[Tomy2Tone]

This past week while I’ve had off work I was able to try a few different coffee brewer methods and devices. I broke down and bought a couple things to help out the cause and got a goose neck kettle and a scale. Figured I’d might as well get nerdy with this if I’m going to do it. All of these devices worked well and thought they were all good so like anything I guess it comes down to preference. I’ve been using the aeropress for several years now and wanted to branch out and try some new stuff as all of these devices were foreign to me. I guess I need to seek out a cafe or barista type bar that specializes in these methods to taste how it could be done. But I wanted to try some of these at home and see what’s doable and if they’re worth repeating. 

The Clever Dripper was nice and seemed similar to what I was used to with the aeropress while being easy to use and clean. I think there’s something from Bonavita that is similar but has a lever to release the water. Nothing about it jumped out at me but it was good none the less.

The Hario v60 and the next two were a little more challenging in getting a good brew but felt it was still worth the effort. Every time I made a cup with the v60 it did taste a little different. I tried my best to do it the same but was puzzled why I couldn’t duplicate it. I used about 24g of coffee at about a 13 on my Baratza grinder which is a somewhat fine setting, maybe I need to try it more coarser.

The Kalita Wave was probably the most consistent pour over I tried. Very smooth and super easy to use and clean. I liked it a little more than what I was used to with the aeropress.

Lastly, I tried the Hario Woodneck. It’s also called the Nel Drip in some places. Out of all the methods I liked this one the best. The flavor and smoothness was really great from first sip to the last drop. Not something I’ll do everyday as it takes a little more care but makes for a nice coffee on the weekend.

With the aeropress I had seen a video of a recipe that called for 35g of coffee and total brew time with extraction of 1:30. I liked this as well and preferred it to the more steeping time and less grams of coffee I was doing before. I thought it would be too strong but it was delicious.

I’ve been buying coffee online for a while now and have regular used Red Bird from Montana, Dragonfly Roasters from Denver, Stumptown out of Portland, and Blue Bottle from San Francisco.

Anybody got any they’d like to recommend?

[glynnw]

   
 
Caracolillo Coffee Mill in Tampa

[Tomy2Tone]

   
 
Caracolillo Coffee Mill in Tampa

Thanks, they got great prices.

[Tomy2Tone]

Went to a local roaster yesterday that has a tasting bar so that I could sample various bean through a pour over method. I think I’m starting to realize I don’t care much for single origin coffees and prefer some type of blend. The barista that was there was able to add various beans to get something I was more in favor of which was pretty cool.

[guf]

I agree about single origins. I'm a blend guy. I like classic nutty rich chocolatey coffee. I try new single origins every once in a while to remind my self why I don't drink them.

I'm a bluebottle at home espresso drinker, but travel with an areo press and do pour overs in the afternoon to mix it up. I just very recently started making cold brew and have been loving it. I follow the ratios on the Bluebottle page and use a french press and "brew" for 24 hours. I have tried a few different flavors but have been really enjoying the 3 Africans. Apparently its what they use in there small 8oz can that they sell for 5$

I highly recommend trying some to cold brewing to your routine. I want to try the Nel drip. I went to a demo and watched James Freeman (Bluebottle Founder) do it and he said it was one of his favorites.

[Tomy2Tone]

I agree about single origins. I'm a blend guy. I like classic nutty rich chocolatey coffee. I try new single origins every once in a while to remind my self why I don't drink them.

I'm a bluebottle at home espresso drinker, but travel with an area press and do pour overs in the afternoon to mix it up. I just very recently started making cold brew and have been loving it. I follow the ratios on the Bluebottle page and use a french press and "brew" for 24 hours. I have tried a few different flavors but have been really enjoying the 3 Africans. Apparently its what they use in there small 8oz can that they sell for 5$

I highly recommend trying some to cold brewing to your routine. I want to try the Nel drip. I went to a demo and watched James Freeman (Bluebottle Founder) do it and he said it was one of his favorites.

We definitely share similar tastes in coffee, in fact I think you might be the one who turned me on to the Hayes Valley from Blue Bottle by means of mick wolfe. It’s one of if not my favorite go to bean. Any other beans from Blue Bottle you can recommend that’s as good as the Hayes Valley?

[WGH]

I use a Kalita Wave, it makes a consistently great cup of coffee. Beans are ground with a JavaPresse, a manual grinder with a ceramic burr, great for someone that drinks just 1 mug of coffee a day, but it's strong cup.

But 3 times a week I fire up the Bellman CEX-27 which I got at a yard sale for $5. Neither fish nor fowl, the Bellman is a steam powered espresso machine with foaming wand. It doesn't make a true espresso but it makes a killer mocha java using organic Mexican coffee beans from the Co-Op, Hersey's chocolate syrup, a little sugar and steamed milk.

[guf]

We definitely share similar tastes in coffee, in fact I think you might be the one who turned me on to the Hayes Valley from Blue Bottle by means of mick wolfe. It’s one of if not my favorite go to bean. Any other beans from Blue Bottle you can recommend that’s as good as the Hayes Valley?

Yeah I trust Mick, his taste in coffee as much as I do audio gear. I buy a bag of Hayes Valley and a bag of 17ft celling. Every week.  Maybe I like the 17ft better. Definitely try it. I go through one bag and then the other.

[Tomy2Tone]

Yeah I trust Mick, his taste in coffee as much as I do audio gear. I buy a bag of Hayes Valley and a bag of 17ft celling. Every week.  Maybe I like the 17ft better. Definitely try it. I go through one bag and then the other.

Thanks! Will definitely give the 17ft a go.

[roscoe65]

Thanks! Will definitely give the 17ft a go.

I’m in NY but have a subscription for Blue Bottle delivered every other week.  I rotated the blends for a while and decided I like a heavier blend.  Both Giant Steps and 17 Ft Ceiling were great but I landed on Bella Donovan for my use in pour over, Aeropress or my Bona Vita drip machine.

[ctviggen]

I gave up Aeropress for cold brew.  I may try roasting my own beans, though, and might have to go back to something like the Aeropress.  (Tough to make 12 ounces of coffee at a time with home roasting, without spending about $400+.)

[mick wolfe]

Yeah I trust Mick, his taste in coffee as much as I do audio gear. I buy a bag of Hayes Valley and a bag of 17ft celling. Every week.  Maybe I like the 17ft better. Definitely try it. I go through one bag and then the other.

Thx guys. It was guf who actually turned me on to the Blue Bottle offerings. Hayes Valley is a benchmark for me. 17' Ceiling seems to be a blend or at least reminds me of the Ethiopian Dry Process Guji I roasted recently. It's a great change of pace. Yeah, recently hauled the Aeropress back out after seeing dozens of Aero recipes online. Results are still a mixed bag, especially when my own roasts are in the mix. It's nice to occasionally order the Blue Bottle offerings to reestablish somewhat of a baseline. When one is roasting his own beans and experimenting with various brewing methods, confusion/frustration sets in pretty quickly. Still looking for a goto winner on both fronts.

[Tomy2Tone]

Yeah I trust Mick, his taste in coffee as much as I do audio gear. I buy a bag of Hayes Valley and a bag of 17ft celling. Every week.  Maybe I like the 17ft better. Definitely try it. I go through one bag and then the other.

I’ve had a few cups of the 17ft and at first thought it was very similar to the Hayes Valley but now notice the differences. Both are delicious and can see why you go back and forth between the two. Do you use them primarily in an espresso machine?

I’m in NY but have a subscription for Blue Bottle delivered every other week.  I rotated the blends for a while and decided I like a heavier blend.  Both Giant Steps and 17 Ft Ceiling were great but I landed on Bella Donovan for my use in pour over, Aeropress or my Bona Vita drip machine.

I ordered the 9oz bag of Bella Donovan and Giant Steps to try. I had the BD before with the aeropress and didn’t like it as much as the Hayes Valley but the Hario Woodneck is making me want to try it again. Thanks for bringing up the Hario as I never had heard of it before and I’m really enjoying making coffee on the weekend with it now.

[2bigears]

  this looks cool ,,,,  Diguo Gen-2 Belgium / Belgian Luxury Royal Balancing Siphon Coffee Maker.
     Looks like space age-old school collide,,,,