What’s on your coffee bench?

[deluz]

This is mine, my daughter gave it to me. I use to make Latte’s

[froze]

Originally Posted by jh_on_the_cape

I am thinking to get a moccamaster to replace the basic Mr Coffee I use when I am making coffee for more than myself (when I just do a pourover).

Thermal carafe? I am thinking to get the glass so I can see how much coffee is left. Or really how much I have consumed...

Is the moccamaster all that?

https://www.amazon.com/deal/8c08bfcc...bfcc_dt_sl6_da

Personally would not waste my money on that Moccamaster, just because it's a machine that costs more money doesn't make it better than the Chemex or the V60, in fact, the Chemex and the V60 make coffee better! Plus the Moccamaster quality of plastic used is flimsy, not good for a long-term use product.

But that is my personal opinion, if you feel better spending more money then that's up to you, but I would check comparisons between the Moccamaster, Chemex, and the V60.

[Pumablk]

Originally Posted by froze

Personally would not waste my money on that Moccamaster, just because it's a machine that costs more money doesn't make it better than the Chemex or the V60, in fact, the Chemex and the V60 make coffee better! Plus the Moccamaster quality of plastic used is flimsy, not good for a long-term use product.

But that is my personal opinion, if you feel better spending more money then that's up to you, but I would check comparisons between the Moccamaster, Chemex, and the V60.

I much prefer my chemex and gooseneck kettle to my Moccamaster. I use a metal filter for my pour over. If I had to do it all over again, and even though I got it when they were $100 cheaper during Prime Day, I wouldn’t buy the Moccamaster.

[froze]

Originally Posted by Pumablk

I much prefer my chemex and gooseneck kettle to my Moccamaster. I use a metal filter for my pour over. If I had to do it all over again, and even though I got it when they were $100 cheaper during Prime Day, I wouldn’t buy the Moccamaster.

Know what's interesting about coffee making is that if there is a manual way of making it, the coffee comes out better than with a machine.

I have a friend who owns a Serbian coffee shop, and we were talking about how to make Serbian coffee, which is the same as Turkish coffee. I knew of an automatic Turkish coffee machine and asked him if I should buy one instead of using a stovetop Dzezva (same as an Ibrik or a Cezve or just plain pot), he started laughing and told me not to waste my money, he said that machines have a way of watering down whatever coffee they're making more than using the traditional manual method. Some years later another friend here in America had an automatic Turkish machine, and since I was making my Turkish coffee manually I asked him to make me a cup from his machine, my Serbian friend was right, the machine made it weaker tasting, same flavor though, not a lot weaker, but noticeable. When I asked my friend here why he chose the machine over the pot he said he liked the convenience more than the traditional stronger flavor, plus he didn't like all the grounds that had to settle before drinking and being careful not to drink any of the grounds.

I understand the grounds thing, but I want the flavor, so I learned after my very first cup was to pour the Turkish coffee right after it's done cooking into my Aeropress and press it through the filter which eliminates all the grounds. When I told my American friend about the hack he said no thanks, he still wanted the convenience.

That's what machines boil down to, no pun intended, people like the convenience.

With pour-over coffee, the convenience with the machine is you don't have to slowly pour in the water yourself, and you can be doing other things while the machine is doing it for you, but really the time element is maybe 5 minutes at the most. But if you prefer convenience over price and time then get the machine, if you prefer to save money and make the coffee stronger, or you can make it weaker by using less coffee, then go manual I've had pour-overs done by a machine and personally, I like my V60 better. I haven't been able to compare a Chemex with a V60 but the internet has some things to say about the two, they both make coffee taste a bit differently, read about the two and decide which of the two ways you would like better. Or get both, then you can make it either way to change up the flavor whenever you want. That's why I have a lot of different ways to make coffee because I want to change things up all the time.

Another hack I've done is when I'm using my 2-cup Bialetti Brikka Moka pot, which makes about a third of a cup of coffee, I discovered that my AeroPress filters fit perfectly into the bottom of the Moka pot, just remove the O ring, put in 2 filters (two because they hold up better than one), then put the O ring back in and the coffee comes out a tad better without fine particles that have to settle before drinking. Larger Moka pots may not allow the AeroPress filter to fit, but found out later that there is a place on the internet that sells those filters for any size Bialetti Moka pot. In case anyone cares, the Brikka makes Moka coffee better than the regular Moka pots due to the addition of a pressure valve in the top of the tube that holds the coffee back till the pressure builds up to about 2 bar instead of no bars of pressure.

[oldguy00]

Well, recently my wife insisted on getting a Keurig for convenience of making a cup of coffee to go on work mornings. It makes terrible coffee, regardless of what pods we put in it.

So we decided to give a Nespresso machine a try, figured couldn't be worse.

I just want to congratulate the fine folks at Nespresso.....they managed to make a machine/pods that actually makes worse coffee than a Keurig. Holy disgusting!

[C40_guy]

I've been buying fresh roasted coffee at my local Whole Foods for a while and have been very pleased with the selection and the quality.

I've tried other local roasters on the cape and haven't been impressed.

But...my local WF has been cutting back on their loose bean offerings so I need another source.

Looking for recommendations to online sources where I can buy a pound or two of fresh roasted beans that aren't ridiculously expensive.

I like a full bodied coffee with chocolate, caramel, creamy flavoring...not bitter, not acidic.

Thanks!

[echappist]

Originally Posted by C40_guy

I've been buying fresh roasted coffee at my local Whole Foods for a while and have been very pleased with the selection and the quality.

I've tried other local roasters on the cape and haven't been impressed.

But...my local WF has been cutting back on their loose bean offerings so I need another source.

Looking for recommendations to online sources where I can buy a pound or two of fresh roasted beans that aren't ridiculously expensive.

I like a full bodied coffee with chocolate, caramel, creamy flavoring...not bitter, not acidic.

Thanks!

How much are you planning on spending per pound?

If caffeinated beans only, Trader Joe’s has some really good options at ~$10/lb. Unfortunately, their decaf beans has never been worth the money.

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by echappist

How much are you planning on spending per pound?

If caffeinated beans only, Trader Joe’s has some really good options at ~$10/lb. Unfortunately, their decaf beans has never been worth the money.

Good question..I'm paying $12-15/lb now at WF. I know I'll pay more for shipped beans, but my choices on Cape Cod are somewhat limited.

I'm also willing to try bagged coffee, but know that recently roasted beans are the best...

I'm looking for caffeinated only, and I do one large pourover each morning.

Does TJs offer freshly roasted or bagged only?

[echappist]

Bagged only (or more accurately, tightly sealed canisters that have been flushed with N2) at TJ’s. They do smell really fresh.

WF has its Allegro line, which is actually decent. I went with it when my local roaster had to close shop during Spring and Summer 2020.

Back then, i could never go through 12 oz fast enough, so i preferred my local roaster that allowed me to buy 8 oz at a time.

[contronatura]

The fiancée just got me a pressure-seal Fellow coffee storage container for christmas, but I have a Fellow Stag kettle, a Baratza Encore grinder, and your standard Hario V60 in glass.

Have been brewing Luminous from Las Vegas recently, but otherwise a big fan of Onyx and a few local specialty roasters who trade mainly in Colombian anaerobic coffees.

[warren128]

Originally Posted by C40_guy

I've been buying fresh roasted coffee at my local Whole Foods for a while and have been very pleased with the selection and the quality.

I've tried other local roasters on the cape and haven't been impressed.

But...my local WF has been cutting back on their loose bean offerings so I need another source.

Looking for recommendations to online sources where I can buy a pound or two of fresh roasted beans that aren't ridiculously expensive.

I like a full bodied coffee with chocolate, caramel, creamy flavoring...not bitter, not acidic.

Thanks!

Disclaimer: I know that everyone's tastes are different.

I've been very happy with my Peet's coffee subscription. Subscribers get 5% off the regular price and free shipping, and you can choose different shipping dates every month. Best of all, they ship right after the beans are roasted, so you know it will be fresh. My favorite beans for many years are their Kenya Auction Lot, and Italian Roast, which I buy as whole beans, 1 lb. each per order, I store the beans in airtight containers, and I grind just before brewing.

[Epicus07]

I got a Lelit Elizabeth about a year ago and recently had a leak around the head. It was literally on my bench and taken apart to get to the boiler. I ended up replacing the gasket between the boiler halves. Now it’s all back together and good as new.

What is everyone using for water ? Any nerds doing Third Wave etc ?

[ERK55]

Originally Posted by Epicus07

I got a Lelit Elizabeth about a year ago and recently had a leak around the head. It was literally on my bench and taken apart to get to the boiler. I ended up replacing the gasket between the boiler halves. Now it’s all back together and good as new.

What is everyone using for water ? Any nerds doing Third Wave etc ?

I’ve been using Third Wave + distilled water in my Rocket Mozzafiato. My municipal water is from the Hudson River and reeks of chlorine. Didn’t want to use bottled spring water due to the mineral content (although I guess you could use one of those water treatment pouches in your reservoir).

[Mark Davison]

I’m on vacation in St. Louis so I’m making do with my travel Aeropress and pre-ground decaf from Sump coffee. I highly recommend the beans (as good as any of the snob coffee in Seattle) but they are expensive online.

At home I use a hand Orphan Espresso Lido 3 grinder for the decaf beans, a Baratza Sette 270 Wi for caffeinated beans and (depending on the situation) a Rocket Mozzafiato heat exchange E61 espresso machine, a simple Bodum french press, or my ordinary aeropress. Each preparation method brings out a different flavor profile from the same beans. I use the french press for after dinner coffee since it’s slow going pulling shots for a group. The aeropress is for sampling a new bean, since I think the flavor profile is generally more nuanced from the aeropress. The Rocket is for the morning, when you want strong flavor & a bit more caffeine.

Alas, my next home project is to repair/replace the vibratory pump in the Rocket which can no longer maintain pressure.

[jkbrwn]

Originally Posted by ERK55

I’ve been using Third Wave + distilled water in my Rocket Mozzafiato. My municipal water is from the Hudson River and reeks of chlorine. Didn’t want to use bottled spring water due to the mineral content (although I guess you could use one of those water treatment pouches in your reservoir).

Similar over here. Tap water through a Zero Filter + Third Wave through my Flair 58+ and Aeropress/V60. Have the espresso and light roast profiles. Genuinely impressed so far and I don’t think it’s just placebo.

The zero takes my water from 140TDS to 0 and the Third Wave obviously adds minerals back into it.