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Irony.or.Death posted:Another attempt to divert to grinder chat! What's the deal with Baratza stuff? All the discussion I ever see if about the Maestro/Maestro Plus, but there doesn't appear to be any mention of this skimming their website; just the Encore/Virtuoso and on up. Other options I'm considering are the Capresso Infinity and Bodum Bistro. There's also some Cuisinart thing that seems to get mostly good reviews. I use a press; no current interest in attempting espresso or anything - I'm really just looking to make a couple cups before I run out the door in the morning since my schedule this semester has my leaving for campus before the local coffee place opens their doors. The Baratza Maestro got discontinued at some point. I don't know how similar it is, but the Baratza Encore seems to be its successor.
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Oct 11, 2012 00:51
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King of Solomon posted:The Baratza Maestro got discontinued at some point. I don't know how similar it is, but the Baratza Encore seems to be its successor. Yeah, from what I've seen. Originally the Maestro came out. Then the Maestro plus came out. Then in 2012, the Encore came out, replacing the old Maestros. The main thing I'm trying to find out is it seems that some reviews said the Maestro Plus was great because it really allowed the user to fine-tune the grind settings for things like french press (40 settings total). When the Encore came out, it was touted as having everything the PLUS did, but also with the ability to grind espresso quality coffee, so it increased the range of settings while maintaining the same number (40 presets). So basically you can't fine tune the Encore as much as the Plus, but the Plus lets you go finer and coarser I think. I'm in a somewhat similar situation as you. I have no desire to deal with espresso...I just a french press and a CCD, so I wonder if it would be better for me to get a Plus refurb if they're still available or go for the Encore. In truth, I don't have any idea if they even sell refurbs of the Plus anymore...I guess I'll find out when I check their website in the morning.
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Oct 11, 2012 01:10
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My Maestro Plus is working great! I don't make espressos because I'm not crazy, but it works great for my french press and drip.
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Oct 11, 2012 02:24
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Irony.or.Death posted:Another attempt to divert to grinder chat! What's the deal with Baratza stuff? All the discussion I ever see if about the Maestro/Maestro Plus, but there doesn't appear to be any mention of this skimming their website; just the Encore/Virtuoso and on up. Other options I'm considering are the Capresso Infinity and Bodum Bistro. There's also some Cuisinart thing that seems to get mostly good reviews. I use a press; no current interest in attempting espresso or anything - I'm really just looking to make a couple cups before I run out the door in the morning since my schedule this semester has my leaving for campus before the local coffee place opens their doors. Maestro Plus was just discontinued and replaced with the Encore. You can still get a refurb MP every once ina while, but Encore is just as good.
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Oct 11, 2012 03:51
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First time posting in dis thread.  Continuing with the discussion, I have little desire to deal with making proper espressos (although I love espresso). I'm not sure I've ever seen them mentioned in this thread, but what is the general consensus on the Nespresso machines? I hear lots on either side of the spectrum as far as "this is poo poo", or the best machine ever for lazy homebodies who can't/don't want to afford  For reference: I bought the C91 for a really discounted rate, and I can't really say the machine is terrible. For something I can make in my poopsocks, it produces a decent latte. Who Dat fucked around with this message at 13:09 on Oct 11, 2012 |
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Oct 11, 2012 13:00
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Personally I saw one at a thrift store, looked it up at home, saw the word "capsule" and ran away screaming. I guess they wouldn't be completely awful if there were a way to use your own coffee but I didn't really look into it. (Also I don't think I've ever seen the capsules for sale anywhere so I guess I'd have had to order them online?) Side note: the things apparently have been around since (at least) the '80s so I guess I shouldn't get my hopes up that this Keurig fad will pass and clear up all that wasted shelf space for better coffee.  
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Oct 11, 2012 14:53
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Here's the deal. Roasted, whole-bean coffee goes stale in about 2 weeks. Ground coffee goes stale in about 15 minutes (or less), because of the increased surface area. Any machine you get that uses preground coffee in some sort of pod (keurig, nespresso, illy pod) will be garbage compared to a properly prepared espresso/drip coffee. There's no way to get around the staleness issue; you're using beans that have probably been ground for more than 2 weeks by the time you get them from the store. That being said, if you like the coffee you're getting out of it, that's fine! Enjoy it.  Not everyone wants (or has the time) to make coffee a hobby like a lot of the people in this thread do.
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Oct 11, 2012 15:02
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Keurig is the best instant coffee you'll ever have. Yes you can have awesome equipment and prep methods at home, but that poo poo doesn't fly at work. Anyway, back to actual coffee, how exactly is the best way to store beans? poo poo has been back and forth between my housemate and my former housemate; one, who is trying to really get into coffee, says that putting it in the freezer is best and everything he's read backs that up. The other one says that freezing fucks up the oils. I'd also like to figure out how I can keep beans in top condition for bout a week-week and a half while camping.
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Oct 11, 2012 16:10
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Irony.or.Death posted:Another attempt to divert to grinder chat! What's the deal with Baratza stuff? All the discussion I ever see if about the Maestro/Maestro Plus, but there doesn't appear to be any mention of this skimming their website; just the Encore/Virtuoso and on up. Other options I'm considering are the Capresso Infinity and Bodum Bistro. There's also some Cuisinart thing that seems to get mostly good reviews. I use a press; no current interest in attempting espresso or anything - I'm really just looking to make a couple cups before I run out the door in the morning since my schedule this semester has my leaving for campus before the local coffee place opens their doors. I have the Bodum Bistro grinder and it works just great for my CCD and Aeropress needs.
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Oct 11, 2012 16:15
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Gah, if the Baratza site hasn't been updated with refurbs yet, does that mean no refurb grinders are in stock for at least a week until next Thursday?
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Oct 11, 2012 16:26
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llibja posted:I have the Bodum Bistro grinder and it works just great for my CCD and Aeropress needs.
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Oct 11, 2012 16:46
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Saint Darwin posted:Keurig is the best instant coffee you'll ever have. Yes you can have awesome equipment and prep methods at home, but that poo poo doesn't fly at work. Any airtight container will be fine for keeping beans for a week. I would only use the freezer if it's something that you won't be opening for a while. Keeping your beans in the freezer to use regularly is dumb because you can get condensation in there from opening and closing the container while it's cold. I roast at home so I don't roast more than a week's worth at a time so it's not an issue. I keep about 5 lbs of green coffee most of the time with half of it in an airtight container in the pantry ready for roasting and half in the freezer for backup.
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Oct 11, 2012 16:57
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rockcity posted:Any airtight container will be fine for keeping beans for a week. I would only use the freezer if it's something that you won't be opening for a while. Keeping your beans in the freezer to use regularly is dumb because you can get condensation in there from opening and closing the container while it's cold. I roast at home so I don't roast more than a week's worth at a time so it's not an issue. I keep about 5 lbs of green coffee most of the time with half of it in an airtight container in the pantry ready for roasting and half in the freezer for backup. Thanks, I might actually start roasting myself (and I'll get him in on this) if it means we can keep high quality coffee around longer. We go through about a pound a week, more if we're home on the weekends since we will easily drink 2-3 French presses a day. edit: He's now arguing with me over text message, saying freezing roasted beans is the best way. It's not that he doesn't want to roast, because he's talked about it before, it's that he doesn't want to admit that he was doing things sub optimally  At least we have a fireplace popper, even if it's been used every day for popcorn for at least 2 years Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 17:09 on Oct 11, 2012 |
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Oct 11, 2012 16:59
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So which one is better, capresso infinity or baratza encore?
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Oct 11, 2012 17:52
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Ooh, refurbs are in stock! I ordered an Encore. I should get that over the Maestro Plus if I don't mind the extra $5, right?
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Oct 11, 2012 18:07
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Archer2338 posted:Gah, if the Baratza site hasn't been updated with refurbs yet, does that mean no refurb grinders are in stock for at least a week until next Thursday? They might be getting my Vario back since after I replaced the belt and pulley it is now making a horrible banging sound when trying to do any sort of medium to fine grind.
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Oct 11, 2012 18:08
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nwin posted:So which one is better, capresso infinity or baratza encore? I had a Capresso Infinity before and I have a Baratza Maestro Plus. They both do a good job and I can't honestly say that I've found the Maestro to work any better, but I do like it more for some reason I can't put my finger on. If I needed a grinder and they were about the same price, I'd buy the Baratza. e: I agree 100% with all 4 posters under me btw. Had my Capresso for 4 years too and the only reason I don't use it anymore is because I moved someplace with a different voltage. Arnold of Soissons fucked around with this message at 18:49 on Oct 11, 2012 |
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Oct 11, 2012 18:22
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Arnold of Soissons posted:I had a Capresso Infinity before and I have a Baratza Maestro Plus. They both do a good job and I can't honestly say that I've found the Maestro to work any better, but I do like it more for some reason I can't put my finger on. If I needed a grinder and they were about the same price, I'd buy the Baratza. I think it's functionality over actual performance. The Maestro looks a bit more rugged, and it comes with a static resistant grind container. I believe it has finer grind steps, too, however it's range is smaller (though you can recalibrate it to shift the range over to finer or coarser as you wish). The Infinity has fewer steps, but grinds over a wider range. I believe the burrs in the Infinity are slightly better than the Maestro, and some people mod extra steps in (you can also make it "stepless" but if you look into the mod, it's pretty chintzy).
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Oct 11, 2012 18:29
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The Capresso is great for the money. It's been my grinder for 4+ years now with no issues whatsoever with grind performance. My only complaint as noted is that the grind container has static issues and that if you're grinding for more than 10 seconds the container starts to slowly push out and grinds can fall behind it. I hold it in while grinding, which really isn't that big of a deal since I'm usually just brewing for me. If I were grinding for brewing several cups, it would be annoying though.
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Oct 11, 2012 18:35
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I had a Maestro which my parents now have, and I'm currently using a Capresso Infinity. I think they're pretty equivalent overall. I want to say that I had to mess with the Maestro more often to keep the grind consistent but I was probably grinding more coffee per day then, and this is possibly offset by it being easy to take apart and cheap to get parts for Baratza's grinders. I think they're both good for the price range, especially if you get the Maestro refurbished or get some sort of discount on the Capresso.
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Oct 11, 2012 18:38
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My Capresso Infinity is about 4 years old now and still a very good backup unit and can't be beat for $80 all in.
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Oct 11, 2012 18:45
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Can I buy their "original" Virtuoso refurb and the $30 Preciso Burrs and make myself a Virtuoso 586?
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Oct 11, 2012 18:47
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Associate Christ
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Dammit, it looked like I had an Encore refurb in my cart and then my lovely web browser at work crashed...now it says it's no longer available. Oh well, gives me some more time to research. After shipping, it looks like I can get the Encore for $100, or I can get the Capresso 560.01 off Amazon for about $88.
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Oct 11, 2012 18:57
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Kaluza-Klein posted:Can I buy their "original" Virtuoso refurb and the $30 Preciso Burrs and make myself a Virtuoso 586? I'd also like to know the answer to this. Separately, my (awesome) wife preordered the Bonavita 1-Liter Variable Temperature Digital Electric Gooseneck Kettle as a birthday present, and it's awesome. My single-cup drip is turning out better than ever before, and I don't think it's just my imagination. If any of you have been considering the Hario kettle that you can't even heat water in, this thing is only a little more expensive than that and will heat water to your specified temperature. I still need to do some tests to make sure the PID is calibrated properly, but for now I'm super impressed. I'm making coffee better than anything I've had at any of the fancy Third-Wave (or whatever you want to call it) coffee shops in the SF Bay Area.
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Oct 11, 2012 22:19
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GrAviTy84 posted:I think it's functionality over actual performance. The Maestro looks a bit more rugged, and it comes with a static resistant grind container. I believe it has finer grind steps, too, however it's range is smaller (though you can recalibrate it to shift the range over to finer or coarser as you wish). The Infinity has fewer steps, but grinds over a wider range. I believe the burrs in the Infinity are slightly better than the Maestro, and some people mod extra steps in (you can also make it "stepless" but if you look into the mod, it's pretty chintzy). It should be noted that the encore has new burrs and gears, though I don't know which is better. In theory I'd hope newer is better, but the encore attempts espresso grinds and the MP had no such pretentions, so they might be sacraficing for a finer grind down low. I'm just guessing though
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Oct 11, 2012 22:37
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A friend of mine lives in New Orleans and is trying black coffee and going blech. I want to point him towards some good locally roasted beans...?
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Oct 12, 2012 17:24
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Steve Yun posted:A friend of mine lives in New Orleans and is trying black coffee and going blech. The famous (CDM and such) local roasts usually have coffee & chicory, which, if he's not a coffee drinker, will turn him off of coffee even more. Community would probably be what I'd suggest. You can find it at most any grocery around here. Or try something from Rouses. They get locally grown loose bulk beans that run around 10 bucks a lbs. French Press (local coffee house) gets local beans too. Who Dat fucked around with this message at 17:53 on Oct 12, 2012 |
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Oct 12, 2012 17:50
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If it's grocery store coffee beans, doesn't that mean it's been sitting there for weeks and weeks?
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Oct 12, 2012 20:04
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Steve Yun posted:If it's grocery store coffee beans, doesn't that mean it's been sitting there for weeks and weeks? Likely, yes. One of the roasters I used to go to back in Michigan that sells in a few grocery stores actually goes into the stores that carry their beans to turn over any product that's been on the shelf for a week. But if they're not local there is pretty much zero chance that happens.
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Oct 12, 2012 20:20
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Rouses is a local store. I believe they replace product once every 1-2 weeks. I've bought beans from there on multiple occasions and I've never had the impression that anything was stale. Walmart, however...
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Oct 12, 2012 20:53
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Steve Yun posted:If it's grocery store coffee beans, doesn't that mean it's been sitting there for weeks and weeks? Check if there is a roast date. Smaller chains/single stores might pay more attention.
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Oct 12, 2012 21:56
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Steve Yun posted:A friend of mine lives in New Orleans and is trying black coffee and going blech.
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Oct 13, 2012 02:06
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AriTheDog posted:
I got that a couple of weeks ago and I've also been incredibly impressed with it. I couldn't believe how much better it made my coffee from what I was doing previously.
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Oct 13, 2012 08:36
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Oct 14, 2012 05:15
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So I got my capresso yesterday and tried a cup of French press today. I definitely noticed a difference between this and the old cuisinart. There wasn't nearly as much sludge in the cup and it tasted better-not perfect though, still just a tad bitter, so I'm wondering if I can get some recommendations: 20g of coffee 12 oz water about 30 seconds after the kettle started whistling. (When it's whistling is that boiling?) 1 minute steep time, then take off the lid and stir, followed by replacing the lid and steeping for 3 more minutes. Grind was at the finest coarse setting (one more step and it would have been on the coarsest medium setting if that makes sense...) Any recommendations? Looking around that might be too much coffee perhaps? I've seen between 4-9g per 4oz of coffee.
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Oct 15, 2012 00:06
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Sounds like you actually may have not enough coffee. I use about an 8g per 4oz ratio for nearly every method of brewing that I use, which would be 24g for your 12oz of water. Bitterness typically means over extraction which could be caused by not enough coffee. Try it again at the same grind with 24g of coffee.
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Oct 15, 2012 18:46
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Why all the Starbucks hate in general? I mean - I actually enjoy going to Starbucks when in the states, it is decent coffee, it is good service and I think they're treating the personnel ok (I heard something like that a while back).. Before the major proliferation of Starbucks at American airports, what you could get was a cup of folgers - which was amazingly lovely... What am I overlooking?
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Oct 15, 2012 19:49
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Speaking of Starbucks, they're touting some new $200 espresso machine called the Verismo and giving away free lattes today, if anyone wants to test them out. http://www.brandeating.com/2012/10/news-starbucks-free-verismo-lattes-on.html Steve Yun fucked around with this message at 20:35 on Oct 15, 2012 |
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Oct 15, 2012 20:33
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^^ "milk pods" . . . MILK PODS!!  I sometimes drink Starbucks, simply because often it's the best that's around, and it beats snot out of Tim Hortons, but it's really more of a overall disdain than hate, for any number of the following reasons: They *heavily* over-roast their beans They make claims about "gourmet" when they are little better than the equivalent of upscale fast-food They eschew quality, preferring consistency With the advent of superautos everywhere, training and knowledge of coffee-making methods is no longer a requirement of a "barista" They still call themselves "baristas" They charge 6$ for a warm milk beverage incidentally containing some miniscule amount of espresso. Coffee can be as complicated and in-depth as you're willing to make it, and calling a Starbucks milk jockey a "barista" is like calling a McDonalds fry guy a chef. They may have helped kick off the recent upswing of coffee qualify and opened up market share for craft roasters, but more and more they are moving in the direction of re-diluting the field, and they are such a monster, that their moves cause large ripples in the industry. Eh I reckon that'll do for now... lags fucked around with this message at 20:46 on Oct 15, 2012 |
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Oct 15, 2012 20:43
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Because Starbucks is to good coffee what box wine is to good wine. So when you have people like those of us in this thread, who know their poo poo about fresh beans and roasting and grind size and brew time and water temp and dissolved solids and surfing the air hole, anyone who comes around going "You know, Starbucks is totally OK" is going to get sent straight back to the kiddie table.
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Oct 15, 2012 21:14
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