Coffee/Espresso hipsters

[tigol 2386]

Need some advice:  my burr grinder has gone tits up.  I never much liked it, it didn't adjust grind size very well, but it's gone now.
I guess I'll make this my Father's Day gift.  What are the high value burr grinders?  Think Honda Accord or Toyota Camry.  It needs to do multiple grind sizes and get them pretty uniform, but beyond that, no bells, no whistles, no USB ports.

No complaints about this one.

KitchenAid Burr Coffee Grinder - KCG8433 https://a.co/bvHxzfK

[Chopper 17196]

19 minutes ago, Dutch said:

Surly 0.1%

What make is it? I was lusting after a single dose grinder just a couple months ago but after reading more, it seemed like too much work with too little reward. Perhaps if I had a kitchen with space for a separate, huge upright freezer with the space to store those pre-measured test tubes full of beans. I've had a eureka zenith for the past 5 years and it's solid - hands free, auto-stop, easy grind adjustment, consistent, reliable, and quiet.

[sidis 9778]

2 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Need some advice:  my burr grinder has gone tits up.  I never much liked it, it didn't adjust grind size very well, but it's gone now.

I guess I'll make this my Father's Day gift.  What are the high value burr grinders?  Think Honda Accord or Toyota Camry.  It needs to do multiple grind sizes and get them pretty uniform, but beyond that, no bells, no whistles, no USB ports.

do you want dosing?

if so, rocket faustino.  if not, rancilio rocky.

[jimmyjazz 45647]

1 minute ago, sidis said:

do you want dosing?

if so, rocket faustino.  if not, rancilio rocky.

If "dosing" implies espresso, no.  Pourover coffee only.

[sidis 9778]

1 minute ago, jimmyjazz said:

If "dosing" implies espresso, no.  Pourover coffee only.

Ignore everything I said then.

instead, yes, I took a slomo video of an extraction because I’m lame but my dorkiness is the board’s gain. 

 

 

[52-80 19128]

1 hour ago, Johnny Chimpo said:

Who honestly needs that grinder? For French press / Aeropress / drip. 

ppl who do espresso. 58mm baskets are much more grind sensitive

[52-80 19128]

58 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

If "dosing" implies espresso, no.  Pourover coffee only.

that is not grind demanding.  but then you still have a decision of a single-dose grinder or one with a continuous feeding hopper.  the difference is whether you have multiple coffees you switch between.  or you use 1 until its gone. 

 

if you are switching back and forth, you want a hopper that takes 1 dose at a time, and you also want the plumbing to have very low retention, so the previous dose of beans doesnt contaminate with the next one

[jimmyjazz 45647]

6 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

that is not grind demanding.  but then you still have a decision of a single-dose grinder or one with a continuous feeding hopper.  the difference is whether you have multiple coffees you switch between.  or you use 1 until its gone. 

This ^^^

We are not very far up the evolution ladder when it comes to coffee.  I basically use a Chemex (well, Chemex filters in a stainless steel filter/holder).

[52-80 19128]

4 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

This ^^^

We are not very far up the evolution ladder when it comes to coffee.  I basically use a Chemex (well, Chemex filters in a stainless steel filter/holder).

baratza encore or virtuoso is popular

[Dutch 4465]

4 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Need some advice:  my burr grinder has gone tits up.  I never much liked it, it didn't adjust grind size very well, but it's gone now.

I guess I'll make this my Father's Day gift.  What are the high value burr grinders?  Think Honda Accord or Toyota Camry.  It needs to do multiple grind sizes and get them pretty uniform, but beyond that, no bells, no whistles, no USB ports.

A Baratza Encore is what I use for all non-espresso (pour over & press) and it works well. Easy to adjust (30 steps), will go course or fine (but not espresso fine), and gives a uniform grind for $170. Their post-sale customer support is really good, too.

https://www.amazon.com/Baratza-Encore-Conical-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B007F183LK

[Dutch 4465]

59 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

that is not grind demanding.  but then you still have a decision of a single-dose grinder or one with a continuous feeding hopper.  the difference is whether you have multiple coffees you switch between.  or you use 1 until its gone. 

 

if you are switching back and forth, you want a hopper that takes 1 dose at a time, and you also want the plumbing to have very low retention, so the previous dose of beans doesnt contaminate with the next one

 

51 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

This ^^^

We are not very far up the evolution ladder when it comes to coffee.  I basically use a Chemex (well, Chemex filters in a stainless steel filter/holder).

I'd still recommend single-dosing, even if you're using the same beans until the bag is gone.  Beans stored in the hopper will age and stale faster.  Store your coffee airtight (I put the bag the beans came in into a gallon ziploc bag; no need for a fancy container), weigh out the amount you need right before grinding, and you'll notice your brews will retain that "fresh bag taste" a lot longer.

Edited June 14, 2022 by Dutch

[Spur08 381]

Anyone have feedback on the Breville Bambino or The Breville Barista Express?  Intro level skillset

[Chips O'Toole 1320]

I've had the Barista Express for about 3-4 years and I love it. It's not too hard to dial in with the right beans.  I don't use a scale to dose, I use the built-in grinder and consistently get a good extraction.  

I haven't tried the Bambino model, but my MiL bought the Barista Pro because it came in red, and I hate it. It's fucking fussy and shit and is very difficult to dial in. 

[Dutch 4465]

14 hours ago, Spur08 said:

Anyone have feedback on the Breville Bambino or The Breville Barista Express?  Intro level skillset

I’ve had a BBE since 2019 and really like it.
 
Pros:
* Built-in grinder. You won’t pay for a machine and then a grinder, and you can usually find one on sale. 

* The learning curve isn’t steep. My first lattes were, to my surprise, better than most coffee shops. You can pull good shots and make great tasting drinks pretty much straight away. 

* It makes great milk drinks. You won’t buy a latte or cappuccino unless it’s at the very best specialty coffee shops, because you can make better ones at home. Steaming and pouring milk took longer to get a grip on than pulling shots, but it isn’t too tricky. 

Cons:

* The built-in grinder. The gap between steps can make truly dialing in a shot tricky. One setting will be too course but a step down will be too fine, so I’ll have to compensate with dose and or output. That really isn’t an issue if you’re making mainly milk drinks, as the steamed milk will coverup some shot imperfections, but it will be noticeable if you like drinking straight espresso. There’s a very good independent specialty coffee shop near my house that we’ll frequent often. I’ve got my cortados damn near their level and the wife thinks my lattes are at or better. Straight espresso? I can’t get there.

* It comes with a 54mm portafilter instead of the 58mm on most other prosumer machines. Any accessories you buy for the BBE (baskets, tamp, distributor, portafilter funnel) won’t be usable if you later decide to upgrade to a different machine. 

All in all… it’s a very sold entry level machine that will get you into the world of espresso at an affordable price. It’s got some limitations, but I’ve had mine four years now and still love it. 


 

Edited August 27, 2023 by Dutch

[52-80 19128]

On 6/14/2022 at 9:48 PM, Dutch said:

 

I'd still recommend single-dosing, even if you're using the same beans until the bag is gone.  Beans stored in the hopper will age and stale faster.  Store your coffee airtight (I put the bag the beans came in into a gallon ziploc bag; no need for a fancy container), weigh out the amount you need right before grinding, and you'll notice your brews will retain that "fresh bag taste" a lot longer.

these little ikea pruta 2oz containers are the best.  3 for a dollar.  they hold about 30g of beans.  on the weekend i load them up with 18g each, so each morning i can grab a dose without having to weigh it individually.

 

[Dutch 4465]

56 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

these little ikea pruta 2oz containers are the best.  3 for a dollar.  they hold about 30g of beans.  on the weekend i load them up with 18g each, so each morning i can grab a dose without having to weigh it individually.

 

[sidis 9778]

your latte art is looking pretty good these days, dutch.

no one asked but i am 2.5 years into the rocket mozzafiato and i still love it.  fabulous machine.

[sith_horn 2372]

On 6/14/2022 at 5:26 PM, tigol said:

No complaints about this one.

KitchenAid Burr Coffee Grinder - KCG8433 https://a.co/bvHxzfK

I've had this one since not sure exactly ... circa 2005-2007. The grind collection cup broke about 10 years ago. I replaced it with one of those fat coffee mugs often used for soups and stews. Works great.

KitchenAid KCG0702CS Burr Coffee Grinder, Contour Silver

[Chopper 17196]

coffeegeek received a pre-release test unit and has been talking up this (link) single-dose grinder. It's supposedly extremely quiet, the exterior is space grade aluminum and the price with shipping is ~ $400.

[After irth 1243]

45 minutes ago, Chopper said:

coffeegeek received a pre-release test unit and has been talking up this (link) single-dose grinder. It's supposedly extremely quiet, the exterior is space grade aluminum and the price with shipping is ~ $400.

Dunno about the grinder, but I see that Fellow kettle there.  Those things are pretty cool.

[Pescado_Rojo 19347]

On 11/1/2021 at 6:47 PM, 52-80 said:

OK after obsessing youtubing and internet sleuthing, ive settled on my manual espresso kit.
 

I didnt anticipate having to pay for fucking water kettles and kitchen scales amounts that I would hide from my wife — not because of the cost, but because of the absurdity of the cost. At least im not throwing 3 figures on goddamn tampers; who does that? and why??

 

grinder: kinu m47 (47mm cone burr)

extractor: flair 58 (electric preheat)

scale: acaia lunar

kettle: stagg ekg 

and then some generic accessories like funnels and dosers and mats and 

and then ill see how far down the rabbithole it goes

 

Did you end up buying the Flair 58? How do you like it? It's on sale for labor day and I've been wanting a manual extractor. 

[52-80 19128]

6 hours ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

Did you end up buying the Flair 58? How do you like it? It's on sale for labor day and I've been wanting a manual extractor. 

Yes, im pretty obsessed with it simplicity and extraction control. Its stonking good fun. 

Only change to the post is ive bought a Niche Zero electric grinder. Hand grinding got old quick. 

[Dutch 4465]

11 hours ago, 52-80 said:

Yes, im pretty obsessed with it simplicity and extraction control. Its stonking good fun. 

Only change to the post is ive bought a Niche Zero electric grinder. Hand grinding got old quick. 

How do you like the Niche?

[52-80 19128]

19 minutes ago, Dutch said:

How do you like the Niche?

Banging device.  Zero fuss, and easy to change grind settings without drift.  No bellows, no recalibration of burrs, no retention-purging, etc. 

Its cone burrs are *said* to be not as good as flat burrs at expressing light roast flavors, which I'm leaning more and more into, but I find it hard to find comparably good FB grinders.

I'm mostly set on the equipment side. Experimentation phase now is around finding roasters and coffees I like best (so far its typically central american, natural or honey washed)

 

[52-80 19128]

I showed this to my wife and she booked me an appointment for a catscan

 

[beer 3220]

Does anyone look for a used super jolly anymore? Mines lasted 15 years so far, and it was already old when I bought it. 

[MajorMajor 109]

I've been using a SJ for about 15 years also. It's a tank, keep meaning to remove the doser.

I sometimes get the upgrade bug but not sure the ROI is there.

[52-80 19128]

Gonna get a Cafelat Robot for our other residence, where before we made do with just a nespresso machine.

I was going back and forth on a lesser Flair model (below 58) but the workflow all seemed a bit more cumbersome with manual preheating and etc.  

This one seems more straight forward for use and cleanup, and sized at 58mm so I can load a bigger dose at my preferred grind size

[jimmyjazz 45647]

Any recs for a great whole bean coffee?  It seems my wife and I have started to default to giving each other a lb of coffee from Anderson's in Austin every Christmas as a stocking stuffer.  I'd like to break out from that mold.  Anderson's is great, but is there something transcendent I can either order or buy locally?

[dcbc 14443]

Lavazza Super Crema has been a solid Amazon Subscribtion.

[Pescado_Rojo 19347]

12 hours ago, dcbc said:

Lavazza Super Crema has been a solid Amazon Subscribtion.

I'm a fan. If you like Super Crema and get the bug to try something new, I like the Crema Wave from Whole Latte Love.

[Captainant 27522]

I'm pretty excited, finally upgrading from my hand grinder to an SK40! It arrives today and I am looking forward to one less step to get my coffee lol

Edited July 1 by Captainant

[dcbc 14443]

14 hours ago, Captainant said:

I'm pretty excited, finally upgrading from my hand grinder to an SK40! It arrives today and I am looking forward to one less step to get my coffee lol

I'm gonna say it, that grinder is a handsome.  Looks well thought-out.

Edited July 2 by dcbc

[Chopper 17196]

A friend sent me this story yesterday about Tom Petty written by his biographer: A year after Petty's death, author Warren Zanes shares a tale of loss, memory, and the search for the perfect cup of coffee.

It's pretty unexpected, as far as coffee goes but probably not worth reading if you're not a big Petty fan. https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/tom-petty-death-biographer-warren-zanes-731414/

 

[Captainant 27522]

10 hours ago, dcbc said:

I'm gonna say it, that grinder is a handsome.  Looks well thought-out.

It took me a few tries to find the right grind setting, it arrived set to basically Turkish coffee fine and I've got it almost replicating what I had my hand grinder dialed into. The stepless adjustment screw is great and smooth, it's surprisingly quiet, and it arrived within 5 days of ordering

10/10 would recommend. No fancy bells and whistles, but its got a magnetic cup that indexes itself below the chute and bellows to push out retained grounds and a simple on/off button on the side

[dcbc 14443]

32 minutes ago, Captainant said:

It took me a few tries to find the right grind setting, it arrived set to basically Turkish coffee fine and I've got it almost replicating what I had my hand grinder dialed into. The stepless adjustment screw is great and smooth, it's surprisingly quiet, and it arrived within 5 days of ordering

10/10 would recommend. No fancy bells and whistles, but its got a magnetic cup that indexes itself below the chute and bellows to push out retained grounds and a simple on/off button on the side

Maybe I missed it upthread, but is this for Turkish Coffee, espresso, French press, or . . . ?

[Captainant 27522]

9 minutes ago, dcbc said:

Maybe I missed it upthread, but is this for Turkish Coffee, espresso, French press, or . . . ?

I'm making espresso on a Breville Bambino Plus, so still pretty pedestrian in espresso land but it makes a great cup

Edited July 2 by Captainant

[dcbc 14443]

13 hours ago, Captainant said:

I'm making espresso on a Breville Bambino Plus, so still pretty pedestrian in espresso land but it makes a great cup

A guy I used to work with had a nice Breville semi auto in his office.  It made a pretty good cup.

 

I don't remember the brand, but I got this tamper with a force gauge clicker in it back when we had a semi auto.  It worked well and took the guess work out of that step, although the freshness of the roast and the grind were the biggest game changers.