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Pour over Coffee Got Good

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Re: Pour over Coffee Got Good

#31

Post by mock-possum »

fy20 wrote: post #29
yifanl wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, for better or worse, we've accepted pour-overs are the way to go at home. I have a 60 dollar setup that's been great for me for 6 years. I'm sure I could be convinced a 600 dollar setup tastes better and is more convenient and whatever, but I don't care too much when I just need to serve myself and my roommate. But this article is about the cafe setting, where it'd be irresponsible to limit customers based on…

Or just do as the Italians do, and make coffee in a 30 year old mokapot, using ground coffee bought from a store.

I’ve never been able to get a cup of coffee I’ve liked out of a mokapot :(

Re: Pour over Coffee Got Good

#32

Post by nikau »

matrix87 wrote: post #3

My problem with coffee hobbyism is it's just people constantly trying to upsell each other more expensive gear. I'm not sure why $400 for just a grinder makes sense to some people, people can get computers and phones for that money And there's this general attitude of snobbishness, like you have to spend at least 600 on gear to have a "real espresso". Pretty much r/coffee in a nutshell (r/espresso even worse). And in…

My $400 grinder will be working just as well in 50 years time, can you say the same for your computer and phone?

Grinders make the biggest difference for espresso quality and consistency, it's the espresso machines that people generally over spend on.

Re: Pour over Coffee Got Good

#33

Post by dagw »

mock-possum wrote: post #31
fy20 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or just do as the Italians do, and make coffee in a 30 year old mokapot, using ground coffee bought from a store.

I’ve never been able to get a cup of coffee I’ve liked out of a mokapot :(

Two mistakes I made, and often see people do, when first using a moka pots is a) use an espresso grind on their coffee and b) to tamp down the coffee in the basket like you would when making espresso. Once I started to use a slightly coarser grind, halfway between espresso and pour over, and stopped tamping down the coffee (just tap it lightly to make it level is enough), I got much better results. Also remember that moka is not espresso. Too many people think they can replicate an espresso using a moka pot and just end up disappointed with the results.

Re: Pour over Coffee Got Good

#34

Post by P_I_Staker »

matrix87 wrote: post #3

My problem with coffee hobbyism is it's just people constantly trying to upsell each other more expensive gear. I'm not sure why $400 for just a grinder makes sense to some people, people can get computers and phones for that money And there's this general attitude of snobbishness, like you have to spend at least 600 on gear to have a "real espresso". Pretty much r/coffee in a nutshell (r/espresso even worse). And in…

IDK about all that. I'm sure there's pretense and over-priced gear. However, lots of people can afford $400-1000 for a major appliance they use every day.

Frankly, if you just enjoy coffee a whole lot, that investment makes sense for most people. Coffee is a major part of people's lives.

The issue with espresso, is that the process itself is NOT simple, and involves tons of heat an pressure. I'm not 100% sure what makes it expensive, except that it obviously pays to make it heftier.

You don't have to drink espresso. There's lots of reasons not to go with espresso that don't involve cost/difficulty. Some very well regarded methods involve just leaving the beans in water with a $20 piece of cookwear.

Regarding grinders, people just find that they don't get a consistent grind. It's functional concerns, not hipsterism or consumerism. In all cases, there's options at every price range.

Re: Pour over Coffee Got Good

#35

Post by terribleperson »

yumraj wrote: post #23
hattmall wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$10 Blade Grinder < $25 high torque blade grinder < $150 burr grinder < $400 coated micro abrasive burr grinder < $6 mortar and pestle

> $6 mortar and pestle Really? How does one get consistency?

If you need consistent particle size with a mortar and pestle, you regularly screen whatever you're grinding with a tamis.

Re: Pour over Coffee Got Good

#36

Post by espressow »

tiltowait wrote: post #8
matrix87 wrote: post #3

My problem with coffee hobbyism is it's just people constantly trying to upsell each other more expensive gear. I'm not sure why $400 for just a grinder makes sense to some people, people can get computers and phones for that money And there's this general attitude of snobbishness, like you have to spend at least 600 on gear to have a "real espresso". Pretty much r/coffee in a nutshell (r/espresso even worse). And in…

I’ve used a little $20 blade grinder. The difference between it and a $200 grinder was night and day. Then I tried a $400 grinder. It was definitely better than the $200, but the diminishing returns were stark. Ultimately I kept the more expensive unit, though, because it generated about 1/10 the mess, was easier to clean, was faster, and ran much more quietly. That’s my limit, though. All my research indicates you c…

Todays Fanboys get obsessed with the story telling; except hollow body electric guitars, the wood makes no difference to sound; it’s all the electronics. People have setup body less electrics and get the same recorded wave form. But humans reduce the truth to manageable snippets to circumlocute

Re: Pour over Coffee Got Good

#37

Post by pixelatedindex »

espressow wrote: post #36
tiltowait wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve used a little $20 blade grinder. The difference between it and a $200 grinder was night and day. Then I tried a $400 grinder. It was definitely better than the $200, but the diminishing returns were stark. Ultimately I kept the more expensive unit, though, because it generated about 1/10 the mess, was easier to clean, was faster, and ran much more quietly. That’s my limit, though. All my research indicates you c…

Todays Fanboys get obsessed with the story telling; except hollow body electric guitars, the wood makes no difference to sound; it’s all the electronics. People have setup body less electrics and get the same recorded wave form. But humans reduce the truth to manageable snippets to circumlocute

Definitely not true. If you want espresso, you’re going to be spending $200 at the absolute minimum, unless you get an 1zpresso hand grinder (but you can only do about 20g and making for >1 person is a hassle).

I have a $100 burr grinder (OXO) and the grinds are not very consistent. The Barratza Encore produces a slightly more consistent grind, and is $50-$80 more. The Encore ESP can also do espresso but the regular one cannot. Most cheap grinders cannot do espresso. Turkish coffee grind is even harder.

We have an expensive grinder at work (I think it’s a Mahlkonig?) and the build quality is night and day. The higher you go up in price point the better materials you get.

Re: Pour over Coffee Got Good

#38

Post by espressow »

pixelatedindex wrote: post #37
espressow wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Todays Fanboys get obsessed with the story telling; except hollow body electric guitars, the wood makes no difference to sound; it’s all the electronics. People have setup body less electrics and get the same recorded wave form. But humans reduce the truth to manageable snippets to circumlocute

Definitely not true. If you want espresso, you’re going to be spending $200 at the absolute minimum, unless you get an 1zpresso hand grinder (but you can only do about 20g and making for >1 person is a hassle). I have a $100 burr grinder (OXO) and the grinds are not very consistent. The Barratza Encore produces a slightly more consistent grind, and is $50-$80 more. The Encore ESP can also do espresso but the regular…

Oh sure if you go up the price chart today, cheap grinders get blown out

My point was the Baratza I bought over a decade ago for $600 is $250 for similar build quality now. And the $600 one now comes with a bunch of electronics and lights I don’t need.

2010s $250 grinder is $99-ish. Unless someone is putting in the effort to build the palette and notice the difference, anything over that is wasted.

Pin stripes, LED case fans add horse power!

Re: Pour over Coffee Got Good

#39

Post by westcort »

Great article. I wonder if anyone has experimented with ultrasonic vibrations to extract more or different flavors from beans, as this technique has been used to extract the flavors of barrel-aged whiskeys in a short period of time, rather than through an aging process [0].

0. Science 2.0. The Acceleration of Spirits Aging Using Ultrasound. https://www.science20.com/scott_beers/the_acceleration_of_sp.... Published May 31, 2018. Accessed September 6, 2024.

Re: Pour over Coffee Got Good

#40

Post by melody_calling »

Great read! I love a pour over, but it's always "...but only if you have time" because I know how much of a pain they are for the staff.

I wonder if the Starbucks story was one of those situations where the CEO had a pet project but the rest of the company silently conspired to kill it? I feel like I'd be the exact target market for this, yet I've never heard of either Clover nor Starbucks Reserve before.

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