Thread: Coffee Enthusiasts

Has anyone heard of or tried Topeca Coffee? It is roasted here in Tulsa by a friend and very well respected in coffee circles. They put on training classes on all aspects of coffee where people come in from all over the world to attend.

Here is a link:

https://topecacoffee.com/

I have been drinking it exclusively for years! Great Stuff!

Has anyone tried roasting coffee in an oldish steel popcorn cooker
on an induction plate?

Some of the induction plates have decent temperature controls
and sensors. Since they work on iron and steel I was not
quite seeing the inventors light go on strong but the bright flicker
of an idea seems to be at hand.

A single burner induction plate at the end of an construction grade extension cord
outside where the smoke is easy to manage seems possible.

My local commercial roaster is good enough and close enough that I am
more curious than anything at this point. I walked in today and he had
just dumped 20# of freshly roasted beans to cool. The 'smoke' had cleared ...
and the roasting room smelled marvelous.

When it comes to coffee roasting the means is only limited by your imagination.

I don't see why an induction plate wouldn't work. As long as the pot heats uniformly and you have good temp control that's all you need.

You don't even need a popcorn cooker. You could use a frying pan just be prepared to stand there and move the beans around constantly.

Well as I sit here enjoying a really good cup of coffee, that was just made in my Chemex pour over coffee pot, still browsing grinders and espresso machines I'm still really considering this.
Now I love espresso and the wife loves her cappucinno, and I've read tons of reviews, watched videos, browsed sites and still not sure what to spend. Maybe get a second mortgage?

No seriously, I'm thinking about a Quick Mill Sivano and a Vario-W Flat Burr Grinder. This pair will still stay in the budget of under $2,000 coming in around $559 for the grinder and $1,075 in box or $899 open box for the espresso machine. Now the machine is a double boiler and was given a pretty high review on Home-Barrista. Which compared it to a much higher end machine. Also the grinder has a weight adjustment for the proper amount to be ground for either espresso or cappucinno. I think this is a big bonus. But that's just me thinking again lol

So still considering the purchase and need to really weigh the options. I love espresso, but am I going to use this enough to justify such a purchase.

By the way, the coffe I roasted and am enjoying this morning is Rwanda Bourbon Nyamagabe Karambi, and honsetly one of the best coffee's I've ever had. Smooth and a nice full flavor

Nice looking Italian made kit Dave. Very retro looking but still screams serious coffee.
Mine has a double boiler as well, but is an AIO unit with ceramic grinder and self tamping brew group built in.
Just did an o-ring overhaul on ours last month actually, after many hundreds of pulls.
Cannot undervalue the worth of a great cup of joe.

Sounds like an awesome set up there Mike

And yes sir, a good cup of joe starts the day off right

In my former home; I have had as many as three commercial machines on the counter top plus a few home machines and grinders galore..traded, and swapped, and bought what I could afford to try. After many years, I have decided to downsize. Small apartment doesn't leave room for much. So...this group plus an Aeropress is my legacy to my kids when I leave. This could my final setup....maybe!

All except the Vario "Sette" have been with me for years. I know them well! Each has given great service with little maintenance. The Sette has already shown its quality for my brewing pleasure; I bought the machine because of its single dosing ability and therefore less coffee waste.

Here I sit with a sappy smile on my face and the remains of an 8oz Latte Macchiato on the desk. Life is good!
May you all enjoy it!
~Richard
PS. Look for bundled grinder and Machine of the websites of various vendors. That may save you a significant amount of money!

Thanks Richard!!

Dang you sure have the set up. And I cannot thank you enough for your input and guidance in this endeavor of mine.
I've looked, and I'm trying to by as local as possible. At least in my state. And the one thing I can say about the gent I'm dealing with, he's been a great help and isn't trying to push me towards spending more than I want. As well he seems to know his products well. I'm still looking, but these two seem to fit my needs and space.

OK, now that I've seen, and read and watched videos about them. What is your opinions about lever machines?
These things are works of art in my opinion. Now I understand the time and brewing differences. But I can deal with them I believe. I won't be pulling a lot of shots, and I see you can make a bit more volume when using another nontraditional method.

I'm looking at the Microcasa a Leva

Opinions????

Originally Posted by Dieseld

OK, now that I've seen, and read and watched videos about them. What is your opinions about lever machines?
These things are works of art in my opinion...snip...I'm looking at the Microcasa a Leva
Opinions????

As opposed to the manual lever machine where the operator has to adjust the pull to each shot. Not a bad thing!
A spring lever like the Microcasa has is a nice feature, allowing the internal spring to do the actual pull which makes the tamp the only thing to work on. It also allows a person to vary the the pull, pressure/ speed of the shot by retarding or adding pressure to the lever while the spring does the work.
More:By a well known reviewer, Mark Prince. Microcasaleva
Yes, a work of art and long known for quality of build and performance..


If I had the money back when, and was not able to buy a rebuilt Cremina for half that cost, I might have one myself! I was able to buy and rebuild quite a few machines and settled upon the one I have.
JMO, YMMV!
~Richard/ Espressme