|
Thanks for all the suggestions. I've decided on the Baratza Virtuoso and the Saeco Aroma. I'll definitely be making more milk-based drinks, at least initially, so it sounds like they should do a fine job for now.
|
#
?
Apr 6, 2012 21:24
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 9, 2024 20:19 |
|
|
hey guys.. I've been roasting my own beans, grinding with a Maestro, and brewing them with the CCD. Life has been good. I bought an aeropress because it looks novel and I like the idea of a quick cleanup and a very fast brew... I've tried it twice and I'm getting a very strong cup with a slightly bitter front / sweet back kind of flavor (Ethiopian Illubabor beans from Sweet Marias @ City+). Can someone tell me what this is? Is it over extraction? I don't really know how to classify it. This is going to sound dumb, but the original color is gorgeous and deep, reflective of what a "strong cup of coffee" looks like. I didn't like the flavor, so I diluted it with another 2-3oz of water. The color is still rich, and the sweet "finish" has kind of gone away, but the rich flavors are missing as well. Help me not abandon my Aeropress. I'm following the inverted instructions here (I don't like the idea of stuff leaking through while I'm steeping or whatever, so I've only tried the inverted thus far) -14 grams of beans, ground fine (5 clicks from the finest that the Maestro will go) -6 fl oz or so of filtered water -stir 45-60 seconds -press 20-30 seconds Is my grind too fine? Thanks coffee geeks!
|
|
#
?
Apr 8, 2012 14:35
|
|
|
Can anyone recommend any decent Decafs that aren't wildly expensive, maybe even cheap? Non-flavored of course. I'm not super snobby, I generally just drink Community Coffee French Roast, but it'd be nice to have something coffee to drink at night without not being able to sleep.
|
|
#
?
Apr 9, 2012 04:51
|
|
|
VulgarandStupid posted:Can anyone recommend any decent Decafs that aren't wildly expensive, maybe even cheap? Non-flavored of course. I'm not super snobby, I generally just drink Community Coffee French Roast, but it'd be nice to have something coffee to drink at night without not being able to sleep. The only decaf I've run across so far that was decent was the Green Mountain "Fair Trade Organic House Blend Decaf," which I've found not to be that much worse that most regular stuff I can buy around here and better than most stuff that I can get at a normal grocery store. It is just a tad weaker than normal beans I think. How cheap were you looking for?
|
|
#
?
Apr 9, 2012 05:03
|
|
|
VulgarandStupid posted:Can anyone recommend any decent Decafs that aren't wildly expensive, maybe even cheap? Non-flavored of course. I'm not super snobby, I generally just drink Community Coffee French Roast, but it'd be nice to have something coffee to drink at night without not being able to sleep. The problem with decaf is that because a lot of the flavor gets processed out, you need to start with extremely high quality beans.
|
|
#
?
Apr 9, 2012 07:23
|
|
|
Hello coffee-goons, my dad's cuisinart grind & brew recently died and I am in search of a good replacement to get him as a late birthday present. Taft Punk kindly reminded me that there's a coffee thread, so after reading I've come down to two choices: Bonavita and Zojirushi Fresh Brew. Steve Yun linked to these two makers as well in the General Questions thread, so I'm pretty much kinda  about choosing between them. I am leaning towards the Zojirushi because of the two, it has the automatic brew timer that's important to him right now but the Bonavita seems to be something he would appreciate more long term as he gets more and more into making good coffee at home.For an entry level coffee person, which would be a better long-term machine? edit: vv My dad is a factory worker, so his hours kinda cockblock fresh grinding in the morning because it's 3 am. That's the reason he's really into a timer at the moment. It's a little bit baby steps with regards to him and coffee, so the fresh ground coffee thing is the goal for later this year when he goes back to 2nds regularly. 1up fucked around with this message at 21:16 on Apr 9, 2012 |
|
#
?
Apr 9, 2012 21:10
|
|
|
The Bonavita is pretty much inarguably better. The Zoji is nice for a cheap auto-drip. Pregrinding and setting a timer for brewing (the next morning?) defeats the purpose of using fresh ground coffee.
|
|
#
?
Apr 9, 2012 21:11
|
|
|
1up posted:edit: vv My dad is a factory worker, so his hours kinda cockblock fresh grinding in the morning because it's 3 am. That's the reason he's really into a timer at the moment. It's a little bit baby steps with regards to him and coffee, so the fresh ground coffee thing is the goal for later this year when he goes back to 2nds regularly. Back in college when I had roommates, I put my grinder in the garage so I could use it when I had early classes without waking up the whole house. I've also done similar in an apartment situation by using it in the bathroom. Then just bring the hopper of ground beans to the coffee maker.
|
|
#
?
Apr 9, 2012 21:34
|
|
|
I picked this up earlier today from a guy off craigslist on the cheap: It's the made-in-Japan version, brand new in the box and sealed. He'd bought it from a defunct restaurant supply store that went under, thinking it was for tea.  There's a local coffee shop here that uses these guys and they look cool as hell while they're brewing but I've never actually used one myself. I've read that alot of people are using re-usable glass drains out of Cona siphons in the Yama and Hario brewers. Anybody in here use one of these before?
|
|
#
?
Apr 9, 2012 22:30
|
|
|
ephori posted:I picked this up earlier today from a guy off craigslist on the cheap: I own the Yama version of the one you bought there and I love it. I don't use the glass drain though, I use the chain filter that came with it along with the circular cloth filters that you can buy for it. It ends up with a nice clean cup with both filters. I really like the coffee it produces, it's somewhere between a drip and french press. What size is that one? I have the 5-cup version. As for some tips, you want your brew time at around 60-70 seconds once the water has all reached the top and make sure you start with hot water in the bottom vessel. I heat it up to just shy of boiling before starting.
|
|
#
?
Apr 9, 2012 23:27
|
|
|
1up posted:Hello coffee-goons, my dad's cuisinart grind & brew recently died and I am in search of a good replacement to get him as a late birthday present. The SCAA has a list of their certified brewers here(including the Bonavita): http://www.scaa.org/?page=cert2
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2012 00:57
|
|
|
Ordered a Baratza Encore for pour over duty. Will replace my poor warn out KitchenAid.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2012 17:24
|
|
|
dhrusis posted:hey guys.. I've been roasting my own beans, grinding with a Maestro, and brewing them with the CCD. Life has been good. Tried again with a more coarse grind. Coffee was way better.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 02:48
|
|
|
I've got $120 in rebate cards to spend, and I was thinking about buying my own coffee stuff since I won't be able to use my brother's next semester. I'm also toying around with the idea of roasting my own coffee, since I'll be able to do it for my roommates and family, but I don't know if I'll be able to deal with the smoke indoors. Will just about any range hood be enough to take care of whatever fumes/smoke that comes out while roasting? What I'm thinking about right now: Aeropress or equivalent ($25), will also have a cheap drip maker for lazy times Aroma Kettle ($30), will also use for tea Hand burr grinder or blade grinder, ($30) Home roasting kit from Sweet Maria's ($40) Does this all seem like a decent setup to start with?
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 04:44
|
|
|
gwrtheyrn posted:I've got $120 in rebate cards to spend, and I was thinking about buying my own coffee stuff since I won't be able to use my brother's next semester. I'm also toying around with the idea of roasting my own coffee, since I'll be able to do it for my roommates and family, but I don't know if I'll be able to deal with the smoke indoors. Will just about any range hood be enough to take care of whatever fumes/smoke that comes out while roasting? I would get at least a capresso infinity, I wouldn't use a hand burr grinder as a main grinder, and with that budget, I'd skip the blade altogether. As far as roasting is concerned, you really only need the whirley pop to get started, and you can get those at thrift stores for, like, $5, maybe even try posting a freecycle "wanted". As far as brew methods are concerned. I think a cheap melitta filter cone is just fine, you can get them almost anywhere for about $5. Just be sure to thoroughly rinse your filters.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 05:02
|
|
|
I've been using my gaggia evolution espresso machine and my baratza vario to make some espresso. It's very nice to be able to do it myself. I have a question about tamping and the espresso pucks. Mine never knock out easily, I usually have to dig them out. I never see any sounds of channeling when I look at my used pucks, so I dont think I'm under tamping it. Is not being able to knock the pick out easily a sign of using too much force? Usually the machine needs about five seconds of pressure pumping before the espresso emerges from the porta filter. I am using the non pressurized double shot filter that came with the machine.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 05:14
|
|
|
GrAviTy84 posted:I would get at least a capresso infinity, I wouldn't use a hand burr grinder as a main grinder, and with that budget, I'd skip the blade altogether. As far as roasting is concerned, you really only need the whirley pop to get started, and you can get those at thrift stores for, like, $5, maybe even try posting a freecycle "wanted". As far as brew methods are concerned. I think a cheap melitta filter cone is just fine, you can get them almost anywhere for about $5. Just be sure to thoroughly rinse your filters. Okay, so let me fudge with some stuff then: Melitta cone ($9) Aroma Kettle ($30) Capresso Inf. or Refurb Baratza ($90) Whirley Pop ($0-$20) Total: $129-149 That and if I can't find a whirley pop for < $20, get the kit from maria's because it comes with beans?
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 05:17
|
|
|
gwrtheyrn posted:Okay, so let me fudge with some stuff then: Sure, if you're impatient, or you can just keep searching. I just did a search on CL and found 2 for around $10 near me. Then just buy samplers from SM, their sampler deals are awesome. Good luck!
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 05:45
|
|
|
GrAviTy84 posted:As far as brew methods are concerned. I think a cheap melitta filter cone is just fine, you can get them almost anywhere for about $5. Just be sure to thoroughly rinse your filters. Do you use the same level of technique with these that you would with something like the Hario, or does the smaller hole make it more forgiving?
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 05:46
|
|
|
GrAviTy84 posted:Sure, if you're impatient, or you can just keep searching. I just did a search on CL and found 2 for around $10 near me. Then just buy samplers from SM, their sampler deals are awesome. Good luck! Thanks a lot for your help. I'll keep an eye out for cheap poppers around, but I doubt anything will come up on craigslist because if a college student wouldn't have it, it's probably not on craigslist anywhere near here and saving $20 on it isn't worth hours searching for it. Last question: would I get a better value buying the capresso or waiting around for a refurb baratza maestro/encore?
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 05:51
|
|
|
a handful of dust posted:Do you use the same level of technique with these that you would with something like the Hario, or does the smaller hole make it more forgiving? I find the smaller hole is more forgiving on technique yes... (still talking about coffee, really)  gwrtheyrn posted:Thanks a lot for your help. I'll keep an eye out for cheap poppers around, but I doubt anything will come up on craigslist because if a college student wouldn't have it, it's probably not on craigslist anywhere near here and saving $20 on it isn't worth hours searching for it. Last question: would I get a better value buying the capresso or waiting around for a refurb baratza maestro/encore? Before the line up switch I would've said that waiting for a refurb baratza was a sure thing. Now...well I'm not so sure. They're very communicative though, you should shoot them an email: "Hey, just wondering if there's any likelihood of one showing up anytime soon."
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 05:56
|
|
|
gwrtheyrn posted:Okay, so let me fudge with some stuff then: Definitely a serviceable set up. I've had a Capresso for four years now and it works well for it's price. My main gripe is that it's on the louder side for a grinder. The basket isn't anit-static so if you're grinding a lot of beans it can start to move out a bit, but if you're just brewing for yourself, this won't really be much of a problem.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 14:54
|
|
|
Hello coffee goons! After using an Aeropress exclusively for the last few months and really enjoying the coffee it makes, I got sick of heating a mug of water at a time in the microwave and picked up one of these Panasonic hot water pots:  It boils, then keeps the water at 180 degrees, almost perfect for Aeropress brewing. One question, though... how long can you keep water in it? Like, if there's water left at the end of the day, can I safely leave it in the pot, then reboil it in the morning?
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 15:15
|
|
|
Larry Horseplay posted:Hello coffee goons! You could, but using water fresh from the tap is typically better just because boiling it can concentrate the impurities in the water, assuming you're not using filtered water and also water loses oxygen content when repeatedly boiled which can affect the taste as well. Impurities in the water can also settle to the bottom and may end up causing problems in the machine. Similarly I empty the water reservoir of my espresso machine after each use and add filtered water to it before using it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 15:41
|
|
|
rockcity posted:You could, but using water fresh from the tap is typically better just because boiling it can concentrate the impurities in the water, assuming you're not using filtered water and also water loses oxygen content when repeatedly boiled which can affect the taste as well. Impurities in the water can also settle to the bottom and may end up causing problems in the machine. Similarly I empty the water reservoir of my espresso machine after each use and add filtered water to it before using it. Thanks, that's really good to know. It looks like you can fill this model up halfway without it overheating, so I can toss in just enough water to use for a workday without having to let it sit or waste a bunch of water every day. Just made the first cup with it and it is so much easier. My wife was like "ANOTHER kitchen gadget?" when it came in the mail yesterday, but it's really useful. Now I just have to find a place to put it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 15:59
|
|
|
Larry Horseplay posted:My wife was like "ANOTHER kitchen gadget?" Sounds like my girlfriend. I get yelled at any time I buy anything new because we've been out of room several gadgets ago. I turned one counter into a "coffee bar" area just so I could keep stuff out. There's not a ton of stuff out, but I keep my roaster, espresso maker, grinder and vac pot out on the counter. I'd love to add an awesome water heater like that to the area, but I'm pretty sure I'd get yelled at. I have a hard time justifying the cost for a good one too, though I know if I had it I wouldn't look back.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 17:41
|
|
|
rockcity posted:Sounds like my girlfriend. I get yelled at any time I buy anything new because we've been out of room several gadgets ago. I turned one counter into a "coffee bar" area just so I could keep stuff out. There's not a ton of stuff out, but I keep my roaster, espresso maker, grinder and vac pot out on the counter. I'd love to add an awesome water heater like that to the area, but I'm pretty sure I'd get yelled at. I have a hard time justifying the cost for a good one too, though I know if I had it I wouldn't look back. This one was 66 bucks on Amazon, much cheaper than the Zojirushi (I have one of their rice cookers, and I love it, but didn't want to spend $150 on a water heater) and got really good reviews. http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-NC-EH22PC-Quart-Electric-Thermal/dp/B0013O8J6Y/ref=cm_rdp_product Can't help you with the counter-space problem though 
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 18:03
|
|
|
I've got a Bialetti 6-cup Moka pot that's seen a lot of use. The funnel piece has warped a little bit (probably from years of banging against the trash can), and the rim no longer sits flush with the edge of the piece that holds the water, resulting in some of the water escaping from the funnel back into the bottom part, bringing coffee grounds with it. I'm faced with the choice of buying a replacement funnel or just buying a whole new thing. I found this site: http://www.espressozone.com/stovetop-espresso-maker-funnels-FNL.aspx Are they reputable? They recommend the FN-206 for my model, will that work? Should I bother paying the ~$10 for a funnel, or just buy something newer and cooler?
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 20:40
|
|
|
Finally got to the point where my first round of green beans was running out. Just ordered a 4lb sampler from Sweet Marias. We'll see how their coffee compares to what I had to begin with.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 21:26
|
|
|
Just picked up the stovetop version of the Bonavita Kettle: Kicks rear end at pouring, sucks at boiling water. It sounds like a freight train and takes almost twice as long to boil water as my old Kitchenaid kettle. I wish I'd sprung for the electric version. It also feels like something that would cost $10 if ikea carried it, but then again so does the Buono(at least to me).
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2012 21:29
|
|
|
This looks very promising.
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2012 02:16
|
|
|
Astronaut Jones posted:This looks very promising. I know enough about control theory to know that the "Power Controlled Temperature Glide" was made by someone who knows nothing about control theory. I also feel like I have learned enough from this thread to know the rest is total bullshit.
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2012 02:33
|
|
|
Astronaut Jones posted:This looks very promising.  though. The alarm thing and the basket filters, for instance, they should know better. At this price, it will come down to who makes better coffee between this and the Bonavita BV1800. If you ask me, I'd have the Bonavita. I just think it looks better, more streamlined, and has fewer things that bother me.Nevertheless, this is a good sign. We're on track for a good quality, feature rich auto drip coffee maker in the ~$100 range by a DeLonghi, a Bodum, or a Breville sometime soon, I think. GrAviTy84 fucked around with this message at 02:59 on Apr 13, 2012 |
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2012 02:57
|
|
|
How long does Sweet Maria's take to ship? My order is still processing from last Wednesday. Maybe I'm just used to Amazon's ridiculous shipping.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2012 16:36
|
|
|
Doh004 posted:How long does Sweet Maria's take to ship? My order is still processing from last Wednesday. Maybe I'm just used to Amazon's ridiculous shipping..
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2012 17:02
|
|
|
Doh004 posted:How long does Sweet Maria's take to ship? My order is still processing from last Wednesday. Maybe I'm just used to Amazon's ridiculous shipping. I've never had an order take that long to ship. Maybe one of the items isn't in stock or something? Send them an e-mail, they are pretty friendly and helpful.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2012 18:37
|
|
|
Yeah, an hour after I posted that I got the email saying it was shipped. I must have just gotten unlucky with the timing and missed the Friday cutoff. No worries, I still have coffee to drink while I wait for more supplies.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2012 19:17
|
|
|
Just a general contribution, and question, for the thread: In the Netherlands we have a traditional product called "Buisman". It's a flavor enhancing coffee additive sort of like chicory. Buisman is a powdery substance made from burnt glucose syrup and molasses. Typically, a teaspoon or two/three are added to ground coffee right before it is brewed, but a teaspoon may also be added to the coffee as it is served. Buisman usually gives coffee a spicier and richer flavor, and mitigates bitterness. I quite like the taste of Buisman in coffee, but the product is considered pretty old-fashioned and outdated by most of the Dutch. Are products similar to Buisman available abroad? And more in general, what are generally considered to be good coffee additives for people who like nothing but black coffee?
|
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2012 19:31
|
|
|
Rather than looking for an additive, you might want to look into a coffee region that naturally produces a spicier tasting coffee. Ethiopia comes to mind.
|
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2012 20:06
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 9, 2024 20:19 |
|
|
 Super happy with my Baratza Encore. Night and day compared to my worn out KitchenAid. Way more consistent.
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2012 01:31
|
|