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Audio Coffee, photography , other hobbies and the Audiophile mindset

Soniclife

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Are you sure that *you* and your taste buds are not the variable?

Would I not notice it with everything else I eat and drink? I'm sure I vary, and my perception varies, but the everything else control control group tells me coffee varies more.
 

iridium

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I love coffee, and I know how - the ins & outs. Great commercial machine, proper water filtration for coffee, great grinder, very Detailed cleaning of machine everyday, etc., etc. When we moved, I left it all behind. I would find the perfect or almost perfect beans, then the beans would change with the crop or the roaster doing things differently. Search for another bean; good, found it. Few months later NOT the same; over & over again. I gave up; too much time & effort. Life is short. The coffee was AMAZING when I had the correct beans.

iridium.

Amir or Thomas, can you remove the cross-outs?
 

Freeway

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An Italian coffee story.
Some 20+ years ago dined at an (supposedly) upscale Italian restaurant in San Francisco. Ordered a double espresso after dinner and it came with a twist of lemon peel. I asked the waiter for some cream.
The owner came out to the table waving his hands exclaiming that in Italy this is not done. No milk for me. I politely told him I was from Brazil (lie) and we put coffee in our milk.
Recently, I was fortunate to spend some time in Italy. On the flight over I fretted about what he had said. Not to worry. I had espresso minimum 3 times a day at different places, never a peel served, half and half everywhere.
PS - I do believe the owner was from Italy. Whenever I asked for Parmesan cheese for seafood pasta the waiters would throw up their hands waving just like him and try to refuse my request. I learned to say I was from Milan.
 
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gene_stl

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The reason my wife keeps me, is I get up first, and make the worlds best coffee every morning. I don't have a problem with consistency. I do everything exactly the same. A Bunn A10 coffee maker. Freshly ground locally roasted or Lavazza Italian coffee. 3 and one half scoopulas full.(before the grind) Melitta or Bunn Filter. 2/3 of a teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder in the pot. (buffers acidity and gives a chocolate overtone to the taste. Don't use cheap chonklate)
Whipping or Heavy Cream on the first cup. Half and Half on the second. definitely au Lait. An additional step for her is 35 seconds in the microwave. She likes it scalding hot.

You have to smell the coffee when you open the bag and also the chonklate. No aroma no flavor. (ie Hersheys powder)

I grew up in a photography family but I held off buying a spensive digital camera until Olympus came out with the OM5 MkII . It does a large series of tricks that I just could not resist. I like the micro 4/3 format. I don't do the kind of stuff that needs a larger sensor. (ie. low light and sports photography)
 

Mariner9

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Leporello

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I dunno... Do we genuinely love coffee, good sound, cameras or bicycles - or do we love our own image as connoisseurs in everything we do? Audiophile and coffee enthusiast mindsets are subsets of a general connoisseurship mindset.

Part of the syndrome is the FOMO, of course, the idea that there is always greater perfection to be had. If I cannot have the perfect coffee, it is actually better to do without any coffee at all. It is all about the dichotomy between maximizers and satisficers. In the long run satisficers may be happier.

As for coffee, I think my 100 € espresso machine brings about 80 % of the satisfaction a 500 € machine would give. And that's just fine. The remaining 400 € buys me quite a few authentic espressos when I travel to Italy - the real deal.
 

Wes

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My understanding is that an espresso machine can produce a much better crema than a capsule based machine. I will be able to test that hypothesis is 5 days when a refurbed Gaggia arrives here.

Capsules do have the advantage of keeping the coffee from degrading like a bag of ground coffee will. OTOH, some testing outlet (Consumer Reports??) found that the real issue with capsules was the low quality coffee packed into them (I use Peets capsules which are very good).

But there are different categories: a manual espresso machine operated by an experienced barista, same operated by a klutz, a super-automatic machine (which is programmed to do all the important stuff on its own)...

There are also different types of capsules. The newest has a bar code on it to program the machine for that particular fill. I dunno if those machines have adequate pressure like an espresso machine.

The above represents what I have learned after covid wiped out my ability to go have cute coeds make my lattes near the local university...
 

Frank Dernie

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I had espresso minimum 3 times a day at different places, never a peel served, half and half everywhere.
Wow, I have been in Italy 40 or 50 times over the last 50 years (mostly north and central) and only ever had a glass of water served with an Espresso, never any milk.
I have seen milk served with coffee but it was never called an espresso (all the base coffee will be made in the same machine though) the espresso is usually simply the one with nothing done to it.
An Americano is an Espresso with added hot water and milk is usually offered with it IME.
 

Wes

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ok, I don't understand why you would dilute a nice espresso with water?
 

Wes

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milk foam uber alles!
 

Jimbob54

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My understanding is that an espresso machine can produce a much better crema than a capsule based machine. I will be able to test that hypothesis is 5 days when a refurbed Gaggia arrives here.

Capsules do have the advantage of keeping the coffee from degrading like a bag of ground coffee will. OTOH, some testing outlet (Consumer Reports??) found that the real issue with capsules was the low quality coffee packed into them (I use Peets capsules which are very good).

But there are different categories: a manual espresso machine operated by an experienced barista, same operated by a klutz, a super-automatic machine (which is programmed to do all the important stuff on its own)...

There are also different types of capsules. The newest has a bar code on it to program the machine for that particular fill. I dunno if those machines have adequate pressure like an espresso machine.

The above represents what I have learned after covid wiped out my ability to go have cute coeds make my lattes near the local university...

I went from a Gaggia "proper" machine and grinder to Nespresso for several good reasons:

1. Speed- boiler based machines need to warm up so you are talking switch on and flush, *wait* then brew. OK if you can shower or do other chores, not OK if you are between bloody Teams / Zoom calls
2. Consistency- on a good day the grinder, the beans, the milk frothing, the ambient temp et al would combine to make a great cup. But just as often something would be off.
3. Space. Granted this isnt a huge trade but a big ol' boiler machine plus grinder takes up a bit more surface space than a nespresso plus milk frother.

Oh, and regarding crema- yes, a good pull from a proper machine takes some beating, but you get a decent crema from Nespresso every time.

Bottom line, Nespresso lacks the connoisseur factor but makes up for it in ease and consistency. I cant recommend it enough if you can find the capsule(s) to match your preferences.
 

Freeway

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Wow, I have been in Italy 40 or 50 times over the last 50 years (mostly north and central) and only ever had a glass of water served with an Espresso, never any milk.
I have seen milk served with coffee but it was never called an espresso (all the base coffee will be made in the same machine though) the espresso is usually simply the one with nothing done to it.
An Americano is an Espresso with added hot water and milk is usually offered with it IME.

Not served with, but readily available. Never a batted eye when asking for milk but a lot of shrugged shoulders when requesting a lemon peel.
I was relieved at the arriving airport's espresso bar that had those little chrome milk containers scattered all over.
Didn't realize the added hot water part, but only learned of Americano recently. Made me chuckle. Perhaps there?


Why ruin a good espresso with milk? Not sure why 'I' started to considering I drink my coffee black, I don't like lattes or cappuccinos and I'm not Brazilian.


ok, I don't understand why you would dilute a nice espresso with water?

How about some Cuban coffee. Thick sweet XXespresso in a shot glass backed up with a tall glass of ice water.


As a side note - While in Rome I ordered a virgin Mary. The waitress turned red, steam coming out of her ears . I thought she was going to slap me. My friends calmed her down and when they explained what it meant she was damn near roiling around in laughter.
 

Wes

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I went from a Gaggia "proper" machine and grinder to Nespresso for several good reasons:

1. Speed- boiler based machines need to warm up so you are talking switch on and flush, *wait* then brew. OK if you can shower or do other chores, not OK if you are between bloody Teams / Zoom calls

The big online coffee specialty retailer told me the Gaggia dual boiler would warm up in 2 minutes. I now have a Keurig and it takes 4 minutes.

Is your Gaggia old? I can return the one I bought but don't want to pay shipping across the US if the guy misinformed me.
 

Somafunk

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My sage espresso machine warms up in 15 seconds and is ready to go, double-double espresso first thing in the morning then it’s a mix of cappuccinos and flat whites throughout the day with freshly roasted beans from Unorthodox Roasters. I’ve used vastly more expensive machines and grinders in friends restaurants yet the consistency and extraction i get from the sage combination is remarkable for such a low entry into decent coffee, reliability of both machines over the previous 4 years has been excellent and i figure I’ve had 2000+ extractions and nothing more than an occasional group head clean with some sage tablets and a blind basket along with a 5min burr clean on the grinder. I do live in an area with very good soft water quality though so that help with reliability and extraction quality.

Over the previous years I’ve owned Gaggia classics (old and new yet inferior build), Gaggia Baby, La pavoni (looked nice and pro but shit extraction), kitchenaid artisan (Gaggia internals so subject to same QC, solenoid issues, poor water temp control, poor steam seals and steam temp control) and a number of temperamental grinders so I’m glad I’ve found something that I’m perfectly happy to continue using.

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Was into bikes all my life (still am?) but rapidly advancing ms has put laid to that idea for whatever my future will be, raced 24hr endurance, cross country, downhill, multi day stage races etc - I was a junkie for riding, didn’t matter what discipline I’d enter just for fun, shits n’ giggles and of course to win, or barf a lung up and turn myself inside out trying.

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custom built SOULCRAFT frame, best bike ever but preferred to ride with carbon rigid forks as below

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My f.u.ngrel aka the Fuc**ng Ugly mongrel cobbled together as a training bike for road miles, my original 1994 Marin Indian Fire Trail mtb frame, must’ve done way more 100,000 miles on this over the 20 years I rode it.

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Salsa Juan Solo scandium singlepeed, very light and fast bike, bloody good fun.

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Singular Peregrine, with white industries double/double chain set/freewheel so I could manually change ratios - one for flat and one for hills.

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Cove Hummer mtb built rigid/front suspension and gears - good bike to ride for hours n’ hours, very light n’ whippy.

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Kinesis Tripster gravel/adventure bike, brilliant bike, could go anywhere, do anything at any time exploring any path or trail mentality when riding this

Then as the ms began to progress I had to get this Scott E-Genuis electric bike below.

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And now this, I fitted a bafang mid drive motor and crankset to my cove hummer along with battery and thumb throttle as my legs are useless for anything more than standing up very briefly,

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Pennyless Audiophile

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Another example is a pear tree we planted. It is the tastiest pear I have ever had. But it ripens all once and in a day or two after picking the core goes bad. And the tree loves to drop its fruit causing them to spoil on the ground.

Did you buy at least two other type of pears and blind tested them? If you did, I won't be surprised ;)
 

Pennyless Audiophile

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Wow, I have been in Italy 40 or 50 times over the last 50 years (mostly north and central) and only ever had a glass of water served with an Espresso, never any milk.
I have seen milk served with coffee but it was never called an espresso (all the base coffee will be made in the same machine though) the espresso is usually simply the one with nothing done to it.
An Americano is an Espresso with added hot water and milk is usually offered with it IME.

I am Italian so I can shed some light.

An espresso is 3cm max coffee served in a small cup.
Double expresso is not a thing, you can ask a "lungo", "long" in the north or "alto", "tall" in the centre south coffee for 4cm of coffee.
An espresso can be "macchiato" i.e. "stained", with cold milk or hot milk. In the first case you will be given a small milk pitcher and you can help yourself, in the second case the barman will add a couple of teaspoons of milk foam to the cup.

An "americano" in Italy is made by using a large cup and diluting an espresso with hot water. Not exactly what it should be, I agree, but it is a sort of compromise because few people ask for it. If you ask for milk with the americano, you will be asked "caldo o freddo", "hot or cold" and be provided with some milk accordingly.

There is nothing like coffee with milk at the bar. At home, you can have a "caffelatte" which is instant coffee with warm milk. It is considered something mostly for the children, to dip biscuits for breakfast or a snack.

At the bar you have a "Cappuccino", which is a long espresso in a large cup with milk and milk foam; some also like some chocolate powder on top.
The alternative is a "latte macchiato" i.e. "stained milk" , which is a tall glass of warm milk with an espresso on top.

Espresso is good at all times, cappuccino and latte macchiato are for the morning, max 11pm or for the afternoon, but only on a cold day.

Arrivederci
 

audio2design

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I've never been a coffee drinker. Tea, yes. I just placed an order for 19 teas.

My wife and I use mirrorless m43 cameras for wildflower/insect closeups with macro lenses and for wildlife with long zooms. We have one bridge camera with 1" sensor and 25-400mm (35mm eq.) zoom for everything else. Neither of us has an interest in photography as a hobby.

We like cars that handle well and have good power. A VW GTi with 4 doors, 4 seats and a hatch provides utility without sacrificing fun. That allows us to have a 2 seat convertible BMW M roadster for more fun. We've always had cars that we enjoyed and never spend huge amounts of money.

I've been interested in music as a listener for more than 60 years ans in audio for better sound for over 50 years. I don't buy gear often and only after careful thought and research. I keep stuff until it breaks or my needs change.

I've spent far more on recorded music than on gear in the last 20 years.

We travel quite a bit and can be away for 5-6 weeks for places that are worth it. We don't have a travel budget but we keep the expenses down.


You sound like me. I have a huge selection of teas, though I am trying to cut down. No need for expensive equipment, a good $40-50 temperature controlled kettle and you are good to go. I do like thin glass tea pots though as they don't affect the initial water temperature as much. Got insulated clear glass cups for Christmas. My favourite thing to drink out of now.

We went for a 718 Boxster. It may not be 911 fast, but I would take the Boxster any day. We have a family mobile, and the toy hauler, but about as environmentally responsible toy hauler as possible.

A bunch of Nikon cameras, but have been shooting more with a Sony mirrorless. The compact size is fantastic for portability. It just gets used more, and image quality is on par with dx 7xxx series Nikons.
 
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