[QUOTE=Progmatic;8321]I have question for coffee lovers...
I would like to buy a quality coffee machine for home....something capable to grind, brew and make cappucino...I am willing to spend $1000+ if it would makes sense
btw I am sucker for Starbacks brews....
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I'm wondering if you mean grind, brew and steam and froth milk YOURSELF with some training - or if you want it all at the push of a button. If you're willing to learn to do it yourself, you can't go wrong with a Rancilio Sylvia espresso machine and the espresso grinder they usually pair with it. (I forget the name but it's a high end consumer standard espresso grinder). That will let you make not only second wave Starbucks style drinks authentically - but if you get a little training on YouTube or at a true specialty shop, you can learn the REAL way to steam the milk - where it's all one creamy consistency, tastes sweet ALL BY ITSELF (because the sugars in the milk fat molecules are brought to the surface where you can actually taste them) and, while it HAS to be ten degrees cooler to taste that way, makes any woman a SLAVE to your skills for life.
If you want it all at a push of a button, I'd search Tony Levin's Road Diary - he has a push button one he likes a lot (though he was a bit sheepish when admitting it to me LOL).
Ah... I also spelt it wrong.
For some reason I thought the bag has "Seattle" on it, but I could be remembering it wrong. Been a while since I decided I didn't like their coffee. The roast is still "too burnt" for me.
Apparently, you have a job ;-)
well job is nice but also if you buy daily 2 venti cappocinos at Starbucks you pay around $7 plus driving the car and time...so let say all up you spend $10 of value ..then you do it let say 300x per year ..you are looking already at $3000 ...that is $2000 more than you would spend on coffee machine...obviously you have to provide ingredients and labour so let assume only $1000 savings in a single year....no bad huh?
Excited for my next coffee order to arrive as it is 6 bags of the El Salvador and 6 bags of the Kenya Kiambu - had anyone asked me years ago if I'd EVER be drinking Kenya coffee on a daily basis the answer would have been a definitive NO! But with all of the maverick growers experimenting with every facet of coffee growing, harvesting and milling, some wild and wonderful "accidents" are occurring and there is no longer any definitive taste of a country or even a growing region anymore.
Viva le difference!
Greg, your enthusiasm for different regions of coffee beans reminds me of some people who are obsessed with regionally grown wine!
Not a bad thing to be an expert at something.
"The mountains are calling and I must go" - John Muir
"To breathe the same air as the angels, you must go to Tahoe" - Mark Twain
Thanks, Melissa! I spent this evening catching up with a dear friend I haven't seen since 1979 and watching him and his 21 year old son pour buckets of my coffee down their throats, extolling its virtues in disbelief.
Ever since spending some time on the Big Island I have had an addiction to Kona coffee. We usually get Greenwell's Full City Roast. And right now they are having free shipping. We will get a couple of 5 pound bags sent.
Two cups every morning for 40 years. Plain ol' diner brew in a plain ol' diner cup. Black. I might do Dunkin' or McDonalds if I feel like splurging. I drank that Seattle's Best swill when I worked for Borders because it was free.
> I drank that Seattle's Best swill when I worked for Borders because it was free. <
You are correct, it was/is "swill".
^^^
Or the mud from Starbucks.
I appreciate a good cup of coffee, but I'm not gonna spend more than a buck fifty for a 16 oz take-out, because that's just stupid. I'd rather put that money towards something that will shrink my liver.
I think it's .99 for any size, and since they switched from whatever crap they used to offer to Newman's it's IMO about the best coffee around. I used to like DD's, but sometime about 15 or 20 years ago (maybe longer) they started making it too weak. The only way to get a good cup at DD's is to have them add a "Turbo Shot".
Indeed, the "terroir" idea is a very strong concept in gastronomy...
However for coffee, it's lost on me... plus the question of torrefaction intervenes as well... In Sweden they roast it almost blond, while in Turkey and Greece, they almost burn it
I've had coffee made from some of the most pretigious areas around the globe Blue Mountain from Jamaica and/or Costa Rica (both nearing 400.00/kg some 10 years ago >> doesn't matter £,$ or € ), like Bali beans...
I take a few (more like two) sips plain, then I add cream and sugar, coz I'm no fan of coffee unless I have that way.... so it's almost like throwing it away, these kind of coffees...
I'm defintely more of a tea fan, and I've tried a few origins... It seems that I'm more receptive to that art...
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
Since I have been changing roasts and varieties more frequently I probably should clean my grinder more often.
It is a Breville BCG800XL conical burr.
I usually just take it apart and brush it out.
I have seen various posts about running alternate materials , like rice, through it to clean the burrs.
Any additional suggestions for keeping it clean?
mark
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-- Aristotle
Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
“A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain
I forget sometimes how lucky we are with our water, I can use it straight from the tap and it never interferes with the taste of the coffee and the coffee still tastes good after an hour. I lived in places where that was most definetly not the case.
Other than that I use a plastic filter, filter paper and a heated mug or coffee pot and if I can afford it 002038.jpg
Uschi
Attachment 634
or more seasonal
Attachment 633
You gave me an idea there,Irish Coffee!
Uschi
I haven't had one for years - gotta fix that this weekend!
Regards,
Duncan
Oy, what happened to my lovely whisky pictures! Here are the links:
http://www.raredrams.ca/wp-content/u...-WWW-award.png
http://www.whiskyintelligence.com/wp...t-revealed.bmp
Uschi
Last night I visited friends after church and they asked me to show them the right way to use their French press. They pulled out a whirly-blade grinder. Then they handed me a bag of Kona they had stored in their freezer. I asked for bottled water and a digital scale and they had both on hand. We boiled 32 ounces of water then removed the kettle from the burner and set it aside. I weighed out approximately 2.7 ounces of coffee beans out (their French press caraffe holds 32 ounces) and ground it coarsely to about the size of pencil shavings. Then we poured the water over the grounds, stirring to saturate at about halfway full and again after it was all full of liquid. Then we set a timer for 8 minutes, after which I plunged the press down.
These beans were 8 months old - and to my astonishment, the coffee was very good - not magnificent by any means, but way better and more flavorful than any restaurant in a 50 mile radius, with no apparent unpleasantness or stale taste.
I have heard many people swear by freezing coffee. I have tried it. I won't do it again. Store it in a cool, dark place. That works best for me. Freezing takes away some of the flavor.a bag of Kona they had stored in their freezer
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