EdipisReks1

I’m trying to make espresso here.

I just about have my holiday weight gone, so my second best cat is doing grind duty, pour over and espresso. The Orphan OG is far and away the best grinder I’ve ever used. Nobody ever talks about them. Have they sold 12, or something?

I sure hope it’s resolved soon. Espresso is hard enough without that shit.

VST in the house. This is a radically different basic geometry and build from the IMS (ignore the size difference; one is an 18/20 and one is an 18/22). Honestly, just looking at them… I have no idea.

I just made a latte with the Breville that made me say “ooh,” so maybe I shouldn’t be in a hurry to spend money. The problem is that I had to pay attention, and if I’m going to do that I might as well use the Flair.

You know, I guess when you think about it, the Flair 58, Bellman boiler, and my Brewista kettle makes a pretty darned capable double boiler setup.

The other obvious option in the same space is the Lelit Victoria. Already has PID. I need to think about it. Heather’s birthday is next month and that is going to eat my fun money, not to mention coming off of Christmas. I think either is likely to be a good choice for my use case.

I think I’m just going to get a Rancilio Silvia to replace my Breville. Just the base one (though maybe in black; I don’t think I have room for the Pro, or the X, really). With the Flair 58 I don’t really need anything to get better espresso for when I’m being fancy-fancy, but I need something more convenient that is better than the Breville. I thought about the Bambino, which is much nicer than the Breville I have (mine is an old entry level, remember, from ten years ago: it’s pretty nice for what it is, but it’s what it is), but I want a larger machine that uses a 58mm porta and has more cup storage. I haven’t totally decided, but I think it makes a lot of sense, even with that dumb drip tray. And lots of upgrades for after I get to know the machine. Plus easy pressure modulation out of the box. Also: coffee setup art finally on the wall.

Too bad I had already steamed the oat milk. It was the most delicious latte I have ever had. 7 bar peak and a slow decrease for the Counter Culture Apollo, 20 in 48 out in 50 seconds. The tiger stripes aren’t channeling, in and of themselves: there was minimal channeling in the puck (the small dots at the edges) until it began to erode towards the end (where the larger spots start appearing, in the same places in relation to the earlier small spots: no puck has no channeling, and all pucks erode through the length of the shot), but you can definitely see where the initial channeling increases over the length of the pull. Notice that the “meat” of the shot doesn’t show channeling. I think this is a result of the grounds expanding and contracting and then contracting and expanding through the pressure release, as water is forced into the coffee and then forced out. The initial pressure opens the small imperfections in the bed, but then they close from 6-3 bars, which is about 40 seconds of the shot. When the pressure reduces enough towards the end they open back up. Obviously, visually, in the same places in the bed: no additional channeling happens during the shot. The rings are a result of the ramp down in pressure, and the pretty distribution is just because I somehow didn’t fuck up and the ramp down was even, and pausing for a tiny bit watching the gauge with each marking. Puck was as pretty as you please. I just love that you can count the ramp down from 7 bars pressure in the rings. I would call that minimal channeling.

I have heard some mumblings on a couple forums and blogs over the years of Clive shipping returns as new, and I’ve read some issues with support. I don’t know if it’s broadly true, but it doesn’t really surprise me, given that. I’m sorry, Greg. That really sucks. I totally forgot about your post on Chemex! I just have subconsciously been accidentally finding a YouTube video that showed this fold after reading yours.

Boy I feel dumb: if you fold a Chemex paper like this and put the thick side in the runnel it stays completely clear for the whole brew and you don’t get a stall. This is better than putting a chopstick there!

I just saw this. That sounds not excellent.

I’m proud of Heather: taking retention into account!

This is my second coffee for the morning, so I went decaf (Counter Culture Slow Motion). Oat milk macchiato made with the Flair and the Bellman. Was delicious.

I had a dream last night that I met James Hoffman at Square Mile, which for some reason was in an old broken down cabin. I left with coffee, but there wasn’t any under my pillow when I woke up. I think I might be watching too much coffee YouTube!

Made an oatmilk flat white. 22 in, 50 out in 48. 7 bar with a slow roll off. Jaguar from Little Waves. The shot looked perfect and I should have just drunk it, but I had already steamed the milk.

I find this roundup to be hilarious. Now, I don’t find it to be wrong. In no way shape or form is it wrong: it’s a good roundup! “Just buy an encore” is maybe the best coffee advice I can give. But, if you are at the point where you are having to wonder if a home grinder is “excessive for the casual coffee drinker,” you probably stopped long before that. I mean, if you are a “casual coffee drinker” you are my mom drinking instant, or you really like a “flat white” at Starbucks. I don’t consider anybody with an encore to be a “casual coffee drinker.” That fucker rules. My laughter was that “excessive for the casual coffee drinker” is both burying the lede and missing the point, applied there. Yes: the Sette 270 is indeed. Casual coffee drinkers do not need 270 points of grind adjustment. I don’t either. Now, infinite adjustment is good for the gander and the goose. Also I applied for a job at Counter Culture, today. We’ll see where that goes (nowhere, if they are smart, as I’m a nightmare). Just trying to figure out what I’m going to do in North Carolina.

That was a fascinating shot of espresso. I ground slightly too fine and pulled a little short, but it worked out okay. 5 bar, fast ramp up, slow ramp down, 21 in, 40 out in 50 seconds (including pre-infusion). 5 bar is more or less my standard on any machine where I can manage it with funky beans, and this one is certainly funky! I’m not sure it wants to be espresso, and I’ll likely not make espresso with it again, but I’m glad I did today. Making espresso with naturals is an adventure. I highly do not recommend it to anybody unless they are somebody I would recommend it to, in which case I highly recommend it.

I think, after I sleep for a few hours, this is gonna be in the Flair 58. I’ve been known to change my mind.

30 on the Niche seems to work fine on AeroPress (just made another decaf).

I do a 1350 or so on the OG for pour over, give or take a couple microns in burr distance . This is useful information, I’m sure. I did a French press for the first time in years a few months ago after Covered_ears goaded me into it. It was a delicious cup of coffee, but like, I ain’t got time for that shit. And I was merely startled, not burned, fortunately.

Makes me miss my Big Block.

After a long night.

Just made an Aero decaf. It came out tasty, but I got sprayed in the face with hot water: 25 on the Niche is WAY too fine for AeroPress.* I didn’t even know you could get sprayed in the face with an AeroPress. First AeroPress using the Niche. I have too many grinders. I have fewer than I used to! * assuming your Niche is autistically calibrated, as mine is.

Furniture won’t arrive from Japan for a little while, but I have this thing ready to go. Final polishing will be after sharpening. Paint in the engraving is set. It’s a very beautiful Konosuke Fujiyama Sakai white 1 that happened to be in a fire. Saya and handle (went honoki with a blond ferrule) will be another “Milky Way” lacquer job. Three polishes and etches so far. I’m very bored, obviously. I even took a Rockwell hardness reading (see the notch in the edge: 62 on C), as I didn’t know whether the fire would damage the temper. I guess I’m making another Milky Way. Took the hardness reading on the belly/tip since that will be sharpened out. It looked less nice when I started: one big ol’ lump of carbon and oxidation. This doesn’t mean anything to anybody, but this is the kitchen knife equivalent of completely cutting out brain tumor without hurting the brain.