Here’s my daily setup:
Manual grinder $15
AeroPress $35
Water kettle $30
Decent coffee $15 per 3lbs
The AeroPress is very similar to french press, but the paper filter keeps the grit out of the bottom of your cup. I usually steep the coffee at 160-170 degrees and make it very strong, then top off with boiling water after pressing. Comes out much smoother than when I steep in super hot water, but sometimes I wind up with a lukewarm cup when I don’t get it right.
In one of my pharmacy electives, the professor would open every class with a little lesson on coffee. He taught us that oily beans have been over roasted and basically ruined. While I probably learned more about coffee in that class than I have from anywhere else (also more than whatever the subject was, I think it had something to do with genomics), you can gimme dem oily beans. My favorite coffee was from a local guy who had them roasted right up to but not quite past the point of being burnt. They made the best cup of French press thanks to all the extra oils. Alas, he got old and ceased operations.
Give the capsules away or throw them out.
Better if you can give them away. But throwing them away is certainly preferable to buying what looks like an expensive machine to make “decent” coffee just because somebody gave you some pods.
[quote=“zarapochka, post:74, topic:333, full:true”]But what to do with capsules I got?
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Remove the coffee from them, get some hot water and filter paper and a funnel and you can brew coffee just as good as that thing can make. Do you care about the extra features like espresso or cafe crema? Or do you just want some regular coffee? Seems like a dumb thing to buy.
Focusing on expensive coffeemakers is bad unless you’re very serious about your coffee imo. Just get a very cheap coffeemaker and grinder and high quality beans and you’re 80% of the way there. That’s not to say that the high-end equipment and technique doesn’t matter, but it’s a question of diminishing returns and how much of a true gourmet you are.
The AeroPress is upside-down in the first 2 pics and your technique seems kinda dangerous. Might wanna reevaluate your approach.
Disclaimer: I don’t drink coffee but have been making a cup of of the Aero for my gf in the morning for years
Capsules are for suckers. Get that shit out of your house.
It’s French press with whole bean black coffee or go fuck ya mutha! 
I use the inverted method to prevent drip through while the grounds steep. Makes a better cup, but can occasionally be a pain if I overfill it. I switched back to the normal method for a few weeks recently and inverted is way better. More control over temperature, no drip through and worth the occasional pain in the ass when grounds get into the track for the filter.
Will do a blind taste test to see if she notices a difference. I’m kinda skeptical and think most coffee aficionados are full of it, but I’ll see. Will report back with results shortly
Try using cooler water for the steep and top with boiling. The cooler the water, the more crema you’ll see, but if you go too cool the boiling water won’t bring the temp up to ideal.
Those all look interesting to me. I’d go with whatever was roasted more recently.
I think the vita blend from Espresso Vivace is top notch:
It’s $16 for 3/4 lb plus shipping. I turned one of my friends on to it and he turns his nose up to anything else now. I created a monster.
Edit: Vita blend makes amazing iced lattes and mochas.
Thanks. I’ll grab whatever is freshest next Saturday. I only have a french press for now, so I’ll make do with that and see how it turns out.
I saw the temps in your original post but what do you mean by top with boiling water?
Make the stuff in your press overly strong and cut it with boiling water after you press it to mellow it out and bring the temperature up.
[quote=“zarapochka, post:93, topic:333, full:true”]How comes you have those at a farmer market? Are you somewhere where coffee grows?
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In relative terms, we Americans are close to where coffee grows in Brazil and Colombia and Mexico and Hawaii. Also, it’s very possible to import beans from far away places like Africa and roast them locally. There are very few places in the US where farmers are actually growing coffee plants. It could be that someone at my farmers market imports beans from Kenya and roasts them locally.
As Trolly suggested, these are definitely imported and roasted locally. There are many small local coffee roasters all across the USA now. At my summer farmers market, there are actually two different local roasters selling their wares. I’ve not tried either, but this thread has piqued my interest.
I would have went for the Ethiopian but with low expectations.
Saw an AeroPress on sale for $14 at TJMaxx today. Almost impulse bought but I never like to buy things without some idea of what I’m buying.
Sell me on the AeroPress.
