What’s on your coffee bench?

[jkbrwn]

Originally Posted by eddiepaletti

@rwsaunders, that is a very nice looking pour over stand!

I have a Magnifica espresso machine that does a nice job and is automatic except for the frothing. I love my espressos with some foamed milk (less foam than a cappuccino). I also enjoy a good pour over, even though it tries my patience at times. ;-)

On a hot day, I like my espresso with a little bubbly water and sugar over ice, something a local coffee shop offered (calling it a Frizzante). At first my cycling buddies made fun of me. Then they tried it and now all order the same. ;-)

Try it out with a slice of lemon peel and tonic water if you haven’t before. Delicious.

[tellyho]

Originally Posted by oldguy00

Is there really any noticeable difference between a french press, pour over, or aeropress?

For sure. Assuming you use the same beans, the underlying flavors will still be present, but the body of the cup will vary drastically among those methods. French press gives you a lot of mouthfeel and a cup with more body. Anything with a filter (aeropress - assuming paper filter and pour over - same) will be a much cleaner cup, brighter flavors.

[kiwisimon]

Originally Posted by jkbrwn

Yes. A very obvious difference to me. Even with the best French press technique in the world, it’s still impossible to eliminate fines ending up in your cup

Not if you do the KSbrew.

Measured fresh ground coffee,measured water for a set time.
French press through a dripper. I don't press just tip the immersion into the dripper.
Full bodied coffee with a clean aftertaste.


My morning brew beats anything but a good caffè lungo.

[d_douglas]

I HATE the term ‘mouthfeel’

[sc53]

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

If you want to lower your carbon footprint, you have some good roasters right in virginia or nearby states.

Have you tried Red Rooster? - https://www.redroostercoffee.com/

its very solid.

or right next door, in North Carolina is one of my favorites rosters that I order from called Black and White coffee - https://www.blackwhiteroasters.com/


I am sure there are money but these 2 I have ordered from multiple times and Black and White I just got a batch of 3 different coffees, its top 2 places I get my beans from, they have excellent choices, excellent story, decently priced.

R3awak3n—on your recommendation I just placed an order with Red Rooster. I have biked in and around Floyd VA and had coffee at the shop there, on one of the annual Bike Virginia’s I have attended, so was happy to learn of this roaster. I ordered a couple of different blends so will see if the taste profile is as good as my Abruzzo Blend from Hood River has been for me. Thanks for the tips!

[jkbrwn]

I don't really know how to make this neater, but honestly, the quality of shots coming out of this thing is insane in combination with my 1zpresso JX-Pro. Beyond pleased with the 58+. These Normcore puck prep bits and bobs (distributor, WDT, spring loaded tamper and dosing funnel) and are also really well made and reasonably priced. Thoroughly recommend.

[benb]

I'd buy a Flair 58 if my regular one broke. Mine started out as a Neo but over time it's essentially turned into a signature or something else. Bottomless porta filter, pressure gauge kit, upgraded tamper, etc..

I've had it 3 years now and I've just gotten very used to dialing it in. I have the Flair grinder, not the 1zpresso one.

I don't know how you break a Flair though. It's so simple you'd have to do something like drop the brew head out an upper story window onto concrete, and then you'd just order a new brew head.

Been using beans from a relatively local roaster named "Aero" which sponsors some cyclists and triathletes IIRC, except I visited and don't remember seeing much about it.

https://www.aerocoffeeroasters.com/

My wife got me a bunch of coffee from there for Xmas, including one of the fancy Ethiopian ones, which I've been doing on the V60.

[rockdude]

Grinder and Decent v2.jpg
Here is a Grinder review I posted on another forum but thought some of you might enjoy.

The Grinders
KafaTek MAX2 SSW (98mmn) flat Shuriken burrs)
KafaTek MC5 (Shurikones Conical)
Versalab M4 (hybrid with conical breaker and 68mm flat finisher)

The Testing Method
800+ Shots, typically comparing two Grinders per test. I would dial each Grinder in separately, and then do the test. The Grinders were dialed into bring out the most fruit and berry without being too bright. Most of the time, the dialing in focused more on the unique flavors over absolute smoothness. My Wife and I drink espressos, Cortados and a filter like shot where we grind like filter and run a fast flow and low pressure shot.

The Beans
All Beans were light, filter roasted mostly from Dak and Manhattan. Many varieties of mostly single-origin.
The Espresso Machine
Decent DE1XL with VST 16g basket, thin metal screen on top and paper filter on the bottom. Most shots were run fast; sub 25 seconds and at a flow around 4ml. Force Tamper with force much less than 40lbs.

Noise
I have not measured how loud the Grinders are, but there was a substantial difference.
(Noise while grinding)
KafaTek MAX2 SSW: Quietest
KafaTek MC5: Quite
Versalab M4: Moderately louder


Workflow
KafaTek MAX2 SSW: WDT, Tamp
KafaTek MC5: WDT, Tamp
Versalab M4: Tap and Tamp


Ease of Pulling Shots with no Channeling
All three grinders produced very consistent shorts, the MC5 was the most likely to channel and spray (maybe it just needed more burr seasoning). The Max2 rarely sprays or channel, but on the shot mirror I would see little micro spray droplets. The Versalab almost never channels. The Max2 and the MC5 required attention to puck prep, whereas the Versalab could be as simple as grind, tap, tamp and pull shot. (but Most of the time on the Versalab I would do a little WDT to level out the way the grinds are drop into the basket.)

Taste
Taste is very personal and objective, so take this with a grain of salt. My goal with each shot is to bring out the different and unique flavors from light roast beans. First off, all three grinders are more similar in taste than I would have ever expected. Most of the time, I could tell a slight difference between the Grinders, but the biggest question was, which is better tasting. It was common that I liked all shots equally; they were not better or worse but different. The Versalab shined well with bring out the unique flavors and flavor separation, but sometimes this was to the detriment of smoothness. The Max2 had good flavor separation, but not as pronounced as the Versalab. It had a rounder flavor profile. The MC5 had less flavor separation and more of a blended and rounded profile.

KafaTek MAX2 SSW
Pros
• Quite
• Flavor Separation
• Rounded Flavor Profile
Cons
• More puck prep required and has Static without RDT (I don’t spray my bean)
• Not a fan of Mr Puff and Thwacker while both work, they just feel cheap.
• Portafilter Forks could hold the Portafilter tighter (there are some hacks for this that I have not done yet)

KafaTek MC5
Pros
• Quite
• Blended and Rounded Profile
Cons
• Grind Retention
• More likely to Channel
• Requires puck prep

Versalab M4
Pros
• Beautiful grind that doesn’t require puck prep
• Flavor separation
• Brings out light roast flavors and acids
Cons
• Loud
• Requires a whack on the top to drop all the grinds out of the shoot
• Not a fan of the plastic popcorning shield, feels cheap

Conclusions
All three Grinders are exceptional and will produce amazing espresso. It really depends on what you want out of your beans. I feel the KafaTek MC5 shines best with Medium and dark roast. I sold the MC5, because it was not a good fit for my Wife, and my bean preferences. Both the KafaTek Max2 SSW and the Versalab M4 are still on my counter. I bounce between them but tend to lean towards the M4 as it pulls out the acids flavors more distinctly, but my wife leans towards Max2 SSW as she like more of a round profile and quieter grinder. To be honest both are equally good and I would be 100% happy with either. That being said, one will likely be sold so we can clear off the Kitchen counter that got way too crowded with pandemic purchases.

[scoobydrew]

Nice writeup! I don't have any first hand experiences with the Versalab nor the Kafatek MC series, but I've got a MAX with SSW burrs myself (about 2.5 years now) and agree with your assessment and the pros/cons. With light to medium roast beans, clear flavor notes with a sweeter finish.

Puck prep is key as you've mentioned. I use a VST basket which highlights flaws in puck prep even more. I do RDT myself but often find beans sticking to the top dosing funnel, which is one of my annoyances. Compared to grinders that are more mass produced, the MAX grinds quite slow even at my preferred speed of 350RPM. It's fine for making a a drink for myself, but I need to consider other options when making multiple drinks or when I have company over.

[farmerjosh]

Has anyone on the PL done the gaggiuino mod on a gaggia classic pro?

I'm contemplating it. I've got more wiring and wrenching experience than programming experience but I'm relatively confident that I could pull it off. I do wonder if the pump's longevity is compromised by slowing it down for pressure profiling and such.

[rockdude]

KafaTek fixed the slow grinding issue several years ago. I think they redesigned the feeding mechanism and the Crusher burrs. I'm grinding at 300 rpm and I bet its in the 15-20 seconds range, although I have not timed it.

Originally Posted by scoobydrew

Compared to grinders that are more mass produced, the MAX grinds quite slow even at my preferred speed of 350RPM. It's fine for making a a drink for myself, but I need to consider other options when making multiple drinks or when I have company over.

[mjf]

Originally Posted by farmerjosh

Has anyone on the PL done the gaggiuino mod on a gaggia classic pro?

I'm contemplating it. I've got more wiring and wrenching experience than programming experience but I'm relatively confident that I could pull it off. I do wonder if the pump's longevity is compromised by slowing it down for pressure profiling and such.

I've been looking into this a lot lately, especially on their discord. The gaggiuino mod seems to be a great way to give an otherwise inexpensive machine some better features that really improves the machines capabilities and resulting espresso.

As far as the pump life, I wouldn't really worry about it. If anything, the pump is being used less since it's being switched on/off to maintain the targeted pressure. Worst case, you have to replace the pump. They're sub $30, so it's not exactly going to break the bank if you need to replace it.

I'm currently thinking about adding the same gaggiuino components to my Rancilio Silvia, aided by a few people on the discord who've made the same modifications.

[NHAero]

I've been enjoying light roast Ethiopian beans since having a great cuppa at a nephew’s place. I use the inverted Aeropress method. I'd be grateful for any pointers on water temp, grind, etc. to make the best of these beans. I grind with a 1ZPresso but also have a Baratza Encore at hand.
Thanks!

[donevwil]

Fresh off a trip to the Big Island. I'd forgotten how truly wonderful Kona coffee can be. Only 4 pounds left though.

[jkbrwn]

Originally Posted by NHAero

I've been enjoying light roast Ethiopian beans since having a great cuppa at a nephew’s place. I use the inverted Aeropress method. I'd be grateful for any pointers on water temp, grind, etc. to make the best of these beans. I grind with a 1ZPresso but also have a Baratza Encore at hand.
Thanks!

Which 1Zpresso? It's likely a more capable grinder than your Encore, so I'd keep using that.

Re light roast, generally the rule of thumb is to use as hot a water as possible. I am at around 94c for medium roast espresso and 98c for light roasted filter. The inverted method is so flexible that honestly grind isn't that important, just because you can change brew time to suit the grind size. With that said, watch this video and you should be well on your way. You can very easily use this method inverted, or upright:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6VlT_jUVPc