Coffee: we drink it or we get angry.

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

  1. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

    Staff Member Pyrate Flathead IEMW
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    6,304
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Clear, clear water
    $18-$25 typically.
     
  2. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    8,200
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Northwest France
    I think I'd rather have coffee made with cheap pre-ground supermarket coffee but exceptional technique than have really good beans from an average drip machine.

    So based on that some combo of grinder and machine is most important. Beans of course can't be garbage but what you do with them is far more important.
     
  3. Boops

    Boops Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,179
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    New York
    Gotta go with beans, grinder, brewer.

    You can make a great tasting cup of coffee regardless of brewing method/device. It is almost negligible in my view.

    Beans are paramount. If the beans are shit or badly roasted, there’s nothing you can do.

    Grinder is more critical than brewer in that it allows you to use whole beans and get the most out of them depending on your brew method. But it just has to be good enough.

    This is my take as someone who drinks both drip and aeropress daily.
     
    • Agreed, ditto, +1 Agreed, ditto, +1 x 4
    • Like Like x 1
    • Epic Epic x 1
    • List
  4. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2018
    Likes Received:
    3,451
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    SouthernCA
    I'm probably not nearly as experienced as most people here, but IMO beans and grinder are more important, but once, you cross over a certain threshold, it matters less and improvements come in small steps afterwards.

    The brew method, machine, or whatever extraction is used is probably not as crucial to me as long as it doesn't somehow impart or leech flavor, deposit chemicals, or whatever else weird BUT I've noticed it's more of a linear increase all the way down from the lowest to the highest levels and at the highest levels. I would rather have the best machine/method/extraction with "good enough" beans + grinder rather than the other way around.

    I would also be 0% surprised if I'm wrong.
     
  5. Eric_C

    Eric_C Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    364
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Practically, spend on grinder first.
    It's easier (and common practice) to get different beans from different roasters, but if you don't have a good grinder you can't unlock the flavour in the beans. Also, consider the extreme of having no grinder--this means buying pre-ground, in which case you're drinking coffee that's lost most of its flavour by the time it reaches you.

    In all of this though, I think "synergy" is important. What kind of coffee do you want to drink at the end of the day? You've chosen espresso already, but within that, do you prefer lighter or darker roasts? Because certain grinders and machines are better for different taste profiles.
     
  6. randytsuch

    randytsuch Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2017
    Likes Received:
    259
    Trophy Points:
    65
    Location:
    Los Angeles, Ca
    I'm in the beans/grinder camp too, think they matter more.

    If budget it tight, I'd go hand grinder. But it depends how much coffee you'll grind a day. I use a hand grinder when I make espresso, but haven't been making shots lately.
    I use a vario for drip, but they aren't cheap. I also have a hand grinder for traveling that works well for hotel rooms.

    You can also make a nice cup of drip with a scale/thermometer and a gooseneck kettle. Lots of choices for drippers.

    Randy
     
  7. Skyline

    Skyline Double-blindly done with this hobby

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,426
    Trophy Points:
    113
    My wife got me the Onyx Labs advent calendar again this year...this thing is incredible. If you haven't tried Onyx, I HIGHLY recommend it.

    [​IMG]
     
  8. Skyline

    Skyline Double-blindly done with this hobby

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,426
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Thanks for the impressions! I stick to single origin stuff for the most part, so I don't really know much about their blends. Looking forward to the rest.
     
  9. randytsuch

    randytsuch Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2017
    Likes Received:
    259
    Trophy Points:
    65
    Location:
    Los Angeles, Ca
    Decided its finally time to get a "real" drip coffee maker, especially since I've been using it every morning before these days. I make a small pot for me and my wife.
    Most likely want to buy a SCA certified one
    Looking at OXO, probably leading contender right now. Budget is $200 or less, but there are sales right now on OXO and others. Technivorm and Breville are out of budget.

    Randy
     
  10. StageOne

    StageOne Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2018
    Likes Received:
    1,121
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    US
    I had the OXO 9cup machine and cannot recommend it. It's difficult to clean well, the descale function became flakey and often refused to brew. And when it did, many times it only brewed half a pot. There is some sensor that wieghs the water and it's very sensitive and eventually failed.
     
  11. randytsuch

    randytsuch Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2017
    Likes Received:
    259
    Trophy Points:
    65
    Location:
    Los Angeles, Ca
    Hmmm, thanks for the info.
    I was also looking at the Braun on the SCA list, but seems like it has problems too.
    Wonder if these high end coffee makers are prone to problems? Unless I splurge, but I don't want to spend that much.

    Other choices in my price range are Zwilling Enfinigy and Bonivita and Cusinart PurePrecision

    Randy
     
  12. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2016
    Likes Received:
    8,802
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Tejas
    I’ve used Behmor Brazen for a while. I’m quite satisfied with it and good customer service. You can set the brew temp and presoak time.
     
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2022
  13. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2016
    Likes Received:
    8,802
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Tejas
    That’s cool that she got that. I saw that on their website. Onyx is quite a good roaster. Definitely among the cream of the crop for US craft roasters IMO.
     
  14. Ntbm3

    Ntbm3 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2018
    Likes Received:
    617
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Columbus
    I only use Onyx single origin for my espresso. Seriously good stuff! I have been in the roasters choice subscription club for over a year. So much variety, I really enjoy!!!
     

    Attached Files:

  15. Skyline

    Skyline Double-blindly done with this hobby

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,426
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Starting the calendar today with the Krampus Peaberry: https://onyxcoffeelab.com/products/krampus?variant=31963676049506

    Disappointed that the calendar price went up and the quality of the packaging went down slightly, but was happy to see that they are still choosing their more premium beans for the most part and that the quantity hasn't changed...about 56 grams of whole beans per day.

    The Krampus is a solid coffee, but not in line with my general preferences. A little more on the dark roast/burnt end of the spectrum. But. there's enough complexity to keep me interested.

    Generally speaking, I like coffees that catch my attention even if I'm not head over heels for it. This qualifies.
     
  16. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2016
    Likes Received:
    8,802
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Tejas
    A local roaster here really nailed their Christmas blend this year. It’s usually my third favorite local roaster and coffee shop but I found myself actually going to get their beans by choice this time instead of because they’re the closest. It also has a great name -

    [​IMG]
     
  17. randytsuch

    randytsuch Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2017
    Likes Received:
    259
    Trophy Points:
    65
    Location:
    Los Angeles, Ca
    So change of plan, I didn't have budget approval, and last night the answer was "why do we need a new coffee maker?".
    Need to scale back to at $100 max, which rules out SCA certified models.
    New candidates are a Mr Coffee 10 cup Optimal Brew with thermal carafe or a Redline MK1.
    I still think either one is much better then what I'm using now.

    Randy
     
  18. Skyline

    Skyline Double-blindly done with this hobby

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,426
    Trophy Points:
    113
  19. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2016
    Likes Received:
    8,802
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Tejas
    Cool. I’m not organized enough to start that and if I did then too ADHD to keep it up but one thing I would add personally would be the city and state where the roaster is located if you travel at all. Many times I have sought out the coffee shops of roasters I have enjoyed and I also have a couple of friends who travel a lot and want recs for various cities. Most recently I hit up Anodyne in Milwaukee after having had their beans a couple of times.
     
  20. Skyline

    Skyline Double-blindly done with this hobby

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,426
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I hear you, but I think that might actually drive me a little nuts, organizationally.

    For example, Sump is a roaster from St. Louis that now has a location in Nashville and this is becoming true for a lot of roasters. Do I list EVERY city? Just the main hub? How many locations?

    I think better (for my sanity) to just leave links to the websites for people to explore themselves.
     

Share This Page