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ChiaPetOutletStore posted:So my girlfriend got an ice cream maker attachment for our stand mixer, and i feel like trying to make coffee ice cream with it. I would probably use a French Roast of good quality because when chilled so heavily you're not going to get the nuance of quality beans. Don't brew the coffee unless you're doing it in milk and then straining, because you don't want to add any extra water - although espresso or any other concentrated method would be ok.
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May 2, 2014 20:29
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For you guys who love the Aeropress and use it regularly, what's the appeal? Cheap espresso-like beverage? I have one and I mostly drink pour over drip, and I haven't been able to make a cup with the Aeropress that's anything close to espresso in terms of intensity of flavor or body to make it anything more than a novelty. Am I just bad at the Aeropress, or am I missing something?
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May 6, 2014 22:34
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rockcity posted:It's not supposed to be like espresso and if you go into it thinking it will be, you're just going to be let down. It's just strong coffee. You'll never get anything like espresso over something you just do a direct plunge with, there just isn't enough pressure. There are some hand powered espresso makers, like the Rok mentioned above, but they all use some sort of gearing or pressure building mechanism to aid in the process. Yeah, I get that it's not supposed to be espresso. I'll experiment a little with the stainless filter and Americanos and see if I can enjoy it more.
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May 7, 2014 05:15
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Baratza's QC is absolute poo poo on the refurbs. Mine was extremely filthy and I would hesitate to ever buy anything from them again.
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Jun 20, 2014 01:28
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I'm sure the majority are fine, but I can't imagine we're having hundreds ordered through this thread alone and I've seen several reports. Given the condition mine was in, there's no way someone could have looked at it or attempted to clean it before shipping. I emailed with them and received an unsatisfactory response, so if people are being shipped grinders that do not function I can't imagine they're taking any steps to fix the problems in their QC department.
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Jun 20, 2014 05:05
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This was a long time ago at this point (2011), but yes, I called them twice, left messages and never heard back. Had a long email exchange where eventually they sent me some Grindz and the wire brush that was supposed to be included with the thing. Given that I'm writing about it now anyway, after owning my Baratza Maestro for quite some time I'd say it's not much better than the ancient semi-broken Capresso that it replaced. Works fine for pour over and Aeropress, but has a lot of fines and makes mediocre French Press due to the inconsistent grind. I'm not sure what I'll replace this thing with if/when it dies. Despite the complaints, it still works and I use it almost every day, so given the refurbished price I can't be too upset nor am I aware of a better option at the price point.
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Jun 20, 2014 07:36
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Did you not read the other complaints in the last page of this thread? I'm willing to say that my experience was an outlier, but it happened and people still seem to be getting sent non-functional machines. In any case, I'm done complaining about it. In other news, inverted Aeropress is great and I still haven't exploded scalding coffee grounds all over myself and the counter.
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Jun 20, 2014 18:34
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Bob_McBob posted:It's not exactly what you're looking for, but I've always rather liked Picardie tumblers for cortados. For hot drinks you may want to consider Libbey's Duratuff line, as it's much thicker glass. Some of the tumblers are quite nice looking, and are additionally very difficult to damage.
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Jul 6, 2014 01:07
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biggest platypus posted:Anyone know how long homemade cold brew concentrate typically lasts? The film is oil from the coffee (probably). It (probably) won't make you sick but it will likely taste somewhat stale.
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Jul 12, 2014 01:16
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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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dik-dik posted:The Tanz and Mex came in today form Royal Mile/MasterControl. Brewed up a couple cortados with the tanz. Holy poo poo this stuff is good. If you haven't bought this goon's beans yet you're really doing yourself a disservice. While I'm sort of annoyed by the amount of marketing going on for Royal Mile in this thread, I'm curious - can anyone compare Royal Mile to quality vendors such as Blue Bottle, Four Barrel, Stumptown, Ritual, Intelligentsia, etc?
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Sep 20, 2014 22:35
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MasterControl posted:They're all better and out of that list I love four barrel. They've got a great taste for coffee and use shrub coffees sometimes. Counter culture gets great coffee as well and we drink them all the time. You really can't go wrong with any of them to be honest. They're all better as in you like Royal Mile better than all of the mentioned roasters? Sorry, just not sure I'm following what you're saying.
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Oct 2, 2014 05:48
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Crain posted:Anyone seen this thing: Minipresso? It's supposed to be a hand pumped travel espresso maker. However it's in "preorder" now so I don't know if there are any actual reviews that aren't just paid for by the makers. Just from watching the video it looks incredibly awkward to use and like it couldn't possibly produce anything much like espresso. There pressure only builds to a single hand pump's amount, just one press of the pump. Just get an Aeropress.
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Oct 6, 2014 16:35
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One thing I noticed about the Nespresso pods we had at my old office was that they definitely have a shelf life. If you get them pretty fresh, the coffee can be decent, but if they've been purchased in bulk and have been hanging around they're going to taste absolutely terrible. From what I remember, the Rosabaya, Arpeggio, Livanto, and Capriccio pods were least offensive and not awful with a little sugar. Unless of course they were old with off, fishy, rancid flavors.
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Oct 7, 2014 17:36
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Geburan posted:In my youth I had a fairly steady MtDew habit. Over time I managed to get on a normal sleeping schedule and wean myself off caffeine. Then a baby happened. One year in I'm drinking a (small) can of MtDew a day just to get by. I'm a grown adult with a big boy job (thought it is in IT). I would like to transition to something that will kill me less quickly. You might want to start with a phin filter and make Vietnamese coffee. You should be able to spend very little, and with the addition of the sweetened condensed milk you can just use cheap Trung-Nguyen coffee or whatever pre-ground stuff because you're not really going to know the difference. Alternately make cold brewed concentrate and sweeten with sweetened condensed milk. Both of these methods can be done ultra cheap. Not sure how much healthier this is than Mountain Dew, though.
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Oct 15, 2014 09:55
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Huskalator posted:I bought an Aeropress cause it looked cool but it makes coffee that tastes like burned poo. I've tried different time, temp, filters, methods and it all tastes like rear end. What could I be doing wrong? I find that a (relatively) coarse grind works well for Aeropress. It's possible you're over-extracting due to an overly fine grind, or you just have lovely coffee. I use the Stumptown method: http://stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/aeropress/
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Nov 12, 2014 18:12
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Brodeurs Nanny posted:I'm gonna get the whole rig next month, but quick question -- when I pour the water to immerse the beans, I've read a couple sites that say to pour water in the center of the beans and never on the filter, but when I see people make killer pour-overs for me in various coffee shops, they pour water around the filter. What is the best way to pour? They're trying to make it so that you don't create a channel between the coffee and the filter that lets water drain too quickly. Because of the conical shape, if you gently pour into the center you end up with a stopper of sorts of ground coffee that your water will filter through. I find that the more gently you pour with the V60 the better the coffee comes out, especially at first as it's very easy to pour through your coffee as it off-gases despite wetting the grinds to get the initial bloom. I'd strongly encourage you to pick up a cheap plastic Melitta cone and do some side by side taste tests. The Melitta drains more evenly and slowly and is less impacted by pour style because of the smaller holes. I prefer the Hario when I do it right, but for some coffees, particularly when you want more body, I think the Melitta works better.
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Jan 27, 2015 01:31
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What's the word on the best automatic drip machines these days? Last time I checked the Technivorm was pretty much the only thing that pour-over snobs liked, and I'm very much a pour over snob. Has this changed, and are there any better or cheaper quality options now?
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Sep 2, 2015 22:32
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Quidnose posted:Loving my hario and I'm getting better at my pour over technique with it. Went ahead and snagged an Baratza Encore off Amazon thanks to some giftcards and cashback. Excited to actually get my grinds right. I've tried a lot of the brands out here, and here are my thoughts. Note that I like light-roast Ethiopian coffees and the occasional Colombian, and that I've been making my coffee with a pour-over Hario for ages, and sometimes with a Kalita. Always look for the roast date, and don't buy coffees older than five days or so if you're spending a lot of money on beans. Blue Bottle: Quality has really gone down in recent years, used to be consistently superb, now it's consistently roasted coffee made with beans that aren't always anything to write home about. Worth buying if there aren't better options available. Four Barrels: I used to really like Four Barrels, like 6 years ago, but the last couple bags of beans I bought weren't very good. It may have been the way they were stored. Their packaging is really bad, paper bags with no protection for the beans, so unless you can get it where you know it hasn't been hanging around more than a couple of days I don't think it's worth paying the premium. I'd buy it sometimes if I lived near their shop. Ritual: This is my go to brand, very consistent, and they source really great beans. Their African coffees are awesome done via pour over. Definitely very light roast, so if you like a lot of body and roast flavor probably not for you. Equator: Beware the roast-date. Often found at my local markets with roast dates over a month old. If you can get it fresh, I think their Ethiopians are excellent, and very consistent quality. Better prices than Ritual, less transparent sourcing and variety. It can be hard to find fresh Equator beans, and I don't think they do a good job of protecting their brand. Intelligentsia: Darker than I like, and often one dimensional. Do they do a long, slow roast? I don't know. Not a big fan, but it's probably just me. I've definitely had good coffees from them but the last bag I bought was not good, despite being very fresh. Bicycle: Paper bag freshness problems and very limited selection. I'm not a big fan of Guatemalan coffee, and that's what they do. Scarlet City: Dark and somewhat inconsistent roasts. I stopped buying from them because the medium roast they do is on the edge of what I like, and it's not rare for them to roast it darker. Suffers from the paper bags sitting on the shelf, too. Catahoula: Darker than I like, have tried a few times. Nice folks in the Richmond cafe, but coffee might as well have been Peet's. Linea: I've only tried their decaf, but it was amazing. I haven't bought their beans otherwise because I've only seen them at Bi-Rite. Roast Co.: Middling. Wasn't excited about it enough to buy it again but if it's the only fresh thing on the shelf it's worth a shot. Philz: Garbage. Intentionally opaque blends and sourcing, mediocre coffee. If you like cream and sugar it's alright, but it has more in common with Dunkin Donuts coffee than 3rd wave. Highwire: Founded by Peets employees and it really shows. Very dark roasts. I can't stand their coffees.
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Sep 3, 2015 02:58
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Do they do anything other than dark roasts?
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Sep 3, 2015 03:23
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krysmopompas posted:Bi-Rite is overrated and not worth the trip if you're in the easy bay. Between Whole Foods and the Berkeley Bowl, you've actually got some pretty good coverage of everything around here This is tangential to coffee, but while I love the Berkeley Bowl and think it's a big draw to living in Berkeley, their coffee stocking is loving garbage. Stuff is constantly left on the shelf for a month or more. Whole Foods works, but it's Whole Foods. Bi-Rite is a treat to shop at. They have awesome bread options we don't get in the East Bay (Marla Bakery, Della Fattoria) and a vast selection of quality coffees. It's also a pain in the rear end to get to, but totally worth a trip on occasion for ice cream alone. I go to the one at Divisadero and Hayes whenever I get work done on my cello because the luthier is pretty much across the street.
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Sep 4, 2015 07:53
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Quidnose posted:Hey Coffee Thread, has anyone done this? Trip report? If I was going to try something like this - something stupid - I would only use the egg white, a la consomme. Regardless, seems like a tremendous waste of time.
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Sep 7, 2015 01:02
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Ropes4u posted:If you had to pick one for traveling to different locations would you choose the small or large Bee House? It's going to very hard to beat a plastic Melitta unless you're bringing a gooseneck kettle with you on these trips. In my experience, the Melitta is hardest to screw up and easiest to make with any old kettle or water pouring situation. Otherwise look at the Clever Coffee Cupper for a method that will work great with any kettle, or microwaved hot water, or whatever. The Hario and Kalita are too sensitive to pouring method, and the Beehouse or any ceramic doesn't really have any advantage over plastic other than being cute. You could consider a stainless steel Kalita dripper, but I don't see the point.
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Sep 15, 2015 23:08
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Andre Le Fuckface posted:For travelling I'd go for an aeropress just because it's a lot more compact Than a Melitta cone or a Clever Cupper? Not really. It's thinner but longer when put together, sure, but you end up with 4 parts to wash and thoroughly dry after making each cup and it's really best for the rubber if the Aeropress isn't stored compressed which makes it take up a lot more room.
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Sep 16, 2015 16:04
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swimming anime posted:What differences if any are there between a v60 or kalita wave for pourover and a chemex? Other than the filters? Currently own a chemex that fits all of my needs but just curious if there's much of a difference. Well for starters the Chemex has a lot more heat loss, a larger opening (even more than the V60), and pretty bad filter paper. The Kalita drains very quickly but tends to keep more of the coffee in contact with the water than the Hario. Both the Hario and Kalitq require more attention to detail than the Chemex, which is already pretty finicky. The Kalita produces a more crystalline tea-like cup than the Chemex, where the Kalita is more. The direction of a Melitta, with more body than the Chemex given the same grind. I like light bodied coffee, so my favorite of these is the Hario despite the fact that it requires very, very slow pouring. I used to drink Chemex every day but after trying many methods for pour over I think it's one of the worst.
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Oct 18, 2015 23:51
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Sextro posted:Hario pourovers don't have to be slow. That's a pretty good looking Hario method, thanks for the link. The reason I recommended Melitta is because while it's not the best at anything, it's very idiot-proof and will work with almost any pour method due to the single small hole. Plus it's cheap.
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Oct 22, 2015 17:57
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If you have a french press laying around, it works great to microwave the milk in the glass container and then use the plunger to foam the milk. Worth a try before buying any cheap gadget, though it's obviously not as good as a steam wand.
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Nov 15, 2015 23:13
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Do you stir it when brewing, then stir again after adding hot water? Also the inverted method is really best for Aeropress.
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Nov 16, 2015 19:56
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I've seen some "barista" formulations of soy/almond milk around. No idea if they're better or not, but looking at fine dining foams I'm sure there's a way of doing it that'll work.
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Nov 23, 2015 20:43
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Steve Yun posted:Hey if I wanted to make an affogato and don't have an espresso machine, could I take some mason jars to a coffee shop, order a few espressos, put them in the jars and then take them home to serve them on ice cream a few hours later, or am I going to lose something during the few hours it's sitting around This is one of those desserts you only make if you have an espresso machine...
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Dec 17, 2015 00:49
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Mu Zeta posted:I think the Aeropress is an accident waiting to happen if you use the popular inverted method. Pour over is way easier. People always say this and I recall a number of people saying they'd spilled in this thread, but I've made probably a hundred cups without issue using the inverted method and I can't see how a problem would occur with everything set up right and a reasonable amount of care.
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Dec 28, 2015 18:33
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LakeMalcom posted:That's a great idea, except I didn't mention that my current one is a single cup press. I think that large Bodum press looks fine, but you'll probably also want some kind of insulated vessel for serving. Plus, that way you can make ahead and keep hot if you want to make a lot of coffee for guests.
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Jan 7, 2016 06:37
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My Bonavita kettle has been going strong for years, pre ordered when they were first introduced. Your either very unlucky or doing something that's putting excess wear on it. Try contacting the company for a warranty replacement. The only other I know of is the Hario.
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Mar 5, 2016 17:33
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dik-dik posted:Any of y'all used Joco or Keepcup mugs? Looking for something I can use to drink my caps from on the way to work. I was given a Joco mug for Christmas, and I like it a lot. Doesn't hold heat, which is a plus for me, and is very easy to clean. I don't know that I would buy one though over something like a Lifefactory glass bottle or something else with a seal. The top of the Joco is good enough to prevent anything from sloshing out, and has a more pleasant feel to drink from than most travel mugs, but it definitely won't prevent spills if dropped, knocked, etc.
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Mar 21, 2016 17:38
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Cobblers posted:Thanks, yeah it's a blade grinder as well, which seems to give a really inconsistent grind unless you keep going until it's too fine. I'll have a look at some of the ceramic burr hand grinders that have been recommended here. In the meantime just make pour over. French press is among the most finicky method where grind is concerned.
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Apr 7, 2016 23:01
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Can you compare it to the Hario hand grinders? How long does it take to grinds enough for a cup of pour over?
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Jun 16, 2016 04:13
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Thanks guys. Think it's a worthy upgrade over my Baratza Maestro/Hario Slim? Sounds like it's much more consistent, but I'm not sure it's worth it for pour over.
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Jun 16, 2016 19:40
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Just buy a non-coffee-specific kitchen scale. Any scale that deals with liquids but can't handle being spilled on... Why???
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Jul 4, 2016 03:47
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Just got a Bonavita 1900TS and while it makes great coffee the carafe design is the worst I've ever seen. It's impossible to get the last bit of coffee/water out of it no matter how much you invert and shake it. Renders it basically unclean able. Back to Costco it goes...
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Aug 17, 2016 23:56
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