Thread: Coffee Enthusiasts

Originally Posted by Speedster

Apologies for the super crappy cell pic:

Attachment 297524

That's fantastic!

If anyone knows of a funky espresso machine with "Cangooner" emblazoned on the side, you know where to find me...

Originally Posted by Cangooner

Had a minor tragedy chez Cangooner last week when my girlfriend accidentally broke my precious double-walled glass one-piece Bodum press. Tragedy and precious because when I bought it about a dozen years ago, it was already at the end of production. So a direct replacement will be nigh on impossible.

So, I'm thinking of replacing it with this:Espro P7

I like the fact that it's insulated (as was the late Bodum), and I seem to recall someone here had good things to say about the Espro. Did I imagine that??

Any other suggestions for a press that will last the next 12 years?

Since getting into espresso, I found myself using the press less often, but it was great to have that option when the mood struck.

Why don't you check out the auction sites for a comparable press? I'm guessing you'll have an opportunity to perhaps find the same as was broken?

Originally Posted by Midway

Why don't you check out the auction sites for a comparable press? I'm guessing you'll have an opportunity to perhaps find the same as was broken?

I've occasionally been keeping an eye out for years in the hope of finding a backup. No luck.

However - thanks for the reminder. It's time to look again.

Originally Posted by Speedster

Avoiding Starbucks, or any of the dozens of $5 espresso drive-thrus and cafes littering my city, led me to this wonderful 6000 euro purchase back in 2010. Worth. Every. Euro. Nothing like waking up each and every morning to such an amazing work of art, ready to go. No need to drive anywhere. I savored about 2 double espressos and a double cappa before dare doing anything else to start off the day. For whatever reason, home roasting never appealed to me.

Apologies for the super crappy cell pic:

Attachment 297524

Absolutely LOVELY machine my good man. It's funny, but I have no problem spending $6,000 on stereo equipment as a serious audiophile, yet I've YET to spend over $200 on any coffee device. I have to start re-arranging my priorities.

I am not a fan of the $5.00 designer coffees at local coffee shops. But if you are, then that's fine. When I'm in London, I enjoy stopping into "Cafe Nero" because I really like the coffee, the atmosphere, and the general vibe. Yet Londoners flock to Starbucks because Cafe Nero is old-hat to them, but Starbucks is relatively new comparatively.

Now, SWMBO? She's a die-hard Starbucks fan. Once a day, seven days a week. Not for coffee, but for their Hot Chocolate and a food item. I personally think I can make WAY better hot chocolate at home than the stuff at Starbucks. I do admit to liking their Flat White products. I have not mastered those at home yet.

Earlier in the thread, I posted my Moka Pot. That's what I use. But since, I have UPGRADED it significantly. Doesn't make any better product than the cheap aluminum Moka pot I had, but the copper makes it look nice.

We’re more alike than you realize, ZipZop. When the death of my Onkyo AVR led me away from my home theater bender back to my audiophile origins, I went a bit more overboard than $6,000. I started off with an Ayre CODEX DAC and balanced Cardas A8 ear speakers (oh, and power cable).

Then things got ridiculous when I experienced McIntosh tube amps driving my favorite speakers, Magnepans.

Oh well. Beats the $hit out of a comparably priced vehicle. My “golden age of the automobile” days died with the sale of my Cayman S last year. I really don’t miss the exhorbitant maintenance bills and insurance, but the 2004 Honda Odyssey is a frequently painful reminder of my past glory.

:Edit:
OBTW, that machine occupied a large chuck of my tiny 940 square foot duplex apartment at the time. Not owning a home as a single guy without custody of my children made great fiscal sense. The privacy afforded by a home would be nice but not worth the cost to me.

Gooner, sorry to hear about your French Press. That always sux to loose a great coffee pot/maker.

Check out this one from COFFEE GATOR I have a few of their products, not the French Press, and the quality is great!!!

Good luck my friend

Nope, go for this one from Espro.

Originally Posted by Speedster

We’re more alike than you realize, ZipZop. When the death of my Onkyo AVR led me away from my home theater bender back to my audiophile origins, I went a bit more overboard than $6,000. I started off with an Ayre CODEX DAC and balanced Cardas A8 ear speakers (oh, and power cable).

Then things got ridiculous when I experienced McIntosh tube amps driving my favorite speakers, Magnepans.

Oh well. Beats the $hit out of a comparably priced vehicle. My “golden age of the automobile” days died with the sale of my Cayman S last year. I really don’t miss the exhorbitant maintenance bills and insurance, but the 2004 Honda Odyssey is a frequently painful reminder of my past glory.

:Edit:
OBTW, that machine occupied a large chuck of my tiny 940 square foot duplex apartment at the time. Not owning a home as a single guy without custody of my children made great fiscal sense. The privacy afforded by a home would be nice but not worth the cost to me.

Sheesh! We ARE alike. My audiophile binge started when I visited my Aunt's home as a 14 year old. She was an inspection technician at McIntosh Labs. Yep, McIntosh. Her and my uncle had a McIntosh system that to my young ears was beyond comprehension. Neil Diamond's live album "Hot August Night" had come out, and they played the first side at what sounded like concert volume levels. I was front row center at the Greek Theater. That experience changed my life. I've been a McIntosh fan ever since, and an Audiophile in general since that day.

My personal journey truly began when I worked all summer during my Junior year of college just to afford a Yamaha CA-810 Amplifier, Yamaha YP-d4 Turntable and matching Yamaha speakers. I paid about $1500 in 1980 dollars. That's about $4,600 in today's dollars. I already had a Realistic STA-76 Receiver and a BSR turntable to Realistic MC-1000 speakers that I bought with lawn mowing money when I was a teen, but that Yamaha was my first Audiophile system. It's STILL an awesome system today. But I spend more time with my Mac equipment.

Thanks for letting me know.

Originally Posted by Cangooner

Had a minor tragedy chez Cangooner last week when my girlfriend accidentally broke my precious double-walled glass one-piece Bodum press. Tragedy and precious because when I bought it about a dozen years ago, it was already at the end of production. So a direct replacement will be nigh on impossible.

So, I'm thinking of replacing it with this:Espro P7

I like the fact that it's insulated (as was the late Bodum), and I seem to recall someone here had good things to say about the Espro. Did I imagine that??

Any other suggestions for a press that will last the next 12 years?

Since getting into espresso, I found myself using the press less often, but it was great to have that option when the mood struck.

Just bought an Espro. A bit fiddly but makes good brew. Quick clean up though.
Still learning it though. Bought on sale.
~Richard

Whoa, that’s a tremendously cool story, ZipZop.

A local high-end audio dealer closed up in 1990, affording me the opportunity to purchase an NAD amp (forget model number), Velodyne Servo 1200 sub (demo unit), and a pair of Magnepan SMGs. I cannot even recall the CD player I used. That system cost $2,000 and sounded great in my mom’s large home with vaulted ceilings before she sold it off after my dad passed from pancreatic cancer.

The SMGs became part of a home theater system couple with a used Magnepan CC-1 or some such center channel speaker that I got for a song on eBay. Well, actually mostly for the shipping costs from Hawai’i of all places. Small world? NHT Zeros for the mid and rear channels all stuffed into my small apartment unit. Lol

Thankfully approaching 50 years of age this month, my hearing is still extremely excellent. No amount of noise/distortion is perceptible from my current McIntosh system. However, it’s highly constrained by too small a room for the time being. And, my Speedster is in storage. Some day I hope to rectify both issues.

Thank god I wasn’t introduced to anything as fine as McIntosh back then. However, I was introduced to home espresso soon after starting off with a whirly-bird grinder and a $40 “espresso” maker from Krups. What a journey that was, and a friend joined me most of the way.

His Speedster is down awaiting parts from the Netherlands to repair his steam boiler element. I plan to bring this iPad over today or tomorrow and take some under-the-hood shots. VERY impressively constructed machine ALL the way around. The maker, Kees van der Westen, is both an amazing engineer and artist all wrapped into one and a truly nice fellow to work with at all times.