|
Yup. I use one of those in my office every day. It’s definitely comparable to a normal stove top moka pot. Pour some sugar in a paper cup. Add the very first drips of coffee to the sugar and stir like hell. Pour the rest of the coffee over your sugary paste and stir to combine. Congrats. Now you have Cuban cafecito.
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2018 14:11
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 19, 2024 07:34 |
|
|
Thanks dude, I figured it wouldn't be too different. I have a moka pot at home, and drink it without sugar because I'm a lazy heathen. Now for a pretty goofy and specific question: do you guys have any decent guides on water quality and brewing coffee? I'm in florida so I figure that the high Ca content of the water is kind of a huge part of the traditional Cubano flavor, but I've got some time to read up on the matter. We have a DI water setup here and it shouldn't be too hard to measure out a dry mix to make enough treated water to last for a while.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2018 14:26
|
|
|
I sent my recently deceased 6 year old, highly flogged, Vario back to Baratza (turned out to be a dead board) and they had it back to me within a week with all sorts of extras installed for their $90 fee. I sprung for an extra $40 on top of that for new burrs. They really did a great job. It runs quieter than it did back in 2012 when it was brand new.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2018 18:03
|
|
|
Keyser_Soze posted:I sent my recently deceased 6 year old, highly flogged, Vario back to Baratza (turned out to be a dead board) and they had it back to me within a week with all sorts of extras installed for their $90 fee. I sprung for an extra $40 on top of that for new burrs. They really did a great job. Their customer service and repair teams really do kick a bunch of rear end.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2018 18:29
|
|
|
Is there a magic cold brew ratio or method? Or is it just put ground coffee beans in cold water until I like the taste kind of thing
|
|
#
?
Jul 21, 2018 22:48
|
|
|
goodness posted:Is there a magic cold brew ratio or method? Or is it just put ground coffee beans in cold water until I like the taste kind of thing You can.it just s messy cleaning up. Easiest home method is get a cloth bag (nut milk bag on amazon), put in a 12oz bag coarse ground then place in a gallon pitcher and fill to the top with water. Brew it cold for 16-24 hours. Concentrate usually is 1:10 so one 12oz bag and a gallon is 1:11. 1 gram to 11ml water. Add water to your taste. If you have a large French press it works too.
|
|
#
?
Jul 22, 2018 00:30
|
|
|
One thing I didn't think of when I was making cold brew with a cloth bag is make sure the container you use has a huge mouth. Once the grounds are wet they form into a huge solid boulder that might not come out easily even if the bag full of grounds went in fine.
|
|
#
?
Jul 23, 2018 04:33
|
|
|
It's so drat hot out I have been batch brewing cold brew using my Oxo cold brew pitcher. I am pleasantly surprised that Aldi Single Origin whole beans work great for it. Stupid cheap at $5 for 12 oz. I just do the whole bag with a coarse ground and 1350 ml of water. After 24 hours at room temperature, that poo poo comes out like rocket fuel. Pour 2-3 oz of it over ice and top with cold frothed lactose free milk. For some reason the lactose free milk adds a ton of sweetness. I have friends coming over to pick up a batch every other day since everyone loves it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2018 22:04
|
|
|
DangerZoneDelux posted:It's so drat hot out I have been batch brewing cold brew using my Oxo cold brew pitcher. I am pleasantly surprised that Aldi Single Origin whole beans work great for it. Stupid cheap at $5 for 12 oz. I just do the whole bag with a coarse ground and 1350 ml of water. After 24 hours at room temperature, that poo poo comes out like rocket fuel. Pour 2-3 oz of it over ice and top with cold frothed lactose free milk. For some reason the lactose free milk adds a ton of sweetness. I have friends coming over to pick up a batch every other day since everyone loves it. If you have a pour over rig, try the "Japanese" iced coffee method. Makes for a wonderful summertime beverage!
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2018 22:26
|
|
|
I have a reddit post to try out that method. Waiting on my local shop to get their shipment in of some gesha beans to try it out.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2018 22:40
|
|
|
I use cheap or old beans when i do the Japanese style because the brewing method is delicious but also slightly wasteful.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2018 00:27
|
|
|
I leave this without comment. https://www.spinn.com/?utm_campaign...tm_source=fbads
|
|
#
?
Aug 2, 2018 17:58
|
|
|
torgeaux posted:I leave this without comment. I know very little about the science of coffee brewing, but using a centrifuge to extract seems at the very least a novel idea. Whether or not it works I have no idea. It seems like it might be trying to do too much with one idea.
|
|
#
?
Aug 2, 2018 19:41
|
|
|
Well it doesn't exist and probably won't ever so
|
|
#
?
Aug 2, 2018 20:09
|
|
|
DangerZoneDelux posted:Well it doesn't exist and probably won't ever so I did not know that. Interesting that it says preorder and that they're shipping the 5th batch by the end of the year. Disappointing.
|
|
#
?
Aug 2, 2018 20:17
|
|
|
It's an interesting concept for sure. There definitely is demand in the home market for espresso + "coffee" in one device (which has been poorly met so far), and it's 2018 so of course you have to be able to control everything with your phone/voice. According to the FAQ though it's been "engineered" to last only 5 years or 5k shots, which is pretty light use for the average coffee-drinking household (not to mention an office!), and to fit all that tech in a $250 machine means they probably cut some serious corners. The warranty is only 6 months, does not extend if they have to repair/replace your machine, and includes this doozy: "Spinn does not warrant that its products will operate without interruption or will be error-free, or that all errors may be corrected. Spinn’ sole liability, and your sole remedy, for breach of the limited warranty will be repair or replacement of the applicable product, or, if neither of the foregoing are reasonably available, a refund of the amount you paid, less amounts attributed to your prior use." ...which pretty much means once they run out of refurbished units to send out as warranty replacements or cannibalize for spare parts you're up poo poo creek and have no other options for repair. Expect to see a bunch of these in thrift stores in 2-3 years, if they ever ship.
|
|
#
?
Aug 2, 2018 20:20
|
|
|
Jhet posted:I did not know that. Original ship date was 2017 and then moved to first quarter 2018. Looks like people have been waiting 3 years
|
|
#
?
Aug 2, 2018 21:07
|
|
|
Jhet posted:I know very little about the science of coffee brewing, but using a centrifuge to extract seems at the very least a novel idea. Nespresso is (Nestle actually licensed Spinn's "centrifuge coffee to make espresso" patent, but unlike Spinn, they have functional designs and buyable products on the market to show for it.) Cool idea to be sure, but it's looking like preground aluminum pods will be the only way to experience it unless you're feeling particularly motivated for a kitchen mad science lab. DangerZoneDelux posted:Original ship date was 2017 and then moved to first quarter 2018. Looks like people have been waiting 3 years Yeah, I joined their "community" back before it went invite-only, but didn't preorder because it didn't sound even then like they knew what the gently caress they were doing. And, uh, they clearly don't know what the gently caress they're doing. They're pulling a Juicero and making the whole goddamn thing from totally bespoke components, but unlike Juicero, they don't employ any competent engineers to offer deep design insights like "gears turn both ways," "motors interfere with radios," "heat must go somewhere," or "people live above sea level." The latest news in their slow-motion train wreck is that last month — last month, on a product they somehow expected to ship a year ago — they discovered their magical bespoke brewing system (a) doesn't wet all the grounds, (b) doesn't evenly extract the grounds it does wet, and (c) is incapable of wetting the grounds for espresso, the thing that's supposed to be the keystone feature of the whole machine. Bonus points: The guy who actually invented the drat thing left the company last year. Molten Llama fucked around with this message at 00:10 on Aug 4, 2018 |
|
#
?
Aug 3, 2018 23:54
|
|
|
Yeah, I was looking for their community page, but it was invite only and that left me in the cold. I wasn't lonely or anything, but I was interested in more information. I did spend some time napkin science-ing this interesting idea, but I'm not sure it would make good espresso anyway. It might make an interesting cup of coffee, but not all pressures are created equal, which they've apparently just found out because it doesn't extract the grounds equally like would happen in a balanced portafilter. Then there's the problem of creating equal pressure through the grounds while spinning, because the whole point of a centrifuge is going to be to separate the grounds and brewed coffee. And that's going to work best if they're already a mixture, otherwise what are we separating again? It did sound like a cool idea, but if I'm already there being skeptical about the utility after thinking about it for a couple hours, then it's probably not really going to fill a void and just be in the realm of "meh gadget". That Juicero thing just screams of a company just interested in relieving people with too much disposable income of said disposable income on a monthly basis (just like Keurig pods).
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2018 05:14
|
|
|
Meet Hammacher Schlemmer's $1,950 Cold Brew Coffee Maker: 
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2018 05:25
|
|
|
unironically would if I had money and a reason
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2018 14:17
|
|
|
That has to have been turned into some kind of steampunk bong by now. As for coffee: for HX machines (or I suppose any with a boiler that does steam and hot water), if you use mostly steam, how much of a worry is buildup of minerals inside said boiler? I try to draw a little water off the water side of the boiler every now and again, as I mostly use steam to steam milk, and if I understand correctly that leaves any minerals still in the tank.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2018 17:00
|
|
|
Ultimate Mango posted:That has to have been turned into some kind of steampunk bong by now. Just run some dezcal through your system periodically. I also only use filtered water in my machine, which keeps the minerals down a bit.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2018 17:51
|
|
|
rockcity posted:Just run some dezcal through your system periodically. I also only use filtered water in my machine, which keeps the minerals down a bit. I think Rocket specifically suggests against it. I use filtered water and the in tank filter. But minerals killed my last machine (superauto, so a slightly different beast). Dezcal in a Rocket is doable though?
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2018 01:22
|
|
|
rockcity posted:Just run some dezcal through your system periodically. I also only use filtered water in my machine, which keeps the minerals down a bit. You can also save some cash and just use diluted white vinegar. IIRC dezcal tablets are literally just solid acetic acid. Of course their own website tells you not to use vinegar, but I use it in my CC1 and it works well, and is easy to know when you're fully flushed it (you can smell vinegar at some absurdly low concentration).
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2018 02:03
|
|
|
I got to see this (or at least something extremely similar and from the same company) in action at a Blue Bottle in SF a while back. It is definitely one of those "if I were rich in a heartbeat" things.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2018 02:42
|
|
|
On the subject of filtered water, I actually just got my Rocket Giotto today.  I still need to get some practice, especially for steaming/frothing milk, but I can really feel the difference compared to the Breville I was using.I also would like to minimize my need for descaling, and since the water in San Jose is hard as gently caress, what's everyone recommendation for filtering? Is there a simple solution like those things that attach to the tap, or are those not efficient enough?
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2018 05:17
|
|
|
Jan posted:On the subject of filtered water, I actually just got my Rocket Giotto today. Nice! I use a Mavea filter pitcher and the rocket in tank filter. I’ve had my Rocket Mozzafiato ER for a year and a half and it’s still looking good. Rocket recommends not to rescale if I recall, but to send it in for repair every five years or so, if you need to. If you want I can write up a post with my workflow. I can actually steam milk and make coffee at the same time, so I feel like a badass.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2018 05:40
|
|
|
Water hardness is pretty complicated. I need to fork up the money for a softener for my home since it's eating my fixtures. This pdf goes in-depth on options for water in your home espresso machine http://users.rcn.com/erics/Water%20Quality/Water%20FAQ.pdf
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2018 05:59
|
|
|
Sydin posted:I got to see this (or at least something extremely similar and from the same company) in action at a Blue Bottle in SF a while back. It is definitely one of those "if I were rich in a heartbeat" things. Was it at Mint Plaza? They use the Hario Syphon which is just the Japanese version of the same thing, I think it's called vacuum brewing. Honestly I didn't taste that much difference with a pour over. Maybe just a little cleaner. Mu Zeta fucked around with this message at 07:59 on Aug 5, 2018 |
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2018 07:57
|
|
|
DangerZoneDelux posted:Water hardness is pretty complicated. I need to fork up the money for a softener for my home since it's eating my fixtures. This pdf goes in-depth on options for water in your home espresso machine http://users.rcn.com/erics/Water%20Quality/Water%20FAQ.pdf We've had an Ionics since forever, and I'm all about them. Whole house systems soften, but won't take out all the minerals, so you still need to de-scale, but far less often...... in fact, I think R.O. systems try to put some minerals back because pure distilled water tastes like rear end.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2018 15:00
|
|
|
DangerZoneDelux posted:Water hardness is pretty complicated. I need to fork up the money for a softener for my home since it's eating my fixtures. This pdf goes in-depth on options for water in your home espresso machine http://users.rcn.com/erics/Water%20Quality/Water%20FAQ.pdf Yeah, whole house is not an option since this is an apartment unit. I don't know how serious Rocket's recommendation against descaler really is - Breville had the same thing but I still descaled my Infuser every few months. Of course, that was Montreal water which is completely soft, so maybe it was just a psychological thing... 
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2018 15:47
|
|
|
Ultimate Mango posted:As for coffee: for HX machines (or I suppose any with a boiler that does steam and hot water), if you use mostly steam, how much of a worry is buildup of minerals inside said boiler? I try to draw a little water off the water side of the boiler every now and again, as I mostly use steam to steam milk, and if I understand correctly that leaves any minerals still in the tank. Jan posted:I don't know how serious Rocket's recommendation against descaler really is - Breville had the same thing but I still descaled my Infuser every few months. forbidden dialectics posted:You can also save some cash and just use diluted white vinegar. IIRC dezcal tablets are literally just solid acetic acid. Of course their own website tells you not to use vinegar, but I use it in my CC1 and it works well, and is easy to know when you're fully flushed it (you can smell vinegar at some absurdly low concentration). Jan posted:I also would like to minimize my need for descaling, and since the water in San Jose is hard as gently caress, what's everyone recommendation for filtering? Is there a simple solution like those things that attach to the tap, or are those not efficient enough?
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2018 19:09
|
|
|
bizwank posted:There are many different types of HX/"single-boiler" machines and you shouldn't assume anything that applies to one applies to all; always follow the manufacturer's instructions for your specific machine. The Rocket style of HX boiler can not be properly descaled without some disassembly, which is why they stress pre-filtering (in-tank/Mavea/refrigerator filters are not enough) instead of just running some descaler through, and it doesn't matter if you're only using "mostly" steam (are you not pulling shots with it?). Descaling your portafilter ("infuser"?) does nothing for the inside of the machine. Scale is really, really bad for these machines and you should be doing everything you can to prevent it's buildup, unless you love throwing money away on unnecessary repairs. And I say this as someone who is frequently the recipient of said money. The bolded part is interesting. When I got my machine, the factory instructions suggested using their in tank filter and changing once a year. I have been using the Mavea and the Rocket brand in tank filter and changing it every six months. It’s good to know that this style isn’t conducive to descaling. I thought I was doing enough by doing the pre filtering and their recommended in tank solution. If I plumbed the machine, yes I would do some sort of professional filter as a part of the install but my space doesn’t really work for plumbing. Part of my question was more how often I should purge the boiler, and if I should do it totally or just pull off some amount off the hot water side every so often? I know that since I don’t really use the hot water side, if I only used the steam side eventually there would be scale building up in the main boiler (steam is basically pure water, leaving the minerals behind in the water, building up over time). I’m not worries so much about the group and portafilter since that gets used multiple times a day and is showing no signs of build up or scale. But I can’t see inside the boiler. And I wonder how often I need to purge, or if I just need to pull off a cup or two a week to keep the boiler tank fresh.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2018 04:08
|
|
|
bizwank posted:Descaling your portafilter ("infuser"?) does nothing for the inside of the machine. Infuser is just the model name for my previous Breville. I was descaling it by filling the tank with a Dezcal solution and then alternating water through the brew head and the steam/water wand. I've been researching, and it looks like San Jose well water is well within the 250-350 mg/L hardness range. If I'm reading that water FAQ correctly, I'm basically murdering my boiler (at a rate of 1g scale per 2 2L tank refills) by using that water in it.  On the other hand, San Francisco water comes from a natural reservoir in Yosemite and averages 50 mg/L hardness... So yeah, either I start smuggling water from work or buy bottles of filtered water. I just hate contributing to the bottled water cartel.  Ultimate Mango posted:Part of my question was more how often I should purge the boiler, and if I should do it totally or just pull off some amount off the hot water side every so often? I know that since I don’t really use the hot water side, if I only used the steam side eventually there would be scale building up in the main boiler (steam is basically pure water, leaving the minerals behind in the water, building up over time). I’m not worries so much about the group and portafilter since that gets used multiple times a day and is showing no signs of build up or scale. But I can’t see inside the boiler. And I wonder how often I need to purge, or if I just need to pull off a cup or two a week to keep the boiler tank fresh. If I'm understanding this correctly, it doesn't matter whether you use only the brew head or not, since the boiler runs at steam temperature anyway, with the heat exchanger bringing it down to brewing temperature. So unless you've been manually turning down the PID to 95C, you're still cycling 125C water through that boiler every time you brew.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2018 04:44
|
|
|
I think I’m not explaining myself. The boiler heats water which is tapped on the left for steam and the right for hot water. Water for espresso doesn’t mix with the water in the boiler, just goes through a pipe that goes through the boiler to heat it up. Separate path as far as the water is concerned. For just the boiler, if all I use is the steam side, then it’s taking water from the tank, minerals and all, and creating steam but leaving the minerals behind. So more minerals are being built up in the boiler over time. Theoretically you need to take water out of the water side of the boiler to pull out the minerals. The question is how much how often? If all I do is make coffee and steam milk, minerals will build up in the boiler. Now, I use the Mavea and the in tank softener, but I think purging needs to happen too, right?
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2018 05:25
|
|
|
Ultimate Mango posted:I think I’m not explaining myself. Probably good to purge it even with relatively soft water. I'm in SF and I have pretty soft water but after a while of using the boiler mostly for steam I noticed the water from the tap getting more and more minerally to the point it was undrinkable (and probably doing horrible things to the boiler). I started pulling 4-5oz daily to pre-heat my cup in the morning and that seems to keep things under control.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2018 05:46
|
|
|
Super helpful, thanks! I have been using the hot water side to heat my cup for my second drink of the morning, so I’ll keep doing that. I think the combination of filtration I am doing is working okay. Certainly better than my old machine and setup.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2018 05:49
|
|
|
Ultimate Mango posted:Water for espresso doesn’t mix with the water in the boiler, just goes through a pipe that goes through the boiler to heat it up. Separate path as far as the water is concerned. Ahh, I was under the impression that HX controlled temperature by mixing boiler water with reservoir/line water, hence "if I'm understanding this correctly". My bad.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2018 05:50
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 19, 2024 07:34 |
|
|
In related news, my Puckpuck arrived Friday.  So, I've never made cold brew before; the instructions have you using 400ml with 38g of coffee, setting the drip rate to 50-55/minute. This completes in about 3.5 hours. I liked the result. Do you typically dilute the end product or drink it straight?
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2018 14:44
|
|
