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Scaramouche posted:We retired the ECM Elektronika II Profi from active duty last week, had a guy come in saying "I've been getting coffee from you every day for months from that machine and it's the best coffee I've ever had so I'm buying it no matter how much it costs." It was with a tear in the eye and glad hand on the wallet we serviced it, cleaned it, packed it up, and loaded it into his car. Godspeed little profi, godspeed. Revisit on this a little bit later: I freaking love this thing. I've got my single shot/double shot timings down just right now and it is smooth as hell, way better than what the ECM was putting out at default settings. Having independent time control really makes a difference since you can adjust up/down based on size of shot, type of bean, type of grind, etc. Still think the portafilter is a little wimpy, but it's an E61 so we can replace it with whatever is laying around, probably a Vibiemme since those portafilters could probably double as police batons.
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Jul 27, 2016 00:22
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Scaramouche posted:Here's a pretty good takedown of both alkaline and 'ionic' water: I had no idea alkaline water was a thing. Reading about it did nothing for my despair for humanity. Even the other froo-froo artists are calling it a scam. ("biophotons" -  )I grew up in a very isolated rural area. Everyone in the community drank canned pre-ground coffee brewed with one of those old cowboy-type stove top percolators. After percolating the pot sat on the back of the wood stove until it was finished. A lot of people would put crushed egg shells in the pot before brewing. It probably slowed down the erosion of their tooth enamel. Might not do much for less "intense" types of coffee.
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Jul 27, 2016 04:43
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Hexigrammus posted:I had no idea alkaline water was a thing. Reading about it did nothing for my despair for humanity. Even the other froo-froo artists are calling it a scam. ("biophotons" - If I had to choose between coffee and tooth enamel, I have already made my choice. Is it really that bad for teeth? Side note: I've never had good coffee through a percolator. However, stove-top moka pots are the poo poo.
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Jul 27, 2016 04:55
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William Stoner posted:If I had to choose between coffee and tooth enamel, I have already made my choice. Is it really that bad for teeth? In the lab coffee's been shown inhibit plaque bacterial growth and its ability to stick to surfaces so it might actually be good for your teeth, assuming you don't load it down with sugar before serving. Not so sure about the coffee of my youth. It was foul. Wouldn't surprise me if it caused abortions.
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Jul 27, 2016 05:23
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I thought the egg shells were put in to keep the grounds in the pot and not in the cup. Although I have only ever heard of using egg shells when making coffee in a skillet.
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Jul 27, 2016 05:49
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bengy81 posted:I thought the egg shells were put in to keep the grounds in the pot and not in the cup. Although I have only ever heard of using egg shells when making coffee in a skillet. Huh. Did some poking around and it seems Norwegian Egg Coffee is a thing. Boiled coffee with a whole egg broken into it. The egg proteins act like finings used in beer making to precipitate out bitter compounds. Beer finings can be egg whites, milk, or blood, but us civilized types prefer to use seaweed and fish swim bladders.  So yes, whole egg would cause the grounds to clump and stay in the bottom of the pot. Not sure if the calcium carbonate alone in egg shells would do the same but maybe the protein left on the inside of the shells would have an effect? The shells would definitely counteract acidity.
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Jul 27, 2016 14:00
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Hexigrammus posted:Huh. Did some poking around and it seems Norwegian Egg Coffee is a thing. Boiled coffee with a whole egg broken into it. The egg proteins act like finings used in beer making to precipitate out bitter compounds. Beer finings can be egg whites, milk, or blood, but us civilized types prefer to use seaweed and fish swim bladders. Yes but can I use lamb's blood to make coffee? Because now I want to use lamb's blood to make coffee.
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Jul 28, 2016 03:39
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Crossposting with USPOL; Hillary and Obama are espresso buddies. quote:SECRETARY CLINTON: Oh, I know I gave him an espresso machine one time. We were talking about good espresso and how hard it was to find. And I really enjoy mytime with him, and I also know probably better than anybody because of what – the positions that I’ve had, and the respect I have for how hard – how impossible the job has always been, but certainly is today. It’s not all bad news. I mean, there’s a lot of bad news I have to deliver, a lot of difficult issues I have to raise, a lot of hard questions be has to grapple with So it’s nice every so often to...
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Jul 28, 2016 16:56
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White House serves lovely espresso, confirmed.
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Jul 28, 2016 17:38
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C'mon we need the real story here. What kind of machine? Is it made in the USA? I think Slayer is the only big name that manufactures in the US.
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Jul 28, 2016 22:21
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Nespresso
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Jul 28, 2016 23:05
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Scaramouche posted:C'mon we need the real story here. What kind of machine? Is it made in the USA? I think Slayer is the only big name that manufactures in the US.
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Jul 28, 2016 23:50
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Hexigrammus posted:I had no idea alkaline water was a thing. Reading about it did nothing for my despair for humanity. Even the other froo-froo artists are calling it a scam. ("biophotons" - They have alkaline waters called Evamor and Essentia at the grocery store by my house and they're both less expensive than other premium waters and honestly it's the best water I've ever tasted. I'm under no illusions that it's any better for me than regular water, but it tastes really really good, which means it's not a chore to drink a ton of it. For something coffee related, I'm about to give in and bring in my own beans, that I grind at home and brew when I get to work with a Chemex and a kettle. Our CEO loving hates anything noisy so a grinder is out of the question. It still has to be better than Foldgers, right?
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Jul 29, 2016 02:45
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bizwank posted:Synesso and Slayer are both in Seattle, Astra is in LA, I'm sure there are others. The email doesn't say it was made in the US though, and most of the good machines are from Italy anyway... Modbar is in Indiana, and they use almost entirely American parts.
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Jul 29, 2016 05:48
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I was joking, but is that actually A Thing? e.g. buying USA made over others? Because it seems kind of silly given Espresso's origins and all that...
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Jul 29, 2016 18:03
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The Crossland CC1 isn't exactly big but I think it's American?
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Jul 29, 2016 18:06
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Dr Cheeto posted:The Crossland CC1 isn't exactly big but I think it's American?
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Jul 29, 2016 18:33
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Scaramouche posted:I was joking, but is that actually A Thing? e.g. buying USA made over others? Because it seems kind of silly given Espresso's origins and all that... If the product itself is well-made and has the features you want, buying domestic is definitely a thing since it helps the economy far more than importing a machine.
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Jul 31, 2016 05:43
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I asked some time ago but got no responses, so I'll try again: is the go-to entry level drum roaster still the Behmor 1600? I heard there were some issues with the updated version so I want to hear from any goon users here.
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Aug 1, 2016 11:00
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Archer2338 posted:I asked some time ago but got no responses, so I'll try again: is the go-to entry level drum roaster still the Behmor 1600? I heard there were some issues with the updated version so I want to hear from any goon users here. That's definitely still the go to recommendation. I picked up one of the new models a few months ago and I like it a lot so far. The problem people have with it is that there is safety feature that will shut the machine off 75% of the way into a roast if you don't press a button within 30 seconds. There isn't an audible warning telling you to do so, so you have to be watching the display when this happens. I set a timer on my phone to alert me to when it's going to need to be pressed, especially because I tend to roast outside and it can be hard to read the display outside.
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Aug 1, 2016 13:17
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I have never descaled my machine and I feel increasingly guilty whenever I pull a shot. Time to address this -- do I need Dezcal or can I get away with a vinegar solution? What's Cafiza for if not descaling?
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Aug 1, 2016 16:24
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Archer2338 posted:I asked some time ago but got no responses, so I'll try again: is the go-to entry level drum roaster still the Behmor 1600? I heard there were some issues with the updated version so I want to hear from any goon users here. Absolutely - the Behmor+ great. I moved from the original to the +, the only thing that 'got' me was having to acknowledge you're watching the roast. (at 75% of roast time you have to press a button to keep the roast going). The magic first crack setting is stunningly accurate.
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Aug 1, 2016 17:11
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Jan posted:I have never descaled my machine and I feel increasingly guilty whenever I pull a shot.
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Aug 1, 2016 17:43
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Archer2338 posted:I asked some time ago but got no responses, so I'll try again: is the go-to entry level drum roaster still the Behmor 1600? I heard there were some issues with the updated version so I want to hear from any goon users here. I have heard you can get into roasting with a popcorn machine, but that may be more like poverty level.
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Aug 1, 2016 18:22
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bizwank posted:Dezcal is super cheap, no reason not to use it, but pure citric acid will work nearly as well. Vinegar stinks and I've seen it kill pumps, I would avoid it. Cafiza dissolves coffee oils; it's used for backflushing and cleaning baskets/portafilters. Have you tried the Cafetto "organic" cleaner? We carry it but I'm not seeing a lot of traction against the Urnex juggernaut. Seems to be a mix of citric acid and tartaric acid, and is "phosphate free", "biodegradable" and "certified organic" (note scare quotes).
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Aug 2, 2016 21:19
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Scaramouche posted:Have you tried the Cafetto "organic" cleaner? We carry it but I'm not seeing a lot of traction against the Urnex juggernaut. Seems to be a mix of citric acid and tartaric acid, and is "phosphate free", "biodegradable" and "certified organic" (note scare quotes). Nah Cafiza works fine and I can get it just down the street, I don't use a lot of it either. Here's the MSDS for ecah if you want to compare active ingredients (they look pretty similar): http://www.cafetto.com.au/pdf/evo.pdf http://urnex.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/sds-urnex-commercial-cafiza-espresso-machine-cleaning-powder.pdf
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Aug 2, 2016 23:00
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I was sent in this direction from the kitchen equipment thread. My mom was gifted a big Amazon gift card and is splitting it between herself, me, and my brother. I get $200 of it to spend and I'd like to know if there are any espresso machines in that price range that are worth a drat.
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Aug 3, 2016 17:04
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Depends on what you mean by worth a drat I guess, reg-year buddy. Are you going to get a good machine for that? Proooobably not. Off the top of my head for mass market stuff that we carry is probably the Delonghi EC702 ($189 on Amazon now) or the EC155 ($99 on Amazon now). These are roughly equivalent to buying a $40 Sears-branded drip machine but for espresso. They're not super good, have tiny group heads and generally they don't last too long because of crap pumps/boilers. A pretty okay entry level jobber is the Capresso Cafe PRO, but it's out of your range ($299 on Amazon now) which is about as low as I'd go while still calling something "espresso". The "real" entry levels guys to me are things like Gaggia Classic or Rancilio Silvia but those are getting upt here price wise >$500
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Aug 3, 2016 19:24
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Saeco is always worth the money and they have one machine in that price range (HD8327/47 Poemia); get the black one for $120 and you'll have enough left over for a burr grinder (Capresso Infinity). Machines of that caliber come with pressurized baskets (aka. espresso training wheels) so you'd be fine without your own grinder until you want to upgrade to real baskets or a better machine. I regularly see the small Saecos last 10-20 years with proper maintenance, and they make good enough espresso for a sizable chunk of the home market (ie. normal people) so they're a good place to start. Everything else in that price range is highly suspect and should be avoided (especially the Delonghis).
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Aug 3, 2016 20:02
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Oh yeah, in case it wasn't clear, I wasn't really endorsing the Delonghis. Just saying they existed at that price point.
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Aug 3, 2016 20:10
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 Scaramouche and Delonghi, sitting in a tree, b-r-e-w-i-n-g...
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Aug 3, 2016 20:29
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Guaaah don't even. Some of the higher end models are ok (the ESAM 6900M punches a little above its weight with the integrated chocolate) but everything under $1000 is kinda gross. Mind you that's probably true of any super-automatics though.
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Aug 3, 2016 23:18
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For super-autos they're pretty much the best on the market (Saeco is a close second); all of their models use the same grinder/boiler/brewing system so the only difference between the $600 ESAM3300 and the $3500 ESAM6900 is the chrome, color LCD and hot chocolate mode. You can dial them in to pull a pretty nice shot, but few people do, or even know how. Personally I prefer a semi-auto but supers are a big chunk of the American market and I like being able to pay my bills so here I am with my shelves full of em.
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Aug 4, 2016 00:34
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I hate coffee. Always have. Always drank Mountain Dew to wake me up in the morning, which is a terrible idea, but it was pretty much all I had. I wish I could stand coffee. I've always been told I've just never had it prepared correctly. I've tried it enough. It just isn't for me. Last week I was at Publix, buying milk, and I see this new product I've never seen before. Stumptown Cold Brew Coffee with Milk, chocolate. Well... I like chocolate milk. I love chocolate milk. Maybe I'll like this? I do like this. I work with somebody who is a coffe connoisseur, he explained the cold brew benefits, how it reduces acidity and bitterness. It still has a slight aftertaste to it, but I can deal with it. I'm ready to jump into the world of cold brew coffee. I need recommendations for a cold brew coffee pitcher. I like the idea of the pitcher that has the grounds seeped in, like the Takeya or the Primula. They are reviewed very well, but I notice some people saying that even with a coarse grind, some of the grounds get through, and they end up needing to filter it manually. There are drip systems too, but most need replaceable filters, brew smaller amounts of coffee, and just don't seem as convenient.
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Aug 7, 2016 02:31
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Before you buy any equipment I would try the plain cold brew without chocolate milk
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Aug 7, 2016 02:37
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Mu Zeta posted:Before you buy any equipment I would try the plain cold brew without chocolate milk I've bought the plain Stumptown Cold Brew, and tried it by itself. Did not like it. I am in love with the idea of mixing the cold brew with chocolate milk. Especially if I can find a sugar-free chocolate syrup that doesn't take like rear end cheese.
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Aug 7, 2016 02:43
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Just buy mocha powder and mix it with milk. That's probably the taste you're looking for.
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Aug 7, 2016 02:56
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Buy two mason jars, a funnel (or a Chinese ersatz V60 and a pack of paper filters. Dump water and coffee in one, then decant it to the other via the filter. It's gonna cost you a lot less than some expensive single purpose cold brewer and if you don't want it, you can put candy in the jars instead.
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Aug 7, 2016 20:28
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mirthdefect posted:Buy two mason jars, a funnel (or a Chinese ersatz V60 and a pack of paper filters. Dump water and coffee in one, then decant it to the other via the filter.
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Aug 7, 2016 22:39
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Revol posted:I've bought the plain Stumptown Cold Brew, and tried it by itself. Did not like it. I am in love with the idea of mixing the cold brew with chocolate milk. Especially if I can find a sugar-free chocolate syrup that doesn't take like rear end cheese. I live near Portland and this Stumptown stuff is everywhere. I honestly don't see the appeal, I've tried a few of their blends and it just tastes like any other whole bean. I did a taste test against some Cascade Pride and it was pretty much the same. There is no way their roast dates are accurate. However, I have not tried directly ordering from one of their roasters, and that's how I usually buy coffee. I'm buying some coffee from Royal Mile. I'm between Ethiopian or Peruvian, but I also may just wait until there is more Kenyan in stock. What's the major difference between African and South American coffee in terms of taste and buzz?
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Aug 8, 2016 02:36
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