Coffee

Nightfall

What's your coffee maker situation at home? Brand, pictures, cost, favorite beans, etc. No real reason, just curious.

treitz3

Technivorm Moccamaster KGB with a Baratza Sette 270 Coffee grinder, Deer Park water and a SS milk frother to fill up the chamber. Because I go through so much coffee, I use Eight O'clock whole bean.

She is brewing as I type and has definitely spoiled me. Best cup of Joe I ever tasted...on a daily basis.

Tom

maxward

Similar here….Technivorm Moccamaster Clubline, Baratza Sette 270, plus a Breville espresso machine. I go through mostly African beans that I buy green and roast on a Behmor drum roaster in the garage. Beans come from either Sweet Maria’s or Sonofresco.

Nightfall

Is flavored creamer & sugar a travesty?

Emlyn

Folgers in a ten year old Cuisinart 14 cup drip maker. I use half and half and sugar so the type of coffee doesn't matter that much to me as long as there's plenty of it.

I actually have a Technivorm too but only use it on occasion if I buy some beans to grind.

erniejade

Bunn for the maker and for the Coffee itself, Costco's Kirkland House blend. We grind it ourselves and it costs around 13$ a bag!

It's actually made by Starbucks.

JayCee

Re-posted from another thread. Only difference is now I have a billeted single dose hopper vs. the large hopper on the grinder...

JayCee wrote: »

1. Espresso Machine: La Spaziale Vivaldi II w/custom Sapele wood side panels
2. Grinder: Fiorenzato F4E Nano V2
3. Combo Scale/Shot Timer: Hario V60
4. Tampers: Espro w/flat base, Joefrex w/convex base and walnut handle
5. Coffee Distributor: Apexstone

• Coffee Roaster: Gene Cafe CBR-101
• Preferred Green Bean Wholeseller: Sweet Maria's

I roast 1 lb, weekly. Half lb to the lighter side and other 1/2 to medium. Goal is to bring out the bean profile (fruit/chocolate, etc.) with the lighter roast and more robustness w/a medium to dark. Blend the two for the best of both worlds. Here's a nice Sumatra I roasted a while back. Contrast on the pics is a bit light as the bean had a nice brown color.

Earlier this morning...I prefer a triple shot basket w/a bottomless portafilter to see the extraction. Here's a nice 2 oz. shot and the resulting Americano w/2 oz's of water added to the shot.

VR3

Local gas station brew

Nightfall

You guys aren't messing around with your coffee.

Nightfall

I just bought one of these for $100. I thought I was being fancy with the built in charcoal water purifier & grinder.

maxward

I use half and half most of the time, so I guess that disqualifies me as a coffee snob. Will have Americanos black sometimes. @JayCee , I like your Vivaldi II, it’s on my short list of machines to check out when the Breville goes belly up.

audioluvr

Mr Coffee. Folgers french roast.

NotaSuv

a hanger and the wifes nylons add hot water to ground coffee in nylons and bingo you have coffee..........

NotaSuv

see we have quite a bit of foo foo drinkers here.................

ken brydson

Nightfall wrote: »

I just bought one of these for $100. I thought I was being fancy with the built in charcoal water purifier & grinder.

I got the same model at Costco for $50

Clipdat

tonyb

Got a Cuisnart also, buy beans from a roaster and grind myself. Goldstar coffee....usually get an Estate Jamaican Blue mountain and a Kona....both smooth and low acidity, average caffein content. Not loaded down like Deathwish coffee, lol.

I liked my old Kitchenaid coffee maker but they no longer make them like they used to....same for everything these days eh.

Someone want to explain to me the difference with the moccamaster ? Quality of parts ? Brew temp ? What makes that a 300 buck machine over the other 100 buck drips.

Nightfall

ken brydson wrote: »

Nightfall wrote: »

I just bought one of these for $100. I thought I was being fancy with the built in charcoal water purifier & grinder.

I got the same model at Costco for $50

Dang. They're $100 everywhere else.

I've never had anything but $20-30 Mr Coffee's, I thought I was stepping it up.

ken brydson

Nightfall wrote: »

ken brydson wrote: »

Nightfall wrote: »

I just bought one of these for $100. I thought I was being fancy with the built in charcoal water purifier & grinder.

I got the same model at Costco for $50

Dang. They're $100 everywhere else.

Just reread your post. Mine looks similar but doesn't have a grinder. You're not a dumbass 😂

maxward

@tonyb The Moccamaster has gotten multiple good reviews, such as from Cooks magazine and PBS show. The main reason is the brew temperature is consistently closer to what the “ideal” temperature is supposed to be. Ours is older, but still works fine. The newer models brew into an insulated carafe, which would be nice.

Nightfall

Do you guys think you could taste the difference using the same water the same grinder the same coffee beans between $100 drip and the $300 one

rooftop59

tonyb wrote: »

Someone want to explain to me the difference with the moccamaster ? Quality of parts ? Brew temp ? What makes that a 300 buck machine over the other 100 buck drips.

In addition to maintaining an ideal temp, they are essentially pour over style makers, not drip. The water is sprayed over the grounds instead of just dripped in the middle. The aroma is better and the flavor is richer.

I have a cheaper one that works similarly: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O9FO1HK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Emlyn

Thumbs up on the Bonavita coffee makers. I have one of those at work but haven’t been there to use it for quite a while. Similar to Technivorm definitely. They also have the glass carafe with heater and thermal carafe options.

treitz3

Nightfall wrote: »

Do you guys think you could taste the difference using the same water the same grinder the same coffee beans between $100 drip and the $300 one

Absolutely. The first day I got it (using my well water), it was the smoothest cup of coffee I had ever drank in my life. Instantly noticeable by everyone who has tried a cup so far.

tonyb wrote: »

Someone want to explain to me the difference with the Moccamaster ? Quality of parts ? Brew temp ? What makes that a 300 buck machine over the other 100 buck drips.

Everything. Not being a smart *you know what* but that's the answer.

Let me tell you a little story first....What started my journey for better coffee was that I would go through a "standard" coffee maker about once a year. Earlier this year the third one in 3 years died on me. That burst my bubble because I got tired of buying a new $80-$90 coffee maker on average every year.

What usually killed them is the cleaning procedure. I would brew 3 or 4 times with vinegar and water to get the acid taste out of my coffee. This usually built up within about 3 weeks or so, so cleaning was pretty often. The cheap ones are not made to cycle brew after brew and after I would do the vinegar and water thing, I'd brew about 5 or 6 times more to get rid of all of the vinegar taste. That did the trick but they kept failing on me....usually during the cleaning.

So, I hopped on to Cook's Illustrated and read their (at the time) winner. IIRC, it was some sort of Breville and the cost was $150.00. I yelled to my wife, "$150.00!!???!! I'm not paying no damned $150.00 for a coffee maker, they must be out of their minds!". But, I tend to trust Cooks Illustrated so I kept researching the unit. I read every review on the unit (probably 800 or so) on all types of websites.

During that reading, I learned that many people were dissatisfied with the Breville because of the same reason I was dissatisfied with the ones I went through. They kept failing and no replacement parts were offered. So, I took notice when someone mentioned to get this thing called a "Mocaamaster", that they offered parts to repair it if it failed.

Interesting. So I kept reading the reviews.

Not only did they keep mentioning this "Moccamaster", they also kept saying (Empirical evidence here) that it was the best cup of Joe they had ever had. So I looked up the price and about did a back flip. Over $300 for a coffee maker? Holy Smokes Batman, you have GOT to be kidding me.

But I kept reading and then I started researching on this "Mocaamaster" contraption. They did offer repair parts for one. Check. They are one of the few (read handful) of coffeemakers endorsed by the American Coffee Association AND the European or some other high flutin' coffee Association equivalent. Check. Then there was the empirical evidence that everyone who had one, swears that it was the best cup of coffee they had had. Check. (albeit VERY skeptically...they could just be trying to justify their purchase of such an expensive machine.....I didn't know what to believe at the time).

Then I went on to read the "technical" parts of the MM and why it was designed the way it was. That's where it got interesting and now I am at the part to where I am going to answer your question, Tony.

The heating element is made from brass. This was critical for longevity but more so, to deliver the water at a very specific temperature when it actually hit the coffee. Most coffeemakers may brew at that temperature but by the time the water travels through the machine and hits the grounds? The water had cooled down (up to) 8 degrees. This affects the flavors and extraction of the coffee compounds.

The coffee filter shape also plays a role in extracting the flavor compounds properly. Apparently, a flat bottomed filter does not extract the flavor compounds properly. A conical shaped (I think that's what they call it) filter does. The MM pulses the coffee with showers at the proper temp, which has to be something like 204 degrees when it hits the coffee. Otherwise, you get more of the acid part of the flavor compounds and not much of the nutty, fruity compounds or some sheet like that.

Even the filter itself (shape aside) affects the final result. You want white, not bleached and not brown coffee filters, otherwise they impart an "off" taste.

Then there is the carafe. If you notice, the carafe has this long tube in the middle which goes down to the bottom of the carafe. Apparently, this is also part of the design and I can't really remember why but I believe it had something to do with making sure that the entire pot was mixed properly with no strong or weak spots. Something to that effect.

I also read that they had not changed the original design since the 60's or so. I found that to be very interesting. They only made cosmetic changes in the past 60 years....and they still are winning awards? I took serious note of that.

Anyhoo, sorry for the long winded answer. The day I unpacked it and made my first pot? I ended up drinking 3 pots. That was the best damned coffee I had ever had in my life. I can say that with 100% confidence. It's just a damned good cup of Joe.

FWIW, I have also learned that using good, clean spring water (not using my well water anymore, now I use Deer Park spring water) helps to keep it clean, along with having a dedicated fill container. It never really dawned on me that every time I filled the carafe back up with water, I was introducing "dirty" water into the coffeemaker. All of that brown crap that sits at the bottom of the carafe goes right into the heating element and sticks, causing an "off" tasting cup of Joe.

Now, (ironically) I only clean the coffeemaker once every 3 months or so....and I don't use vinegar anymore. I use Urnex Dezcal and/or Cleancal for cleaning whenever there is discoloration or an "off" taste in the MM. The thing is, the MM is built to brew pot after pot after pot repeatedly, with no issues. Cleaning the unit no longer breaks my coffemaker.

Tom

pitdogg2

Damn I'm glad I dislike coffee.

motorstereo

Thanks for the detailed write up on the Moccamaster treitz3. Now I know what I'm going to get when my Breville brews it's last cup. The burrs on the grinder are getting worn and like you mentioned there's no replacement parts.
To me there's nothing better in the morning than good coffee made from freshly ground beans. My current favorite is Peets dark roast.

Gerres26

Saeco Incanto SuperAutomatic espresso machine for us. Grinds fresh whole beans for every cup of coffee/espresso. Also has a frother if you’re looking to make a fancy drink. We buy our beans fresh from Porto Rico Importing Co. out of New York.

Nightfall

I remember the similar priced Ninja machine had that tube in the middle of the carafe too. I got sold on the built in grinder & charcoal water filter of the Cuisinart though. Maybe someday I'll spend $300 on a coffee machine but yesterday was not that day.

tonyp063

We've got a Zojirushi 10 cup & an OXO burr grinder. Beans from a company called Mayorga or from a local roaster.
It makes a *nice* pot of coffee.

I can get fussy with a french press if wanted.

rooftop59

I buy buy whatever good, usually localish roasted whole beans are on sale. I really like these:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0253/3611/products/Jet_Fuel_12_oz_1024x1024.jpg?v=1548967716

Toolfan66

https://youtu.be/pG3Cp6FY3Ro