Coffee: Intermediate to Advanced (1 Viewer)

[Johnny Angell]

I forget the model number but this metal filter works perfectly for it, it is wedge shaped like the Technivorm's brew compartment.

New brew compartment? Wedge shaped? The 64oz version I saw at Williams Sonoma required a flat bottomed filter.

 

[Sam Posten]

This is my model:
http://www.amazon.com/Technivorm-Moccamaster-Coffee-Brewer-Thermo/dp/B002S4DI2S/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1335549287&sr=1-1&tag=viglink123527-20

 

[Johnny Angell]

The one with 60 or 64 oz is only available at Williams Sonoma, which is the one I'm looking at.

 

[mattCR]

My wife & I for Christmas bought a Nesspresso... and it immediately leaked water like crazy. We had it replaced; and the new one leaked water, straight from the bottom of the unit.

In the end, we gave up on that and went with the Keurig Vue, which has been decent - not great. But I've been OK with it. We kept a Nesspresso frother to go along with.

The only really bad thing about the Vue is that it uses a different kind of cup (V-Cups) so they aren't nearly as easy to find as the K-Cups that are everywhere.

 

[Sam Posten]

The one with 60 or 64 oz is only available at Williams Sonoma, which is the one I'm looking at.

Can't help ya then. Mine is the 42 ounce carafe, which can be small for large gatherings but is usually just right for the number of people I have over.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Sam,

Amazing. Have owned an almost exact same Technivorm for 4 years now.

My move to such an expensive coffee maker was based on never getting
a hot cup of coffee from any other machine.

Initially, my Technivorm delivered piping hot coffee. Nowadays, it seems less
so. Also, there is a problem with the plastic basket (you have the same one)
where the switch in the front does not work properly. Been through 3 replacements
and all were defective.

Would I buy a Technivorm again? Perhaps. However, it's kind of sad that my
biggest frustration with the brand is based solely on the $12 plastic basket and
its faulty switch.

I have an expensive Rancilio grinder which still works great after all these years.

As for coffee? I usually stick with Starbucks as it has the best taste. A friend
told me about Philz Coffee, swears by it, so one of these days I am going to buy a bag.

 

[Sam Posten]

Ron, definitely check out Rook Roasters. They have a great selection and stores in the Little Silver Train Station and near Sitting Duck in Eatontown.

Flores is my favorite! Dark and flavorful without being bitter. I use it for both Espresso and drip.

No complaints about my technivorm, but I do not use it every day, just for company. I make my iced Lattes a heck of a lot more often, about 5 times a week.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Not certain if you discussed this previously, Sam, but how do you make your iced lattes?Never tried doing that before.

 

[Colin Davidson]

Saw Ron's posts about the Technivorm and it reminded me that in post 92 I had asked about brewers and not followed up.

I ultimately purchased the Bonavita Thermal and have been nothing but very very pleased with it.
Brews a full pot in about 8 minutes and with the thermal carafe it stays hot for several hours.

It has really changed for the better the taste of the coffee and I find I am enjoying it more than I expected.

The Bonavita gets a "highly recommended" from me.

 

[Sam Posten]

My Latte process is really simple but still evolving.

Sam's Better Than Starbucks Iced Sugar Free Vanilla Latte
20 ounce plastic tumbler, fill 1/3 of the way with ice, then fill to 80% with whole milk (you can use 2% or skim but whole tastes best to me, and I don't drink enough milk to make the minor difference in fat worth th loss of taste to me)

Using the Breville Conical Burr Grinder set on 2 shots 3 clicks from right (aka close to but not at the finest setting) fill a naked porafilter to seemingly overflowing, with a cone of grounds in the middle. Using a metal tamper pack the portafilter so that it is tight and 1-2mm below the ridge in the basket. As noted above I use flores from Rook Roasters but I'm going to try some of the other suggestions in this thread when this batch runs out. I like rich crema and while I get good effervesence and low bitterness, some of the other brands seem to triple the amount of Crema I'm currently getting.

In the BES900xl with all settings at factory levels EXCEPT 2 shot amount adjusted for more volume to match my 2 shot measuring glass, pull a double shot in roughly 40 seconds, which is slower than anticipated, which is why I want to try some different beans.

Pour on top of milk. Stir with a spoon. Enjoy!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Sam, thank you!!!!!

Will look for that coffee shop. You say the nearest one is inside the Little Silver train station?

 

[Carlo_M]

Here's the workflow I follow when making iced lattes (or iced mochas), in case anyone finds it helpful:

1. Incorporate your sweetener with the hot espresso - for lattes this is sugar, for mochas it's TCHO chocolate. The heat of the espresso will dissolve the sweetener better than putting it into the final, cold drink and stirring (especially in the case of chocolate).
2. Incorporating the sweetener, especially if it's chocolate, will begin to cool the espresso down. This is desirable.
3. Pour the espresso into the cold milk *before* adding any ice. What I try to avoid is watering down the drink by melting the ice by pouring it into hot espresso. If you mix espresso and milk, the overall temp of the drink is still cold (assuming you're using about 2X-3X as much milk as espresso). Then you can add ice--or when I'm being really picky I'll actually do the mix of espresso and milk in a separate container like a pyrex glass, and really incorporate the chocolate/espresso/milk, and then pour that into a glass of ice.

 

[Sam Posten]

Neat Carlo, you really have a good process and a scientific nose for maximizing it. I got to "good enough cause it's better than any I can buy in a store" and stopped there =) What's your favorite bean these days?

Ron yes, Rook is right in the little train station!

 

[Carlo_M]

I've come back to Intelligentsia's Black Cat Espresso. I still get some channeling that I don't get with the Vivace beans, but that flavor was too bold. However with the new VST basket I have, which at 18g is deeper than the 15g basket that comes with the Rancilio, the flavor extraction has definitely changed. I may try my other two beans again: Vivace and my local Coffee Tomo espresso blend (they roast their own beans).

I'll be in the 909 (that's about 60 miles east of downtown L.A. for non Angelenos, 90 miles from me) this weekend and I know Klatch Roasters is out there (2009 micro roaster of the year) so I may pick up a pound or two to see what the fuss is all about.

Augie's Coffee House is out there as well: I went the last time I visited my friend who lives there and loved it. I think they may use Klatch. Never mind: they roast their own beans. Will definitely have to give their espresso blend a shot! Looks like I'll be coming back with 2lbs this weekend!

Major bummer for me, apparently a few months ago I missed a Coffee Crawl around Los Angeles (as opposed to a pub crawl) where they visited a lot of my favorites! However I honestly can't do more than 2-3 drinks a day maximum (usually 1-2 is enough) so maybe missing it was not a bad thing.

 

[Sam Posten]

Ordering a Black Cat now.

Opinions on Klatch'es House versus World's Best?

 

[Carlo_M]

My next time to Klatch will be my first

Since they sell in 12oz bags, I may buy a couple of varieties and report back.

 

[Sam Posten]

I just tried ordering 2 12 ounce bags from Klatch and they wanted $14 in shipping for a $25 order. Are they outta their gd minds???

Edit, NM, just a bad web order form. They have their shipping all in order except the cheapest at the bottom. Weird.

 

[Carlo_M]

Yeah I noticed that too. Let's assume they're better at roasting than they are at making intuitive web interface options.

I'm actually really looking forward to going to Augie's and hopefully Klatch this weekend. It's a brutal drive (ok maybe I'm being a little melodramatic here) but finding good beans can make it all worthwhile.

 

[Sam Posten]

I ordered the Klatch house Espresso and the Worlds Best. Looks like the Intelligentsia really is $10 an order so skipping that.

 

[Carlo_M]

I think you're going to be happy with Klatch, Sam. I went twice over the weekend. First day I got their single origin limited time espresso and it was great. Second day I got their World's Best Espresso and it was also great. I bought 12 oz of WBC along with 12oz of Augie's roast and will try them out over the next couple of weeks at home. Augie was also a great experience, both the drinks and the ambience. I'd heard Augie's was very supportive of local groups, allowing an ice cream shop that was undergoing renovations to use their backroom to sell their wares while construction was happening. Well this Sunday they were allowing a small creperie (who usually operate out of a local Farmer's Markets booth) to use their backroom to make savory and sweet crepes, and there was also live music - a singer/guitarist. Very good crepes to go with awesome coffee, friendly service, and a talented musician. If I lived in the Inland Empire I would go to Augie's quite frequently.