Coffee: we drink it or we get angry.

Trying Starbucks' Cascara(Smoked Butterscotch) Latte right now. God forgive them for their coffee-flavored water. They used to be ok, then they started to put less coffee on frappuccino and now lattes and espresso. Complete garbage. Wasted $4.50. They should've named it Carcass Latte.

@brencho your espresso machine is SO MOIST. *stare at my wallet*

 

I wouldn't say my coffee is bad at home, it is just missing the complexity that I get from a really good cafe coffee. My favorite coffees often have citrus, berry, stone fruit, or herbal flavors that I don't feel I have been able to bring out when brewing at home. My brews aren't as clean tasting and are usually a little bitter and dark when what I want is that nice acidity or fruitiness. I have a feeling it may be due to the inconsistency in grind, but I am probably expecting a lot from a $300 grinder. I will try changing grind size to see if I can get closer to what I want.

@Vansen Most of the beans are between 2-5 days old. I will definitely pay more attention to how the beans change as they age. I should probably clean the Virtuoso out more regularly as well. I have those grindz pellets that you run through the machine to clean it which do seem to work well. It might be time to break it down again for a more thorough cleaning.

 

Haha yeah I'm also staring at my wallet man! Unlocking this level of moistness was well worth it to me.

There are lots of ways of achieving similar results without spending quite so much on the machine and grinder. The machine is just a no-fuss and super consistent tank, and the grinder is really optimal for single dosing.

But at a higher hassle or finicking factor, you could get an HG1 grinder (or else a more affordable electric grinder on the used market -- there are a few good ones) and a breville dual boiler or used e61 or even a cremina or whatever if you want a lever (again lots of options out there). That'd probably come in at around 2k or even less depending on specifics.

My future plans to unlocking ever greater degrees of moistness is some kind of pressure profiling or manual paddle machine but uh it'll be a while if it happens at all.

 

Man, is that what a Virtuoso costs these days? I got my Vario refurbished direct from Baratza for not much more. Also, they replaced the motor for me well out of warranty period when it started having trouble.

 

I looked it up and my memory is a bit off, it is $229. It has been a few years since I bought it. If I had known about handgrinders at the time I probably would have just gone for that. Do you think a similarly priced hand grinder will outperform a Virtuoso in grind consistency for pourovers?

 

Lido 2 or Lido 3!

A lot of people get mixed up with temperature, I think. The idea is for the temperature inside the brewer to be between 195 and 205, as you often hear, not the water you're pouring. You lose a huge amount of heat to evaporative cooling inside the V60, as well as to the cone itself. (If you want to check this yourself, get a cheap digital thermometer off Amazon and stick it in your V60 as you're brewing. I guarantee you the temperature is 10 or more degrees lower than what you'd expect.) So, my suggestion is, use water fresh off the boil. The only time boiling water would be a concern is if you were using an immersion method like a french press with a thin glass outside, or something like an Aeropress with a plastic exterior that doesn't absorb much heat and very little surface area for evaporative cooling. Those would keep a lot more heat inside.

Lastly, follow this great guide on tasting extraction and adjust only one variable at a time (grind size is best IMO) until you hit the best extraction you can get. I'm a fan of a standard 16.67:1 ratio.

 

@Stapsy I've experienced similar problems with what you've described before, until I decided to take the grinder apart to clean it thoroughly. I only use a Baratza Encore, so your Virtuoso should be better. Also, in between grinds, I gently hammer the hopper with my hand until the grinder is completely free from the ground residue from the previous grind (you'd be surprised how much us left over with the Encore). I'm not sure if this is a good practice though, but I have not noticed any ill effects in the years I've owned the Encore.

 

Try using the lid to slam down gently on the hopper. It sends a puff of air through the grinder and dislodges grinds very effectively.

 

This is really subjective. Best thing to do is try different temps and use your taste buds. I tend to like to water in the kettle at 205. I've had outstanding cups brewed with cooler as well.

The Lido will grind circles around the Virtuoso.

 

@LauSing2 I took the hopper off and cleaned the burs as best I could (it looked pretty grungy). I seem to recall that you can pop off the plastic covering to give it a more thorough clean. I will have to look into it again.

@take I love barista hustle. I found that it was very useful way to conceptualize the brewing process. I am going to re-read some of the articles and try again. In the past I have tried a larger range of water temperature and found I liked the results I got at ~200F for whatever reason so I have been trying to keep that consistent for now.

@DigMe I saw earlier in the thread you mentioned the hausgrind. I thought it looke pretty nifty and I am a sucker for interesting boutique type stuff. Would you still recommend one or should I be looking at the Lido?

 

Never tried the Hausgrind myself but it gets a lot of good reviews. Or it did last time I looked. Poke around at home-barista.com and see if there has been any recent convo about it. I believe you have to order from Europe.

 

Oh, the Lido is that good? I might be misinformed, but I really thought that the Virtuoso is quite good. Glad to know better now! Ha ha

 

Like I said earlier in the thread - the Lido grinds more consistently for pourover than my Vario with the upgraded stainless burrs.

 

I'm having a hard time trying out specialty coffees. Is specialty coffee supposed to taste sour? Tried out Costa Rica, two from Columbia and one from Ethiopia, all washed. Used cupping method in an Espro Press (medium-coarse grind, 4 min steep, 10 min rest after crust break), which should not underextract. Maybe I'm expecting too much sweetness coming from tea...

 

@Ash1412 In my experience, African coffee tends to taste sour with its high acidity, while Central American ones taste nutty. Other people should be able to articulate it better.

 

From my experience, in short:

Brazil & Central Am are bold-ish/nutty/chocolaty/acidic

African are bright/fruity/flowery/acidic

Indonesian are very bold/earthy/spicy (not hot; spice-y - think tobbaco, clove, etc)/not acidic

 

I strongly prefer beans from the Americas and SE Asia, Americas especially for darker roasts.

 

My perfect beans would be around 60-70% SEA & 30-40% Brazilian. I'm a fan of "dirty" aftertaste.