Tweaking into a whole new era - the NEW coffee thread, now w/ more sperging

The Something Awful Forums > Archives > Comedy Goldmine > Tweaking into a whole new era - the NEW coffee thread, now w/ more sperging

Hauki: May 11, 2010

Much better OP, glad to see a new coffee thread.
In related news, I spotted a rusty, barely recognizable Cremina on the shelf in a cafe recently and I'm sorely tempted to make an offer on it and attempt a full restoration. I'd feel a little more confident now since I pulled mine apart and worked on it. At any rate, the owner wasn't around, and the girl behind the counter couldn't really answer my questions, so I left well enough alone for now.

# ¿ May 12, 2011 22:09

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 10:09

Hauki: May 11, 2010

pnumoman posted:

The manual espresso machine really intrigues me; is it worth getting if I'm a home espresso newbie? I love me espresso, but I've never encountered anything but the cheapo, horrid home espresso machines outside of a coffeeshop. I have a burr grinder that's not the best, but okay enough for french press/pour over coffee, so if a manual espresso machine is not too hard to learn, I'd love to try one out. Also, does anyone have any experience with used manual espresso machines? Even though they're cheaper than decent automatics, >$500 is still too much for me to just jump in.

Definitely; the first shot I ever pulled was on a Cremina. There is a learning curve, and I would say it's a lot easier if you have someone who can show you the basics of using a lever machine, but it's certainly doable on your own. I had no reference except watching videos of start-to-finish shots and reading Home Barista. What grinder do you have though?

Anyway, I bought the Cremina used, it was in pretty decent shape all things considered, but definitely improved after a thorough cleaning and descaling, as well as a new set of gaskets and seals. I think on the whole levers tend to be pretty solidly built, there are relatively few components that can actually fail, and there's a wealth of information about rebuilding the more common makes. If they're well-cared for, lever machines can easily last decades, and retain their value. If you have the money, I would definitely recommend looking into a used one.

edit: here's a picture for the top

# ¿ May 15, 2011 21:17

Hauki: May 11, 2010

Arnold of Soissons posted:

1- Electric kettles are the best thing in the world. The way you use yours is exactly the way I taught my mom to use hers and she *loves* it. Ideal temp is the 195-205F range (210 is too hot, sorry) if you want to totally sperg out (read: I did this with my old kettle) you can boil water with a thermometer and watch it go down and time how long it takes to get to that range. When my kettle died after about 5 years, I bought this fancy bastard, so now I just dial in the temp and the water doesn't even boil but it will hold the temp you want all day until you're ready. I'd recommend it to anyone, but it isn't the cheapest option.

2- That was too short. You want to put the grounds in, water over, and hit 4 minutes on a timer. I've also seen the recommendation to press the plunger at 4 min and then give it a further 4 min. We did a side-by-side tasting at home and we actually preferred the 8min cup, so that's what we do now.

3- French press is well suited for lighter roast coffees. French press and pour-over are both very versatile methods that can have great results with a wide range of bean-types.

4- If you want to add milk and sugar that's your prerogative, but if you do it with my coffee I might "forget" to offer to make you more. My mom adds honey to hers and she really likes that. If you put a gun to my head to force me to sugar up my coffee I'd probably try using dry malt extract, which is powdered barley sugar and has all kinds of rich flavors that white sugar doesn't. Some people put the sugar in the bottom of the press with the grounds like you would with an ibrik for Turkish style. I don't have any experience with that, but it's another option.

5- I know that some people find this controversial, but please don't ever freeze your beans. It's not a porkchop.

e: great OP by the way!

One thing I would add is that it's pretty much impossible to get a remotely decent grind for french press using a blade grinder. It'll produce a pretty inconsistent grind, the smaller particles will overextract too quickly and make your coffee taste horribly bitter. If you can't afford to spring for a good electric burr grinder, there are certainly manual grinders available for much cheaper than can produce a reasonably consistent grind for a press pot.

# ¿ May 16, 2011 17:41

Hauki: May 11, 2010

Bob_McBob posted:

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the spergiest of us all?

This is a thing of beauty.
:lovewcc:

# ¿ Jun 10, 2011 18:25

The Something Awful Forums > Archives > Comedy Goldmine > Tweaking into a whole new era - the NEW coffee thread, now w/ more sperging