Coffee

OmgFrigginMike

I'll have to watch these when I get home tonight. We do have a digital scale we use at home for meal prepping but it's slightly larger than the one you showed me. Just out of curiousity what machine(s) do you use yourself?

peter4jc

You're a much more patient person than I am, @Yakster. My answer would've been 'just don't even start thinking about espresso. Like, why? What is it that you think espresso will do for you? Have you had real espresso, or is it just an idea in your head that it would something good to go after?"

Yakster

True, Peter, very true. A moka pot may be an idea, but a good grinder is probably the best place to start. Even though I love espresso, and I've been pulling more shots lately I'm still consuming most of my coffee as brewed coffee with rare exceptions.

OmgFrigginMike

@peter4jc said:
You're a much more patient person than I am, @Yakster. My answer would've been 'just don't even start thinking about espresso. Like, why? What is it that you think espresso will do for you? Have you had real espresso, or is it just an idea in your head that it would something good to go after?"

I've got a buddy that has an espresso machine and he's made us a couple cups. Haven't had a whole lot but enough that it has caught Cassi and I's interest but we haven't really started looking into them. His looks similar to this but was a little different.

Yakster

A buddy that makes good espresso is a great place to start. They might be able to help you learn and decide if their equipment is something you want.

I've meet up with fellow coffee nerds many times in the past and it really helped me learn, much more than reading or even videos ever did.

Should be some Black Friday deals coming up.

WolfHunter909_

@Yakster said:
A buddy that makes good espresso is a great place to start. They might be able to help you learn and decide if their equipment is something you want.

I've meet up with fellow coffee nerds many times in the past and it really helped me learn, much more than reading or even videos ever did.

Should be some Black Friday deals coming up.

I just had my first espresso which was great paring with a large coffee.. Not sure I could change over to espresso after so many years of coffee..

ShawnOL

I creamed my coffee with Coole Swan this morning. Good stuff.

Olekingcole

@OmgFrigginMike said:
Hmmm.. obviously I haven't looked into this much we have just talked about it at home a little. Would $400 be more reasonable? I'll take a look at the grinder when I get home tonight and send you a picture. It honestly might be this one.

Ditch this and get a burr grinder and it will be a huge improvement to your ground consistency. Digital scale (essential) and a goose neck kettle helps.

d_blades

Really wish I'd bought a good expresso machine, back when disposable income was available. Haven't had a decent cup since I left Europe.

OmgFrigginMike

I watched those videos Yakster showed me and got overwhelmed with how much there is to making a cup. I hadn’t realized it was that complex I just want a good cup of joe. 😂

ShawnOL

Makes pipes and cigars look simple, doesn't it?

peter4jc

There are lots of ways to make great coffee, but it gets more murky when you want to make great espresso.

Yakster

Yeah, that's why 90+% of the time I'm just brewing coffee and not making espresso.

There's been a lot more quality hand grinders and portable espresso makers put out in the last few years that can make it more reasonable to get started, but sometimes if you know you want to go there "buy once, cry once" is the way to go in the long run. It's actually harder to make espresso on some of the entry level machines because of temperature inconsistencies, you can make a good shot, but maybe not every time.

A good grinder, a pour-over kettle (I use a repurposed stainless steel oil can with a gooseneck pouring spout) and a pour over device goes a long way.

Olekingcole

I use a French press a lot to make a lot of coffee not my favorite but works in the morning

Yakster

peter4jc

Not earth-shattering, but she explains things well.
https://youtu.be/w1lVxIXaG_w?si=mQb50JSeUzH5jUEk

Yakster

I found this video very interesting. I've enjoyed some Uganda coffee, but never tried the Excelsa coffee species from Uganda.

https://youtu.be/IdCTzS7PuQ0?si=6Kmaert2ge6WAK8N

ShawnOL

Having my iced coffee with horchata liqueur as creamer.

Amos_Umwhat

@peter4jc said:
Not earth-shattering, but she explains things well.
https://youtu.be/w1lVxIXaG_w?si=mQb50JSeUzH5jUEk

Very interesting. I'm glad you posted this. Years ago I started noticing that different coffees would seem to be a choice that said "Oh, I like this. Or, hmm, why isn't this what I expected?" She put some of that in perspective for me.

When I lived in Germany I found that the dark Jakob's coffee really did it for me. I must be a dark roast guy, I thought. Then, other dark roasts didn't do it. Why? Then I found a light roast Gevalia. Oh, this is great. But, the same thing occurred. I tried mixing the two, and if they were the brands I liked first, that worked. Other brands, not so much. So I started noticing the origins of the bean, maybe that was it? Arabica, etc., but that wasn't it either.

And so it goes. I mix and match, I never buy pre-ground coffee because I think fresh ground is always better. Some seem better more finely ground than others. I always do the slowest drip I can get from my coffee maker, setting it for 2 - 4 cups, even though I'm making more than that. Still, every day seems to bring an ever changing experience. I've never truly done the deep dive like some of y'all have.

So it goes.

Yakster

I picked up a small Douwe Egberts cup from a thrift store a few weeks ago to make small milk drinks. Today I tracked down all the necessary tools from storage and pulled out my Gaggia Factory, cleaned it up, repaired the drooping thermometer, and fixed myself a small cappuccino with some fresh roasted Brazil coffee. My milk texturing skills need work, but it was good.