Coffee Makers

[TopChed]

Originally Posted by edslunch

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. What I've learned here and elsewhere is that I need to get a new grinder, a scale, buy beans every week, and that the Silvia is an extremely temperamental beast.

I don't doubt that but all I want is to stagger out of bed and pour a decent shot or two to kick start my day, not become a high precision barista. i think the answer is to get a new machine that is more forgiving (but no, NOT a nespresso or other k-cup style one). I'll gladly settle for a merely decent pour at this point.

Since you're looking to make it as easy as possible, it might just be worth buying a pressurized filter basket. That would give you enough forgiveness to use pre-ground coffee or a grinder that isn't quite up to the task of unpressurized baskets.

That way you can always take the plunge on a grinder down the road, if you ever felt like you might be interested.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by edslunch

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. What I've learned here and elsewhere is that I need to get a new grinder, a scale, buy beans every week, and that the Silvia is an extremely temperamental beast.

I don't doubt that but all I want is to stagger out of bed and pour a decent shot or two to kick start my day, not become a high precision barista. i think the answer is to get a new machine that is more forgiving (but no, NOT a nespresso or other k-cup style one). I'll gladly settle for a merely decent pour at this point.

What's wrong with the minipresso for those basic espresso needs?

If it's espresso you want, you could consider a Nanopresso. Minipresso is 8 bar of pressure. Nanopresso is 18 and supposedly easier to clean than Minipresso. (Higher bar is supposed to make up for loss of pressure, but you're actually brewing at 9 ish bar)

$130 ish all in for the Nanopresso is all you need and I presume it's more forgiving than your Silvia. You could pre-load the grind at night then just stumble out of bed and basically add water in the morning and pull your shot. That's far less than the suggestions on how to improve your Silvia experience.

But what confuses me the most is that you seem to mention you got 20 years of good performance of the Silvia and then it just suddenly stopped being decent? If the liquid is flowing through way faster than previously, then one thing I'd investigate (and I've seen happen before) is whether there is an issue with the basket (ie: accidentally replacing it with the wrong one or repairing it or some component within it that is incorrect).

[Samonadreau]

$25 Sunbeam and Nabob Full City Dark. Boom

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

What's wrong with the minipresso for those basic espresso needs?

If it's espresso you want, you could consider a Nanopresso. Minipresso is 8 bar of pressure. Nanopresso is 18 and supposedly easier to clean than Minipresso. (Higher bar is supposed to make up for loss of pressure, but you're actually brewing at 9 ish bar)

$130 ish all in for the Nanopresso is all you need and I presume it's more forgiving than your Silvia. You could pre-load the grind at night then just stumble out of bed and basically add water in the morning and pull your shot. That's far less than the suggestions on how to improve your Silvia experience.

But what confuses me the most is that you seem to mention you got 20 years of good performance of the Silvia and then it just suddenly stopped being decent? If the liquid is flowing through way faster than previously, then one thing I'd investigate (and I've seen happen before) is whether there is an issue with the basket (ie: accidentally replacing it with the wrong one or repairing it or some component within it that is incorrect).

We used vacuum-packed pre-ground for years - Lavazza, Illy for a treat - and it was ok, especially since it was 99% lattes. My son bought us a grinder last Christmas to help us up our game which started the quest for better results. Now that I realize how mediocre our coffee actually was/is there's no going back.

[Hack&Lube]

I picked this up from Homesense for $80 3 years ago, it's a fully metal construction DeLonghi kMix but what was interesting is that its only branded DeLonghi in North America. It's actually 'k'Mix since its made by Kenwood of Japan and better quality than the plasticky Delonghi espresso machines in this consumer price point. Weird.

Good pressure but it has pre-pressurized baskets so I cut out the pressurized part on one of them so I could get a regular basket as another option. Works great for Espresso shots and short latte/cappuchino cups but otherwise too small for regular mugs to fit. Generic milk wand though - makes generic foam but can't do latte art thickness even if I monitor the temperature and use a proper stainless milk pitcher. The size would make sense for small Japanese homes.

I get way more extraction with this than other coffee methods (drip, french press, cold brew) so my beans last way longer.

Regarding de-scaling, I only ever use Zero Water filtered water in the reservoir so I've never had any build up whatsoever. I used to have problems when I used Brita as Brita sucks at filtering out minerals and metals.

[edslunch]

I went to https://coffeeaddicts.ca/ yesterday and they generously ground me some fresh beans on a high end grinder for me to debug my Silvia. First try I got literally 2 drops in 30 seconds...too much coffee I guess, but it proved the point. I tried a few more but never hit the sweet spot before I ran out of the good grind since I don't have a scale for precision. Nevertheless, it did confirm the beans and grind advice I've been trying to ignore

While I was there I picked up a Gaggia pressurized basket and it makes a pretty decent shot with my poorly ground beans, so I can relax a bit while I ponder my next move.

Thanks to everyone for steering me in these directions.

[Wormius]

I highly recommend a scale as your next purchase. The Hario ones are pretty ubiquitous and give 1/10th of a gram accuracy.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by edslunch

I went to https://coffeeaddicts.ca/ yesterday and they generously ground me some fresh beans on a high end grinder for me to debug my Silvia. First try I got literally 2 drops in 30 seconds...too much coffee I guess, but it proved the point. I tried a few more but never hit the sweet spot before I ran out of the good grind since I don't have a scale for precision. Nevertheless, it did confirm the beans and grind advice I've been trying to ignore

While I was there I picked up a Gaggia pressurized basket and it makes a pretty decent shot with my poorly ground beans, so I can relax a bit while I ponder my next move.

Thanks to everyone for steering me in these directions.

Grinders and scales are not expensive to have, and are a must if you are trying to get a proper espresso pull.

I have a cheap Amazon digital scale that was $15 and a Breville Dose Control from a Londron Drugs sale and it is all that is needed. https://www.breville.com/ca/en/produ...BCG400SIL1BCA1

How are you tamping your grounds anyway? If you aren't getting the right output, your tamping may be too heavy handed in your portafilter.

[bossy22]

What are people using for a hand grinder? I have a Baratza Sette 270 for home and I had a Hario hand grinder for camping. I just broke the hand grinder, so now I need to get a replacement. I've heard good things about the 1zpresso and timemore ones. Any other recommendations?

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by bossy22

What are people using for a hand grinder? I have a Baratza Sette 270 for home and I had a Hario hand grinder for camping. I just broke the hand grinder, so now I need to get a replacement. I've heard good things about the 1zpresso and timemore ones. Any other recommendations?

What are you aiming for for the hand grinder? If you already have a nice grinder, what about pre-grinding and then vacuum sealing the grinds into small pouches/containers for camping? Or are you wanting the hand grinder as a back up in case your Sette fails?

Instead of going from a $40-60CAD Hario hand grinder to a $100-150+ hand grinder as options... Unless you can truly taste the difference, since you have a good electric grinder that would grind superior to your hand grinder, I'd opt for a vacuum seal option personally. I still have Hario hand grinders (I like the slim the best), but if I was camping, I'd rather have a smaller container(s) of pre-ground stuff vs dragging beans + grinder.

I'd personally only consider the 1zpesso or timemore ones if it was the only grinder I had. But if you truly enjoy grinding the beans, both seem like decent options if you wanted to upgrade from the Hario.

[TopChed]

Originally Posted by bossy22

What are people using for a hand grinder? I have a Baratza Sette 270 for home and I had a Hario hand grinder for camping. I just broke the hand grinder, so now I need to get a replacement. I've heard good things about the 1zpresso and timemore ones. Any other recommendations?

I use a Timemore C2 at the office with an Aeropress and it works great. I would say the quality is about on par with the Baratza Encore I use at home for filtered coffee. Timemore has also released a C3 grinder with slightly improved burrs over the C2.


The comparable 1zpresso grinders were around 2x the price when I was looking, so I'm not sure if it's worthwhile.

[Torture]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

While I love my Phil and Seb coffee - it does get a little spendy after a while. Probably should be more of a treat than a constant for me.

Anyone have recommendations for whole bean coffee (preferably at Costco) that doesn't taste like 1) donut shop coffee or ii) Starbucks? Looking for a medium roast on the complex sweet side.

If you find yourself near 16th Ave / 4th St NW on a regular basis, Mount Pleasant Roastery on 18 Ave NW is super affordable (and paid for on the honour system). Usually roasted within a few days of when you pick it up.
https://mountpleasantroastery.ca/

[Fuzz]

Want to live longer? Drink coffee. Woah, not so fast there, french pressers.


https://www.sciencefriday.com/articl...s-poison-book/

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Want to live longer? Drink coffee. Woah, not so fast there, french pressers.


https://www.sciencefriday.com/articl...s-poison-book/

TL;DR - Coffee has terpenoids that increase risk of heart problems due to higher cholesterol levels.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

TL;DR - Coffee has terpenoids that increase risk of heart problems due to higher cholesterol levels.

Correction.
Unfiltered coffee specifically.
The article is saying filtered coffee methods greatly reduct those terpenoids, so it's French Press's and other unfiltered methods that are potentially concerning.

[Wormius]

Yeah, I think “unfiltered” is a bit of a weird one. I don’t think any coffee is consumed unfiltered, unless you enjoy ingesting coffee grounds. I mean, technically isn’t French Press filtered?

[Doctorfever]

Would instant coffee be considered unfiltered?

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Doctorfever

Would instant coffee be considered unfiltered?

Something a human should ever consume?

[indes]

I've had a Phillips Lattego 3200 for the past few months and it's awesome. I mostly drink just black coffee and it's absolutely delicious. I also make all kinds of lattes for company or for a nice treat.

Not much of an espresso guy but if someone is considering going that route I would recommend the Lattego for sure. Especially with the built in descaling system, so nice not to have to descale a coffee maker all the time.

Picked it up on prime days for 33% off. 600$ seems steep for a coffee maker but I've gone through 4 keurigs the last few years so hopefully the price begets some quality.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Correction.
Unfiltered coffee specifically.
The article is saying filtered coffee methods greatly reduct those terpenoids, so it's French Press's and other unfiltered methods that are potentially concerning.

Doh, I don't know how I forgot to include that keyword.