Never mind. Good ol’ YouTube has a number of such videos at hand. Quite an ingenius little gizmo - and impressive. Almost makes me wish I was into espresso.
Interesting. Please let us know how it works out for you. Did you get it through kickstarter or is it on the market now? Does it come with both baskets?
I'm a Kickstarter backer and they've just started shipping so I'm not sure when they'll be for sale on the Cafelat site. It's design is inspired by a vintage lever, the Faema Faemina, that I've wanted but with modern design and gaskets.
It's completely manual, you need to heat the water in a kettle, but small and easy to clean and maintain. I have three other lever espresso machines in my collection. It also doesn't have any way to steam milk, it just makes espresso.
I picked the professional basket since I find my own coffee and opted for the basic model without the pressure gauge, I'm used to levers.
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I love coffee. I love good coffee. Tried every gimmick out there. French presses suck. Like Got a cheap 5C drip Farberware. I got it one late night because our coffee pot went belly up, with the intention of getting a fancy nancy pot the next day. It says 5C but only makes enough for 2 cups. It consistently makes the best coffee, no matter the bean. My wife uses a "all the bells and whistles" large 10C MR Coffee. The coffee sucks. Don't care what bean is used it all tastes pretty much the same. We have in the closet a Bruin(?), a Cuisinart(?) and at least 2 other Name brands. They can't touch my Farberware. If I can't see through the coffee stream as I pour it I won't like it in all probability. As @jlmarta said (sort of) I ain't fond of chewing coffee. I used to roast my own beans but my source for green coffee beans is no longer in business so I sold the roasters. I have given in to a burr grinder that I got from @peter4jc and it works great, really great.
What I see from most coffee makers is you might as well by a pot, add water and coffee, and cook it over a campfire along with the beans and bacon.
You probably wouldn't like espresso, thick and strong but with good coffee it can be sweet with notes like coffee, fruit, or berries (and sometimes molasses or black licorice).
I pulled a sweet shot of Peters 86th Street blend this morning before brewing a pot in my BraZen drip brewer, I preferred the espresso shot.
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Espresso always reminds me of the little hotel we always stayed in when we visited relatives in Italy. They had a little coffee nook (for want of a better name) in their little lobby where they sold espresso, cappuccino, etc.
It was fun to sit in the lobby and watch the locals on their way to work. They’d double-Park out front, dash in and plunk some money down on the counter and chug a shot or two of espresso and then dash back out to their car and zoom away to their job. The whole event didn’t take more than thirty seconds - tops. We always got a chuckle out of the routine...
When I visited Italy for work in a town outside Milan, I learned that espresso is very inexpensive there, but you pay extra if you're going to sit down and enjoy your drink. Everyone drinks at the bar standing up. There's a cap on the price of espresso to go, but you can charge more for customers who want a table.
The test engineers I was working with would drink espresso all day, walking down to the vending machine and enjoying them in the cafeteria. I didn't sleep well the first night I visited due to all the espresso I drank.
I take a little longer to enjoy my espresso at home, but it's such a small drink that it is gone quickly. I don't normally order milk drinks since I'm mildly allergic to milk unless I'm visiting an unknown or questionable cafe where the straight espresso may be undrinkable. Milk really covers up and balances the strong coffee flavors and results in a drink that you can sit with and savor.
My Wife likes the Americano, a shot of espresso diluted with hot water. I learned that my brewed coffee strength is too much for her and came up with a corresponding drink for brewed coffee, the Kimericano. I brew my coffee at a 1:15 coffee to water ratio and dilute her's by 50% with hot water and she's happy.
Lately, she visited my Mother and has restarted the habit of using non-dairy creamer in her coffee, which she'll take full strength.
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Ok, so I roasted up my first real batch of coffee in my new Aillio Bullet R1 V1.5 roaster, a bag of Colombia Vereda Buesaquito that came with the roaster from Sweet Maria's and it smells pretty good already. I was able to clearly hear first crack, unlike with the ancient Sumatra beans I roasted up for seasoning the drum, and smell good roasting smells so I'm excited to try it. I roasted it up to past first crack to a City+ / Full City roast, we'll see tomorrow how they taste. I net 400 grams of coffee from the 472 gram bag.
The picture below is the Sumatra seasoning roast, didn't take a picture this time.
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My simple little 2 mug Farberware (actually says 5 cup but masculine toxicity forces me to use a mug), which has consistently produced an excellent pot would not turn on this morning. I almost fainted, it was devastating. But I burned some sage, said a little prayer, and it again made a perfect cup of Sumatra, which I got from @peter4jc
I have been really enjoying cold brew lately, much smoother than what I am normally drinking (drip/french press/Ninja brewer when in a rush). My wife thinks I am weird for wanting cold brew when it is near 0 degrees out
Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular.
I have been really enjoying cold brew lately, much smoother than what I am normally drinking (drip/french press/Ninja brewer when in a rush). My wife thinks I am weird for wanting cold brew when it is near 0 degrees out
Or... you could just use good coffee and brew it properly... Haha... just sayin'.
Wifey said "My Dad drinks Folgers and I saw it was on sale...." This stuff still has that weird, "sharp" or odd "chemical" taste the regular Folgers has.
Wifey said "My Dad drinks Folgers and I saw it was on sale...." This stuff still has that weird, "sharp" or odd "chemical" taste the regular Folgers has.
The big-brand coffees like Foal-Turds have a good percentage of robusta (a type of coffee as opposed to arabica) in them. Robusta has a higher yield per plant and is more disease-resistant, so it's well-suited for coffees for the masses that don't know what good coffee is like. Robusta generally has a sharp, chemical, sometimes a burnt rubber flavor, and that's most likely what you're tasting.
@peter4jc Thanks for the info^^^ We usually grind some (pre)roasted stuff at home (prob not the good stuff you guys do) and its night and day diff to this crap!
I have been really enjoying cold brew lately, much smoother than what I am normally drinking (drip/french press/Ninja brewer when in a rush). My wife thinks I am weird for wanting cold brew when it is near 0 degrees out
Or... you could just use good coffee and brew it properly... Haha... just sayin'.
Well show me the light coffee man! I have been going back and forth between BRCC and Costco Single Origin beans lately, burr grind by hand right before brew. If anything maybe could use better water, but tap is all I use, has decent mineral comp where I live.
Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular.
I would show you the light, but don't want to be here to sell coffee. But I'd bet dollars to donuts that either one of those coffees mentioned isn't actually specialty-grade coffee and was already stale by the time it reached the store, let alone by the time you bought it. Top-notch coffee, roasted properly and consumed before it stales (like 2 weeks, 3 at the most) is the way to go.
We can teach you how to roast your own coffee. Or, we can let some other forum members chime in that you need to send me a PM.
I would show you the light, but don't want to be here to sell coffee. But I'd bet dollars to donuts that either one of those coffees mentioned isn't actually specialty-grade coffee and was already stale by the time it reached the store, let alone by the time you bought it. Top-notch coffee, roasted properly and consumed before it stales (like 2 weeks, 3 at the most) is the way to go.
We can teach you how to roast your own coffee. Or, we can let some other forum members chime in that you need to send me a PM.
One of the problems people seem to ignore is the proper storage of beans. It is bad enough I can't get my wife to understand the ground coffee should be in an airtight container, and that she should not grind more then she will use in the next couple of days. I got a great little burr grinder from the coffee bully @peter4jc , how long does it take to grind some beans. I have actually trashed what she had in the container she uses because it was so stale, and literally had no coffee aroma at all. I store my beans in a sealed airtight bag, in a drawer that gets no light or extreme temp variations. It works for me. If there is a better way I would love to hear about it. I have never had beans go bad on me.
I was shown the coffee light and have not looked back towards the darkness since. Crazy difference.
In fact, Patrick is driving all the way to MKE, an hour and a half, to pick up coffee next week. @avengethis is dring 2 hours the same day, to pick up his beans.
Once you have what in your opinion is good coffee, then there are some brewing parameters to control... @Yakster feel free to chime in on what I'm forgetting... 1) correct water temp, 2) correct grind w/ as uniform particle size as you can afford (good grinders cost $$), 3) amount of time the coffee particles stay in contact with the water.
This why heating water in a temp-controlled kettle is vital - most coffee makers don't come near the 195*-205* range. And a decent burr grinder will set you back $100 or more, but the improvement in taste is tangible. So a french press, or a pourover like a Chemex will help control the dwell time, or the period of extraction.
Somebody on the forum is asking me about one of those units that grinds and brews. I haven't given him the bad news yet, but that's a compromise akin to owning a Porsche in Canada and running all-season tires, rather than dedicated winter and summer tires. The grind and brews can do it all, but they'll do it all poorly.
I have some red beans down in the basement vacuum sealed in plastic food bags from...2010. This was part of my "prepare for 2012 and the Mayan pseudo mass collective consciousness awakening" preparation program I had initiated. Needless to say, never seen Nibiru, but I did see an orange glowing UFO once. Honest!
Anyway, does anybody think those beans are any good?
(I can spell 'Nibiru', but not 'orange'. Thank goodness for the 1 hour edit feature.)
"Love is a dung heap, Betty and I am but a c.o.c.k. that climbs upon it to crow."
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Good on you, Chris @Yakster.......
It's completely manual, you need to heat the water in a kettle, but small and easy to clean and maintain. I have three other lever espresso machines in my collection. It also doesn't have any way to steam milk, it just makes espresso.
I picked the professional basket since I find my own coffee and opted for the basic model without the pressure gauge, I'm used to levers.
I love good coffee.
Tried every gimmick out there.
French presses suck. Like
Got a cheap 5C drip Farberware. I got it one late night because our coffee pot went belly up, with the intention of getting a fancy nancy pot the next day. It says 5C but only makes enough for 2 cups. It consistently makes the best coffee, no matter the bean.
My wife uses a "all the bells and whistles" large 10C MR Coffee. The coffee sucks. Don't care what bean is used it all tastes pretty much the same.
We have in the closet a Bruin(?), a Cuisinart(?) and at least 2 other Name brands. They can't touch my Farberware. If I can't see through the coffee stream as I pour it I won't like it in all probability. As @jlmarta said (sort of) I ain't fond of chewing coffee.
I used to roast my own beans but my source for green coffee beans is no longer in business so I sold the roasters. I have given in to a burr grinder that I got from @peter4jc and it works great, really great.
What I see from most coffee makers is you might as well by a pot, add water and coffee, and cook it over a campfire along with the beans and bacon.
I pulled a sweet shot of Peters 86th Street blend this morning before brewing a pot in my BraZen drip brewer, I preferred the espresso shot.
It was fun to sit in the lobby and watch the locals on their way to work. They’d double-Park out front, dash in and plunk some money down on the counter and chug a shot or two of espresso and then dash back out to their car and zoom away to their job. The whole event didn’t take more than thirty seconds - tops. We always got a chuckle out of the routine...
The test engineers I was working with would drink espresso all day, walking down to the vending machine and enjoying them in the cafeteria. I didn't sleep well the first night I visited due to all the espresso I drank.
I take a little longer to enjoy my espresso at home, but it's such a small drink that it is gone quickly. I don't normally order milk drinks since I'm mildly allergic to milk unless I'm visiting an unknown or questionable cafe where the straight espresso may be undrinkable. Milk really covers up and balances the strong coffee flavors and results in a drink that you can sit with and savor.
My Wife likes the Americano, a shot of espresso diluted with hot water. I learned that my brewed coffee strength is too much for her and came up with a corresponding drink for brewed coffee, the Kimericano. I brew my coffee at a 1:15 coffee to water ratio and dilute her's by 50% with hot water and she's happy.
Lately, she visited my Mother and has restarted the habit of using non-dairy creamer in her coffee, which she'll take full strength.
The picture below is the Sumatra seasoning roast, didn't take a picture this time.
But I burned some sage, said a little prayer, and it again made a perfect cup of Sumatra, which I got from @peter4jc
We usually grind some (pre)roasted stuff at home (prob not the good stuff you guys do) and its night and day diff to this crap!
We can teach you how to roast your own coffee. Or, we can let some other forum members chime in that you need to send me a PM.
MOW badge received.
Once you have what in your opinion is good coffee, then there are some brewing parameters to control... @Yakster feel free to chime in on what I'm forgetting... 1) correct water temp, 2) correct grind w/ as uniform particle size as you can afford (good grinders cost $$), 3) amount of time the coffee particles stay in contact with the water.
This why heating water in a temp-controlled kettle is vital - most coffee makers don't come near the 195*-205* range. And a decent burr grinder will set you back $100 or more, but the improvement in taste is tangible. So a french press, or a pourover like a Chemex will help control the dwell time, or the period of extraction.
Somebody on the forum is asking me about one of those units that grinds and brews. I haven't given him the bad news yet, but that's a compromise akin to owning a Porsche in Canada and running all-season tires, rather than dedicated winter and summer tires. The grind and brews can do it all, but they'll do it all poorly.