The Coffee Thread • Page 16

Wow. I hated hand-grinding 40grams. I’d die if I had to do 700.

 

I only did it once or twice before I started grinding at the store.

 

Ah okay! I'm on the Caribou bag (the other I have is Starbucks) and it's just fine so far. Once these two bags are gone I'm going to look at some of the local places. I don't drink a ton of coffee though so I'll have to get into the habit of having some every day to get through them faster since I'm the only one who drinks coffee.

 

holy shit at grinding 700g of coffee lol

 

So I bought myself an entire pour over set up a few weeks ago and its been great so far. Learning the process has been fun and I might not be making the BEST cup of coffee but even as novice its way better than anything coming out of my drip brewer. Though I definitely dont have the palate to observe all the subtle tasting notes in different coffees. I went with the following set up:

Hario V60 Size 2 (Usually brews enough for me and my gf to share)
Natural, tabbed filters
Hario Size 3 Decanter
Porlex 30g grinder (can easily fit 40g of beans in it)
Bonavita Variable temp kettle
Cheap no name scale with a built in timer (works perfectly for this honestly)

I've been following a pretty standard process. 1:15 grind to water @ 200F, and usually try to stick to a max of 40g grind to 600g~ of water, extraction time has been between 3:30-4:00 minutes. I've found it comes out with pretty consistent results even with my lack of skill! Between this and the bulk cold brew I make for weekdays I've been in home-brewed coffee heaven.

 

Nice set up nice specs.

 

Instant coffee is for the birds, but I'd give this a try.

 

So glad I bought a french press two weeks ago.

 

just restocked on Chemex filters (& some locally roasted beans) and my mornings have been great.

 

Finally got my full set up! Baratza Encore and Technivorm Moccamaster KB741. Trying out for the first time this morning. Still need to get the burr from the Virtuoso in a few months/years but it’s a great start!

Also tried beans from Bixby’s coffee for $5 6oz whole beans, not a bad deal!

 

The Moccamasters look so cool.


Been drinking this lately becuase they've been running a good deal during lockdown

 

Decided to buy a cold brew maker. Any bean recs?

 

Visit your local 3rd wave shop they need the money rn.

 

Hard agree. Supporting them is great, but truthfully it’ll yield the best results taste-wise as well.

@maryp1603 Looked and saw you’re in Chicago. Not sure how far away it is from you, but I’ve heard great things about Metric. You have large roasters like Stumptown, Intelligentsia, La Calombe, etc there, but Metric has been on been on my radar lately as one I need to check out. They’re small enough I’m sure it would help out a lot during times like these.

Have fun brewing, keep us posted on results!

 

I tend to lean toward darker roasts for cold brew, vs medium for pour-over/french press.

 

Thanks! I’ve heard of metric, so I’ll give them a shot!

 

Blanchard's is always quality.

 

I’m looking into getting a burr grinder. I’ve used a spice grinder for a while but they consistently stop working after 6-12 months. I’m looking for a small hand crank type grinder like the Hario Skerton or Hario Mini Slim but would love any recommendations!

 

Skerton is pretty solid. Dialing in your grind size is simple enough an idea, though getting it just right can sometimes be difficult. That’s just part of using a hand grinder tho, that and the obvious manual labor of it.

I know it’s quite a bit more and times are tight for a lot of people, but I always recommend the Baratza Encore to folks looking for a burr grinder. Its more expensive, but I upgraded after about a month of having a hand grinder because I was over having to mess with it (which of course, was even more expensive than just buying the Encore to start). You may have a different experience, I just wanted to share mine.

 

An encore is definitely worth the investment.

 

100%, and they last forever. A buddy was talking me today about different brew methods and since he didn’t have a burr grinder yet I rec’d he hold off until he buys an Encore. Single most important piece of equipment in coffee brewing.

 

My last encore broke after about 2-3 years I think. Don’t know what happened to it. I debated upgrading but just got another encore

 

For future reference, they have a great customer service and repair team. They’re big on repairing versus replacing and ensuring their grinders last indefinitely. Even replacing a motor is relatively easy and inexpensive.

 

I think I've finally convinced myself I need a scale. Been eying/tablespooning for 4 years and I think it's making for inconsistent cups. Same with water, need to put a little more effort in I'm thinking. Also, a grinder where I can select grind would be helpful. My current grinder I have to push until I determine it's done, which isn't the best either...

Pretty thankful the coffee shop half a block away has awesome beans and filters, been a great resource.

 

Any point in getting an Aeropress if I already have a standard French press?