Any of you snobs also do tent and/or car camping? What’s your coffee brewing method? Current setup has been a camp stove with a kettle, pre grinding beans before I leave, and French Press. Measured grinds by scoop. Open to doing it differently this year but will not have power to run a kettle. Thinking of taking the Stagg XF instead of Press since the pour technique isn’t that important. Probably grind out 20g doses the day before and put them in my plastic freezer tubes and use two when I want a full XF pour. Leaning to this over a hand crank grinder.
When I haven't had power, I've just done cold brew. But otherwise would hand grind and use the clever, which seems similar to your stagg idea. Did french press initially, but I like the flexibility of being able to so smaller batches. That seems like a lot of effort to not hand grind on site, no?
Yeah, might be over thinking it, but I wouldn’t have to buy anything else this way. Also considering grinding into one container and taking one of my old cheap scales for dosing or just using a measured scoop. Never looked at hand grinders though, you have rec for a decent one that isn’t expensive?
Hand grind & Aeropress for hiking/backpacking/camping... if it's a longer trip, I have opted for instant coffee from Bold Bean
I have the hario ceramic (sucks; stay away) and the porlex mini. The porlex is great for it's size, but it really doesn't give enough torq, so grinding is a chore. I usually just bring my big ass lido. If I were buying now, I'd look at the kingrinder and timemore as sub-$75 options
If you want a travel grinder, 1zpresso Q2 or X-Ultra is the way to go. I love my x-ultra with the external grind setting and magnetic catch cup. Q2's smaller & fits inside aeropress but also a small burr.
Lund Canyon Coffee is my go-to local place. Absolutely incredible coffee, all the beans roasted by Square Mile in London
I had to order from one of their Canadian vendors, Revolver, to get it just before new year. Just checked and they are out of stock. It’s an amazing brewer. Quite versatile and you can get so many brew method variations to mess around with. Can’t recommend it enough.
Last summer in Chicago a flagship Starbucks store had their Oleato olive oil infused latte. Tried it. Was impressed for what it was. they announced this week it’s available at all stores now. I got one. Not as memorable but unique for when I have to use a Starbucks I did try at home a touch of a really good finishing olive oil I have today. Barely taste it. But interesting. apparently it’s a thing in Italy. Sorta like Italian version of the bulletproof butter coffee.
Hand grinder. Plastic V60. Plastic bag full of beans. Scooper that I know is about 12g per scoop. Coleman kerosene burner. Kettle. Ritualistic hand grinding early in the morning while breathing coastal mountain air. Doesn’t get much better.
Oleato's a waste of good coffee but then you're not really getting good beans in those coffees anyway .. I've only camped once or twice in the last couple years, and RV at other times, it's typically Hand Grind/ Orea / steel kettle & spoon to break the flow of water and cheapo scale. I bring in my Stagg on the RV though.
This was discussed a while back. Finally got my hands on the nuts from swroasting. It's actually quite good if anyone needs a medium roast. Makes a great Americano
I thinjk that's a standard price these days for a decent to good green sourcing. Outside of special releases (like Geshas or microlots), H&S is typically about 25$ for 250g & Hydrangea is about 23$.
Need a decent k-cup machine Any suggestions? Really just need push button, programming times is just dumb in my opinion
Now that that's out of the way, I honestly don't know if there is a significant difference in the true k cup machines. I've used several and they've all performed the same. If you want better output at a higher cost/cup, the Nespresso machines are supposed to actually make a decent cup
my mom has one that is long and thin. Better form factor to save space vs the typical machine. Otherwise they perform the same. I’d look for aesthetics you prefer.
I’d go nespresso if you’re after convenience. It’s not as good as a mediocre cup of espresso, but it’s better than any keurig coffee I’ve tried
Been a while since I grabbed a fellow drop, $30 for 12oz with shipping somehow didn’t seem too bad with other beans $ going up
What is the suggestion from this thread for a good grinder? I did some searching itt and couldn't find what I was looking for so I figured I'd just up and ask. The GF loves coffee and after our current trip to Colombia she wants to get more snobby with it. I'm not a huge coffee drinker but would like to have the tools at my place so we can make good coffee at home too. She already bought a French press and bamboo spoon, but we aren't sure on grinders. Any suggestions on the $50- $125 range? Can go above if y'all think it's worth it.
https://www.baratza.com/product/encoretm-zcg485 Was my first burr grinder, currently $150. Does more than fine on French press and pour over. Customer service is awesome, provides spare parts and instructions, even sell a burr upgrade for later if you get snobby.
This… Possibly your first and last grinder, if coffee habits don’t escalate. Plus, it will last forever
The only thing I’d say about reliability is the plastic tabs on the outer burr holder will probably break at some point but that’s an easy cheap fix a good bit down the road
Right, but every grinder at that price point is going to be the same and they are all of lesser quality
French press is relatively forgiving. The encore is probably what I'd go for. Baratza and seattle coffee gear sometimes sell refurbs for $110 or so. If you want to stay on budget, I used a capresso infinity for 6-7 years as my daily pourover grinder. My inlaws use it now - been kicking since 2012. It will be able to do french press without a problem.
Appreciate all the input! Going to go with the one suggested. Any other items that are "Must Haves" for a beginner? I was leaning towards an electric kettle since I had read you don't want to necessarily boil the water before using it.
Honestly, probably not for French press. You don’t need a gooseneck for even/controlled pouring and immersion brewing (French Press) is very forgiving. Get a good digital scale instead.
You can go cheap on the scale, but this one is quality & lasted 10+ years for me https://a.co/d/2hlfG5q Hario V60 Scale
Beyond a scale, you need something like this for grinder cleaning. Mine was less than $10 though https://a.co/d/foLxevf
Used this for years. Unsure how it compares Capresso Infinity Plus Black Conical Burr Grinder https://a.co/d/9FLAggD
Two questions for my americano bois Do the standard ratios matter (ie 2:1) when you're diluting anyways? My breville outputs around 3:1 with the default setting, and I'm wondering if I'm wasting volume by cutting it early. What dilution ratio is everyone using? I've been at 3:1 water:espresso. Not sure how I got there though.
I’ve always done 2:1 for the Americano but I don’t drink them often enough to say 3:1 wouldn’t be an improvement. As for the brew ratio, I’d stick with whatever makes a tasty shot. Start with 2:1 adjust from there depending on taste, roast level etc. Don’t want to over extract regardless of how you consume it
So, we stayed with some friends that had a Brevil Espresso machine & the wife loved it. She now wants one, but is "fearful" of the slippers slope she's now sending me down. Prefer to get something that I grow into, and not have to upgrade in 12 months, as I chase the perfect cup... Say $2k budget, to get all the necessities?
Ts & Ps. There are a million ways to go. Is this for shots or milk drinks/americanos? Do you have anything yet (scale, grinder, etc.). Do you want automation or would you rather control all of the variables?
I would say primarily for milk drinks & americanos for the wife, and shots for me. I have all things (grinder, scale, gooseneck kettle, ect.) for pour-over methods, so really just need an espresso machine & anything specific to that coffee method (tamper, distribution tools).
Just bought a Technivorm Moccamaster which should arrive today. Suggestions on grind size on a Baratza Encore?
Never used the double boiler but I’m sure it’s nice. Probably depends on if your current grinder will be good for espresso or not. I have the Infuser and I am still really happy with it, but I’ve upgraded grinders. If your 2k budget includes a single dose/espresso grinder, I would go with the Breville Infuser and spend the rest on the grinder. If not you can splurge on the DB and get a 58mm portafilter vs 54mm which will open up your choices for accessories. Not sure which features on the DB would be useful, I run my Infuser in a “manual” mode and measure output by weight. If the volumetric flow measurement works well, that could be pretty neat.