The Coffee Thread • Page 15

Nice find

 

You need a scale my guy.

 

Hello all so I’m starting into the foray into spending all of my money in coffee stuff, does anyone have any opinion on automatic brewers? I’m leaning towards getting a Technivorm Moccamaster KBG for a new apt, and my gf loves coffee as well. Right now we don’t have a machine so we want to make one great purchase and be set for a long time.

 

Thats the one to get.

 

Great - I’m just going to scope out a deal, but it seems worth that price tag from every review I’ve seen.

After that, investing in a good grinder/scale set is next on the list, in which I should be set. I know @bodkins suggested the barzata encore, but I’m not sure if any opinions have changed.

thanks for the help everyone!

 

Barzata Encore is the best grinder for the cost. I have the Hario VST-2000B scale which is nice basic scale/timer. Acaia Pearl looks really nice and a little more tech forward with app integration and specific modes and settings.

 

Baratza is worth the investment. Grinder is gonna be the most important piece of the puzzle. You don’t need an expensive scale if you’re just brewing automatic. Actually you don’t need an expensive scale period.

 

So much science in this thread.

anyways, I bought one of those glass pour over thingamagigs. My coffee immediately tasted better once it hit the lips.

 

love me those glass pour over thingamagigs

 

Yep! Technivorm is gonna be a great auto brewer.

Baratza Encore is still the best grinder for the buck by quite a margin. I just ordered one on behalf of my sister for my brother in law this Christmas. No grinder comes close and I've never had anyone get one and not be over the moon with the results. I'll echo in what's been said and say that your grinder will be the most important part when it comes to brewing equipment. You'll notice a drastic difference.

Acaia scales are great. They are not a necessity lol. They are more responsive than any scales I've used, but at the end of the day, it really boils down mostly to aesthetic. Any functioning scale can be used to the same end. I would maybe make exception for their Lunar which I switched to for espresso after frying a bunch of cheaper scales. That was a solid investment haha. You won't need to worry about any of that since you're brewing auto and only need to weigh coffee/water.

You're making moves! Coffee is about to jump up in quality big time for y'all.

 

Thanks! I calculated it out and we'd actually save a lot of money over the 5-year warranty that the Technivorm based on how much we grab a 2.50-3 dollar cup, and it will improve our Saturday/Sunday mornings significantly.

Thanks for the help with picking the Grinder. I'll report back!

Now that I have a great Vinyl set-up and will have a great coffee set-up, I am SO excited for weekends. I'm never leaving my apartment lmao

 

Not sure how I didn’t think to look for this thread sooner, but I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to make coffee. Currently just doing cold brew in a mason jar and filtering it into a second jar. I don’t have the best grinder (and don’t currently make it often enough to justify upgrading). I always feel like I’m horrible at making coffee no matter how I try to make it. Anyone have some cold brew tips?

Also, would love to know what brands of coffee people like to buy! I’ve been trying to avoid the usual Starbucks/Dublin bags.

 

Where city are you in? If you have a solid local roaster that’s often the way to go.

 

Even at Target you can get Intelligentsia which is pretty decent.

 

I’m a little outside of Colorado Springs. The local brand I see here a lot of Boyer’s and Caribou might be local too but not 100% sure on that one. I did pick up a bag of Caribou though so that’s first up for me to try.

I bought one of their blends before (can’t remember which), but it wasn’t my favorite. Might have been the house blend if that’s the one in the red bag.

 

I’m no expert but your cold brew method seems just fine since you don’t do it often FWIW

if you’re down to add a kitchen gadget, I can’t recommend the Toddy drop system enough.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DKSBYCY/?tag=absolutepunk-20
it’s what my dad used growing up and what we use today. My wife bought a small grinder she likes from Target but I don’t mess with all that myself. I’m too self conscious about my grinding prowess or lack there of. Our local Trader Joes has a grinder in their store. I’m sure their coffee is good too. Sorry I can’t be of more help in that dept.

 

The two I know from Colorado are Sonder and Color coffee roasters.

Your method is fine. Just make sure your grind is coarse and try letting it sit for 18 hours at room temp. Filter it and then water it down til it tastes good.

 

Just did a quick search. If I was in Colorado Springs trying to pick a place to hit, I’d check Switchback Roasters. Maybe give them a try if you haven’t?

If you don’t have a solid grinder, the next best thing would be to have it ground locally. If you buy fresh coffee, grind it there, and head straight home to start your brew you should get some really solid results. If you start it within thirty minutes or so after getting it ground, it’s basically indistinguishable from grinding at home yourself.

Your current method will absolutely work, but if you’re looking for an easy, consistent way to brew cold brew, I will echo the recommendation for a Toddy. They’re about 30-40 bucks on Amazon.

Only other thing I’d suggest (that costs nothing) is experimenting with your steep time. I used to do a full 24, but have settled at a 16 hour brew.

Good luck! Keep us posted with your progress.

 

@David Parke @flask @bodkins Thanks!! All helpful info. I’ve been doing around 24 hours for the cold brew and just stick it in the fridge. I’ll definitely play around with it. I’ll upgrade to a better grinder too once I get more in a habit of making the coffee.

 

Scored a Toddy at Salvation Army for like $5 today. Looked unused as it still had the little filters and everything included. It’s an older one (copyright on the box was 2010) but couldn’t pass up the price.

 

Sick! We use an extra my parents had from the 80s! Works perfectly!

 

Oh wonderful! I’m excited to try it out next time.

 

That’s a GREAT find.

 

I probably looked like a kid in a candy shop when I saw it haha. I opened it later and what I though was just a warranty paper was actually someone’s one page Christmas letter to whoever they gifted it to. But it was never actually opened for them to read it I’m guessing since it even still had 2 filters in a little bag.

 

Toddy was my go-to for cold brewing. should dig mine out now that I’ve got an electric grinder again. hand-grinding 700g of beans was not a fun time.

also, Caribou is a Minnesota chain! but they’re basically just the midwestern Starbuck’s, their roasts aren’t much to be proud of, haha.