Coffee

cchu518 said:
It pretty much works just like an aeropress minus the pressing!
Click to expand...
Indeed.
I like the "new toy" factor though.;)
And the beans are delicious for a robusta blend, low acid by nature and very aromatic.
Peaberry as advertised.
 
I enjoy it, it has a lot of caffeine in it and apparently the crema in espressos really come out due to the robusta.
 
YQbTvyZ.jpg

My battle station here at home. Unfortunately there aren't any cafes nearby to get a quality cup, so I've resolved to just make it at home. Can't beat cafe quality right in your livingroom.
 
coffeeandknives said:
YQbTvyZ.jpg

My battle station here at home. Unfortunately there aren't any cafes nearby to get a quality cup, so I've resolved to just make it at home. Can't beat cafe quality right in your livingroom.
Click to expand...

Uh... :eek: No, no you probably can't when you're rocking a ~$7k prosumer-grade La Marzocco GS3 in your house. Whoa!!! Holy crap! :eek: :cool:

We're not worthy...
I2Vm1GM.gif


You might just fit in with this bunch of misfits... ;)

What are you grinding with?
 
7k would havhave been a steal
SpyderPhreak said:
What are you grinding with?
Click to expand...

Most days I opt to hand grind on the Lido3.
FTdbTry.jpg

Theres something therapeutic about hand grinding, and the particle consistency is excellent from this grinder. Plus, the grind retention is almost nonexistent.
I also have a Mazzer (I think it's a Major) that I will use when entertaining guests or otherwise making multiple drinks in succession.
MBlHrvx.jpg

I don't use it often. The grind retention is too high for single cup grinding. But it's a workhorse for sure.
I'll probably upgrade to another big single cup grinder soon enough.
 
coffeeandknives said:
7k would havhave been a steal


Most days I opt to hand grind on the Lido3.
FTdbTry.jpg

Theres something therapeutic about hand grinding, and the particle consistency is excellent from this grinder. Plus, the grind retention is almost nonexistent.
I also have a Mazzer (I think it's a Major) that I will use when entertaining guests or otherwise making multiple drinks in succession.
MBlHrvx.jpg

I don't use it often. The grind retention is too high for single cup grinding. But it's a workhorse for sure.
I'll probably upgrade to another big single cup grinder soon enough.
Click to expand...

I definitely have serious machine envy here! :D :oops: That's friggin' awesome!!! :thumbsup: I have an early (ca. 2003-2004) PID-controlled Rancilio Silvia that works well for me. We generally only do espresso/cappuccino on the weekends, and I can count on one hand the number of times I've brewed for more than one guest. Usually if we have any number of people over that want coffee, I just make a pot of drip in my Technivorm using home-roasted coffee, and that's the best coffee they've ever had. ;)

I figured that was your travel grinder, but you make a good point about the Mazzer holding onto too much ground coffee. How do you like that Lido? I've heard those are really nice! :cool: My travel grinder is a lowly Hario Skerton, but I've had it for ages (some of the first imported into the US by Sweet Maria's) and it performs well enough for my pour-over when I'm traveling.

I do too many different brew methods, so I really like my Baratza conical burr grinder for it's ease of adjustment and almost no grounds retention. It does espresso grind pretty darn well (comparable to a Mazzer Mini, better than a Rancilio Rocky imo), and still does French press pretty well too. Yeah, it's got some trade-offs, but I don't think there are any other grinders out there that are as flexible, for any price.

Welcome to our little corner of BF! :cool:
 
Last edited:
SpyderPhreak said:
I definitely have serious machine envy here! :D :oops: That's friggin' awesome!!! :thumbsup: I have an early (ca. 2003-2004) PID-controlled Rancilio Silvia that works well for me. We generally only do espresso/cappuccino on the weekends, and I can count on one hand the number of times I've brewed for more than one guest. Usually if we have any number of people over that want coffee, I just make a pot of drip in my Technivorm using home-roasted coffee, and that's the best coffee they've ever had. ;)

I figured that was your travel grinder, but you make a good point about the Mazzer holding onto too much ground coffee. How do you like that Lido? I've heard those are really nice! :cool: My travel grinder is a lowly Hario Skerton, but I've had it for ages (some of the first imported into the US by Sweet Maria's) and it performs well enough for my pour-over when I'm traveling.

I do too many different brew methods, so I really like my Baratza conical burr grinder for it's ease of adjustment and almost no grounds retention. It does espresso grind pretty darn well (comparable to a Mazzer Mini, better than a Rancilio Rocky imo), and still does French press pretty well too. Yeah, it's got some trade-offs, but I don't think there are any other grinders out there that are as flexible, for any price.

Welcome to our little corner of BF! :cool:
Click to expand...

Awesome. My first proper machine was a PID Silvia. It's still the benchmark that home machines are measured against (that and the old Gaggia Classic before they changed the internals). Served me well for a couple of years before upgrading to a Crossland CC1 followed closely by a Rocket (dont remember the model. Apartmento-something-or-other) and finally my GS3. I thought about going with a slayer single group, but the LM was easier to get my hands on and I've always enjoyed using their products.
That Moccamaster is a great drip pot for batch brewing at home. I almost got one a few times, but I'm the only one drinking the coffee most days so I tend to stick with a pourover (kalita wave or v60 depending on what filters are closest. Lol). I do occasionally batch brew in my Chemex, but its definitely not ideal.

The Lido is easily one of the best hand grinders out there. The build of the internals make for very consistent particle size and distribution across the entire range. I still have an old Skerton somewhere around here, but its horrific on the coarse side and barely satisfactory on a pourover setting. After spending a month sifting skerton grinds through a Kruve and seeing all the fines/inconsistencies I retired the skerton in favor of a Baratza Encore for my pourover/drop needs. Hario does make a 'pro' version of the skerton which has a stabilized shaft for better grind consistency, but TBH I'll never buy another Hario grinder after the skerton and mini mill.

Which Baratza grinder are you using? The old Vario was a solid offering and worked well across many brew methods, and the new Sette series has been pretty nice to work with. Mist of the others leave a lot to be desired as far as consistency is concerned. It's very interesting when you start sifting with a Kruve to see just how many fines are really coming out of the grinders. It's a fun experiment if you ever get a chance.

Thanks for the welcome and apologies for the diatribe. I'm just a nerd who loves a good coffee conversation.

Cheers and Aloha from Hawaii
 
coffeeandknives said:
Awesome. My first proper machine was a PID Silvia. It's still the benchmark that home machines are measured against (that and the old Gaggia Classic before they changed the internals). Served me well for a couple of years before upgrading to a Crossland CC1 followed closely by a Rocket (dont remember the model. Apartmento-something-or-other) and finally my GS3. I thought about going with a slayer single group, but the LM was easier to get my hands on and I've always enjoyed using their products.
That Moccamaster is a great drip pot for batch brewing at home. I almost got one a few times, but I'm the only one drinking the coffee most days so I tend to stick with a pourover (kalita wave or v60 depending on what filters are closest. Lol). I do occasionally batch brew in my Chemex, but its definitely not ideal.

The Lido is easily one of the best hand grinders out there. The build of the internals make for very consistent particle size and distribution across the entire range. I still have an old Skerton somewhere around here, but its horrific on the coarse side and barely satisfactory on a pourover setting. After spending a month sifting skerton grinds through a Kruve and seeing all the fines/inconsistencies I retired the skerton in favor of a Baratza Encore for my pourover/drop needs. Hario does make a 'pro' version of the skerton which has a stabilized shaft for better grind consistency, but TBH I'll never buy another Hario grinder after the skerton and mini mill.

Which Baratza grinder are you using? The old Vario was a solid offering and worked well across many brew methods, and the new Sette series has been pretty nice to work with. Mist of the others leave a lot to be desired as far as consistency is concerned. It's very interesting when you start sifting with a Kruve to see just how many fines are really coming out of the grinders. It's a fun experiment if you ever get a chance.

Thanks for the welcome and apologies for the diatribe. I'm just a nerd who loves a good coffee conversation.

Cheers and Aloha from Hawaii
Click to expand...

Back when I was living in Ft. Worth, and had a friend with a coffee shop / roastery there (met through CoffeeGeek), we'd have local meet-ups every so often. Some of the highlights of those meets were sharing our home-roasting coffee gadgets, doing some experimental roasts on the big Probat, learning how to really "taste" our coffee from a guy who was a professional sommelier (wow, what an eye-opener!), helping a guy refurbish a $25 garage sale Silvia find that had seen better days, and sifting through grinds and analyzing particle size from all our different grinders.

Back then, I was using an early (Baratza-made) Solis Maestro Plus for most everything, and it compared quite favorably to some far more expensive mills. Might not have been as good as a dedicated drip grinder or a dedicated espresso grinder, but it was pretty dang close and could do both! It was cool to see the physical partical size distribution (using specific micron particle size filters to sift the grinds, I think they came from the medical or chemical industry) versus what we could/couldn't taste in the cup. That SMP "died" a few years back while I was out of town on an extended business trip, so I called up the owner of Baratza, and we chatted for a bit. He and I had talked several times in the past about engineering and design of these grinders, back when they was still sellling under the Solis brand. Not that he's a close friend, but he is approachable, and likes to talk coffee and about the engineering of his grinders. Especially around that time when he had a new grinder out (the Vario) and some cool new designs in the works (what became the Sette). Long story short, to replace my "dead" SMP, I wound up with a Virtuoso he had just finished refurbishing himself, and that's what we still use. Turns out, my old SMP actually had an electrical switch inside go bad (it wore out), and after getting a new one from Kyle at Baratza, the grinder still works! :D It's now our back-up grinder and lives in the pantry most of the time, just in case... ;)
 
Last edited:
SpyderPhreak said:
Back when I was living in Ft. Worth, and had a friend with a coffee shop / roastery there (met through CoffeeGeek), we'd have local meet-ups every so often. Some of the highlights of those meets were sharing our home-roasting coffee gadgets, doing some experimental roasts on the big Probat, learning how to really "taste" our coffee from a guy who was a professional sommelier (wow, what an eye-opener!), helping a guy refurbish a $25 garage sale Silvia find that had seen better days, and sifting through grinds and analyzing particle size from all our different grinders.

Back then, I was using an early (Baratza-made) Solis Maestro Plus for most everything, and it compared quite favorably to some far more expensive mills. Might not have been as good as a dedicated drip grinder or a dedicated espresso grinder, but it was pretty dang close and could do both! It was cool to see the physical partical size distribution (using specific micron particle size filters to sift the grinds, I think they came from the medical or chemical industry) versus what we could/couldn't taste in the cup. That SMP "died" a few years back while I was out of town on an extended business trip, so I called up the owner of Baratza, and we chatted for a bit. He and I had talked several times in the past about engineering and design of these grinders, back when they was still sellling under the Solis brand. Not that he's a close friend, but he is approachable, and likes to talk coffee and about the engineering of his grinders. Especially around that time when he had a new grinder out (the Vario) and some cool new designs in the works (what became the Sette). Long story short, to replace my "dead" SMP, I wound up with a Virtuoso he had just finished refurbishing himself, and that's what we still use. Turns out, my old SMP actually had an electrical switch inside go bad (it wore out), and after getting a new one from Kyle at Baratza, the grinder still works! :D It's now our back-up grinder and lives in the pantry most of the time, just in case... ;)
Click to expand...
The Virtuoso is another nice offering from Baratza that does great in the mid to fine settings. And if I'm not mistaken, I believe you can upgrade the burr set to accept the Vario burrs. (Though I'm not sure if those are still readily available).

I love talking shop (often more than people care to entertain my insanity. Lol) so chopping it up with the owner of Baratza sounds like a great afternoon to me. A lot of the finer engineering points are probably over my head, but still super interesting. We dont have a lot of local meetups here outside of the annual kona coffee festival and a couple of similar events. But living in a growing region has definitely been educational with regard to the growing/sorting/processing of coffee and q-grading. Id love to be in that type of environment you had back in Ft Worth. I have an affinity for tinkering and all of that stuff sounded like a blast to me.
 
coffeeandknives said:
The Virtuoso is another nice offering from Baratza that does great in the mid to fine settings. And if I'm not mistaken, I believe you can upgrade the burr set to accept the Vario burrs. (Though I'm not sure if those are still readily available).

I love talking shop (often more than people care to entertain my insanity. Lol) so chopping it up with the owner of Baratza sounds like a great afternoon to me. A lot of the finer engineering points are probably over my head, but still super interesting. We dont have a lot of local meetups here outside of the annual kona coffee festival and a couple of similar events. But living in a growing region has definitely been educational with regard to the growing/sorting/processing of coffee and q-grading. Id love to be in that type of environment you had back in Ft Worth. I have an affinity for tinkering and all of that stuff sounded like a blast to me.
Click to expand...

I seem to recall something about different burrs, I think it was ceramic vs. the regular steel. But I think because I wanted to grind for multiple types of coffee, we decided the regular steel were better. But I could be remembering wrong too.

I haven't done anything like those meet ups in quite awhile. That was like 2004-2007ish, lol. Time flies (and kids take a lot of time/work/money).
 
I like my coffee strong but with good taste. Black. And only black. We have a local place here that does their own roasting and has about the best coffee I have had. I am not too sophisticated so Dark Magic in the pod is fine for every day. Without coffee, people around me would die.
 
My $30 Mr. Coffee died after 4 years of daily use. I must be a cheap bastard or something because I came back from my trip and my wife picked up a $100 Cuisinart which isn't pricey I suppose by standards but I freaked a little... Lol. We joke about the price of microwaves too as you used to be able to get a little crappy 750watt microwave for $38.

I digress, here's some regular ground Starbucks Colombian beans with a 1tbs to 1 one cup ratio. I ran out of their Holiday blend.

Target funnily enough just started selling Kick-Ass so I'm going to give some of their other offerings a try. Just got the Zinker Dogtooth in - it's pretty great, this might be my daily carry for a while.

BiJnowU.jpg
 
E40 said:
I like my coffee strong but with good taste. Black. And only black. We have a local place here that does their own roasting and has about the best coffee I have had. I am not too sophisticated so Dark Magic in the pod is fine for every day. Without coffee, people around me would die.
Click to expand...

Several of us here home-roast. Doesn't get much better than that! :) At least you have a good local spot, not everyone can say that. I like that last line, holds true for me too! :D ;)

cchu518 said:
My $30 Mr. Coffee died after 4 years of daily use. I must be a cheap bastard or something because I came back from my trip and my wife picked up a $100 Cuisinart which isn't pricey I suppose by standards but I freaked a little... Lol. We joke about the price of microwaves too as you used to be able to get a little crappy 750watt microwave for $38.

I digress, here's some regular ground Starbucks Colombian beans with a 1tbs to 1 one cup ratio. I ran out of their Holiday blend.

Target funnily enough just started selling Kick-Ass so I'm going to give some of their other offerings a try. Just got the Zinker Dogtooth in - it's pretty great, this might be my daily carry for a while.

BiJnowU.jpg
Click to expand...

Dang. Is it too late to take the Cuisinart back? For that price, you could get an SCAA-certified machine...

https://www.coffeeble.com/best-scaa-certified-coffee-makers/

https://coffeechronicler.com/gear/coffee-makers/best-scaa-certified-drip-coffee-makers/
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: E40
In defense of the Cuisinart and my wife's choice it brews a pretty good cup of coffee. I brought home some blue bottle again just to try it out and the verdict is I still don't like blue bottle lol. But it did just tasre like it from the cafes.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top