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Am I going to get a decent enough "espresso" with good beans, aero press, and a Virtuoso with Preciso Burr? Is the Preciso Burr worth it? Should I go another route? Really I'm looking for convenience. I love espresso, I can easily get a $2.50 espresso every day but it's not on the way to work and I'd much rather have the ability to make it at work.
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Nov 6, 2012 04:28
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Niyqor posted:Looks like Fellow is coming out with a new grinder that does espresso called the Opus. Well poo poo, I just ordered a $140 J-Max manual grinder after picking up a Bambino. Maybe I'll cancel my order and wait for this to come out in the next month. Corb3t fucked around with this message at 01:45 on Jan 9, 2023 |
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Jan 9, 2023 01:32
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I'm just going to keep using our Encore+ (gasp!) for espresso until that Opus comes out. A small single dose grinder just for espresso is perfect for our use case.
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Jan 9, 2023 01:50
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I’ve been having fun learning how to use my Breville Bambino over the last week or so. The normcore accessories have helped with my puck preparation - I haven’t experienced much channeling now that I’ve got my process down. I might pick up another 18-22g IMS basket so I can prep both my stock and new porta filter. At this point, I’m just waiting for that Fellow Opus grinder to come out so I can use that instead of my Baratza Encore. I’d consider a niche but hate how much I’d have to spend on the shipping costs - I have a friend that just picked up a df83 grinder and he might consider selling me his niche, but he’s still deciding if he wants to let it go (he also owns an Ode). The only issue I have is with my shot temperature - I’ve been checking it with my thermapen and my shots can be anywhere from 150f to 180f depending on how I’ve preheated the thermalblock, portafilter, shot glass, etc. I’ve definitely had some sour shots, so I’m convinced this thing doesn’t actually hit 200+ degrees unless I’ve run a few pressured shots through it. Maybe I’m wrong, though, and this thing can easily hit 200+ degrees in 3 seconds like it advertises. Corb3t fucked around with this message at 23:56 on Jan 11, 2023 |
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Jan 11, 2023 23:48
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Pilfered Pallbearers posted:On my Breville I can push the temp of the water up by running the steam wand then immediately pulling a shot. I’ve heard about the steam wand trick as well - maybe I’ll give that a try and see what kind of shot temps I can get.
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Jan 12, 2023 04:57
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I think he'll be surrpised at how affordable high-quality IMS baskets are. They're going to make so much of a difference than those crappy pressured baskets. Throw them out, or only use them to warm up your porta filter.
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Jan 17, 2023 19:30
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TengenNewsEditor posted:What about the 1zpresso j-max here? The steps are pretty fine adjustments and might be a nice stopgap while looking for a "forever espresso grinder". Just spend a little more and get the Fellow Opus when it comes out. I cancelled my J-Max order and preordered one instead. My encore sucks for espresso, but I'll get by for a few more weeks. Corb3t fucked around with this message at 19:58 on Jan 31, 2023 |
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Jan 31, 2023 19:16
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Fellow's owner has been making claims on coffee discussion groups that the upcoming $200 Opus grinder can do both espresso and pour over better than the Niche can. https://www.gearpatrol.com/food/a42409254/fellow-opus-grinder/
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Jan 31, 2023 20:03
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nwin posted:Got a link to where he’s saying it outperforms the niche? He alludes to the fact - of course he’s not going to name-drop an actual competitors product. You can find his comments on reddit and facebook Obviously it’s better to just wait until reviewers get their hands on units, but it’s an easy to justify for $200. Corb3t fucked around with this message at 01:09 on Feb 1, 2023 |
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Feb 1, 2023 01:05
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My Encore is such a pain to dial in - it either chokes on the "3" dial, or pulls too fast on the "4". Still eagerly awaiting my Fellow Opus to ship in a couple weeks. Here's a video of stereotypical coffee nerd using it for Espresso: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po8HqlPKLK4
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Feb 10, 2023 20:24
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Yeah, I think I'll wait for ESP reviews before I pull the trigger on the Opus. The two-ring system is pretty annoying, but I don't really foresee myself needing to make much adjustments to the inner ring once I have it dialed in for Espresso - I'd just want to be making more minor adjustments to the outer ring based on specific bean, yes? I'm just curious how many realistic adjustment steps there will be on the ESP for espresso. I'm not really looking for a grinder that needs to do both espresso and pour over, just espresso. I like my Encore (and ESP) well enough, but prefer the Opus's overall aesthetic and footprint. The ESP has has a better dosing cup. Corb3t fucked around with this message at 19:09 on Feb 14, 2023 |
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Feb 14, 2023 19:07
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Pilfered Pallbearers posted:https://www.ebay.com/itm/304503353459 Same basket is half as much on Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Precision-...ps%2C215&sr=8-5
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Feb 14, 2023 19:57
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George Wright posted:I’ve found that each bag is different and that requires a different grind setting. Sometimes this is a big difference, sometimes it’s a small difference. I see, after re-watching the review, I better understand how the inner ring's steps give you additional steps for fine-tuning. Being able to adjust the grind by 16 microns seems pretty nice, and I'll definitely be dose grinding my shots, so maybe taking the hopper off to make adjustments isn't the end of the world. I'll still wait it out and see how the ESP fares. Corb3t fucked around with this message at 21:26 on Feb 14, 2023 |
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Feb 14, 2023 21:23
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TimeMore's Flat Burr Grinder is going to be on sale on March 14th. I'll probably pick it up: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/timemore/timemore-electric-coffee-grinder?ref=clipboard-prelaunch  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=halO4CaUBe4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3_5i1QDXvU
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Mar 1, 2023 19:27
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nwin posted:The lithium v2 is a huge step up for the nanofoamer, but there’s also this coming: There's too many coffee-related KS's this month. I'm also tempted to pick one of these up when it gets put up - my partner would be more inclined to make herself a drink with something like this.
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Mar 3, 2023 15:25
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.Z. posted:Kickstarter for this is up for anyone interested. I, too, backed one of these, mainly so I can get my milk going while I do my espresso shot. I may even be able to talk my partner into making her daily drink. Bandire posted:Its pretty fancy, but it could have a 4 ounce minimum volume and not having a pouring spout on the pitcher sucks. This looks great, too, and you wouldn't have to wait until September to get it. Corb3t fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Mar 7, 2023 |
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Mar 7, 2023 22:30
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TimeMore’s $300 brushless stepless flat burr espresso grinder is up on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/timemore/timemore-electric-coffee-grinder
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Mar 14, 2023 15:55
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Lord Stimperor posted:Wanna say it looks like a knockoff fellow ode but also.. promising? Interested to see the reviews and final price in 1-10 years. TimeMore is a legit company just using Kickstarter for marketing/initial release purposes, these grinders are ready to go and will ship by June. Many coffee internet nerds have gotten their hands on units already: MSRP Pricing:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3_5i1QDXvU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiDRQGTJKpE&t=16s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGgEYm0eH40 https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpxUV07qEu2/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY= https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cp0hnn3sRY2/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Corb3t fucked around with this message at 14:49 on Mar 21, 2023 |
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Mar 21, 2023 14:45
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Sir Sidney Poitier posted:Where is my money best spent next? Best advice as as Bambino user: Pre-heat by pulling two shots with a pressurized portafilter into your milk pitcher with an IMS basket or two in it. Steaming the two pulled shots will also heat up the heat block, baskets, and porta filter. I got a lot of sour shots when I first started, don't be afraid to run the Bambino 20g in with up to 50g out. This video also really helped: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZh8sjfKegw
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Mar 23, 2023 18:05
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Sir Sidney Poitier posted:To be honest this is the sort of fuckery I'd want to be able to put behind me by changing machine. It's what I mean by saying I want workflow improvements. If you have money to blow, you could certainly pick up a Breville Dual Boiler and never have to buy another espresso machine again. I honestly don't mind since the manual shots timeout on their own while I'm grinding beens and doing puck prep. I'd argue there's no getting around basket and portafilter preheating. I also use the boiled water to preheat my shot glasses and mugs. Corb3t fucked around with this message at 18:56 on Mar 23, 2023 |
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Mar 23, 2023 18:51
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I know there are goons in here who use their Encore for espresso, but having a stepless grinder makes dialing in for espresso so much easier and you'll wonder how you managed to get a decent shot prior to owning one. Even with a grinder that can "do espresso", you'll often find that one notch finer will choke your machine, and one notch coarser doesn't allow the water to flow as slow as I'd like. The Encore SSP might be a little bit better about that, given its ability to do finer stepped adjustments, but stepless is so nice. Corb3t fucked around with this message at 14:35 on Mar 27, 2023 |
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Mar 27, 2023 14:32
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Pilfered Pallbearers posted:I don’t have time now, but lance hedrick has a good video on how to dial a bag that really made this process click for me, even if I don’t really like him or his content. It’s this one, and some of you will be surprised at his ratios: Dark Roast: 1:2 (20g in:40g out) Medium Roast: 1:2.5 (20g in:50g out) Light Roast: 1:3 (20g in:60g out) I’ve found that most roasters in my area tend to roast even their Espresso bags as more of a medium, so I typically just aim for 50g out and have been very successful at reducing my sour shots with my Bambino. https://youtu.be/6DWa3xqnWUs
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Mar 28, 2023 05:45
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The latest coffee-related Kickstarter launched today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8qKs1mIYQI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT-UtMcwRJY https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/meticulous/meticulous-espresso?ref=user_menu Metculous robot lever espresso machine ~250g water reservoir 6 temperature sensors Pressure and Flow Control Built-in Acaia-Powered scale Bluetooth/App Compatible (but not required) $1200 Day 1 Preorder Pricing ($2000 MSRP) Starts Shipping December 2023 Pretty expensive risk for a relatively new business, but they've partnered with a bunch of respective companies and the overall product looks ready to go. This plus a TimeMore Sculptor and NanoFoamer would be a pretty nice setup for $1500. I may need to come up with an extra $1100 by May. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-dxaLZTfGc Corb3t fucked around with this message at 06:52 on Mar 29, 2023 |
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Mar 29, 2023 06:13
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Mu Zeta posted:Never use Kickstarter. Or pre-order anything in general. Let others be the guinea pigs. I love my Sanderson books, Frosthaven, and Genki Switch accessories, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy my discounted TimeMore Sculptor 064s and NanoFoamer Pro. 
Corb3t fucked around with this message at 07:09 on Mar 29, 2023 |
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Mar 29, 2023 06:55
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hypnophant posted:shame about your zpm machine though I actually ended up getting a refund from them after the campaign ended but before they ran out of money, but most were not lucky. Don’t feel too bad, though - all ZPM backers were offered a DE1 for $1000 with a $200 credit since the project never came to fruition. I just passed on it because I was back to being a broke college student by the time the Decent was released. The fact that Meticulous is a relatively new company certainly adds risk, though, and I can’t blame anybody for not wanting to risk it. Global manufacturing and kickstarter-like projects have come a long way since the early failures of Kickstarter projects, and there’s little to no risk in backing the NanoFoamer Pro and TimeMore, but there’s always somebody out there who has sworn KS off because they got burned on a Pebble watch a decade ago. As far as I know, there’s nothing even close to what the Sculptor offers at its price. I certainty regret not having a $800 DE-1 sitting in my kitchen right now… Corb3t fucked around with this message at 14:09 on Mar 29, 2023 |
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Mar 29, 2023 13:56
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Niche released a 83mm flat burr grinder: https://www.nichecoffee.co.uk/products/niche-duo
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Apr 1, 2023 23:15
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I’ve got a $10 dimmer being delivered today that I’m going to wire into my Bambino so I can control the flow of my shot. I also ordered a Felicita Arc from AliExpress. It’s a blatant ripoff of the Acaia Lunar for half the cost with a slightly wider base so your portafilter can fit on it. I’m excited to play with Smart Espresso Profiler and Bean Conquerer app so I can try out some other types of espresso shots - turbo, sprover, allonge, and a modern lungo. Corb3t fucked around with this message at 22:27 on Apr 2, 2023 |
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Apr 2, 2023 21:40
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The dimmer mod was a success, and looks pretty clean:  Once my bluetooth scale gets here, I'll figure out how many bars of pressure and print out a nice label for the knob. I'm pretty happy with mod overall - I love being able to pre-infuse at a really low pressure for an extended period of time, which helps prevents channeling and gives me a little more control if I didn't hit my grind properly. Pre-heating is also less of a concern because I can pre-infuse at lower pressure for longer and allow the bambino's heatblock to heat up before turning up the pressure for the bulk of my shot. I still kinda wish I had spent a little bit more and picked up a Gaggia Classic Pro, but mostly because I'd love to tinker and I'd end up adding flow control, PID, smart controller, etc. Corb3t fucked around with this message at 03:27 on Apr 4, 2023 |
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Apr 4, 2023 01:03
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I've been enjoying my newly purchased v60, but mostly because the 5-cup size is perfect for my partner and I on days we don't want espresso. It's way easier to clean up than our 8 cup chemex and 8 cup french press, and I tend to make a mess with our Aeropress, so it's been getting a lot of use lately.
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Apr 5, 2023 05:07
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heffray posted:I remain content with my Breville Barista Express. I got a bottomless portafilter and IMS basket, and learned that my shots consistently start as 6 or so streams before foaming up and coalescing, regardless of puck screen or distribution changes. This seems fine, though. I'd pull the trigger on a more expensive Breville machine if they offered flow control without modding. There really aren't any machines for less than $1500 that offer a PID + flow control, which are so nice to have if you're interested in adjusting your shot for different kinds of roasts.
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Apr 9, 2023 00:23
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theHUNGERian posted:Rancilio Silvia workflow question. I'm guessing they suggest running water through the group head to purge any water from the last time you used the machine. Realistically, you could probably keep the portafilter on when you do this to help pre-heat it as well. My Bambino is probably a little different, but I run two pressurized shots through the group head + portafilter to preheat the portafilter its self, with my IMS baskets placed in the milk frothing pitcher that I'm pulling my preheating shots into. Others will just put their portafilter in their pre-heating coffee mug to keep it warm while they do other prep. I'm not even sure if being so concerned about preheating has a real effect on the overall shot's taste - I should probably do some tests every morning to see if its worth the hassle. I think my overly acidic shots largely had to do with being so dogmatic with my 1:2 ratio, when realistically, 1:2.5-3 is better for the lighter/medium roasts I've been getting from local roasters - even their "espresso blend" is a medium light roast. It all sounds complicated and unnecessary, but for me, there's no getting around wanting to do 1-2x 60-second empty shots with my Bambino so I can get some really nice hot water into my shot glass and coffee mug. I just try to use the hot water as efficiently as possible for warming the other parts of my espresso machine (portafilter, baskets, puck screen when used) while I'm doing other prep. Corb3t fucked around with this message at 16:22 on Apr 9, 2023 |
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Apr 9, 2023 16:15
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Got my Felicita Arc. Build quality is nice, fits perfectly on my bambino drip tray, and works flawlessly with the Felicita app, Filtru, and BeanCompanion on iOS. The only app I can't get working is SE Profiler - I'm not sure if it's compatible with the Arc, but the app isn't finding the scale. I've tried unsintalling the app, toggling bluetooth access on/off, turning the scale on with the SE Profile app open first, or after the Felicita arc finds it, but it still can't find it.
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Apr 16, 2023 18:48
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Lance did a review of the Bambino Plus that covers the machine's temperature quirks - apparently a room temperature porta filter is ideal for longer shots since the water leaving the thermal block will get up to 97 degrees after 25 seconds or so. He just recommends do a 2-3 second purge of any leftover steam before pulling every shot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2TNEhrBU5Q
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Apr 16, 2023 20:19
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Get a refurbished Encore, it will last you decades and Baratza's all about BIL and provides parts to repair and upgrade their grinders yourself if there's ever an issue with it (there won't be).
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May 11, 2023 19:31
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I've had my Aeropress for over a decade at this point, I think it's probably one of those "Buy It For Life" items that I'll never have to replace. I did lose the filter cap once.
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Jun 13, 2023 20:38
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I’d get one of the TimeMore Sculptors over a Niche. Shipping soon.
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Jun 26, 2023 17:41
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I like my Opus - it’s much quieter with better build quality than the Encore. The lid has measurements for which grind setting to use for each specific type of brew, which is something I had to look up often whenever I changed it on my Encore. I definitely wish the Opue was stepless for espresso and didn’t require taking the hopper off for minor adjustments, although I don’t make adjustments often - I tend to do longer pre-infused turbo shots. Retention is okay - Encore was better about that. Opus is easier to clean and pull out the burrs. Eagerly awaiting for my TimeMore Sculptor 064s to ship. I’ll probably relegate the Opus to pourover. Corb3t fucked around with this message at 04:47 on Jul 17, 2023 |
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Jul 17, 2023 02:31
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Does anybody have a partner whose stomach can't handle lighter/medium roasts, or they just outright prefer dark roasts? I feel kinda bad, a friend of mine is super into coffee, spent over $1300 on a semi-automatic espresso machine, and it turns out his partner despises all the third wave coffee roaster's beans and prefers dark oily French roasts - partly due to the "fruit acidity", but also because her stomach can't seem to handle the higher caffeine of lighter roasts, I guess? At least he can just grab a cheap 2 pound bag from Costco for her, but he's bummed he can't just make one type of coffee for both of them.
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Sep 5, 2023 15:09
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bizwank posted:"Light roasts have higher caffeine" is largely untrue. By volume they do (because of the water loss and other physical changes that beans go through during roasting), but by weight they're more or less equal. Tell your friend to get a scale and try some medium-dark roasts. That makes sense, but why does it seem like lighter roasts affect people's stomach's differently than darker roasts? Surely the acidic quality that's brought out in them has an effect? Edit: The study states that dark roasted coffee is easier on the stomach than light and mild roasts because it produces an ingredient that prevents hydrochloric acid from building up in the stomach. I'm surprised we haven't seen any "low acidity" coffee beans being marketed yet. Corb3t fucked around with this message at 17:57 on Sep 5, 2023 |
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Sep 5, 2023 17:55
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Ptolemaeus posted:I spent 400 USD on a technivorm, read through this whole thread, learned how to grind my own beans, became overbearing about coffee and thought I finally found what I liked. My wife then blew my mind falling in love with a 20 USD piece of flimsy stainless steel and some fine ground filter kaapi south Indian style mix of 80 percent coffee and 20 percent chicory that was pennies at the grocer she goes to. Now we just make that every morning and I feel dumb. Friend of mine has a $1300+ automatic machine, $350 flat burr grinder, and $100 NanoFoamer Pro on preorder and his wife only drinks cold brewed Costco french roast.  SlinkyMink posted:Yeah, I mean, the Flair IS a cool machine and one that I would consider, but I just don't want to go that far for multiple shots a day and still not have a milk frother. The La Pavoni is such a cool in between and being able to actually pull your own shot has been something I've been very interested in for a long time in a machine. Being able to control the temp on the brew head seems much less finicky when you can just pump the poo poo to temp rather than pour and soak and then rush to keep the temp on a full manual. Plus, it looks really sick on a kitchen counter. I won't yuck your yum, but this is honestly the first time I've heard of a La Pavoni - it doesn't seem very popular in espresso nerd communities? Any reason why? I hope you love yours. Edit: I'm guessing for most espresso nerds, dropping $800-$1500 on a manual lever pump machine just doesn't make sense for them when they can get a Profitec, Breville, or Rancilio that would be less finicky and easier to churn out a few shots in the morning. I've often thought about getting a lever machine, myself, but something cheaper like a Flair. Corb3t fucked around with this message at 16:14 on Sep 20, 2023 |
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Sep 20, 2023 16:07
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