Who loves coffee as well as analog photography?

[Mainecoonmaniac]

I watch Jame Hoffmann's YouTube videos on coffee for a while. Interesting and informative videos for coffee heads. I found a video where he mixes up caffenol to develop film. He's a pretty good photographer too. Enjoy!

 

[Pioneer]

Hmm. Interesting and a great example of someone trying to make something far more complex than it has to be. In my case I just dump about 5 scoops of ground coffee (thanks John Nanian) into an old pot, pour in about 5 cups of water, and let it boil for about 5 minutes. Sort of like making Cowboy Coffee. Most of the time though I just use cheap instant coffee since I can't see a difference in the final product. But, if I owned an expresso machine I suppose I could use that too.

 

[removed account4]

its great to see someone who has a following talking about caffenol ! its fun stuff ..

you're welcome Dan

John

 

[VinceInMT]

Why would someone want to drink film developer? What next, d-76 on the rocks?

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Don't drink it but my film sometimes sure likes to!

 

[removed account4]

Why would someone want to drink film developer? What next, d-76 on the rocks?

I usually drink some of every batch of caffenol-coffee that I make. its just coffee..

 

[Pioneer]

I usually drink some of every batch of caffenol-coffee that I make. its just coffee..

As do I. I am a great fan of strong coffee and the brew I make for the caffenol is imminently drinkable. Some of it becomes part of the developing "soup" and part of it ends up in my cup. It has become a bit of a tradition for me though my wife refuses to participate.

 

[Chrismat]

I enjoy using coffee for processing film but I've never been much of a fan of coffee in general.

 

[cmacd123]

hope he just left the washing of the film out of his video, or he will be disappointed if he comes back to those pictures.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Well .... Any given trip to Hawaii, and I come back with maybe four large format shots (more rolls film are shots OK per my wife cause they don't take as long), but generally an entire suitcase full of Kona coffee beans. No - it's not for developing film!
Coffee is for drinking, Pyro is for developing, and never the twain shall meet.

 

[Pioneer]

Well .... Any given trip to Hawaii, and I come back with maybe four large format shots (more rolls film are shots OK per my wife cause they don't take as long), but generally an entire suitcase full of Kona coffee beans. No - it's not for developing film!
Coffee is for drinking, Pyro is for developing, and never the twain shall meet.

I agree Drew. I would definitely keep the Kona to myself and prevent it from ending up in the developing tray. I would share some brew with friends but that would be the end of it.

 

[radiant]

Maybe that is why I use it as paper developer ..

 

[GLS]

Love coffee. Probably get through a kilo of beans per month myself. I've never tried developing film with it though, as beyond the novelty/cost factor I don't see the point.

 

[Don_ih]

I'm drinking coffee right now.
Any time you read this post, that's likely true...

 

[Horatio]

Enjoying my first cup of the morning. The first always tastes best.

 

[removed account4]

I would definitely keep the Kona to myself

NOT ME! I'd give it away, can't stand Kona coffee, and would never have it to begin with.
A lot of people forget Hawai'i coffee estate owners pay their harvesters, and coffee processes ( people who hull, dry and / or ferment ) the coffee fruit at least $7.75/hour ( Hawai'i Minimum Wage ) and the sellers pass off this expense to the buyers. Now if you were talking Kopi Luwak now that's some really good sh!t!

I've never tried developing film with it though, as beyond the novelty/cost factor I don't see the point.

Hey GLS. the cost thing and caffic acid thing were exaggerated by the guy in the video, he's a coffee guru I guess, and he's just repeating internet gossip. It really as expensive as anything else you might use 1shot... and people ( here on this very site! ) have tried just caffic acid ( sans café ) and it didn't work.. ... it's only inexpensive if you make a gallon of strong caffenol, spike it with something and use it for more than 1shot ( like I do ). it ends up lasting about 6months, and able to process ( film and prints ) costing about 1cent or less / roll or sheet of film, print. The point ? . There is no point, of any of it! . You know. like using pyro or dk50 or edwal10 or ID11 or D76 or HC110 orX-tol or ... other than its a developer and it works great. People kid themselves thinking their developer does something magic or its made by woodland fae .. in the end its just developer ...

 

[Don_ih]

So, I made caffenol only once and it didn't work. That was about 4 years ago. The image developed very faint and the film was murky.

Yesterday, I was trying something that needed ascorbic acid and pulled out the bag that I used to make the caffenol that time. I then noticed it was actually citric acid.

So my opinion of caffenol has been reset.

 

[GLS]

Hey GLS. the cost thing and caffic acid thing were exaggerated by the guy in the video, he's a coffee guru I guess, and he's just repeating internet gossip. It really as expensive as anything else you might use 1shot... and people ( here on this very site! ) have tried just caffic acid ( sans café ) and it didn't work.. ... it's only inexpensive if you make a gallon of strong caffenol, spike it with something and use it for more than 1shot ( like I do ). it ends up lasting about 6months, and able to process ( film and prints ) costing about 1cent or less / roll or sheet of film, print. The point ? . There is no point, of any of it! . You know. like using pyro or dk50 or edwal10 or ID11 or D76 or HC110 orX-tol or ... other than its a developer and it works great. People kid themselves thinking their developer does something magic or its made by woodland fae .. in the end its just developer ...

I have not read up much on theories about the active ingredients of caffenol. Certainly caffeic acid looks like it should be redox active, being structurally very similar to catechol. Perhaps it requires a certain pH window though, or is superadditive with other potential reducing agents within the coffee and/or formulation; as I say it is not something I have read up on much.

As to the "point" of it all, my intention is not to dissuade others from experimentation. Far from it. It's just that as a chemist myself I like to know the precise identity/amount of ingredients in the developer I am using, such that the effect is predictable and highly repeatable. I imagine the effects of caffenol can vary quite a bit depending on the type of coffee used, its age and so on, and these are just more variables I could do without

 

[removed account4]

yes, they say caffenol is the ugly cousin of pyro/catechol, similar weird thinnish stain that prints beautifully. Im not a chemist ( although I am related to a few but still have never bothered to ask them any caffenol related questions ) I'd rather just not worry about the exact reasons it does what it does and enjoy the results. I get it, ... knowing what chemistry you use and getting predictable results, some instant coffees are "meh" and others, like el gringo sold in le clerc supermarkets in eastern France are superlative! but it might have just been that batch because its different every time...
I have been using sumatran robusta beans I roast myself ( and sell to others who may be interested ) for almost as long as I have been using caffenol so I get very predictable results like you like.
have fun!
John

 

[removed account4]

Yeah but John don’t you throw other stuff like Ansco 130 into your caffenol concoctions? Cheater!

maybe ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I've never been able to get 20cc ansco130 / dektol / D72 &c diluted in 1000cc to develop film or paper in 8 or 10 minutes .. maybe I've been doing it wrong? LOL
if someone knows how to get those developers to process my film 1:50 bulletproof in 8 minutes. let me know.
besides I've never claimed to be a purist or expert in anything .. I just got tired of mixing developer and tossing it every time I processed film and paper, taking a cue from les McLean and using my 2 favorite developers together seemed to have remedied my situation L OL. besides I'll let the purists argue about the nonsense they typically argue about I'd rather be making photographs ..
YMMV

 

[IMoL]

View attachment 288780

Maybe that is why I use it as paper developer ..

Can confirm, I live in Sweden.

 

[Vaughn]

Don't even like the smell of coffee....

 

[mshchem]

I love coffee. I also love Rodinal, XTOL, D-76, ...................
I love to drink coffee in my darkroom, with a Cat watching my Jobo going around.

 

[Cholentpot]

Tea, loose leaf.

Earl Grey. Hot.

 

[Vaughn]

What's your hot drink of choice around the fire in the redwoods etc?

Scotch, but don't need a hot drink around a fire.

Otherwise tea...a nice pu'er.