Well, I mean 30% off is practically the same as free so felt like I had no choice, lol. Trimmed it down from 13 bags at least…
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Yeah that 30% code is solid and their coffee is really good. It’s probably a little spendy but they stock some of the best coffees in the world and use premium equipment for roasting and sorting. Which ones did you get? And which grinder?
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This grinder:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q622YLB/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_i_sKLAFbX4SPG5R
The coffees, all medium or medium-light roasts as don’t usually like dark as much:
Honduras Mi Bendición Micro Lot
Hawaii Rusty’s Ka’u
El Salvador Las Mercedes Pacamara Honey
El Salvador Las Mercedes Pepinal
Kenya Thunguri AA
Ethiopia Washed Guji Anasora
Costa Rica Hermanos White Honey
Mocha Java Blend
Panama Altieri Natural ASD Geisha
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LOL that’s quite a supply. Normally I’d recommend hitting the last one first but I’d suggest getting your grinder dialed in with another coffee before hitting the ge$$$ha. What’s your brew method?
I got this when pandemic started and love it:
BUNN Speed Brew 10-Cup Home Coffee Brewer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013ZWNASS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_UAqDFbFTBV2SP
Would it… be bad… if I used this on… better stuff? Afraid the answer is yes…?
I don’t know anything about that machine but the improvement in coffee and grinder is going to be a big step up. You could hand brew better coffee with a $5 plastic V60 though if you put in some practice.
These are the consumer machines that are recommended by SCAA for home brewing:
They’ve updated the list and added a lot of stuff, but there’s still nothing on this list that beats a $5 piece of plastic imo. I have the OXO and can’t make the coffee as good in it as I can by pouring manually.
I have a Krups 12 Cup with the gold filter still in the box. Bought it five years ago and never bothered to open it. Feel like my Aeropress is starting to go, but I have a back up. Might not need to use the drip machine for another 2 years or so.
I had Philz coffee the other day. I don’t get it. Is it suppose to be good, or just a glorified starbucks?
Cinnamon Toast Crunch flavored coffee creamer has once again provided me with a reason to get out of bed in the mornings 
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Did you have it Philz style or whatever? I think their coffee beans taste noticeably better than Starbucks but yeah people probably go there because they put heavy cream in their coffee and not because it’s particularly good.
no, i don’t do sugar and had light cream i think. it was at best on par with starbucks. had one of the medium roast that i can’t remember because all the names are dumb
Well then I guess you “missed out.” I don’t think it’s anything special, just a local place that people liked that started franchising, like Five Guys. Feels like those places rarely live up to the hype.
Yeah I’m probably going to get myself a new one sometime soon, my current one seems to be making less coffee than expected and require more frequent cleanings. Gonna see if I can get a deal on one of these during Prime Day or Black Friday, probably. I guess I should try pourover too at some point although for daily coffee I definitely value quantity and speed since it’s for two people and we are usually both getting started early.
How much are you willing to spend?
On what? Probably keep it below $200 if possible if we’re talking about a drip machine but like if there’s a huge difference for a better machine I’ll pay more.
The thing I don’t like about the OXO I bought is there’s a minimum amount of coffee you have to make and it’s more than I can drink myself. Using a machine throws me off anyway. Pour over is so much part of my daily routine now it’s like brushing my teeth.
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If < $200 I’d get the cheapest good machine that serves your purpose and spend the rest elsewhere. Like you said, there could be a big deal on one. I found the OXO 12-cup for $80 at HomeGoods when it was still $240 retail. They don’t exactly fly off the shelves because everyone keeps throwing money at Keurig.
I’m of the opinion that the grinder is the single most important piece of gear though. A lot of competition-winning coffees are ground on a $2,700 machine and then run through ~$30 of brewing equipment. The reverse is not true: a $30 grind through a $2,700 batch brewer will not produce amazing coffee.
The price:quality curve isn’t linear though. There are pretty clear tiers and you’d have to jump to a good batch brewer to get improvement over one of the better ~$120 home machines. I think I’ve posted some in this thread but iirc the batch brewers people recommend start in the $600+ range.
For grinders, most people recommend the Baratza Encore ($130) for entry-level drip coffee. You can upgrade the burr to the one used on their better machines for $35 and an hour of your time. It’s ok and probably the best thing in this price point for electric grinders, but there’s no comparison to a best-of-class shop grinder like a Ditting KR804 ($2,700) or Mahlkonig EK 43 ($2,700).
So how do you get that grind quality at home without spending $2,700? One idea I’ve mentioned is maybe just letting the shop grind it for you and trying to preserve it by freezing. I haven’t tested that in practice yet. Now is when I tell you about BunnZilla. It’s a G-series Bunn commercial shop grinder modified to take Ditting burrs. I think most people find an old, used one for < $200 and get the burrs new. There’s some modding required and you’re still looking at $600-$700 total.
The point is jumping into the top tier of brewers or grinders puts you, at minimum, in the $600 to $700 price point. If you had $800 to spend, the flavor maximizing combo is BunnZilla + $100-$200 SCAA brewer, not Baratza Encore + Fetco batch brewer. Most people will never entertain the idea of spending $800+ on a home coffee setup and I get that. For me, though, I think of it in terms of the way larger amount of money I’m going to spend on amazing coffee beans over time and the flavors in them I’m paying for and not unlocking.
*One class of grinders I didn’t mention are the premium hand grinders that are popular (e.g., Orphan Espresso Lido 3/ET). I’ve read a lot of claims that these are the closest you can get to BunnZilla quality in the < $200 range. It’s still not clear to me if it’s a significant improvement over the modded Baratza. I might have to pay to see.
I’d rather spend money than “mod” something. I guess maybe the take away is “don’t worry about it” since I’m already pretty happy with my coffee and I don’t think sinking tons of money or time into making it marginally or even significantly better going to increase my enjoyment nearly enough to make up for the hassle.
Edit to say I’d be willing to consider the Encore machine and better burrs
Most people will fall into your category. Just trying to break it down in case anyone was wondering how much it costs to jump up into the next tier. If you don’t enjoy modding then I wouldn’t mess with the Baratza upgrade. Just spend up and get the Preciso or Virtuoso. They have the better burr and a few more features. You have to completely disassemble the machine to swap the burrs. I thought it was fun but I like taking stuff apart and putting it back together.
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