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For those that have been waiting, Baratza redid their site and reloaded their store with a ton of refurbs at all price levels. Maestro is 70 refurb , Maestro plus is 95 (new is 145), and Virtuoso is 143 (new is 250).
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Nov 23, 2011 19:10
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sellouts posted:For those that have been waiting, Baratza redid their site and reloaded their store with a ton of refurbs at all price levels. Thanks for pointing this out! Anyone know what the difference between the Maestro and Maestro Plus is? People in another thread somewhere else were saying the only difference is the pulse switch on the front, and the metal base. Anyone know?
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Nov 23, 2011 21:52
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 Order just came in from Verve Coffee Roasters in Santa Barbara. Got a pound of their Holiday Blend. Also picked up a Hario glass dripper, Buono kettle and a pack of filters. Interested in comparing pour over to my press. 
dema fucked around with this message at 01:30 on Nov 24, 2011 |
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Nov 24, 2011 01:25
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AriTheDog posted:Thanks for pointing this out! Anyone know what the difference between the Maestro and Maestro Plus is? People in another thread somewhere else were saying the only difference is the pulse switch on the front, and the metal base. Anyone know? I tried finding this out -- it looks like the Maestro Plus just replaced the Maestro and there's very little difference. To avoid that problem I just went and talked myself into the Virtuoso. It had better reviews and hey, it's a gift for Christmas so why not be a little generous!
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Nov 24, 2011 02:09
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If I'm not mistaken it has several more grind setting steps also. I agree with talking yourself into an upgrade tho.
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Nov 24, 2011 02:40
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The Maestro and Maestro Plus both have 40 adjustment steps and the same burr set. The Plus has a timer switch instead of an on/off switch, a pulse button on the front, and a weighted base (it weighs 3 lbs more than the Maestro). In terms of grind quality, there is no difference. The $70 refurb Maestro is a sweet deal, and I don't recommend spending any more unless you want to go for the Virtuoso. I always weigh and grind per dose with the cheaper Baratzas, so the pulse button is not much use. The timer is only useful if you absolutely cannot turn off the grinder when it's finished. The metal base is actually more of a benefit than you would think, since it stops the grinder from moving around on the counter so easily. I still wouldn't spend the extra unless you want to go for the Virtuoso, which has significantly better grind quality than either Maestro.
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Nov 24, 2011 03:04
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Thanks guys. Picking up a Maestro to finally end my two year grinder hiatus since my Capresso broke. Phew!
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Nov 24, 2011 04:43
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I'm also in the process of moving away from diner coffee. I've made it a point to try the various different styles - espressso, lattes, mochas, etc. but I can never really tell the difference. Or, more precisely, I don't have a good sense of what the qualities of each are supposed to be. Could one of you coffee gurus maybe write up something about the various different drink styles?
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Nov 24, 2011 05:07
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Cyril Sneer posted:I'm also in the process of moving away from diner coffee. I've made it a point to try the various different styles - espressso, lattes, mochas, etc. but I can never really tell the difference. Or, more precisely, I don't have a good sense of what the qualities of each are supposed to be. Of the styles you listed, they're all made with espresso. Espresso is essentially a quickly brewed under pressure, concentrated coffee. It's a lot more intense and has a somewhat thicker mouthfeel to it. Because of the short brew time, contrary to popular belief, it has less caffeine than drip brewed coffee. The rest of the drinks you listed are all beverages made with espresso. Lattes and cappuccinos are similar, they're both drinks typically made with 2 shots of espresso and steamed milk. Lattes use just steamed milk, whereas a a cappuccino is roughly half steamed milk and half milk foam. A mocha, at least in the sense of the form you're thinking of it is basically a chocolate flavored latte, think coffee flavored hot chocolate. The term mocha however was used to describe a type of coffee bean in the middle east centuries ago, long before it was used to talk about chocolate of coffee shops. I believe the name came from the port they exported all their coffee from. I remember reading about it in a coffee book I read about a year ago. Edit: Forgot about Americano which is a shot of espresso with hot water added to it to fill the cup. rockcity fucked around with this message at 05:49 on Nov 24, 2011 |
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Nov 24, 2011 05:47
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Anyone tried the Kone filter from Coava?
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Nov 26, 2011 19:00
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I don't own one, but I've had it at their coffee shop and compared it to my paper filters at home. It's kind of interesting, actually. While it does provide the same, clean cup of coffee that you get from a typical Chemex, the Coava Kone does taste significantly richer. I'm not sure if it's completely worth the ~$50 cost, but if you do a lot of pourovers then you may enjoy it.
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Nov 26, 2011 19:56
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If you want to improve your coffee, get a better grinder. It's the single most important piece of equipment you can buy for making coffee. While I frequently recommend the $70 refurb Maestro, you are much better off spending the extra money on upgrading to a Virtuoso ($143 refurb) than buying fancy $50+ brewing tools. A nicer grinder and a $5 press pot is a better use of your money than a cheaper grinder and the latest shiny third-wave FOTM brewing gadget. So you are rocking a Virtuoso and want to explore other brewing methods? Feel free to indulge in a Hario Buono kettle, Kalita Wave, Coava Kone, butane-fired siphon brewer, Espro Press, etc. There are very real differences between the coffee they produce, and you have your bases covered with grind quality.
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Nov 26, 2011 22:31
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mattdev posted:I don't own one, but I've had it at their coffee shop and compared it to my paper filters at home. Bob_McBob posted:If you want to improve your coffee, get a better grinder. It's the single most important piece of equipment you can buy for making coffee. While I frequently recommend the $70 refurb Maestro, you are much better off spending the extra money on upgrading to a Virtuoso ($143 refurb) than buying fancy $50+ brewing tools. A nicer grinder and a $5 press pot is a better use of your money than a cheaper grinder and the latest shiny third-wave FOTM brewing gadget.
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Nov 26, 2011 23:04
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Mmm... Roasted up a batch of Ethiopia Sidamo Special Prep to a City+ last night. Start to finish was ~14 minutes, which was absolutely perfect. The fruits of my labor were fruity indeed. Heavy notes of sweet blueberry, but with plenty of acidity to balance it out. This is my favorite coffee. This one.
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Nov 26, 2011 23:08
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that Vai sound posted:
sbux and Solis grinders are all made by baratza
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Nov 26, 2011 23:24
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Today the local hypermarket used an Ethiopian lady (and a most gracefully beauteous specimen at that, I should add) to market the Nestlé coffee capsules  A fair attempt, fuckers, but try harder next time.
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Nov 26, 2011 23:38
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GrAviTy84 posted:sbux and Solis grinders are all made by baratza It's actually slightly more complicated than that. This article explains some of the backstory of the Solis/Baratza relationship. To add to it, for a long time Baratza was selling its own manufactured designs under the Solis name, but a few years after the article was written they ditched Solis. Also, at one point the "Starbucks Barista" grinder could be a Solis/Baratza Maestro, which further confuses discussion about these grinders. Plus, the Maestros and Virtuosos have got some upgrades and feature changes over the years, though the current line-up has been stable for quite some time now.
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Nov 26, 2011 23:54
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I moved to Seattle, got a burr grinder and a press pot, and shopped around for a shop where I could get beans roasted "yesterday." I love coffee more than I ever have. And then I have to travel. I picked up a cup of Seattle's Best at the airport... and I couldn't drink it. It was burned, ground, stored for days, and then burned again. I could tell. I had to throw it away. You fuckers have ruined lovely coffee for me.
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Nov 27, 2011 08:38
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Join the military, half-warm ration pack-issue instant coffee in a foldable plastic cup at nine thirty in the morning on a frosty firing range is nectar from the teats of the Virgin Mary herself.
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Nov 27, 2011 13:54
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I've been reading up on the Sweet Maria's website about roasting my own beans. Before I invest in an expensive electric roaster, I wanted to try to stove-top methods in one of those popcorn poppers. I currently live in a small studio apartment in New York City, so I don't really have access to the outdoors. Would it be dangerous to do so in my situation?
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Nov 29, 2011 17:46
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You need ventilation... your hood fan MAY be enough (assuming it's not just blowing back into the apartment through a filter). Roasting produces smoke that you can't always see - if you're not ventilated you WILL set off alarms. You should keep a fire extinguisher near by just in case - you should have one of these in your kitchen ANYway. That said, go nuts - you've probably burnt toast that produced more noxious smoke than you'll get trying out a few roasting batches.
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Nov 29, 2011 18:11
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lags posted:You need ventilation... your hood fan MAY be enough (assuming it's not just blowing back into the apartment through a filter). I believe my hood fan just sucks up the air and spits it out higher up. What I tend to do if I'm cooking something that's bound to get smoky is put one of my high powered fans near the stove top/oven, and have it on high blowing towards the window (maybe 5 feet away). That way, I've never had an issue with smoke in my apartment. In terms of storing the beans, would an airtight ziplock bag be sufficient, or should I go buy one of those glass canisters with the tightened clasp tops?
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Nov 29, 2011 18:55
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Just wanted to say I bought a clever coffee brewer a couple weeks ago and even without high quality beans and only using a lovely blade grinder I am making the best coffee I've ever had. I'm singing its praises to anyone who will listen.
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Nov 29, 2011 19:12
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Doh004 posted:In terms of storing the beans, would an airtight ziplock bag be sufficient, or should I go buy one of those glass canisters with the tightened clasp tops? Coffee storage is a contentious question... but the variables that affect the beans are not: oxygen, moisture, and light (and temperature - don't use the fridge/freezer/the sun). Store in a dry dark place as air tight as possible, and you will be fine. Make sure your beans aren't going into a sealed container with any heat to avoid condensation. ie: a zip-top bag should be fine by my estimation Freshly roasted beans also need about 24hrs to 'de-gas'. I usually just leave my jar open until the next morning, and seal it then.
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Nov 29, 2011 21:31
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I usually go through beans fast enough to just store them in the hopper. It's fairly air tight and is colored to protect from light.
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Nov 29, 2011 22:14
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Chalk up another Aeropress fan. I've had drip machines, French presses, and the AP, and they've all got their place. If I had to make coffee for more than two people, drip machine. 1-2 folks get the FP, and when it's just me, it's AP all the way. One thing the AP really did for me was get me to start drinking black coffee. It was too much effort to doctor up a double shot with cream and sugar, and the coffee was smooth enough that I just started drinking it straight and black. As a side note, if you have access to hot water for tea or whatever, the AP's about the most work-friendly coffee maker I've seen. Way better than the K-cups they've got at the office. Edit: \/\/ Yeah it might just be a peculiarity with my office because I have a sink available, but it's just "unscrew cap, pop puck into trash, give everything a 2-second rinse, put in drainer". I can certainly see how the CCD would be easy, too, especially with no sink access. lousy hat fucked around with this message at 00:49 on Nov 30, 2011 |
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Nov 29, 2011 23:58
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lousy hat posted:As a side note, if you have access to hot water for tea or whatever, the AP's about the most work-friendly coffee maker I've seen. Way better than the K-cups they've got at the office. I think cleanup is less messy and even faster with the CCD, believe it or not.
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Nov 30, 2011 00:28
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We've had a Clover machine at work, and drat that thing is a beautiful piece of machinery. It also makes a really nice cup of coffee. However, I've now been led astray from the Clover with the most recent toy that we obtained, The Bunn Trifecta: http://coffeegeek.com/resources/noteworthy/trifecta Dear god that thing makes an amazing cup of coffee. I've been away from work for nearly a week and I can't wait to get back to that sweet sweet coffee.
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Nov 30, 2011 04:55
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GrAviTy84 posted:I think cleanup is less messy and even faster with the CCD, believe it or not. The grounds are held in a filter in the CCD, so you just dump the filter and run a little bit of water in the brewing chamber to rinse. With the AP you have to take it apart to rinse everything. Makes a big difference to me when my only source of water is a Zojirushi dispenser at work. With a sink there isn't really much difference.
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Nov 30, 2011 05:08
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Doh004 posted:I've been reading up on the Sweet Maria's website about roasting my own beans. Before I invest in an expensive electric roaster, I wanted to try to stove-top methods in one of those popcorn poppers. Do you not have a deck / patio thing at all? With a Whirley Pop, a heavy gauge extension cord, and a $10 hot plate from Walgreens, you're set to roast outside.
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Nov 30, 2011 05:42
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PainBreak posted:Do you not have a deck / patio thing at all? With a Whirley Pop, a heavy gauge extension cord, and a $10 hot plate from Walgreens, you're set to roast outside. Roasting on a patio with a $10 hot plate in New York in winter would be pretty tough to do. I don't think those things put out enough heat for that sort of thing.
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Nov 30, 2011 06:02
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The Polish Pirate posted:We've had a Clover machine at work, and drat that thing is a beautiful piece of machinery. It also makes a really nice cup of coffee. Your workplace has a Clover machine and a Trifecta?  Must be either a drat fancy coffeeshop or an office with a coffee-mad CEO.
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Nov 30, 2011 07:36
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Archenteron posted:Your workplace has a Clover machine and a Trifecta? Definitely the latter. The guy has a Gaggia Accademia outside his office and he actually bought two extra Clover machines just to have the spare parts in case the main one breaks. While I've certainly been spoiled by expensive machines at the office, I have a Baratza Vario grinder at home and with my Clever dripper and Aeropress combined with awesome fresh Blue Bottle coffee, I can still brew up a really good cup.
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Nov 30, 2011 16:46
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Today, I successfully convinced the office manager to order up a our weekly delivery of coffee from rather awesome roasters Hasbean. No more loving awful ancient bags of sawdust 'french blend' from Tesco for me, ha!
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Nov 30, 2011 16:48
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GrAviTy84 posted:As a Capresso Infinity user myself, I recommend the Baratza Maestro refurb. It is cheaper, has a better container (anti-static), more grind size quantizations, and has better burrs. Only reason I got the Capresso was because I had store credit at BB&B and they don't carry Baratza. Yeah, the Capresso has the annoying static and exploding coffee all over the counter "feature", especially when grinding oilier beans but for $90 it was my fallback until I spring for a Rocky. I read that running a batch of rice through it on the finest setting every once in a while decreases the static, I'm going to try that and see.
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Nov 30, 2011 17:46
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PainBreak posted:Do you not have a deck / patio thing at all? With a Whirley Pop, a heavy gauge extension cord, and a $10 hot plate from Walgreens, you're set to roast outside. I do not have any outdoor space at all. I think if I start off with smaller batches and, with a good amount of air movement with my fans, I should be alright. (unless you guys believe otherwise) Also, I read I need to get the pan/whirley pop to ~450 degrees Fahrenheit. Would you guys suggest I buy one of those electronic cooling thermometers that I could stick into the pot? Or just guestimate it?
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Nov 30, 2011 18:40
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Doh004 posted:I do not have any outdoor space at all. I think if I start off with smaller batches and, with a good amount of air movement with my fans, I should be alright. (unless you guys believe otherwise) Unless you want an excuse to buy a toy, just guess. Listen for the cracks & watch the colour closely, and constantly agitate. Save your money for the roaster you're inevitably going to buy now that you've started down the road.
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Nov 30, 2011 18:49
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lags posted:Unless you want an excuse to buy a toy, just guess. Listen for the cracks & watch the colour closely, and constantly agitate. Save your money for the roaster you're inevitably going to buy now that you've started down the road. I like this advice, thanks 
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Nov 30, 2011 18:59
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Has anyone used tonx.org or could recommend a coffee-by-mail service? I'm thinking about asking for a Tonx membership for Xmas. All I want is something that's an improvement on supermarket whole bean bags. E: I would love to visit a local roaster but Torrance, California is an empty sea of chains. Copernic fucked around with this message at 19:09 on Nov 30, 2011 |
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Nov 30, 2011 19:06
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dema posted:Got the girding and my pouring technique all dialed in and the result is fantastic.
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Nov 30, 2011 19:26
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