EdipisReks1

I don’t think I posted this. I’m going to scan it and have it framed to go over my coffee bar, I think. Yeah, yeah, yeah: I’m a Hoffman fanboy, I’m aware. His videos got me back into coffee after a few years of being disinterested, so I’ll wear that fanboy-ism on my sleeve. Or in a frame on my wall, anyway. Also it’s a Balac, and his New Yorker covers are pretty wonderful.

Flair 58 finally shipped! Once I get it I can decide on the next espresso machine, I guess.

Hey, Clive is great too, and that’s a nice promotion! French Press is another store I’ve bought from. I get Prima stuff next day, though. BTW: I really like the Crema coffee palm tamper/distributors. I like them enough that I have it in four sizes for my various setups. Highly recommended. I would also get a precision basket. I like IMS, but this is a lot less important than a good tamp.

Also, I don’t know if you have bought from Prima before: they rule. Also pretty local to me (I haven’t been to the current location, though). In other coffee news, if anybody is interested in a small drip machine that attempts to replicate a pour over, more or less, I’ll let you know how the Zojirushu Zutto is after Christmas. Heather had complained about the quality of coffee at her college (apparently the Ember travel mug I got her isn’t enough for 10 hours of lecture: go figure), but I also know she doesn’t have a ton of room in her office. The Zutto really looks like a baby version of the Bonavita. I figure she’ll mostly use pre ground coffee, or grind at home, but a Hario Electric Solo and a Mini Slim Plus should take care of any grinding needs. The Solo shouldn’t have the issues with grinding for filter that I experienced when trying to grind espresso with the Option-O. I think it’ll be a nice small setup. Will replace some piece of shit Mr. Coffee or whatever. I’ve ruined her for coffee; when I met her she eyeballed an amount of whatever she got from Trader Joe’s and hoped for the best. It was… well, it was coffee.

I’d go for it, Sam!

So this arrived today.

The best of his vids.

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Not quite yet, but gonna drive up to Dayton National. Yesterday was my dad’s birthday. I have a little note from me and my mom to put there. We’re past the anger. My mom would go with me, but she has physical difficulties.

Oh, I’ve thought about it. I promised my partner I wouldn’t spend that much. Ordering the Niche instead of the Option-O Lagom P64 freed up some money for the machine, though not enough for that!

That’s what I’m afraid of, and why I haven’t gotten one.

I just pulled a shot with my 10 year old Breville that none of my local shops could have pulled. Like Dan said, different priorities: I pull one shot a day, typically. I know my machine inside and out, and I think I have the grinder dialed in for this bean. I used the Lunar. You don’t have to have a fancy scale like this (I barely use the smart features; maybe someday), but I do think a scale is important for consistent shots. To me, the first step isn’t so much in the equipment, it’s making a whole bunch of bad espresso. Then after you figure out how to make bad espresso, do the opposite.

Sam, if you use the Pearl (it’s a great scale) with an espresso machine, make sure the machine you choose has a large enough drip tray and enough clearance below the portafilter.

The Bambino is a good machine, but it’s not in this same class as the other ones. It’s better than my Breville, and will make very good coffee, though. I like Acaia scales. You’ll definitely want scales. The Lunar is probably the best bet if you buy just one (I have a Pearl, Pyxis, and the Lunar).

I mean, that looks pretty great.

Well, one inch might as well be a mile! I’m not sure what would be less tall with a similar specification. I’ll look.

I figure that for every 1 report of a failure on an industrially made device there are 100,000 non-reports of no issues. That’s sort of my rule of thumb. Are you sure you want to get into espresso? At home it’s… a hobby, not just a drink you make. I mean; it’s that too.

Prepping for the second night of Get Back.

Of course. I couldn’t imagine going wrong with that machine. I can suggest a bunch of accessories, as I’m sure many here can, but I think the Breville dual has everything you need to make good coffee out of the box.

Hmmm. If you don’t care about cool kid Instagram bonafides I would get the Breville Dual Boiler. It’s fairly compact, and very good. And should be in stock. You can run it manually*, or run the various programs. *I’m assuming you aren’t looking for a lever machine.

I’ve thought about getting a steamer/frother like that. My espresso machine obviously does a great (well, good enough) job, but I don’t always want to use it, and I certainly don’t travel with it. Heather had a very busy countertop, so I figured the stovetop would work better. Plus, I like difficult.

Another almond milk latte. I find almond milk to be difficult to use, so I think I should be able to really make some good macadamia nut versions, when I have that milk again. The espresso was 16.5 in to about 40 out in about 30 seconds (not including the pre infusion I had to do because I ground too fine). I was tempted to do latte art (I think you can see that in the pic!), but I don’t do latte art so I didn’t.

Prima’s Black Friday sale pushed me over the edge and I bought a Bellman stovetop milk steamer. I’ll use it on the go with the Flair (I travel to my partner’s place for a few weeks at a time periodically). I think it’ll be a lot better than the microwave and my NanoFoamer. The NanoFoamer is really good for what it is, but the whole process is just a pain in the butt.

That sounds great, Sam! I haven’t had pea berry in years. I made a latte (decided I needed a pick me up while cooking vegan biryani for me and my cats). I purposefully don’t do latte art, but I could have with this almond milk (just using my workaday Breville with a single hole wand tip). Local espresso blend. Perfect nano foam. Well extracted (16.5 in 40 out in 30 seconds), ground using the Ode with SSP (I have it figured out now). Really delicious.

Cancelled the Silvia Pro X preorder. Seems silly when I haven’t even gotten the Flair 58 yet. A rare instance of me being responsible. I may very well buy one when they are available to buy, next year.