Coffee conundrum

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Coffee has been my first food related hobby, even before knives. In fact I just picked up a Lelit Bianca this weekend to replace my Domobar Super. I've been roasting for a long time too, although I'll occasionally buy some roasted espresso beans.
After reading the initial and recent posts, for a machine nothing beats a Technivorm. For a grinder shoot for a hand grinder to limit noise and its effective and easily storeable.
I have more coffee equipment and beans than I care to share, anyone can PM me with questions.
 
AFKitchenknivesguy said:
In fact I just picked up a Lelit Bianca this weekend to replace my Domobar Super.
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Is this your first machine with pressure profiling? I'm months away, at the very least, but I've been thinking about replacing my old Quickmill Anita with a dual-boiler, rotary pump, PID-controlled, etc, etc, and I'm seeing the pressure control as a $200-300 option on some of the machines that I'm considering (ECM/Profitech, etc). I'm undecided on whether it'd be novelty for me, one that would wear off quickly, or if I'd come down with a case of FOMO if I didn't spend the money on it (though I'm assuming that it wouldn't be that much more expensive or difficult to install after the fact).
 
WPerry said:
Is this your first machine with pressure profiling? I'm months away, at the very least, but I've been thinking about replacing my old Quickmill Anita with a dual-boiler, rotary pump, PID-controlled, etc, etc, and I'm seeing the pressure control as a $200-300 option on some of the machines that I'm considering (ECM/Profitech, etc). I'm undecided on whether it'd be novelty for me, one that would wear off quickly, or if I'd come down with a case of FOMO if I didn't spend the money on it (though I'm assuming that it wouldn't be that much more expensive or difficult to install after the fact).
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Yeah, it is. I'm weak when it comes to new widgets. The machine gets great ratings too.
 
AFKitchenknivesguy said:
Yeah, it is. I'm weak when it comes to new widgets. The machine gets great ratings too.
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Very cool. If you'd be so kind, check back in with your thoughts after you've got a good feel for it. Part of me likes to tinker, but part of me likes to KISS. Profiling like this might be a nice compromise between my traditional E61 box and something like a DE1 that might just drive me crazy with options.
 
WPerry said:
Very cool. If you'd be so kind, check back in with your thoughts after you've got a good feel for it. Part of me likes to tinker, but part of me likes to KISS. Profiling like this might be a nice compromise between my traditional E61 box and something like a DE1 that might just drive me crazy with options.
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No problem, years ago I picked up a Mazzer Major i haven't used yet. Should be a great match.
 
I have only tried pressure profiling on a la marzocco strada, but I did not think it improved anything really. Ymmv.
 
tsss, a major going unused, blasphemy!;) I'm currently using one with SSP red speed burrs to go with my Urania, no pressure profiling needed here, double ristretto's do me fine.
 
Mazzer Majors should only be bought second hand, at around the price of the hefty aluminium body!
Mine is at least 25 years old but these things are built like tanks, together with the SSP burrset it'll outlive me.
 
I've got a Mazzer Mini, as well. Needs a new set of burrs. Trying to decide among: direct replacement of the burrs (cheapest), replacing with Super Jolly burrs/carrier (more expensive), and getting a new Niche Zero (most expensive, but then I could sell the Mini). The single dose aspect does seem pretty appealing to me, so that I could switch beans more readily, etc.
 
try ditching the hopper , shove a tube in the throat and start using a microhopper...I'm doing that and load with enough beans for a couple of shots but enough the preload the burrs with enough weight to grind evenly. I hate single dosing because you either have to put up with a grind that varies from beginning to end, OR have to load the beans one by one....
My vote would be on the SJ carrier and some SSP burrs IF your mini has the torque (whatever you do don't get the three phase burrs)
 
I've tried not to fall too deep down the coffee rabbit hole, which is a little easier because I'm not into espresso. My wife and I just drink a couple cups of very strong American coffee in the mornings. I've been very happy with the Technivorm Moccamaster drip machine I bought last year, and a Baratza Encore grinder.

There is one upgrade I'd really like though, and that's an automatic weight-based grinder like the Baratza Vario-W. I grind by weight every morning, 65 grams measured on a small digital scale before it goes in the Encore hopper. I could simplify my morning routine by just using a marker on the hopper but I like using the weight method for consistency and comparing different beans from the local roasting company.

A weight-based grinder would make for a few less steps on those bleary hangover mornings when I just want my coffee ASAP. On the other hand, I'm not sure I can sneak a new $550 Vario-W grinder into the house past my wife, when the Encore works fine. Is there anything else I should be looking at, or are all the weight-based grinders up in that price range? I need at least an 8oz hopper like the Baratza for times when I'm brewing a larger batch for guests.
 
You can also put a timer on your grinder, I'm using an old 80ies darkroom timer (yeah I know how that sounds) that automatically cuts power after the 6 or so seconds it takes to grind a double. Adjustable to like 0.2 gram accuracy.
 
I might get kicked if this is a coffee forum. I’ve been making steam force-dripped coffee from expresso machine using corse grind, possibly making enemies with both camp? To me, 2-shot Americano style gives better tasting coffee than drip, with expresso foam but without bitterness.

However, I discovered that most expresso makers use aluminum boiler, & slowly dissolved aluminum is toxic to the brain. After a long search, I finally found a replacement with stainless boiler: De’Longhi ECP3220W 15 bar expresso machine. Loving it so far, this is not a high-end machine, but I am drinking Americano aluminum-free.
 
Yes, I am at the entry level, most boilers are aluminum.

I could be wrong but I’d imagine most coffee drinkers from knife forums are at this level, fewer are in the hobby level with expensive machines?
 
Yeah, I would think (hope?) that the vast majority of espresso machines, ones that count on pumps rather than steam pressure, use either copper or stainless boilers.
 
Look up the Cafelat Robot, simple, not even a pump and you can get espresso (without the x) from it that is pn par with the best machines avalable.
 
I can see how a low Rpm power grinder is good esp. when grinding large amount of beans.

On occasions where have company fill the small hopper on hand grinder full grind and add some more beans.

Just for two of us one full hopper load of fresh Kona beans is perfect for strong cup of American coffee.

I look at the steel grinding gears they will last longer 7 years already and are functional mechanical art.
 
AT5760 said:
Thanks! My wife complains about the noise of the grinder, so I'm usually hunkered down in the basement getting my coffee ground so that I don't wake her or the kids. Not exactly that "morning ritual" that some people talk about, but it's a lot better than getting a bag of pre-ground, burnt garbage from the grocery store.
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I’ve found that most of the noise is transmitted through the counter. I pick up my entire grinder and hold it during the morning grinding to spare the neighbors and my wife. My wife can’t hear it through the walls anymore.
 
Steel grinding gears on Camano good for many more years. New ones have ceramic gears no way last as long.

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ian said:
I’ve found that most of the noise is transmitted through the counter. I pick up my entire grinder and hold it during the morning grinding to spare the neighbors and my wife. My wife can’t hear it through the walls anymore.
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I have a silicone mat under my grinder (Ikea), that indeed cuts noise in half.
 
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ma_sha1 said:
Yes, I am at the entry level, most boilers are aluminum.

I could be wrong but I’d imagine most coffee drinkers from knife forums are at this level, fewer are in the hobby level with expensive machines?
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I could be wrong but I would expect more folks on this forum to also dive in other rabbit holes such as espresso, I recognize a few nicks from the HB forum if I ain't misstaken. Still, life is too short to drink bad coffee, and even with very little investment you can get to very very good coffee....buy a used pro grinder, those pop up regularly for around 150, get a vintage lever, those go for anything from as low as 300 to the sky is the limit (think Unicorns), buy from a decent roaster and practice a bit.

Same as with knives, once you know how it can cut/taste/etc.....
 
Loving my 1zpresso K-plus grinder.

Hand grind 25g of beans for my v60 in 35 seconds
Hand grind 18g of beans for an espresso in 45 seconds.

Way, way more accurate than my old machine grinder and barely requires any effort.
 
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MarcelNL said:
I could be wrong but I would expect more folks on this forum to also dive in other rabbit holes such as espresso, I recognize a few nicks from the HB forum if I ain't misstaken. Still, life is too short to drink bad coffee, and even with very little investment you can get to very very good coffee....buy a used pro grinder, those pop up regularly for around 150, get a vintage lever, those go for anything from as low as 300 to the sky is the limit (think Unicorns), buy from a decent roaster and practice a bit.

Same as with knives, once you know how it can cut/taste/etc.....
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Was researching this. We are only two she liked the straight espresso coffee in Italy.

We don't use milk

Was looking at La Paroni EPC 8 cup Lever espresso machine chrome.

Might have to get diff. Grinder mine is too much work for fine grind.
 
MarcelNL said:
You can also put a timer on your grinder, I'm using an old 80ies darkroom timer (yeah I know how that sounds) that automatically cuts power after the 6 or so seconds it takes to grind a double. Adjustable to like 0.2 gram accuracy.
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That could remove the "weight it on a scale" step after some careful calibration, but I've gotten fanatical about wanting to know the exact weight of beans going into the grinder, when exploring different beans from the local roaster. It's one way to limit variables -- just grind by weight and compare. Different beans will grind at different speeds depending on bean size, roast intensity, and density

The timer method is great if you've settled on a bean source and roast and don't want to change it, just looking for consistency. Personally, I'm still enjoying the "hunt" and using weight gives me a fixed measuring point for comparisons.
 
WPerry said:
Yeah, I would think (hope?) that the vast majority of espresso machines, ones that count on pumps rather than steam pressure, use either copper or stainless boilers.
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I have a decade old Vibiemme Domobar (bought new) and I believe it has a copper boiler too. Great machine, simple and effective.
 
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