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Residency Evil posted:I know this is the equivalent of asking "where should I get pizza in New York," but do you guys have any favorite coffee places in SF near Moscone? My favorite coffee place in SF is Ritual.
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Jan 15, 2012 18:39
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magnetic posted:I had all but given up on great coffee then I moved back to Belligham, and found a great little coffee place. Onyx Coffee Bar? Gotta be Onyx. Such a cool space!
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Feb 20, 2012 07:08
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I think all of you guys are right. Everyone has to start somewhere. I have a decent setup (Gaggia Classic + Baratza Vario) and it's not the end all but I regularly make great drinks, and infrequently exceptional ones. It's good enough for me to use at home, but I realize its limitations. It doesn't compare to the La Marzocco at work, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy it! I say use and enjoy what you have until you begin to notice what the next level up will get you, then get that when you can afford it. Other than that my biggest recommendation is to find an amazing roaster, and have them serve you an espresso at their shop. Then buy the beans they used, go home, and try to pull the same thing there. That will quickly show you the shortcomings in both your equipment and technique. I'm fortunate to live in Portland which has some of the best roasters in the country (Coava, Heart, Extracto, Stumptown), but I'm sure there are some good spots in most major cities. My other recommendation is to bypass espresso completely and get a Chemex + Coava Kone + Bonavita + best Baratza grinder you can afford. It's way cheaper and easier to make great coffee at home than espresso, and the results from that setup are exceptional.
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Feb 25, 2012 02:48
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Steve Yun posted:Anyone tried Handsome Coffee in LA? Haven't been there but ordered espresso when it was first available. It reminded me of Stumptown's espresso blend in that it was good but not memorable. But I keep hearing great things! Hoping to try some more of their stuff soon... they're basically a barista dream team.
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Apr 2, 2012 17:32
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Two things: Got a Breville BDB a few weeks back and I'm loving it. Consistant shots, quick warm-up, thoughtful design. Only gripe so far is I wish that the portafilter would retain heat better. That won't matter as much eventually as I plan to get a naked portafilter. Also worried about long-term durability, but so far so good. Worth consideration if you're looking to spend around $1,000. Secondly, if anyone in the Portland, OR area (or elsewhere, I suppose, though I'd rather not ship) is looking to get into espresso, I'm selling my Gaggia Classic. It's a great machine that's 2.5 years old, and it has been faithfully cleaned, backflushed, and descaled. Willing to let it go for cheap cheap cheap. Let me know if you're interested!
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Jun 13, 2012 03:09
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A bit of a plug here, as I work for the company, but there's only three days left to preorder the Able Kone and/or Brewing System (for a reduced price!) on Kickstarter. I've had coffee from the new Kone and have nothing but good things to say -- though I've always been a fan of the Kone and own the first and second iterations. Definitely worth checking out if you're into pourover! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/333965871/kone-coffee-filter-brewing-system?ref=home_location https://www.ablebrewing.com   
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Jun 26, 2012 22:11
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nm posted:Sorry, $45 is like a lifetime supply of the good filters. Yeah man, I totally get that. For me, I really prefer the cup that the Kone produces (more oils + body in my experience). Others will prefer a paper filter and that's totally cool!
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Jun 27, 2012 07:32
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Furious Lobster posted:If one already owns a Chemex, would you recommend the Brewing System as well? I'm interested in the filter but am hesitant about this alternative. The Brewing System + Kone will taste the same as the Chemex + Kone. The main advantages to the Brewing System in my mind are heat retention, ease of cleaning, and aesthetics (though the Chemex is a beautiful design as well).
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Jun 27, 2012 07:39
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swagger like us posted:Alright bare with me, I feel stupid for saying this but this thought occured to me. Has anyone ever made a true automatic pour over? I realize first off, a pour over's main advantage is the control you have over pour, temperature, pacing etc. but has anyone ever made a basic automatic boiler, that pours at the perfect and amount, as well as slightly pouring in circles in to the center of a cone style pour over? I frequently have coffee from this coffee maker: http://www.clivecoffee.com/product/bonavita_glass_coffee_maker.html Except I replace the carafe and filter with this: http://ablebrewing.com/collections/products/#kone-coffee-filter And this: http://ablebrewing.com/collections/products/#chemex-coffee-maker And it's awesome.
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Aug 5, 2012 23:30
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Re: Starbucks talk. I think Starbucks coffee is gross, but I get why people like it, and I think it works in their sweetened drinks. I'm a big fan of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, which is basically hot pumpkin sugar-milk with a dash of bitter espresso to balance the sweetness. It sounds wrong, but it works. And, if I was forced to, I'd be fine with drinking their grossly over roasted drip coffee with cream and sugar. Not because I like the coffee, but because the balance of bitter and sweet works. Their coffee is awful, but their drinks work and are eminently repeatable. If I want good tasting coffee, though, Starbucks is near the last place I'd go. When you go to Starbucks the only thing you taste is the roast, which tastes terrible. Except for their Blonde coffees, I guess, which, while not burnt, are overwhelmingly, disgustingly boring.
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Oct 15, 2012 22:51
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Steve Yun posted:Good places to buy coffee, beans in the SF Bay Area? Sightglass, De La Paz, and Ritual are all good. Verve is in Santa Cruz and is also good.
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Nov 16, 2012 06:41
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Anyone need any coffee brewing equipment? The company I work for (Able Brewing) is having a Black Friday sale! Get 20% off your order on November 23 with the coupon code: THANKS
grahm fucked around with this message at 17:48 on Nov 22, 2012 |
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Nov 22, 2012 04:54
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Hauki posted:Maybe I'm missing something here, but I've gone through the checkout process up to the point of confirmation three times now and can't find anywhere to even enter a coupon code. Sorry, I should have been more clear. The code will only work on Black Friday (November 23). EDIT: Code is live now. grahm fucked around with this message at 20:00 on Nov 22, 2012 |
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Nov 22, 2012 17:48
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I'm selling some coffee equipment (incuding a Vario grinder and Hario kettle) over in SAmart. Check it out: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3523046
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Dec 16, 2012 02:53
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Trying out a prototype of a cool hand grinder right now, for anyone interested in that sort of thing: the Comandante C40. It can hold and grind 40g of coffee officially (up to 45g in my tests), has titanium burrs (with steel and ceramic options), is made in Germany, and oozes quality. It has a little notch system for adjusting grind size, which makes dialing it in easier (than the alternative of turning an unmarked dial with no frame of reference). We'll be selling them at https://www.ablebrewing.com once they're available, along with the smaller C20 grinder. Pretty cool stuff!
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Apr 17, 2013 00:05
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ded posted:I'm looking to get an electric drip machine so I don't have to make a ton of coffee by hand with my aeropress when people come over to my house. I'm debating between a Technivorm and Bonavita. Other than the obvious price difference how is one better than the other? Also what is a good permanent filter to use for either of them? Bonavita + Kone + Chemex is a pretty great combo. It's what I use whenever I have to make coffee for a bunch of people.
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Apr 25, 2013 07:47
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polpotpotpotpotpot posted:How much sediment do you get through a Kone? A lot of it depends on your pouring technique and your grinder. Using it with the Bonavita coffee maker and a Virtuoso, there aren't too many fines. That's because the Virtuoso is a great grinder, and the Bonavita does a very controlled, slow drip -- and because I let the fines settle at the bottom of the Chemex before I pour my cup. If you use a bad grinder and slam water into the coffee bed, you'll see a lot more fines.
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Apr 26, 2013 03:10
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I was in San Francisco recently, and the best cup I had was at Wrecking Ball. Sightglass and Fourbarrel are also great. Ritual is okay if you like super light roasted coffee. Timeless Coffee in Oakland is great as well.
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May 14, 2013 07:00
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Fino Martini posted:If you enjoy the dry process yirg, it's very likely that you'll love other natural/dry processed coffees. Drinking natural's is an unforgettable experience at first because of the huge ferment/fruit bomb flavor they can give you. I'd also reccomend buying a natural Ethiopian from another roaster to compare yourself to, and then try a washed Ethiopian to see the other side of the coin. Heart's Ethiopia Chelba is the best Ethiopian coffee I've had yet this season. Heart's Chelba is amazing. That, Roseline's washed Konga, and Grumpy's Idido are the three best coffees I've had in the past few months. grahm fucked around with this message at 22:04 on Jun 30, 2013 |
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Jun 30, 2013 22:01
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frenchnewwave posted:Was thinking of buying some beans from Grumpy in NYC. Has anyone ever tried it? Yeah! Get the Idido!
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Jul 30, 2013 02:07
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Boris Galerkin posted:Now I'm in Portland. Any suggestions for cafés/roasters? I'd suggest Heart for drip coffee or straight espresso, any of the Baristas for espresso or espresso + milk drinks, and Coava for anything. The NE Alberta Barista is the best Barista location to sit down and get work done. Ristretto's coffee is so-so in my book, but their locations are rad. They just opened a new shop on Couch St. which has an Alpha Dominiche Steampunk (the only one in Portland). Their Schoolhouse Electric location is also awesome. If you really want to mix things up, check out The Arbor Lodge in NE or Either/Or in Sellwood, both of which serve Roseline, which is my favorite Portland roaster right now. Either/Or is better, and also serves Heart, but it's probably the furthest place away from you. Another good spot to check out is Clive Coffee, which is an espresso machine and brewing equipment showroom (the only one in Portland... maybe on the West Coast?). Water Avenue coffee is right next door, and it's okay. Coava is also only 7-8 blocks away.
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Oct 10, 2013 18:50
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marmot25 posted:I picked up a glass-handled Chemex. I like carrying around my little jug of coffee around the house in the morning now. It's okay. I mean, it's probably the best widely-available timer+scale combo for your $$, but the buttons have no tactile or audible feedback, the screen is small, and the timer and scale readouts both look the same. It's fine for making your morning coffee, but if you're going to be using it a ton it would probably be frustrating. But all scales suck, and at least this one has a timer built in, so you could definitely do worse.
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Oct 24, 2013 06:14
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Mu Zeta posted:I planned on buying some of their beans but from what I've read it's roasted by Ritual, so it's pretty much going to be the same stuff in different packaging right? The Honduras Las Nieves rules -- one of my favorite coffees I've had this year.
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Oct 25, 2013 06:55
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Who Dat posted:Should I just splurge a little and get a Bonavita drip? I'm selling my Bonavita if you end up wanting to go that route. I bought it just under a year ago and used it maybe 50 times. The thermal carafe that it comes with is brand new, as I used a Chemex + Kone instead. Let me know if you're interested!
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Dec 23, 2013 07:55
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Anyone in this thread want a sweet Hario V60 setup? I just moved to a new apartment and I have way too much coffee stuff and way too little space. Includes a Buono kettle, a glass V60, and probably 60-70 V60 filters. Does not include an Apple router. $60 shipped for everything! 
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Dec 29, 2013 23:22
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Hauki posted:gently caress, I want that although my girlfriend would definitely argue that I have way too many different ways to brew coffee already. Mostly I just want a new kettle though. Yep! there's no email address here grahm fucked around with this message at 03:07 on Dec 30, 2013 |
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Dec 29, 2013 23:42
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Boris Galerkin posted:I can't find their locations on their website but the one I went to only did espresso drinks and pre-made coffee. Their East Burnside location does it; their downtown location (the one you must've went to) does not. That said, in my opinion the best cup of coffee at Heart is straight from the Fetco. They dial those things in. Reliably the best cup of coffee in Portland if you ask me.
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Jan 3, 2014 07:43
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becoming posted:I've been loving around with the Chemex that I bought for my wife for Christmas The Intelligenstia beans are going to rock your world. Because Starbucks coffee is roasted so dark, the oils and fines are probably clogging your filter, leading to the slow drawdown and your need to use a really coarse grind. When the Intelligentisa arrives, a good starting point is a 3:30 brew with your same ratio and the Virtuoso set to 22ish. Pour ~100g water, let it bloom until ~45 seconds or until it stops bubbling, then pour the rest and end between 3:00-3:30. The drawdown should take between 15-45 seconds after that.
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Jan 7, 2014 03:12
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mr. yolk posted:Well that's a little disconcerting. I thought the Vario was a good all-around grinder... I don't make drip and I don't think I ever will. It'll either be pour-over, Aeropress, or espresso for me... aren't those all *relatively* fine grinds? I know my Aeropress works best with a fairly fine grind, about the size of table salt granules. The Vario is good but not great for drip, and like someone else said, it's a pain to change settings from espresso to drip and back. For pour over I would recommend the Kalita Wave over the V60. The V60 is cheaper, but in my experience it's easier to get better results on the Kalita.
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Feb 24, 2014 01:18
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Boris Galerkin posted:Is there a noticeable taste difference between the V60 and Kalita Wave? I would imagine the difference would just come from the filters… Yes, but I don't think either done well tastes objectively better than the other. The filters, bed geometry (flat-bottom vs cone), resistance that the holes provide (water flows through faster in the V60 than the Kalita), and grind (finer for V60 than Kalita), all make a difference. Both make great coffee, but the Kalita is easier to use. More expensive, though  .
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Mar 3, 2014 04:48
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becoming posted:Anyone have any experience with the Fino kettle? I've got a friend's birthday coming up, and I'd like to get him set up with a fairly inexpensive pour-over rig. He's currently doing CCD so he's got the basics: hot water source, scale, grinder. I'd like to spend less than $50 on the kettle. If need be, I'll just get him a Buono, but I'm reading some good things about the Fino too. Thoughts? It's nice. Slightly slower flow rate than the Bonavita and Hario, and it looks better too.
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Apr 8, 2014 01:12
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dik-dik posted:For those of you brewing with the wave: Here's what I do! For the 185: 28g coffee 420g water 70-80g water in the first 10 seconds Resume pouring at 30-35 seconds Do circular pours, pausing every 30-50 grams (the first few will be bigger... my first pour after the bloom is usually ~100g itself). Don't fill to the top but also don't let the coffee bed start to show. Try to maintain a relatively even amount of water. Use the water to integrate high and dry grounds Reach 420g at 2:15 Dripping should end around 2:45 This is all with a grind setting of 21-25 on a Virtuoso.
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Apr 25, 2014 02:01
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Brodeurs Nanny posted:I was doing that too. My cups are never as good as they should be, and I've played around with grind. Not sure why, obviously it's all fresh coffee, I do the process right, I time 3:30 and then let it filter from there. Sometimes it can be good but I feel like it's not as bright/sweet/flavor-defined as it is when I have cups at work. Are you using different water at home?
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May 2, 2014 23:10
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Brodeurs Nanny posted:It's filtered but that might be part of it. Yeah water is a big deal (over 98% of a cup of coffee is water!). That's the first thing I check if a coffee tastes boring.
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May 2, 2014 23:21
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For all of you kettle people: this kettle rules. Control is as good as the Takahiro, but it has a better handle and is way cheaper. I've made about a million cups of coffee with it and have yet to find anything better. The fact that it's only $45 is icing on the cake. http://ablebrewing.com/collections/products/#level-pour-over-kettle-narrow-spout
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May 23, 2014 19:24
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becoming posted:Have you seen a larger one? I haven't. dik-dik posted:Any comparison to the wave kettle? I haven't used the wave, sorry! Mu Zeta posted:It looks like the Fino Kettle which Able used to sell It's actually pretty different than the Fino! More controlled pour rate and better balance. Also the lid stays on better! I have a few Finos and like them, but this one is even better (especially for a brew method that requires a really slow and controlled pour, like the Kone).
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May 24, 2014 02:28
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DoBoMi posted:Thank you for your answers! This is the best taste/value compromise for home drip makers, in my opinion: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005YQZNO8/ref=pd_aw_sbs_1?pi=SY115
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Jun 26, 2014 18:26
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Getting rid of coffee equipment I don't use or have multiples of. Let me know if you want it! - New version Aeropress (brand new) - 6-cup Chemex (like new) - Able Kone (like new) - Able Heat Lid (like new) - Level Kettle (small crack on handle, otherwise good shape) - Bonavita 0.5 L Travel Kettle (some light spotting inside, works great)
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Jul 21, 2014 00:23
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porktree posted:How much for the Aeropress and the Chemex? Shipped to KC? I could do $65 shipped (shipping is a little more for me because I want to insure the Chemex because they're fragile). ALSO: I've posted thread in SA-mart with all of this stuff, in order to keep discussion out of this thread. I also added some Able shirts, a Kone Brewing System, and a Comandante hand grinder. Check it out if you're interested! http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3652418
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Jul 22, 2014 04:07
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Mu Zeta posted:I find fresher roasted coffee (like a day old) shouldn't be tamped very much. For what it's worth, as espresso you'll probably have the best luck with coffee that is 7-12 days past roast. Freshly roasted coffee does strange things when hit with that much pressure.
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Aug 2, 2014 20:57
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