OP
OP
Have you considered just doing a pour over, aeropress or even a syphon since you have access to a heating element?
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Coffee Thread - The ERA of continued caffeine addiction
- Thread starter skeptem
- Start date
Didnt want to have to buy an extra device just for this trip just for coffee. I always bring my moka pot with me (and travel grinder). I guess I should always carry a backup pour over. Pour overs are pretty cheap too. That said I had to get the new stove top anyways. If the double boil doesnt work I'll fail back to pour over. Siphon though? Nah. Not a big fan of the attention it needs and it's not very travel friendly. I'm also a bit burnt out on it to be honest. Fancy cafes in the states are all turning to that and most stand alone cafes here (Japan) are turning to that as well.
So I'm thinking of getting into the Espresso machine game and was wondering if anyone can give me the better choice between the Breville Infuser and the ECM Casa V?
Edit: Online reading is telling me I should care more about the grinder than the espresso machine.
Edit: Online reading is telling me I should care more about the grinder than the espresso machine.
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Cream and sugar.
Too late, I bought the thing.
This might raise a few eyebrows but any NYC'ers love street cart coffee?
Not gonna blow you away, but for $1 and a little cream, I love those things in the morning, especially if you're in a rush.
Not gonna blow you away, but for $1 and a little cream, I love those things in the morning, especially if you're in a rush.
Well I drink it black to avoid sugar.
Might try this. Thanks.
I mean, I always get the blond roast at Starbucks, as generic as that is. You get used to things. At home I grind my own beans, have a stellar coffee machine and savor coffee on the weekends. But typically weekdays I just grab a cup from Starbucks. Cart coffee is always too light bodied for me.
OP
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Similar to this, I love getting caffecito in Puerto Rico. I cheap double shot of espresso in the morning will get you going. If you want it with milk and sugar that's more traditional but I like mine black.
Check out these videos. Seems decent as far as entry level machines go.
Of course, it could just be because they're both sellers trying to push a product ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I've never been a coffee person, but someone I know in Vietnam sent me Trung Nguyen coffee and an aluminum drip filter so I can make Vietnamese cà phê sua đá at home now...
It's too delicious and I now have my first ever caffeine headache. Help 😨
It's too delicious and I now have my first ever caffeine headache. Help 😨
Are you looking for a small form factor machine in particular? Why not get the Breville Barista model itself if you are spending $500? (It is on sale now for $450).
If you have a good grinder already, maybe something like the newer Gaggia Classic? (that's what I have been using for the last few years, love it)
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^ Good recommendations. I have the Breville Barista and love it. If you already have a quality grinder, then I could see getting something else.
And for what it's worth, Seattle Coffee Gear (one of the YouTube channels posted above) is great. Very honest reviews/opinions of this stuff.
And for what it's worth, Seattle Coffee Gear (one of the YouTube channels posted above) is great. Very honest reviews/opinions of this stuff.
Some bitters, maybe? I haven't used them, myself, but a little vial of them came in an Iced Coffee kit that I got. Not sure how good they'd work in a hot-brew though.
Been using this cold brew coffee maker for about a month and I've been very happy with it:
I had one of the Japanese cold brew caraffes, but I stopped using it because of how long it took to pour the water over... 15, 20 mins+ of standing at the sink, and I just didn't have time to do that for making a small batch. This makes a lot of coffee over night and is dead simple to use. I usually let it brew for 24 hours, and then you flip the switch and it drains into the caraffe. It recommends using a 1:4 coffee:water dilution ration, but I do about 1:1 or 1:2, and it's good.
I've been using some beans from a local roastery lately, but originally bought 2 bags from this NYC roastery and it was good:
I had one of the Japanese cold brew caraffes, but I stopped using it because of how long it took to pour the water over... 15, 20 mins+ of standing at the sink, and I just didn't have time to do that for making a small batch. This makes a lot of coffee over night and is dead simple to use. I usually let it brew for 24 hours, and then you flip the switch and it drains into the caraffe. It recommends using a 1:4 coffee:water dilution ration, but I do about 1:1 or 1:2, and it's good.
I've been using some beans from a local roastery lately, but originally bought 2 bags from this NYC roastery and it was good:
Do you notice any difference from making it in a regular french press? I've been making a fair bit this year (1:7 ratio usually though, 24 hour steep) and something like this might be worth it for me if there is an improvement.
I never made cold brew with the french press so unfortunately I can't compare it. My previous cold brew carafe was one that you have a basket sitting in it with the grounds, you pour water over the grounds, and let it sit over night, and take the basket out in the morning (or 24 hours or w/e)
This method is probably more similar to the french press because the water and the grounds are mixed together until you drain them. I have an Oxo french press so I should try it.
Huh, apparently so? I did some quick reading and they say that the bitters are so diluted by the drink you shouldn't come close to a buzz. Kinda shocked that they just put one in the kit, to be honest. Apparently they aren't considered an alcoholic beverage by the TTB, but I don't really know what that means in practice.
When I get home, I can see what kind was included in the kit . . . Maybe it doesn't have any alcohol?
Ok cool let me know. Might be something to try in the weekend but can't do it on the weekdays if there is alcohol involved. 🤷🏾♂️
Angostura bitters are like 45% ABV. However, you'll want to think of them more like vanilla extract, which has about the same amount of alcohol. You are only adding a dash or two (1/8-1/4tsp) to get a ton of flavor. We're talking like 1/100th of a standard drink.
Is there a lot of sugar? I usually drink just black to stay away from sugar and I like the taste.
No sugar. You get a sort of percieved sweetness from the spices (Cinnamon, Allspice, Orange) and a bitterness from the gentian and cinchona. I've never tried them in coffee, but I'll throw a dash or two into seltzer and you don't get much bitterness and just a light spice on the aroma.
If you just want to add a little flavor to coffee, you could mix a little cinnamon or something like cardamom, clove, allspice or blends, something like a chai, minus the tea.
Looks like the one that came in my box is also has alcohol. I should try it next time I make a brew.
I'm back on the coffee train after a few years of lazy instant drinking. The French press was released from the cupboard and given new life! Then it went back in the cupboard because I remembered why I put it in the cupboard in the first place, bloody pain in the arse that it is.
Yesterday I got an Aeropress and a hand grinder, and some crappy supermarket beans. Things are looking up and I'm having fun experimenting, but the beans aren't exactly setting the world on fire. I live in the middle of nowhere so I can't buy from a local roaster (gotta move back to the city, everything sucks out here unless you like gazing at sheep).
Any UK folk use a coffee subscription service? There are loads and loads. I want to get 250g packs that fit through the letterbox, plenty of variety and the option to pause the subscription without having to call anyone. I'd use North Star since they're semi-local and I know they're good, but they fail the letterbox test. Any suggestions?
The Aeropress is interesting. My first couple of cups were not very nice, and I think it was because I used water that was too cool. The instructions said 80°C and I don't have a thermometer so I let the kettle cool for a few minutes. Not good. So far I've had the best results with a fine grind (3 on a Porlex grinder) and adding water up to level 3, ~1 minute after the kettle boils. There are so many variables and I had 7 cups of coffee yesterday and I couldn't sleep and now it's today and I'm wide awake thinking about coffee. I'm also thinking about water filters and cold brew and that I'm poor and I should have stuck with instant instead of opening Pandora's Box.
Yesterday I got an Aeropress and a hand grinder, and some crappy supermarket beans. Things are looking up and I'm having fun experimenting, but the beans aren't exactly setting the world on fire. I live in the middle of nowhere so I can't buy from a local roaster (gotta move back to the city, everything sucks out here unless you like gazing at sheep).
Any UK folk use a coffee subscription service? There are loads and loads. I want to get 250g packs that fit through the letterbox, plenty of variety and the option to pause the subscription without having to call anyone. I'd use North Star since they're semi-local and I know they're good, but they fail the letterbox test. Any suggestions?
The Aeropress is interesting. My first couple of cups were not very nice, and I think it was because I used water that was too cool. The instructions said 80°C and I don't have a thermometer so I let the kettle cool for a few minutes. Not good. So far I've had the best results with a fine grind (3 on a Porlex grinder) and adding water up to level 3, ~1 minute after the kettle boils. There are so many variables and I had 7 cups of coffee yesterday and I couldn't sleep and now it's today and I'm wide awake thinking about coffee. I'm also thinking about water filters and cold brew and that I'm poor and I should have stuck with instant instead of opening Pandora's Box.
HasBean definitely pass the letterbox test. Shame about North Star not being good for you though, if I bump into the owners at any point I'll try to mention that and see if they can do bubble packets like HasBean use as an option because you're not the only one I've seen complain about that online.
HasBean look good, thanks! I want to enjoy good coffee for a few months before Brexit fucks up the industry and we have to drink ground up rats.
You're in Leeds then? Any other decent roasters there? I pop over now and then and would like to move there when I get my shit together.
As for North Star, yeah, it cost them a customer in this instance. And they also require customers to pay several months up front instead of per delivery line HasBean.
Yep, there's a good number of local roasters in Leeds. North Star as you mentioned, who are genuinely great tbh.
Maude are also a great roaster but much less known - they co-own the fantastic coffee shop Mrs Athas, which is behind House of Fraser and a couple of doors down from Travelling Man on Central Rd.
Echelon are new this year but I've been quite impressed by them and the guy who runs it is very nice and knowledgeable. They will fail your letterbox test though.
Pump'n'Grind are local, very small, only had a couple of bags from them but they were nice.
Then there is also Cielo, who are good but based more on the outskirts of Leeds these days I think. They used to have a shop on Boar Lane but had to close it due to rent costs. Still around online and in outside Leeds shops though.
TBH you can't go wrong with any of them. Very strong coffee scene here, without going into any detail of the shops themselves!
Good info, thanks. I'll check some of those place out next time I'm in town.
I've started a HasBean sub. £7.50 for 250g, fortnightly. Not sure if I'll need it more frequently or not, I'm still in the "must make coffee all the time" new gadget phase.
Coffee Era. I want to make ten cups of coffee. I found some guide online that said I should use about 100g of grounds. Does that sound right? Seems like a lot, but maybe I've been making weak coffee for the entirety of my brewing career.
Also, I only have 65g left. I'm gonna use that, but I'd like to know for the future.
What kind of extraction method? 65g for 10 cups might be a little weak.
Once upon a time like 15 years ago it was good. But that whole buisness from top to bottom has gone down hill. Not what it used to be.
I'm a little coffee illiterate so I'm not entirely sure. I'm just using a typical coffee maker; uses paper filters, and you add water and grounds.
Also sorry if what I'm asking is found in any of the resources in the OP. I didn't have time to check everything out. I was just trying to get some quick info.
No worries.
I would say using the typical coffee maker, with your 65g of grounds, you might get decent coffee of about 650 ml (reasonably strong that might work with a spot of milk) to 1000ml (american style black coffee). These are highly subjective of course.
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Good advice. My preferred ratio tends to be on the lower end, usually 1/17. I'll make 750ml of coffee for my wife and I and use 44g of coffee. This is on our technivorm.
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That's a massive machine. Only worked on a 15kg Probat, then they switched to a 35kg Loring.
With Filter, you basically can't go wrong. Just make it as strong or light as you like it.
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I roast and do maintenance (on the roaster) for one of the bigger specialty roasters in the bay area.
This roaster is gonna push it to another level.