Coffee scoops and coffee makers

   / Coffee scoops and coffee makers
  • Thread Starter
#51  
I used to drink quite a lot years ago. Back then it was an odd thing,
coffee could warm me up in the winter, cool me off in the summer and put me to sleep at night.
 
   / Coffee scoops and coffee makers #52  
WinterDeere said:
Chemex is a very popular pour-over rig, used by a lot of coffee snobs. I have an automatic pour-over machine, so I never bothered experimenting with them, but folks seem to love them.

Another great method I use almost every day lately is French press.....

On the subject of "machine doesn't matter", the grinder is pretty important in the taste of your coffee, more important in many ways than the actual coffee machine. ... Heck, even hand-turned grinders (KINGrinder K2) can do an excellent job, even getting down into espresso and Turkish grind levels, if you need that. Just avoid the stupid whirly blade grinders, they're trash.
Click to expand...
I might have looked at Chemex when my "expensive" coffee maker broke. I looked at one coffee maker that was hand made in Denmark or the Netherlands and was something like $800. Ah. No. To just heat water and pour it over coffee grounds. :eek:

An Irish AirBnB we rented had a hot water kettle and a French press. Liked the kettle, the press not so much since it was a pain to clean. The press does have its uses though but my funnels and basket is easy to use and clean not to mention cheap. 😁 The place was in a small town and they had a limited supply of coffee. Had to buy some coffee from Poland which was odd. Lots of tea to choose though. :ROFLMAO:

I do have a hand grinder I use on the weekends to grind up whole beans. Tis a good work out and increases one's grip strength.(y)

We stayed at a house in Dublin and another in the NL that had fancy coffee machines. PITA. I would have to use two cups and was constantly making coffee to have enough for breakfast. Really was not that impressed with the coffee, the machine, or the cleanup. The coffee was OK but not worth what the machine cost to buy and use. We are planning another trip to the NL and I need to check to see what kind of coffee machine they have in the house. Might just pack my funnel and basket to make coffee..... 😁
 
   / Coffee scoops and coffee makers #53  
dmccarty said:
An Irish AirBnB we rented had a hot water kettle and a French press. Liked the kettle, the press not so much since it was a pain to clean. The press does have its uses though but my funnels and basket is easy to use and clean not to mention cheap.
Click to expand...
If you use a French press everyday, you actually get pretty fast at cleaning it. It'll never be quite as quick as dumping a paper filter and rinsing the basket, but I probably clean mine in about 30 - 60 seconds. The screen and associated parts just get rinsed and scrubbed with palm and fingers, the carafe gets dumped in the trash, and sponge washed and rinsed. Lid gets sponged with soap once every few uses, and just rinsed in-between.

The big difference between any filter coffee (eg. drip, pour-over) and French press is mouth feel, as a lot more solids and oils come through the screen on the French press, which get caught up in the paper filter on drip and pour-over. Some prefer it, some hate it. I like it as an occasional thing, such as an evening decaf, to break up the monotony of what I've been drinking all day.
 
   / Coffee scoops and coffee makers #54  
1708555849794.png
 
   / Coffee scoops and coffee makers #55  
What I've come to recognize is that coffee is a lot like beer, in that some people just want the same thing every day, whereas others need variety. I've known a few guys who only drink Budweiser, or Busch, or Molsen... and I never got it. I love crab cakes, but I don't want them for every meal.

I get four different bags of coffee every 3 weeks, one decaf + 3 regular. The 3 regular are all different beans, and I always enjoy that first cup when one runs out and I get to open the next variety. Likewise with preparation, whether it be drip vs. French press, or espresso vs. latte. Variety is the spice of life.

My typical day is cappuccino at 6am, macchiato around 9am, straight espresso around noon, and then a French press or pour-over decaf in the evening. But some days I'll just do a French press mid-morning, and then a pour-over in the evening. I get bored with the same brew 1000x per year.

I also pick a different beer almost every time, although I overwhelmingly prefer the Belgian trippels and quads.
 
   / Coffee scoops and coffee makers #56  
WinterDeere said:
What I've come to recognize is that coffee is a lot like beer, in that some people just want the same thing every day, whereas others need variety. I've known a few guys who only drink Budweiser, or Busch, or Molsen... and I never got it. I love crab cakes, but I don't want them for every meal.

I get four different bags of coffee every 3 weeks, one decaf + 3 regular. The 3 regular are all different beans, and I always enjoy that first cup when one runs out and I get to open the next variety. Likewise with preparation, whether it be drip vs. French press, or espresso vs. latte. Variety is the spice of life.

My typical day is cappuccino at 6am, macchiato around 9am, straight espresso around noon, and then a French press or pour-over decaf in the evening. But some days I'll just do a French press mid-morning, and then a pour-over in the evening. I get bored with the same brew 1000x per year.

I also pick a different beer almost every time, although I overwhelmingly prefer the Belgian trippels and quads.
Click to expand...
A man of impeccable taste indeed.
 
   / Coffee scoops and coffee makers #58  
It takes all kinds! Wouldn't this place be awful boring, if we were all the same?

I learn the most from those I'm least alike.
 
   / Coffee scoops and coffee makers #59  
I'm one of the "I'm serious about coffee" types. I've owned and used many systems over the years, and have been roasting beans at home for a couple of years now. I use Artisan software to control the roasting process and am pleased with the results. Once beans are roasted, they're only good for a week to ten days before they're dead, old and stale. I rarely buy roasted beans, and only if the roasting date is on the package. I have a friend that owns and runs a great coffee shop in Geneseo, IL and I've bought some roasted beans from him. He has a really nice $30k gas fired roaster and I've hung out with him a few evenings watching and learning. I roast about every four days and keep three or four varieties of green beans on hand. I make three Cortados every morning and have a fair amount of money and time invested in the process. I have "prosumer" grade stuff and would buy the same makes and models if I ever had to replace a link in the chain.

Someone mentioned water. I mix my own every other day starting with distilled, the add weighed amounts of solutions made with baking soda and Epsom salts. Distilled water is ineffective in terms of extraction, as are some other types found in grocery stores.

When it comes to grinders, you have to spend at least $350 to get anything decent. Large flat burrs is the way to go, and if you want low retention you have to pay a premium.

There are lots of coffee channels on YouTube, but one of most informative is James Hoffmann's channel. I even bought one of his books a couple of years ago.

Top tip: Whatever you do, don't buy Drew Barrymore's coffee machine .... it's utter garbage. :giggle:
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
 

Footer Links 1

Top