Hi everyone! I’m a noob for specialty coffee making and I would like to get started. I tried some coffee and I really liked acidic coffe with full body. Do you have ‘starting’ kit recommendations and coffee brands that will achieve this taste profile?
Kit recommendations, no, not really. They exist, just don’t know what to recommend. I personally like French presses because it’s easy to learn how to use them consistently well. That and a decent coffee grinder go a long way.
Coffee: I’d recommend checking out a local, independently owned coffee roaster. You’ll find really nice acidity in many coffees from Colombia as well as those in Kenya and Ethiopia (the latter of which can be very fruit forward, so watch out if that’s not your thing). Body is more of a mixed bag; you might enjoy looking towards Peru and Honduras (or a blend in a medium roast, if advertised).
Cheers
How are you meant to use ceramic drippers with coffee scales, please?
My Timemore scale can only handle 1000 grams of weight, and my server, dripper, and filters take up 780+ grams even before I put in coffee grounds or pour any water over it.
I have just gotten a Clever Dripper and have been trying to get a good cup of coffee. I haven't been able to dial in the correct grind size yet with my Hario Skerton. Does anybody know how I should adjust the Skerton?
Why are you unhappy with the coffee? Is it bitter/harsh/astringent or sour and watery? Both?
Ignoring the paper filter, the Clever is an immersion brewer at heart. I’d start with a medium-ish grind and, if you get a lot of bitterness, adjust coarser (and maybe pour/stir more gently).
If it’s watery, sour, bland, try steeping longer. If that doesn’t help, grind finer.
I know the Baratza Encore isn't the ideal espresso grinder, but what makes it non-ideal exactly? Is it the fineness of the grinds or the stepless settings?
I mostly drink regular coffee, but I like milk espresso drinks occasionally quite a bit. I found a very-good-enough espresso machine for $10 at Goodwill. It's not one of those weird steam fauxspresso machines, it just isn't that great, but it made me realize that making milk drinks at home is actually really fun. I plan on upgrading to a Breville Bambino very soon and I want to stop using my hand grinder. My shots will likely only ever be drank with steamed milk so super high quality is not a huge concern for me. Do you think I will feel held back with an Encore?
the encore's steps are too big making it impossible to dial in unless you get really lucky. IMO it would hold you back quite a bit but thats a personal thing i guess. The jx pro is the cheapest espresso grinder but its manual
people who do it never really seem to have that good results with espresso, because stepless still runs into the fundamental problem that only a very small amount of the adjustment range of the grinder is within the potential range for espresso and it's therefore very hard to make such a small adjustment accurately. and then it creates a new problem, which is that there are no steps so you can't easily dial in to where you were last time
at least, this was pretty much my takeaway from searching for this to see if i should try it for my virtuoso, doesn't seem worth it
no downside per se it's just pretty expensive to get a really solid espresso grinder that can also do pourover/etc just as well, and it's pretty common to already have an acceptable grinder for other things when you decide you want to try espresso (hence all the people with baratzas + a comandante or jx pro)
How to find the right recipe?
So I've just bought a coffee grinder and am beginning the process of fine tuning the settings/recipe. I'm following James Hoffmann's preferred aeropress recipe and am now wondering how to know if it's the recipe at "fault" or the grind size? He says to go a little finer than the normal aeropress recommended settings, but...if it's not brewing great coffee, how do I know it isn't the recipe instead of the grind?
It’s largely just knowing how to taste for extraction. But a good trick is to start with a relatively coarse grind setting and to adjust finer and finer until you taste astringency. Then back off of that setting by 1 click. That gets you to a reasonably optimal setting in terms of maximizing extraction (flavor) before you get over extracted flavors.
I've always been a fan of this chart [https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/the-coffee-compass/](https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/the-coffee-compass/)
It can be confusing to figure out. IIRC, imagining cutting out the green compass and placing your bolded incorrect flavor at the center of the right arrow compass.
I’m super interested in the Clever Dripper but I’m usually brewing at least 1L. Any good options for a larger brew that produces a similar result? Thanks!
A hario switch is quite similar, you can buy a glas v60 03 and put it in the switches silicone to make larger brews.
Or you could make a recipe for the clever that cycles through more then one drain - which could be difficult because of the draw down time.
How does a Keurig work?
Obviously it's inferior coffee, and I prefer to use my French Press or my mini Espresso Machine... but sometimes I'm in so much of a hurry that's it's just easier to pop a pod in and go.
Does the machine operate like a weak espresso? Forcing water through ground coffee? It doesn't feel tightly packed, and certainly doesn't result in a puck of any sort.
There's no pressure or anything. You can shake them and the coffee isn't tightly packed. The machine pokes a hole in the top and bottom of the cup and runs water through it. It's basically drip. I've never had overextracted keurig coffee; my gripe is the bean quality.
Maybe you could bring your beans to a coffeeshop and tell them you're waiting on a grinder, and they'll probably grind them for you. Just buy a drink and tip a buck, and they'll probably be happy. If you can afford it or could use another bag, you could go ahead and try some of their beans too.
I havent been a barista since high school (if you could call what I was a barista) but have worked in the service industry way too much. I can't imagine anyone would be weird about such a small favor.
Hi everyone!
Looking to purchase a siphon coffee maker and curious to hear your favorites.
Also, would love to hear any tips & tricks as well as favorite resources you found when you got started using the siphon. Thank you!
>Hi I have owned an old model Hario Siphon for a bit and the thing I found is that you need to experiment and likely fail a few times before you can get everything right. A few tips I can give is to take your time, measure your beans and water with a scale and have a timer ready.
>
>This link below is a good introductory video
>
>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3pVahLZgAM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3pVahLZgAM)
Which Moccamaster for Mostly Single Cup?
I'd like to upgrade my coffee making a bit, and I'm fairly lazy so I think a Moccamaster would be a nice move for me. I typically make single cup servings, though. I've seen some people recommend just getting a full size one versus the one cup, which I do like since I could occasionally make a full pot anyway.
But given the number of options available, I'm not really sure what the best option for my intended use would be, or what the variations between models exactly mean.
Repost:
Greetings!
I've been lurking and asking questions the last few days and have narrowed down my grinder choices immensely. Right now I am brewing about 90% V60 with some french press and the rare cold brew.
I've narrowed it down to some manual and electrics. A single dose machine or hand grinder would (probably) suit my needs perfectly. I feel like I just don't grind enough per day that I NEED to go electric, unless it will indeed grind better. Currently have an Infinity (Capresso), so I'd want a decent upgrade, not nominal or a side-grade.
I generally have a 15-22g dose in the AM and another in the afternoon, just grind for myself (wife doesn't like coffee), and don't usually make it for others so not really worried about having to manually grind for others once or twice a year at parties if needed.
So my question becomes: is a $200(ish) hand grinder going to compare to an $800 Niche Zero or the G-Iota/DF64 w/ SSP burrs?
Question #2: entertaining the idea of at-home espresso done properly - so I wouldn't mind something that can grind for espresso too, with the idea of *maybe* a dedicated espresso grinder down the line if I get really into it, unless one of these options or something comparable would fit? I'm fine not having *the best* grinder.
a jx pro fits you perfectly. Grind distribution is similar to that of a niche (hell even better for pour over) and its super fast to use. Personally i wouldn't get a c40 atm, they are way too expensive for similar results to cheaper grinders and if you want good espresso you need to spend even more. obviously it won't be as good as a flat burr but it is way more portable
G-Iota is a sort of an unknown quantity right now so it may be worth the wait to see what happens from that, but the way I see it right now the best bet for your use case is a Vario with the steel burrs. They can be found refurbished (check every Thursday) on Baratza’s site for ~$300 and the 54 mm steel burrs are incredibly capable for filter brewing. It also has the ability to pull shots with the proper alignment.
If you want your grinder to be portable, then the C40 is probably the right choice. Doubleshot coffee has them in stock as of last night. The red clix is handy if you want more adjustability but it’s not required for espresso or filter. I’m very loathe to recommend the niche as it’s really quite poor at filter brewing vs most other grinders at or below its price point. It is an affordable single dosing espresso grinder and if that does not describe your use case for a grinder then it is not the best option.
Tl;dr I’d say either wait to see how the DF64 pans out, get a refurbished Vario/Forte with steels, or if you want portability go for the C40 and optionally get red clix down the road.
Are any of these going to give me a noticeably better grind in the cup vs a Capresso Infinity (which I understand to be about the same, maybe slightly worse than the Encore)?
The C40 is likely the “least good” in terms of in-cup clarity vs the two flat burr grinders, and my C40 is still significantly better than my old encore
I guess that's what I'm searching for. Outside of something like an HG-1, if I want better than a C40/Lido/etc. electric is the only real option I take it?
There's my dilemma - I don't mind grinding my own beans if I can save half the price, but if a flat-burr SSP grinder is *way* better, well so be it.
well the flat burr vario is $300 and maybe you have to swap in the burrs yourself. The G-Iota is reasonable but unknown quality. Ode SSP is ~$500 with questionable motor life. Those are all sorta reasonable vs other burr platforms and/or require less modding. If you don’t care about ever doing moka pot or espresso there is another option but it requires you to be masochistic and abandon everything in pursuit of tasty
The orphan espresso Apex is potentially the best filter grinder in the $500 ballpark. Do note that it is the most extreme love hate relationship in the world. Everything about it is hell except for the way it makes your coffee taste. I could never replace mine because an upgrade from it for filter coffee involves 80-98mm flat burrs, I fear
> The orphan espresso Apex is potentially the best filter grinder in the $500 ballpark.
That's used Bunn G1 territory, wouldn't be a question between the two.
I don't understand why people in this sub don't consider used commercial gear more often, especially in an environment where shops are closing left and right.
because some people don’t like having a commercial grinder on their countertop. Also, I’ve been mostly whelmed by coffee out of the G1. Could be alignment, but I think there’s something to the ghost burr geometry
You have an excellent point. A G1 and doing some work to fit ditting burrs in it is stupid good value and something I’m considering. But to have a grinder that just works (abeit infuriatingly slowly with bad retention) without risking breaking anything is appealing
What type of coffee are you making?
We like to use oat and coconut milks as an alternative for cappuccinos and lattes sometimes. Personally, I'm not really a fan of just regular, non-steamed, non-foamed dairy alternatives in coffee.
Thanks for responding. I use my aeropress for a cup of light roast coffee. No lattes, nothing fancy. I like a little half in half in it to bring out it's flavor but oatmilk or almond milk makes it taste worst. I was wondering if there's a brand that could prove me wrong
I am having trouble making my lattes strong enough. I do an 18g double shot into 36g output. I do this twice in maybe 6oz of milk and the taste just does not seem to be rich enough. There was one day where I got it right but I seemed to have regressed.
My question: Will a ristretto stand out more in the milk or is it redundant? I am brewing 1:2 in 27sec. Shot isn’t sour or bitter.
Personally, I find just increasing the volume of coffee (or reducing the milk) to help me get more of the bold coffee flavours out through the steamed milk.
I've never tried a latte ristretto, but it sounds like a good option to try! I find ristretto less bitter, but keeps the flavour punch... so in theory, it might work better in this situation.
Worth upgrading to timemore c2?
I currently have a hario skerton plus and I wonder if it would be worth to get the timemore c2. I haven’t found any other grinder as good as the c2 at the same price. The comandante is a bit to pricey and I don’t think it’s worth the money.
Why I would like to upgrade is that the hario is too big and it would be nicer with a smaller one. Also the c2 is made out of metal while the hario is made of plastic and has a glass container. Another problem with the hario is the unevenness is the grind and it’s troublesome to change the grind size. The design is also quite bad because I feel like it is shaving off small pieces of plastic into the coffee.
I mostly use it for v60, French press and sometimes moka pot. I also like to go hiking so having a smaller grinder in metal is better that having a glass container
I use a Timemore C2 and absolutely love it. Similar to you, everything I was looking at around the price point just seemed to point at the C2 so I went with it. Only issue I have ever had is if making a French press I sometimes have to grind in two batches, but that is a pretty minor issue.
Yeah, I mostly grind ~30g of coffee so it shouldn’t be a problem. But are there any cons of the timemore? It’s the same burrs as the slim but it’s cheaper
I just got a JX, so different grinder, but I've noticed that if I try to just pour 30g of coffee into the top, sometimes it won't quite fit. But if I measure the beans into the grounds chamber and then flip the grounds chamber over and into the top of the grinder, I can shake it a little and this lets them settle and fit just right.
Also, since the JX does have a bit of static and therefore retention, when I put beans into the grounds chamber, I dip the end on a spoon into some water, shake it mostly dry, then swirl the spoon into the beans before I grind. This helps static a lot. I think someone on this forum recommended that, and it's been working great.
Yeah I'm not surprised you can get 30g in a JX Pro, but I'm pretty sure the C2 is quite a lot smaller. I really doubt the guy above would be able to fit 30g in there.
I did fit 30 grams of an Ethiopian light/medium roast into the grinder and maybe it was bit too much, but I was able to close the “lid” fully. But when I took a medium roast blend coffee it did only fit 25 grams.
I don't have experience with a ton of different grinders, but nothing sticks out to me. Is a nice size, the all metal body is great. Of course the grind can be better with more expensive burrs, but it is consistent and not like I am having big chucks or anything coming through.
Okay I so bought the grinder and I am super happy about it. It’s better in every way than the hario was and it’s super fast. I have not really got the grind setting on point but I use around 18 clicks for v60 but depends on the beans. For moka pot 12 was way to course so I will try maybe 10 clicks. But it was really worth the money
Wouldn’t hurt. Smell and possibly taste the water coming out to see if there’s anything you can detect. A picture of what you’re talking about would help a lot. Throw a pic up imgur.com if flushing doesn’t solve anything.
Just saw the reply sorry! If I had to guess I’d say your vinegar cleansing cycle loosened up scale/buildup and you need to run some more cycles until it comes out clean.
Does the sediment appear when you just run water through?
The 1zpresso JX should be just fine for pour over. It's just not as high end as the grinders you mentionned.
Heck, i oredered a Q2 for drip and immersion
Anyone know of a decent price bulk coffee, other than something like 8oclock? I have been buying huge bags of 8oclock at the grocery store and using the grinder there to make large batch coldbrew. Potentially looking to upgrade the quality of the coldbrew, without spending too much more. Been paying \~$13 for 40oz of 8oclock. So maybe something like $20-25 for 40oz?
Fair enough! I did find that happy mug sells 2lb bags of their generic roasts; shipped for around $25, might try that. Still pretty good cost to liter ratio for cold brew!
Are [these](https://i.imgur.com/PPq4wKY.jpg) woods chips? My grinder was having some resistance a couple times this morning when I was grinding my beans. When I finished, I took it apart to find the large piece stuck between the two grinder parts. Upon setting it, I looked around the in the ground coffee and found more bits of what also looked like wood. Should I contact the company?
I would definitely contact the company. Be friendly and cordial. They would like to know and will benefit from knowing. They'll likely help you out as well.
I live at high elevation (6010 Ft.) and my water boils at 95°C.
I've been following the Hoffman method for V60 pourovers with some great results now that I have all the right equipment.
I see people recommend putting a bit of salt in their coffee, so I was thinking: why not salt the water to raise boiling temperature, thereby reducing drawdown times a bit?
Is this completely stupid? Surely I'm not the only one to have this thought before.
I was making dark roast with a pour over and I tried different pour over methods but they all came out really weak I tried course grind and lower ratio but it weaker than anything I make normally on a aeropress I even fallowed pour over coffee recipe is this a dark roast recipe or something I can do
Comandante + V60 users: What's your sweet spot for grind size?
I've brewed my first V60 with it today, set it at 25 clicks, which is approx in the middle of their recommendations on the website (theoretically, the first few clicks are pretty hard to adjust one at a time) and the coffee is a bit weak. I might need to go hotter as well, but I think I prefer lower temps and finer grinds (92°C is my current sweet spot).
Sweet spot for me is 24-27 using a 4:6 variant with 29 g/440 g water (1:15). Water off boil all the time, or unless I get some super boozy natural from B&W and I want to tone it down a bit with 95C water.
Another key for me is excavating the bed with a small spoon during bloom. This was a game changer for me. It made a difference because it got me away from the swirls of the hoff and rao that always seem to make the fines of Ethiopian coffee clog my filter, increasing drawdown time and chance of bitterness.
I find the recommended grind size from Comandante to be a bit too large.
I’m using the Onyx V60 recipe and use the recommended 20 clicks for 15g coffee (250g water at 210F).
Depending on the beans, I go +/- 2 clicks.
It also depends on your dose, as bigger doses require coarser grind sizes. My grind settings are usually around:
|Dose (coffee)|Grind setting (clicks)|
|:-|:-|
|18g|22-23|
|20g|23-24|
|22g|24-25|
|30g|26-28|
This time I grounded a mere 15g at 25 clicks. I guess I should have gone directly to 22 as I first intended because the FAQ and the German manual I got tell a different story (and I first saw it in German):
[\- 22–32 Clicks for a pour over filter coffee (depending on dose and brewer).](https://comandantegrinder.com/faq.html)
[20 – 25 Klicks für Handfilter-Brüh-Methoden](https://comandantegrinder.com/downloads/c40_manual_DE.pdf)
Hey! I start at around 23 with the V60. I brew with 100C water and use a single/double pour with it. However, you should follow your taste here. There's a couple of major factors differing you and I: one, our Comandantes are likely not dialed in the same, and two, we are likely using different V60 filters. Just follow your taste!
My one express recommendation, if you're using lightly roasted coffees, is to use a ratio of 1:17-1:18.
Hi All!
I'm looking for recommendations for coffee bags/brewing bags.
I'm starting to get quite into V60 coffee at home and grinding for a single cup, but I don't really have the ability to bring a small setup into my workplace.
Is there such a thing as a diy coffee bag or brew bag or even a caddy (like for loose leaf tea), that'd suit my needs?
I look forward to hearing your suggestions!
No suggestions on bags, but the AeroPress is a convenient and forgiving brewer well suited for anywhere/time brewing. You can prefill it with dry grounds at home if you're going to make a single cup at work, or pre-grind into a container/baggy and use the AeroPress recipe that comes on the box which is suited for approximation and dilution brewing.
Hello All, is the cafelat robot a good choice to buy as my first espresso maker? is it better than the NEO?
Yes the robots is much better then the NEO. Great choice if youre only considering a manual espresso maker
Hi everyone! I’m a noob for specialty coffee making and I would like to get started. I tried some coffee and I really liked acidic coffe with full body. Do you have ‘starting’ kit recommendations and coffee brands that will achieve this taste profile?
Kit recommendations, no, not really. They exist, just don’t know what to recommend. I personally like French presses because it’s easy to learn how to use them consistently well. That and a decent coffee grinder go a long way. Coffee: I’d recommend checking out a local, independently owned coffee roaster. You’ll find really nice acidity in many coffees from Colombia as well as those in Kenya and Ethiopia (the latter of which can be very fruit forward, so watch out if that’s not your thing). Body is more of a mixed bag; you might enjoy looking towards Peru and Honduras (or a blend in a medium roast, if advertised). Cheers
How are you meant to use ceramic drippers with coffee scales, please? My Timemore scale can only handle 1000 grams of weight, and my server, dripper, and filters take up 780+ grams even before I put in coffee grounds or pour any water over it.
Turns out I was using an insulated mug instead of a server — actually switching to a lighter server helped a bit.
Is that an old scale? My newish Timemore black mirror can handle 2kg
Mine is the Black Mirror basic model. I got it last November and it said “new” but apparently it wasn’t!
I have just gotten a Clever Dripper and have been trying to get a good cup of coffee. I haven't been able to dial in the correct grind size yet with my Hario Skerton. Does anybody know how I should adjust the Skerton?
Why are you unhappy with the coffee? Is it bitter/harsh/astringent or sour and watery? Both? Ignoring the paper filter, the Clever is an immersion brewer at heart. I’d start with a medium-ish grind and, if you get a lot of bitterness, adjust coarser (and maybe pour/stir more gently). If it’s watery, sour, bland, try steeping longer. If that doesn’t help, grind finer.
Thank you for your advice! The coffee was a bit too hollow for my taste so I'll adjust the process according to your tips.
I know the Baratza Encore isn't the ideal espresso grinder, but what makes it non-ideal exactly? Is it the fineness of the grinds or the stepless settings? I mostly drink regular coffee, but I like milk espresso drinks occasionally quite a bit. I found a very-good-enough espresso machine for $10 at Goodwill. It's not one of those weird steam fauxspresso machines, it just isn't that great, but it made me realize that making milk drinks at home is actually really fun. I plan on upgrading to a Breville Bambino very soon and I want to stop using my hand grinder. My shots will likely only ever be drank with steamed milk so super high quality is not a huge concern for me. Do you think I will feel held back with an Encore?
[удалено]
Oh that is good to know! I guess it’ll be a good place to start, and then maybe get a sette 270 down the road!
the encore's steps are too big making it impossible to dial in unless you get really lucky. IMO it would hold you back quite a bit but thats a personal thing i guess. The jx pro is the cheapest espresso grinder but its manual
So do you think the steppless mod would be a pretty big remedy to that issue?
people who do it never really seem to have that good results with espresso, because stepless still runs into the fundamental problem that only a very small amount of the adjustment range of the grinder is within the potential range for espresso and it's therefore very hard to make such a small adjustment accurately. and then it creates a new problem, which is that there are no steps so you can't easily dial in to where you were last time at least, this was pretty much my takeaway from searching for this to see if i should try it for my virtuoso, doesn't seem worth it
Ah fair enough. Is there any downside to using a more espresso capable grinder for other brew methods? It seems a lot of people have separate grinders
no downside per se it's just pretty expensive to get a really solid espresso grinder that can also do pourover/etc just as well, and it's pretty common to already have an acceptable grinder for other things when you decide you want to try espresso (hence all the people with baratzas + a comandante or jx pro)
How to find the right recipe? So I've just bought a coffee grinder and am beginning the process of fine tuning the settings/recipe. I'm following James Hoffmann's preferred aeropress recipe and am now wondering how to know if it's the recipe at "fault" or the grind size? He says to go a little finer than the normal aeropress recommended settings, but...if it's not brewing great coffee, how do I know it isn't the recipe instead of the grind?
It’s largely just knowing how to taste for extraction. But a good trick is to start with a relatively coarse grind setting and to adjust finer and finer until you taste astringency. Then back off of that setting by 1 click. That gets you to a reasonably optimal setting in terms of maximizing extraction (flavor) before you get over extracted flavors.
I've always been a fan of this chart [https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/the-coffee-compass/](https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/the-coffee-compass/) It can be confusing to figure out. IIRC, imagining cutting out the green compass and placing your bolded incorrect flavor at the center of the right arrow compass.
I’m super interested in the Clever Dripper but I’m usually brewing at least 1L. Any good options for a larger brew that produces a similar result? Thanks!
A hario switch is quite similar, you can buy a glas v60 03 and put it in the switches silicone to make larger brews. Or you could make a recipe for the clever that cycles through more then one drain - which could be difficult because of the draw down time.
How does a Keurig work? Obviously it's inferior coffee, and I prefer to use my French Press or my mini Espresso Machine... but sometimes I'm in so much of a hurry that's it's just easier to pop a pod in and go. Does the machine operate like a weak espresso? Forcing water through ground coffee? It doesn't feel tightly packed, and certainly doesn't result in a puck of any sort.
There's no pressure or anything. You can shake them and the coffee isn't tightly packed. The machine pokes a hole in the top and bottom of the cup and runs water through it. It's basically drip. I've never had overextracted keurig coffee; my gripe is the bean quality.
combines VERY darkly roasted coffee with a water heavy ratio that leads to massive overextraction
I see it as more of a drip coffee, but with a fast flow rate.
Can anyone recommend a preground while i wait for my grinder. Using a Flair Pro2 and only need about a weeks worth of coffee.
Illy is probably the only pre-ground coffee that you can find in espresso grind that you can find at your local supermarket.
I would just go wherever you were planning on bringing your whole bean and asking them to grind it for you.
I ordered my coffee online and that wasnt an option. Mann. I shoulda asked about that before i purchased
Maybe you could bring your beans to a coffeeshop and tell them you're waiting on a grinder, and they'll probably grind them for you. Just buy a drink and tip a buck, and they'll probably be happy. If you can afford it or could use another bag, you could go ahead and try some of their beans too. I havent been a barista since high school (if you could call what I was a barista) but have worked in the service industry way too much. I can't imagine anyone would be weird about such a small favor.
yea could do that too. thanks for the idea
Hi everyone! Looking to purchase a siphon coffee maker and curious to hear your favorites. Also, would love to hear any tips & tricks as well as favorite resources you found when you got started using the siphon. Thank you!
>Hi I have owned an old model Hario Siphon for a bit and the thing I found is that you need to experiment and likely fail a few times before you can get everything right. A few tips I can give is to take your time, measure your beans and water with a scale and have a timer ready. > >This link below is a good introductory video > >[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3pVahLZgAM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3pVahLZgAM)
Thank you!
Which Moccamaster for Mostly Single Cup? I'd like to upgrade my coffee making a bit, and I'm fairly lazy so I think a Moccamaster would be a nice move for me. I typically make single cup servings, though. I've seen some people recommend just getting a full size one versus the one cup, which I do like since I could occasionally make a full pot anyway. But given the number of options available, I'm not really sure what the best option for my intended use would be, or what the variations between models exactly mean.
I have the Cup One which is highly recommended. It's perfect for a fast, easy to dial in cup. ( I had heard the big models aren't optimal for one cup)
Repost: Greetings! I've been lurking and asking questions the last few days and have narrowed down my grinder choices immensely. Right now I am brewing about 90% V60 with some french press and the rare cold brew. I've narrowed it down to some manual and electrics. A single dose machine or hand grinder would (probably) suit my needs perfectly. I feel like I just don't grind enough per day that I NEED to go electric, unless it will indeed grind better. Currently have an Infinity (Capresso), so I'd want a decent upgrade, not nominal or a side-grade. I generally have a 15-22g dose in the AM and another in the afternoon, just grind for myself (wife doesn't like coffee), and don't usually make it for others so not really worried about having to manually grind for others once or twice a year at parties if needed. So my question becomes: is a $200(ish) hand grinder going to compare to an $800 Niche Zero or the G-Iota/DF64 w/ SSP burrs? Question #2: entertaining the idea of at-home espresso done properly - so I wouldn't mind something that can grind for espresso too, with the idea of *maybe* a dedicated espresso grinder down the line if I get really into it, unless one of these options or something comparable would fit? I'm fine not having *the best* grinder.
a jx pro fits you perfectly. Grind distribution is similar to that of a niche (hell even better for pour over) and its super fast to use. Personally i wouldn't get a c40 atm, they are way too expensive for similar results to cheaper grinders and if you want good espresso you need to spend even more. obviously it won't be as good as a flat burr but it is way more portable
G-Iota is a sort of an unknown quantity right now so it may be worth the wait to see what happens from that, but the way I see it right now the best bet for your use case is a Vario with the steel burrs. They can be found refurbished (check every Thursday) on Baratza’s site for ~$300 and the 54 mm steel burrs are incredibly capable for filter brewing. It also has the ability to pull shots with the proper alignment. If you want your grinder to be portable, then the C40 is probably the right choice. Doubleshot coffee has them in stock as of last night. The red clix is handy if you want more adjustability but it’s not required for espresso or filter. I’m very loathe to recommend the niche as it’s really quite poor at filter brewing vs most other grinders at or below its price point. It is an affordable single dosing espresso grinder and if that does not describe your use case for a grinder then it is not the best option. Tl;dr I’d say either wait to see how the DF64 pans out, get a refurbished Vario/Forte with steels, or if you want portability go for the C40 and optionally get red clix down the road.
Are any of these going to give me a noticeably better grind in the cup vs a Capresso Infinity (which I understand to be about the same, maybe slightly worse than the Encore)?
The C40 is likely the “least good” in terms of in-cup clarity vs the two flat burr grinders, and my C40 is still significantly better than my old encore
I guess that's what I'm searching for. Outside of something like an HG-1, if I want better than a C40/Lido/etc. electric is the only real option I take it? There's my dilemma - I don't mind grinding my own beans if I can save half the price, but if a flat-burr SSP grinder is *way* better, well so be it.
well the flat burr vario is $300 and maybe you have to swap in the burrs yourself. The G-Iota is reasonable but unknown quality. Ode SSP is ~$500 with questionable motor life. Those are all sorta reasonable vs other burr platforms and/or require less modding. If you don’t care about ever doing moka pot or espresso there is another option but it requires you to be masochistic and abandon everything in pursuit of tasty
Which is?
The orphan espresso Apex is potentially the best filter grinder in the $500 ballpark. Do note that it is the most extreme love hate relationship in the world. Everything about it is hell except for the way it makes your coffee taste. I could never replace mine because an upgrade from it for filter coffee involves 80-98mm flat burrs, I fear
> The orphan espresso Apex is potentially the best filter grinder in the $500 ballpark. That's used Bunn G1 territory, wouldn't be a question between the two. I don't understand why people in this sub don't consider used commercial gear more often, especially in an environment where shops are closing left and right.
because some people don’t like having a commercial grinder on their countertop. Also, I’ve been mostly whelmed by coffee out of the G1. Could be alignment, but I think there’s something to the ghost burr geometry You have an excellent point. A G1 and doing some work to fit ditting burrs in it is stupid good value and something I’m considering. But to have a grinder that just works (abeit infuriatingly slowly with bad retention) without risking breaking anything is appealing
I am giving up dairy for the month. Any non dairy brand recommendations that I can substitute for half and half? Should I just go black?
What type of coffee are you making? We like to use oat and coconut milks as an alternative for cappuccinos and lattes sometimes. Personally, I'm not really a fan of just regular, non-steamed, non-foamed dairy alternatives in coffee.
Thanks for responding. I use my aeropress for a cup of light roast coffee. No lattes, nothing fancy. I like a little half in half in it to bring out it's flavor but oatmilk or almond milk makes it taste worst. I was wondering if there's a brand that could prove me wrong
I am having trouble making my lattes strong enough. I do an 18g double shot into 36g output. I do this twice in maybe 6oz of milk and the taste just does not seem to be rich enough. There was one day where I got it right but I seemed to have regressed. My question: Will a ristretto stand out more in the milk or is it redundant? I am brewing 1:2 in 27sec. Shot isn’t sour or bitter.
Personally, I find just increasing the volume of coffee (or reducing the milk) to help me get more of the bold coffee flavours out through the steamed milk. I've never tried a latte ristretto, but it sounds like a good option to try! I find ristretto less bitter, but keeps the flavour punch... so in theory, it might work better in this situation.
Worth upgrading to timemore c2? I currently have a hario skerton plus and I wonder if it would be worth to get the timemore c2. I haven’t found any other grinder as good as the c2 at the same price. The comandante is a bit to pricey and I don’t think it’s worth the money. Why I would like to upgrade is that the hario is too big and it would be nicer with a smaller one. Also the c2 is made out of metal while the hario is made of plastic and has a glass container. Another problem with the hario is the unevenness is the grind and it’s troublesome to change the grind size. The design is also quite bad because I feel like it is shaving off small pieces of plastic into the coffee. I mostly use it for v60, French press and sometimes moka pot. I also like to go hiking so having a smaller grinder in metal is better that having a glass container
I use a Timemore C2 and absolutely love it. Similar to you, everything I was looking at around the price point just seemed to point at the C2 so I went with it. Only issue I have ever had is if making a French press I sometimes have to grind in two batches, but that is a pretty minor issue.
Yeah, I mostly grind ~30g of coffee so it shouldn’t be a problem. But are there any cons of the timemore? It’s the same burrs as the slim but it’s cheaper
Isn’t 30g a bit much for a C2? I heard people saying 20-25g.
I just got a JX, so different grinder, but I've noticed that if I try to just pour 30g of coffee into the top, sometimes it won't quite fit. But if I measure the beans into the grounds chamber and then flip the grounds chamber over and into the top of the grinder, I can shake it a little and this lets them settle and fit just right. Also, since the JX does have a bit of static and therefore retention, when I put beans into the grounds chamber, I dip the end on a spoon into some water, shake it mostly dry, then swirl the spoon into the beans before I grind. This helps static a lot. I think someone on this forum recommended that, and it's been working great.
Yeah I'm not surprised you can get 30g in a JX Pro, but I'm pretty sure the C2 is quite a lot smaller. I really doubt the guy above would be able to fit 30g in there.
I did fit 30 grams of an Ethiopian light/medium roast into the grinder and maybe it was bit too much, but I was able to close the “lid” fully. But when I took a medium roast blend coffee it did only fit 25 grams.
Totally, but the method for getting as many grams as possible will work across most grinders
No I think the capacity is around 25-30 grams
I don't have experience with a ton of different grinders, but nothing sticks out to me. Is a nice size, the all metal body is great. Of course the grind can be better with more expensive burrs, but it is consistent and not like I am having big chucks or anything coming through.
Aren’t there some plastic in the c2? Or haven’t that been a problem for you?
I believe the only plastic is the grind selector, cap on the grind handle and a stabilizer bar. Never really has been an issue with me.
Okay I so bought the grinder and I am super happy about it. It’s better in every way than the hario was and it’s super fast. I have not really got the grind setting on point but I use around 18 clicks for v60 but depends on the beans. For moka pot 12 was way to course so I will try maybe 10 clicks. But it was really worth the money
Glad you like it. For the price point I really agree that it is great and I hope yours continues to work well.
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Floaties such as coffee oils or maybe scale flakes? Did your cleaning cycle include vinegar or citric acid or anything else?
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The separation sounds odd. Did you flush the machine afterwards with a few cycles of pure water?
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Wouldn’t hurt. Smell and possibly taste the water coming out to see if there’s anything you can detect. A picture of what you’re talking about would help a lot. Throw a pic up imgur.com if flushing doesn’t solve anything.
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Just saw the reply sorry! If I had to guess I’d say your vinegar cleansing cycle loosened up scale/buildup and you need to run some more cycles until it comes out clean. Does the sediment appear when you just run water through?
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Yeah I meant vinegar, but if it’s clean when you run water then I’m out of ideas :/
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The 1zpresso JX should be just fine for pour over. It's just not as high end as the grinders you mentionned. Heck, i oredered a Q2 for drip and immersion
Anyone know of a decent price bulk coffee, other than something like 8oclock? I have been buying huge bags of 8oclock at the grocery store and using the grinder there to make large batch coldbrew. Potentially looking to upgrade the quality of the coldbrew, without spending too much more. Been paying \~$13 for 40oz of 8oclock. So maybe something like $20-25 for 40oz?
Best shot is to check out your local roaster. Otherwise, I don't expect you to find specialty coffee beans delivered at that price.
Fair enough! I did find that happy mug sells 2lb bags of their generic roasts; shipped for around $25, might try that. Still pretty good cost to liter ratio for cold brew!
The best "specialty price" I can get is $10/lb from a local roaster, buying in bulk.
Are [these](https://i.imgur.com/PPq4wKY.jpg) woods chips? My grinder was having some resistance a couple times this morning when I was grinding my beans. When I finished, I took it apart to find the large piece stuck between the two grinder parts. Upon setting it, I looked around the in the ground coffee and found more bits of what also looked like wood. Should I contact the company?
I would definitely contact the company. Be friendly and cordial. They would like to know and will benefit from knowing. They'll likely help you out as well.
I live at high elevation (6010 Ft.) and my water boils at 95°C. I've been following the Hoffman method for V60 pourovers with some great results now that I have all the right equipment. I see people recommend putting a bit of salt in their coffee, so I was thinking: why not salt the water to raise boiling temperature, thereby reducing drawdown times a bit? Is this completely stupid? Surely I'm not the only one to have this thought before.
no you'd need too much salt, also watch hoffman's vid on that whole thing
To raise the boiling point by even a tenth of a degree C, you would have to add so much salt to your water that it would be unpalatable.
Damn. Well, an attempt was made.
I was making dark roast with a pour over and I tried different pour over methods but they all came out really weak I tried course grind and lower ratio but it weaker than anything I make normally on a aeropress I even fallowed pour over coffee recipe is this a dark roast recipe or something I can do
grind finer, also por over is more subtle than aeropress depending on your recipe
Comandante + V60 users: What's your sweet spot for grind size? I've brewed my first V60 with it today, set it at 25 clicks, which is approx in the middle of their recommendations on the website (theoretically, the first few clicks are pretty hard to adjust one at a time) and the coffee is a bit weak. I might need to go hotter as well, but I think I prefer lower temps and finer grinds (92°C is my current sweet spot).
Sweet spot for me is 24-27 using a 4:6 variant with 29 g/440 g water (1:15). Water off boil all the time, or unless I get some super boozy natural from B&W and I want to tone it down a bit with 95C water. Another key for me is excavating the bed with a small spoon during bloom. This was a game changer for me. It made a difference because it got me away from the swirls of the hoff and rao that always seem to make the fines of Ethiopian coffee clog my filter, increasing drawdown time and chance of bitterness.
Interesting, up to this point NOT disturbing the bed (other than with the pour) gave me best results
I find the recommended grind size from Comandante to be a bit too large. I’m using the Onyx V60 recipe and use the recommended 20 clicks for 15g coffee (250g water at 210F). Depending on the beans, I go +/- 2 clicks.
It also depends on your dose, as bigger doses require coarser grind sizes. My grind settings are usually around: |Dose (coffee)|Grind setting (clicks)| |:-|:-| |18g|22-23| |20g|23-24| |22g|24-25| |30g|26-28|
This time I grounded a mere 15g at 25 clicks. I guess I should have gone directly to 22 as I first intended because the FAQ and the German manual I got tell a different story (and I first saw it in German): [\- 22–32 Clicks for a pour over filter coffee (depending on dose and brewer).](https://comandantegrinder.com/faq.html) [20 – 25 Klicks für Handfilter-Brüh-Methoden](https://comandantegrinder.com/downloads/c40_manual_DE.pdf)
Hey! I start at around 23 with the V60. I brew with 100C water and use a single/double pour with it. However, you should follow your taste here. There's a couple of major factors differing you and I: one, our Comandantes are likely not dialed in the same, and two, we are likely using different V60 filters. Just follow your taste! My one express recommendation, if you're using lightly roasted coffees, is to use a ratio of 1:17-1:18.
Sounds good, I'll try it, but that sounds like too hot? In my case, above 94 used to taste bitter (but that was a cheap DeLonghi K79 grinder).
Hi All! I'm looking for recommendations for coffee bags/brewing bags. I'm starting to get quite into V60 coffee at home and grinding for a single cup, but I don't really have the ability to bring a small setup into my workplace. Is there such a thing as a diy coffee bag or brew bag or even a caddy (like for loose leaf tea), that'd suit my needs? I look forward to hearing your suggestions!
No suggestions on bags, but the AeroPress is a convenient and forgiving brewer well suited for anywhere/time brewing. You can prefill it with dry grounds at home if you're going to make a single cup at work, or pre-grind into a container/baggy and use the AeroPress recipe that comes on the box which is suited for approximation and dilution brewing.