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Does it actually matter what brand of coffee press you buy? They have cheap big ones at Ikea and so on and I would imagine as long as the metal mesh works then it's all gonna be the same and paying the extra money for a Bodum (at a smaller size) is just a brand premium. e: New page so I'll ask, does anyone have personal experience with that Bonavita electric kettle with temperature control? I'm going to the US next month, so maybe I'll pick one up.
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Apr 6, 2013 11:37
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Not really, unless you happen upon a poorly-made one for some reason. Most of the difference between a 'good' one and a 'really good' will be marginal or placebo. Bonavita's kettles come highly regarded -- I'd definitely pick one up.
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Apr 6, 2013 13:34
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Boris Galerkin posted:Does it actually matter what brand of coffee press you buy? They have cheap big ones at Ikea and so on and I would imagine as long as the metal mesh works then it's all gonna be the same and paying the extra money for a Bodum (at a smaller size) is just a brand premium. When I first started out, I bought a cheap $10 6-cup one. The press seemed to slide a little too easily, but at the time I was buying it for tea. I tried it later for coffee, but it sometimes had the tendency to leak grounds past the plunger, and I think its looseness may have been the cause.
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Apr 6, 2013 15:52
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Boris Galerkin posted:e: New page so I'll ask, does anyone have personal experience with that Bonavita electric kettle with temperature control? I'm going to the US next month, so maybe I'll pick one up. It rules. I have one, anything specific you want to know about it?
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Apr 6, 2013 16:10
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The only issue I have is that it is smaller than the non gooseneck one, and it seems to be a little slower to get up to temp compared to my old one. I think this is because it has a smaller heating element. Two minor quibbles, otherwise it's great. Even has a count up timer.
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Apr 6, 2013 16:44
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MrEnigma posted:The only issue I have is that it is smaller than the non gooseneck one, and it seems to be a little slower to get up to temp compared to my old one. I think this is because it has a smaller heating element. I've been looking at the Gooseneck Bonavita, when you say it's slower, roughly how long does it take to get water up to temp? Right now I'm using a standard steel kettle on a gas range, and it can take nearly 10 minutes.
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Apr 6, 2013 19:09
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The goosneck Bonavita boils water in about 3 minutes. I doesn't have much volume though at 1 liter so it's about the same as the Hario.
Keyser_Soze fucked around with this message at 19:26 on Apr 6, 2013 |
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Apr 6, 2013 19:23
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I've had my CCD for months now, trying to find the proper technique and grind size to perfect my cup.. came across a post on Sweet Maria's forums that has me closer than ever! What's different from what I was doing: slightly finer grind, second mark from the right on the FINE setting on a Capresso and WAY less stirring on draw down (none actually). Less stirring cured my stalling issues too, it drains all the way now! quote:-fine grind, on the fine end of filter-drip grind, but not espresso grind for sure. You can see his stir technique in this video here, he just stirs the top a bit at 1 min into the steep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_-wyjaCPj8 Google Butt fucked around with this message at 22:24 on Apr 6, 2013 |
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Apr 6, 2013 22:13
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Disregard
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Apr 6, 2013 23:22
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A potentially stupid CCD related question, but it's just something I noticed. When I hit the drain time and place it on top of a cup, at least half of the volume drains right away in about 5 seconds. If I brew 350mL, it seems that at least 150-200mL drains in the first few seconds, and then the rest sort of trickles. Watching other videos, it seems the drain part is a bit more gradual: is something wrong with my CCD, or is that something that happens? Looking at my CCD, it seems that a lot of my coffee seems to sit below the filter and right above the stopper, instead of sitting with the grounds above.
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Apr 6, 2013 23:54
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Are you stirring it?
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Apr 7, 2013 00:01
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Archer2338 posted:A potentially stupid CCD related question, but it's just something I noticed. Using the technique I just posted, the first half drains fairly quickly - half is drained in about 30 seconds and it slows up after that. Before, I was stirring like mad during the draw down, I think that actually clogged the filter even more.. now I stir lightly at 1:00, making sure not to stir up the bed of coffee at the bottom. For the first time ever my CCD completely drains in approx 2 minutes. Stalling can be a variety of things: grind size, grind consistency, filter and agitation. Try the method in my post above and report back, I'm curious. For reference I use Filtropa filters from SM's and noticed a big difference, I hear the Chemex filters work even better. edit: Also make sure you're rinsing your filter well before you put your grounds in it. My procedure it to put the filter in the CCD, turn on the faucet to a medium/light stream of hot water and fill up the CCD 2-3 times. BE sure to empty the water out of the top, NOT draining it out of the bottom. If you let it drain, it clogs the filter with paper fines. Google Butt fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Apr 7, 2013 |
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Apr 7, 2013 00:20
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Thanks for the help! I am using the Filtropa #4 filters (white), and I do the stir at 1min following the SM video. I tried the SM method as accurately as I could - put it on the cup at 3:00, but it ended up draining completely by 3:55. Maybe I stirred a bit too much, dunno. The pre-rinsing thing might be a factor as well, so I'll try it. Might even make a video if I can be arsed enough to show the last drainage bit and grind size (18 on my Virtuoso, but that's not too accurate anyways, right?) I'll try making the grind finer, but it seems to be at what I think is on the fine side of filter grind already. Archer2338 fucked around with this message at 00:44 on Apr 7, 2013 |
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Apr 7, 2013 00:39
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Yeah the grind setting seems to be different on each Baratza machine. I have it set to 22 on my Baratza Encore. If I set it finer then it's way too small and clogs it up.
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Apr 7, 2013 00:44
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Archer2338 posted:Thanks for the help! I am using the Filtropa #4 filters (white), and I do the stir at 1min following the SM video. I tried the SM method as accurately as I could - put it on the cup at 3:00, but it ended up draining completely by 3:55. Maybe I stirred a bit too much, dunno. The pre-rinsing thing might be a factor as well, so I'll try it. It sounds like your grind is too coarse. A small change in grind size can make a huge difference in draw down characteristics, in my experience at least. Try adjusting your grinder to a bit finer, one notch at a time until you find the sweet spot. Try to shoot for a finishing time of 4:30. Edit: I thought doing a finer grind would clog it more as well, but it helped. I read that if you agitate too much during draw down it actually makes the grind "dusty" and leads to clogging. Finer grind -> less agitation seem to work for me. Double edit: Rinsing your filter is HUGE for a few reasons - it gets rid of the papery filter taste and it clears the filter of paper "fines". Google Butt fucked around with this message at 00:53 on Apr 7, 2013 |
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Apr 7, 2013 00:50
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Baron Dirigible posted:Thanks Alleric, that was a helpful post. Well, think of a parallel like gravel and sand. 10lbs of sand is going to take up a lot less space than 10lbs of gravel. Take a gallon of water and pour over the gravel and it just flows... like water. Pour that gallon of water into the sand and it slooooows doooooown. Why? Less airspace between the elements (grain of saind versus a 1-2 inch rock). That principle works at smaller scales as well. The finer you go, the tighter the grains of coffee can get to each other. Drop a good tamp on top and you have the potential to create something that the water just can't get through at the pressure your pump can generate (and you'll be stressing your pump trying). So at the point you're keeping equal in the equation (20g of coffee), coarser grind will take up more portafilter space and flow faster, finer grind will take up less and flow slower. You can actually adjust flow by adjusting your tamp, which you can totally do by focusing and getting a feel for a "normal", and a "light" tamp (usually if I feel I need a harder tamp, I tighten the grind). The photography thing is a good analogy, actually. We have more things in play (grind, dose, tamp, time), but say we turn time into "correct exposure", then indeed the remainder become your triangle. Me, I have a habit of running aperture-priority on my rig because dialing in aperture and iso to get a shot of a bird or a flower that the breeze has hold of (my two usual targets out and about) is a pain when I'm more concerned with the depth of field and just getting the shot. Depending on how the light balancer is feeling on a day I may pre-load 1/3 to 1 full stop under exposure, but other than that it's lean on the thing I care about the most and go. So on espresso I guess you could say I find a friendly grind for the bean and that becomes my aperature. Only the flip is now I'll manage the other things while that's held steady. So then it's just dose, and tamp to get my 20-25 seconds. My tamp rarely changes, so that leaves dose for the most part. As for clumping, that'll just naturally happen as you grind finer. It's not a sign of too fine. Your portafilter walking itself off the brew group and painting your walls is a sign of too fine.  I dunno. Maybe just don't be so tied to the 20g? My last sumatran brewed perfect at ~18g, but like I said, this mostly-brazilian-based mutt blend I'm on right now... 12 and only 12.
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Apr 7, 2013 00:51
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Google Butt posted:It sounds like your grind is too coarse. A small change in grind size can make a huge difference in draw down characteristics, in my experience at least. Try adjusting your grinder to a bit finer, one notch at a time until you find the sweet spot. Well yeah, I've always been rinsing it with hot water to pre-heat it and everything; I just didn't know that I wasn't supposed to let it drain. I'll try making the grind finer tomorrow. Since my idea of grind settings seems to be slightly off, is there a good guide/series of pictures on what grind setting is considered the baseline? Like pictures of the grind settings next to a penny or something
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Apr 7, 2013 03:15
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Archer2338 posted:I'll try making the grind finer tomorrow. Since my idea of grind settings seems to be slightly off, is there a good guide/series of pictures on what grind setting is considered the baseline? Like pictures of the grind settings next to a penny or something Go to the bottom of this link and click on the high-resolution PDF.
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Apr 7, 2013 03:47
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Alleric posted:I dunno. Maybe just don't be so tied to the 20g? My last sumatran brewed perfect at ~18g, but like I said, this mostly-brazilian-based mutt blend I'm on right now... 12 and only 12. On a related note, you talk about how your beans will only extract perfectly at 12g -- how would you go about extracting a ristretto from that bean? Or would it not be suitable for anything other than espresso? I've ordered ristretti before from baristas I trust, but they'll refuse because the bean they're using would be too sour / bitter / whatever as a ristretto. Would this be similar to your overly-sensitive bean?
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Apr 7, 2013 04:07
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Well... there's ristretto and then there's ristretto. There are a lot of baristas out in the world that think that a ristretto is just a short pull on the grind, dose and tamp of a double. Not true. It's its own thing. Same dose, but different grind, different tamp, different time of extraction, but same net volume of 1.5 - 2.0 ounces. My basic view on this is that it's a load of crap... sort of. You can't just take any arbitrary bean, change grind, tamp and speed the extraction up and it taste good. It works on some beans, and others turn bitter and/or sour on you in a heartbeat. There's no magical "second crossing of all variables that yields the SUPERIOR PRODUCT". If there was, that'd be the drat standard. There are some beans that lend themselves to disctinctly different flavor profiles at different grind/tamp/time at a given dose. Ethiopian Deri Kochoha, one of my favorite beans from last year had two killer brew equations on my setup. One, with the finer grind, brewed what one might call a classic double. Rich, chocolately, gingerbread, black tea aromatics, crema to die for. However, on a happy accident one moring I had the grinder parked too high and ground too coarse. The shot pulled in like 14 seconds, just poured out of the machine. Normally, this would mean a shot that was bitter, sour and horrible. It was my first pull of the morning and I wanted the caffiene, so I drank it. Completely different drink. Body wasn't there, thickness wasn't there, but it wasn't bitter, it wasn't sour. It was sweet, and the ginger flavor was amped, as was the tea. It almost didn't taste like coffee. It was good, though. Anyway, though I dug this accident, it wasn't what I was wanting out of the bean, so I never re-visted it. So you ask how I would pull a ristretto from my current beans. I wouldn't. They won't do it. If I go up at all on the grind, 12g won't hold back the flood, nor will 14, 16, 18 or any amount that will fit in my double basket. It extracts too fast, and tastes like crap. There's no body, no crema, and it goes sour (not bitter). A ristretto is just an espresso who's grind, tamp, dose and time equation just happen to be faster than 20-25 seconds (which is itself a guideline). It's not some magical brew method that you can throw at any bean or blend.
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Apr 7, 2013 05:47
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Hold on, I thought a ristretto would be a slower pour than an espresso -- say .5oz in 20 seconds? I follow the rest of your post, though. As an update, I've tightened the grind finer and I'm now getting respectable shots out of 18g. Tonight I'm going to try for 16g, and see how that changes the shot.
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Apr 7, 2013 06:35
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Man, I didn't realize the madness had expanded (not you, but me looking around google). Plenty of opinions of what a "true" ristretto is. My definition was the one given to me by a barista while in europe two years ago. Now I'm seeing all kinds of definitions of what a "true" ristretto is. Oh well, shorter pull, less water, finer grind, looser grind, whatever... what they all seem to be doing is giving the water less time on the beans, "washing" them if you will of the oils and aromatics. There appears to be a primary split here of a finer grind method and looser grind method, but the focus appears to be the same: less time of water on beans. Tighter grind folks seem to be going for motor oil (not saying that's a bad thing), and looser grind folks seem to be going for a lighter, aromatic pull (what I happened upon). At a finer grind, time to saturation is lower (presuming the pump can get the water through the beans), so less time of water on bean should get you to the same compounds in the bean quicker. It'll definitely be a different drink, more intense. Harder on your pump though, if that matters. I may try to pull one of these this morning (the apparent coffeegeek definition of tighter grind, same tamp) and see what happens but since my shots on this blend are coming in at 1.5-1.75 ounces anyway, by their definition I already AM pulling a ristretto.
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Apr 7, 2013 16:40
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Apr 7, 2013 18:01
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Right. I agree with that grid more than some of the articles and threads I've followed over the years. That one at least gives you a hint that accounting for the consumable's behavior and your taste (what works for this bean?) is acceptable, and a ranging a bit on the variables isn't some offense against the gods. Where'd you find that?
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Apr 7, 2013 19:21
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It's from Brewing ratios for espresso beverage on home-barista. Weight ratios are the standard way to communicate this of thing nowadays.
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Apr 7, 2013 20:13
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Eugh, coffee is hard. And expensive! I'm burning through way too many beans experimenting how different grind settings, pressure settings, tamp levels and dosage amounts effect the coffee. The takeaway seems to be that more grinds == thicker, richer coffee, and once I try to tighten the grind and dose less I get a much weaker, thinner drink, even if the extraction time stays fairly constant. Which is why I'm bringing pressure into it -- I suspect, given that a ristretto requires more pressure on the puck, that I'd set my OPV too low and was choking too many drinks that otherwise would have been okay. The problem is that in the absence of an actual pressure valve, I'm relying on the flow test (measuring how much water is backflushed in 30sec) -- which is fairly unreliable, by all reports. My VST baskets have just been delivered to my work, so I'll see how I go with those when I pick them up later today. They have a reputation for being fairly unforgiving w/r/t dosage and tamping, so hopefully they're a better and more consistent platform to learn on.
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Apr 9, 2013 02:15
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Do let us know how you do with them (or they do with you ). I've looked into them a couple times and am debating picking up an 18, a 22 and a bottomless portafilter here in few weeks maybe with some birthday money.
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Apr 9, 2013 03:39
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Well, they make very nice-looking pucks. Beyond that I can't say much just yet. I'm thinking I should have got the 18 and 20 rather than the 15 and 18; I was initially concerned the 20g wouldn't fit in my portafilter, but I imagine it would, since the 18g is a fair bit shallower than my double basket. The dosage doesn't seem as exacting as I was expecting, either; I've pulled drinkable shots with +2g dosing in either basket. Though I'm now reading the VST baskets demand a finer grind to compensate for the added holes, which may be something to look into. I also ordered a Pullman tamper with my baskets, and oh wow, there's something to be impressed by. I was using a 58mm tamper before this, but the Pullman is just slightly wider and fits the baskets precisely. It also feels much better in the hand but that may be a personal thing. (I shelled out the extra for the Barista tamper-- I couldn't care less about how much more theory went into it, it just looks more comfortable to use.)
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Apr 9, 2013 07:59
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Cyborganizer posted:The Capresso infinity's go on sale quite often on Amazon. I got mine for $60 or so not too long ago. If you have a Bed, Bath & Beyond nearby, you can use a 20% off coupon on one. I think they retail for $90-something, so 20% off will get you 70-something. It's a decent grinder. It works fine with my Aeropress. After obsessing, I just went with a new Baratza Encore (arriving today). I really also want an OE Lido, but I guess the smart thing is to take it one new gadget at a time
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Apr 9, 2013 16:54
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Doh004 posted:Oh man, warm weather. You know what that means? I was just about to ask about this. I remember asking about Cold Brew recipe ratios last year.(I'll probably have to track down those posts) So does the thread have any other good iced coffee recipes?
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Apr 10, 2013 02:53
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Jik Waffleson posted:After obsessing, I just went with a new Baratza Encore (arriving today). I really also want an OE Lido, but I guess the smart thing is to take it one new gadget at a time The Lido is a significantly better grinder than the Encore in terms of grind quality, if you don't mind the hand grinding and quirks of operation. I would have no problem using a Lido for all my non-espresso brewing.
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Apr 10, 2013 02:59
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Bob_McBob posted:The Lido is a significantly better grinder than the Encore in terms of grind quality, if you don't mind the hand grinding and quirks of operation. I would have no problem using a Lido for all my non-espresso brewing. That was my takeaway from a deep dive through the home-barista and coffeegeek forums, but I had concerns about how long it would take to hand grind and how much force was required. The real deciding factor was that OE seems to be out of stock of the Lidos, and I couldn't stand to butcher the freshly roasted Nicaragua Margogype I just picked up with a blade grinder anymore. I'll probably pick up the Lido for travel in a month or so, and it will be fun to compare it to the Encore.
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Apr 10, 2013 03:56
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I personally found that hand-grinding was a chore (this was with a hario though) for anything more than a small pourover cup... Maybe I'm lazy, and maybe it had to do with the ergonomics of the Hario. For travel, though, it'll be great. A question for you espresso people: what would you say is the basic entry level grinder/machine to be able to pull decent shots?
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Apr 10, 2013 04:18
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I really really like my Breville Smart Grinder. It's got a large range from super coarse for press up to a half-decent espresso grind. It's brilliant for French press/plunger - I load up my 1.5l Bodum with one press of one button. Smart magnet accessories, the computer dosing is awesome IME. I'd get it ahead of the Rocky - both are good beginner grinders but the Breville gives you a lot for the money. Similar lack of super fine adjustment too I understand, Seattle Coffee Gear probably has a review that's worth watching. I've only been making espresso with mine for a couple of weeks - still a huge learning curve ahead of me. With my super budget Brasilia machine and fresh beans I am now at a point where I can bang out shot after shot of half-decent double espresso - probably took about a kilo of beans all told. What I've done is just leave the dose and dialled in the grind - shooting for a 28 second extraction of a 60ml double. I'm not sure how sperg I'll get about things, not owning a scale suitable for weighing espresso is a relief I think! Highly recommend home roasting too - just feels less wasteful to throw shots into the sink when you buy beans by the kilo. My first bag was a 2kilo Ethiopian yirgacheffe, and 3 days after roasting this is the bean I'm finally getting decent coffee out of. French Press is a hell of a lot easier...
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Apr 10, 2013 11:39
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Seriously considering another Clever for the office. My plan is to grind the beans at home first thing in the morning then convey them to the office with me using something like Gladware or a tin of some kind. Does anybody else do this sort of thing?
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Apr 10, 2013 14:45
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BlueInkAlchemist posted:Seriously considering another Clever for the office. My plan is to grind the beans at home first thing in the morning then convey them to the office with me using something like Gladware or a tin of some kind. Does anybody else do this sort of thing? *coffee sperg post about how you're ruining your beans by griding them that early and if you don't use them nearly instantly after grinding them you're losing all of the flavor oh god how could you be such a plebian* But really, it'll still test better than the (probably) poo poo coffee your office has. If you really wanna take it to the next level, buy a second grinder for the office. I'm actually thinking of bringing in my old burr grinder for that exact reason. PhazonLink posted:I was just about to ask about this. I remember asking about Cold Brew recipe ratios last year.(I'll probably have to track down those posts) I remember getting frustrated with my results, so I will be doing more experimentation. I also have a scale this time around, so I can be a bit more precise in my ratios. If I remember correct (this is without me googling), I think it was something like 1/3 grinds to 2/3 water? Should give a good concentrated amount of coffee to dilute with delicious iced coffee. I could be wrong though.
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Apr 10, 2013 15:12
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Doh004 posted:*coffee sperg post about how you're ruining your beans by griding them that early and if you don't use them nearly instantly after grinding them you're losing all of the flavor oh god how could you be such a plebian*  quote:But really, it'll still test better than the (probably) poo poo coffee your office has. If you really wanna take it to the next level, buy a second grinder for the office. I'm actually thinking of bringing in my old burr grinder for that exact reason. We have Tassimo machines at the office, so... yeah. I'm going to get a burr grinder in the next month or so... looking at the Breville Smart Grinder for the kitchen at home. Is a smaller one a better office solution? Or should I just double-down?
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Apr 10, 2013 15:17
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Doh004 posted:*coffee sperg post about how you're ruining your beans by griding them that early and if you don't use them nearly instantly after grinding them you're losing all of the flavor oh god how could you be such a plebian* I know you're being facetious, but yeah.... My wife's office has a Keurig, so we got her these reusable k-cups a while back, and she grinds about a weeks worth of Coffee. She just has no interest in a hand-grinder, and this is such a step up from k-cups, that it's still generally worth it. Of course, she loves the pourover or Clever that I make when she's home on the weekends.
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Apr 10, 2013 15:36
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Doh004 posted:*coffee sperg post about how you're ruining your beans by griding them that early and if you don't use them nearly instantly after grinding them you're losing all of the flavor oh god how could you be such a plebian* I'm taking one of my capresso infinity grinders in to work for my press soonly. I pretty much can't drink the coffee service we have anymore.
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Apr 10, 2013 15:42
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BlueInkAlchemist posted:
Up to you. I mean, if having the perfect cup of coffee every time is super important to you then go hog wild. While I have noticed a difference between my Baratza and my old burr, I'm more than fine just using it as it is infinitely better than what I currently have here. foxxtrot posted:I know you're being facetious, but yeah.... Spelling/grammar issues aside, it was an odd post because I was being sarcastic but there was plenty of truth in it. I blame this thread. Alleric posted:I'm taking one of my capresso infinity grinders in to work for my press soonly. I pretty much can't drink the coffee service we have anymore. I might actually hold off on doing this for the spring/summer, because I found this good coffee place that has good Stumptown iced coffee. With this warmer weather I love me that iced coffee.
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Apr 10, 2013 15:49
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