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grahm posted:Trying out a prototype of a cool hand grinder right now, for anyone interested in that sort of thing: the Comandante C40. It can hold and grind 40g of coffee officially (up to 45g in my tests), has titanium burrs (with steel and ceramic options), is made in Germany, and oozes quality. It has a little notch system for adjusting grind size, which makes dialing it in easier (than the alternative of turning an unmarked dial with no frame of reference). We'll be selling them at https://www.ablebrewing.com once they're available, along with the smaller C20 grinder. Pretty cool stuff! That looks like an awesome repacement for my ancient office Zassenhaus. How much? Also, are those reusable non-paper aeropress filters? $12.50. Hell yes.
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Apr 17, 2013 03:58
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Thanks for all the help and info on the Breville Double Boiler vs E61 machines. I ended up going for a warehouse deal on Amazon for the breville, nearly a third of the price of the E61 single boiler ones. I still want something with lots of chrome and brass and levers, but this should step up my coffee game considerably. Comes in thursday, will throw up some impressions.
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Apr 17, 2013 05:17
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porktree posted:That looks like an awesome repacement for my ancient office Zassenhaus. How much? Also, are those reusable non-paper aeropress filters? $12.50. Hell yes. I have one of those disk filters for my aeropress. Works great. Just have to make sure to clean it each use.
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Apr 17, 2013 07:05
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grahm posted:Trying out a prototype of a cool hand grinder right now, for anyone interested in that sort of thing: the Comandante C40. It can hold and grind 40g of coffee officially (up to 45g in my tests), has titanium burrs (with steel and ceramic options), is made in Germany, and oozes quality. It has a little notch system for adjusting grind size, which makes dialing it in easier (than the alternative of turning an unmarked dial with no frame of reference). We'll be selling them at https://www.ablebrewing.com once they're available, along with the smaller C20 grinder. Pretty cool stuff! Any chance you could post some photos of the internals? There is some interest over on home-barista, but the manufacturer's Facebook page is rather lacking in useful information. I would like to know what they look like inside and what sort of price range they are targeting.
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Apr 17, 2013 09:01
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Hey guys, novice coffee roaster here. I've been roasting in a skillet while I try to decide if I want to make this a regular hobby. I understand that doing it this way results in an uneven roast, but are there any tricks to making it less uneven? Here's my results from this morning: Some of those are on the verge of charcoal, man.
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Apr 17, 2013 15:01
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get a Whirley Pop and some more green beans from Sweet Marias. I'd actually avoid the 8 inch thermometer they suggest and find a 6 inch one...the 8 inch sticks out too far and gets in the way.
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Apr 17, 2013 15:07
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D-Rider posted:Hey guys, novice coffee roaster here. I've been roasting in a skillet while I try to decide if I want to make this a regular hobby. I understand that doing it this way results in an uneven roast, but are there any tricks to making it less uneven? Here's my results from this morning: Either switch to peaberry beans for the roundness, or hit up a thrift store for a sweet Poppery II and air roast.
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Apr 17, 2013 15:16
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porktree posted:Either switch to peaberry beans for the roundness, or hit up a thrift store for a sweet Poppery II and air roast. This is the correct thing to do. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise! I'm looking at you, Heat Gun roasters. 
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Apr 17, 2013 15:22
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Doh004 posted:This is the correct thing to do. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise! Should I mention the part where I did 2lbs in about 35 mins last night? No? Ok, won't do that then.  D-Rider posted:Hey guys, novice coffee roaster here. I've been roasting in a skillet while I try to decide if I want to make this a regular hobby. I understand that doing it this way results in an uneven roast, but are there any tricks to making it less uneven? Here's my results from this morning: There are people who totally do direct heat roasting and manage to get it to work, but I have to think that simply working around the unevenness issue is way more effort than it's really worth. Basically the only thing you can do is slow down the heat transfer and spread it around (aka turn down the burner and stir like hell). Fluid bed is so very easy, and the even heat transfer is built into the process for the most part. Agitation is still necessary (which can happen naturally in a popper, requires some stirring with a gun), but way... way easier. I realize you're trying to keep investment low while you test drive the hobby, but I don't think we've quite gotten across how trained-rat simple roasting with an air popper is. It's silly how simple. So simple that after you do it once or twice it may be the thing that KEEPS you in the hobby.
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Apr 17, 2013 15:37
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Well, if air popping is really that easy, I might as well give it a go. Will any old $20 popper do, or do I need to be looking for something specific?
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Apr 17, 2013 16:12
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D-Rider posted:Well, if air popping is really that easy, I might as well give it a go. Will any old $20 popper do, or do I need to be looking for something specific? http://www.ebay.com/itm/WEST-BEND-CORN-POPPERY-l-l-HOT-AIR-POPPER-1200-WATTS-ELECTRIC-USED-/281088602251 Seriously, just buy that one. Technically, The Poppery 1 (not 2) is better for it (hence it costing more). But the II will work.
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Apr 17, 2013 16:33
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Bob_McBob posted:Any chance you could post some photos of the internals? There is some interest over on home-barista, but the manufacturer's Facebook page is rather lacking in useful information. I would like to know what they look like inside and what sort of price range they are targeting. I would also be interested in this but it seems like they are managing the poo poo out of their brand so probably he had to sign an NDA. It looks really cool but I am fully expecting it to cost more than the majority of the electric grinders recommended in this thread.
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Apr 17, 2013 18:44
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Bonavita's knockoff of the Clever kind of looks ugly. I was hoping a non-plastic one would have a nicer design. I hope Clever will just make a ceramic one already.
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Apr 17, 2013 18:45
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For those of you roasting with a Popper, how bad is the smoke? I live in an apartment/dorm (depending on time of the year) and so while I would love to roast my own coffee, the smoke is probably a problem. Back home, I have a kitchen hood, but no real place outside to roast.
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Apr 17, 2013 18:59
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Mu Zeta posted:Bonavita's knockoff of the Clever kind of looks ugly. I was hoping a non-plastic one would have a nicer design. I hope Clever will just make a ceramic one already. Ceramic is actually not as good as plastic according to Tom's tests with pourover.
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Apr 17, 2013 19:08
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Ceramic feels nicer in my hand and i like that they are heavy 
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Apr 17, 2013 19:18
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Archer2338 posted:For those of you roasting with a Popper, how bad is the smoke? I live in an apartment/dorm (depending on time of the year) and so while I would love to roast my own coffee, the smoke is probably a problem. Back home, I have a kitchen hood, but no real place outside to roast. I may have posted this in the last thread, but it's less "smoke" and more "smell". Not visible grey clouds, just a haze in the air and a vague scent of burning. It'll set off your smoke alarms, probably, but I just open my kitchen window and it's fine after a few minutes.
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Apr 17, 2013 19:24
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I'd definitely suggest starting out with a popcorn Popper. It taught me what each roast level sounds/smells/tastes like, while being basically fool proof. It made the transition to heat gun easy, because I already knew what my roast should be doing. Once you get the heat gun down there's no going back, roasting a half pound or more at a time is so worth it.
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Apr 17, 2013 19:31
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Doh004 posted:http://www.ebay.com/itm/WEST-BEND-CORN-POPPERY-l-l-HOT-AIR-POPPER-1200-WATTS-ELECTRIC-USED-/281088602251 Target sells one with the vents on the side. It's $20 bucks and brand new. No need to mess with ebay bidding and shipping. I just got my first batch of green coffee beans (the sampler pack and an excellent rec from this thread) from sweet maria's and a Target air popcorn popper. The 4lbs of beans were 29 shipped and the popper was $20 so I was home roasting for under $50 bucks. I will post pics of my efforts later.
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Apr 17, 2013 19:35
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ThirstyBuck posted:Target sells one with the vents on the side. It's $20 bucks and brand new. No need to mess with ebay bidding and shipping. I haven't used that particular one, but it seems that runs on 1000w instead of the Poppery II which runs off of 1200 (The 1 is... 1500?). There's a reason why home coffee roasters prefer the Poppery's over newer models.
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Apr 17, 2013 19:49
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My Capresso Infinity has put in a solid 5 years of servitude and it's still running like day one, but I'm starting to want something that can be more consistent at an espresso level grind, so I'm looking to upgrade and give my Capresso and a french press along with some home roasted coffee to my brother who is moving away from home for med school as sort of a going away present. My birthday is coming up and my mom is looking for a gift idea and I was considering using this as a chance to upgrade. I'm looking at a Virtuoso, but wanted to see if there are any other lesser known options that I might want to explore at that $200ish price range. From my knowledge it seems like there are a few grinders in the $80-130 range and then a bunch in the $300+ range but not much between. The only other grinder I'm finding with a quick search is the Breville smart grinder. Are there any other options I'm missing out on at that price point? The unit would be used mostly for Espresso, french press and vac pot.
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Apr 17, 2013 21:06
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Is this thermometer what I want? It's Amazon's #1 thermometer and says it goes up to +230 C and as a bonus I can use it for meat as well.
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Apr 18, 2013 06:37
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rockcity posted:My Capresso Infinity has put in a solid 5 years of servitude and it's still running like day one, but I'm starting to want something that can be more consistent at an espresso level grind, so I'm looking to upgrade and give my Capresso and a french press along with some home roasted coffee to my brother who is moving away from home for med school as sort of a going away present. My birthday is coming up and my mom is looking for a gift idea and I was considering using this as a chance to upgrade. I'm looking at a Virtuoso, but wanted to see if there are any other lesser known options that I might want to explore at that $200ish price range. From my knowledge it seems like there are a few grinders in the $80-130 range and then a bunch in the $300+ range but not much between. The only other grinder I'm finding with a quick search is the Breville smart grinder. Are there any other options I'm missing out on at that price point? The unit would be used mostly for Espresso, french press and vac pot. I still have my two Infinities running like champs, one grinding for the wife's brew and one I snuck off to work. I moved to a Baratza Encore via gift a while back and find it absolutely fantastic, especially when I adjusted the collar inside to park the machine in the tightest grind settings (an easy with youtube vids to show you the way). No need to hit the 200 price point either to pick one up. New they're 130ish, and if you can find one refurbed on Baratza's site, you're good to go.
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Apr 18, 2013 12:11
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Alleric posted:I still have my two Infinities running like champs, one grinding for the wife's brew and one I snuck off to work. I moved to a Baratza Encore via gift a while back and find it absolutely fantastic, especially when I adjusted the collar inside to park the machine in the tightest grind settings (an easy with youtube vids to show you the way). No need to hit the 200 price point either to pick one up. New they're 130ish, and if you can find one refurbed on Baratza's site, you're good to go. I do like the Encore from what I've seen of it. A friend of mine brought one on a guys weekend sort of deal and I did like it more than my Infinity, but I'm not sure that it's enough of a step up for me. The Virtuoso has more grind settings and more importantly, the newer version of it has the burrs from the Preciso which from what I've read, really helps with espresso. I did some more research on the Breville last night as well and I actually may be looking more into that one now. Seattle Coffee Gear had some really good reviews on both of them and they both did really well in their consistency across the grind range.
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Apr 18, 2013 13:36
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rockcity posted:I do like the Encore from what I've seen of it. A friend of mine brought one on a guys weekend sort of deal and I did like it more than my Infinity, but I'm not sure that it's enough of a step up for me. The Virtuoso has more grind settings and more importantly, the newer version of it has the burrs from the Preciso which from what I've read, really helps with espresso. I did some more research on the Breville last night as well and I actually may be looking more into that one now. Seattle Coffee Gear had some really good reviews on both of them and they both did really well in their consistency across the grind range. Yep, and I own a couple of other recent Breville "smart" appliances that I've been quite happy with. I've seen the reviews and vids on that smart grinder and if the grind is indeed good, the features are just drat nice.
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Apr 18, 2013 15:30
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Alleric posted:Yep, and I own a couple of other recent Breville "smart" appliances that I've been quite happy with. I've seen the reviews and vids on that smart grinder and if the grind is indeed good, the features are just drat nice. Yeah, it certainly does look appealing and I own a few other Breville things that I love too. The one thing I really wish they tested was how consistent the grind dosing is in terms of mass. It would be nice to not have to use a scale if I don't have to. Well, I'd still use a scale for my french press for the water.
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Apr 18, 2013 15:50
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Well, well, what do we have here: I buy it from Warehouse Deals on Amazon in 'Very Good' Condition, notes said it had a damaged box. Opened it up and everything was wrapped still, and all filters/etc were brand new. Only thing out of place was a few scratches on the front face towards the bottom, and a sticker with a barcode on one side. Appears that this may be a refurbished by Breville one. Only downside, have to get aftermarket warranty. Got it all setup, ran a few shots through it, so far so good. The tamp isn't as nice as my rattleware one (that was 53mm, this is 58mm  ). The automatic buttons where it does pre-infusion + single/double, appear to go based on volume, so that took me a few times to realize that and calibrate it correctly. The first few shots also showed about 3 bars of pressure, and I thought the pump was bad. Turns out the grind I had to use for the Saeco Aroma wasn't cutting it here, so I had to go finer. Saeco would have choked on it this fine. Might get some action shots of it tomorrow.Edit: Also it's huge, like easily 2-3x bigger than the Saeco (which is a tiny machine). My poor wife has lost more of what little counter space we had. Guess we need to move
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Apr 19, 2013 05:39
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that Vai sound posted:I can't get over how good the Kilenso Sidama from Coava is. One of my all time tops. It's like drinking a strawberry shake. After multiple calls/emails to LA-area coffee shops I've finally got one that's stocking it (Cognoscenti). Trip report soon! e: how are you brewing this?
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Apr 19, 2013 20:21
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Boris Galerkin posted:Is this thermometer what I want? It's Amazon's #1 thermometer and says it goes up to +230 C and as a bonus I can use it for meat as well. I have that and it's probably the most accurate cheap instaread this side of a $100 thermapen.
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Apr 20, 2013 01:27
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MrEnigma posted:Well, well, what do we have here: I really do quite like the look of that machine. I hope it serves you well. Breville's current design just jives with me for some reason.
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Apr 20, 2013 03:48
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Hello! Is it usual for single-origin beans to be a weird mix of sizes? I've got a Yirgacheffe Gelena Abaya here that's a mix of tiny little peaberry-type things and then these huge jumbo-sized monsters. Also got a Columbian from the same place that won't dial in properly no matter what I do, so I'm just super-confused all round.
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Apr 20, 2013 07:26
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Somewhere in this thread some one posted a video of a person doing a pour over that if I recall was very long. The entire thing was just a view from from up top. I have gone through 20 pages and used search and still can't find it. Anyone know what I am referring to?
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Apr 20, 2013 18:15
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Associate Christ
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It might be this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mupueSMHBJQ
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Apr 20, 2013 18:49
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Mu Zeta posted:It might be this? Haha, thanks. That is a good one, but not quite it. I just remember the person endlessly pouring in circles. Ah well.
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Apr 20, 2013 20:08
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Mu Zeta posted:It might be this?
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Apr 21, 2013 04:01
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You shouldn't do that. In the video you can see when he does that some of the water just shoots straight down. But he only did it for a second to reintegrate the grounds on the sides that moved up too much. Better to try to keep the bed of grounds low in the first place IMO.
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Apr 21, 2013 04:06
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Kaluza-Klein posted:Haha, thanks. That is a good one, but not quite it. I just remember the person endlessly pouring in circles. Ah well. I think I posted this in the thread a while back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_uTdSz_G-0
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Apr 21, 2013 06:33
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I feel like he would have mentioned the peaceful ambiance of a chainsaw endlessly revving in the background if he meant that one.
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Apr 22, 2013 01:47
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Bob_McBob posted:I think I posted this in the thread a while back. That is exactly it, thank you! ^^ and I've watched it muted both times now, so I guess I missed any strange sounds it makes :p
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Apr 22, 2013 02:33
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I am so pissed off at my Hario Mini Mill. I bought it because it was recommended in the OP, then immediately after I purchased it I read all the problems people were having with them in the thread. When I look at the bottom, I can see how crookedly the grindy parts come together. I've experimented with adding different washers and springs and poo poo, but I still get both powder and huge chunks of bean in every grind. I should have just stuck with my freaking $10 wal-mart blade grinder. So. What is a manual grinder that actually works? less angry edit: Mu Zeta's video: "This video is about coffee brewing theory and techniques, not visual appeal or entertainment factor." BULLSHIT! 
micnato fucked around with this message at 14:22 on Apr 22, 2013 |
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Apr 22, 2013 14:12
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