betterinsodapop posted:

The Baratza Virtuoso sucks. I had it for maybe a year, during which it wasn't heavily used or abused, and it has already crapped otu. I've been dealing with Baratza support, doing their troubleshooting, and now they want me to take the thing completely apart to diagnose it. I sort of just expected them to say "Just ship it to us, we'll fix it." Nope, they want me to completely disassemble the burr assembly, open the case, do this, that, and the other thing. I'm not a tech. I just want to drink coffee.

So fed up. I might as well buy a Hario manual grinder.

PainBreak posted:

You're best off using a toddy maker, and cold brewing. I use this one, which is essentially a giant french press:


http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-French-Press-Coffeemaker-51-Ounce/dp/B003NG922U

mattdev posted:

Also, people are hyping the new Breville Dual Boiler since it is quite a steal for the price.

http://www.brevilleusa.com/beverages/espresso/dual-boiler-espresso.html
Any other suggestions?

AriTheDog posted:

I'd bet there's a great local coffee shop or two in the Seattle area. Maybe someone from this thread is in Seattle?

Pennywise the Frown posted:

Basically, start small and work your way up.

GrAviTy84 posted:

depends on how it's calibrated. That is actually pretty popular mod to do in order to use a maestro for espresso grinding, you can change the baseline closeness of the burrs by sacrificing the coarse end.

Anyway, what "number" you should put a grinder on for anything is kind of a loaded question. It depends on the coffee, it depends on the calibration of the machine as mentioned, it depends on your personal preference within the "proper" extraction range. I would start around the medium range of whatever you would consider "fine" and work around that. Under extracted? go finer, and vice versa.

Bob_McBob posted:

The Breville dual boiler machine is certainly an interesting development. I am not sure how I feel about buying an espresso machine that's designed as a consumer appliance. I like that most traditional espresso machines in that price range are designed with off-the-shelf components, so you can pretty much use and service them indefinitely. If my current machine is maintained, I will happily be pulling shots with it in 30 years, unless I am a dumbass and upgrade more. Not so sure about the Breville.

There are lots of excellent machines at the $1200 level, so you don't necessarily have to limit yourself to the Breville. Do you want to be able to make a lot of milk drinks, or even a couple milk drinks in a row? Not being able to steam and pull shots at the same time is a serious limitation of cheaper machines (including the Kickstarter project).

Have you budgeted several hundred more for at least a Baratza Vario?

Bob_McBob posted:

No, you'll need to get a better grinder, or you just wasted a bunch of money. Once you are beyond the steam toy level, the grinder is by far the most important piece of equipment, not the espresso machine itself. You should be looking at at least a Baratza Vario.

Bob_McBob posted:

Where will you be getting your coffee?

Bob_McBob posted:

I know it might seem backwards to you, but you should be considering the grinder before the machine. The Vario is probably the best choice on the market for home espresso use, and you will not see any significant improvement in shot quality until you get to the $1000+ level (where the grinders are also significantly less practical at home).

I am not sure how serious you are about espresso. With a semi-automatic machine you will have to put some time into learning how to pull shots and steam milk properly. It's not just a matter of pushing a button and getting a drink. However, mid-level machines like the Breville or this new $995 E61 HX machine tend to be significantly more forgiving than cheaper machines. Do you want to make espresso, or are you going to be making girly lattes exclusively?

Bob_McBob posted:

Bob_McBob posted:

The Vario is a better espresso grinder.

Bob_McBob posted:

A refurb Vario is $360 here. The difference between the Vario and Vario-W is that the W grinds by weight into a bin (which you then transfer to the portafilter basket), while the Vario grinds by time directly into the basket. The W is a bit more expensive. Read the descriptions on Baratza's site.

Bob_McBob posted:

Please just order the Silvia and Vario from SCG. Budget for a few extra accessories like a knock box, towels, $5 eBay digital scale, and preferably a bottomless portafilter if you want to save yourself some frustration.

dema posted:

Verve is really good and now has free shipping. EDIT; have a pound of their Guatemala El Pintado coming. It's supposed to be amazing. And, for the price, it better be!

dema posted:

Yeah, neither have I. Not cheap but good stuff.

What are people using to measure water temp if you don't have an electric kettle?

Residency Evil posted:

I think they officially update on Fridays?

mattdev posted:

Sup, tamper, espresso machine, grinder and scale (not pictured) buddy?

GrAviTy84 posted:

Wait are you saying that the shot is pulled in 11 seconds or 30 seconds?

Bob_McBob posted:

Measuring with a Thermapen how?

El Disco posted:

Wait, so the steam wand only dispenses water at 182 degrees? That sounds like a big problem.

PhazonLink posted:

Can anyone post some guidelines on cold brewing coffee? I looked it up a while back found some wildly varying water-coffee ratios, 4:1, 1:1, etc.

PainBreak posted:

So... My wife made me aware of this commercial yesterday. What in the gently caress?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpC39-yITdA

that Vai sound posted:

Hey, Seattle folks. Does Trabant automatically put milk in the coffee?

Steve Yun posted:

Is it this model?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yattay/6247097181/

Cause it looks like people use it on electric coil stoves all the time...?