Coffee: we drink it or we get angry.

Two questions: Do you preheat the Flair before pulling shots, if so how much work is it, and which milk frother do you use?

 

Surprised they don't put a roasting date on their beans.

Curious how these beans do for you.

 

Freshly roasted beans!!!

But now you're ruined, it's hard to drink "regular" coffee after you get used to good coffee.

 

This is why I'm so in love with natural Ethiopians!

 

It depends on the roast. I prefer something from the darker medium roast for espresso so I need only 1 time preheating (45s).
But due to longer hand grinding time so I normally preheat 2 times to keep my brew head busy.
I don't preheat at all for very dark roast, something like Starbucks gifted by my guests...
So if you are using an auto grinder and your coffee roast is something medium to dark you can try 0 or 1 time preheating.
If you can't tell the difference in flavor then just don't preheat at all. I did it mostly because of manual hand grinding so I have spare time to heat up the cup and the brew head.

For milk frothing part I'm using this currently:- https://www.amazon.com/YISSVIC-Electric-Cappuccino-Macchiato-Chocolate/dp/B07KMS9ML4
What I need is the heating function and the spinner that is it. Literally zero difference from the expensive Nespresso stuff.
1.) Preheat the milk without the whisk. It will stop at 50degree C. I normally use 90-120ml of milk.
2.) Pour out the milk and install the frothing whisk. Put in the milk again and frother for 7-9 secs.
This can be a hassle but also the closest way to get a decent textured milk-based coffee with a steamless setup. You can even pour latte art (pitcher required) with this recipe since the produced foam is not thick and super dry anymore.

Enjoy!

 

Well, the 'lever rule' or energy conversion still needs to be obeyed.
There is in some fine print that usually 8 strokes of the piston handle are needed for one espresso shot.

 

I have a mypressi twist in a closet somewhere, basically a relatively low priced way to make espresso.
It uses CO2 cartridges for the pressure to make a shot.
I remember it making a decent shot, but IMHO was more work than using my HX machine. So I use my machine, and the mypressi is stored away. Seems that the company went out of business, which is too bad.

Randy

 

I remember those. Always heard good things but at the time I already had an HX as well.

 

Its cute, but can really make espresso. But you need to preheat at least once, I think I used to do it a couple of times, so takes a little work.
The other "alternative" machine I have is a bacchi. Its a unique stovetop machine that really gets up to 9 bar. Also stored away lol.
https://www.1st-line.com/buy/caffemotive-bacchi-stovetop-espresso-maker/

 

I find one week is too fresh. I think the best flavors are often at the 3-4 week mark. I always found my impressions odd compared to the usual logic of “the fresher the better”, but my local shop independently told me the same thing. Personally, I would rather have 2 month old beans than 1 week old beans.

It usually takes me a bag to dial in my preparation method. I suggest when it comes time for a new bag to buy the same beans and experiment a little with the age.

 

I tentatively backed that thang, but I'll make a final decision before it closes. I like the idea of easy, powerless espresso for camping or the zombie apocalypse.

 

Is this for espresso or other prep? I often like it a bit older for espresso but for pour over and especially with natural processed Ethiopian beans I really love those wild flavors and I feel like that diminishes a lot after a few weeks.

 

Both, although my espresso experience comes from coffee shops.

I do find the weird flavors come out more after a couple weeks. They often smell stronger on the nose before then. It would guess this also varies by beans/roasting/brewing.

I only bring it up to encourage people to experiment. I thought I was doing something wrong because I could never get what I was initially smelling to come across in the cup from really fresh beans. I always think it is worthwhile to question some of the rules and try for yourself. The key is finding out what works for you.

 

Because of the offgassing, even when your bloom techniques are solid, fresh beans are probably the most prone to channelling. I used to be obsessive about keeping beans fresh as well, but these days as my backlog gets longer and longer I also find that I can enjoy beans of any age as long as you adjust accordingly.

 

So I've mentioned the Espro press on here a couple times which I really really like. Unlike the standard Bodum pot, there is zero sludge and the vacuum insulated chamber keeps coffee hot for a long time. If you order now at espro.com with discount code SERIOUS20, you get 20% off.

 

Have one of those too, the original model before they had options.
Makes a nice french press without the residue, and the double walled metal body is nice, keeps coffee hot.
My only complaint is that because of the double filter system, these is always some coffee left over mixed with the grinds that you have to throw away.

 

yep, there's definitely more wasted coffee then with a Bodum. The double filter is annoying to clean up too. But the hassle is worth the trade off. Even so, I still use a Bodum quite a bit so I don't have to deal with the clean up. But the Espro is great for making coffee for a crowd. It doesn't overbrew so I can make coffee a bit ahead of time and the insulation keeps the coffee from getting cold.

also the filter allows you to experiment with far finer grind sizes, even espresso grind.

 

For a crowd?
My Espro makes just enough for one large mug of coffee. I have a large Bodum that I never use, that would work better for me for a crowd. And I forgot about cleanup as I haven't used the espro recently, but yeah cleaning the two filter pieces takes a little more time.
I guess I'll have to pull it out and play with grinds.