Lets talk about COFFEE

[ryogrif]

In my opinion the best hand grinder you can buy is a Porlex. If you want to stay on the cheaper end of things (i.e. under $75 )

I've got a Hario Skerton hand grinder and it's around the same price as a Porlex one, but I would agree that a Porlex would be better since it has a lid; you won't have to worry about beans flying out, happens sometimes when you're first getting used to a hand grinder!

 

[A Y]

The Porlex and Hario are said to use the same burrs. I have a Hario Mini that I use for my office coffee, and I like it. It has a lid so the beans don't fly out.

 

[A Y]

Double post, sorry.

 

[Renault78law]



I was at my local Peet's the other day, and tried out their New Java bean. It's really good with a hint of spice in the coffee, but then I noticed it's no longer available. Anyway, I was surprised to see that the baristas were doing a cupping between 3 of their blends for themselves. I really believe that Peet's is by far the best mass-market coffee shop, and beats many hipster coffee boutiques as well, including some well-regarded ones, in both service and quality of coffee.

I tend to agree with that, but I find it disappointing that they don't serve many of the beans that they sell. I don't have the ability, nor really the desire to brew/pull at home. With so many interesting beans available, I wish that they'd offer to serve some in-store. On the occasions that I asked, I was told they rarely if ever do so. I think I understand the reason why they don't, but it seems counter intuitive to limit what may be their best products to such a small segment of their customers.

 

[otc]

My girlfriend got a different sample from Tonx. Rwanda I believe.

I liked this one better. Darker roast and tasted like coffee...but didn't think it to be anything special.

 

[A Y]



I tend to agree with that, but I find it disappointing that they don't serve many of the beans that they sell. I don't have the ability, nor really the desire to brew/pull at home. With so many interesting beans available, I wish that they'd offer to serve some in-store. On the occasions that I asked, I was told they rarely if ever do so. I think I understand the reason why they don't, but it seems counter intuitive to limit what may be their best products to such a small segment of their customers.

I don't know about the Peet's near you, but the two stores near me have always been willing to make a French press of any bean I wanted, and it's not very expensive either. A friend of mine was in a similar position to you, and I had raved to him about the Peet's Ethiopian Supernatural. He bought a pound or two, and had the store to keep it there for him, and would have a French press of it made when he came in. He was a regular in their store, and they know him well, so that probably helped things.

 

[otc]

Unfortunately my free Tonx shirt is a cotton poly blend so it won't even make good random polishing rags

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Why? Synthetics are great for bulling.

 

[otc]



Why? Synthetics are great for bulling.

I've never had an issue with shoes I guess...but I rarely have any non-100% cotton rags since I just cut up old t-shirts and even the free t-shirts you get as event-swag (I'll take an XXXL please) are usualy 100% these days.


For things like eyeglasses or LCD screens though, poly will scratch. Don't want to get confused since its hard to tell once separated from the label. Once spent a 3-week vacation cleaning my sunglasses primarily with a poly or poly-blend t-shirt and they didn't look so good afterwards...

 

[A Y]

This is a great coffee blog, written by someone who was there in the early days of Starbucks when it was great:

http://coffeecontrarian.blogspot.com/

What he says is going to cause a lot of consternation in today's 3rd wave coffee world.

His history of Starbucks is eye-opening: http://coffeecontrarian.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-short-trip-down-retail-coffee-memory.html

Prominent on the employment application (mostly essay questions!) was "describe the best meal you ever ate, in detail." It was routine back then for customers to ask whether the new-crop Kenya was a better choice than the Ethiopian, or to bemoan the substitution of Ethiopian Harrar for Yemen Mocha in our Mocha Java Blend (Jerry Baldwin called the fill-in "Revolutionary Mocca Java" - "what's "revolutionary is we actually tell you what's in it!"). Legendary stores like Pike Place and University Village maintained boxes of index cards full of customer's custom blends.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

^I read that, good stuff.

 

[Knowledge is King]



In my opinion the best hand grinder you can buy is a Porlex. If you want to stay on the cheaper end of things (i.e. under $75 )

I've been using the Orphan Espresso Lido grinder for about 2 months now and can say that it is lightyears better than my old Porlex. The OE Lido is large and heavy for a hand grinder though so if absolute grind quality isn't your utmost concern, I would say the Porlex is fine. The Lido is also double the price but it is without a doubt a superior grinder, especially at the coarser end of things.

If you already have a Hario or Porlex and don't own the other essentials to brewing, get those first (i.e. a decent scale and kettle w/ mechanism for measuring water temp). I can certainly understand if it seems too fussy to have all that equipment but without it, you'll never be able to control the variables that go into making a cup of coffee.

 

[scottcw]



I've been using the Orphan Espresso Lido grinder for about 2 months now and can say that it is lightyears better than my old Porlex.

I have been seriously considering the Lido or the Pharos for a medium grind to brew in my Chemex. The Pharos only holds 21 grams in the upper hopper and I usually brew 40 grams, so I would have to grind twice.

 

[Knowledge is King]

The OE Pharos is for espresso grinds and it's a huge (but cool) contraption. The Lido was designed with drip, french press and cupping in mind. If you have no intention to use the grinder for espresso, I would get the Lido and not even consider the Pharos.

Edit: check out this comparison thread http://www.home-barista.com/reviews/hand-grinder-roadshow-t22223.html

 

[A Y]

I was thinking about getting one of the OE hand grinders until I ran across that home-barista thread, and the usability issues turned me off. How are you finding the usability of the Lido?