Coffee: we drink it or we get angry.

I only watched the beginning

but if you want to learn more about the aiden, here you go.

The temp control is very cool, closest to pour over control I've seen. Out of my budget unfortunately.

 

i am drinking cold coffee and coffee made by my husband

 

Been using my clever coffee dripper at work recently, using a recipe based on James Hoffman video.

My slightly tweaked recipe using an electric kettle with temp readout, a kinu phoenix grinder, scale and the dripper.
22 grams coffee (started at 20g, but I found I like 22g better)
333 grams water (basically max a dripper can do)
water at 198F (started at 205, like lower better)
preheat dripper with hot water
add 333gr of 198F water to dripper, then add coffee, gently stir
wait 2 mins, then stir or shake to break crust.
wait 30 secs, then place dripper on cup.
draw down should finish in about a min.

Adjust grind, amount of coffee and water temp to taste.

The original hoffman recipe is:

1. Grind 15 g coffee
2. Fold and rinse paper with hot tap water
3. Fill Clever Dripper with WATER FIRST (250 g) for a quicker drawdown
4. Quickly add the ground coffee and stir
5. Steep for 2 minutes
6. At 2:00 break the crust on top (stir or shake)
7. At 2:30 drip into your brew vessel

So need a kettle with some kind of temperature readout (or a thermometer), grinder, scale and of course a dripper.
Relatively quick and easy recipe compared to many ones I see for a v60 or kalita wave, which are the other pour overs I have.

And I think the results are very good

EDIT: Wanted to add, before using a Kinu, I used a Timemore C2 manual grinder, and had good results with that too. Kinu is easier to adjust, easier to get grinds from, and just nicer to use, but also more money.

Randy

 

Aiden looks interesting (that is a great video of the design choices and features) and it would be nice to pre-order for the extra coffee beans and customized profiles.

However, I was wondering about pre-heating and rinsing the paper filters. FAQ says that if you use their filters you "don't need to pre-rinse them" which is interesting. Have not yet read up on what makes their paper filters different or compared the cost for the specific filters...

 

Fun little project for tonight, I replaced the steam valve and solenoid in my machine. It has turned from sounding and spitting like a stabbed wildcat, to purring like a kitten.

Think I'll WFH tomorrow and ingest an inhuman amount of espresso. You know, just to check it works and is reliable.

 

I know being able to DIY is a great thing, but if time's a factor (especially with the kiddos running around) the guys at DeLuca's are great to deal with and very reasonably priced in my experience. Just in case something goes kaput again.

 

The coffee is one of the things that still works to *escape* the family! That and lawn care. Two things where they just don't care and actually leave me alone.

The BDB for all it's faults is actually really easy to service. The hardest part in Canada - as always - is getting parts at a decent price.

 

Lawn care in this heat? Truly you are a masochist. Hmm do we have a lawn thread at sbaf? I have so much more lawn now compared to my last place. So much energy spent fighting weeds. We've done ok this year, but I'm thinking I'll pay for the weedman service next year to maybe knock out some of the deeper roots. After that I need to figure out how to make things more consistent. I've got different coloured patches all over, plus crabgrass.

Ugh my hatred/paranoia for international shipping has extended to the point where if I can't find parts already in Canada, I just don't want to try anymore.

 

I backed yet another espresso machine. But it's supposed to ship only 3 months after the kickstarter ends. LOL I'm fully aware of all the downsides and 99% likelyhood of extensive delays yet I can't help myself

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/980981331/meraki-ultimate-espresso-machine

 

For espressos, I finished the gaggiuino project a few months ago but ended up selling the Gaggiuino to use a simple Cafelat Robot. I just couldnt get used to all the settings and options available.
Back to basics: pure simple Robot, bought a few gimmicks (like hands and mirror) and I enjoy it much more at the end of the day of espressos.

For dripping coffee, I've had a Hario switch for a long long time and still enjoy it, but recently bought a flat bottom for $15 and i'm quite impressed. It comes from Timemore, pretty good coffee for cheap.

 

Picked up a couple new coffee toys recently.
Last week I received a Cafelat Robot
http://www.cafelat.com/robot.html
Got a good deal on a store demo model. They don't go on sale much, so deals are few on these guys.
Still learning how to use it, pulling a shot is completely manual, but its fun.

Other toy is a new Greater Goods gooseneck kettle. My old stovetop gooseneck had some rust spots inside, so it was retired and I picked this one.
https://shop.greatergoods.com/products/gooseneck-kettle-onyx-black
Was on sale so price was a little better.
Its nice to be able to dial up a temp, and have it beep at you when it reaches temp.
Its also working well with my robot since I need to provide boiling water for it.

Randy

 

I can’t claim to be as much of a coffee aficionado as many of the folks in this thread, but I order my coffee from a few favorite small roasters, and I like to have above-average coffee at home.

After being a french press person for a long time, I switched back to drip for convenience a few years ago. I wanted to get a solid but not half-kilo (or more) machine, so I picked up the OXO 9-cup. I’ve generally enjoyed it and felt it to be a clear step up from most of the Cuisinart and Black & Decker ones of my early-20s. However, the OXO isn’t amazing, in terms of brewing quality, and it’s a pain to clean.

So, I few weeks ago, I finally bought a Moccamaster (79212 KBTS). Being the good soft objectivist that I am, I decided to do a (non-blinded) taste test between it and the recently-cleaned OXO. Same (Roo’s Roast) beans, precisely measured, etc.

It was no contest. Going back and forth, I realized that the OXO imparted a bit of that strong, acidic initial taste that I associate with the Starbucks kinda-burned flavor, mellower middle, and return-to-bitter aftertaste. It’s like the V-shaped sound signature of coffee. The Moccamaster, on the other hand, was much smoother and more well-balanced. I don’t want to sound Miles-in-Sideways-level insufferable, but the initial taste was smoother, and in the middle I could taste more of the different notes that are obvious when drinking the same coffee at the actual roaster’s shop in Ann Arbor. Finally, the aftertaste was also much more pleasant. Like the Kato or 6XX of coffee.

Plus, the Moccamaster is just so much easier to clean.

I wish I would’ve switched sooner or, preferably, sprung for the Moccamaster in the first place. If you’re debating, don’t make my mistake. Go for the Moccamaster.

So, what now, gang? Do I need one of those fancy metal filters instead of paper?

 

I love a pour over.

 

^Nice! I have also gone to total pour over enjoyment...and have needed to start posting here more. A bunch is happening in Discord. And I have learned about a ton of roasters on Reddit.

My general path finally led me to good pourover with the recommendation of a good dripper from @Vansen .

I previously used French Press and then Chemex but really love the Origami dripper with ability to use either Kalita Wave or Hario V60 filters.

We've started sharing beans and having Coffee/Audio micro-meets at coffee shops! Or at community member houses:



Timemore 078 grinder > Stagg EKG Kettle / Timemore Black Mirror Mini scale > Origami Dripper + Kalita or Hario filters > Duralex glasses

Has been a ton of fun. The variety and quality of coffee beans and roasters is at a really high level. Producers are doing a lot of things with processing to bring out all kinds of interesting flavors.

I have avoided the espresso machine rabbit hole. (I'm already taking up kitchen space and pour over gear is not as spendy.) I enjoy a good espresso when I go out to good shops, gives me something special to look forward to that I can't do at home.

Roasters I love: Passenger, Black & White
Roasters I like: DAK, Onyx, Sorellina, Feast, Hub
Roasters on my list to try: Sey, Calendar, S&W, September
For high-quality instant: Hasty Coffee

Decaf: Found out that @zach915m loves decaf (lots of these are really good now!!) and recommended the Ethiopian at Coffee By The Roast. Will have to try. I've really enjoyed decafs from Passenger and they are great to keep around in 20g tubes in the freezer for nighttime brews.

Will share more around here as I try roasters on my list next year.

Working through DAK (Blueberry Boom, Milky Cake, Strawberry Kiss) and some Passenger beans before trying the next roaster on my list.

Cheers!

 

Fine, I will go make another cup.

 

Good score.

I have a Robot too, and picked it over other manual devices because it’s easier to clean. A lot of manufacturers claim their wares are easy to use and that may be true, but part of the user experience is also maintenance and storage. It helps that the pulled shots are very good. The Robot was a win for me.

 

I find the paper filters absorb some of the oiliness, but if you enjoy that then metal mesh might suit you.

Some people like to do without paper filters because might impart some taste but I don’t experience such from my own use. A metal mesh will give the coffee more body because of the particles that flow through.

From an environmental perspective I don’t think paper (degradable) is worse than more water used to clean metal sifts.

To add: the Moccamaster is quite a step up for a drip machine. I believe it’s more sophisticated in water temp control. Nice.

 

It used to be that Technivorm was it and there was literally no other good ones. Now you have a lot of great machines to choose from (SCA gold cup certification will get you in the ballpark with brew temp and time but those aren’t all winners so best to narrow it down and then research reviews). I have a Behmor drip machine. I love the control over temp and presoak time and of course I love that it doesn’t drop any water u til it hits the set temp. I don’t change the temp a whole lot because most of my light roasts like the same temps but this past week I got a coffee that ended up being medium which is darker than I usually drink. I don’t like the increased carbon flavors of medium and dark roasts. It helped a lot with the flavor to bring the temp down a few degrees. So that was nice to have.

I prefer paper over metal mesh for the slightly cleaner cup.
Also French press is fine but not my fave for the same reason.

 

I might have missed it, but has anyone had experience with these?

https://chemexcoffeemaker.com/products/ottomatic?variant=41949731258428

 

Love it!

DAK Coffees are flavor bombs Enjoyed their Botanica coffee earlier this summer!

I think you'll love Sey Coffee roast profile! I just brewed Estela Pitti at my workplace this coffee break morning