coffee anyone?

[eddyz]

other than the hario skerton, are there any other decent burr grinders that aren't $100+? I generally use a chemex and would prefer something that offers decent finer grounds, but it's just so fucking hard to justify spending 2-300 when you work in a coffee shop and can just grind it there, but I end up sacrificing freshness when I have a few days off in a row.. 

 

if i can purchase it around nyc that'd be even better

How many cups do you make a day? I personally have a skerton at work and enjoy using it cause it gives me a chance to get off my chair and to the office kitchen to grind away.

If you are going to do 2-3 cups a day, just fork for the Baratza Encore, is abou $130, but it will last you a good 2-3 years with simple maintenance. I would avoid the bodum burr grinder.. had 2 friends complain about it after a few months of daily usage.

[phatbot]

other than the hario skerton, are there any other decent burr grinders that aren't $100+? I generally use a chemex and would prefer something that offers decent finer grounds, but it's just so fucking hard to justify spending 2-300 when you work in a coffee shop and can just grind it there, but I end up sacrificing freshness when I have a few days off in a row.. 

 

if i can purchase it around nyc that'd be even better

 

there's also the porlex mill (and mini mill), which is spring stabilized so the burr wobbles less. i've heard it gives a more consistent grind than the skerton, so it may be worth checking out

[aso2004]

I bought this one in France three years ago as sort of a joke while on holiday.

Cost me 40 euro and still grinds my beans three times a week..

Different blades were included in mine as for a coarser grind.

No doubt Moulinex /Tefal/Rowenta makes one for the 110V market too..

[po_boy_fuuma_hatesbargerz]

there's also the porlex mill (and mini mill), which is spring stabilized so the burr wobbles less. i've heard it gives a more consistent grind than the skerton, so it may be worth checking out

 

there's some mods you can do to the porlex, my personal favorite; http://coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/564267

which addresses some concerns regardings the uniformity of the grind. I would honestly just save up for the OE LIDO when it comes out in March, but that's ~ $199 which is way out of your price range.

 

edit: http://nathanpeterson.tumblr.com/post/26990944335/hand-grinder-comparisons-for-coffee-nerds

 

On a personal note, I've used both the Skerton and Mini Mill; the Mini Mill wins for ergonomics and portability, and the Skerton is honestly just a pain in the ass to hold and to use (and it honestly grinds a lot slower too, so I'm not a big fan.)

Edited November 22, 2013 by Just Another XY

[kiya]

Straight porn:

[kiya]

Square's secret cafe in SF: http://sprudge.com/secret-square-cafe.html

[herpsky]

Sir, what's considered the best coffee shop in SF right now? I'm coming for the Kyari Pamyu2 show in February and will be there for a few days. I keep hearing Four Barrel / The Mill is huge. I've always liked Blue Bottle but I can find it on the east coast as well so I guess it's kinda lost its novelty.

[kiya]

Sir, what's considered the best coffee shop in SF right now? I'm coming for the Kyari Pamyu2 show in February and will be there for a few days. I keep hearing Four Barrel / The Mill is huge. I've always liked Blue Bottle but I can find it on the east coast as well so I guess it's kinda lost its novelty.

 

It's obviously personal preference but for me i like Four Barrel's coffee and cafes the best.  Blue Bottle's espresso isn't for me and it's cafes offer nothing outside of the product they serve in terms of environment.

[whitney]

philz, I would give that a shot

Edited January 8, 2014 by whitney

[house]

Finally gotten a grinder! Now the coffee corner is complete How does your coffee corner look?

Ascaso i-1:

[readytoignite]

Not much of an espresso dude but sounds like Heart are tearing shit up? http://www.heartroasters.com/blogs/heart-roasters-blog/11990945-r-i-p-soe

[hungrylife]

Sir, what's considered the best coffee shop in SF right now? I'm coming for the Kyari Pamyu2 show in February and will be there for a few days. I keep hearing Four Barrel / The Mill is huge. I've always liked Blue Bottle but I can find it on the east coast as well so I guess it's kinda lost its novelty.

Huge fan of Trouble, be sure to go there. 

[wayoutwest]

Pre-orded my Lido 2 a couple weeks ago (expecting March 1 ship date). Really excited about it for traveling, car camping, light bike camping (it's 3.5lbs lol.) Probably going replace my Preciso, so if anyone is interested, i'm fielding offers (only sent 10-15lbs through it in one year of use, all for drip).

Edited February 19, 2014 by wayoutwest

[aso2004]

Not much of an espresso dude but sounds like Heart are tearing shit up? http://www.heartroasters.com/blogs/heart-roasters-blog/11990945-r-i-p-soe

 

I don't know Heart but that sounds like absolute bull to me..Any Italian barista would rip their heads of. Not to get into the technical side of things but getting your espresso better tasting in milk??

It's a espresso

 

But then again ordering at a typical american coffee bar still scares the living daylights out of me. Especially ordering a doppio..And it's not the hardware but the human touch and the coffee..So you can't blame them for trying to get one more out of the bad coffee equation especially if your name is attached to it.

[redX]

 

finally managed to get a grinder and pull some nice shots

[wayoutwest]

I don't know Heart but that sounds like absolute bull to me..Any Italian barista would rip their heads of. Not to get into the technical side of things but getting your espresso better tasting in milk??

It's a espresso

 

But then again ordering at a typical american coffee bar still scares the living daylights out of me. Especially ordering a doppio..And it's not the hardware but the human touch and the coffee..So you can't blame them for trying to get one more out of the bad coffee equation especially if your name is attached to it.

 

what?

[aso2004]

Was that too difficult??

Looking back I should have said this..

Heart is saying that the espresso roast they made was ace but only a proper barista could make the espresso to get it to their standards.

Now with the new roast they are trying to get a easy coffee that everyone can get a great espresso from it.

I am saying it's the barista his fault, not the coffee.

And that a lighter roast makes for a more bland and weaker espresso.

Blame on the caffeine...

[mr.invincible]

can someone tell me what this coffee pot with the cone filter is called? im starting to think drip coffee taste better than a french press

 

[hypsterism]

chemex

[Kale Kohai]

High school dishwasher job perk: Free Four Barrel as my cafe exclusively carries it. I make up for my utah minimum wage for as many pour overs I can manage to make myself a shift or baristas feel like making me on days I'm not working. 

[mr.invincible]

chemex without the wood handle. got it

[aso2004]

How do handle that Chemex without the wood handle??

Mine heats up really quickly??

[lmk1995]

edit

Edited January 10, 2022 by littlemike

[tmadd]

Was that too difficult??

Looking back I should have said this..

Heart is saying that the espresso roast they made was ace but only a proper barista could make the espresso to get it to their standards.

Now with the new roast they are trying to get a easy coffee that everyone can get a great espresso from it.

I am saying it's the barista his fault, not the coffee.

And that a lighter roast makes for a more bland and weaker espresso.

Blame on the caffeine...

The more you talk, the more it becomes evident you don't know a fucking thing about reading comprehension, or coffee.   Your "italian baristas" probably should rip their heads off.

 

had been planning on spending my tax refund on a modest home espresso setup (gaggia classic/baratza virtuoso) but am having second thoughts. thinking i might just get the grinder and upgrade my kettle, get a scale and a chemex. but, then again, i fucking love espresso and am really going to miss having free access to it when i leave my cafe job in may. 

Home espresso is a massive undertaking, and unless you have a couple espresso drinkers in the house drinking every day, it's very hard to make it economically feasible vs. just going to a cafe where it's $2.75 for an espresso, even after you've paid for the grinder and the machine.  Water filtration is a huge issue, as is grinder quality.  A virtuoso is a grinder that can make espresso but doesn't offer you much in the way of being able to dial your espresso in.  This is further exacerbated if you have a machine that doesn't have easy temperature control.  Even seasoned production baristas have a pretty tough time making consistently acceptable espresso on a setup as nice as a Baratza Vario/Rancilio Rocky w/PID modification.  It can be done, but it's really, really hard.  

 

Copping a Preciso (my favorite non-commercial grinder for filter coffee), getting a great kettle, a scale (cj4000 is the best sub $100 scale for home brewing, period), and some sort of pour-over device (I am using Chemex right now, but I dig V60 too…most of the cool kids who really know what they are doing are pretty high on the Kalita Wave, and I've had enough cups to make me believe the hype, but I'm not particularly well versed in brewing on it) will give you a set-up where if the coffee and water are good, it's as easy as it'll get for you to make absolutely top-notch coffee every morning.

[Sugar Mountain]

^ To me, making espresso at home is like making sashimi. I leave both to the experts who do it for living and acknowledge that some things are worth leaving the apartment for to have it done properly. While I am at home, I use V60 or Aeropress with a Hario slim grinder, a set of scales, bottled water and a pouring kettle and enjoy my amateur endeavours.

[lmk1995]

edit

Edited January 10, 2022 by littlemike

[tmadd]

yeah, i originally wanted a home espresso machine so i could keep tasting espressos from various roasters and learning more about tasting notes, etc, but this is probably just as effectively accomplished by tasting single origin offerings as a pour over or something. furthermore, because i'm so used to pulling myself shots on a commercial machine every day, i feel like i'll be even more disappointed by the gaggia. granted, most "cafes" in america pull a terrible excuse for espresso, i know the spots in my city that know their ish. 

 

any recs for a scale? bonavita seems to be the obvious choice for a kettle. 

 

comments on chemex v. v60. v bee house? my current brew methods include a moka pot for that quick fix and a french press with a capresso infinity grinder (which honestly isn't awful as long as you get all the grounds out of there, which is a pita). i have a pretty basic kettle and just use tap water, so my water needs to be upgraded as well (best way to do this?) definitely leaning towards this route at the moment. 

 

Scale: Jennings CJ4000 is a retarded value for the money.  I'd easily have paid $100 for a scale I liked as much as this one.

 

Kettle: Don't buy a bonavita.  They are not very well made (fall apart fairly easily), and the spout design is god-awful...they put zero thought into controlling pour rate.  If you must have a pouring kettle/electric water heater combo, spend the extra few bucks on the Hario Buono E.  But, if you're serious enough about your home rig that you were thinking of getting an espresso machine, you'll be way happier with a standalone kettle and an electric water kettle (which is more versatile, and way more efficient at bringing water to boil.  I use the clear capresso electric kettle and one of the wood handled Kalita Wave Kettles, and I can't imagine changing that right up, ever.  Takahiro kettles are nice, but use metal handles that heat up.  If you brew coffee everyday, spend the extra money on a Takahiro or Kalita...they allow way more control when pouring, are way way nicer to touch and look at, and will last your lifetime.  

 

Pourover device:  I brew on the Chemex right now simply because it's what I have handy.  V60 are great because of how versatile they are...you can really explore all sorts of different pour-over techniques and methods with the V60, and they are pretty versatile in terms of quantity that you can brew with them.  As I mentioned before, the Kalita Wave is a very smartly designed pour-over device that gets around some of the problems associated with a conical brewing bed, and uses a very interesting proprietary filter design.  They aren't that hard to find though, and if you buy the filters in bulk, it's not a hassle.  I'd be inclined to recommend Kalita Wave for tastiest possible cups, and V60 if you want to really geek out on different pour-over technique.

[lmk1995]

edit

Edited January 10, 2022 by littlemike

[po_boy_fuuma_hatesbargerz]

tmadd: any advice on v60 pourover analysis/recommended guides? I spent summer 2013 fucking around with a v60 and never really got a cup that made me go wow.  I've got the standard equipment: v60, hario buona kettle, porlex, scale...and it's probably my technique that really fucked things up, but it's hard to isolate a single variable rigorously.

[benriya]

didn't care that much about handsome tbh but damn at blue bottle buying them