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Here's my little guide I wrote up a while back, still using it and I don't plan on changing anything.Google Butt posted: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!
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May 24, 2013 01:30
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| # ? May 15, 2024 05:27 |
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Bought a Smart Grinder yesterday, they are the most reasonable decent option in Aus. Holy poo poo. It has amazed me. The unit itself seems great, consistent and sturdy. The quality of my home made coffee has quadrupled overnight, I've been trying my plunger and peculator over and over and am yet to have a bad cup. I use to be dubious that a grinder can make any difference, convinced now. Silvia next!
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May 24, 2013 07:47
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Just baught a Tassimo single cup brewing system and loving it!
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May 25, 2013 01:14
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My 4lb bag of samplers came from Sweet Maria's and I just bought an air popper. I'm going down the rabbit hole...
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May 25, 2013 01:16
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ZiggyXX posted:Just baught a Tassimo single cup brewing system and loving it! Ruh roh.
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May 25, 2013 01:17
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Mu Zeta posted:My 4lb bag of samplers came from Sweet Maria's and I just bought an air popper. I'm going down the rabbit hole... gently caress. I bought the wrong kind of airpopper and now all the beans are flying all over the place.
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May 25, 2013 02:51
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Mu Zeta posted:gently caress. I bought the wrong kind of airpopper and now all the beans are flying all over the place. Quick - use a soup/pop/beer can and make a chimney!!!
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May 25, 2013 02:53
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Too much work. I'm taking it back tomorrow and getting the side vent kind. I guess I'll try out the whirly pop method today but it looks more complicated.
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May 25, 2013 02:54
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Mu Zeta posted:My 4lb bag of samplers came from Sweet Maria's and I just bought an air popper. I'm going down the rabbit hole... Anyone considering roasting their own coffee, but deterred by the apparent lunacy of it: just get it over with. I was hesitant to go down the rabbit hole for a while, but a few months in, I'm so happy I did. There's nothing I miss less than the bi-weekly aggravation caused by ordering coffee online. The price of the beans, the exorbitant shipping costs, the wait. gently caress that noise. Don't even get me started on running out of beans or maintaining a freezer stash for rainy days. A fresh batch of beans is only 20 minutes (plus overnight rest) away!
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May 25, 2013 03:07
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Heat gun and dog bowl, that's all.
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May 25, 2013 03:14
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Seriously go the heatgun/dogbowl route. It's cheap and easy and your testosterone levels will skyrocket.
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May 25, 2013 05:06
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geetee posted:Anyone considering roasting their own coffee, but deterred by the apparent lunacy of it: just get it over with. I was hesitant to go down the rabbit hole for a while, but a few months in, I'm so happy I did. There's nothing I miss less than the bi-weekly aggravation caused by ordering coffee online. The price of the beans, the exorbitant shipping costs, the wait. gently caress that noise. Don't even get me started on running out of beans or maintaining a freezer stash for rainy days. A fresh batch of beans is only 20 minutes (plus overnight rest) away! I actually live in a city with an overabundance of amazing roasters so I don't really have a huge incentive to start doing it at home. Honestly it's just as a fun hobby. I've been reading a few books on it and it sounds fun and maybe a little messy if you do it indoors.
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May 25, 2013 05:40
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le capitan posted:Seriously go the heatgun/dogbowl route. It's cheap and easy and your testosterone levels will skyrocket. Coffee Roasting or Why I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Gun. I have a new Guatemalan I'm going to roast up today. The last of our spoils from Seattle are about to vanish and I need to get a couple pounds fresh going. I think it's been almost a month since I roasted for mixed reasons; I'm getting edgy. ToG posted:Keep an eye out for the warehouse deals for a bargain. Also a non pressured basket and a decent tamper are must haves that don't come with the unit. The plastic tamper it comes with is useless. You sure? If it's a current model you may want to check the manual up on Gaggia's site. Even my piddly Gaggia Pure came with a non-pressurized double (and a pressurized double and single). The tamper though... yeah, get a nice metal tamper.
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May 25, 2013 15:02
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Alleric posted:You sure? If it's a current model you may want to check the manual up on Gaggia's site. Even my piddly Gaggia Pure came with a non-pressurized double (and a pressurized double and single). The tamper though... yeah, get a nice metal tamper. Yeah. Mine came with a pressurised double and single that also takes those ese pods. According to that manual that's what comes with it.
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May 25, 2013 15:42
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I'm a somewhat seasoned coffee geek, and I recently got my brother (geek-in-training) an Espro as a graduation present. Problem is, we can't really seem to... be happy with it. It's a nice device, well built, brews coffee, yet we almost always reach for the Aeropress when it's coffee time. Any tips as to get more out of it? I like it a lot more than a french press but a lot less than an Aeropress. I also think it's too small (it's the small version) and it has a stupid tendency to leave half the coffee inaccessible somehow. I want to like it, damnit! 
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May 26, 2013 11:26
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Mu Zeta posted:gently caress. I bought the wrong kind of airpopper and now all the beans are flying all over the place. I got this one. It has the side vents but it is rated for only 1040 watts. It actually has enough power, but the thermostat in the popper doesn't hold the temp constant - mine vacillates between 350 and 450/60. The result is that the roasts take longer and the whole process is more drawn out. I found that I can mitigate this somewhat by putting in some additional beans; this weighs all the beans down enough inside the hopper (read slower rotation) and I get a faster roast. Also, with this popper, I found it beneficial to run it awhile/preheat before putting any beans in it. The upside to the under powered popper is that it is almost impossible to turn the beans into charcoal.  (target's picture) http://www.target.com/p/west-bend-air-crazy-popcorn-popper/-/A-13788691#prodSlot=medium_1_4&term=air+popper
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May 28, 2013 15:10
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The only reason I don't regret starting with an air popper is because it's fun to use . The heat gun and dog bowl method is so easy, cheap and once the novelty of roasting wears off its really nice to be able to roast your weeks coffee in one go.
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May 28, 2013 19:28
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You guys that are roasting with a heat gun: how are you cooling the beans after the roast hits the desired level of roastitude?
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May 30, 2013 02:20
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o muerte posted:You guys that are roasting with a heat gun: how are you cooling the beans after the roast hits the desired level of roastitude? I just transfer the beans from my mesh strainer to a big metal bowl in front of a fan for a few minutes. Spreading them out on a cookie sheet works too, if you don't have a fan. I've seen super high tech rigs using a cardboard box, mesh strainer and shop vac/fan, those seem to work quick.
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May 30, 2013 02:45
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Well I just bought 5 lbs of green beans from sweet Maria's, one lb of the monkey espresso and the four lb green coffee sampler. I also picked up a heat gun off amazon and I have multiple stainless steel bowls, so I'm excited to try this out. I don't have a thermometer suitable for this use and I've never roasted coffee before so I will be playing it by ear for my first few roasts. I think I'd rather err on the lighter side rather than the dark side!
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May 30, 2013 15:52
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I just bought a Gaggia Classic off a GOON for $175 :o . The mypressi twist I have is falling apart and it seems as if the company responsible may no longer be operational. I hope working the Gaggia won't be too confusing for me, ha.
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May 30, 2013 16:19
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Associate Christ
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o muerte posted:You guys that are roasting with a heat gun: how are you cooling the beans after the roast hits the desired level of roastitude? I keep a small 10 inch fan running alongside the table that I roast on. The table itself is surfaced with porcelain tiles, so the heat isn't much of an issue. Anyway, aim the fan straight up and place the mesh strainer on top of it. Once I hit target temp, dump into strainer, walk inside house to get next batch of beans and one of my one-way valve tins. By the time I walk back outside, beans are cool. Place in tin, seal, move on.
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May 31, 2013 06:44
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Ugh. Going to have to contact Barataria for warranty work on my Virtuoso. Even cleaning it every day it can only handle a half dozen beans at a time without jamming. It's as if it has no power, but I didn't feed it anything other than coffee so the gearbox must be made of cheese if that is enough to strip it. According to Google there is a good gearbox and a bad gearbox. Maybe they shipped it with an old one and a replacement will solve my issue. Here's hoping.
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Jun 2, 2013 13:10
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dusty posted:Secondhand. Be careful with this, espresso machines need servicing and some people don't mention they haven't done this. Source: $300 pavoni lever machine followed by $300 in parts and hours of my time 
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Jun 2, 2013 20:08
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whsa posted:Be careful with this, espresso machines need servicing and some people don't mention they haven't done this. Source: $300 pavoni lever machine followed by $300 in parts and hours of my time
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Jun 2, 2013 21:30
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I'm going to guess that a medical thermometer meant for checking to see if I have a fever can't really be used for measuring how hot my water is, right? If so, what's a good recommended thermometer and where would I buy it locally?
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Jun 2, 2013 21:39
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Casull posted:I'm going to guess that a medical thermometer meant for checking to see if I have a fever can't really be used for measuring how hot my water is, right? If so, what's a good recommended thermometer and where would I buy it locally? I doubt a medical thermometer would go high enough. If you want a really nice thermometer go with a Thermapen. Otherwise I imagine any cooking thermometer from a cooking store would be fine.
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Jun 2, 2013 23:47
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Seconding, thirding, fourthing the Thermapen. $90 well spent. For cheaper, ThermoWorks has a cheaper version at $19: RT600C Super-fast Water-resistant Digital Pocket Thermometer. I wouldn't buy anything not from ThermoWorks.
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Jun 3, 2013 00:39
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They just introduced backlit Thermopens this week too! For all those times I've never found myself unable to read mine.
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Jun 3, 2013 03:33
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I don't see why I'd ever really need a thermapen, at least not for coffee. I just used my $5 thermometer a few times to see how my electric kettle works and it just makes it 202 degrees every time. I don't ever need to check the temp again.
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Jun 3, 2013 03:36
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Mu Zeta posted:I don't see why I'd ever really need a thermapen, at least not for coffee. I just used my $5 thermometer a few times to see how my electric kettle works and it just makes it 202 degrees every time. I don't ever need to check the temp again. It's really fantastic when you're cooking meats because you can find the center in (near) real-time. Especially helpful when you're hovering over a hot grill.
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Jun 3, 2013 04:19
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God drat, it's good to get a coffee system running well. Finally turning out decent blends of my roasts - and hitting the sweet spot with grinder and machine. I'm trying out shorter drinks and longer extraction: ~35ml shots in ~35 seconds, and a slightly darker roast to profile than previously. Result: sweet dark caramel shots, which my latte preferring partner can handle straight up. I have a newer version Breville smart grinder and had to add the big 1mm shim to get a fine enough grind. I'm now about 8-10 steps from the tightest setting, unmodifed I'd never get a slow enough extraction. Edit/ newbie tip - my steam wand is significantly underpowered and therefore is terrible to use. One way to remedy this is reduce the number of steam holes. I used a toothpick - wedged into place and cut short, to go from 3 weak steam holes to 1 powerful one. I'm not sure I'd bother replacing the steam wand or anything on my junk machine, but this DIY bodge has made the world of difference, and the wooden plugs are easy to remove clean and replace. Edit2/ and agree second hand espresso machines can be a bit of a handful. Just take a look at that great Gaggia Espresso strip down a couple of pages back. I'd love to have the skills to pull that off, but lack the delicate touch, mental acuity and a decent enough toolbox to ensure any machine I touch will function after I reassemble them. Envious of you peeps with vintage lever - I think that's where I'd like to end up. Those machines are so simple - those few hundred in parts will get you a lifetime of espresso. dusty fucked around with this message at 05:25 on Jun 3, 2013 |
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Jun 3, 2013 04:59
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I roasted for the first time today using an air popper and some Burundi beans from Sweet Maria's. This poo poo rules. I couldn't wait so I immediately brewed some coffee right after roasting and it still tastes great.
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Jun 3, 2013 06:31
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dusty posted:
I just got one as well and I definitely got a pre-shimmed version. I had to back off to about the setting you're at to pull a decent shot. I started off maybe 3 from the finest grind and it took about a minute to pull a double shot. The only downside is that I used the coarsest grind yesterday for french press and it's although the coffee it made tasted fine, I got way more sludge in my cup because it was just a bit finer than I normally use. Wasn't a huge deal as I didn't drink the last sip and never do anyway, but I noticed it was way more sludgy when I went to pour it out.
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Jun 3, 2013 13:54
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I love the Breville for French press - I have a huge Bodum press and run 8 doses of beans for it with one button press. Since I've added a shim I haven't brewed anything except espresso - but I found my Bodum to have IME a really decent filter and normally ran relatively fine on the grinder. Indicator near percolator or filter settings, which shows how crazy coarse my machine was set at. Having to shim the Breville is a bit of a pain, but since I've done so performance is exactly what I want. The electronic dosage is giving me ~18g for a double shot, prior to shim dosage was always way too high. I like my French press coffee strong, thick and tending towards over extracted. A touch of the sludge is part of the experience for me, though my Bodum (which is a couple of years old now) always gives a nice clean extraction even with quite finely ground coffee. I always chuckle when I hear people complaining about presses over-extracting when left steeping - welcome to flavour country.
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Jun 5, 2013 11:02
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Does anyone have any preferred methods for the clever coffeee dripper? I bought one yesterday and no idea what to do! Instructions from googling seem to vary a lot as well
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Jun 5, 2013 11:08
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dusty posted:I love the Breville for French press - I have a huge Bodum press and run 8 doses of beans for it with one button press. Since I've added a shim I haven't brewed anything except espresso - but I found my Bodum to have IME a really decent filter and normally ran relatively fine on the grinder. Indicator near percolator or filter settings, which shows how crazy coarse my machine was set at. The second time I did a grind for french press it was better, I think there was some residual fine ground coffee in the chute that probably went along with the coarser stuff. I'll probably run it for a second before grinding for french press if my last grind was for espresso from now on. I have a bodum press too and it does a pretty good job of filtering, but it won't catch the really fine chalky stuff. I just don't take the last sip. And it will definitely over extract if you leave it. I rarely brew more than enough coffee for who either myself or myself plus whoever else so it's not usually an issue for me. If there's any left over I'll either put it in a thermos or I'll put it in another cup and cool it down and use it for either iced coffee later or I actually like to toss it in chocolate protein shakes. It's delicious.
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Jun 5, 2013 13:32
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Smiley Face posted:Does anyone have any preferred methods for the clever coffeee dripper? I bought one yesterday and no idea what to do! Instructions from googling seem to vary a lot as well Scroll up to the top of the page...
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Jun 5, 2013 14:53
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Google Butt posted:Scroll up to the top of the page... Haha thanks, I do follow this thread a lot but didn't think it had been mentioned for a while. I'll give it a go tonight,
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Jun 5, 2013 15:01
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Smiley Face posted:Haha thanks, I do follow this thread a lot but didn't think it had been mentioned for a while. I'll give it a go tonight, Clever is a pretty forgiving method. I just put in 26g of this Kenya Kaya I am kinda ambivalent about (and consequently is 2-3 months old) and left it brewing for like 6 minutes because I was talking to a coworker. It tastes fine.
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