|
I got an Aeropress for my sister and also got some pre-ground local artisan coffee to go with it. I told the guy to grind it between an espresso and a drip grind, but it looks like he still did it way too fine, because the first time she tried using it, neither of us could actually press it down all the way--it seems that the filter was clogged up by the fine grind. Is there any way to salvage this $18 pound of coffee? Or some other trick with an Aeropress to maybe get around this problem?
|
# ¿ Jul 28, 2012 10:15 |
|
|
# ¿ Apr 18, 2024 02:54 |
|
No Wave posted:If you can't find a way to use it you can use it for cold brew... put it in a pitcher 1:2 ratio in volume coffee to water, stir, leave at room temperature for a day, filter through strainer, filter through paper filter/paper towel, water down to desired strength before drinking. Cool, thanks. Haven't tried cold brewing at all before, but I'll let my sister know to try it out. Might work out a little better for these hot summer months.
|
# ¿ Jul 29, 2012 19:01 |
|
This thing claims to be able to make cold brew in about 10 minutes: http://prismacoldbrew.com/ It sounds too good to be true and lol crowdfunding, but apparently the company is backed by GE and has a couple products released already. The only press article they link (in which it's still referred to by what I'm assuming is an old name, Pique) that goes into technical details of how it might be possible is the Engadget one. At $229 as the lowest tier that offers the product, though, I'm not really willing to back it just to find out if it works.
|
# ¿ Aug 10, 2016 21:45 |
|
Not even any posts on National Coffee Day, a shameful thread Here's a picture I took National Coffee Day by Norman Lee, on Flickr
|
# ¿ Sep 30, 2016 02:27 |
|
I got a Nanopresso, because I wanted to have a way to have a half-decent espresso at home without investing in a counter-hogging machine. The results are satisfactory, but I feel like a dumbass spending 3-4x as long trying to pack and tamp the grounds as actually pulling the shot. The filter basket is really tiny--maybe 1.25 inches across--and I'm very carefully trying to get my 8g of grounds into the basket without spilling it all over the place every time. Anybody have any clever ideas for how to make this easier? Get a tiny little funnel? 404notfound fucked around with this message at 21:32 on Jul 17, 2017 |
# ¿ Jul 17, 2017 21:26 |
|
aldantefax posted:Do people have any secret accessories that they use for coffee that is actually pretty useful? Not sure how secret it still is, but a small spray bottle or eyedropper to add a bit of water to a batch of beans before grinding. It pretty much eliminates the static cling, meaning less stuff sticking to the grinder and shooting out all over the counter
|
# ¿ Jan 21, 2021 23:11 |
|
That looks so loving stupid, but good god, for some reason I want one? I think I need to buy a smoking jacket first
|
# ¿ Mar 25, 2021 19:17 |
|
AndrewP posted:Yeah that seems way better than the Aeropress. I'm not really sure what's supposed to be so great about the Aeropress after doing the research I should have done before I bought it. I think the idea is that it's supposed to be quick—brew times on the order of only a minute or so. But the whole premise of the device seems very much aimed at "casual" coffee consumers, with its printed markings giving you rough estimates of how much ground coffee and water to use. Didn't the WAC start as a send-up of fancy-shmancy coffee events?
|
# ¿ Mar 31, 2021 23:23 |
|
Gunder posted:Yeah, the design of the bottom of the steel wave seems to suffer more than the other types from filter sag issues. Basically, it sags down and fills up the gaps, limiting water flow. I think the glass version is better in this regard, as it has a different design on the base. I have the metal Wave 185 and also had filter sag issues, but I decided to stop pre-rinsing the filter and somehow that fixed my problem?
|
# ¿ Apr 10, 2021 22:34 |
|
Gunder posted:Makes sense to me. Less contact time with the water, less time to sag. Does it impart a noticeable paper taste? I've always rinsed my filters. I've never noticed a paper taste. Honestly I was more concerned about the dry paper soaking up the water and "taking away" some of my post-brew volume
|
# ¿ Apr 11, 2021 22:21 |
|
Hoffmann's Aeropress technique video is up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6VlT_jUVPc
|
# ¿ Apr 22, 2021 08:06 |
|
I tried the Ember mug for about two weeks, but the mandatory companion app is loving awful, at least the Android version. A list of some of the problems I've had:
|
# ¿ May 3, 2021 20:04 |
|
silvergoose posted:And the thread is named. What an awful product idea. I am proud to have been able to contribute to this thread in some terrible, meaningless way
|
# ¿ May 3, 2021 23:42 |
|
Speaking of filters, anyone have a lead on where to get reasonably priced Kalita filters? I ordered a triple-pack a while ago but I'm starting to run low, and it looks like filter prices on Amazon are still pretty inflated
|
# ¿ May 10, 2021 02:41 |
|
One of the many quality hand grinders with large burrs can make relatively quick work of a single serving of beans, and with much less noise than an electric grinder. I just tried with my Kinu M47 (so named because it has 47mm burrs), and I got through 15g at about an espresso grind level in under 20 seconds. Oh yeah, the other nice thing is that if you ever do want to get into espresso, most of the nicer hand grinders can do both filter and espresso pretty well
|
# ¿ Jun 16, 2021 07:22 |
|
hypnophant posted:They certainly aren't the only company making 54mm baskets and parts, but at a glance everything looks ok and the prices are fine. I would avoid that style of tamper/distributor, as the spinny distributor is worse than useless. Normcore makes a nice spring-loaded tamper and they have a size that fits the breville basket. Other good upgrades are a bottomless portafilter (crema has a wood-handled one, normcore has one slightly cheaper with aluminum handle) and a premium basket. The basket is unfortunately a bit tricky as VST doesn't offer a 54mm basket and while IMS does, it requires a bit of modification to fit the breville. The crema one would be a good option if it's good quality, but I can't tell that without seeing it in person. I literally just got a used Normcore tamper from my coworker yesterday (he bought the wrong size). The clearance is a little tight, at least with the official Breville unpressurized basket, and I kinda don't like that the additional pieces of the tamper means more effort to give it a good clean, but otherwise it seems to be working pretty decently for my Bambino Plus Edit: Just checked all four of my baskets again (single and double, pressurized and unpressurized), and the clearance is fine, with just a tiny bit of play, even. But it's tight when there are grounds getting into the space between the basket wall and tamper 404notfound fucked around with this message at 22:26 on Aug 12, 2021 |
# ¿ Aug 12, 2021 22:17 |
|
James Hoffman had good results regrinding ground coffee with the very important caveat that you feed it into the grinder just a little at a time. In fact, in doing so he actually had to grind finer than normal to achieve the same coarseness as a normal grind with whole beans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IjFfl-8Gu8
|
# ¿ Oct 7, 2021 16:37 |
|
Megabound posted:I've got this image on my phone as it's a handy reference I come back to a lot when dialing: Oh dang, I've had the coffee compass chart from that site stuck to my fridge for years, but I had no idea they had one for espresso! Printing it now
|
# ¿ Nov 3, 2021 23:16 |
|
Deathlove posted:I've got a Hario Skerton for hand grinding but hoo boy after 20g I am done for the day with that. Are other hand grinders on that level (1Zpresso, Timemore, Other?) that are an easier process or is this just what hand grinding is? Larger burrs makes a huge difference in how long it takes to grind. Years back, when I lived in an apartment with paper-thin walls and the premium hand grinder selection was pretty thin, I picked up a Hario Slim thinking it would be easier to make coffee at night without the roaring grinding of my electric one. But it was such a pain in the rear end grinding even just a single dose that I gave up on it after about five uses. I since picked up a Kinu M47, with large 47mm burrs, and it can get through 18-20g of beans in as many seconds, probably less. Even espresso grind doesn't take that much more time. Noise isn't as much of an issue for me now, but counter space still is, so I still prefer having a small hand grinder.
|
# ¿ Nov 26, 2021 22:02 |
|
From that chart, the K4 and K6 are identical except the K4 has titanium-coated burrs and is $10 cheaper. Is stainless steel superior to titanium or something?
|
# ¿ Feb 14, 2022 20:06 |
|
With my Kinu M47 with 47mm burrs, it takes about a second per gram at a pourover coarseness, more if I want to go down to espresso grind. I can't find details on the Hario Slim's burr size, but I had one myself many years ago and hated using it because it took too drat long to grind anything. With the greater number of hand grinders on the market these days, I'd highly suggest getting something with at least 38mm burrs
|
# ¿ May 12, 2022 22:23 |
|
Mu Zeta posted:I use a plastic Melitta cone which uses the standard flat bottom filters you can buy in any grocery in America. I really see no benefit to the v60 unless you need speedier brews. The Melitta only takes like 30 seconds longer. On a related note, are there any flat-bottom filters that will work properly in a Kalita Wave 185 besides the official ones? They're about 50% more expensive than what I used to pay for them, so a cheaper substitute would be great
|
# ¿ Jun 22, 2022 19:09 |
|
obi_ant posted:If I didn't want to invest into a gooseneck kettle, because I already have a nice water boiler I've been using for a few years, what are my options here? I've seen some cheap-looking tin gooseneck receptacles where you put boiling water into, would that be a decent option? That's what I do. I have a Zojirushi water boiler and this small gooseneck pitcher, and it's served me well for years. The benefit of the gooseneck is just being able to get a precise flow of water pouring onto a precise location, doesn't really matter where that water comes from
|
# ¿ Jun 22, 2022 19:37 |
|
The Postman posted:Do you lose much heat transferring to the pitcher? Or do you preheat it or something? To be completely honest: I don't really care. Messing with dose and grind is enough variables for me, and I just try to keep everything else exactly the same. I have my Zojirushi set for 195 F (it has a setting for 208, but I also use the hot water for things other than coffee and 195 is more convenient), and I have the exact same pourover recipe that I use for all my beans. I don't pre-wet my filters (I found it actually caused more stalling in my stainless steel Wave), and I don't preheat anything. The fussiest thing I do is add a few drops of water to the beans before grinding to reduce the static charge. I probably do lose some heat pouring the water into an unheated metal receptacle, but I don't really want to add more complexity to my routine. I did play around with different recipes at one point (the 4:6 method sounded particularly intriguing), but ultimately I'm just trying to keep things simple. FWIW, the Kalita recipe I use (I originally got it from somewhere, but can't for the life of me remember where now): To make 300 ml of coffee: Start with something like 18 g dose and a 4.0 grind on my 2017 Kinu M47 hand grinder (they've made various revisions to the grinder since I bought mine) 0:00 - 0:10 Pour water equal to double the dose (i.e., 36 ml) 0:10 - 0:40 Bloom 0:40 - 1:10 Pour up to 3/5 the final volume (i.e., 180 ml) 1:10 - 1:45 Let drain 1:45 Pour up to final volume (300 ml) 2:45 - 3:00 Finished draining Taste and consult coffee compass to refine dose/grind for next time The timing may vary somewhat, since ultimately I'm using the flavor of the output to determine what to change, rather than adhering to a rigid timetable. I think Ethiopians tend to take longer, for example. Could I alter my routine to get a marginally tastier cup? Probably. But then I'd be wasting even more beans out of every new bag trying to chase that high, and I'm happy with the sweet spot of convenience to quality that I have right now.
|
# ¿ Jun 22, 2022 20:02 |
|
I'm getting annoyed at how inconsistent my espresso is, despite trying to keep things as consistent as possible. I used the exact same amount of beans and the exact same grind setting. I'm using a spring-loaded tamper so the tamping pressure should be pretty consistent, and I've got a WDT device (with looped wire ends instead of needle tips). I dialed in a perfect shot on my semi-automatic Bambino Plus, then pulled another one using that programmed time, but I noticed the flow was much more constricted. I ended up with 26g instead of 34g, and it tasted extremely sour. Why would the flow have changed so dramatically from one shot to the next in the span of about five minutes? If I had just manually pulled the second shot and aimed for the same weight (i.e., running it longer to compensate for the flow), would I have had a more consistent taste?
|
# ¿ Jul 12, 2022 22:00 |
|
Pilfered Pallbearers posted:Did your first shot maybe channel a bunch, and that’s why the second choked out? That would explain your difference in flow rate, despite using the program. I'm using a Kinu M47 hand grinder, which AFAIK should be pretty consistent; I don't really have the counter space to spare for a full size electric grinder. Is there a way to visually inspect the puck afterward to check for channeling?
|
# ¿ Jul 12, 2022 23:48 |
|
Pilfered Pallbearers posted:https://www.mycuppa.com.au/how-i-solved-my-irritating-coffee-channelling-problem Thanks, I'm not up for more espresso today (one of the drawbacks of a caffeine-infused hobby), but I'll play around with it more tomorrow hypnophant posted:I'd ditch the looped wire WDT tool, the loops tend to drag big channels through the bed rather than distribute evenly. IMO the 3d-printed needle ones are best. Other than that, what grinder are you using, and how are you dosing? An extra gram in the basket could definitely reduce flow as you observed, which could happen if you are using a timed grinder for dosing, or single-dosing on a grinder with too much retention. Try weighing your portafilter after grinding but before tamping (tare the scale to the empty filter first), to make sure the weight you expect is really what's in there. I'm using a hand grinder so I manually weigh the beans before grinding, but I actually haven't been weighing what goes into the portafilter—good catch. As for the temperature, I'm not sure how good the machine is either, but I usually run it once after I turn it on, thinking it might help to keep the temperature consistent from the first shot. And I've also heard elsewhere that maybe the loop WDTs aren't so good, so this is probably a good point to switch over
|
# ¿ Jul 13, 2022 06:15 |
|
Apparently AeroPress has their own official metal filter now. Looks like it's so new there aren't even any reviews that I can find yet. Anybody have a chance to try one? I've already got a metal one made by Able but I'm curious how the official one would stack up
|
# ¿ Aug 9, 2022 20:49 |
|
I feel like the Kalita Wave with its flat bottom is slightly less fussy than the V60, but you have to watch out for certain models that might cause more stalling: https://coffeechronicler.com/kalita-wave-dripper-experiment-review/
|
# ¿ Aug 12, 2022 03:11 |
|
The Aeropress is also quick and easy, since the puck of coffee can just be popped out directly into the trash, requiring just a quick rinse afterward. No matter what your brewer of choice, though, I'm assuming that the good coffee you're making is freshly ground. Is weighing and grinding a step your partner is willing to put up with? If not, you'll have to look into pregrinding a batch (after dialing it in for the brewer, of course), dosing it, and storing it in a way to maximize freshness.
|
# ¿ Aug 31, 2022 23:58 |
|
AnimeIsTrash posted:Yeah, go for a quieter grinder especially if you are grinding early in the morning. Lol This is actually what convinced me to get a fancy hand grinder in the first place. At the time, I was living in an apartment with neighbors on four sides with paper-thin walls. I could hear a lot of kitchen noise from the adjoining unit, so I got self-conscious about how much noise I was making, and a hand grinder is about as silent as you can get. It was also better suited to the tiny amount of counter space I had there
|
# ¿ Sep 11, 2022 04:29 |
|
obi_ant posted:If a coffee lacks body and substantial texture, what adjustment do I need to do? This "coffee compass" can be pretty useful in diagnosing your brew, although you have to know enough to be able to taste the descriptions around the edge of the ring: https://www.baristahustle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Coffee-Compass.pdf I think it could use a little refinement, since IMO "dull" and "muted" kinda mean the same thing, but they're in two very different parts of the compass and require different adjustments to compensate for. But it's a good starting point to help you learn how to adjust based on the flavor
|
# ¿ Sep 13, 2022 20:00 |
|
Spiggy posted:I've used a Kinu M47 for espresso coming on four years now and wine not ideal is still a bit of a pain. I just wish the venn diagram for single dose electric grinders that are flat burr, quiet, and under a grand had a bit more overlap. Oh speaking of the Kinu M47, I finally went looking for a lid and found this one on AliExpress that works like a charm, though it'll take a few weeks between ordering and receiving. It's a very snug fit, but the easiest way to insert it is to do it perpendicular to the handle, so that the handle is sticking out to the sides, relative to the notch of the lid. It's pretty ridiculous that a $350+ grinder doesn't come with some way to prevent popcorning (I developed a habit of grinding over the sink to minimize stray bean fragments flying all over the kitchen), but at least there's a relatively cheap fix
|
# ¿ Nov 24, 2022 20:43 |
|
I also have a Bambino Plus, but it's been nothing but frustrating lately. I thought I was really bad at dialing in a shot, but it turns out the machine (my individual unit, anyway) is just wildly inconsistent. I'll prepare two pucks the exact same way—same weight, grind setting, needle-tipped WDT and a spring-loaded tamper—and every shot after the first comes out way more restricted for some reason. Like, it's consistently inconsistent, always very ristretto on shots 2/3 to the point where sometimes a decently pulled first shot will lead to just a few drops coming out on subsequent ones. I always make sure to run a blank first to preheat, so I'm not really sure what else I'm doing wrong. I could grind coarser after the first shot and/or forgo the saved setting and always pull manually, but it's clearly not how the machine was designed to be used. At this point I'm really ready to just shelve the machine and stick to my Kalita and Aeropress, because the frustration and all the wasted beans just aren't worth it.
|
# ¿ Nov 26, 2022 18:03 |
|
Pilfered Pallbearers posted:What grinder are you using and how fresh are your beans? The pressure gauge isn’t great, but it does function, so what do you see pressure wise on the good shot vs the bad shots? I think you might be thinking of a different Breville/Sage machine, because there's no pressure gauge on the Bambino Plus. As for the grinder, I have a Kinu M47 hand grinder, which I've never heard anything bad about performance-wise, though I admit I haven't tested how consistent it is. Retention is another aspect I haven't really looked at, but might explain some of the shot inconsistency. That one should be easy enough to test by cleaning it out more thoroughly and grinding a few throwaway beans, though I'm not looking forward to making my espresso process even more complex by having to clean the grinder every time first. The machine automatically signals when it needs a cleaning (both descaling and backflushing), but it wouldn't hurt to give it another cleaning cycle while I investigate. And I've tried both old beans and fresher ones, and have had trouble with both. Obviously fresher beans taste better, but does that really have much of an impact on shot consistency? Thanks for the tips, and I'll definitely try them out, but it's really just highlighting to me how fussy espresso can be. I thought a semi-auto like the Bambino Plus would be a decent entry into the world of espresso, but I feel like I would've been better served with a more pared down manual machine like the Flair, though I would've needed a separate solution for frothing milk.
|
# ¿ Nov 26, 2022 18:36 |
|
Pilfered Pallbearers posted:Apologies, about the gauge. It’s not actually important, but might have helped pinpoint the issue. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll give these a shot once I get back home later hypnophant posted:what happens if you grind beans for two shots together, but pull the second shot first? You know, I actually did try grinding both shots back to back, but somehow it hadn't occurred to me to try this in particular That might be worth trying as well!
|
# ¿ Nov 26, 2022 21:22 |
|
Strongly considering bidding on some of the coffee gear that Twitter is auctioning off along with seemingly half of their office equipment https://bid.hgpauction.com/auctions/8421/herita10194?primaryCategoryCode=CAT
|
# ¿ Dec 15, 2022 03:26 |
|
seravid posted:I'm going to start taking a mug to work (Kinto, probably) so I can take my time enjoying a proper cup of coffee instead of downing a capsule shot before walking out the door. What quantity do people usually brew? I should have enough for all day if I buy the 500ml mug and fill it up, but how will the coffee taste after 6 or 7 hours sitting in there? Get the Zojirushi thermos and enjoy burning your tongue on coffee that's still too hot after sitting on your desk for an entire work day
|
# ¿ Jan 9, 2023 22:16 |
|
You're not supposed to use espresso grind with pressurized baskets, right? Like I thought they're designed to adapt coarser grounds like you might get from a supermarket
|
# ¿ Jan 10, 2023 21:25 |
|
|
# ¿ Apr 18, 2024 02:54 |
|
Easychair Bootson posted:I'm trying to wrap my head around brew time, grind size, and ratio, how they affect extraction, and ultimately how that affects taste. I'm just focusing on my Aeropress with a fresh medium-roast and ignoring water temperature as a variable to keep it relatively simple. Until I've tried out a few different combinations, the only variables I touch are grind size and dose size. If you're doing pourover, brew time will end up varying a bit, but don't worry too much about it unless it's really off. Basically, I just follow this: It's only after I've tinkered with that a bit and still don't have a satisfactory result that I start changing other things like water temperature—or in the case of the Aeropress, total steep time.
|
# ¿ Jan 20, 2023 17:31 |