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Coffee - do you and how do you consume it?

「 ✦ JIM ✦ 」 said:
I started with a Gaggia Classic a few years ago and fully modded it with a brass head, PID, flow control, precision baskets and shower screen. I also stripped the boiler and fully insulated it to improve temp stability. Turns out good espresso. Also had a Quick Mill Essence. Beautiful machine with the E61 head but it started to leak after a week and so did the replacement so I backed them. Not what you'd expect from a 2.5k machine. The electrics/wiring internally were similar to their (Italian) sports cars of the 90's, a total joke and not acceptable for this day and age. Couple of years ago I converted to a Londinium spring lever (Vectis). As long as you're into dark to medium/dark roasts at a 1:2 ratio its a total game changer and makes all pump machines taste inferior, even the likes of La Marzocco, Dalla Corte etc. There's literally zero maintainance too apart from replacing the seals once or twice a year depending on usage and can be done in 10 mins. The only mod I have made is I installed a solid state relay to switch on and off the pressure stat therefore taking the current load away from the small contacts. This will greatly increse the life of the stat.

Espresso can only really be as good as the grinder and the understanding of adjustment according to the conditions and beans used. I am currently using a Kinu M47 Classic which is a really sweet manual hand grinder built like a tank and a Fiorenzato F64 Evo. The Evo is a bit of a hidden gem and is used in a lot of Italian cafes. It's pretty noisy and wastes a fair bit of coffee due to purging but the grinds it produces are really really good and with the lever is one hell of a tasty experience. Fine espresso is an art form and the faff that goes into making a small quantity of fluid just makes it more enjoyable, for me anyway.

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Kinu is great. I use one (with the pourover burrs) for travel v60 coffee. (for expresso I use an ek43 and an odyssey argos)
 
RexrothPigeon said:
Kinu is great. I use one (with the pourover burrs) for travel v60 coffee. (for expresso I use an ek43 and an odyssey argos)
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Yeah, the Kinu is such a good grinder and very consistent and adjustable, a real pleasure to use with literally zero retention. An ek43? Very nice! What's the deal with the blade alignment? I read that they need some carefull adjustment and can be a bit of a pain to maintain, is this true? I would love one on my counter if not just for the look alone.
 
EJ3 said:
Good to see that I am not the only one that thinks that. I spent a lot of time in S. Korea between 2004 & 2017, many Korean's wanted to take me to Starbucks. But I never went to any Korean coffee place that was as bad as Starbucks. So I would say, why not lets go to your local one, it can't be as bad as Starbucks is?
They were usually surprised that an American felt that way.
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I have the Starbucks Verona pods to try - tastes like floor sweepings mixed with earth :)
 
「 ✦ JIM ✦ 」 said:
What's the deal with the blade alignment?
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I have heard that more recent ones are more consistently aligned. Either that is true, or I got lucky, because mine's been a dream from day one. It's also super reassuring knowing that these have stood the test of time, parts are super readily available, and pretty much any city in the world has at least a few people who can easily service them. EKs are tanks and I expect mine will outlive me by many decades.
 
RexrothPigeon said:
I have heard that more recent ones are more consistently aligned. Either that is true, or I got lucky, because mine's been a dream from day one. It's also super reassuring knowing that these have stood the test of time, parts are super readily available, and pretty much any city in the world has at least a few people who can easily service them. EKs are tanks and I expect mine will outlive me by many decades.
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Does it work well for single dosing? I would imagine so considering that the blades sit vertically. The issue I have with my grinder is the retention is quite high and there's nothing worse than stale grinds.
 
Found a pic of the Quick Mill I had to return. Was such a beautiful piece but leaked water all over the place.
 

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Found this old Caffexpress moka pot in storage. I've used an Aeropress for years, but moka pot may well become my regular coffee brew method. Seems the brand went extinct some time ago (1960s?).

The gasket is decayed (see photo of disassembly; photo of assembled pot found online). After each brew so far, there is gasket residue on the basket and funnel parts. I can't remove the gasket to measure it because it would no doubt crumble. The outer diameter is approximately 60 mm. If I knew the gasket size for this Caffeexpress, I could buy new silicone gaskets.

Because the outer part is all one piece, there is no seam between upper and lower parts like modern moka pots – I see customer complaints about leaks at the seam and advice to wind PFTE tape there. That is an advantage of the Caffexpress design. The disadvantage is that you must tighten down the knob at the top, else the pressure buildup will push up the basket and the pressure is lost. In turn that means you must peer down the spout opening to look at how much coffee has arrived into the top chamber. Sometimes it requires a flashlight to see. Most modern pots have a lid that you can lift while brewing is in progress.

There is no pressure release valve in the bottom part like most modern moka pots have.

coffee_Caffexpress_moka_pot_IS.jpg
 
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Need suggestion on a good espresso grinder that is below $300. currently have a Breville Barista Express Impress but it's been a chore to get the grind size accurate to hit the right brew numbers or tase.
 
It’s not world class, but earlier models have worked very well for me.
www.wholelattelove.com

Lelit Fred Espresso Grinder

The Lelit Fred Espresso Grinder Compact and affordable, the Italian-made Lelit Fred is an espresso grinder that will serve you well from the beginning of your home-barista journey for as long as you need it to. And yet, the Fred is a simple grinder—you turn the knob to adjust the grind size and...
www.wholelattelove.com www.wholelattelove.com

It is not a good multipurpose grinder. Its micromettic adjustment is very fine and takes about 3full turns to make noticeable changes. But once dialed in on a specific bean, I rarely had to adjust mine more than 1/4 turn. But trying to go to pourover from espresso? Hard no.
 
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