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I'm a long way from my goal of owning one example of every different coffee preparation apparatus and knowing how to use it, but I've got a pretty good collection going. I have a cheap Mr. Coffee drip machine with a mesh basket for family visits, an Aeropress, a beautiful Frieling stainless French press that I use daily, a moka pot, a LaPavoni Europiccola, and a Handpresso Wild (uses ESE pods) that I keep at work. I've also had a few "steam toy" espresso machines, one of which broke and the other went to my sister. They're a cheap novelty but an Aeropress and a battery-powered milk frother would produce better results for a little less money. I have an Ascaso I-Mini grinder for espresso and a Capresso Infinity grinder for everything else. I'm not that happy with the I-Mini but I love the Capresso, which I bought from Costco brand new for $90. I'm planning to get one of those Hario drippers next, then a Turkish ibrik and one of those vacuum pots someday. Then I'll have to figure out what's left. My wife even got one of those loving Keurig machines for her birthday--from someone who knows about all the other coffee stuff we have--and refused to return it for cash like I suggested. So now she uses that when I don't have time for the French press that we usually share in the morning. It tastes fine to her, she says, so I keep my mouth shut about it. The Aeropress makes the best coffee of any device I've tried, hands down, and it was wonderfully cheap. It's easy to use and easy to clean. The only thing I don't like about it is how inefficient it is with beans--I have to load it way up to make a good Americano, like half as many beans as I'd use for a 10-cup pot in the Mr. Coffee. So it's a rare treat for me. Also the recommended brewing temperature is a little on the low side so unless you brew over a double walled, pre-heated stainless mug, it will cool off fast. The worst is the Keurig. Nuff said. The second worst cup for me, though, comes out of my moka pot. I am pretty sure that I'm doing something wrong but I haven't figured out what yet. I grind on the coarse side of what you'd call "fine" (does that make sense?) and dose properly, I think, and use a medium-hot setting on my stovetop, but it always takes a really long time to brew and invariably comes out way too bitter and harsh. I use an all-stainless pot I found at IKEA, if it matters. I've heard it takes time to season the gasket, and this can affect flavor--is that true? What else can I do differently?
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Nov 3, 2011 21:11
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Metanaut posted:Pretty sure you're using too coarse grind. The AP makers recommend one step finer than for drip. I have a lot of trouble pushing the plunger down if I go any finer than the grind I use. I'm usually brewing a large size Americano that requires two scoops. The issue I have with efficiency is that the Aeropress scoop is pretty drat big, so you end up using a lot more beans, relative to the output, than you might with other coffee processes. The AP produces such high quality that it doesn't bother me--but that's mainly because I don't use it all the time. Metanaut posted:If you're filling the whole press with water for one cup, you're doing it wrong. I'm not, but good advice. Here are the instructions in case anyone's curious: http://www.sweetmarias.com/aeropress/AeroPressInstructions.pdf Metanaut posted:The temperature isn't a problem, you just need cooler water for the brewing : This is what I should be doing for Americanos, you're right. I guess I never think to turn the kettle back on during the brewing because it's such a short process and it's kind of busy. Alceste fucked around with this message at 17:32 on Nov 8, 2011 |
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Nov 8, 2011 16:10
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jooky posted:I've never used a moka pot, but Stumptown has a guide here: http://stumptowncoffee.com/guide/moka-pot/ along with guides for other methods, as well. Looks easy enough, though. Cool! I never thought to pre-heat the water, and the other guides I read never mentioned that. Mine comes out like what they say to avoid--harsh, bitter, thin, metallic. It looks like they use an IKEA pot just like mine, too. Thanks--I'm going to grind up some Red Bird and try this out later.
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Nov 10, 2011 20:57
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Success! While I was doing the French press thing this morning I followed the Stumptown instructions with my moka pot and made some very decent coffee with it, for the first time since I've had it. I preheated the water, watched the burner temperature very closely--I have one of those glass top stoves where the burner reacts instantly, so I just varied the temperature at the knob--and stopped the extraction before it gave its death rattle. I was very happy with the results. Thanks again!
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Nov 11, 2011 14:15
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