Union Carbine
Member
Don't know anything about that one. I'd check out coffeegeek and home-barista for reviews and thoughts over Amazon in this case. Maybe see if anybody's reviewed or posted about them over there?
Coffee |OT| Taste as good as it smells
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InfiniteBento
Member
Pls don't buy the De'Longhi. I've used it before and it is dreadful.
There are tons of barista forums with brutally honest reviews of machines so scope around for those depending on the products you're interested in.
There are tons of barista forums with brutally honest reviews of machines so scope around for those depending on the products you're interested in.
A Human Becoming
More than a Member
Thanks for recommending those three sites. I got some ideas what to buy and even picked up some tips how to make better coffee with my Bialetti!
So from what I've gathered so far the grinder is actually more important than the espresso machine. Since I'm strapped for cash, I'm thinking about getting a grinder first, so at least I can improve the flavor from my Bialetti since I read recently grounded coffee tastes much better.
Union Carbine
Member
/r/coffee on reddit is a pretty good spot as well. It gets decent traffic and the community gives solid advice.
Yep. I think that's the best way to go-- it's not as exciting as getting a new espresso machine but it'll give you the best results with any brew method you choose.
One thing to bear in mind that, if espresso is definitely in your future, be sure the grinder you choose has enough adjustment room in the espresso range. Some good grinders don't work well for espresso because they don't offer enough resolution within the grind range for espresso to dial in properly.
A Human Becoming
More than a Member
Seattle Coffee Gear liked this one. I suppose I could go higher, but my funds will be limited for the forseeable future. I only plan to make espresso for lattes.
Isn't that just a grinder?
PhantomHound
Banned
Man, purchasing a grinder is the worst. You're paying a good amount of money for a device that serves only one purpose: grinding beans to make amazing coffee.
I still use the Baratza Encore and haven't upgraded yet after the initial purpose. I'm not a fan of espresso, but I love drip coffee in my chemex and this works for me.
Union Carbine
Member
I've got no experience with it. Here's one thread from home-barista: Is Breville Smart Grinder any good for espresso?
EDIT: SCG posted a video comparing the Breville to the Rancilio Rocky. There's an exchange in the comments that might prove useful:
(Note: they answered in two replies that I compressed into one.)youtube said:
A Human Becoming
More than a Member
Espresso machine comes later.
It does suck, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
Seattle Coffee Gear's review didn't distill confidence in the Encore, especially for espresso. It sounds like paying at least $200 for a grinder is worth it.
Very different impressions than the SCG review. Their comparison of Smart Grinder to the Virtuoso knocked the latter out of potential purchases.
Too many choices!
Union Carbine
Member
Yep but if you read my quote from their youtube video (edited it into my last post just a few minutes ago so you might have missed it) they don't seem that confident in the Breville for espresso either. If it's only good for pressurized portafilters, I'd say that's just short of damning it for espresso, certainly for serious espresso.
A Human Becoming
More than a Member
So the Rocky Rancillo is a better choice? Does that mean I should be looking at $300+ grinders for espresso? Ugh.
Union Carbine
Member
If you don't mind grinding by hand, the Lido 2 is well thought of for espresso. Unfortunately, espresso adds another level of complexity and expense to the coffee process. Take it away and things become a bit easier and cheaper to put together.
A Human Becoming
More than a Member
Gotta have my lattes man.
Lido 2 does seem like the best for my budget. Besides the manual force, what's the disadvantage of a hand grinder?
Now I'm wondering how much I should spend on an espresso machine in the future if I got a Lido 2. The general advice is to spend more on the grinder than the machine. Barista > Coffee > Grinder > Espresso machine
Union Carbine
Member
Speed.
I think most people new to the hobby tend to push all their money towards a machine and skimp on the grinder and this is definitely the wrong way to go. But as far as actual economics go, I'm not sure that holds true-- prosumer espresso machines start out at roughly $1000 and go up from there, depending on the build, tech, HX vs. double boiler, etc. Unless you're buying a professional cafe-quality electric grinder, you're not going to spend more on the grinder than you did on the machine but you might spend as much or close to it. I think the most important takeaway is that the grinder should be treated equally as the machine because it is just as important, if not more so.
Hand grinders have upped the game the last few years, bringing pro level grinder burrs down to really good price points by ditching the motors and going hand-powered. The Lido has an espresso-dedicated brother, the Pharos, but it is currently being redesigned and isn't for sale at the moment. But these grinders, and others, have also flipped the economics a bit if you don't mind grinding by hand.
Also, below a certain point, there just aren't any decent machines. At the entry level, you're looking at the Gaggia Classic/Baby/Colour, Rancilio Sylvia, Crossland CC1, among others. Coffeegeek and home-barista will be good places to search for guides and feedback on these and others.
Just be aware that below $1000, everything is a trade-off. I know one guy on the /r/coffee reddit, who is also a roaster, that always recommends the Gaggias for starters because, until you move up to the HX level of espresso machine, he doesn't think that the more expensive starter machines are worth the premiums over the Gaggia-- basically because they are all very imperfect.
Glad to see some grinder talk right now - I'm looking for a replacement to my Mr. Coffee blade grinder (I know, I know) I use at school. I have a cheap bur grinder at home, but really want to keep the equipment (and noise) down to a minimum while I grind before school.
I originally had a Hario slim back in the day, but lost it during a move. The only bad thing about it was it was time consuming, and I usually had to fill and grind more than once for the amount of grounds I was using. For a cheap, consistent, and discreet grinder, what's my current best choice on Amazon?
I mainly use an Aeropress in the class, but would possibly use it at home with a moka pot.
I originally had a Hario slim back in the day, but lost it during a move. The only bad thing about it was it was time consuming, and I usually had to fill and grind more than once for the amount of grounds I was using. For a cheap, consistent, and discreet grinder, what's my current best choice on Amazon?
I mainly use an Aeropress in the class, but would possibly use it at home with a moka pot.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
That place can be such an annoyance at times. Tread lightly.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Going to echo this a bit.
The grinder is single handedly the most important item you will buy. A lot of people will actually buy two grinders if they get an espresso machine. Why? Fine tuning for an espresso machine is a lot more work than it is for any other brew method. You need macro precision (Baratza Vario is the cheapest here) and it can sometimes take multiple pulls to get there.
If you're getting the Lido I would stick with pour over and steep style brewers. If you need to get an espresso machine than I would buy right at the start. Spend the $1000-2000 on a GOOD entry level set up. Seattle Coffee Gear does a lot of combo deals where you can get a grinder with an espresso machine for a bit of savings. Buying a Lido and then buying a Silvia or CC1 wouldn't make sense at all in my opinion.
Union Carbine
Member
I haven't used it myself (though I want one to upgrade my pour-over Hario grinder) but a lot of people seem to use it for espresso and have success. Ideally, I do agree with you that it's best suited for non-espresso grinding, but I could see it step in for espresso for a start. A nice thing with the Lido is it can just move over to coarser grinding only if they ever upgrade the espresso grinding.
A used Mazzer Super Jolly can usually be found for a pretty good price and, all things considered, it's probably the best bang for buck proposition out there, keeping in mind that work might need to be done on it to get it into prime shape.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
First hands on I'm seeing of the MiniPresso GR http://www.reddit.com/r/Coffee/comments/2wngcu/minipresso_gr_is_here_first_impressions_photos/
Union Carbine
Member
If anyone's interested, I wrote up a blog post on my attempt to cold-brew using a Clever immersion brewer.
Union Carbine
Member
Here's a good guide for getting a grip on the Skerton's grind settings.
There's a mod for the Skerton that helps with coarse grinding A LOT-- basically, in the default design, the inner burr can wobble around when grinding, particularly at the coarser settings, which can cause the resulting grounds to be wildly inconsistent. There used to be a kit for sale at Orphan Espresso but I don't know if they still sell it. Some folks have had success 3D-printing it. I'm sure some searches will pull up information about it. I think it's definitely worth pursuing.
super-famicom
Member
Guys, what's the best way to clean hard water spots from the inside of a stainless steel gooseneck kettle? I've been looking online and found some sites recommending the use of white vinegar (boil 1 part water and 1 part vinegar) and also the use of baking soda. How does CoffeeGAF clean their kettles?
Just had coffee and I feel amazeballs. Anyone tried Kuma coffee? It's pretty good.
I dunno... I gave up on the skerton. Couldn't get a medium or course grind for the life of me. It does fine pretty well for small pour overs though.
I dunno... I gave up on the skerton. Couldn't get a medium or course grind for the life of me. It does fine pretty well for small pour overs though.
Durgol. I think I diluted it a bit when I cleaned my Hario Buono
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Kuma was my favorite new (to me) roaster for 2014. Their Guatemala was crazy good.
terrisus
Member
So, hey CoffeeGAF, I have a question, which will probably result in me being excommunicated.
Lately, I've needed somewhere around 4 cups of espresso to get going in the morning (yeah yeah, I know >.> I have all sorts of issues related to my sleep, stress, life cycles, habits, etc. which go well beyond that, and far before I started drinking that much espresso, when instead I would just sleep until like 2PM >.>)
The thing is, I don't like to wait too long before drinking it, since I'm pretty much just dragging along until then. But, hot coffee is difficult to drink fast.
On the other hand, I don't really care for ice coffee... Which leads to...
The dreaded...
Lukewarm coffee!
Now, in order to accomplish this, I've either been adding cold water to fresh coffee (which waters it down), or turning off the burner and waiting for it to cool (which takes a while).
I've checked online, and any room-temperature/lukewarm/cool (I'm fine with it being cool, I just don't want iced >.>) coffee makers I've seen are just single-cup ones, or ones that otherwise go over the top of the cup you're drinking it from.
What I want is a regular pot coffee maker, where you can make like 6-8 cups (of lukewarm/room temperature/cool coffee) without having to constantly be fiddling with it, and just have it ready to go.
EDIT: Oh yeah, in an ideal world, I'd like something in the $50 range. I'm not too concerned with quality >.>
...
So, does anyone have any suggestions?
Lately, I've needed somewhere around 4 cups of espresso to get going in the morning (yeah yeah, I know >.> I have all sorts of issues related to my sleep, stress, life cycles, habits, etc. which go well beyond that, and far before I started drinking that much espresso, when instead I would just sleep until like 2PM >.>)
The thing is, I don't like to wait too long before drinking it, since I'm pretty much just dragging along until then. But, hot coffee is difficult to drink fast.
On the other hand, I don't really care for ice coffee... Which leads to...
The dreaded...
Lukewarm coffee!
Now, in order to accomplish this, I've either been adding cold water to fresh coffee (which waters it down), or turning off the burner and waiting for it to cool (which takes a while).
I've checked online, and any room-temperature/lukewarm/cool (I'm fine with it being cool, I just don't want iced >.>) coffee makers I've seen are just single-cup ones, or ones that otherwise go over the top of the cup you're drinking it from.
What I want is a regular pot coffee maker, where you can make like 6-8 cups (of lukewarm/room temperature/cool coffee) without having to constantly be fiddling with it, and just have it ready to go.
EDIT: Oh yeah, in an ideal world, I'd like something in the $50 range. I'm not too concerned with quality >.>
...
So, does anyone have any suggestions?
(And no, "Stop drinking coffee"/"You're doing it wrong" doesn't count >.>)
The Bonavita BV1800 or 1900 is what you want. It's one of the very few 'classic' style filter coffee machines that is good enough to be recommended by the SCAA: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P7T4WK8/?tag=neogaf0e-20
The 1900 model is slightly improved, but I don't know what the difference is and it's currently a bit difficult to find and more expensive.
The absolute top-of-the-range machine is a Technivorm Moccamaster, but they're considerably more expensive: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002S4DI2S/?tag=neogaf0e-20
For filter machines, accept only the machines on this list (or their closely related cousins): http://www.scaa.org/?page=cert2
terrisus
Member
That does lukewarm/room temperature/cool coffee as well?
The description keeps mentioning heating >.>
PhantomHound
Banned
First off, let me get this straight, You want cool coffee? Not iced but a room temperature brew?
Also a news report last night said 3-5 cups of coffee was good for the heart by blocking build up of calcium in your arteries, so drink on.
terrisus
Member
Bingo.
Exactly.
You mean I'm actually doing something good for myself for a change? >.>
PhantomHound
Banned
What you're looking for is a cold brew (room temperature) brew method. But you'll have to grind your beans coarse and than continue to soak them in water for up to 12 hours. It's a big time commitment.
Basically, you're keeping the ground beans in the water for 12 hours and then you reverse filter them into a container to get the coffee grinds out.
terrisus
Member
Boo. Yeah, I don't want anything that's that much effort. I'm too tired for that :þ
I suppose I could always make a pot of hot coffee, and then stick it in the fridge for a bit >.>
PhantomHound
Banned
I'm sure someone will come along and give you better advice. I've never done a cold brew, but that's my basic understanding of it.
I'm guessing you don't like milk or cream in your coffee.
Edit: If you get something like this and leave it out overnight, it might not be that tedious.
Dice
Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
I'm with you on the lukewarm coffee. I find messing with espresso machines annoying when you want to make more than just one, so I make really freaking strong coffee in a french press, fill my mug halfway, or maybe a bit more than halfway, then fill the rest with whole milk. Now I could heat the milk to have something close to a latte, but usually I don't want to bother waiting, so it ends up lukewarm. I guess that makes it a lame café au lait.
terrisus
Member
Nope - black with sugar. At most a little bit of vanilla flavoring (not cream)
And, yeah, those are the kind that I keep seeing. Although I guess at least 1 quart is a start to the day :þ
I would make something at night and keep it until morning, but right now we only have one coffeemaker, and my wife wakes up before me and needs to use it.
Although I guess I could make something before I go to sleep, and put it in another pitcher and leave it out overnight...
Maybe I'll just do that.
PhantomHound
Banned
Sounds like a good idea. I know i'm anywhere from 4-8 cups of coffee a day. You can never have enough.
I take my coffee with cream and sugar. I've recently stopped adding sugar though.
terrisus
Member
Sounds like a good idea. I know i'm anywhere from 4-8 cups of coffee a day. You can never have enough.
I take my coffee with cream and sugar. I've recently stopped adding sugar though.
I'd rather have it plain black than with any cream.
Cream is gross, and doesn't belong in coffee :þ
PhantomHound
Banned
Hey. woah, woah. Let's not start a war between us.
Also, I found a 48 oz cold brew at bed bath and beyond.
terrisus
Member
Hah, you know I love you <3
Why do they all have that stupid design to them? =(
I think I may end up just getting a second regular coffeemaker so I can make stuff at night, turn it off, and let it sit overnight >.>
PhantomHound
Banned
Did you give up on the world and become more cynical?
PhantomHound
Banned
But senpai, it's forbidden.
Yeah, they do look weird. Almost like they're trying too hard to look fancy.
That second method works too.
terrisus
Member
My main concerns are:
1) The center of gravity looks way too high - and with 2 cats and 1 dog, would be getting knocked over soon
2) A pain to pour out of (seriously, no spout?)
terrisus
Member
Yeah, that's probably the best course, honestly.