Coffee Catch-All

How long does it take to grind, say, 6 tablespoons of grounds? How even is the grind and does a lot of extra powder get produced? I'm just curious because if my Bodum grinder ever goes out, I would be interested in a manual grinder. I would just need it to actually be designed well and work well. I think I have seen that one before.

Grinding is fairly quick - maybe 15-20 seconds per tablespoon of coffee?

Grind is not completely even, but certainly a lot better than the blade grinder. I should probably experiment a bit with alternative settings (you can loosen/tighten the widget under the handle to adjust it), but where I have it now is working okay.

Cool!

trichy wrote:
BreechLoad wrote:

There are some ways around the dripping

1. Use a finer grind of coffee.
2. Do a quick stir then put the plunger into the cylinder just a little. This should slow down the dripping.
3. Do it upside down: google: aeropress inverted.

Personally, I use the inverted method. Makes a more consistent cup.

This. The inverted method is best.

Agreed, I've recently switched to the inverted method and it makes a much more reliable cup. Just be careful when flipping the Aeropress over, I've had a couple of close calls!

I use the Hario Mini Mill. It's takes about two minutes to grind my 20g of coffee. I had to modify the grinder to be more consistent on coarser grinds.

BreechLoad wrote:

I use the Hario Mini Mill. It's takes about two minutes to grind my 20g of coffee. I had to modify the grinder to be more consistent on coarser grinds.

Go on...

Boudreaux wrote:

Was gifted an AeroPress for Christmas, and I'm somewhat perplexed by the fact that letting the grounds steep for ~10 seconds means around half of the coffee has already dripped through the filter into my mug before I even start the pressing process. I watched one of the AeroPress "how to" videos and yes, that appears to be how it works. What exactly is the pressing part of it accomplishing here? By the time I start plunging, there's not much coffee left. I'm mostly pressing air through the grounds.

As others have mentioned, you probably need a finer grind, you want it to be like an espresso grind, basically.

I have one of those mini hand grinders and it works great, but I got tired of grinding longer than it takes to heat my water, so I finally turned in the Amazon gift cards I got for christmas and splurged for this:

IMAGE(http://www.wholelattelove.com/ItemImages-1341483084/11538/compressed/13626330.png)

Nice fine grind, made my first cup this morning. But damn, electric burr grinders are expensive.

Same beans, same Aeropress, dunno if it's the placebo effect or what, but my coffee this morning ground with the new grinder is the best I've had in weeks. NUMMY!

Spoiler:

That grinder Rick posted is available at a discount for tonx.org members. PM me if you want an invite

Boudreaux wrote:

Was gifted an AeroPress for Christmas, and I'm somewhat perplexed by the fact that letting the grounds steep for ~10 seconds means around half of the coffee has already dripped through the filter into my mug before I even start the pressing process. I watched one of the AeroPress "how to" videos and yes, that appears to be how it works. What exactly is the pressing part of it accomplishing here? By the time I start plunging, there's not much coffee left. I'm mostly pressing air through the grounds.

The other way to prevent it dripping thrrough is to steep it with the aeropress upside down. Take a look at Stumptown's Guide and that's how they do it.

Carlbear95 wrote:
Boudreaux wrote:

Was gifted an AeroPress for Christmas, and I'm somewhat perplexed by the fact that letting the grounds steep for ~10 seconds means around half of the coffee has already dripped through the filter into my mug before I even start the pressing process. I watched one of the AeroPress "how to" videos and yes, that appears to be how it works. What exactly is the pressing part of it accomplishing here? By the time I start plunging, there's not much coffee left. I'm mostly pressing air through the grounds.

The other way to prevent it dripping thrrough is to steep it with the aeropress upside down. Take a look at Stumptown's Guide and that's how they do it.

Thank you for that link! I've been using the instructions included with the Aeropress for four months now, but this method was even better! My coffee today was delicous.

Agreed, brewing inverted has made all the difference. For some reason that never would have occurred to me. Thanks!

Nightstorm wrote:

Agreed, I've recently switched to the inverted method and it makes a much more reliable cup. Just be careful when flipping the Aeropress over, I've had a couple of close calls!

I'm an inverted believer as well. As an additional step to Stumptown's instructions, I slide the walls of the chamber down a bit before attaching the filter at the top, eliminating the majority of the air that would otherwise be trapped inside. As Nightstorm warns, the flip will cause the air inside to heat and expand, potentially pushing the plunger out the end and covering you with hot water and grounds. I had several close calls, so from now on I stand by the importance of having only a small air pocket when brewing inverted.

krev82 wrote:

Anyone tried teechino's caffeine free "herbal coffees" or any other caffeine free (rather than merely decaf) coffees?

I will never go back to drinking un-coffee - I've decided that as far as vices go, this is the one I'll never give up. And since I only drink 2 or 3 cups a day, I don't see it as a problem...

That said, when I did drink un-coffee, the only stuff I ever actually liked was this: http://www.mapi.com/maharishi_ayurve...

The teechino stuff just didn't do it for me.

As far as coffee goes, I get everything from http://www.camanoislandcoffee.com/ now - and I brew using a Toddy cold-brew system, Hario V60 filter, stovetop MOKA percolator, or French Press. The Press has become my least favorite brewing method, the V60 is my favorite (albeit the most expensive and time consuming), with the Toddy and MOKA tie though they're very different. I have a hand-mill that I use on occasion, but sometimes I will just buy pre-ground now, since I end up getting such fresh roast and using it well before it can get stale or moldy.

Every time I visit my parents, I make a beeline for my mom's Keurig. She asked if I wanted one for Xmas, but I said no. Those little coffee packs would have bankrupted me.

So Santa brought me this thing instead: a one-cup drip coffee maker that uses whatever grounds you want. It works exactly as advertised. No complaints so far.

Enix wrote:

Every time I visit my parents, I make a beeline for my mom's Keurig. She asked if I wanted one for Xmas, but I said no. Those little coffee packs would have bankrupted me.

So Santa brought me this thing instead: a one-cup drip coffee maker that uses whatever grounds you want. It works exactly as advertised. No complaints so far.

That's cool. I have one of their Brewstation coffee makers, and it's great for a simple drip that I can just have going during the day when I don't have time to do it right.

I have no coffee now. I need more coffee. I'm going to get coffee.

Carlbear95 wrote:
Boudreaux wrote:

Was gifted an AeroPress for Christmas, and I'm somewhat perplexed by the fact that letting the grounds steep for ~10 seconds means around half of the coffee has already dripped through the filter into my mug before I even start the pressing process. I watched one of the AeroPress "how to" videos and yes, that appears to be how it works. What exactly is the pressing part of it accomplishing here? By the time I start plunging, there's not much coffee left. I'm mostly pressing air through the grounds.

The other way to prevent it dripping thrrough is to steep it with the aeropress upside down. Take a look at Stumptown's Guide and that's how they do it.

I got an aeropress and aerolatte milk frother for christmas and absolutely love it. I had been putting the plunger in and pulling it back a bit as well as being careful when pouring the coffee in. I'm goint to try the stumptown method and see how that works. I have not been very good at getting the right temperature water, yet. Just boiling it on the stove in a tea kettle. Thanks for the link.

I'm running some experiments with my aeropress for the next week or so. Different brewing methods/times, temperatures, and grinds. So far, the inverted, short- and long-steep, cooler water, drip grind resulted in some fairly thin and weak coffee, with the only notable difference being the increased bitterness of the longer steep.

Kraint wrote:

I'm running some experiments with my aeropress for the next week or so. Different brewing methods/times, temperatures, and grinds. So far, the inverted, short- and long-steep, cooler water, drip grind resulted in some fairly thin and weak coffee, with the only notable difference being the increased bitterness of the longer steep.

Yeah, after seeing it mentioned a few times, I tried the inverted method, and maybe I'm doing it wrong, but I ended up with weaker, more bitter coffee.

Of course my usual method is:

* Dump in 1 aeropress scoop of ground coffee.
* Fill to the 2 with water heated in the Keurig (not boiling, but hot).
* Put the plunger in the pyrex cup with the rest of the water to get wet for a good seal.
* Stir to the count of 15 [seconds-ish].
* Go to the pantry and get the cane sugar.
* Switch the stirrer and the plunger.
* Plunge.
* Dump grounds, wash everything, put it back in the Aeropress Tub(TM).
* Add a not-at-all heaping teaspoon of sugar.

I end up with a very espresso-like flavor, a little sweet but not overpoweringly so.

Can anyone offer recommendations on a brewing system I could use at work? I'd like to reduce the amount I spend on coffee at work ($3/latte or American per day usually) and increase the quality (using local, organic, fair trade and fresh roast).

Requirements/preferences are:

* brew 1-2 cups at a time
* lower acid preferred (French Press doesn't agree with me for some reason)
* hot brew preferred (though I suppose I could brew Toddy at home and bring it in to work...)
* either electric or something that will work with hot water from a water fountain (probably 180* or so).

I was thinking about a simple 2-3 cup drip machine, or possibly an Aero Press - though I suspect the Aeropress would give me the same problems I have with a French Press. I could also use a V60, but that tends to use a lot of grounds per cup...

This is exactly what I do with my AeroPress. Perfect for brewing a cup at a time, all you need is ground coffee and hot water. I would think that brewing for less time would help with the acid, and you get a far more filtered cup with the AeroPress than with a french press.

Symbiotic wrote:

Can anyone offer recommendations on a brewing system I could use at work? I'd like to reduce the amount I spend on coffee at work ($3/latte or American per day usually) and increase the quality (using local, organic, fair trade and fresh roast).

Requirements/preferences are:

* brew 1-2 cups at a time
* lower acid preferred (French Press doesn't agree with me for some reason)
* hot brew preferred (though I suppose I could brew Toddy at home and bring it in to work...)
* either electric or something that will work with hot water from a water fountain (probably 180* or so).

I was thinking about a simple 2-3 cup drip machine, or possibly an Aero Press - though I suspect the Aeropress would give me the same problems I have with a French Press. I could also use a V60, but that tends to use a lot of grounds per cup...

The easiest to do at work is pour over. It will give you slightly better results than a drip machine. It's also very easy to clean. All you need is the top plastic or ceramic (ideal) thing, some filters, an electric kettle, water, and coffee grounds. If you can, grind the beans at home the morning of. Aeropress and pour over should be less acidic than press pot because of the filters. Acidity, more often, however, has to do with the beans. Dark roasts are going to give you more stomach issues.

I think that pour over is a bad method for making coffee, but I do it when I'm in a pinch. Sometimes, coffee is just coffee.

Edit: You're in Seattle. Have you tried beans from Caffé Vita? They do a great job.

Edit 2: I might be wrong about the acid thing, actually. I generally don't have issues with that. I've just noticed that Starbucks coffee (dark roasts) and whatnot "upset" my stomach more than good coffee.

Is there no coffee maker at work, or a bad one? At my last place the carafes rarely got washed and tended to be years old.

If you can actually have a personal coffee maker. There have been some great staple and new personal coffee stations. But most places tend to forbid that you have anything with a heating element.

VIA has been Starbucks' foray into instant coffee. It works out to about 75 cents a cup of joe if you get a larger box, so still not the cheapest. The flavor is pretty decent. All you need is to add hot or cold water. The plus here is that you can try one pretty cheap, a 3 pack is 3 bucks.

Symbiotic wrote:

Can anyone offer recommendations on a brewing system I could use at work? I'd like to reduce the amount I spend on coffee at work ($3/latte or American per day usually) and increase the quality (using local, organic, fair trade and fresh roast).

Requirements/preferences are:

* brew 1-2 cups at a time
* lower acid preferred (French Press doesn't agree with me for some reason)
* hot brew preferred (though I suppose I could brew Toddy at home and bring it in to work...)
* either electric or something that will work with hot water from a water fountain (probably 180* or so).

I was thinking about a simple 2-3 cup drip machine, or possibly an Aero Press - though I suspect the Aeropress would give me the same problems I have with a French Press. I could also use a V60, but that tends to use a lot of grounds per cup...

The Aeropress should give you lower acidity than a french press pot, especially if you use the standard brewing method instead of inverted. I'm not sure if you're using a grinder or not, but I strongly recommend a burr grinder for Aeropress brewing - you need a consistent, medium-fine grind to make the Aeropress sing.

I skimmed the thread (sorry) and didn't see anyone mention the Clever coffee drip method. That might actually be perfect for you. Much less chance for user error, and it's not as dependent on grind quality. $22 at Amazon, and here's a nice guide for brewing.

Bold Bean's also got a nice guide for the Aeropress inverted method, though it's not much different from Stumptown's guide. Here's a confession: I'm not as into the inverted brew as everyone else is.

EDIT TO ADD: I use the hot water fountain at my office for this stuff. It's not perfect (I don't think mine is the right temp), but it'll get the job done.

Oh yeah, in case anyone missed it, we are rebooting the coffee bean exchange this month. I'll probably pair people up this weekend. Join in on the fun!

Boudreaux wrote:

This is exactly what I do with my AeroPress. Perfect for brewing a cup at a time, all you need is ground coffee and hot water. I would think that brewing for less time would help with the acid, and you get a far more filtered cup with the AeroPress than with a french press.

I'll second this. Making coffee at work with the aeropress is very easy. I used to do the pour over method with a coffee filter and a single cup plastic filter cone at work. I have a keurig at home.

Taste-wise I'd rank them aeropress, keurig with metal filter, and then plastic cone filter and keurig with k-cups.

For simplicity the keurig wins easily if you use the k-cups. If you use a metal filter it's still easier. For cleanup the keurig wins if you use k-cups. If you use a metal basket it takes a little longer and cleanup requires at least some touching of the coffee to get it all out of the metal basket. The aeropress and cone are about the same for cleanup the the aeropress setup is easier. To get more than a 1/2 cup of coffee you have to pour in water, wait, pour in water, wait, pour in water. It's a little time consuming. The aeropress fits all of your liquid into the tube so it is fast and simple.

If you like lattes you can make them pretty easily with the aeropress and an aerolatte so long as you have access to a microwave. I use this method and it works out very well. I add a little vanilla extract and sugar or coffee syrup to mine. You can't make lattes with the cone or keurig as far as I know.

Overall, the aeropress is easily the winner. Best taste, pretty simple setup and cleanup, and the ability to make lattes.

+1 on the Aeropress. I have some good beans from a local roaster, and despite the fact that coffee often upsets my stomach, the delicious brew that emerges from that plastic miracle is smooth and not at all bitter. Doesn't bother my stomach and makes me smile.

5th+ on the Aeropress for coffee production at work. Quick, reliable, and really easy to clean.

Thanks, everyone. Looks like an AeroPress is the ticket (as if I needed another excuse to buy more coffee gear). I am in Seattle, and I do enjoy Caffe Vita from time to time, but honestly if I'm buying bulk, I wont buy anything that isn't organic and fair trade and has a clear roasting date on it. http://www.camanoislandcoffee.com is my current favorite.