Coffee and Espresso

ok i've been to blueprint, comet, sump a bunch of times. what do you want.. i don't live in st. louis anymore anyway

Always just made filter coffee or cafetiere before, just recently got a second hand espresso machine, because I went to Portugal on holiday and they had fucking amazing espresso and long blacks. Im addicted to crema now.

Got a second hand, and probably shitty by you guys standards, Gaggia Cubika. It seems to work fine and it pulls a great espresso. I have been playing around with 15-18 grams and different tamping pressure, with a few rocky starts.

I started off just using Lavazza red espresso pre ground coffee because I dont have time to get good beans during the week. It was still nice but extracted too quick even if I basically stood on the tamper. At the weekend I got some beans from a local roaster and holy shit it is good. I usually make long black with 1.5/1 water/espresso

Well I'll be damned, I'd have bet you were just trollin.

Always tamp until the coffee is fully compressed, don't worry about varying tamp pressure. Ideally you'd be changing grind setting, but since you don't have that focus on dose (amount of coffee on portafilter) instead.

Is it bad that my espresso machine leaks when pulling a shot? As in, some drips of water squeeze past the sides of the portafilter and fall into the drip tray. It's only maybe 20 drops of water per shot pulled. And I do attach the portafilter fairly tightly.

I can get it to not leak by just grinding coarser or tamping less, but then it takes me only 20 seconds or less to finish the shot. I usually shoot for 25-30 seconds for best flavor (13.5 g ground coffee in, 40 g espresso out) but that always leads to some leaking.

Please don't include espresso in coffee threads. Espresso is the chicken tendies in the coffee world.

I've never had espresso and I don't feel like pouring tons of sugar and milk in my coffee to make a drinkable cup.

>Drinking black coffee
shgydggy

That's why you drink it straight.

As someone who loves "coffee" (i.e. the type of shit starbucks serve with the syrups), would you advise getting one of those Tassimo/Nespresso machines?

No hate, I just like what I like.

I'm too shit to brew my own coffee beans properly.

>Strietman CT1 espresso machine
>$1300
user can I try that coffee?

NOT TO MENTION THE GRINDER ALONE COSTS $3K

WHAT THE FUCK

...

If you're near me I'd be more than happy to pull you a shot.

It's a big hobby for me, not just something to drink. Same goes for the roasting.

A setup like mine, or any home espresso setup, makes no sense at all to someone who just wants good tasting caffeine bean water, I recommend a Feldgrind and Clever dripper to them.

What's the machine? It could be leaking because you're overdosing the basket, or it could just be that you need a new group gasket. You can also try Dow 111 on the gasket, it can really bring a stiff gasket back to life sometimes.

your mom

I like cortados and espresso+milk drinks but on it's own it's not very pleasant. and I hate when places pull it with sugar.

Ordered a French press on monday, should be here tomorrow.

Never actually seen anywhere pull it with sugar. I've heard of it, but don't exactly want to subject my machine to it just to try. Maybe I'll do it with my Caravel sometime.

i bought a moka pot and should be here soon via amazon. have i made a mistake, Veeky Forums?

Yes.

Any Aus-Anons here that can recommend good beans? Or beans I could easily get here.

I'm thinking of buying a manual grinder, but how long does it take to grind enough for a cup?

Also, at what price do you start seeing grinders with no shitty plastic parts and all metal grind shafts?

All the cheap ones have plastic cores and "AVOID THIS" reviews.

Starbucks's Christmas blend, it's actually not bad at all, some very interesting flavors: crazy for a Starbucks literally charcoal coffee.

My Hario Skerton takes me about 90 seconds to do 23g of medium roast at a medium-ish grind (6 notches)

their blonde roast isn't half bad

i only went to starbucks once, they had pike roast and it was plain burnt trash

you've got shit taste

Yeah I know it isn't, but I wanted to try out their other roasts and blends, as well as their seasonal stuff.

>Chiapas, single-origin
Was a "medium" blend, but would be otherwise known as dark. Was ok but largely shit.

>Thanksgiving blend
Was a pretty dark roast. Shit. Only drinkable if you eat it with a pastry or cookies. It was meant to pair well with both sweet and savory dishes that you might find in a Thanksgiving meal.

Hario Skerton or just buy an electric one like the Baratza Encore.

Why is coffee so finicky?
I was so used to getting preground, but I bought whole bean and a grinder to mix it up.

>30 second grind, 20g coffee, 16 fl. oz water, 3 min in french press
The texture looked similar to preground, so i thought I was doing ok.
Tasted like trash, i tried 3 times and the brew was very watery, like weak tea.
imagine mixing 1 part soda with 9 parts water, and that's what it tasted like
i tried to salvage it by adding half and half and I felt like I was mixing water with milk, absolutely disgusting

>attempt 15 second grind
Suddenly it tasted much better. A bit too light, but it was actually drinkable, and didn't resemble watered down food coloring.

Does this mean a 7 second grind will be twice as good?

Is there a limit to this?

Blade grinders are absolute trash. Any decent cup is solely luck. Use the blade grinder for spices and get a Feldgrind for coffee.

Any alternatives to bialetti? Tastes like ashtray and cannot afford fancy espresso machines.

my blade grinder cant even grind coriander seeds properly...

how 2 grind beans without grinder???/?

mortar and pestle
multiple plastic bags and a rubber mallet
hammer or other blunt object

Blender

Starbucks Kenya isn't bad at all

Been making a 12 hour cold brew using a french press and dark roast beans from trader joes.

I just leave it on my desk overnight and it's ready the next day when i wake up for work.

Tastes amazing and seems to have the same caffeine as hot coffee. Not as bitter either.

Does your cold brew come out a little chalky/grainy? I normally use a drip or moka pot but decided to try cold brew but i hated the texture even after filtering through a normal coffee filter.

got a used BES860XL and that thing has been kicking ass. The quality of the espresso beats starbucks and most cheap coffeehouses with a nice thick crema. As for getting my espresso to the next level, I'm not sure. I got my grind size and amount set for the most part (16-17g) but I'm still not convinced I am using the optimal beans.

Holy shit dude, you looking for apprentices? I want to learn your ways, espresso yoda

What beans are you using? I'm usuallyea pretty big single origin guy, but I think if I were using a Breville Barista Express I'd look for a quality blend I like. More often than not, there's a wider sweet spot, and the built in grinder isn't good enough for hitting the narrow sweet spot I find in some single origin coffees. Some SOs do have a pretty wide range they're good in, but it's largely guesswork if one will be.

If there's anything in particular you're interested in I'm happy to share my personal advice.

youtube.com/watch?v=oU-n-ZA242s

Jack does a fucking pour-over. He also shills a coffee-canister that is beyond useless.

>Jack does a fucking pour-over.
So what?

i'm pretty sure blueprint pulls with sugar for straight spro

Drinking some instant coffee. I don't know much about coffee apart from it waking me up.

Every morning, I drink between two and four 4 oz espressos with some half and half. Then, when I get to work, I have a cortado or black eye (or black guy, as I like to say). Then, before the coffee people close up, I sometimes get a double espresso, and pour cold half and half in it in front of the roaster, to upset him.

I use an Italian roast that I buy at an international market that they source themselves. Its definitely not single origin but produces a nice crema. I would like to experiment a bit then perhaps spend some good money on a better grinder and try some more.

You're doing something wrong most probably.

In a workplace where no-one drinks coffee, how would you make it?

Would look super autistic to bring in a full cafetière, would be broken or used by other people.

I bought some disposable sealed little filter cups that work surprisingly well. Taste better than the shitty work tassimo and instant anyway.

I realised I kinda overlooked American style filter coffee. Are these things any good? Paper filters, or get fancy with reusable metal one?

what's that thing called?

in an office I'd say paper for sure, one less thing to clean and it's easier for other to understand and operate should the need arise

A good pour over like a Clever, v60, or chemex would be good for that situation. Probably v60 considering how it can accommodate cheaper filters easier than a chemex, and considering it has no moving parts to break like a Clever. No co-worker would be able to fuck it up, and most wouldn't even use it because it takes some practice to make good coffee with a pour over. Pour over provides a lot of control over your brew and between grind size / water temperature, you can dial in exactly how you like it done

Does anyone know if instant coffee also has cockroaches/insects like ground coffee?

Instant coffee is just dehydrated coffee. It's made from coffee beans just as much as anything you brew at home.

Italian roast is going to be no good, too overoasted. I've heard Red Bird is a good beginner one.

Can you really tell the difference between coffee filters?

Clever or Bonavita Immersion Dripper. Pourover is too involved.

It's pretty dramatic between a v60 and Chemex.

I'm interested in indulging myself in the world of coffee, but so far I've been just having different blends in my trustful moccamaster.

Will one of you coffee hipsters enlighten me a little?

Are you already grinding your own beans

My mom is buying me this dualit "3 in 1" for xmas

hope its good

I've just been brewing with a mesh ball tea infuser. They're cheap and it tastes better than drip.

Where are you at? I buy from a cafe nearby my place, I recommend you do the same

I know of the possibility, but haven't been able to buy a grinder. I'm a bit lucky though, there's a small roastery in my town that does suitable grinding if asked. The coffee they sell is ground on the spot and what they have in their small shelves is never older than a month

>haven't been able to buy a grinder
That is #1 on your list

Step it up, bud. 1-step list is pretty easy to fill, considering christmas bonuses an' all.

who was the St. Louis guy?
I tried blueprint once, but wasn't really blown away.
I can never really tell between a place like northwest coffee or blueprint. I like bissengers a lot two, but I' trying to find the best coffee spot in STL

'least it looks qt as hell

Sometimes the grinder is just as if not more important than the espresso machine, so if you get some regular baskets (those seem to be pressurized), look into a good grinder, it really makes a difference

Just make it at home and bring it in a vacuum flask, I do it every day.
It stays hot for 5 hours.

Blueprint doesn't usually blow me away either honestly, they have great beans but I'm not typically too fond of their espresso, and pour over just depends who you get. Sump is my favorite followed by maybe Comet.

Be happy to buy ya a drink at any of the downtownish ones.

Wew I knew it would be bad

Well, you already found a local roaster and your drip machine is the opposite of a piece of shit. What more do you want

>Boyer's mug and coffee
Sweet. He's still a worthless fag, though

never, not ever.

filtration is everything. i have a mesh and a paper liner l i t e r a l l y on top on one another to ensure total filtration.

if anything, i would describe my cold brew as liquid adult candy :^)

My espresso table.

Get a Feldgrind if you want a good grinder, a Bunnzilla if you want top tier, or EK43 if you want to make sure to blow as much money as possible.

wtf I hate espresso now

daaaaaaaam. that looks rad af

I'll try it out, not too much more than what I pay for a pound already. Any suggestions for a replacement grinder in the future? Not looking for the 3000 range but I'd be willing to spend up to 1000.

Also I looked up the EG-1 and it said on the product page:
>The EG-1 is an industrial Class A electrical appliance. It is not intended for home or domestic use.

Does it require a 220 jack or any special considerations? It looks like its is a normal part of the house in .

You'll have to share some turkish coffee tips sometime as well

>dat horrendous table

your espresso station sorely needs a proper stand

$1,000 would get you an HG-1 or used K10. A used Mythos if you're lucky. They all have their quirks though. And used always has a chance of needing to replace burrs. I'd have other recommendations between $1k and $3k.

You could get a Sette for way less, and it's supposed to be pretty good from what I hear. Bit of a flimsy consumer machine though.

The EG-1 is 110v with a standard outlet. It's just not rated for home use.

I love vintage furniture! Even if some people find it "horrendous" looking today. If I ever switch out the table, it'll only be because I'd like it to be taller. And I'd keep that "horrendous" table around for sure.

Starbucks single origin Sulawesi through my Keurig. Come at me Veeky Forumsunts

get an aeropress. those things are indestructible and cheap, easy to clean, and they don't take up much space. and they make decent coffee in about 2 minutes.

If that's your first real coffee brewing method or not, congrats!

So, uh, I am looking to upgrade my equipment from a shitty blade grinder and French press. I'd like to eventually get an espresso machine but for now, I need a new grinder manual or otherwise. Could you guys recommend a decent grinder for French press/pour over and another for espresso? I really do need to keep it cheap, I'm a poorboi who enjoys coffee ;_;

W-what is going on in that pic...

A boy with a rare disease that causes large keratinous plate-like tumors to form on the skin having the growths surgically removed while under anesthesia. Picture taken at a clinic set up by Médecins Sans Frontières in Venezuela, 1996.

Is there a noticeable difference (in flavor, etc) between pour over and French press?

>every fucking time every fucking thread
Let loose the idiotic discussion about expenses

I use an Aeropress. Good for my budget, being an uni student. Also did my first cold brew over last night, 1 to 6 coffee to water, steeped for ~18 hours in a 20.5c cupboard (a bit colder than average room temp but significantly warmer than fridge). Turned out all right, I'll probably go for 1 to 4 ratio next time.

Picked up a new to me. Starbucks (saeco) machine for parts and ended up just cleaning and using it works great best 20 bucks I've spent in a while

Alright guys, coffee question:

I'm looking for some really, really good whole bean coffee to buy for my boyfriend for Christmas. Usually we don't buy anything too fancy but I'd like us to foray into something better.

He likes Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and mostly light and medium roast coffees. What are some good brands and roasts? I'd like to buy several for us to try. I'm looking at Camano Islands Coffee Roasters, Koffee Kult, and the Bean Box variety samplers.

If it matters, we alternate between a drip machine and french press depending on the time we have in the morning and I'm looking into a good manual grinder to replace our shitty electric one.

Is that a joke? Because there is a HUGE difference. French press doesn't have a lot of filtration compared to a pour over so you end up with a super heavy body with lots of tannins. Pretentious coffee autists stay away from french press.

just because it's vintage doesn't mean that it's tasteful. discerning eyes know :P