one other observation about the switch (this isn’t really about the switch itself, but more about the discourse around it), for some reason when I first started using it, I decided to aggressively agitate the bed during the bloom. That was a mistake. A lot of recipes, particularly switch recipes, say to do this and all it does that I can tell is clog up the filter and double the drawdown time.
1 Like
I pulled out a bag I had forgotten about that was roasted two or three months ago. Don’t remember it being better than “just ok” which is probably why I shelved it, and today I get a cup that’s completely bonkers. I need to finish putting this offgassing contraption together but keep getting sidetracked.
wait wut
My theory is to use a vacuum chamber to draw the CO2 out faster. There are multiple ways to do it, but using a brake bleeder with a FoodSaver attachment on the smallest size mason jar is probably the one I’ll go with.
1 Like
I was reading some clickbait article recently about flea market finds and of course some vintage lever machines were on the list. I’m almost positive I used to see them sell for peanuts before the recent price surges.
oh btw I went to portland, some extremely brief reviews of a few coffee joints I tried
I got espresso everywhere, and I always order it “for here” and my expectation for “proper” espresso is a spoon and a shot of sparkling water.
In the Pearl:
-
snow bunny https://www.instagram.com/snowbunnycoffee/
not bad, very nice for a neighborhood joint (it’s in a very residential area), friendly brarista, vibe was a little spare, but they open early and serve decent spro, no water offered but it was served with a saucer and spoon. Don’t remember who roasted the beans -
sisters https://sisterscoffee.com/
I liked this place a lot. It was very busy, but the staff was friendly enough. they roast in house, espresso was served properly, very good shot, great seating, would visit again. -
Nossa Familia Pearl District Espresso Bar - NW Portland | Nossa Familia Coffee
Very small, extremely limited seating, but a great space. Limited menu (not really an issue for me but it probably is for others). Very nice shot, served properly, in-house roasting, very friendly staff. Would go again.
Downtown/pioneer-square-ish
-
stumptown in the Ace hotel Portland Coffee Shop | Ace Hotel Portland | Stumptown Coffee
very corporate but totally respectable shot, served properly, very good quality, lots of good seating in the hotel lobby, bar/table seating in the cafe area. -
“Good Coffee” in the Woodlark hotel https://goodwith.us/
tons of seating, both tables and sofas, baristas were kinda inexperienced (and sort of brusque when I asked if they served water, “THERE’S A WATER STATION OVER THERE” (and it was way out of the way, never would have found it if they hadn’t told me where it was). Shot was sub par for sure. Beans are under their own label but I didn’t see anything on their website about roasting so it’s possible it’s a private label deal. This wasn’t on my list, we just popped in here on the way back from Powell’s books when it started raining. Would not recommend, there are literally better options on every corner in this neighborhood. -
Coava https://www.coavacoffee.com/
not sure if this is a local chain or what, but they open early (not much other than starbucks is open before 7, wtf), they serve their own roast, shot came with and… tap water? OK? Shot was acceptable, nothing to write home about. Space is pretty utilitarian but there’s some seating upstairs that might be more comfortable. -
Case Study https://www.casestudycoffee.com/
Very quaint, lots of tables but the vibe here felt like they needed couches more than tables, just seemed off. Decent shot, served properly, in-house beans. Didn’t really stick around here, it got the job done.
Old Town area
-
stumptown Coffee Shop in Downtown Portland | Stumptown Coffee Roasters
opens early, but I got there five minutes after opening and they were still locked up, barista came running down the block and apologized for oversleeping. Again, very competent shot, done right etc. The aesthetic here is a lot different than the other location I tried the day before, much more like an Apple store, decent amount of seating but it’s all tables, not somewhere that would be good for socializing or reading IMO. -
deadstock roasters https://www.deadstockcoffee.com/
Was really looking forward to “snob-free” coffee but they were closed for MLK day. It’s probably good I went here by myself before my wife woke up, this neighborhood has a LOT of character even by portland standards.
3 Likes
in thermometer news, thermoworks has a sale on the (original) thermopop for $16:
this isn’t nearly as good as the Thermapen One that was discussed earlier but it’s a lot cheaper, accurate within 1 degree C and reads in 3-4 seconds.
For a few bucks more you can get the thermopop2 which reads faster and has accuracy within 0.5C. https://www.thermoworks.com/thermopop-2/
I don’t have any of these but honestly 2-3 second read time seems sufficient for coffee and I think I can use the little folded metal spring thing from a cheapo milk frothing thermometer to hold it in place, which probably isn’t practical with the Thermapen design.
1 Like
hedrick’s 40+ minute review of the weber EG1 v3
wtf, this thing has like no safety features? he is able to turn the motor on with the burr chamber cover removed, looks like a lawsuit waiting to happen
Have you read any of the countless threads on Weber drama? They are basically the Tesla of the coffee grinder world.
I tried a few different illy beans, and colombian is my favorite.
Got any bean recommendations for me?
no but that seems to fit my initial impressions
What is your setup? Afaik illy is mostly dark roast and I am never going past medium. Colombian coffees can be good but there’s a wide range so doesn’t narrow it down much. Most of the pink bourbon comes from the Huila Department, but it’s tough to even recommend those because they can be mild to extremely wild. Happy Mug is cheap if you want real single origin coffee.
If you want to get the kind of coffees we’re mostly talking about in here, skip down to Special Mug and only look at the ones that are medium roast or less. That’s two Ethiopians, two Rwandans, and a Kenya AA as of right now.
You need to look at the tasting notes to figure out what kind of profile it might be. For example, the first Ethiopian (Yirgacheffe) is a washed coffee and has notes of jasmine, citrus, rosemary. That means it’s a floral coffee and should be fairly clean. Now compare it to the 2nd Ethiopian Yirgacheffe (Adame Gorbota) which is a natural process and has notes of blackberry, pear, and lemon (all fruits, which is notable). Natural processing allows for some fermentation from the coffee fruit and tends to produce candied fruit flavors, so that would you’d expect on this one. However, the profile isn’t as clean and usually has a characteristic natural quality (to me it’s like wine or good bourbon, but some people think it tastes like vinegar / acetic acid).
Personally, I tend to go for coffees that aren’t all fruit notes and typically prefer at least one floral component, but it’s personal preference. You should try both washed and natural coffees just because many people quickly find out that they’re in one camp or the other.
2 Likes
I’ve enjoyed drip coffee, and I wanted coffee at home so I bought the most expensive coffee maker I can get cause I’m rich now and money means nothing to me. And I ended up really liking it, I understand now why people like espresso style coffee.
I love your recommendations, im gonna buy a bunch of these
Fuck yeah if you’re going to do espresso at home you don’t want to halfass it. A friend of mine recently got a rocket and he says it’s changed his life.
1 Like
LOL that’s quite a piece to randomly show up with here. What are you grinding with?
yeah i had no idea what to do with grinders so i just got the most expensive one of those too. also from rocket.
Super Fausto with the 75mm burrs?
fausto touch 65mm. now i’m mad it’s not the best one
1 Like
Meh at this price point it’s starting to be more about sidegrades than upgrades. Rocket’s grinders are made by Eureka who produce some quality espresso grinders. This one should be equivalent to the Atom 65. It’s a flat burr so should cup a bit differently than conical burrs which are also popular for espresso. Are you just starting with this or have you already gotten to advanced stuff like WDT?