Lets talk about COFFEE

[patrickBOOTH]

I got the Finca El Porvenir as it was the only one they had from that farm. Looking forward to trying something new as I have only been buying Kaladi lately.

Yeah, I have been remote since the beginning of March. Not optimal. Are you back to meeting with clients?

 

[Despos]

I got the Finca El Porvenir as it was the only one they had from that farm. Looking forward to trying something new as I have only been buying Kaladi lately.

Yeah, I have been remote since the beginning of March. Not optimal. Are you back to meeting with clients?

Been working with clients that live close to my house in the burbs that want to meet. If clients live in the city I will meet them at the shop. Need to make a trip to Dallas but not eager to travel.

Drinking Las Lajas from Costa Rica at present. Very fruity. Big blueberry aroma when you open the bag. Going thru a 2lb bag then I'll go back to Reprise or try something from Kaladi.

 

[A Y]

I've been subscribed to Paradise's rare coffees and more recently their Hawaiian coffee series, and it's a really cool way to get access to some very interesting coffees. Most shipments are 4 oz, but a couple have been 2 oz. and 6 oz. I fill in with coffee from one of our local roasters since it's about two weeks between each shipment.

Highights for me include:

Taiwan Taiwu Champagne Natural
Colombia Pink Bourbon
Yemen Haimi Farm
Guatemala Santa Felisa Geisha Double Washed
Galapagos La Tortuga
Kilauea Volcano Champagne Natural
Kona Champagne Natural

They just shipped me a nautral SL28 from Nicaragua, and that's an interesting coffee because that varietal is usually associated with Kenya, and it's also natural process unlike the usual washed process we associate with that varietal.

I also recently splurged on a super expensive Yemen Almurri Family from George Howell that was transcendent (about $280/lbs sold in 4 oz. bags).

 

[patrickBOOTH]

I should try this service. I've been a bit jaded lately and this might perk my interest again.

 

[sood]

anyone has a recommendation for a reasonably good and compact grinder (not manual)?

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Encore seems to be the cheap reference grinder.

 

[Despos]

anyone has a recommendation for a reasonably good and compact grinder (not manual)?

For espresso or pourover/drip?
Some grinders are better for one method than the other.
Very few are good at both

 

[imatlas]

I'm pretty happy with my Oxo grinder, but I'm not the most particular coffee drinker.

 

[A Y]

Baratza Encore is the standard recommendation, though the Fellow Ode is looking pretty good as well, but it's too early to tell yet.

You can also put the Virtuoso's burrs in the Encore as an upgrade for filter coffee: https://baratza.com/encore-upgrade-gb2-0/ Often you can have a grinder that's optimal for either just filter (coarser grind) or espresso (fine grind), but not both.

 

[cb200]

The Robot is on my list, at least partly due to it being a local (HK) company. I got a 1Zpresso JE Plus hand grinder (Taiwanese company) and it's been pretty nice so far.

Been eyeing that grinder up. With my wife working from home the electric Breville I've got is a bit loud when she's on a call or on zoom. Was hoping that could be a good option as well as maybe a small step up for press and pour over. What I'm not sure of is how big the hopper is and if I can get 30 grams of beans in there and how efficient it is. Any feedback would be great.

 

[chobochobo]

Been eyeing that grinder up. With my wife working from home the electric Breville I've got is a bit loud when she's on a call or on zoom. Was hoping that could be a good option as well as maybe a small step up for press and pour over. What I'm not sure of is how big the hopper is and if I can get 30 grams of beans in there and how efficient it is. Any feedback would be great.

30g should be no problem. I started with 40g but couldn't fit it all in one go. Moving to 36g and sometimes there are a dozen or 2 beans that need to get added during the grinding.

It's well made and feels very solid. 36g takes a minute or so depending on how much effort I put in; you don't need to a lot of strength. My 4 year old struggles though.

The size of the grind is very consistent, with little variation. The inherent zero-retention nature makes it ideal for occasional drinkers like myself.

 

[sood]

For espresso or pourover/drip?
Some grinders are better for one method than the other.
Very few are good at both

Pour over

 

[Despos]

Pour over

Lot's of people say the Baratza grinders are very good. Read the reviews about the different models and what they are best at. Encore, Virtuoso, Vario and Forte. Forte is the most expensive of them because it has the sturdiest build. Regardless of which model, you want steel burrs, not ceramic for pour over. There are threads on Home Barista of how to easily super align these to get the best results.
I use a Breville Smart Grinder Pro. Can't say if it's better or worse than the others mentioned. You can get it at Bed Bath and Beyond and use the ubiquitous 20% off card.
Use this because I don't care for all the plastic used in Baratza grinders. They seem to either last a long time or break down quickly. You read reviews with both of those experiences/claims.

 

[chobochobo]

Been eyeing that grinder up. With my wife working from home the electric Breville I've got is a bit loud when she's on a call or on zoom. Was hoping that could be a good option as well as maybe a small step up for press and pour over. What I'm not sure of is how big the hopper is and if I can get 30 grams of beans in there and how efficient it is. Any feedback would be great.

I just ground some - you can put in 33g of beans at once to grind. The magnetic grounds holder can accomodate about 42g of ground coffee.

 

[dieworkwear]

I use a Baratza Encore and like it. I can't speak for its quality relative to other grinders, as this is the only one I've used. I use it in combination with an Aeropress.

Fellow came out with a grinder last year. I thought it looked pretty good online and was tempted to buy it based on my positive experience with the company's other products.