Espresso Enthusiasts

[fatboyondiet]

Thanks for the warm welcome and the tips!

..I'll just welcome you to the thread and warn you that your sanity is in serious danger if you hang around here with us!!

Regarding my sanity... there's not much to start with so no need to worry about that!

herea a brew guide for you http://stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/moka-pot/

Thanks a lot for this. Really helpful. I'll start using hot water again. I think that should help with some of the bitterness. Reading this also reminded me about the "metallic note" that a get once in a while... Awful!! So I'll definitely follow this technique closely the next time and see where that gets me.

I'll also start experimenting with the beans and the grind. Maybe go for a coarser grind next time.

Cheers and thanks a lot!

 

[Kissaragi]

Has anyone ever tried an aero press?

I got one for christmas but due to bad health i haven't really been in the mood to try it much.

 

[eric/]

Has anyone ever tried an aero press?

I got one for christmas but due to bad health i haven't really been in the mood to try it much.

They're good for that style of coffee, from what I've heard. And I think it's inexpensive as well.

 

[Shrink]

Has anyone ever tried an aero press?

I got one for christmas but due to bad health i haven't really been in the mood to try it much.

Kind of looks like lab equipment!

What are the advantages of aero over the usual kind of press?

 

[Kissaragi]

Kind of looks like lab equipment!

What are the advantages of aero over the usual kind of press?

It makes an espresso style coffee and is much quicker than a press pot

 

[Shrink]

It makes an espresso style coffee and is much quicker than a press pot

It looks like it might be good for travel.

The last time I visited my sister, since she has no coffee equipment of any kind, I drank...I drank....oh, the pain...I drank instant once.

I tried putting my espresso machine in my carry on bag...but I couldn't get through Security.

 

[Kissaragi]

It looks like it might be good for travel.

The last time I visited my sister, since she has no coffee equipment of any kind, I drank...I drank....oh, the pain...I drank instant once.

I tried putting my espresso machine in my carry on bag...but I couldn't get through Security.

They are meant to make a very good coffee and your right, its very compact and also pretty tough. They are only about $30 so its worth a go.

I just saw a porlex grinder actually fits inside it for travel too

 

[Shrink]

They are meant to make a very good coffee and your right, its very compact and also pretty tough. They are only about $30 so its worth a go.

I will definitely give it a look.

Of course, that will eliminate one excuse I can use for myself not to visit my sister. But at least if I have to fulfill family obligations, I can take solace in a decent cup of coffee.

Just found this for travel.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

It looks like it might be good for travel.

The last time I visited my sister, since she has no coffee equipment of any kind, I drank...I drank....oh, the pain...I drank instant once.

I tried putting my espresso machine in my carry on bag...but I couldn't get through Security.

Oh, the pain, the pain......what we endure for the siblings we love.....

I will definitely give it a look.

Of course, that will eliminate one excuse I can use for myself not to visit my sister. But at least if I have to fulfill family obligations, I can take solace in a decent cup of coffee.

Just found this for travel.

Shrink: A suggestion for you. Why not buy a small espresso pot (say, a Bialetti), or French press and leave it permanently - along with some appropriate coffee, not personally roasted, granted, but these are the small sacrifices we make in life - in your sister's humble abode?

That is what I have done in my brother's place. A small espresso pot, along with a packet (or two) of real coffee live in my brother's cupboards all the time. He is not a coffee drinker, and I am. Shock, horror, he only drinks instant, if left to his own devices.....So, when I stay there, at least I know that it will be possible to partake of real coffee - if not quite to my usual standards, but, hey, in the interests of sustaining sibling relationships - at breakfast.

The funny thing is, while my brother does not mind a coffee pot and real coffee living in his house, he absolutely refuses to buy it for me. This is especially bizarre, because he will go to great pains to buy the fruit I like, the bread I like and the cheeses and salamis I like before I visit - just refuses, utterly, to buy coffee. 'That's your problem', he says. I have tea (which I don't drink) bought in for him........

Life is strange sometimes, and, as the saying goes, 'there's nowt so queer as folk'.....

 

[Kissaragi]

I will definitely give it a look.

Of course, that will eliminate one excuse I can use for myself not to visit my sister. But at least if I have to fulfill family obligations, I can take solace in a decent cup of coffee.

Just found this for travel.

That looks like a good package, seems to be more expensive than buying all those bits separately tho?

Have you seen the hand grinder this guy makes? This is the portable one http://www.orphanespresso.com/OE-LIDO-Manual-Coffee-Grinder_p_4682.html

Oh, the pain, the pain......what we endure for the siblings we love.....



Shrink: A suggestion for you. Why not buy a small espresso pot (say, a Bialetti), or French press and leave it permanently - along with some appropriate coffee, not personally roasted, granted, but these are the small sacrifices we make in life - in your sister's humble abode?

A better idea would be to give his sister the grinder and small espresso maker for christmas or her birthday and then he can just happen to use it when hes there

 

[Shrink]

Oh, the pain, the pain......what we endure for the siblings we love.....



Shrink: A suggestion for you. Why not buy a small espresso pot (say, a Bialetti), or French press and leave it permanently - along with some appropriate coffee, not personally roasted, granted, but these are the small sacrifices we make in life - in your sister's humble abode?

That is what I have done in my brother's place. A small espresso pot, along with a packet (or two) of real coffee live in my brother's cupboards all the time. He is not a coffee drinker, and I am. Shock, horror, he only drinks instant, if left to his own devices.....So, when I stay there, at least I know that it will be possible to partake of real coffee - if not quite to my usual standards, but, hey, in the interests of sustaining sibling relationships - at breakfast.

The funny thing is, while my brother does not mind a coffee pot and real coffee living in his house, he absolutely refuses to buy it for me. This is especially bizarre, because he will go to great pains to buy the fruit I like, the bread I like and the cheeses and salamis I like before I visit - just refuses, utterly, to buy coffee. 'That's your problem', he says. I have tea (which I don't drink) bought in for him........

Life is strange sometimes, and, as the saying goes, 'there's nowt so queer as folk'.....

Excellent suggestion. A Bialetti pot (which I will have to learn to use...but some reading should help with that) is a great idea. As far as leaving coffee...my visits are quite infrequent (our daily phone calls can be trying... I can only talk about the weather for so long!!) so I think I would bring the coffee...no weight or luggage space issues).

Before my next visit I will buy a Bialetti pot and educate myself in it's use.

Thanks for the idea!!

 

[Kissaragi]

In my ongoing to quest to get shrink to spend all his money, I present the handpresso.

http://www.handpresso.co.uk

 

[Shrink]

That looks like a good package, seems to be more expensive than buying all those bits separately tho?

Have you seen the hand grinder this guy makes? This is the portable one http://www.orphanespresso.com/OE-LIDO-Manual-Coffee-Grinder_p_4682.html



A better idea would be to give his sister the grinder and small espresso maker for christmas or her birthday and then he can just happen to use it when hes there

With the metal reusable filter, the cost of the package is about the same as the separate parts.

That hand grinder you linked is gorgeous...but $165 to use a couple of time a year is even too much for me!

As far as buying espresso stuff for my sister...she doesn't drink coffee of any kind. I won't bore, or disgust you, with a list of her manifold gastrointestinal problems, but let's just say she live on baby food...so coffee is not on her menu. But Scepticalscribe's suggestion to just leave a Bialetti pot there is a good idea.

As always, thanks for the suggestions, folks.

In my ongoing to quest to get shrink to spend all his money, I present the handpresso.

http://www.handpresso.co.uk

I'm thrilled to know that depleting my meager bank account gives your life direction!! And here's the pathetic part... if I spent any time at all at her place...the kit would probably be something I would buy...at about $205 US.

 

[Kissaragi]

I have to have a hobby!

I actually have no idea how well those little handheld espresso machines work, i would imagine a moka pot or aero press probably does a better job. They are cool tho.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

As Shrink fully realises, if a sibling doesn't drink (or like) coffee, offering to try to lead them to the promised land does not work. A pot carefully planted in a strategic place is about the best one can hope for.....

Actually, a good few years ago, when my brother was studying at the Law School, and I was teaching (and then, working as a public servant) for the best part of a decade, we had lived together for years, so neither tea nor coffee were a problem, as we each made what suited us.

Then, more recently, there was a time when I stayed with my brother weekly, - when I'd go up to the capital & teach for two days - and I always replenished my coffee when I did so. Nowadays, my visits are less frequent (most of my work is abroad these days), but the pot still lives in his cupboard, and I buy fresh (real) coffee if I haven't been up in a while. A bag of good coffee does not take up that much space, nor weigh that much.....

It's very funny, though: When I'd get into his place, after a day's teaching, he'd always immediately offer a cup of tea (which I would suffer, sometimes, or suggest a glass of wine); he meant it as a treat, and it was always understood that if I really wanted a coffee I'd make it myself. Yet, when he arrives to where I am, my default position of hospitality and politeness (because this is what I like) is that I always offer a cup of coffee, which he sometimes drinks (as he did earlier today) with a slight grimace....

When hosting jointly, we'd point thumbs at each other, and ask guests, which would they prefer, tea or coffee, adding 'he makes the tea' (and does it well) whereas I make the coffee (and pride myself on making a really good cup........)

I have to have a hobby!

I actually have no idea how well those little handheld espresso machines work, i would imagine a moka pot or aero press probably does a better job. They are cool tho.

They are cool, easy to use, look great and make lovely coffee......a design classic....

 

[Kissaragi]

I think this is pretty much the last wacky espresso machine i know about (for now!)

Its called the presso and is a very clever design. If you managed to get the water temp and pressure right i would think it could make good coffee

 

[Shrink]

I think this is pretty much the last wacky espresso machine i know about (for now!)

Its called the presso and is a very clever design. If you managed to get the water temp and pressure right i would think it could make good coffee

Image

Reminds me of the alien machines in the original "War Of The Worlds"!

I think it is so goofy...it's cool.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I think this is pretty much the last wacky espresso machine i know about (for now!)

Its called the presso and is a very clever design. If you managed to get the water temp and pressure right i would think it could make good coffee

Image

Gosh....

Reminds me of the alien machines in the original "War Of The Worlds"!

I think it is so goofy...it's cool.

Almost - but not quite - almost as cool as the way a latte is served in bars in Brussels. Now, that is what I call cool......

These bars are an extraordinary hybrid between a cafe and a pub, serving superb beer, excellent food and astonishingly good coffee. The bars are full of copper and brass fittings, high ceilings, astonishing beer (and food) menus, (yes, they have exceedingly detailed beer menus, which are sometimes far bigger, heftier, heavier and longer than the perfectly tasty food menus) and come complete with the sort of black and white tiled floors found in Flemish Renaissance paintings.

If you order a latte, a waiter - dressed in pressed black trousers and polished black shoes, usually wearing a white or sometimes, a black shirt, identified by the inevitable long black apron (you know that elegant French look) - will make his (usually his) or her way to your table, threading deftly between tables, carrying a neat little tray on which reposes a large elegant glass (a little taller, and more elegant than the one depicted in your picture) almost, but not quite full of hot milk, a long-handled spoon can be found alongside, and something resembling a small eggcup, in which are found an egg-cup portion of coffee beans. The long spoon is for removing the beans from the small eggcup-like container, and adding them to the tall glass of hot milk. You then stir, slowly, gently, and watch, entranced, as the milk changes colour......(said beans can be fished out, as necessary, needless to say). I must say on my last trip to Brussels, I watched this performance, utterly enraptured......and quite entranced.....

 

[Shrink]

Gosh....



Almost - but not quite - almost as cool as the way a latte is served in bars in Brussels. Now, that is what I call cool......

These bars are an extraordinary hybrid between a cafe and a pub, serving superb beer, excellent food and astonishingly good coffee. The bars are full of copper and brass fittings, high ceilings, astonishing beer (and food) menus, (yes, they have exceedingly detailed beer menus, which are sometimes far bigger, heftier, heavier and longer than the perfectly tasty food menus) and come complete with the sort of black and white tiled floors found in Flemish renaissance paintings

If you order a latte, a waiter - dressed in pressed black trousers and polished black shoes, usually wearing a white or sometimes, a black shirt, identified by the inevitable long black apron (you know that elegant French look) - will make his (usually his) or her way to your table, threading deftly between tables, carrying a neat little tray on which reposes a large elegant glass (a little taller, and more elegant than the one depicted in your picture) almost, but not quite full of hot milk, a long-handled spoon can be found alongside, and something resembling a small eggcup, in which are found an egg-cup portion of coffee beans. The long spoon is for removing the beans from the small eggcup-like container, and adding them to the tall glass of hot milk. You then stir, slowly, gently, and watch, entranced, as the milk changes colour......(said beans can be fished out, as necessary, needless to say). I must say on my last trip to Brussels, I watched this performance, utterly enraptured......

Gee, almost as classy as Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts....almost!

 

[Kissaragi]

The long spoon is for removing the beans from the small eggcup-like container, and adding them to the tall glass of hot milk. You then stir, slowly, gently, and watch, entranced, as the milk changes colour......

So they just mix unground beans in hot milk?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Gee, almost as classy as Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts....almost!

Almost......but not quite....

So they just mix unground beans in hot milk?

That is what I am pretty certain I saw.......and must also add that the end product looked rather tasty. Whether the bar in question had its own special roast or not, I cannot say and it never occurred to me to ask, but it was a most elegant performance and was something ordered by quite a lot of people as the afternoon wore on....

 

[Kissaragi]

Almost......but not quite....



That is what I am pretty certain I saw.......and must also add that the end product looked rather tasty. Whether the bar in question had its own special roast or not, I cannot say and it never occurred to me to ask, but it was a most elegant performance and was something ordered by quite a lot of people as the afternoon wore on....

I suppose it would just be milk with a hint of coffee which could be nice if the milk was good

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I suppose it would just be milk with a hint of coffee which could be nice if the milk was good

Actually, while these eggcup style containers were small, they were not tiny; they held quite a few coffee beans - in fact, they were almost an espresso cup size, and, if memory serves, were two thirds to three quarters full of (roasted) coffee beans. My memory is that the milk went fairly dark after the coffee was spooned in (and stirred around) - it certainly looked more like a cafe-au-lait colour than insipid milk, merely flavoured by a few beans.

Once the beans were dropped in, the bottom of the glass of milk became very dark indeed, while the top remained milky white - an arresting sight - until the whole thing was stirred.

 

[Shrink]

I just saw this, and thought any of you looking for a grinder might be interested.

Oh, yeah...I forgot to mention it's only $2700!!!

 

[Kissaragi]

I just saw this, and thought any of you looking for a grinder might be interested.

Oh, yeah...I forgot to mention it's only $2700!!!

YouTube: video

That looks very nice, 240rpm is crazily slow. I wonder how it compares to the verslab and the Pro M