What’s on your coffee bench?

[R3awak3n]

Originally Posted by livingminimal

tbh, I am too. I have looked at many grinders, and had many grinders in my cart ready to check out many, many times, but mine is still working great. Kinda see no reason to upgrade.

It is a pretty nice grinder but I am amateur at best. They were getting rid of it at work and I am surprised no one wanted it, I was like, hell yeah I will take that.

[VoyTirando]

We use a chemex and chemex filters exclusively (tried others, found that they really do make a difference), and do pourover. We have a Bodum burr grinder with a hopper for a few days' worth of beans, and have it pre-set to just push a button for pot's worth at a time. The fresh-ground beans has been a game changer. We use a Hario pour over kettle, but admit to often pre-heating the water much more quickly in a cheapo electric kettle and then transferring to the one with the long, skinny spout. We should just get a Hario electric pourover kettle, but more crap etc etc....

For beans, we're kind of stuck on Grumpy espresso beans, Heartbreaker blend, which are a bit brighter, medium roast, Ethiopean/Columbian mix. Pretty much everyone we've made coffee for goes, "holy sh*t this is amazing."

Making pourover is a pain, for sure: watching, pouring, waiting, etc. But I've essentially stopped buying pre-made coffee in shops. The stuff we make at home is too good.

For camping, we have a Bialetti Moka, and just pre-grind a bunch of the same beans really fine. Tasty....

edit: our friends in Portland have this https://ratiocoffee.com/ and holy hell does it rock. the price tag is insane, but the coffee is just as good as our pourover, without the hassle. As an object, it's too space consuming for an NYC apartment, but if you have a big kitchen, it's a beautiful object. On the same trip, after visiting these dear friends, we hoofed it up to Seattle to visit family, and my brother and his wife make French press every day, which they're very proud of. We found it nearly undrinkable. Totally acidic. Yuck.

[livingminimal]

Originally Posted by Mzilliox

Lots of home baristas! I am looking at maybe grabbing a new single group machine.
[IMG]Home espresso by Matt.zilliox, on Flickr[/IMG]

i also roast my own at home

Dual grinder set up.

Real recognize real.

[jh_on_the_cape]

Totally agree! I don't get spending tons of money on a home coffee machine.
I used pre-ground Kimbo that I bring back from Italy in a Capresso EC100 ($100) machine and it makes fantastic espresso. 15 bar pump pressure

But I do enjoy going to my coffee-nerd friend's house for a coffee.

I need to get another espresso machine. What would you say is the best one for under $200?

I think coffee is like beer or wine. You can nerd out and spend tons of money, but in the end it's what you prefer. Some people genuinely like Bud Light and Dunkin Donuts coffee.

Originally Posted by Dino Suegiù

Bialetti 3 or 6 + Illy.
For the fancy machine it is more fun to go to the bar.

[kingpin75s]

On my bench this morning. A warm cup of breakfast

[Mzilliox]

Originally Posted by livingminimal

Dual grinder set up.

Real recognize real.

Yeah, one for espresso only, one for the other stuff. Id never dream of moving my espresso setting to pour over then try and dial it back. I already rip through espresso fast enough as it is without having to fiddle with grind all the time. PS, theres a 3rd grinder not in the picture, and a 4th hario hand grinder for camping.

[notsew]

Originally Posted by adub

$20 Moka pot and pre-ground Lavazza Crema E Gusto.

I've messed around with the fancy machines, burr grinders, beans. This is dead simple easy, cheap and tastes just as good.

If I could drift this a little bit... I was gifted a moka pot and I've never been able to get a good pour out of it. Any tips?

[SoCalSteve]

A few years back I got into the home barista thing pretty heavily. Ended up with an Alex Duetto and a Versalabs M3 for my espresso. Drip is a another story. Bunn Trifecta and Barazta Vario W.

[benb]

Still sticking with Moka Pot + French Press + Hario V60.

All really simple. Hario hand grinder and I've got a digital scale. The digital scale seems really key for the pourover methods. I was never that happy with pourover till I got the scale.

The Moka pot is dead simple. IMO it has a pretty high tolerance for the range of grind. I have the 3 Cup one. 14-16g of beans, grind them fairly fine, fill water to the line. Put the coffee in the basket, you distribute it with you finger to fill all the spots but don't really pack it in. Stick it on a gas stove on the smallest burner. For me it's the really small simmer burner on about 45% power (gas stove). Turn it off right before the bubbles start coming out.

I often use a little plunger style milk foamer to make a cappucino style moka drink.. plunge for 10-15 seconds and then stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds.. pour the coffee out of the moka pot, add sugar if desired, stir, then pour the hot milk in, then put the foam on top. Works really well if you've got a good dark bean.

Then you take it all apart and clean it in about 1 minute when you're done drinking your coffee.. best part about it.

There are lots of video tutorials on Moka pots on Youtube, often from Italians as they seem to swear by them for home use as opposed to us Americans buying the zillion dollar home espresso makers.. it should not be hard to figure it out watching them.

I would not bother personally to get a real espresso machine unless I got really into drinking straight espresso shots. About half the coffee shots I go in their espresso is no better than what I get out of the Moka pot. Straight espresso shots is just not my thing though.

[jh_on_the_cape]

Key for Moka
1. Turn off heat before or just when you hear the noise. longer and it gets bitter.
2. don't clean it with soap. if you have a new moka or have not used it for a while, make a coffee and throw it away. it will taste like metal. it should have some brown stuff left i there.
3. it does not taste like an espresso at a bar. it's a different drink.

Originally Posted by benb

The Moka pot is dead simple. IMO it has a pretty high tolerance for the range of grind. I have the 3 Cup one. 14-16g of beans, grind them fairly fine, fill water to the line. Put the coffee in the basket, you distribute it with you finger to fill all the spots but don't really pack it in. Stick it on a gas stove on the smallest burner. For me it's the really small simmer burner on about 45% power (gas stove). Turn it off right before the bubbles start coming out.

I often use a little plunger style milk foamer to make a cappucino style moka drink.. plunge for 10-15 seconds and then stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds.. pour the coffee out of the moka pot, add sugar if desired, stir, then pour the hot milk in, then put the foam on top. Works really well if you've got a good dark bean.

Then you take it all apart and clean it in about 1 minute when you're done drinking your coffee.. best part about it.

[crankles]

Originally Posted by flydhest

La Marzocco Linea and a Mazzer Mini. Over the top and crazy, but so, so good.

I'm pretty sure that when the Diva dies, a Linea will replace it (unless I win the lotto, then it's a single group slayer!). It's such a workhorse machine.

I've been married 17 years, and almost without fail, I pull two doubles before the kids wake up and steam some milk for dry caps. Some mornings, I do the math, hand her the coffee and say, "that makes No. 6204 ;-) Happy wife, Happy life.

When the Diva has needed servicing, my wife counts the days til it's return. If it dies, I'm certain my wife will hand me a blank check and say "replace it...TODAY!"

[livingminimal]

Originally Posted by crankles

I'm pretty sure that when the Diva dies, a Linea will replace it (unless I win the lotto, then it's a single group slayer!). It's such a workhorse machine.

I've been married 17 years, and almost without fail, I pull two doubles before the kids wake up and steam some milk for dry caps. Some mornings, I do the math, hand her the coffee and say, "that makes No. 6204 ;-) Happy wife, Happy life.

When the Diva has needed servicing, my wife counts the days til it's return. If it dies, I'm certain my wife will hand me a blank check and say "replace it...TODAY!"

Honestly a Linea Mini is on the shortlist when my Apartamento dies, but so is this.

https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/ro...presso-machine

[benb]

Originally Posted by jh_on_the_cape

Key for Moka
1. Turn off heat before or just when you hear the noise. longer and it gets bitter.
2. don't clean it with soap. if you have a new moka or have not used it for a while, make a coffee and throw it away. it will taste like metal. it should have some brown stuff left i there.
3. it does not taste like an espresso at a bar. it's a different drink.

#1 is the trick, that's one worth watching some videos.. lots of people argue for turning it off at different times.

#2 is all over the instructions, everyone should get that

#3 For sure.. but often no 2 shots at a bar taste the same either

[sfscott]

Lucca (QuickMill) M58 and a Compak M10 conical grinder.

Wife hates the counter space it takes up.

Anyone have any experience with Barattza Sette W? Wanted one of those but got got tired of waiting for them to ship.

For the ballers, here's a good one https://slayerespresso.com

And if these guys can ever get it together....https://decentespresso.com/de1pro

[schwa86]

Quickmill silvano and rocky grinder, plus increasingly concerning (to my wife) coffee roasting set up...