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rockcity
Jan 16, 2004
While we're on grinder chat, does anyone have any espresso grinder recommendations for under say $500? I have a PID Silvia and have been using a Breville Smart Grinder with it for about 5 years now. The Smart Grinder does the job for the most part, but I bounce back and forth between espresso beverages and pour over regularly and it's a pain to trial to dial the espresso grind back in without wasting a shot. I really can't find a ton of discussion on espresso grinders at this price point, mostly because there aren't a ton of options. The most common recommendation seems to be the Rancilio Rocky, but a good number of people seem to think the Baratza 270 is a much better grinder. My concern there is they seem to be really hit or miss on reliability. People claim they've fixed a lot of the issues, but I can't find much on if that seems to be true or not. I seem to recall someone on here going through at least two of them right after it came out, but that was about two years ago now probably.

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Spiggy
Apr 26, 2008

Not a cop
I'm one of those crazies that uses a manual grinder for espresso and I'll throw my hat in for the Kinu M47. If you're sane, a refurbished Ceado may be worth a look.

Sextro
Aug 23, 2014

rockcity posted:

While we're on grinder chat, does anyone have any espresso grinder recommendations for under say $500? I have a PID Silvia and have been using a Breville Smart Grinder with it for about 5 years now. The Smart Grinder does the job for the most part, but I bounce back and forth between espresso beverages and pour over regularly and it's a pain to trial to dial the espresso grind back in without wasting a shot. I really can't find a ton of discussion on espresso grinders at this price point, mostly because there aren't a ton of options. The most common recommendation seems to be the Rancilio Rocky, but a good number of people seem to think the Baratza 270 is a much better grinder. My concern there is they seem to be really hit or miss on reliability. People claim they've fixed a lot of the issues, but I can't find much on if that seems to be true or not. I seem to recall someone on here going through at least two of them right after it came out, but that was about two years ago now probably.

Get the baratza. If nothing else they stand behind their product. Or buy the Rocky if you're not going to spend it's lifetime wondering if you should have sprung for an upgrade.

rockcity
Jan 16, 2004

Sextro posted:

Get the baratza. If nothing else they stand behind their product. Or buy the Rocky if you're not going to spend it's lifetime wondering if you should have sprung for an upgrade.

By all accounts, they do seem to be good about working with anyone who have been having issues with them and pretty much all the reviews on the performance of the machine are quite glowing, especially at it's price point.

porktree
Mar 23, 2002

You just fucked with the wrong Mexican.

Sextro posted:

It's full immersion brewing and thus unlikely to deliver really interesting/unique flavors of the origin, or at best it will present those flavors in a muddled manner. Less of an issue if you just like "coffee flavored coffee", dark roast or coffees with dominant notes like "nutty".

That said siphon brewers are a neat bit of theater

I disagree, I use an old Cory with a glass filter rod every morning, and it does more than make coffee flavored coffee. It's also all glass, so no paper to absorb oils - I think it makes a better brewed coffee than a press pot, pour over, or drip brewer.

Sextro
Aug 23, 2014

porktree posted:

I disagree, I use an old Cory with a glass filter rod every morning, and it does more than make coffee flavored coffee. It's also all glass, so no paper to absorb oils - I think it makes a better brewed coffee than a press pot, pour over, or drip brewer.

The coffee and the roast itself have a huge impact on how different brew methods work, so I am ready to accept this. Unfortunately all of my local roasters that I buy from coffees always taste better as a drip batch brew or pour over than in a kyocera siphon using the metal filter.

Mu Zeta
Oct 17, 2002

Me crush ass to dust

porktree posted:

I disagree, I use an old Cory with a glass filter rod every morning, and it does more than make coffee flavored coffee. It's also all glass, so no paper to absorb oils - I think it makes a better brewed coffee than a press pot, pour over, or drip brewer.

You know who else makes siphon coffee every morning?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leid36eFTLs

Big Taint
Oct 19, 2003

Espresso grinder chat: I bought a nice used Rocky that was destroyed in transit. So I bought a refurb Quamar M80e for twice as much. :v: It’s pretty amazing, and people that know a lot more than me say you’d have to spend a lot more money to get noticeable improvement. Big burrs, powerful motor, electronic timer for dosing, low retention as far as I can tell. I got mine from Whole Latte Love.

Cheesus
Oct 17, 2002

Let us retract the foreskin of ignorance and apply the wirebrush of enlightenment.
Yam Slacker
Dear GWS,

I never thought this would happen to me.

My wife has used Keurig's slightly better sibling the Tassamo for about 15 years now. It's been slowly dying for about 6 months now and finally pushed its last disk-shaped espresso sometime last week.

Aside from a dozen of times over the years, she's never had any interest in my Bonavita drip maker. Sometimes she complains that I make it too strong, other times she just wants a mainline of sugar with that convenient espresso shot. I'll admit that by using a drip, I'm a bit coffee-lazy myself, but I do a little work by using filtered water, buying local beans and grind them before dripping.

Knowing how she values convenience over all, I reluctantly offered to buy a new pod maker of her choice. While that excited her, she didn't come back right away with an Amazon link to the latest Keurig or Nespresso or whatever. I just shrugged until yesterday she told me she researched and found what she wanted, a much cheaper solution: An aeropress. She even drove to the local coop and picked one up.

On one hand I'm dumbfoundedly impressed. That's a great alternative! A step up from pods by any metric. And look at how much money we can save from not buying those loving pods and just use the beans I buy! Hell, I'll gladly pay for an alternative if she has one. She excitedly showed me how to use it this morning and gave me a shot.

While her excitement is fun to watch, the downside is that I'm expecting that within a month she's going to complain that it takes too long and ask if the pod maker offer is still good.

Still, I'll take it. I'm even going to surprise her with a Bonavita kettle to replace the lovely stovetop kettle that mostly serves to get in the way when I cook.

Sincerely,
Cheesus

Johnny Truant
Jul 22, 2008




What's the coffee thread's consensus on the Nanaopresso? It looks like it has good reviews, and has piqued my interest as I like espresso, albeit infrequently.

porktree
Mar 23, 2002

You just fucked with the wrong Mexican.

Mu Zeta posted:

You know who else makes siphon coffee every morning?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leid36eFTLs

Thanks for this.

Oromo
Jul 29, 2009

Cheesus posted:

.

While her excitement is fun to watch, the downside is that I'm expecting that within a month she's going to complain that it takes too long and ask if the pod maker offer is still good.

The Aeoropress is the fastest way to make coffee I know of, especially if you have a boiling kettle.

If she complains, get her to try the latter of these two recipes first, before scrapping the press: https://www.timwendelboe.no/brewing-guides/aeropress

Fano
Oct 20, 2010
Is making cold brew in a french press as easy as it sounds? Or do I need a way to filter the grounds a bit more finely (cheesecloth?)?

RichterIX
Apr 11, 2003

Sorrowful be the heart
If you can grind it coarse you should be okay. Maybe just put it into another container and don't pour off the last little bit.

El Jebus
Jun 18, 2008

This avatar is paid for by "Avatars for improving Lowtax's spine by any means that doesn't result in him becoming brain dead by putting his brain into a cyborg body and/or putting him in a exosuit due to fears of the suit being hacked and crushing him during a cyberpunk future timeline" Foundation

Fano posted:

Is making cold brew in a french press as easy as it sounds? Or do I need a way to filter the grounds a bit more finely (cheesecloth?)?

It works as a great vessel to hold the water and beans, but it doesn't make a great filter depending on the quality of your grind. I use a big rear end Mason/ball jar and just run it through a big paper filter.

Flash Gordon Ramsay
Sep 28, 2004

Grimey Drawer
When I was messing around with cold brew in the French press I’d push it through my aero press after plunging it in the French press.

Mu Zeta
Oct 17, 2002

Me crush ass to dust

I like straight pouring the first half or so and then paper filter the rest. I kind of like the muddy/oiliness.

Canuck-Errant
Oct 28, 2003

MOOD: BURNING - MUSIC: DISCO INFERNO BY THE TRAMMPS
Grimey Drawer
I've been looking to get a gooseneck kettle to use with my Chemex; I had looked at the Fellow Stagg, but I've been hearing mixed reports about its long-term reliability. Is it worth shelling out for, or should I look at a Hario Fit? And are there recommended vendors for coffee equipment up in the Great White North?

Crystal Lake Witch
Apr 25, 2010


Canuck-Errant posted:

I've been looking to get a gooseneck kettle to use with my Chemex; I had looked at the Fellow Stagg, but I've been hearing mixed reports about its long-term reliability. Is it worth shelling out for, or should I look at a Hario Fit? And are there recommended vendors for coffee equipment up in the Great White North?

I know a couple folks with Stagg kettles that seem happy with them, but I don't know how long they've been using them.

8 Ounce is a pretty good source. What part of the country are you?

Canuck-Errant
Oct 28, 2003

MOOD: BURNING - MUSIC: DISCO INFERNO BY THE TRAMMPS
Grimey Drawer

Swan Lake Algae Problem posted:

I know a couple folks with Stagg kettles that seem happy with them, but I don't know how long they've been using them.

8 Ounce is a pretty good source. What part of the country are you?

I'm out in ON, so unless a vendor's out in BC I'm probably good. (Though I miss the fruit tarts at Murchie's...)

Sextro
Aug 23, 2014

My staff kettle has its paint on the bottom peeling off. Otherwise it's fine after 2 years of use.

ded
Oct 27, 2005

Kooler than Jesus


$52 for 1/2 pound. Wife bought it for me for fathers day.

It is... ok. But I have had better coffee from $5/lb green batches.

Molten Llama
Sep 20, 2006

Canuck-Errant posted:

I've been looking to get a gooseneck kettle to use with my Chemex; I had looked at the Fellow Stagg, but I've been hearing mixed reports about its long-term reliability. Is it worth shelling out for, or should I look at a Hario Fit? And are there recommended vendors for coffee equipment up in the Great White North?

Most of the recent reliability complaints I've seen are from people who think the handle is supposed to be riveted or tack welded. It's not; it's screwed on and designed to be fixable and replaceable.

They also initially shipped with plastic lids, which some people were heating to distortion on some stoves. Newer lids are metal. They also put out retrofit metal lids for the original kettles.

Mu Zeta
Oct 17, 2002

Me crush ass to dust

ded posted:



$52 for 1/2 pound. Wife bought it for me for fathers day.

It is... ok. But I have had better coffee from $5/lb green batches.

When was it roasted?

ded
Oct 27, 2005

Kooler than Jesus

Mu Zeta posted:

When was it roasted?

Prob a week or so ago. That roaster keeps a good rotation.

Canuck-Errant
Oct 28, 2003

MOOD: BURNING - MUSIC: DISCO INFERNO BY THE TRAMMPS
Grimey Drawer

Molten Llama posted:

Most of the recent reliability complaints I've seen are from people who think the handle is supposed to be riveted or tack welded. It's not; it's screwed on and designed to be fixable and replaceable.

They also initially shipped with plastic lids, which some people were heating to distortion on some stoves. Newer lids are metal. They also put out retrofit metal lids for the original kettles.

What about the reliability of the electronics in the EKG? I've seen complaints about it failing / reporting "No Water", which is Not Ideal.

nwin
Feb 25, 2002

make's u think

Looking at manual grinders for a CCD or v60.

I’m not going to spend the cash on a lido 3. Is my best bet going to be the skerton pro for ~$50?

Mu Zeta
Oct 17, 2002

Me crush ass to dust

Do you care if it's portable? I have a Porlex that is tiny and fits inside the aeropress and I like it a lot.

nwin
Feb 25, 2002

make's u think

Mu Zeta posted:

Do you care if it's portable? I have a Porlex that is tiny and fits inside the aeropress and I like it a lot.

Not at all. It’s going to make one trip to my office and stay there.

Ultimate Mango
Jan 18, 2005

nwin posted:

Looking at manual grinders for a CCD or v60.

I’m not going to spend the cash on a lido 3. Is my best bet going to be the skerton pro for ~$50?

In an office and you don’t care a huge amount see if you can get a decent Javapresse. Some may complain about alignment but it’s cheap and fits in the aeropress.

QuasiQuack
Jun 13, 2010

Ducks hockey baybee
Welp, I just jumped in the deepest of ends and got a La Pavoni professional millennium (for 30% of new price :dance:)
It's 5 years old but in pretty good condition. Gonna need a thorough cleaning though. Can't wait to make lots of mistakes while learning to brew espresso!

There Bias Two
Jan 13, 2009
I'm not a good person

Ultimate Mango posted:

In an office and you don’t care a huge amount see if you can get a decent Javapresse. Some may complain about alignment but it’s cheap and fits in the aeropress.

If you get a bad one, they replace it no questions asked. They have great customer service.

kemikalkadet
Sep 16, 2012

:woof:

QuasiQuack posted:

Welp, I just jumped in the deepest of ends and got a La Pavoni professional millennium (for 30% of new price :dance:)
It's 5 years old but in pretty good condition. Gonna need a thorough cleaning though. Can't wait to make lots of mistakes while learning to brew espresso!

What grinder are you using with it?

QuasiQuack
Jun 13, 2010

Ducks hockey baybee

kemikalkadet posted:

What grinder are you using with it?

A Wilfa Uniform. It's not optimal but I'll have to save up if I want a better one.

Ultimate Mango
Jan 18, 2005

There Bias Two posted:

If you get a bad one, they replace it no questions asked. They have great customer service.

This is very true. My burrs grenaded and I had a new one the next day.

I absolutely love my javapresse/aeropress combo for camping.

Cymbal Monkey
Apr 16, 2009

Lift Your Little Paws Like Antennas to Heaven!
I took a chance last week and ordered some Monsooned Malabar, something a little unusual and I'd never had it. I love the flavour but its crema seems incredibly week. I make coffee in a cezve and I like a bit of crema, but getting it to stand with the malabar seems impossible. I'm guessing this is just a quirk of its usually high PH, but if not, does anyone have any suggestions?

Thumposaurus
Jul 24, 2007

I replaced the group gasket on our La Cimbali yesterday with one of the cafelet silicone ones. The rubber gasket had gotten hard as a rock again.
Last time I replaced it was about a year ago.
The silicone one is supposed to resist hardening over time. We will see.
Installation was a little more of a pain in the rear end than the rubber ones but if it lasts longer it should be worth it.

Ultimate Mango
Jan 18, 2005

How often should one have to replace a group gasket? I have a two year old rocket and it still looks fine?

Keyser_Soze
May 5, 2009

Pillbug

Ultimate Mango posted:

How often should one have to replace a group gasket? I have a two year old rocket and it still looks fine?

I have had a Rocket Cellini since 2012 and replace the gaskets every 3 years. They probably could go 5 years before they crack and start leaking though. The red Cafelat silicone replacement on Amzn for under $10 works great. You remove the existing gasket with a thin regular screwdriver and just pop it off (after some effort). Replacing them more frequently also makes removal easier.

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Thumposaurus
Jul 24, 2007

Whenever the handle starts to have to be pushed past like the 6 o'clock area is time to start thinking about replacing the gasket. Shortly after that is when ours starts to leak a bit.
Hoping the silicone one will outlast the rubber one.
It all depends on how much you use it of course.
In a shop enviroment it would wear out a lot faster.

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