Coffee

[Anesthetist]

Afternoon coffee break

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[Finn666]

lovely mug mate @Anesthetist …what are you up to btw.? painting your walls or some denim?

[Anesthetist]

@Finn666:

lovely mug mate @Anesthetist …what are you up to btw.? painting your walls or some denim?

Walls although I have seen a few Asians painting their denim on IG. One dude even painted some girls face on his thigh. I was more interested in covering up the blue smudges on the walls from unavoidable contact with fresh denim

[JCMx800]

@Anesthetist:

Damn, Snowy you've been busy! Good looking next level stuff you've been brewing there. I've actually gone the opposite direction. I bought a can of cheap stuff to see how good I can get it with my aeropress and v60. I don't want to keep blowing $ on high dollar beans and only getting the results I want 40% of the time. Hopefully soon I'll get there! Also, what's a decent compact hand grinder than wont blow the budget? (<$75?)?

Finn, quite a pretty cup of coffee there. That mug is [emoji109][emoji109][emoji109]

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I have this one by Hario:

And it works.

[tmadd]

@Anesthetist:

Damn, Snowy you've been busy! Good looking next level stuff you've been brewing there. I've actually gone the opposite direction. I bought a can of cheap stuff to see how good I can get it with my aeropress and v60. I don't want to keep blowing $ on high dollar beans and only getting the results I want 40% of the time. Hopefully soon I'll get there! Also, what's a decent compact hand grinder than wont blow the budget? (<$75?)?

Finn, quite a pretty cup of coffee there. That mug is [emoji109][emoji109][emoji109]

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Excited to have found this!  I haven't geeked out on coffee online in quite some time!  I apologize ahead of time for the longwindedness that will stem from my excitement.  On the plus side, I'm always down to get as geeky as anyone else wants to, and I know theres a good deal of people here who can give me a run for my money!

My hand-grinder recommendation is still the Porlex Mini: https://www.heartroasters.com/collections/all/products/porlex-mini

It's virtually unbreakable, is designed to grind more uniformly than the Hario (the Hario produces a good quality of grind, but the size variation in grind size particle is especially difficult to work around if you're brewing with a pour-over method), and it's tiny enough to slide into an Aeropress making it the easy choice for a compact travel coffee kit!

Don't know if you're asking for hand-grinder recommendations as an upgrade from a current home grinder or for the sake of portability, but if you're thinking of getting a hand-grinder for your daily coffee drinking, I'll propose that the best additional $150 you could ever spend would be on a Baratza Virtuoso: https://www.heartroasters.com/collections/all/products/virtuoso-grinder

There's not a better value in a grinder for home use, and if you drink coffee even just once a day, the extent to which this will improve your daily coffee, and will allow you to consistently get the best out of the beans you're using at home will be an absolute game changer, and the best money you ever spend.

My simplified, but useful list of priorities for making tasty coffee at home:
1. Good beans
2. Good Grinder
3. Clean Brewing Devices
4. Appropriate Water
5. Scale and appropriate brew recipe

Note: All of these are crucial, but you can make the most drastic difference with a good grinder and a smart brew recipe.

[dylantbmayes]

For anyone interested in coffee, and more specifically the LA coffee scene.

[Snowy]

@Anesthetist , apols for the delay. Have been on another gaunt. Still am out, just sitting down for the first time in a week really..Full and fun times!

Grinder wises, I disagree (respectfully) with tmadd on the grinder of choices. The porlex is too slow, and doesn't hold more than enough beans for a single cup. Hario's Skelton hand grinder is probably the sweet spot. It's not as consistent, still very decent, holds more, and is under $75. I am still SUPER happy with my Lido 2 and feel it was/is worth the investment in. I don't like the real estate that electric grinders take up, so the Lido 2, for me trumps most electric grinders. I also enjoy the hands on process of making filter coffee. Manual grind is part of that experience…

@tmadd, nice to see you here and geeking out on Coffee. Coffee is a big time passion of mine. I'm in Seattle ATM for work. Today I checked out Caffe Vita, which is one of the "top 10 3rd wave coffee shops in America", and Starbucks Reserve Concept Store. Both were very cool and unique. The Starbucks concept store is something else. Might try film a little video in there tomorrow…

[Snowy]

CLOVER COFFEE. Can't even remember the last time I had a clover. 2010 feels about right…I remember when I saw my first Clover machine in Sydney, Australia and how rare and coveted a cup was. $13AUD I paid for ONE cup at the time!

[Snowy]

The Drip Machine in Vita today. Japanese Automatic Drip Machine. Super over the top, okay coffee, more for show than taste. Cool lights changing colours etc…

[tmadd]

@snowy Nice!  Seattle is always fun!  I've yet to visit the Starbucks Reserve…I hear it's a quite a trip!  My list for Seattle includes Milstead and Co. (one of my favorite shops on the West Coast), Slate (I haven't been yet, but I've heard enough good things from enough people I respect to know it's worth a trip), and Espresso Vivace, which is ultra reliable, has one of my favorite specialty drinks anywhere (cafe nico, a macchiato made with half&half, dusted with cinnamon, and garnished with orange zest) and have been influential on the 3rd wave in so many ways that they do not get credit for!  All three are worth a visit if you can spare the time!

[tmadd]

@snowy I should probably just get the Lido 2 because right now I'm thinking more seriously than I should about making use of all the money I'm saving by not buying any new clothes this year and buying an Ek-43 shop grinder for home use.  Moderation has never really been my forte!

[Snowy]

@tmadd, highly recommend the Lido 2 (which is now superseded by Lido 3). Bit cheaper than an EK-43 too :). Buil d quality of the Lido3 is extremely on point. Perfect quality for an IH wearer :).

[Snowy]

Thanks for the recommendations! Tomorrow is my last day off in the city. Will see which 1 2 I can hit up. Hopefully!!

Espresso Vivace - I've walked past that place so many times and nearly gone it, but not seen enough filter vibes from the door to go in. Tomorrow that changes!

[tmadd]

@snowy espresso Vivace is espresso and blend only. I recommend a nico or if you're feeling more traditional a cappuccino.  Schomer's (the owner) book is fascinating.

[Anesthetist]

Thank you @tmadd and @Snowy for the advice. I'm going to price the two grinders out and see if I can find one local to get a feel for it. I feel this is the next step to making a better cup!

[veloaudio]

The Lido 3 looks nice. I have a Hario hand grinder that I use daily and I'm looking for a travel setup. I'm wondering if I could use Lido 3 for both home and travel.

@snowy would you travel with a Lido 2?

[Snowy]

@veloaudio the Lido's are sturdy enough to travel with. I'd say probably a bit heavy. And probably a bit large to lug as luggage tho. I have a porlex mini for travel. If I was traveling with Chemex/v60 I'd probably bring the Lido :).

[veloaudio]

Thanks. I had been eyeing the mini Porlex but the Lido 3 advertised as an travel" Lido through me off.

[Snowy]

Just read up on the 3. Looks like it is aimed at travel. Meant to be lighter than the 2. Turns out it weights 1/4 of the Lido 2. Sounds perfect for travel!!

[veloaudio]

Weight is fine, but the 13.5" tall concerns me for packing.