major Dickson Blend coffee beans as I put the water to boil on the stove. Grinding isn't difficult as the handle turned easily. However, it was admittedly a little tedious to do so continuously for a few minutes. It made me miss my Delonghi KG91 electric burr grinder I'd left back home in Singapore. 

The kettle whistled for my attention to harvest the boiling water. I turned off the fire, inserted a thermometer into the water and then cursed. The cold weather here instantly reduced the temperature of the water to below the optimum 80ºC. I turned on the fire again and quickly set up the Aeropress on top of a mug and emptied the coffee powder from the Hario into it. This time, I didn't bother to measure the water temperature but just poured it into the Aeropress container. A strange anxiety took over me and I hastily inserted the plunger and pushed for my coffee. Voila! It's done. I took a sip and it was good!