Coffee: we drink it or we get angry.

Discussion in 'Food and Drink' started by Jeb, Jan 16, 2016.

  1. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    I just ordered the previous Bonavita model, now discontinued. Found a seller with a few left. Also decided to try the Kalita Wave 155 Tsubame edition.
     
  2. bilboda

    bilboda Florida boomer

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  3. Kernel Kurtz

    Kernel Kurtz Friend

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    Back when I drank espresso regularly I did some research on the best water to use, as well as how it affects scaling. Our municipal water utility publishes detailed test results regularly and is actually quite good, so that is what I use, but if you are interested in more detail here are a couple links I found most informative;

    Jim Schulman's Insanely Long Water FAQ

    http://users.rcn.com/erics/Water Quality/Water FAQ.pdf

    Water for coffee extraction: Composition, recommendations and treatments

    http://scae.com/images/pdfs/AST-LIVE-2016/Water-Composition-for-Coffee.pdf
     
  4. Skyline

    Skyline Double-blindly done with this hobby

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    This is not at ALL what my post was about, but good info all the same.

    Thanks. ;)
     
  5. Kernel Kurtz

    Kernel Kurtz Friend

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    I knew that. I frequently go off on tangents :rolleyes:
     
  6. dark_energy

    dark_energy Friend

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    Last edited: Feb 13, 2019
  7. supertransformingdhruv

    supertransformingdhruv Almost "Made"

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  8. westermac

    westermac Friend

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    I bought one awhile back (1st gen, not the newer model) with the intention of keeping it, and coming from a semi-auto machine having the added control of pressure profiling with the lever was fun, but ultimately I found myself missing the convenience of my machine.

    It was very well made and I was able to get some great results out of it with a bit of practice, but the added steps involved in preheating the cylinders and subsequent breakdown/clean up were just too fiddly for me when I just wanted to pull a quick double and get back to work (which brings up another factor, the capacity).

    For the right person it would be a great setup to have, just wasn't for me.
     
  9. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    I haven't been keeping up with this thread, because most of the talk was about roasters I would never order from since I live on the other side of the Pacific from most of you. But I thought I'd share some info about my new grinder. Searching for "single dosing" here, I found this to be the moistest setup:
    Looks like Kafatek has newer models now, but if this article is correct, I believe it cost around $2k, well out of my price range.

    I was single dosing before I knew that's what it was called, as I only pull two shots each day on the weekends and didn't want to leave beans in the hopper. I'd been using a hand-me-down 15+ yo hopperless Rocky that had pretty bad grind retention and was a pain to clean out due to the shape of the chute. It was about time to replace the burrs, so I thought I'd see what upgrade options were available.

    This is where I found the most useful info about single dosing and current suitable grinders:
    https://clivecoffee.com/blogs/learn/what-is-single-dosing

    I almost went with the Baratza, but reports of breakdowns and cheap parts led me to the next one up on Clive's list, the Eureka Mignon Specialità. I'm really happy with the performance and there's very low retention, especially if you lean it back and "thunk" it down so what's left in the chute falls out (I realize this might not be great for the grinder, but I've been doing it for years with the Rocky w/o issues, and the Specialità feels rock solid). The stepless adjustment dial has a nice firm feel and it grinds fairly quietly as advertised.

    The hopper is rather clunky and has a ridiculous square lid that's really hard to get off. I'd seen this lens hood filter mod,

    ... cbf'd to try and find one the right size. But I had a pill bottle I cut the bottom off that almost fit and was able to taper it using some pliers. There's a bump in the neck to force the hopper to only go in one way, so you have to make a dent in the bottle to allow it to fit properly. A blind basket makes a handy cover to prevent popcorning.

    Before decapitation
    20190423_212057.jpg

    Here's some gratuitous espresso pr0n of a pull from an also 15+ yo hand-me-down Sylvia.


    *Edited for grammar
     
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2019
  10. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    A bit of rant, sorry.

    My house mate bought Philips EP 3100-series. He got a big discount on it. It is a partially plastic housed all-in-one coffee maker for the consumer who want to feel complete with a loud coffee machine to impress others. I would not recommend it.

    [​IMG]

    Within 2 weeks it already ran into issues. The third biggest issue of this machine is that the manual does not address all issues and you cannot take out the coffee grinder to clean it. The second biggest issue is that the brewer that makes the coffee is an integrated complex component made of durable plastic with all kinds of entrapments including flaps and springs that can get loose because it is complicated for the sake of being complicated.

    The biggest issue is water. The left part of this machine is devoted to the water supply. The right part is devoted to the grinder and the coffee brewer. The grinder is so sensitive to moist that it can easily malfunction but water can easy get to it because ventilation holes allow for damp and small drops to access it.

    After trying to clean it and fix it together at least two times I knew this machine was cursed to fail. He tried to fix it again but I have seen enough. Too many things can go wrong at the same time with this machine.

    If you have to buy a coffee machine, stick to a basic machine with separate grinder at least. When badly and/or cheaply engineered these integrated coffee machines are a nightmare. I already told my house mate to ditch the machine if it gives more issues. He does not like that but he has to learn the hard way.

    Even this is better than the way too expensive coffee machine.

    [​IMG]

    End of rant. Complexity is overrated when it comes to the simple pleasures of life...
     
  11. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

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    @Deep Funk They have many of these variations of Philips and other brands of super-auto machines at the Metro big box store in my city in China. They are obscenely expensive. There is one that has been in the clearance section for months with a clearance price of over 2000 USD.

    Side note: most Starbucks also use super-automatic espresso machines. The Mastrena machines are made in Switzerland and years ago I believe I read that each one costs $32,000. I'm guessing that the average Starbucks barista has no idea how to use a normal espresso machine save for the steam wand since the Mastrenas only require a button push.
     
  12. Eric_C

    Eric_C Friend

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    I sincerely believe the cheapest ways into coffee are:
    Aeropress + Hand grinder, or
    Gaggia Classic + Burr grinder

    Plus, I heard Gaggia's updated their machine with a new "Classic Pro", that has a better steam wand. That saves people the trouble of doing one of the most common upgrades on the machine...
     
  13. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    I've been doing press pots lately. My brother mentioned this youtube video to me by a barista champion



    I tried it and I thought the coffee was quite good, limited by the quality of beans I have. I used a Bodum, but I'll see how it works with an Espro
     
  14. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    This is what I told my wife every time she used to say we should ditch the old hand-me-down Silvia and get a fancy all-in-one.
    I have 2 of their stainless steel models at work and use an induction hotplate.
    Seems like an awful long time to be extracting for (4 min + 5 min), but I don't know much about pour overs and presses. I suppose that with the grounds sitting at the bottom for most of that time, it's not really extracting, and you're just waiting for the silt to settle.
     
  15. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

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    My fave for daily brew is a Hario V60. I typically brew with the Rao Spin method. Not a fan of moka pots really. I don't mind a press now and then but I prefer cleaner flavors.
     
  16. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    My house mate decided to double down and claim that because he has a masters degree and principles (so superior intellect?) that he should be able to fix the machine. I pointed out that cheap plastics and planned obsolescence means that he will fail. I showed him my reliable and wonderful Bialetti and he ingored it.

    I am going to teach him the art of the French Press. If he does not respect that, he can go f**k himself.

    The more you make coffee a complex process, the more likely your coffee will disappoint you.
     
  17. supertransformingdhruv

    supertransformingdhruv Almost "Made"

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    James Hoffman is a treasure. He also recently put out his v60 technique guide which included a couple small tweaks that I've been exploring. It's remarkably different vs. the rao method.

     
  18. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

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    I'll give it a watch later when In have a chance but isn't the rao spin different from EVERY V60 method? Certainly different than the method that most craft coffee shops.

    For those unfamiliar
     
  19. Skyline

    Skyline Double-blindly done with this hobby

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    Thanks for the videos.

    I've always done a slower pour with th V60...about 2 minutes of pouring with the total brew lasting about 2:45.

    Adding all the water sooner could be interesting to try. They seem less obsessed with exact times than other videos I've seen.
     
  20. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    The Philips P.O.S. returned. Apparently it is also dust sensitive o_O

    I am not touching that thing. Not even going to dust it off. My house mate is not interested in learning more about coffee, only in having a coffee machine. Fine, keep your degrees and your fancy job.

    He wants to underestimate old-school barista-training of repeating espresso's, perfect grinds, perfect dosages, and improving milk foam day in, day out.

    He is better off wasting money at Starbucks...
     

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