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I wouldn't go so far as to say it "breaks" it but it definitely is a pain in the rear end to put it back together, and arguably much more trouble than it's worth.
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Jul 21, 2014 19:48
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dik-dik posted:I wouldn't go so far as to say it "breaks" it but it definitely is a pain in the rear end to put it back together, and arguably much more trouble than it's worth. Well, I had to buy a new one. I assembled it right, but if you don't screw that center screw down perfectly, you lose all ability to adjust the grind. It's just not worth it, remove the top burr and clean it with a brush.
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Jul 21, 2014 19:51
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Google Butt posted:Well, I had to buy a new one. I assembled it right, but if you don't screw that center screw down perfectly, you lose all ability to adjust the grind. It's just not worth it, remove the top burr and clean it with a brush. Yeah, I was also one of the people who had that problem. I didn't realize it until after I'd donated it to my brother. I was trying to be nice and clean it up really well for him first and now it's stuck at one grind.
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Jul 21, 2014 23:09
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porktree posted:How much for the Aeropress and the Chemex? Shipped to KC? I could do $65 shipped (shipping is a little more for me because I want to insure the Chemex because they're fragile). ALSO: I've posted thread in SA-mart with all of this stuff, in order to keep discussion out of this thread. I also added some Able shirts, a Kone Brewing System, and a Comandante hand grinder. Check it out if you're interested! http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3652418
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Jul 22, 2014 04:07
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Any recommended coffee in London? I'll be between UCL and King's Cross.
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Jul 22, 2014 05:20
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Location's irrelevant if you're in central London, it's trivial to get around on the tube and the overground. The Evening Standard did a reasonable list of independents with the occasional so-so choice. I think the best ones are in East London partly because that's where I live and partly because that's where artisan hipster wankers gravitate with their obsessive interest in good coffee. My personal recommendations are: Monmouth Coffee - avoid the Covent Garden branch, Bermondsey is the best and is just down the road from the Spa Terminus market which is awesome. However it's only open on Saturday mornings and has no seating (it's mainly for people buying beans) making Borough Market the best-all round choice due to proximity to the market and for seating. The Counter Cafe - amazing food (try the french toast with berries and almonds) but they also roast their own coffee and do excellent espresso-based drinks. Look Mum No Hands - again mostly a cafe but does fantastic coffee, the Southbank pop-up is the current hotness. Prufrock - these dudes are publicly anal about coffee in a way that's slightly embarrassing to witness. Great coffee though.
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Jul 22, 2014 07:49
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Some good recomendations above, especially Prufrock (although their prices are getting silly.. £6 for a cup of filter coffee? really?). Here are some more high quality central London coffee places, some with branches near where you'll be: Nude Espresso - Been making & roasting seriously good coffee longer than most. Don't get enough credit. Notes - Good coffee with music and wine too. Use to use Square Mile, now roasts their own beans Tapped & Packed - Also good little West End chain. Roasts own beans too. Workshop - Great coffee, roasts in Clerkenwell branch Curators - Not been here yet but hear good things Kaffeine - Small & busy. Great espresso with Square Mile coffee Espresso Room - Small shop & weekdays only
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Jul 22, 2014 12:50
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Welp I bought a Gaggia Classic but I forgot that I need a bunch of accessories now. A frothing pitcher, a real tamper, cleaning solutions/descalers, and probably a new steam wand but I think I'll practice with the default for a while. And I'm just using the cheapest Baratza grinder so I might have to upgrade that too. Who needs money, right?
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Jul 22, 2014 20:27
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Mu Zeta posted:Welp I bought a Gaggia Classic but I forgot that I need a bunch of accessories now. A frothing pitcher, a real tamper, cleaning solutions/descalers, and probably a new steam wand but I think I'll practice with the default for a while. And I'm just using the cheapest Baratza grinder so I might have to upgrade that too. Who needs money, right? I TOLD YOU!
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Jul 22, 2014 20:55
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dhrusis posted:Hey, what do you guys think of the Breville BES840XL? Is it any good for babby's first automatic machine? I read the OP but I didn't see it mentioned, maybe that's a bad sign. Will someone tell me if the Breville BES840xl is worth it over the Gaggia classic, pullllleeze?
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Jul 22, 2014 23:09
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Is the Breville Smart Grinder worth it? What are the top 5 sub-$200 grinders? Or just the Goon favorites?
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Jul 22, 2014 23:47
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I know nothing, so I apologize if this is idiotic. I just want to make a batch of cold brew coffee in my fridge and take some on my morning commute every day. I'm also lazy as hell. I'm seeing a lot of infusion pitchers, with tubes where you can put fruit to get flavored water. Is there any way to wrap your ground coffee in coffee filters (or wrap the tube, I guess), throw the coffee in the tube, and just pull it out when it's done without having to go through the straining process? Would coffee filters dissolve in 24 hours? Has anyone tried anything like this?
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Jul 23, 2014 02:14
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i like nice words
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My boyfriend recently discovered that french press coffee ruins his guts, while drip is generall okay. Probably anything with a finer filter than the mesh in a press, and I was wondering what would be the best route to take. I was looking at a CCD and/or Chemex, is there much difference between them? I have a lovely $40 electric burr grinder, so it's still not great, but not the worst. I'll probably grab both, might get a CCD for work, too. I was going to go an start up an espresso set up, but the taste doesn't really offset the cost right now. Plus I don't have much counter space, its a lot easier to put a french press in a cupboard than everything else.
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Jul 23, 2014 02:37
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Anne Whateley posted:I know nothing, so I apologize if this is idiotic. I just want to make a batch of cold brew coffee in my fridge and take some on my morning commute every day. I'm also lazy as hell. If you're that lazy and don't mind a little sludge in your cup, just use a french press to do your cold brew and call it a day. Filtering it after only takes a few minutes though and it's pretty minimal effort. As for the filter question, I have to imagine they'd break down over time, but I've never tried it so who knows. El Jebus posted:Is the Breville Smart Grinder worth it? What are the top 5 sub-$200 grinders? Or just the Goon favorites? I own one and I'm quite happy with it. I bought it as my all around grinder because it will go fine enough to do espresso, but still do a somewhat coarse grind. Older models had issues with getting fine enough for espresso but a couple years ago they shimmed the burrs to make it grind finer all around. Now it grinds a touch on the fine side for french press, but it's still workable for it. The build quality is nice and I really like that it has portfafilter holders for espresso and the dosing is pretty consistent. There are really only a handful of recommendable grinders in the sub $200 market though. The Capresso Infinity, the Baratza Encore, the Breville Smart Grinder and a refurbished Baratza Virtuoso.
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Jul 23, 2014 02:58
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Jyrraeth posted:My boyfriend recently discovered that french press coffee ruins his guts, while drip is generall okay. Probably anything with a finer filter than the mesh in a press, and I was wondering what would be the best route to take. I was looking at a CCD and/or Chemex, is there much difference between them? They are pretty different, yeah. Chemex is a pour-over method, CCD is an immersion method. Chemex has very thick paper filters, which results in a very clean cup. Chemex will also make multiple cups at once, whereas the CCD is really a one-cup-at-a-time brewer. That having been said, for the price of a Chemex, you could buy two CCDs and now you can make two cups at once. I use my Chemex much more than I use my CCD, but the CCD is a much more forgiving brewer. Grind really matters on the Chemex, whereas with the CCD, you're not relying on grind to control brew time. So, how much do you want to put into this, and what is important to you in your coffee brewing routine? I drink a lot, so I tend to make a lot at once, so having a 10-cup Chemex is pretty important to me. If your budget is $20-30, and you're willing to spend twice as long to make two cups of coffee, it's hard to beat the CCD. Happy to write more/answer other questions once I've slept. Anne Whateley posted:I know nothing, so I apologize if this is idiotic. I just want to make a batch of cold brew coffee in my fridge and take some on my morning commute every day. I'm also lazy as hell. You want nut milk bags, and you drat sure don't need a fancy brewer with tubes and pitchers and all that gobbledygook. Go to Walmart and get some 2-quart Ball mason jars, then follow this cold-brew guide I wrote up a while back. El Jebus posted:Is the Breville Smart Grinder worth it? What are the top 5 sub-$200 grinders? Or just the Goon favorites? If $200 is your budget, I think most will recommend you find another $30 and get a Baratza Virtuoso 586 (with the Preciso burrs). It is a hell of a lot of grinder for $229.
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Jul 23, 2014 04:29
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The CCD is ugly and feels like cheap plastic junk. The Chemex is heavy and will last a lifetime as long as you don't drop it. Get the Chemex.
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Jul 23, 2014 04:58
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becoming posted:If $200 is your budget, I think most will recommend you find another $30 and get a Baratza Virtuoso 586 (with the Preciso burrs). It is a hell of a lot of grinder for $229. I was between the two and ended up settling on the Breville. I read a few comparisons and it sounds like they do a fairly comparable job at most grinds. Seattle Coffee Gear said the Breville is actually more consistent. The big advantage to the Virtuoso is the number of steps, but I really haven't found that to be a problem. What I did wish the Breville had is numbers for the grind settings though. The meter dial is nice looking, but without any real numeration to them aside from looking at the letters above some of the ticks, it makes remembering your grind settings difficult. In the end, I decided based on looks and the portafilter holder really.
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Jul 23, 2014 05:02
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Can everyone share their aeropress recipes? I'm bored with the wave 155. Switching over.
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Jul 23, 2014 21:31
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Jyrraeth posted:My boyfriend recently discovered that french press coffee ruins his guts, while drip is generall okay. Probably anything with a finer filter than the mesh in a press, and I was wondering what would be the best route to take. I was looking at a CCD and/or Chemex, is there much difference between them? I used a Chemex for years, and at this point I would recommend against the Chemex especially for people just getting into drip coffee. It's the most finicky method I've used, and getting the grind/water temperature just right each time to provide a consistent cup really requires a scale, gooseneck kettle, and some tinkering for each bean you use with it. While it's an attractive object it's no better than a Hario/Melitta pourover when it comes to actually making coffee, and the paper filters Chemex sells are far from flavor and odor-free. Really you should just buy a cheap plastic Melitta pourover and some filters and go from there because it'll cost you next to nothing. Or, if you're interested in espresso and don't want to drop a lot of money you could try the Aeropress which will allow you to make psuedo-espresso drinks. I have grown to really like the Aeropress, and I use the inverted Stumptown method with the stainless filter. Essentially, you grind one heaping Aeropress scoop to a medium-fine grind (something like Morton's salt sized grinds, I use the #14 setting on my Barratza Maestro), put the coffee in, put in some water, stir, put in more water, stir again, then press. Very forgiving, very fast, very little cleanup - it's hard to make a bad cup this way, and you really have to be not paying any attention in order to spill.
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Jul 23, 2014 23:52
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becoming posted:They are pretty different, yeah. Chemex is a pour-over method, CCD is an immersion method. Chemex has very thick paper filters, which results in a very clean cup. Chemex will also make multiple cups at once, whereas the CCD is really a one-cup-at-a-time brewer. That having been said, for the price of a Chemex, you could buy two CCDs and now you can make two cups at once. Price isn't a huge issue, just don't want to spend more than $150 CDN on something that is too finicky to be worth it. I tend to drink a lot, but at the same time I have no objection to buying multiple CCDs. Mu Zeta posted:The CCD is ugly and feels like cheap plastic junk. The Chemex is heavy and will last a lifetime as long as you don't drop it. Get the Chemex. Good to know that I'll probably get sick of looking a chemex before it'll break, barring gravity. AriTheDog posted:I used a Chemex for years, and at this point I would recommend against the Chemex especially for people just getting into drip coffee. It's the most finicky method I've used, and getting the grind/water temperature just right each time to provide a consistent cup really requires a scale, gooseneck kettle, and some tinkering for each bean you use with it. While it's an attractive object it's no better than a Hario/Melitta pourover when it comes to actually making coffee, and the paper filters Chemex sells are far from flavor and odor-free. Really you should just buy a cheap plastic Melitta pourover and some filters and go from there because it'll cost you next to nothing. Or, if you're interested in espresso and don't want to drop a lot of money you could try the Aeropress which will allow you to make psuedo-espresso drinks. I'll look into the Melitta pourover stuff, too. If Chemex is finicky then my boyfriend won't go for it. I'm leaning away from the Chemex after reading about the filters, I really don't like the taste of paper. I've been looking at the aeropress for a while, too. Just haven't had a chance to go to one of my favourite cafes to pick one up. Maybe I'll look into getting a side table or whatever instead and grabbing a Zojirushi drip brewer or something. I don't mind finicky methods but I usually value sleeping in for a longer amount of time than my boyfriend. Maybe I'll grab a couple of CCDs or equivalent, an aeropress and then go from there. Enjoying good coffee is hard work. 
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Jul 24, 2014 01:19
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Jyrraeth posted:Price isn't a huge issue, just don't want to spend more than $150 CDN on something that is too finicky to be worth it. I tend to drink a lot, but at the same time I have no objection to buying multiple CCDs. Melitta makes a 10-cup pour-over brewer that is pretty inexpensive. Filters are similarly inexpensive and pretty easy to find locally most places. A bonus of this brewer is that it's great for straining cold brew due to how enormous the cone is. I have one and I like it quite a bit for the quick-and-easy "oh I need 1.5L of coffee in four minutes". I really don't pick up paper taste from my Chemex brews, but I am very methodical about rinsing my filters. Another option is the Able Kone. Prima Coffee sells a bundle of Chemex + Kone for $75 USD. Not sure whether they ship to Canada but I have found them to be great to deal with. I know you said you're leaning away from Chemex, but if you do wind up getting one, I recommend the one with the glass handle over the wood neck version, primarily because it is easier/faster to clean. Agree that you'll want a pouring kettle for the Chemex, but you can get a perfectly acceptable one for around $30 these days, so I don't think that should be a major barrier.
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Jul 24, 2014 01:31
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IMO the Chemex is very easy to use. It is VERY forgiving about grind size. You can pretty much just dump the water in. Of course you do need a scale to measure things properly but that's the case for all other coffee brewing methods.
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Jul 24, 2014 02:10
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Does anyone happen to have a grinder they are looking to sell? Need one for use with my Classic. My blade one sucks so bad that pulls take a maximum of 10sec for a double. (should be 20-25 sec)
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Jul 24, 2014 03:19
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I might be selling my Capresso Infinity, but that won't be for a couple months. If you're in a pinch you can always go pre ground if absolutely necessary. Probably better than going the whirly blade route.
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Jul 24, 2014 04:54
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dik-dik posted:I might be selling my Capresso Infinity, but that won't be for a couple months. If you're in a pinch you can always go pre ground if absolutely necessary. Probably better than going the whirly blade route. I'm keeping an eye out for a Baratza Virtuoso with Preciso burrs, or just a Preciso.
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Jul 24, 2014 06:52
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Bronze posted:Can everyone share their aeropress recipes? I'm bored with the wave 155. Switching over. Sure thing! I call this my AEROPRESS GOLDEN RECIPE-PE-PE 17.2g beans 285g water @ 205F Size 10 grind on Virtuoso - fairly fine (compared to pourover) but it works great for me Start stopwatch. Pour water over top of grounds quickly, making sure all the grounds are submerged. A lot of foam gets generated so you'll have to add more later. When you're almost to the top, stop pouring and put the plunger on the top as fast as possible. I stick one side in, tilted, then put the other side in and lift the initial side up, to make it level and create suction without plunging. I know I didn't describe it well but it makes perfect sense when you try it. Total time from pouring to suction to taking off the plunger is about 55 seconds. Then I take the plunger off, add the rest of my water quickly in a circular fashion, then start plunging. I usually finish plunging anywhere from 1m20s to 1m30s depending on the grind consistency. Makes great stuff as long as you don't get too much sour pre-brew in the cup. You can also discard that when you're letting it steep. I've done it a few times and it results in a more balanced cup. Let me know what you think!
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Jul 24, 2014 13:47
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Day one with a real coffee grinder. Decided to keep the method exactly the same (french press, electric kettle), so we could judge the effects of the grinder. Holy poo poo, I didn't realize how sludgy my old coffee was! A very good cup. Busted out the scale, my old measurement was in volume (about 2/3 of a cup) so I converted it. 32 Oz french press 1.5 oz coffee 22.5 to 1 water to coffee ratio Ratio seems high compared to what you guys do. Coffee did seem a little weaker, I guess I was getting some overbrew from the finer particles that the bladed grinder produces. Looking forward to experimenting with ratios more. Other thoughts: -weigh before or after grind? After makes more sense, but it's messier. -related do you guys keep beans in the hopper? Since I didn't know how to time it, I put in my measured amount of beans and let it run dry. -I used the middle of the "coarse" grind settings, but it came out finer then expected. I guess I'm used to seeing large flakes in the bladed grinder.
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Jul 24, 2014 14:15
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I weigh my coffee before grinding. When the grinder is finished grinding, I give it a tap on the counter to dislodge anything that sticks in the chute. Even if I don't, the difference is tenths of a gram, so whatever. I don't store beans in the hopper, because it's not airtight. I just dump however much I've weighed in and grind that.
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Jul 24, 2014 15:13
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Only coffee shops or people that make 20 cups of coffee a day should leave beans in the hopper. It also makes it a pain to change the grind size and it's wasteful.
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Jul 24, 2014 15:17
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TheJeffers posted:I weigh my coffee before grinding. When the grinder is finished grinding, I give it a tap on the counter to dislodge anything that sticks in the chute. Even if I don't, the difference is tenths of a gram, so whatever. This. My parents insist on keeping their hopper full and it a) makes it harder to clean periodically because there's always poo poo left in the hopper that you have to deal with first and b) makes it annoying and more difficult to only grind what you need.
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Jul 24, 2014 15:50
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dik-dik posted:No worries, I'm actually pretty curious to see how well that works for you, so be sure to report back if you can. Also, if you're planning on leaving your coffee refrigerated for a while, might I suggest becoming's ever popular cold brew recipe? It's fantastic. Well that Takeya 2 qt is going back to Amazon because I failed to realize it is not glass. Duh. I ended up buying a cheapo glass carafe w/ lid at the local store for like $5. It will work fine.
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Jul 25, 2014 18:40
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mr. yolk posted:Sure thing! I call this my AEROPRESS GOLDEN RECIPE-PE-PE Produced a decent cup. Thanks. I'll keep a log and tweak things up and down to see what happens.
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Jul 25, 2014 20:53
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I just ordered 10 lbs from Sweet Maria's. I've been using DB/HG method. Where do goons go from here? I'm tempted to pick up a Behmor. Anyone making Turkish coffee? I've been enjoying here for a change of pace from my regular cup.
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Jul 25, 2014 21:03
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ThirstyBuck posted:I just ordered 10 lbs from Sweet Maria's. I've been using DB/HG method. Where do goons go from here? I'm tempted to pick up a Behmor. I went behmor and I like it. Has it's flaws, but still worth the money. Speaking of the behmor, any update on the update?
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Jul 25, 2014 21:18
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Just bought a Gaggia Classic w/Silvia steam wand, adjusted OPV, naked portafilter. Also picked up a Vario refurb. Dropped a big chunk of change, but I'm ready to enter the world of REAL espresso. Thanks to this thread! Is it worth it to upgrade to a nice 58mm tamper, like this one? http://www.amazon.com/Rattleware-58...words=knock+box I plan to make flat whites and doubles, almost exclusively. How big of a frother do I need, if at all?
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Jul 26, 2014 16:14
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Google Butt posted:I went behmor and I like it. Has it's flaws, but still worth the money. If you follow how behm on twitter he posts updates occasionally. Was supposed to be mid July, but now it's mid august I think, but could be delayed due to customs and sign off. Sweet marias wrote up a post about it, and roastmasters is taking upgrade orders. Only $49 for the upgrade. I wish the temp sensors you can now see the values of could easily be logged using bluetooth or something, but just the ability to let roasts go however long and change temps will be incredible.
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Jul 26, 2014 16:59
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Google Butt posted:I went behmor and I like it. Has it's flaws, but still worth the money. Sweet Maria's posted:We are really looking forward to the new Behmor Plus roasters. Behmor says we should expect them around the second week of September. The panels will arrive sooner. Panel production is scheduled to be complete by the end of this week and once they are ready they'll enjoy a quick plane ride to North America. http://www.sweetmarias.com/library/weblog/coming-soon-behmor-plus-updates No preorders though, so I did that over here: http://www.roastmasters.com/plusupgrade.html
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Jul 26, 2014 17:05
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That's pretty rad. That will probably be my next big coffee purchase. I like my Freshroast SR500, but my wife went to move it last year and didn't realize it's three parts and dropped the base of it on the floor and cracked the housing. It still works fine, but I'm always worried that crack will spread and cause real problems. It would be nice to roast more than 1/3 of a cup at a time too. I rarely need to roast more than that, but if I ever roast coffee to give someone it usually takes 3 batches to fill a 1/4 lb bag and I'm cautious so I usually give the machine a 10 minute break between batches to cool down the internals.
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Jul 26, 2014 17:48
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rockcity posted:That's pretty rad. That will probably be my next big coffee purchase. I like my Freshroast SR500, but my wife went to move it last year and didn't realize it's three parts and dropped the base of it on the floor and cracked the housing. It still works fine, but I'm always worried that crack will spread and cause real problems. It would be nice to roast more than 1/3 of a cup at a time too. I rarely need to roast more than that, but if I ever roast coffee to give someone it usually takes 3 batches to fill a 1/4 lb bag and I'm cautious so I usually give the machine a 10 minute break between batches to cool down the internals. I dig the behmor and can't recommend it enough for home roasting. For me It's sweet spot is a half pound roast or on really forgiving beans (mostly th cheaper kind). I have this Honduras that you couldn't tell the difference between the huky or behmor. One of my best purchases. I'd like to mention (and last time I'll shill about this) but if anyone in the thread wants some free 6oz of coffee in exchange for a rating of the business on google+ I can roast up some this weekend. Just pm me!
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Jul 27, 2014 00:24
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MasterControl posted:I dig the behmor and can't recommend it enough for home roasting. For me It's sweet spot is a half pound roast or on really forgiving beans (mostly th cheaper kind). I have this Honduras that you couldn't tell the difference between the huky or behmor. One of my best purchases. Good to know. If I wasn't the only coffee drinker in my house, I probably would have upgraded to it already. My wife likes coffee, but even small amounts of caffeine make her jittery so she tends to avoid it whenever possible. I've offered to try to get her something decaf, but she hasn't taken me up on it. Even if I did, I'd be roasting small amounts at a time anyway and I don't know that she'd ever bother to make it herself.
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Jul 27, 2014 01:11
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