Coffee Drinkers? (or other hot beverages)

[HemiSam]

I so regret forgetting to put the Black Cat into my shopping cart.

I purchased espresso beans from a roaster out of Dallas that a local, independent shop carries and they are an absolute mess to dial in.  Tastes delicious but they make an absolute mess...LOL.

HS

[EdipisReks1]

Breville came in. I was unhappy to find that it had taken some cosmetic damage. The seller wanted me to send it back so that he could get a claim from UPS (he had them pack it: the first of a couple bad decisions that ended in feedback that was not “good”), but I figured “open box” really meant “lightly used,” and that’s just too much of a pain to deal with when it works and is brand new on the inside (OPV now changed to 6 bars and I checked for leaks) and I got it for pretty cheap. Looking forward to using it tomorrow morning. Hopefully I remember how to steam milk. Black cat is the only coffee I have at the moment, so that’s what I’ll be running. It’s certainly not a coffee that makes a mess!

[EdipisReks1]

I’m out of practice steaming milk (the Bellman is nothing like a real steam wand), but it’s nice pulling a latte together so quickly.

Edited August 17, 2023 by EdipisReks1

[HemiSam]

My Blackcat analog showed up...yay.

I ran out of espresso and have been using Inteligentsia Summer Solstice Blend from my last order and it's made supper espresso drinks albeit a bit of work to dial in.

HS

[Dusty Chalk]

Noice!  The analog espresso is the best out of the three I tried (analog, organic, and I forget the third one).  It's my favourite store-buyable coffee by far, and not just because it says "black cat" on it.  😺

[en480c4]

After all of the good feedback on the Black Cat, I gave it a shot. Got the machine pretty well dialed for it. Tried really hard to like it…  Not sure how to describe what I don’t like about it, but I guess it’s just not for me. 

[HemiSam]

Sorry to see that en480c4.

I had some today in a cappuccino and it was delish.

HS

[Aura]

it seems like i will be waiting a long while for my Argos lever machine (their QA process has slowed to a crawl) so i've resorted to faking shots using the Fellow Prismo attachment on my aeropress. grinding in espresso range on the P100, immersion for 1:00, then a slow press fully down to compress the puck and produce extra, albeit very thin, foam. the resulting drink is a "FakePresso" 1:3 lungo (18g in, 54g out) that is nowhere near real espresso-feel but the taste is great... way better than anything like a Nespresso.

plus i feel like it will help me get used to concentrated flavors and help my real shots whenever i finally can do them.

today was Savage Parabolic gesha roasted by Red Meow in Hong Kong.👌

 

[n_maher]

On 8/21/2023 at 9:54 AM, en480c4 said:

After all of the good feedback on the Black Cat, I gave it a shot. Got the machine pretty well dialed for it. Tried really hard to like it…  Not sure how to describe what I don’t like about it, but I guess it’s just not for me. 

It's not all that shocking to me.  I tend to not like super sweet coffees based on mental tasting notes I've taken throughout the years with various beans from OBR.

[EdipisReks1]

Black Cat is a pretty sweet for medium dark roast; I don’t consider it a negative for espresso, but I could see why others would.

I’ve been using Elmhurst Pistachio milk for my milk drinks, lately. It’s delicious, and if even I can get basic latte art with it I would say it’s easy to work with. Recommended. 

On 8/23/2023 at 7:09 PM, Aura said:

it seems like i will be waiting a long while for my Argos lever machine (their QA process has slowed to a crawl) so i've resorted to faking shots using the Fellow Prismo attachment on my aeropress. grinding in espresso range on the P100, immersion for 1:00, then a slow press fully down to compress the puck and produce extra, albeit very thin, foam. the resulting drink is a "FakePresso" 1:3 lungo (18g in, 54g out) that is nowhere near real espresso-feel but the taste is great... way better than anything like a Nespresso.

plus i feel like it will help me get used to concentrated flavors and help my real shots whenever i finally can do them.

today was Savage Parabolic gesha roasted by Red Meow in Hong Kong.👌

Sorry about the Argos taking so long! AeroPress will happily show you exactly what you are getting from your grinder, and I bet that is a delicious cup. How loud is the P100, Bryan? One of my cats hates the Niche (doesn’t mind other grinders): it’s maybe not enough on its own to get me to spend so much on one, but I take his well-being seriously, so maybe it’s a good excuse!

[Aura]

On 8/26/2023 at 7:32 AM, EdipisReks1 said:

Sorry about the Argos taking so long! AeroPress will happily show you exactly what you are getting from your grinder, and I bet that is a delicious cup. How loud is the P100, Bryan? One of my cats hates the Niche (doesn’t mind other grinders): it’s maybe not enough on its own to get me to spend so much on one, but I take his well-being seriously, so maybe it’s a good excuse!

sorry meant to reply sooner, Jacob. being my only electric grinder ever, it's hard to say, but i haven't ever found P100 that loud. pretty pleasant deeper grind noise at lower RPM and it's so goddamn fast that even if it were too loud, it's literally 5 seconds for an 18g dose.

just yesterday, Option-O unveiled the 01. it oddly seems more like a side-grade alternate to P100. i am unlikely to change to it. much prefer P100 smaller base for my specific layout. seriously doubt 102mm vs 98mm has any discernable difference. that being said... i will very seriously consider the new Mizen 98mm burrs they are releasing soon. sounds very promising and more flexible between spro and pour over and in a year (ha) when my Argos is finally ready maybe i will do the swap.

https://www.option-o.com/shop/lagom-01

https://www.option-o.com/shop/mizen-98om

Edited September 1, 2023 by Aura

[EdipisReks1]

Looking at the 01, I don’t think it’s a particular upgrade, no: I think they just had the idea to use the 102mm size for the blind burrs, and here is the result. I would just keep and enjoy your P100: it’s an end game grinder, after all!

Thanks for the feedback on the noise! Oatmeal Johnny doesn’t mind the Ode, which is a deeper sound, but hates the higher pitch of the Niche. I bet the P100 would do the job, if I were to decide to open up my coffee budget (I’ve only allowed myself a strict amount, which I’ve kept under even after having to replace the Breville: the P100 would certainly blow that!).

[mikeymad]

Now we are talking about a full head-case machine

 

[EdipisReks1]

I’m on the road with the Flair Pro 2, the Bellman, and the Orphan Lido OG grinder. Not a bad setup for a little latte in the morning.  I’ve found soaking the brew chambers in boiling water to be the most effective way to go. 

[HemiSam]

On 9/6/2023 at 10:56 AM, mikeymad said:

Now we are talking about a full head-case machine

 

I'm not sure how I feel about looking at this thing.  There is a lot to be said for excess, I guess...

HS

[EdipisReks1]

On 9/12/2023 at 12:37 PM, HemiSam said:

I'm not sure how I feel about looking at this thing.  There is a lot to be said for excess, I guess...

HS

There is ever always room at the conspicuous side of the price envelope.  

[EdipisReks1]

I tried a new coffee roaster/shop in Cincinnati. Up the street from me. It was really good. I figured I would really challenge it with decaf.  Pretty good!

Edited October 5, 2023 by EdipisReks1

[luvdunhill]

@Aura  can you tell me more about your origami setup? I am using the max coarse grind on the niche and caftec 4 filters and I can’t get the brewing time fast enough.

 

[Aura]

what beans (origin and roast level) are you using? most anything African or a higher level of fines is gonna slow it down. do not swirl the bed during bloom, origami will choke up just like V60 if you stir up your fines too much.

i  use either Kalita wave (185 or 155) for flat filter or Cafec Abaca (red pack) for cone filter. Cafec is a very confusing brand and i don't know if the ones you are using are a culprit for slower draw. i started with these red abaca and won't switch as long as they are available. they draw fast and are well made.

[EdipisReks1]

I don’t worry about long draw downs on pour over anymore. 

[naamanf]

I just drink Folgers now. Life is easy. 

[HemiSam]

I could not get there with my V60.  Underwhelming compared to the Chemex for my tastes.

Time to hunt down some more good beans...  I've been stuck on Onyx Coffee Labs and Intellegnesia....a good rut.  

HS

[luvdunhill]

On 11/11/2023 at 9:23 AM, Aura said:

what beans (origin and roast level) are you using? most anything African or a higher level of fines is gonna slow it down. do not swirl the bed during bloom, origami will choke up just like V60 if you stir up your fines too much.

i  use either Kalita wave (185 or 155) for flat filter or Cafec Abaca (red pack) for cone filter. Cafec is a very confusing brand and i don't know if the ones you are using are a culprit for slower draw. i started with these red abaca and won't switch as long as they are available. they draw fast and are well made.

Ethiopian. I will try the Kalita Wave 155 and see how that goes.

[naamanf]

Might try Folgers with a Chemex. 

[luvdunhill]

3 minutes ago, naamanf said:

Might try Folgers with a Chemex. 

The flavor crystals will clog the filter