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I know that tasting notes aren't like a hard science or anything, but I just started a subscription service this week and what arrived was this: I've enjoyed this coffee but I've spent a couple days wondering what I'm supposed to make of this description, I know I don't have a refined palate but if it tastes that much of plums shouldn't I be noticing something? What makes a roaster decide that a cup of coffee taste like plums, plums and plums? I'm sure if I sit here reading the packaging while drinking it I can convince myself I'm really tasting plums in my coffee. But at that point I might as well be reading furniture descriptions and enjoying the notes of pine and walnut.
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Aug 25, 2021 10:40
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It's about as vague as "stonefruit"
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Aug 25, 2021 10:49
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I've been enjoying brewing with the Hario Switch recently. I'm using it to trap the water during the bloom phase, and then release everything and go through the motions of my standard V60 technique. The trapped bloom seems to make a noticeable difference in terms of intensity of flavour. Anyone else got any good hybrid methods to try with the Switch?
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Aug 25, 2021 14:34
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TheDarkFlame posted:I know that tasting notes aren't like a hard science or anything, but I just started a subscription service this week and what arrived was this: They usually sample roast for those notes and cup. Whether you wil taste it depends on your water and grind quality, time post roast and whether the roaster was able to give you a decent roast. If you have a crappy grinder and water you’ll never get anywhere close although it might be good to drink.
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Aug 25, 2021 15:04
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Also, let your coffee cool down before tasting it. Roasters tend to let the drink cool to around 50c (122f) before tasting it. The flavour notes will be much more noticeable at that temperature.
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Aug 25, 2021 15:29
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some tasting notes get pretty silly but i'm guessing they decided on "plums, plums, plums" because they actually think it tastes like plums, it's not a particularly unusual flavor for coffee
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Aug 25, 2021 15:30
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I should add that while you can have “good” water if it doesn’t emulate the mineral profile of the roaster it will probably taste different.
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Aug 25, 2021 18:46
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I just heard Eureka is coming out with a single doser on par with the Specialita? Have preliminary reports been good, bad, meh, or still not enough details yet?
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Aug 25, 2021 18:50
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aldantefax posted:I just heard Eureka is coming out with a single doser on par with the Specialita? Have preliminary reports been good, bad, meh, or still not enough details yet? Its supposed to be available in Europe soon I think, but I'm not seeing any hands on impressions yet. The price is expected to be around 600 euros. https://www.eureka.co.it/en/eureka_oro.aspx#71 Definitely interesting though and I will be keeping an eye on this one. I almost ordered a Niche the other day when they had a stock refresh but decided against it. My Sette 270wi has been pretty disappointing so far.
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Aug 25, 2021 19:36
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Bandire posted:Its supposed to be available in Europe soon I think, but I'm not seeing any hands on impressions yet. The price is expected to be around 600 euros. Ooooh. That's very interesting. Depending on how easy it is to switch from espresso to filter and back daily.
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Aug 25, 2021 19:49
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Bobstar posted:Ooooh. That's very interesting. Depending on how easy it is to switch from espresso to filter and back daily. I'm not sure anything does that "well". This thing looks to have that small stepless dial that Eurkea puts on a lot of their grinders, so I doubt it will be much different from those. I've never owned a Eureka, so someone else may be able to chime in. Here's a dude over-analyzing the available promotional materials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3XIP31lIbg. He talks about that about 4:35 in.
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Aug 25, 2021 20:20
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Bandire posted:I'm not sure anything does that "well". This thing looks to have that small stepless dial that Eurkea puts on a lot of their grinders, so I doubt it will be much different from those. I've never owned a Eureka, so someone else may be able to chime in. Hmm ok, that's what I was thinking. Thanks for that. Maybe I just need to get an espresso grinder and place it next to my Encore on the counter. I'm sure my wife won't mind 
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Aug 26, 2021 18:19
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Bobstar posted:Hmm ok, that's what I was thinking. Thanks for that. Mine didn’t. Your mileage may vary. I did have to get rid of the old drip machine that we didn’t use anymore, but it didn’t make very good coffee anyway.
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Aug 26, 2021 19:09
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Can someone confirm that the Baratza Vario can do espresso?
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Aug 27, 2021 07:57
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Red_Fred posted:Can someone confirm that the Baratza Vario can do espresso? I have a Vario and that's pretty much the primary use case of it.
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Aug 27, 2021 13:39
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Could I interest you in a very competitively priced tamper, knockbox and distribution tool kit. (Their coffee is fantastic, but they really should stick to roasting.)
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Aug 27, 2021 15:22
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bolind posted:Could I interest you in a very competitively priced tamper, knockbox and distribution tool kit. I was mildly interested until I saw the price, who is buying this??
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Aug 27, 2021 16:03
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People that own Bang and Olufsen televisions.
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Aug 27, 2021 16:18
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bolind posted:Could I interest you in a very competitively priced tamper, knockbox and distribution tool kit. Fartsniffer reviews gives them 4 stars & 2 farts up
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Aug 27, 2021 18:21
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Sweeper posted:I was mildly interested until I saw the price, who is buying this?? Same crowd who buys their $80 T-shirts, their $110 ball caps or their FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY DOLLAR JACKETS?
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Aug 27, 2021 18:34
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quote:Created to produce you from the Copenhagen Wind and Rain while at the same time being light and comfortable to wear indoors.
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Aug 27, 2021 18:38
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bolind posted:Could I interest you in a very competitively priced tamper, knockbox and distribution tool kit. The prices of tampers and other stuff always make me crack up. Descent sells a $33 milk jug for frothing. Lmao https://decentespresso.com/milk_jug
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Aug 27, 2021 18:41
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bolind posted:Could I interest you in a very competitively priced tamper, knockbox and distribution tool kit. Their distribution tool and tamper look almost exactly like the ones that St. Anthony has been selling for years.
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Aug 27, 2021 21:29
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What's the current hotness for a compact travel coffee setup (grinder and brewing device)? I'm taking a rare vacation and won't have a grinder or french press/clever dripper/etc. available. I have an Aeropress that's got about 4 years of dust on it so that might make it easier, but what about a grinder?
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Aug 28, 2021 07:44
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a mysterious cloak posted:What's the current hotness for a compact travel coffee setup (grinder and brewing device)? I'm taking a rare vacation and won't have a grinder or french press/clever dripper/etc. available. I have an Aeropress that's got about 4 years of dust on it so that might make it easier, but what about a grinder? porlex mini. Have an Aeropress + porlex mini travel kit in a toiletry bag. Porlex goes in the top. In turn, the Aeropress goes in a mug. Fits nicely with room to spare for beans, scale, and filters.
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Aug 28, 2021 11:00
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Is there a thread favourite entry level espresso machine? We aren’t in the States but seem to be able to get most brands here. We are pretty milk focussed and would make about 2 coffees per day during the week and more on weekends. Something that also looks nice would be a bonus. I watched James Hoffman’s video on the <£1500 machines but he didn’t really seem that in to any of them and most of those machines are a little above what we wanted to spend. Could stretch if we needed to though. We have a Baratza Vario grinder so that’s all sweet.
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Aug 29, 2021 03:40
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Reading the thread and watching Hoffmann videos, I landed on Flair Neo and I'm very happy with it. I pull back to back 13g in 30g out shots in the morning and it is amazing. 15 minutes including cleanup, though when I was on vacation and didn't have my electric kettle it got way longer. Being full manual means you can adjust to your puck behavior and basically never waste a shot, as you would if a low end machine gushes or dribbles. If you want bigger doses (Neo tops out around 18g officially but 16g my experience) you could get the Flair Pro, 58, or the Robot.
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Aug 29, 2021 04:00
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Mu Zeta posted:Consider a moka pot? If it's onlly a few times a week I wouldn't invest in an expensive setup especially if you only use regular cold milk. Mokas are like $30. Just wanted to say thank you. I got this for her and she's loved it. It was perfect for her use case and is the right level of complicated. It's perfect and I really appreciate the recommendation, wouldn't have thought of it otherwise.
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Aug 29, 2021 05:55
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Red_Fred posted:Is there a thread favourite entry level espresso machine? We aren’t in the States but seem to be able to get most brands here. Not sure if it's an option where you live, but a Lelit Victoria might be a good choice. It's single boiler, so you won't be able to brew espresso and steam milk at the same time, but I have a dual boiler machine and I almost never steam and brew at the same time, so I doubt you'll wish you had that ability. It's compact, relatively inexpensive, and has some really nice features that many more expensive machines don't have, like PID temp control and pre-infusion.
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Aug 29, 2021 06:58
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If you’re anywhere near it’s price range, the cheapest option Hoffmann reviewed in that video, the Lelit Mara X, would be what I’d get every time.
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Aug 29, 2021 13:39
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Red_Fred posted:Is there a thread favourite entry level espresso machine? We aren’t in the States but seem to be able to get most brands here. If you want to make steamed milk drinks often, I’d avoid single-boiler machines. I used a silvia for a long time but it’s a slow process to make multiple shots and it’s even slower to make milk drinks, because you have to wait for the boiler to change temperature. Your better options are to go higher with a heat exchanger or double boiler machine, or lower with a breville bambino. The bambino (sage bambino in the uk) might be the machine for you, it’s built more plasticky and it can’t extract light roast, single origin coffees well, but it does good enough on medium and dark roasts and the steam features are supposed to be really good.
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Aug 29, 2021 16:20
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The glaring omission from the <£1500 Hoffman video is the Lelit Elizabeth. Its a compact dual boiler with lots of bells and whistles. Alternatively, depending on how picky you are about your milk you could always get an automatic frothing pitcher and a good single boiler.
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Aug 29, 2021 16:41
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There are some cheaper options if you go down the manual espresso route.
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Aug 29, 2021 17:35
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Hard to make a recommendation without any guidelines for location or budget.
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Aug 30, 2021 04:01
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hypnophant posted:If you want to make steamed milk drinks often, I’d avoid single-boiler machines. I used a silvia for a long time but it’s a slow process to make multiple shots and it’s even slower to make milk drinks, because you have to wait for the boiler to change temperature. Your better options are to go higher with a heat exchanger or double boiler machine, or lower with a breville bambino. The bambino (sage bambino in the uk) might be the machine for you, it’s built more plasticky and it can’t extract light roast, single origin coffees well, but it does good enough on medium and dark roasts and the steam features are supposed to be really good. How slow are we talking? Do the additional features of the Victoria help this at all? Where I’m at the Mara and Elizabeth are both the same price but it’s about $1k more than we wanted to spend ideally.
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Aug 30, 2021 04:08
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Lord Stimperor posted:porlex mini. Have an Aeropress + porlex mini travel kit in a toiletry bag. Porlex goes in the top. In turn, the Aeropress goes in a mug. Fits nicely with room to spare for beans, scale, and filters. Cool, I'll give it a look! Thanks!
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Aug 30, 2021 04:40
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Red_Fred posted:How slow are we talking? Do the additional features of the Victoria help this at all? Victoria has a pid, which will improve temperature stability, but won’t help with steam. The problem is that coffee brewing takes place at 90C and steam has to be over 100C, usually 120C or more. A single boiler can’t be at both temperatures at the same time, so it has to switch modes and wait to heat up to steam temp or cool down to brew temp (usually assisted by flushing cool water, as the boilers hang on to heat pretty well). The mara is a heat exchanger machine, meaning it has a steam boiler only and runs a length of copper tube through the steam boiler to heat water for brew; the elizabeth is a true dual boiler, with one permanently at steam temp and the other at brew temp. The much cheaper bambino has a thermoblock only, which means it heats both brew water and steam by pumping water through an electric heater. It’s less consistent but fine for less demanding coffee drinkers, and you can brew and steam with a smaller, lighter, cheaper machine. The trade-off is the build quality is not as good; the lelit machines are all built like tanks out of stainless steel, while the breville is mainly made out of plastic. a mysterious cloak posted:Cool, I'll give it a look! Thanks! Please note that the porlex has the same ceramic burrs as the cheaper hario manual grinders, despite its higher price. You’re getting close to the price range of some hand grinders with much better steel burrs like the aergrind or 1zpresso q2, which would be very noticeable upgrades in both grind quality and grinding speed.
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Aug 30, 2021 05:21
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Red_Fred posted:How slow are we talking? Do the additional features of the Victoria help this at all? So you want to spend $600 - $700? Is that your budget?
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Aug 30, 2021 05:55
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consensual poster posted:So you want to spend $600 - $700? Is that your budget? I mentioned in the first post I’m not in the US so it’s better to talk about relevant prices but I guess that will work for this.
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Aug 30, 2021 08:12
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That price range will not get you a single machine with an enjoyable experience making back to back milk drinks. Honestly I don't know that its a good idea spending more than that on your first setup anyway. People here love to recommend manual machines to save money, but that comes with a different set of problems you'd want to read up on. One of those being you're back at having to come up with a way to steam milk. I'd say look at a Gaggia Classic Pro or Rancilio Silvia, and then get an automatic frothing pitcher to go with it. That's what I did (Gaggia) when I ultimately decided against paying $1500+ on a "real" espresso machine. I'm pretty happy with the GCP at the moment. There's no future proofing against the espresso money chasm, so I'd say don't skip steps and just try to find your "good enough" and stop there.
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Aug 31, 2021 01:42
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