Thread: A Cup of Joe

I'm a pretty big coffee guy!!!
little bit of a coffee snob too unfortunately as it means its much harder to get a good coffee when out and about the place. At home I use a Breville BES900

along with the smart grinder

Although I can still make a damn good coffee on this one I prefer the big machine at the restaurant I work at. I love making and drinking coffee and when people steal my coffee orders I can get a little cranky lol
here is one at work

and here is one at home

So it has been a couple of weeks now since I took the plunge on the home roasting front. Oh, and the vacuum/siphon system.

First, the home roasting. Following the instructions from my local green bean dealer/enabler ( Happy Goat Coffee; Home Coffee Roasting, Fun and Easy ) I have had fantastic results. Ethiopian Sidamo beans + a hot air popcorn popper + about 5-6 minutes = really ing great coffee! The aroma is incredible, and the flavour is terrific.

The vacuum (aka siphon) system has also been great so far. It's a little more fiddly than the bodum press so I don't use it every day, but when I have a bit of extra time to set it up (and to clean it up) it has performed really well. There isn't a HUGE difference in the final product compared to the press but it is very good. Not to mention it's just kind of cool to watch the thing work.

I'm sure I'll splurge on a proper roaster one day, but so far this has been a cheap & easy way to add some extra enjoyment to my other favourite daily ritual.

Drip coffee maker died the other day so went old style with a cheap electric 12 cup percolator. Much more satisfied with the results from it.

Bob

My machine died this morning mid pot. Got the old one out for tomorrow with plans to scour the holiday ads for a new machine. Anyone have any recommendations for a new drip machine that does not use paper filters?

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I'm sure some of us here like a good cup of coffee.

So how do you make yours. You use instant or brew it with grounds? Do you grind your own beans or maybe even roast your own beans.

Do you use a Drip machine, or percolator or press or vacuum or maybe an espresso rig.

We all want to know.

Well, if you really MUST know...

Roast: I'm a home roaster, since 2007. I began with a West Bend Poppery II, but after a couple of years I bought a Poppery I, which I've lightly modded, and which serves me faithfully.

Grind: I have a 1972 Zassenhaus hand grinder, which I used for several years at home, then at work; but a few years ago I bought a KitchenAid KPCG100 electric burr grinder (in Empire Red).

Brew: I use a Bodum Shin Bistro 4-cup press-pot, which is just enough for a 16-oz coffee mug (with sweetener and Half 'n Half).

It's a hobby (can you guess my other one?). Not to the extent that some people invest themselves (personally or financially), but let's put it this way: I haven't drunk coffee "out" in five years. Not at Denny's, not at IHOP... and not at your house, either.

Originally Posted by rolodave

Anyone have any recommendations for a new drip machine that does not use paper filters?

The last two drip coffee makers I owned were made by Krups and Braun. I found they both brewed a pot superior to what you would get from something like a Mr. Coffee machine.

Using the same batch of coffee, I felt that the Krups easily edged out the Braun machine, but YMMV.

I used permanent gold tone filters with both of them. AFAIK, both machines today come from the factory with paper filters, but if you can't find gold tone filters at a Starbucks or an independent specialty coffee shop local to you, you can find them on Amazon.com for about $10.00. Just search for "Krups gold tone filter" or "Braun gold tone filter" or whatever brand of coffee maker you decide to purchase.

I figured I'd give this thread a little bump with my latest two additions to the coffee arsenal, both manufactured by GSI, the Javagrind and the Javapress:

Javagrind

Javapress

I used to take a little stovetop espresso/moka pot with me when camping, but this time treated myself to a couple of new toys. The grinder is surprisingly adjustable and I had no problem at all setting the grind I wanted. Not surprisingly I found that finer grind = many more cranks on the handle to get the required amount. But hey, having to work for a great coffee makes it all the more enjoyable. I was a little leery of the plunger and was half expecting to get a mouthful of grounds, but it worked really well.

Some nice looking pieces you have there Cangooner.

Since I last posted here the glass on my bodium 12 oz press busted so I thought I would give the 10 dollar Mr Coffee press at BBB ago. The press work really well and I was happy with the coffee it produced but in less the a month of daily cleaning the the screw to connect the cross plate broke through the plastic cross plate making it almost impossible to get the filter mesh to stay in place. So had to go back out a buy a bodium with a metal cross plate.

Originally Posted by Castel33

Since I last posted here the glass on my bodium 12 oz press busted so I thought I would give the 10 dollar Mr Coffee press at BBB ago. The press work really well and I was happy with the coffee it produced but in less the a month of daily cleaning the the screw to connect the cross plate broke through the plastic cross plate making it almost impossible to get the filter mesh to stay in place. So had to go back out a buy a bodium with a metal cross plate.

I've tried non-Bodum presses in the past as well, but have always found their quality sub-par and have returned to Bodum. The one I have now is a double-walled all-glass affair that is simply awesome. The double-wall keeps it nice and hot so the second cup is just as toasty as the first. Unfortunately they don't make them any more, so I'm always on the lookout for another just in case...