Something for the coffee snobs.

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Mike
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by Mike »

I like that jase!! But tbh the aeropress works wonders just a shame they dont make a half size version. Iv considered cutting one down!
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In Reverse
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by In Reverse »

Wotsits is a man with many questionable tastes but I'm happy to confirm that his coffee device is excellent.
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Wotsits
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by Wotsits »

I get why the pressure thing is important for making a good coffee, as that's how the BeerBro endorsed BNest works.. Would like to try one of these out to see if it lives up to the hype, bit salty on the pocket for a punt though!

Had an Aeropress coffee from your good self Mike, was excellent! But they are a bit bulky for bikepacking..
I reckon Stu could knock-up a mini alu/cuben/dyneema aeropress type gadget thingy in that shed of his :ugeek:
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sean_iow
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by sean_iow »

There's a smaller more packable aeropress coming out, hopefully soon as was first due mid Nov but been put back.

Google Aeropress Go
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Mike
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by Mike »

:-bd sean u star!!
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sean_iow
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by sean_iow »

Unfortunately not available yet I don't think, I've got it on my Christmas list but looks like Jane may get away without having to get me one if it's not out soon :sad:
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Wotsits
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by Wotsits »

Interesting Sean, ticks a lot of boxes that does! :cool:
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Boab
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by Boab »

I'm assuming a nanopresso is too big and heavy...?
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redefined_cycles
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by redefined_cycles »

In Reverse wrote: Fri Nov 29, 2019 6:14 pm Wotsits is a man with many questionable tastes but I'm happy to confirm that his coffee device is excellent.
Yes... I can affirm this. (Oh darn... I almost forgot his name cos I ain't been revising it) Jase defo has good coffee which works well and tsstes nice. First time ever I had coffee without milk with that chap and it was lovely
oreocereus
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by oreocereus »

As a coffee snob with a number of years working in the speciality industry im pretty sceptical about a pocket sized espresso maker. Espresso extraction is complicated to get right, there’s far more variables to control than a filter or immersion brew (this is *partially* how the industry justifies the high price of a cup in a good café-though I still think £3 is absurd if the baristas are being paid minimum wage for their expertise as is often the case!)

If it doesn’t maintain a consistent 9bar pressure, have a way to control the extraction time and rate Of water going through it’s always going to be subpar. If it *does* do those things, then you’ve got to be able to effectively tamp, control dose and control grind. All of this adds up weight and bulk that’s not practical camping (the feld2 is supposed to be a pretty good lightweight grinder). And if you’re going to be that specific then you probably want to be controlling the water you use (a hugely understated but vital part of coffee is water recipes)!
And then you still can’t control atmospheric conditions which effect extraction way more than people realise (humidity and ambient temp - this is why it takes 10-20minutes to dial in a grinder and espresso machine, and baristas spend all day fiddling with settings and tasting things).

If you simply like the concentration of espresso, then this might work out.

If you care about high quality coffee, stick to a pour over filter, french press or aero press set up. Simpler, cheaper and far more forgiving. Spend your time on nailing brew times and ratios (if you are using preground coffee, split it into portion zip locks at home so you can weigh it), and spend your money on fresh high quality coffee at your local roaster.

For all my snobbery I find it’s not worth the hassle to do coffee when camping. I drink tea. If I’m with my partner we bring a plastic v60 and a cup with measurement lines, and I grind some coffee the day before we go into 28g ziplocks. The plastic v60 isn’t all that light but it only comes out a few times a year, and it’s the up there with the very best pour over cones so it doesn’t justify replacing.
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benp1
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by benp1 »

That aeropress go looks quite good, still quite bulky though
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thenorthwind
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by thenorthwind »

benp1 wrote: Sat Nov 30, 2019 6:56 pm That aeropress go looks quite good, still quite bulky though
That's interesting is that. Shame it's also heavier than the original Aeropress - yes, you get a mug in with that, but it's plastic, so not much good for heating water in. I suppose if you were taking another mug/pot to cook in, that the Aeropress fitted inside, it might be useful. Or if you could just find a Ti mug that fits the press bit.
oreocereus
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by oreocereus »

I was surprised by the weight too, but on closer inspection that’s probably all in the cup. Although maybe they made it from a sturdier plastic to make it more durable for travel?

Ditch the cup + lid for your water boiling pot. Can ditch the scoop if you pre portion your coffee doses (volume is a poor way to get an accurate dose anyway, and you’ll likely not be taking a full bag of coffee to scoop from if you care about weight!). And you could probably ditch the stirrer for a spoon you’re already using, though they’re actually quite well designed.
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benp1
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by benp1 »

Luxury for me is the GSI ultralight Java drip, otherwise I use kenco millicano or nestle azera

I want that magic blend of low weight, bulk and faff (to make and clean). Aero press and french press ok at home, though I still mainly drink instant because it’s so quick!
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thenorthwind
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by thenorthwind »

Well, some soshul meeja advertising got me. A roastery called Neighbourhood Coffee had a deal: Aeropress go and a bag of nice beans for £30 delivered, and I've been wondering whether I could justify a second Aeropress rather than carting it to work and back, so I went in. I must have saved nearly that giving up coffee for February.

Obviously I stuck it straight on the scales...

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...then took the little scoop and folding stirrer off (they haven't quite got the hang of this TLS thing methinks)- already ditched the little filter holder since I use a metal filter anyway...

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...then got rid of the plastic cup...

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...and replaced it with my 400ml Alpkit ti mug, which it fits fairly nicely (minus lid - not sure what to do about that).

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The silicone lid to keep everything together is one of the key bits of the design for me, and it just about fits over the mug...

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...and despite appearances, grips it just enough to lift it up by:

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The business end of the Aeropress is still a bit more sticky-outy than is ideal, but it needs to be to fit a reasonable range of mugs. The silicone cover is just a bit heavier (50g on its own) and bulkier than I would like. Then I had a brainwave: we have these stretchy silicone covers from Ikea for covering food, and the fetching pink frilly one fits the Aeropress perfectly, and weighs 11g.

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The Aeropress body, filter cap, metal filter, and stretchy silicone cover together is 175g (no mug).

I normally keep my stove, lighter and a little sponge in my mug, and store coffee in the void in my Aeropress, so I'll probably keep them separate in reality, and get another set of Ikea covers to keep my coffee in the Aeropress.

Since I had use for a second Aeropress anyway, I don't regret getting this, but if I was looking for something specifically for bikepacking, I probably wouldn't bother. (I should point out that I rarely take my Aeropress bikepacking - usually just make cowboy coffee, if at all - but on occasion I'll head out for a day or a night purely with the intention of sitting in some woods/on a hill enjoying a coffee, and sometimes I'll do slow-ish trip with friends where I can justify luxuries like this.)
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sean_iow
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by sean_iow »

thenorthwind wrote: Sat Mar 14, 2020 8:46 pm Well, some soshul meeja advertising got me. A roastery called Neighbourhood Coffee had a deal: Aeropress go and a bag of nice beans for £30 delivered
That's cheaper than on the aeropress website, and has just cost me £30 :lol:
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atk
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by atk »

Same!
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thenorthwind
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by thenorthwind »

Plenty of portable espresso makers on the market now, but this is tiny. Wonder if it'll live up to its claims.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/coff ... ed-barista#/
oreocereus
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by oreocereus »

Apologies for the unrequested rant :roll:

I remain sceptical. If it really can produce 9bars of pressure (directly on top of a mug...) then it might be capable of producing an espresso.

Marketing shtick ignores the other, just as important, parts of making "specialty cafe quality" espresso. Good water (most cafes have a several thousand ££ reverse osmosis system to control their water recipes - 90%+ of a coffee is water), high quality coffee and a high quality grinder (again, cafe grinders are several thousand ££ - if they're any good).

After that, high quality espresso requires a fair amount of knowledge and skill. Windows for error and variables are more complex with espresso vs a french press, aeropress or pour over. Water temperature, water pulses, tamp distribution (btw, no quality cafe uses an automatic tamper - they aren't reliable - so I don't trust this one!), correct dosing (measured to 0.1 of a gram), correct yield ratios, consistent grind and correct grind size, correct extraction time... etc. There are a lot of variables to balance, and the range of error in espresso coffee is working in minute adjustments.

Having worked in specialty coffee a number of years, I have no inclination to make espresso at home (let alone camping!) - perhaps if I found myself very wealthy with a lot of free time - "dialling in" espresso takes 15-30 minutes with cafe quality equipment.

After that, most brits don't drink espresso, and only a small number drink an espresso drink with added hot water (e.g. an Americano or long black), so then you need to learn to steam milk. Which isn't a hugely difficult skill. But it all amounts to a lot more work than the average person wants to do.

-------

That said, if you simply like your coffee "really strong" - as in espresso, italian style where it might not be the most nuanced (italian espresso can be nuanced, but is generally characterised by really dark roasts with robusta blends and poor extraction - much like the average cafe in most of the UK or europe - though poor italian cafes are generally better than poor UK cafes!) this might be fine.

If you drink your coffee black or add a dash of milk to a black coffee, your time and efforts will be better rewarded by getting a scale, learning a good french press, clever dripper or aeropress technique (ordered in easiest to hardest), a hand grinder (madebyknock in edinburgh make the strike the best balance of budget friendly and quality) and a brita or peak-water filter.

These are simple techniques that with the right attention will yield a high quality cup, at a much better effort:quality ratio for the average person.

Then while camping, bring your grinder if you want a treat, or grind it into pre-weighed ziplock baggies, and make a coffee using your french press/clever dripper/aeropress technique. All of those are portable, and the James Hoffman french press method can work with minimal weight with the right adaptations. You could use a portable filter cone (a la bearbones one) to do the final filter with this hoffman immersion technique.
Last edited by oreocereus on Wed Apr 08, 2020 1:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
oreocereus
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by oreocereus »

BTW the madebyknock grinders fit inside an aeropress chamber, if bulk is less of a concern than weight ;)

If it were me, I'd get one of these DIY filter holders, brew an immersion - using an adapation of this idea Hoffman technique without the french press lid, then filter it through the paper cone. You'll get something that tastes a bit like a chemex.
ScotRoutes
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by ScotRoutes »

oreocereus wrote: Wed Apr 08, 2020 1:03 pm Good water (most cafes have a several thousand ££ reverse osmosis system to control their water recipes
:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
oreocereus
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by oreocereus »

I know that *sounds* like utter nonsense, but if you do some blind tasting of unfiltered london or brighton water vs properly filtered (a reverse osmosis system controls the mineral content of the water, which might not taste bad, but is one of the most important variables in extraction + high mineral content will ruin the cafes expensive machinery very quickly), in coffee and "raw."

But some parts of the UK and Ireland have great water, so it becomes much less of a concern in those areas.

**This only matters if you're being a coffee snob in the first place. If you want "just coffee" and you want it hot and with caffeine, it won't make much difference :)
ScotRoutes
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by ScotRoutes »

My post-CV19 business idea is to hand deliver water from Loch Einich to that there London. Cycling all the way of course. I reckon at around £1,000 per litre I can make a go of it as there will be enough "discerning customers" . I will then start a franchise, retire to North Uist and put my feet up.
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whitestone
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Re: Something for the coffee snobs.

Post by whitestone »

Or you could just have a cup of tea :roll:
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