quote:

Originally posted by architect:

quote:

Originally posted by sgalczyn:
Doesn't your man-servant bring you just harvested-roasted-ground by virgins-coffee every morning like the rest of us?

No virgins around here, not for long anyway, but if one ever shows up, they can have a cup out of the Kitchenaid drip pot along with the rest of us.

Sorry, coffee snobs, the sooner you stop crying, the sooner you can get back to drinking coffee.

And I will point out that nobody has yet referenced cofeve.

That is funny! I wanted to mention cofeve on my last post, but couldn’t remember how to spell it correctly. As for virgins, if it isn’t good enough for anyone else...

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:
Darn this forum is expensive! First a good coffee maker and now I gotta buy a good burr grinder?

Depends upon how far down the rabbit hole you want to go One of my best friends used to roast his own, too

And, if you're really serious about coffee: Forget that drip coffee brewer nonsense. That's for amateurs. The only way to make coffee properly is with an espresso machine. For a Cafè Americano (what drip coffee brewers roughly approximate) you simply add hot water to the espresso shot(s).

Hario V60 + coffee server. The plastic ones make the hottest cup - ceramic sucks some of the heat. These filters work great.

Step up, buy the Technovoorm that is large enough and will it to your favorite child.

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:
Darn this forum is expensive! First a good coffee maker and now I gotta buy a good burr grinder? What about the ammo budget?!?!

Get a good grinder (https://baratza.com/grinder/virtuoso/) and you can grind the ammo............

quote:

Originally posted by NavyAgShooter:
Has anyone looked at the Ninja?

We have a Ninja going on 2+ years and it works great. Nippy uses the Rich Brew setting and apparently, it brings out the flavor of the beans better. I can't stand the taste of coffee so it's all hers. It takes about 6 minutes for it to make a full pot. I've learned that using filtered water helps keep it cleaner and she says it tastes better than straight from the tap.

I just couldn’t justify the cost of a Technovorm for the small amount of coffee I drink.

This Oxo got good reviews and I have been very happy with it. Almost two years now and works as good as the first time. It does allow for programmed use if that is a feature you are looking for.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YEYKK8U

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:
Darn this forum is expensive! First a good coffee maker and now I gotta buy a good burr grinder?

Depends upon how far down the rabbit hole you want to go One of my best friends used to roast his own, too

And, if you're really serious about coffee: Forget that drip coffee brewer nonsense. That's for amateurs. The only way to make coffee properly is with an espresso machine. For a Cafè Americano (what drip coffee brewers roughly approximate) you simply add hot water to the espresso shot(s).

Got spoiled last trip we made to Italy. The espresso was so darned good I just drank it straight. If I could make my own espresso that good...

If you're going to make your own espresso Italian style, get one of those stovetop espresso pots that the Italians use. It's pretty much like a percolator except for packing it with espresso grounds. I did two years in Naples and I never went to my adopted Italian grandma's house without seeing one of those on the stove.

Technivorm Moccamaster.

If you must grind, you probably want a separate grinder. We use a combo Cuisinart unit that I think came from Costco. We stopped using the grinder because it was so hard to clean. Moisture from the coffee brewing turned the left over grinding to paste.

I got a Baratza Encore in January. Wouldn't say it was quite, but it didn't wake up the wife the one time I used it while she was sleeping.

I use a Kuerig and refillable pods. That way I can use any of 6 coffees I keep on hand.

We swear by our Jura Capresso Z5, yes, it is expensive, bt you can find the on Ebay for a somewhat reasonable price. best part is that you can send back to Jura for a complete rebuild for $250 or so. We are going on 12 years for ours now on 1 rebuild.

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:
Got spoiled last trip we made to Italy. The espresso was so darned good I just drank it straight. If I could make my own espresso that good...

You can, but it takes:

• A proper (burr) grinder
  
• An adequate espresso machine
  
• The proper coffee
  
• Good water
  
• Practice
  

A proper burr grinder

We've been using a Capresso Infinity, the all-metal one, for years and years. While not ideal, reviews suggest it does go done fine enough, competently enough, to do espresso grinds. About $150.

An adequate espresso machine

This one is more difficult, as the landscape keeps changing. The smallest, least expensive of such machines currently available might be the Breville Bambino Plus. In any event: You're not going to get out of this one for anything less than around $500.

The proper coffee

Fresh, whole-bean, properly-roasted estate coffee ground just before it goes in the portafilter.

"Fresh" means w/in ten days to two weeks of the roast date and properly-stored.

Good water

Chlorinated municipal water; well water with heavy iron, sulfur, manganese; etc. ain't gonna cut it. All that stuff will lend an "off" taste. We filter our water with a Brita.

And you still aren't done. You need, or will want, various and sundry other implements, such as a knock box.

All this takes up space and, quite honestly, making espresso is often messy.

The best espresso I've had in recent years was that brewed by one of my best friends. His espresso machine cost over $2,000. His burr grinder north of $300. He roasted his own beans. He was a true coffee geek

Btw: Even drip coffee can be made so good you'll be adverse to polluting it with the likes of creme and sugar. Just substitute "adequate brewing method" for "espresso machine." It won't be as good as a true Cafè Americano, but it can be darn good. My true coffee geek friend found the coffee I brewed tolerable

Which brings me to the recommendations for buying a $350-$500 brewing machine, such as a Technivorm Moccamaster or so. IMO that really only makes sense if you're going to substitute that machine for the espresso machine in my list. Otherwise, what the machine will add to the coffee experience will be buried by the other flaws in the brewing process (pre-ground [stale] coffee, off-taste water).

I ended up getting one of the SCA certified brewers. Major limiting factors was between my wife and I's needs for morning cups a 10 cup carafe option.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So far so good except for the pot my wife made with some sort of flavored crap. That got poured out and a proper cup made. The cold brew is really nice and as smooth as my overnight cold brewed stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by Hedgelj:
I ended up getting one of the SCA certified brewers.

I bought the less expensive SCA certified Ninja Model CM-401 in December 2019 and it has been delivering flawless excellent coffee since.

I'd been hankerin' for an espresso machine for years and this thread finally prompted me to pull the trigger on a Breville Bambino Plus.

I'll let y'all know how it works out

Not to sound like a snob, but this has been the best coffee drip I've ever owned. I use a "smart plug" to set up the coffee times.

https://www.williams-sonoma.co...electrics-technivorm

ensigmatic- Jim, I sent you an email, have you gotten it, coffee related.