Coffee Catch-All

Quintin_Stone wrote:

What, you think you're a viking?

And I settled down with a nice, Baltic woman.

IMAGE(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/public/q24QureCrueSMb9sXy4wZ1qHR5T7gCtMZSMVIRny8zYnI2KRht7GmQbiEA8nOTdRm6lvbSqbH2MUZ2gQSPQQ85pgZLvl2worIsBQfZDzpL-ZkpWef0RXm2bhfHOzZ6SV1gQV0eQWKuJu7_XBuZTimWWTON6ymwRJHTIEW4JkX8u6c_Pn9EVdzw)

I may have found heaven. I have been pining for a Keurig for some time. They just look so cool. But then I tried it at my buddy's house. I was underwhelmed to say the least. The coffee tasted just fine and all, but the mechanism was somewhat overwrought for the cost and the outcome.

As my current auto dripper is on its last legs, I struck out on a quest. A complaint from my fiancee of the stained caraffe got me looking into either double walled steel caraffes or models such as these.

I get to make coffee to my exacting specifications, and I get the space aged feel.

KingGorilla wrote:

IMAGE(http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/public/q24QureCrueSMb9sXy4wZ1qHR5T7gCtMZSMVIRny8zYnI2KRht7GmQbiEA8nOTdRm6lvbSqbH2MUZ2gQSPQQ85pgZLvl2worIsBQfZDzpL-ZkpWef0RXm2bhfHOzZ6SV1gQV0eQWKuJu7_XBuZTimWWTON6ymwRJHTIEW4JkX8u6c_Pn9EVdzw)

I may have found heaven. I have been pining for a Keurig for some time. They just look so cool. But then I tried it at my buddy's house. I was underwhelmed to say the least. The coffee tasted just fine and all, but the mechanism was somewhat overwrought for the cost and the outcome.

As my current auto dripper is on its last legs, I struck out on a quest. A complaint from my fiancee of the stained caraffe got me looking into either double walled steel caraffes or models such as these.

I get to make coffee to my exacting specifications, and I get the space aged feel.

I have had one of those for the last couple years, and I love it. Just be certain to keep it clean; if you have hard water it clogs bad. Get on a strict regimen of running vinegar through it and also scrubbing the inside of the upper tank.

Got this to start classing up my iced coffee (had been using long cold steeps in mason jars).
Holy crap this is iced nectar of the gods.
Bonus tested vid of it.

Turns out a La Colombe opened up in my neighborhood, along Restaurant Row. They gave out free cold-press at a street fest a couple weeks back.

It was a very good thing.

I really love the coffee (Americano) made by my Aeropress. I keep it at work and would like to get an espresso maker for home. But sometimes (always) I'm super lazy and I would like a nice machine to do all that work for me. We already have a drip coffee maker at home. So, I'm looking for an electric espresso maker and I don't care about a milk frother or anything else other than espresso. Any recommendations for something inexpensive that'll make me espresso? Or should I get another Aeropress?

Quintin_Stone wrote:

I really love the coffee (Americano) made by my Aeropress. I keep it at work and would like to get an espresso maker for home. But sometimes (always) I'm super lazy and I would like a nice machine to do all that work for me. We already have a drip coffee maker at home. So, I'm looking for an electric espresso maker and I don't care about a milk frother or anything else other than espresso. Any recommendations for something inexpensive that'll make me espresso? Or should I get another Aeropress?

The cheapest option will always be a bialetti.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:
Quintin_Stone wrote:

I really love the coffee (Americano) made by my Aeropress. I keep it at work and would like to get an espresso maker for home. But sometimes (always) I'm super lazy and I would like a nice machine to do all that work for me. We already have a drip coffee maker at home. So, I'm looking for an electric espresso maker and I don't care about a milk frother or anything else other than espresso. Any recommendations for something inexpensive that'll make me espresso? Or should I get another Aeropress?

The cheapest option will always be a bialetti.

This!

I have had an older model of these for over 10 years and I love it. It has stood up to near daily use and even my kids using it and you can't even tell except by the patina the aluminum has taken from the heating/cooling over the years. And I've run everything from custom-grown Kona to Folgers through it without a hitch.

I want this. I don't need it. But it's pretty and it makes caffeinated things.

I've never seen one like the Bialetti. Let me make sure I understand: the water in the base heats from the stovetop, steam shoots up through a pipe into the grounds, and the espresso is forced out and collects in the top?

Quintin_Stone wrote:

I've never seen one like the Bialetti. Let me make sure I understand: the water in the base heats from the stovetop, steam shoots up through a pipe into the grounds, and the espresso is forced out and collects in the top?

Ya know... I've actually never used one before! My roommate has one, though. I'm gonna go try it out. I'm pretty sure your description is correct. That's how I always imagined it working.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

I've never seen one like the Bialetti. Let me make sure I understand: the water in the base heats from the stovetop, steam shoots up through a pipe into the grounds, and the espresso is forced out and collects in the top?

Yeah, that's it. I've got one, and it works great. Pretty straightforward, and tasty.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

I've never seen one like the Bialetti. Let me make sure I understand: the water in the base heats from the stovetop, steam shoots up through a pipe into the grounds, and the espresso is forced out and collects in the top?

Exactly. Then it pours from a spout out of the top like a regular coffee pot.

Just take your time and let it heat slowly, but keep an eye - it will start sounding like it's bubbling really hard when the espresso first starts coming out. When the bottom chamber gets close to empty, the sound will be less "bubbly" but be somewhat cautious if you lift the lid to check because it can spit. You want to make sure to let it really finish flowing though, because that last bit is the crema the hipster twats talk about and it really does taste good.

for iced coffe id try one of these . The local coffee shop uses a variant of this to brew theirs.

Just used the bialetti with some Stumptown Costa Rica Verde Alto beans. Very, very good. I usually just french press, but espresso is kinda fun.

Anyways, the bialitte is super quick and super easy. That's coming form a 10-minutes-ago-bialetti-virgin.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

Just used the bialetti with some Stumptown Costa Rica Verde Alto beans. Very, very good. I usually just french press, but espresso is kinda fun.

Anyways, the bialitte is super quick and super easy. That's coming form a 10-minutes-ago-bialetti-virgin.

We should set up a coffee exchange, similar to the beer exchange we had in the spring. I miss Stumptown and we have some good roasters in NC now (most notably Counter Culture) that I could love to get others opinions on.

jonfentyler wrote:
tuffalobuffalo wrote:

Just used the bialetti with some Stumptown Costa Rica Verde Alto beans. Very, very good. I usually just french press, but espresso is kinda fun.

Anyways, the bialitte is super quick and super easy. That's coming form a 10-minutes-ago-bialetti-virgin.

We should set up a coffee exchange, similar to the beer exchange we had in the spring. I miss Stumptown and we have some good roasters in NC now (most notably Counter Culture) that I could love to get others opinions on.

Pfttt... I'm totally down for that. The only issue is that you can probably buy and ship coffee cheaper by doing it online (at least in Stumptown's case). Also, it'll end up being fresher. That's not actually a bad thing, though, because the person buying it online and gifting it will probably have tried it. Also, it'll be waaaaay easier than the beer thing because you don't have to ship it yourself.

I'll start a new thread here in a sec. If you PM me, you and I can be the first pair as I assume you might be craving some Stumptown.

I do have a coffee roaster near me that doesn't do online stuff, so I can always send that too (extracto). They make some good stuff.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

I do have a coffee roaster near me that doesn't do online stuff, so I can always send that too (extracto). They make some good stuff.

We have some local roasters here as well that do not sell online. You're right about it being fresher ordering directly from Stumptown, I was curious if there were any others here that might be interested in an exchange. I just had some Intelligentsia Coffee brought to me for the first time. I thought it was good, but after hearing all the hype about them, it didn't live up to my expectations.

Also, message sent.

The Great GWJ Coffee Exchange exists!

Here ya go everyone: http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/node/1...

I hope we can get a few people interested! I think it's too soon to do another beer exchange, so coffee will make the perfect intermission.

Side note to jonfentyler: Yeah, It's kind of weird, but ordering online is actually the best way to get the freshest coffee possible from Stumptown. If you walk in to a coffee shop, you still have to check the roasting dates on the packages which tend to be a few days more than 2 off of the current one.

The problem is: you have to pay $5 shipping. Regardless, that's totally reasonable for USPS Priority Mail.

I'm doing cold press this week. A great way to start a day that's already 80F when I get up.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

I've never seen one like the Bialetti. Let me make sure I understand: the water in the base heats from the stovetop, steam shoots up through a pipe into the grounds, and the espresso is forced out and collects in the top?

The Bialetti was my first coffeepot and I still use it and love it a few years later. It's an effortless recommendation.

Scaphism wrote:
Quintin_Stone wrote:

I've never seen one like the Bialetti. Let me make sure I understand: the water in the base heats from the stovetop, steam shoots up through a pipe into the grounds, and the espresso is forced out and collects in the top?

The Bialetti was my first coffeepot and I still use it and love it a few years later. It's an effortless recommendation.

I was informed yesterday that you need to get one of the more expensive ones. This is the one my roommate has. There's a little bit of a difference in the design that affects it somehow (can't remember what it was exactly). Anyways, does anyone know anything about that?

I think this is what he was talking about:

The Bialetti Mukka's patented design has more to do with its cost-saving manufacturing process then its mechanism. Basically, the Bialetti Mukka Pressure Valve is a typical sping-and-plunger valve. The difference has to do with the way the spring is secured. In other spring-and-plunger models, the valve casing is cup with a flat edge. The spring itself extends beyond this open end a few millimeters. To "load" the spring, a separate cap would be screwed/welded/attached to end, compressing the spring inside.

The Mukka design uses an extra long cup, so that the spring doesn't extend beyond the edge. Then, a machine squeezes the end of the cup into a round opening called a "die," which folds the first few millimeters of the cup's edge over, forming an over-hanging lip around the inside. In turn, this lip compresses the spring inside the cup, loading it with tension.

So, the Bialetti company doesn't have to manufacture a cup or pay a worker to attach it. In this sense, the true value of the patent lies in giving Bialetti the right to protect the competitive edge granted by its own ingenuity.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

I think this is what he was talking about:

Well that explains why Bialetti would make them that way, but not so much why I'd want one or why it'd be more expensive.

Quintin_Stone wrote:
tuffalobuffalo wrote:

I think this is what he was talking about:

Well that explains why Bialetti would make them that way, but not so much why I'd want one or why it'd be more expensive.

Sent off a text to ask what it was exactly. I think it has to do with the frothyness.

Is there some sort of failure rate or something? I actually feel more secure knowing that bit was one piece rather than relying on a weld or other fastening that could degrade over time. The spring isn't under that much tension - not much worse than the spring that works the clicker in a good pen. Sometimes cost savings also turns out to be genius.

I bought mine for $7 at a coffee shop many years ago, and it's never given me a moment's trouble. I just went and looked at the inside of mine, and there's no bowing or warping of the back of the valve. It's quite flat. The kids have over-loaded it many times, and I've boiled it dry more than once.

And if nothing else, it's a good starter to learn if he likes the coffee this process makes. Then, once he's on firmer ground he can decide to invest in the upper-end stuff if he wants.

Thanks for reminding me. I just bought more espresso. Also, the 12 cup bialetti in my kitchen is a cherished friend and sumptuous lover.

And cue hipster discussion of crema.

momgamer wrote:

And if nothing else, it's a good starter to learn if he likes the coffee this process makes. Then, once he's on firmer ground he can decide to invest in the upper-end stuff if he wants.

Excellent point! I don't have any first hand knowledge, either. Personally, I'd rather learn the hard way since there is a good chance I'd save some money by not having to buy a more expensive one.

Damn it, Bodum! Stop making stuff that I love so I can stop throwing money at you! I finally impulse bought their burr grinder today. This thing is perfect. It's got a super even grind. The grounds container is made of glass so that hardly anything sticks to it. It's basically perfect. A slightly nice touch is that the gauge is marked in seconds rather than "cups." I hate when grinders do that because it's never accurate.

Also, I got their salt/pepper combo grinder a few months back. That thing is a perfect product, too.

OK, I could use some advice.

I've been using an Aeropress for about 6 months now, and I'm relatively happy with the results. I've used the standard and inverted methods, and experimented with quantity, timing, beans, etc. and I think I can make a decent cup of espresso. Typically, I turn that into an Americano...and therein lies the problem.

I'd like to make a larger quantity of coffee with each brew -- upwards of 16-20 ounces. The Aeropress isn't really well suited for this.

I've purchased an inexpensive Melitta cone filter and I'm going to experiment with pour over into an insulated mug or carafe. Any tips on getting proportions, extraction, etc. right with pour over? Am I on a fool's errand?