I have it and love it. To me it has been able to extract some of the more subtle flavors of the coffee I use - kona mainly. It might be due to having to grind the beans a lot more fine with the aeropress vs. The coarse grind I use for French press. But the vacuum effect of pulling the water through the beans is pretty cool. Just know wight the aeropress, you only make enough for espresso then you dilute that with water for a cup of coffee. I think all in all I like the slow-pour-over-drip method.
any creamer snobs? tried some baileys today cuz the gf had a coupon (she watches that couponing show and now she's convinced that she's gonna walk out of a market with $900 of groceries for a buck. ) the shit was delicious though
Man fuck that, ignorance is bliss. I enjoy my pre-ground, shit tier coffee. Once you start down this path and realize that you can obtain damn near perfect coffee, your expectations will be set. This shit sounds an offer to join the dark side.
now you need to get the temp correct. make sure your water is at 200 degrees. That means boiling, then taking it off the heating element for about 40 seconds or so. Or get a water temp gauge like I have - you can get one at Williams-Sonoma. The other good tip is to stir your grounds once you've poured in the water. You want to get air in those grounds and get a nice foam going to extract the true essence of the beans. Also you're going to want to take the next level and invest in a burr grinder.
get away from blends. start looking into single origin seasonal beans. i've posted resources for several places you can order online with. keep your green mountain stuff for bulk brews and get your good single origin when you want a good cup of coffee.
I don't want to sink a bunch of money into my coffee, but I can't hardly stand the el cheapo shit anymore.
Well if you're dead set on maximizing the experience, follow his advice. Investing in a proper setup is crucial and will last for years but putting C rate blends in that type of system is a waste of time. Take the time to shop around, buy a few bags from the sites provided and see if it's something you really want to invest in. I wish a shitty cup of Folgers was worth getting out of bed for these days.
Well, I wouldn't suggest not to do it. If ignorance is bliss then yes, don't do it. If you seek enlightenment, then do it. I say the same thing for beer. I didn't get it until I started homebrewing and then it opened up the real world of living beers to me and I sought out cask conditioned ales and started to enjoy my life more. These things enhance my life not distract from it. Look. I got a couple Zegna suits. They were fine. about 1200 bucks. Then I tried on an Italian made Armani suit a couple days ago and it fucked me up. So there - yes, slippery slope. Good coffee? Life enhancer.
super, Kind of off topic, but aren't Zegna's made in Italy too? Just curious why you like Armani over Zegna, as I was contemplating buying a few suits and was going to go with Armani and/or Zegna.
I typically let it get to a boil then cool, just because I feel like makes the process more repeatable. I'll start monitoring the temp more closely. Also, I always stir after pouring and let it steep for about 4 minutes before pressing. I'll have to look into the non-blend stuff you recommended and check out the grinder as well. I'm using a shitty one at the moment, but I've been too happy with the immediate and exponential improvement to care thus far. I won't admit what beans I've been using because I feel like it would be the equivalent of telling someone singing the praises of Trappists that you really fucking love Fat Tire. Also, reading over my last two paragraphs makes me feel like a huge prick.
It's the only way to go. I am about to finish off a pound of Metropolis Coffee and I'll pick up something new, either Metropolis or Intelligentsia, this weekend.
Sometimes after I grind the beans I will add a pinch of salt, especially when I am making a strong batch - it will cut down on the bitterness a bit.
Flavia Kenyan Brew is as far as i go. If i start down this path i'll start growing my own beans in a green house and shit.
On this board I have had my taste refined to the level of complete snobbery on coffee, beer, shaving and countless other aspects of life. TMB
i missed this. love these beans. right now though I'm enjoying a Peruvian cepicafe roasted by Kean Coffee. NDJOECA - the flavia is not going to be the same thing as a freshly ground Kenyan. But if you're in that region no reason and its in season to just get an Ethiopian.
Yeah can't remember the exact name but evidently the only way for sophisticates to shave is with a straight razor, hot lather and items you buy at some specialty store found in certain malls. One of the Bama guys started it I think, maybe Tydefan?
Got a Keurig for fathers day. I feel like this is snobby enough for me. Even though I'm prolly drinking horse piss compared to the brews you fine gentlemen put together.
Assuming you mean Art of Shaving store? I saw one here in Atlanta. Want to get s hot lather thing for sure although good with my fusion. Note- my final shaving related post
nah it was in the post a pic of your latest purchase thread someone posted that they picked up some shaving equipment and it went from there
Damn...nice. I'm moving into a new place in 6-8 months. I'm going to pull the trigger on a Quickmill Anita/Baratza Vario at that point. I want to buy it now but my kitchen is too small.
wonderful my set up is the technivorm moccamaster and baratza virtuoso. no espresso machine at this point. more of my smug thing at a restaurant. but even then i do coffee mostly -- had some fine LaMll ethiopian at Providence's four on fish chef's dinner last night. always stay smuggy
Save yourself some money and go Baratza Virtuoso Preciso, actually I use a older 1st version Baratza Virtuoso and handfill the portafilter cup. You really don't need the electronic system, you will be adjusting to your tastes anyway. Nothing beats a French Press for about 20 bucks, a Baratza grinder and a good roasted bean to your liking. Snobby, I run down to Stumptown or Caffe Umbrio for their Dark Roasts. Umbrio for the Arco Etrusco Blend, which is the old Torrefazione Italia Italian Roast. Stumptown for their Sumatra Mandheling (which they no longer offer damn it) or their French Roast blend. Stumptown has some excellent Rwandan coffee beans, their Kanzu (Lake Kivu) cooperative is very good, I would venture might even meet Super's standards. Regular the Costco Rwandan or Sumatra Kirkland blends were very good for non snob purposes, they were roasted by Starbucks, but to a higher standard. Sadly they too are being phased out.
The draw of the Vario is that it can go from espresso settings to french press quite easily compared to other grinders. Are all Baratza grinders like this? I will be using it primarily for espresso but also french press for my coffee during the week. You're lucky to be in an area that offers so many good coffee producers locally. I have to have mine fed exed in and it's quite costly. Have you tried Red Bird for espresso? Supposed to be awesome.
Realistically the only difference between the Vario & the Virtuoso Preciso a different burr grinder (54mm vs 40) and the electronics. Too me not worth 250 extra, but then that is me. Like I said I use the old, and I mean 1st generation old, Virtuoso. I have become very adept at the uses for my purposes, with the simple 40 settings and a 40mm burr grinder. How high you go up the grinder tree depends on your uses, mine are pretty simple. However Coffee Geek has great reviews on the Preciso & Vario, link below. If you are getting into the Coffee Geekdom I recommend 2 sites, coffeegeek.com and sweetmarias.com, I prefer the first for equipment, the second for information on the beans. If you ever go the full route and roast your beans, I don't, a friend does, Sweet Maria's sells a lot of green coffee and has a lot of information on home roasters. Their reviews basically tell you a bit on the equipment and don't do a lot of rating, more of here is some info, make your own decision. coffeegeek gets into detail, and ratings both by the pro's & joe's, plus a solid forum for the nutpick problems after you buy. Example, the early Vituoso's had two problems, static electricity messes & the grind timer lever fell off. Neither were biggies, considering all machines make static messes, the other a minor irritation. The key to a burr grinder, how uniform the grind, and how much do you plan and what use for it. With the portoholder attachment you have espresso portofilter simplicity, you don't have a doser hopper just the holder attachment, so controlled grinding is more important than say I have. Preciso review http://coffeegeek.com/proreviews/quickshot/baratzavirtuosopreciso/details Vario review http://coffeegeek.com/proreviews/firstlook/baratzavario/details
I have a Vario as well. It is a great grinder...bought it before the Preciso came out. The Preciso seems to be well liked and probably as good as the Vario. If you like french press but not the sludge, clean up, etc., try a Clever Coffee pour over. It is like $12 and I have barely used the french press since I got it. Best of both worlds.
Time to bump this thread. I've been drinking too much coffee lately, all of the shit variety, so it's time to start making it at home. Going to order a burr grinder, electric kettle (with temp settings), and a French press. Taking my snobbery up a level.
I'm looking at buying some Huehuetenago beans and prob getting a french press. I'm not ready to throw down $300 on a coffee maker... yet.
I have had my Vario and Quickmill Anita for over two months now. It's wonderful. I'm pulling quality espresso shots consistently now. I still haven't gotten micro foam down.
this is why i usually don't order foam with my espresso. because i'll get incorrectly foamed cream/milk. that said, i will make a longer trip out to get perfect micro foam at King's Road when I am in LA because there's nothing better.