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calandryll posted:I did the same thing, I'm going to be upgrading one of these days. Right now it works for me but I really need something better. If you're not making espresso, you don't really have to. If you're currently using pre-ground coffee, the best thing you can do is buy whole beans and grind them yourself. If that's with a whirly-blade, then so be it, you're still making a huge step. But yes, this will make a very inconsistent grind that's best used with a paper filter lest you get sludge. "Better" coffee is not a $70 grinder entry-barrier away. A $9 whirly blade and pourover setup with fresh beans will still put you on the right track, head and shoulders above where you were. And when you have the bug and upgrade to a burr grinder, you now have what every kitchen needs anyway - a
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Sep 21, 2011 16:44
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Happy Pizza Guy posted:I'll admit to not having used one personally, but the general consensus I've seen is that the Rancilio Silvia is pretty much top tier for the price. Especially if you're interested in hacking it for better temperature control. There's quite a community built up around it. This. I have one and it doesn't even need to be PID'd to make great shots if you're willing to cajole it with some temp surfing and the like.
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Oct 9, 2011 00:00
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rockcity posted:Does anyone have any home roaster recommendations? I've done a couple batches via the hot air popcorn popper method, but my popper got knocked off of the counter and broke and I was thinking about going to an actual roaster. From a quick skim of the few affordable options (sub $200) it seems like the FreshRoast SR500 is the best viewed option. Does anyone have any experience with it or anything else in that price range? I have an i-Roast 2 and love it. It has a higher capacity than the SR500 and has very good profile storage capabilities. It also reportedly moves air better than the SR500 and is not prone to scorched beans / uneven roasts at all. As a sub-$200 roaster, I can't recommend this one enough.
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Nov 9, 2011 17:13
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You're probably doing it way too hot. The water shouldn't be BOILING up out of the perk - it should be just cresting it and flowing gently into the upper chamber. You can do this with low heat and patience, or higher heat while managing the pot manually putting it on/off the heat as the coffee rises. Personally I found the sweet spot on the stove where I don't have to micro-manage it. You will too. The only problem is it takes 20-25 minutes to brew a pot. 'Course for me today a moka pot is just to bring camping - I'm too lazy to use it for day-to-day anymore.
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Nov 10, 2011 14:40
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It makes espresso, dispenses hot water, and steams... That's about as bare-bones as it gets. Any idea what exactly the grinder is? e: Aaaand too slow.
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Nov 21, 2011 18:54
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Follow it up with some discardable coffee too before putting good stuff through. (I think the visual of someone putting cooked rice through a grinder is what's going to get me through today - thanks for that!)
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Nov 23, 2011 14:39
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If I'm not mistaken it has several more grind setting steps also. I agree with talking yourself into an upgrade tho.
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Nov 24, 2011 02:40
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You need ventilation... your hood fan MAY be enough (assuming it's not just blowing back into the apartment through a filter). Roasting produces smoke that you can't always see - if you're not ventilated you WILL set off alarms. You should keep a fire extinguisher near by just in case - you should have one of these in your kitchen ANYway. That said, go nuts - you've probably burnt toast that produced more noxious smoke than you'll get trying out a few roasting batches.
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Nov 29, 2011 18:11
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Doh004 posted:In terms of storing the beans, would an airtight ziplock bag be sufficient, or should I go buy one of those glass canisters with the tightened clasp tops? Coffee storage is a contentious question... but the variables that affect the beans are not: oxygen, moisture, and light (and temperature - don't use the fridge/freezer/the sun). Store in a dry dark place as air tight as possible, and you will be fine. Make sure your beans aren't going into a sealed container with any heat to avoid condensation. ie: a zip-top bag should be fine by my estimation Freshly roasted beans also need about 24hrs to 'de-gas'. I usually just leave my jar open until the next morning, and seal it then.
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Nov 29, 2011 21:31
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Doh004 posted:I do not have any outdoor space at all. I think if I start off with smaller batches and, with a good amount of air movement with my fans, I should be alright. (unless you guys believe otherwise) Unless you want an excuse to buy a toy, just guess. Listen for the cracks & watch the colour closely, and constantly agitate. Save your money for the roaster you're inevitably going to buy now that you've started down the road.
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Nov 30, 2011 18:49
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mattdev posted:I wouldn't even bother if they're using pre-ground. It's probably the wrong grind for espresso anyway. Yeah, why not spring for some really nice normal coffee gadgetry instead? Chemex brewer is a very attractive device, or a vac pot, or a Technivorm drip brewer with a thermal carafe would be a great buy. edit: or all 3 and you're still well under $600 
lags fucked around with this message at 19:56 on Dec 1, 2011 |
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Dec 1, 2011 16:29
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rockcity posted:A grinder is what you really want more than the method of brewing. Yeah I agree but I got the impression that they weren't willing to change the actual coffee source. Otherwise I agree.
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Dec 2, 2011 03:18
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Try finer, yes. But maybe also try brewing it French press style (coarse ish) in a separate container, and filtering it into your cup. My reasoning is this should identify if "watery" is just lack of body that you're used to in espresso or your pour over method.
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Dec 21, 2011 10:59
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seravid posted:Good idea, I'll take a look at those. By all means buy more stuff! But for the record I just meant brew the grounds & water in a separate cup and filter into your other using your current pourover filter thingamawhatchit. Sounds like you're making progress in the right direction anyway though.
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Dec 21, 2011 18:30
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It is never worth buying pre-ground coffee. Ever. Unless the only alternative is no coffee.
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Jan 4, 2012 12:22
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30 Goddamned Dicks posted:Also I add sugar and cream to my coffee and that means I'm automatically a heretic. You loving MONSTER! But yes, and I haven't checked but if it isn't, this should be in the OP: Expensive quality burr > cheapy any burr > blade > pre ground As greatly as the grind impacts the quality of your coffee, freshness is as if not more important. Freshly roasted coffee goes stale in a week. Pre ground in a matter of hours if not, yes, minutes. I used a blade grinder for years, because it was all I could afford. There are certain techniques you can use to maximize the evenness of the grind, but for moka pot, basically pres butan and shake the hell out of it for longer than you think you should. Grab a pinch from the grinder - you'll get a feel for what the right grind level is. Before you change the method of your brew, as suggested above, change your grinder.
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Jan 11, 2012 23:38
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It's been a long time since coffee storage was ACTUALLY a point of contention. It is now generally agreed that you should store your coffee at room temperature or slightly cooler, in a sealed container, in a dry dark place. A jar in the cupboard is perfectly acceptable. The vacuum container above is a great idea if you feel a need to spend money, otherwise strikes me as a bit overboard.
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Jan 13, 2012 17:36
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Nah it'll keep it fresher longer since you're minimizing the beans' contact with oxygen, and if I didn't already have 637 sealable containers ready-to-hand in my home, I would probably buy one, or maybe if I didn't roast-to-order about half a week's worth at a time I would consider it. I do like your spergy coffee geek reason though.
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Jan 13, 2012 18:06
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Long-term storage yes, but not if you're opening the jar & taking coffee out of it, and putting it back into the freezer. So if you absolutely must buy 1+ month's worth of coffee at a time, portion it out into week-sized batches & freeze it sure. Take out batches as you need them and do not re-freeze. A deep freeze would be best, and in the door of your freezer would be the worst.
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Jan 13, 2012 20:57
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How long ago was your coffee roasted?
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Feb 21, 2012 22:05
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Tastes are subjective, quality is not. People accuse "elitism". No. People who know what the gently caress they're talking about are trying to prevent you from throwing good money after poo poo equipment. The reason people tell others not to get a steam toy isn't because they're being "elitist you have to spend $1500 on a machine", it is because it's not espresso. It's $100-150 on a machine that produces oily, terrible, burnt-tasting dreck. For a $50 investment and some knowledge of where to purchase quality (read: primarily fresh) beans, you can make good coffee for very little money. Do you want good consistent "strong" coffee similar (but many degrees better) than your toy Mr Coffee machine and its ilk? Spend $25 on a moka pot. Full bodied coffee? Press pot. $25 Pourover coffee? CCD/Hario. $20-ish. The bottom line is, you cannot make consistent, good espresso for very little money. You CAN get a quality grinder suitable for espresso for less than $400 - people are chomping at the bit to tell others how and make recommendations. And then you waltz in and suggest authoritatively that your $100 Capresso is good enough. It is not. Good espresso is sweet. It's rich. It has nuance of flavour. It is never burnt tasting, bitter, or oily. It has crema you can float a dime on (ok that's maybe a bit much). The secret to achieving that result is consistency in pressure, temperature, and grind. You get those things by having quality equipment, and good technique. The problem with those lite espresso machines like the Gaggia (and to a good degree the Silvia) is that you need to use technique to compensate for the equipment's shortcomings - ie: you already need to know how to make good espresso in order to make good espresso. With a machine you're recommending to absolute beginners. Okay fine you want to spend hours of trial and error to figure that out go nuts that's your perogative; but you're going to spend a good chunk of what you could have spent blowing through beans. You cannot compensate for an inconsistent grind with technique however, which is why people who know what they're talking about shout from the treetops about grinders; and also why they get "elitist" when people like you suggest "oh hey ignore those years of experience and expertise this $100 poorly made piece of poo poo is good enough guys it's CERAMIC". I'm not mad, I'm not elitist, but I'd be equally vocal if someone asked how to make great macaroni and cheese and people got shot down for their recipes because hey spending money on all that real cheese and milk is elitist you can spend $0.99 on this awesome product by this Kraft company guys.
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Feb 24, 2012 18:43
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God that thing is pretty (the Elektra)
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May 11, 2012 18:10
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The answer is yes. (Just brew your favourite coffee - it will taste different (arguably/subjectively better) in your Chemex.
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Jun 14, 2012 18:45
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nosleep posted:Anyone have an Encore or have any insight or advice? I don't have an Encore, but I do have advice: get the best you can afford. Grinders (should) last a very long time, and if you do upgrade your Delonghi, you won't have to play catchup again with the grinder. That being said, the Encore is getting some positive reviews...
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Jun 15, 2012 14:32
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Doh004 posted:What types of coffee benefit from a french press? Yes. (The implication being that a french press will bring out qualities like depth and mouthfeel for all types of coffee, so all of your favourite coffees will "benefit" from it) lags fucked around with this message at 18:17 on Jul 16, 2012 |
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Jul 16, 2012 18:15
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Except that defeats a huge purpose of cold brewing which is the mild acidity caused by not extracting at temp. Just brew a pot of coffee and put it in the fridge at that point (which I often also do).
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Aug 16, 2012 04:38
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Bob_McBob posted:Well, that's one way of looking at it, especially if you buy into Toddy marketing. I make cold brew because I like delicious iced coffee. There are a number of ways to accomplish this (toddy concentrate, hot bloom cold brew, brewing over ice, etc.), and all of them have their pluses and minuses in terms of the sort of flavour you get. Sticking a jug of regular brewed coffee in the fridge to cool down is somewhere at the bottom of the list, slightly above mixing some instant coffee crystals with ice water. I'd never heard of "Toddy" before until just now - I'm honestly not sure where I got the assertion that cold brew makes a less acidic, but years of alt.coffee and subsequent message boards (after the NG turned to poo poo) and various industry literature has muddied my brain waters with more coffee information than anyone needs, so it was in there somewhere. Is it 100% true? I thought so, but I wouldn't go to the mat over it. Iced coffee for me gets milk/cream and simple syrup, (and often plenty of irish cream or kahlua or rum) so that, combined with the cold temp obscures flavour nuances that whichever brew technique may develop anyway, so I don't see much reason to get very persnickety over how I make it. Typically, all summer long, I keep a pitcher in the fridge that I dump leftover coffee from whatever brew method I use that morning, be it drip, chemex, or french press. I empty it & start over more or less weekly. That gets mixed with cream & simple syrup since it's already dilute coffee. Occasionally, as my roasted beans begin to stale, before I make a new batch, I'll take what's left to make a cold brew concentrate and keep that in the fridge. This gets milk to dilute and a titch of simple syrup, since, I agree it tastes significantly better. It's also what I'll use to make coffee iced cream. All that was a long road to tell you that I promise you, sir, they are all delicious, and none of my methods remotely approach the end of the spectrum containing instant. Good day! 
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Aug 16, 2012 20:16
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Bob_McBob posted:Any Hottop owners in the thread? There is a brand new drop-in solution for software monitoring and full control of roasting over a USB interface This is amazing, and now I want to crush my iRoast2 with a steamroller 
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Sep 7, 2012 16:08
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^^ "milk pods" . . . MILK PODS!!  I sometimes drink Starbucks, simply because often it's the best that's around, and it beats snot out of Tim Hortons, but it's really more of a overall disdain than hate, for any number of the following reasons: They *heavily* over-roast their beans They make claims about "gourmet" when they are little better than the equivalent of upscale fast-food They eschew quality, preferring consistency With the advent of superautos everywhere, training and knowledge of coffee-making methods is no longer a requirement of a "barista" They still call themselves "baristas" They charge 6$ for a warm milk beverage incidentally containing some miniscule amount of espresso. Coffee can be as complicated and in-depth as you're willing to make it, and calling a Starbucks milk jockey a "barista" is like calling a McDonalds fry guy a chef. They may have helped kick off the recent upswing of coffee qualify and opened up market share for craft roasters, but more and more they are moving in the direction of re-diluting the field, and they are such a monster, that their moves cause large ripples in the industry. Eh I reckon that'll do for now... lags fucked around with this message at 20:46 on Oct 15, 2012 |
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Oct 15, 2012 20:43
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nm posted:You could be crazy and buy this stuff: http://www.amazon.com/Grindz-Tablets-Single-Grinder-Cleaner/dp/B0027DVML4 AKA: rice. No I don't think that's what it is, but I've used it to good effect, just run 1/3 cup or so of beans through afterwards to discard, and continue. I typically find a brush to be more than enough though.
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Oct 22, 2012 14:25
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Wouldn't needing to preheat the basket preclude that?
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Dec 10, 2012 15:37
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mich posted:Anyone know of a Sweet Maria's sort of webstore based in Canada? https://www.greenbeanery.ca
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Feb 26, 2013 14:52
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I use this recipe for coffee iced cream and it makes very good iced cream. http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/coffee_ice_cream/ I only use 3/4 cup of beans though, but I smash them with a rolling pin in a ziplock before using - this is my patented Mathematically Precice Half Volume Double Surface Area method because I am cheap.
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Aug 16, 2013 16:43
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Seriously I doubt s/he is allowed to do that. What the hell would incite them to "ban" it in the first place. 15 minutes of light smoky smell is hardly offensive. I blast my neighbours with hours of BBQ smoke every day of the weekend all summer and one rack of ribs once a year is enough for their only reaction to be: "smelling good over there!" Maybe invite them to sample the fruits of your labour.
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Sep 25, 2013 12:20
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Keeper Garrett posted:Any use for a grinder like that? It's excellent for weed and spices. It's terrible for coffee.
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Dec 5, 2013 12:08
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