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BrianBoitano posted:Nice progress! For the dark roast, grind two small clicks coarser and wait 10 seconds more off the boil before pulling a cup. Your extraction will be a bit less which should stop short of the bitter charcoal. You'll never get sweet out of that bag but you might get balanced, like dark chocolate Indeed, that's more or less where I'm at right now. Definitely not great, but a solid notch above your typical burnt restaurant coffee. About 7 minutes from start to sitting down with a cup in hand, too, so finally less time-consuming than the french press. Not sure how much an achievement that is, though, considering we're talking about a 300€ finicky machine that outputs 30g VS. a 50€, zero-effort cylinder that outputs a goddamn liter. That's doubly relevant as I sometimes bring the press to work to brew two or three cups for my colleagues (they'd never tried specialty coffee before, it was a lot of fun to see their reaction that first time) and I was hoping to bring the Flair instead - it does come with a travel case! - but lol, that ain't happening. I dunno, I realize I'm using inadequate coffee, but I have a hard time believing fresh and properly roasted beans can elevate the experience up to the point of justifying the price and effort required. e: I know this thread isn't my personal log, so it's fine if people would rather I shut up
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Jun 14, 2022 18:40
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It's entirely subjective - dialing in manual espresso is something I do for fun primarily, but it has very easily given me 9 of the top 10 coffee experiences of my life and it's really nice to be able to accomplish that myself. From that end, it is my favorite hobby. With others, like cocktail mixing, cooking, baking, ice creaming, I've had many commercial results better than mine and it takes longer to iterate. It's also my most expensive hobby but not by much. I also don't mind the banter. What else are forums for?
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Jun 14, 2022 19:13
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seravid posted:I dunno, I realize I'm using inadequate coffee, but I have a hard time believing fresh and properly roasted beans can elevate the experience up to the point of justifying the price and effort required. I mean, I definitely see where you are coming from but the beans and the grinder are probably the two most key elements, followed by water quality That's assuming the difference we are talking about is between "fresh" and "very stale." If we are talking about a difference of one week or something then I definitely see your point.
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Jun 14, 2022 19:15
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seravid posted:Indeed, that's more or less where I'm at right now. Definitely not great, but a solid notch above your typical burnt restaurant coffee. About 7 minutes from start to sitting down with a cup in hand, too, so finally less time-consuming than the french press. Not sure how much an achievement that is, though, considering we're talking about a 300€ finicky machine that outputs 30g VS. a 50€, zero-effort cylinder that outputs a goddamn liter. That's doubly relevant as I sometimes bring the press to work to brew two or three cups for my colleagues (they'd never tried specialty coffee before, it was a lot of fun to see their reaction that first time) and I was hoping to bring the Flair instead - it does come with a travel case! - but lol, that ain't happening. You’re shaded by your experience with those light roast beans. Good, fresh (but not too fresh for espresso) beans make an enormous difference.
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Jun 14, 2022 19:20
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seravid posted:e: I know this thread isn't my personal log, so it's fine if people would rather I shut up  Fresh beans do act differently, but you may not taste the difference right now. You may never taste it. But they will change your grind setting and dosing as they change. If you’re drinking it, the only thing that matters if you like it.
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Jun 14, 2022 20:20
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Dialling in these store-bought coffees has been kinda fun and I can see how this could turn into a hobby, even if I can't get past the "Yes, I suppose I can drink this" phase. I'm starting to think my main issue was half-assing getting into this espresso business. I used to help out in my folks' restaurant when I was a kid and the best part of the job was pulling shots and messing around with the massive (at the time) portafilter: putting in the grounds, leveling, tamping, locking it into the machine, getting (undeserved) praise from the customers... The proprietary Flair basket + chamber just doesn't have the same appeal and having to preheat it over a kettle for 5 minutes is a bummer. It sucks, it's bad design and I hate it. The solution is clear: full-rear end this by returning the Pro 2 and buying the electric 58 instead... Solves every issue while hitting hard on the nostalgia factor. Almost 600€, though, Jesus Christ. At that point, you might as well save up a little and go for an automatic machine, right? Or are those only worth it in the 4 digit range? Re.: beans, the various online roasters in my country either don't seem to go beyond "medium roast" and "city +" or they simply offer "roasted for espresso" as opposed to "roasted for filter". What's my best bet here? It's buying the 58 so I can use every kind of bean and feel like a kid again, isn't it? You assholes seravid fucked around with this message at 17:55 on Jun 15, 2022 |
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Jun 15, 2022 17:53
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seravid posted:The solution is clear: full-rear end this by returning the Pro 2 and buying the electric 58 instead... Solves every issue while hitting hard on the nostalgia factor. Almost 600€, though, Jesus Christ. At that point, you might as well save up a little and go for an automatic machine, right? Or are those only worth it in the 4 digit range? The Gaggia Classic Pro and Rancilio Silia are both excellent quality for the price and can be modified fairly cheaply with PIDs to make them even better. They might be more what you’re looking for than even the Flair 58. You might want to give this a watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HIGdYy5of4 Big Bidness fucked around with this message at 18:36 on Jun 15, 2022 |
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Jun 15, 2022 18:31
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seravid posted:having to preheat it over a kettle for 5 minutes is a bummer. For me it takes exactly how long it takes to boil the water + an extra 15 seconds since I hit "boil" one more time, basically another 10 seconds of real steam. That is comparable or faster to any preheat time on any brewer that can handle light roast, though some of them you can put on a timer to do the preheat before you enter the kitchen. I suppose you could do that with the 58 too with a smart plug...
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Jun 15, 2022 19:30
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seravid posted:Re.: beans, the various online roasters in my country either don't seem to go beyond "medium roast" and "city +" or they simply offer "roasted for espresso" as opposed to "roasted for filter". What's my best bet here? It's buying the 58 so I can use every kind of bean and feel like a kid again, isn't it? You assholes i’d give the “roasted for espresso” beans a shot, but also, try reaching out to them and ask what they recommend. indie roasters that are any good are doing it because they have a passion for good coffee, and they should know how to get the best out of their roasts and which roasts are suited to which methods.
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Jun 15, 2022 22:06
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Got an ibrik / cezve / Turkish coffee pot from a neighbor who was moving... any tips? Here's what I've gathered from guides and videos: 7g in 70g out 2 - 2:30 brew time Modulate heat so it never boils but does foam to the lip at the end Never stir after the halfway point, to avoid over extraction Pour into cup and let cool / settle 2 minutes Mixed messages around starting with cold water or 60°C water, and stir only at the beginning or only at 1 minute in. Anybody have opinions there? Going to try it with some dark roast - not ideal but that's what I have on hand.
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Jun 16, 2022 15:11
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BrianBoitano posted:Got an ibrik / cezve / Turkish coffee pot from a neighbor who was moving... any tips? Only thing I have to say is remember to grind your coffee as fine as you can; iirc it's supposed to be finer than you do for espresso, almost a powder. Also depending on how traditional you want to be, you're supposed to add sugar to your grounds, I think about half the amount of grounds you're using--so if you're putting in 7g of grounds you'll want to add ~3.5g of sugar to the ibrik as well.
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Jun 16, 2022 21:12
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Yeah I did two 7g batches today, on my JX-Pro I used the recommended middle setting for Turkish of 1.0 for the first and the low end of 0.8 for the second. Neither was too bitter so I'll try finer tomorrow. I'll try sugar after I've dialed in the black cup! Also I didn't know which little cup to use, and poured into a copper one instead of the ceramic one. Ow my skin
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Jun 16, 2022 21:41
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Big Bidness posted:The Gaggia Classic Pro and Rancilio Silia are both excellent quality for the price and can be modified fairly cheaply with PIDs to make them even better. They might be more what you’re looking for than even the Flair 58. Definitely worth considering, thanks. BrianBoitano posted:For me it takes exactly how long it takes to boil the water + an extra 15 seconds since I hit "boil" one more time, basically another 10 seconds of real steam. That is comparable or faster to any preheat time on any brewer that can handle light roast, though some of them you can put on a timer to do the preheat before you enter the kitchen. I suppose you could do that with the 58 too with a smart plug... My electric kettle is a plastic, generic model that can't fit the chamber above it, so I have to use an old kettle on the stove. Slow and annoying, but preferable to spending 150€ on a fancy coffee kettle. hypnophant posted:i’d give the “roasted for espresso” beans a shot, but also, try reaching out to them and ask what they recommend. indie roasters that are any good are doing it because they have a passion for good coffee, and they should know how to get the best out of their roasts and which roasts are suited to which methods. Will do! I wanted to check for channeling so I did a thing, figured I'd share it here (reflector's not cutting it, gonna need a second light source next time) https://thumbs.gfycat.com/PinkUntimelyFieldspaniel-mobile.mp4
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Jun 17, 2022 00:59
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That shot looks good! A little slow for my preferences but very even looking. Can you post your kettle? The Flair Facebook group has lots of folks jury rigging silicone funnels on top of all types of kettles.
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Jun 17, 2022 01:03
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BrianBoitano posted:That shot looks good! A little slow for my preferences but very even looking. I'd like to see them try!  Found this pic in a Czech auction site. Current bid: 0,08€ 
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Jun 17, 2022 01:33
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seravid posted:Definitely worth considering, thanks. I came
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Jun 17, 2022 03:31
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Yeah, that's some good espresso porn
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Jun 17, 2022 12:50
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Oh God James Joffmann pointed out something I totally missed on the "outdoor coffee" video  
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Jun 17, 2022 16:44
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Brewed the Ethiopian on the french press today, after not touching it since the espresso debacle, and it's a wonderful coffee! It's floral and very smooth, the absolute opposite of what I got with the Flair. I did find the lack of body a little disconcerting since I've basically switched to 100% espresso (still pulling shots everyday like it's my job). I thought about tweaking the ratio - 1:16 now - but I figure if I want more body, the answer isn't to waste more beans to try to turn the press into something it's not, the answer is to make a drat espresso. Which I can't, so, uh...
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Jun 18, 2022 18:07
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Sick and tired of dealing with baratza support over my encore. Maybe gonna buy something new. Any recommendations for an espresso only electric grinder in the 200-300 range? This is to be used with a Breville infuser. I tend to do lighter roasts, but I’m also fine with it being a finicky process. I enjoy a good dialing in. Currently considering the Eureka Mignon Notte.
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Jun 19, 2022 16:28
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If you don’t like baratza’s support, you probably won’t like Eurekas, especially if you’re in the US. The grinder you picked would be fine, but you could also go through espressocoffeeshop.com and get a huge discount on other models as well. https://www.espressocoffeeshop.com/en/8-coffee-grinders
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Jun 19, 2022 16:40
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nwin posted:If you don’t like baratza’s support, you probably won’t like Eurekas, especially if you’re in the US. The grinder you picked would be fine, but you could also go through espressocoffeeshop.com and get a huge discount on other models as well. You ain’t kidding. After taxes it’s about $100 cheaper there, even with the shipping cost. Totally willing to buy from that site, and I don’t care if their support is worse. I’m mode fed up with dealing with support and just gonna replace it. Keeping all that in mind and the budget, is the notte/manuale still what the thread would recommend?
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Jun 19, 2022 17:03
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Is there no chance they'll just replace it at this point?
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Jun 19, 2022 17:38
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Pilfered Pallbearers posted:You ain’t kidding. After taxes it’s about $100 cheaper there, even with the shipping cost. I went for a Specialita over the other models as it had the larger burr and actually displays grind time - though as I single dose it doesn't really matter that much.
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Jun 20, 2022 05:13
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What's a good cold brew contraption for making batches? I got one of these because it seemed to get decent reviews on youtube, but I find that it's pretty inconvenient to use. There's no way to conveniently stir the grounds and it's difficult to get enough in there along with enough water to properly cover them.
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Jun 20, 2022 08:48
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Sir Sidney Poitier posted:What's a good cold brew contraption for making batches? An ex of mine had one of these and liked it enough to gift one to my mother (doesn’t have to be from Williams Sonoma, that was just the first link I saw) https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/oxo-cold-brew-coffee-maker/ Edit: apparently there’s a newer, more compact, stackable 24 oz sibling to the original’s 32 oz: https://www.oxo.com/compact-cold-brew.html fwiw NYT and other media seem to prefer the bigger one, but if the whole assembly’s going into the fridge then maybe the compact one is a better bet trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 09:23 on Jun 20, 2022 |
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Jun 20, 2022 09:15
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The Oxo one looks ideal - though it seems like there's some concerted effort to make it unavailable in the UK, at least below more than twice MSRP.
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Jun 20, 2022 10:28
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If you drink a lot of it and have space, I can recommend the Brewista ColdPro. I brew 3.5 gallons of concentrate and toss it in the basement fridge in one of those space saving jugs with a tap. It’s easy to clean, and you can get mega filters for it as well. My wife and I drink half-caff and both like drinking throughout the day, and other methods have us making a batch every other day or so. This keeps us wired for a while. Plus I’m not covered with grounds.
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Jun 20, 2022 12:56
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I just use large mason jars and filter using my chemex at the end. Works pretty well.
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Jun 20, 2022 13:50
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If you'd prefer a dripper/kantan-style brewer over an immersion/Toddy-style one, I've been happy with my bruer: https://www.bruer.co/ I bought model one on Kickstarter years ago, they've been tweaking it ever since. Uses aeropress filters too so no issues there.
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Jun 20, 2022 14:15
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couldcareless posted:I just use large mason jars and filter using my chemex at the end. Works pretty well. When I was still doing cold brew I used a huge mason jar with a tap and one of those nut milk bags for the grounds. I just had to make sure the jar mouth was really big because trying to extricate a giant bag of compacted coffee grounds was always a little dicey.
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Jun 20, 2022 14:24
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Thanks for the suggestions. I do think I prefer the immersion method but one of the things I've had trouble squaring is a lot of these contraptions seem pretty expensive for what is essentially just a bit of plastic (example: Toddy). The thing that I had not considered was the use of nut milk bags as filters - prior to using this Hario thing that I've got now, I was putting it in a mixing bowl and straining through a sieve then a cloth. These nut milk bags seem like a simplification of that so I might figure out a way of using those like you say with Mason jars.
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Jun 20, 2022 15:55
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Sir Sidney Poitier posted:Thanks for the suggestions. I do think I prefer the immersion method but one of the things I've had trouble squaring is a lot of these contraptions seem pretty expensive for what is essentially just a bit of plastic (example: Toddy). The thing that I had not considered was the use of nut milk bags as filters - prior to using this Hario thing that I've got now, I was putting it in a mixing bowl and straining through a sieve then a cloth. These nut milk bags seem like a simplification of that so I might figure out a way of using those like you say with Mason jars. The bags worked perfectly for me. They will let through a little sediment but we usually ended up just dumping out the last eighth of an inch or so of coffee which always ended up pretty muddy.
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Jun 20, 2022 17:06
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nwin posted:If you don’t like baratza’s support, you probably won’t like Eurekas, especially if you’re in the US. The grinder you picked would be fine, but you could also go through espressocoffeeshop.com and get a huge discount on other models as well. Genuinely wanna say thank you for this. Make a $348 purchase with tax a $262 purchase. Excited for my new grinder. Not excited for how mad my wife will be at the size. She’s used to small.
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Jun 20, 2022 19:10
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Pilfered Pallbearers posted:Genuinely wanna say thank you for this. Enjoy! The shipping was super quick in my experience.
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Jun 20, 2022 21:14
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Are the recommendations the OP has for pour overs still the way to go? I've used a Chemex for a hot minute, but the coffee is too clean and light tasting for me. Also a bit tired of cleaning my moka pot.
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Jun 22, 2022 05:56
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a v60 is very cheap to try out and makes a great cup that is a bit less filtered than the chemex. you could also look at the tricolate, for a no-bypass brewer, or the clever coffee dripper for immersion, if you want something pourover-adjacent that’s a bit more different from the chemex.
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Jun 22, 2022 06:08
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obi_ant posted:Are the recommendations the OP has for pour overs still the way to go? I've used a Chemex for a hot minute, but the coffee is too clean and light tasting for me. Also a bit tired of cleaning my moka pot. I’ve been brewing V60 since COVID (got fired from my job as a barista so desperately needed an alternative method to sustain my coffee addiction) and I’ve tried most methods out there. With a Baratza Encore and okay-ish Bodum Gooseneck I’ve noticed Scott Rap’s updated method gave me the best results. Recently, I’ve moved on to Ad Astra’s method which is broadly the same, but with a slightly lower ratio and slightly different pour amounts. In any case, besides having a good recipe Ad Astra did a buttload of research, so it’s amazing source if you want to read all the scientific nitty-gritty.
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Jun 22, 2022 10:58
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Seconding the Clever if you want a backup option. It's taken me a lot of time to get confident with my pourovers, and having a backup method that got me consistent cups was a nice break when I got frustrated with my V60.
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Jun 22, 2022 12:08
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I loved the Kalita Wave for a couple of reasons: - Didn't have to rinse filters, they were so thin - It was incredibly consistent with little effort It made it really easy to tune and get exactly what I wanted out of the extraction, then keep it that way. If you get one, get a ceramic or glass one - not metal. The metal one I found had draining problems.
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Jun 22, 2022 12:21
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