6 ms·

The audiophile analogy is valid, but only because you can be an audiophile chasing brand names or status (and you will probably get it if you spend enough), or

The audiophile analogy is valid, but only because you can be an audiophile chasing brand names or status (and you will probably get it if you spend enough), or you can be an audiophile that seeks out high quality gear without the snake oil. Same with coffee makers. I would consider myself a coffee snob but I've ditched all the fancy gear and use a $12 pour over device from OXO. That and a basic water kettle will get you world-class coffee for less than the cost of a basic Mr. Coffee unit.

DHPersonal 5y ago
I was speaking more of the former, through the restless pursuit of a perfect experience, feeling that contentment is akin to (temporary) settling. My setup is using one of those cheap plastic Melitta pour-overs with the paper liners, which has provided me the most consistent, cost-effective, easy-to-use methods of getting the flavor I like.
moehm 5y ago
Valid, but you forgot your $600 zero retention burr grinder.
- beeforpork 5y ago
  Hehe, yes, I am sure. Mine was 800€. To pay this, you need to be a coffee nerd, but I think it is absolutely the most important thing to get consistency and satisfaction. I use an inherited antique ceramique (no plastique) pour over filter and do not feel it has any drawbacks. I will try Tetsu's technique.
- zhdc1 5y ago
  Grind retention is : / I use a Rancilio MD 80 that I picked up for 80CHF. The guy I bought it from didn't know what he had. It's as large as my Gaggia, but grind retention be damned, I'm not giving it up.
- urxvtcd 5y ago
  Hand grinders are quite nice return of investment, for the same quality of grind you can pay a lot less, because there is no engine etc. Also hand grinders have much less of a problem with retention.
- mongol 5y ago
  What is retention?
  - chongli 5y ago
    Retention is residual grinds that remain in the grinder between uses.
  - moehm 5y ago
    To further explain, residual coffee goes stale, the oil in the coffee beans can go rancid and thus spoil your cup and if the retention varies you might miss your ratio or go overboard. This is in practice at most annoying, so you can indeed make good coffee without a zero retention grinder but for a 'coffee snob' the most important thing is consistency in the cup.
swalsh 5y ago
It's not the hardware that make it expensive, its the beans. Really good coffee is expensive. There are gems at cheaper price points, but its hard to find, and they're usually temporary.
- zhdc1 5y ago
  It's the hardware. You can pick up 1kg single source raw beans for anywhere between $8-$20 USD depending on your interests. Roasted, these will taste better than anything you'll buy in a store and will almost as good -> better than mail order specialty roasts. However, a good roaster costs $400-$1K+, a good grinder costs $200+, and a good (used) espresso maker costs another $200-$400. All of these amounts can escalate very quickly.
  - Hasnep 5y ago
    Are consumers roasting their own coffee? Also, a good handgrinder is less than £50 and a V60 with filter papers will only be £10. Pourover coffee can be just as good as espresso, it's just different.
    - mns 5y ago
      A decent one maybe, a good one, just like the original comment mentioned starts at around 200$/Eu. Would recommend in the cheap category a Polrex, I stared with one of those and use now for travelling, it's quite a solid grider for the prices and it has decent results.
  - SECProto 5y ago
    An acceptable roaster costs $20 (air popper), acceptable grinder $30 (hario or equiv), and a good espresso maker costs $30 (aeropress). And a good set of headphones costs $50 (ATH m20x) I spend far more on beans annually than I have on hardware in the past 5 years. I have zero interest in chasing more expensive hardware for a fix. But I did actually upgrade my headphones to Sennheiser hd599 when the aux cable in my old pair broke.
    - 5y ago
vcavallo 5y ago
what about grinding?
agloeregrets 5y ago
This. I use an AeroPress. The most expensive cup of coffee in the world is made with an AeroPress. You just need the unit and hot water to make an unbelievable cup of coffee. It costs $29 and a travel version even includes a cup, scoop and Stir for your $30. You absolutely do not need to spend a fortune to get amazing coffee.
- Exuma 5y ago
  What's the most expensive cup?
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]

DHPersonal 5y ago

I was speaking more of the former, through the restless pursuit of a perfect experience, feeling that contentment is akin to (temporary) settling. My setup is using one of those cheap plastic Melitta pour-overs with the paper liners, which has provided me the most consistent, cost-effective, easy-to-use methods of getting the flavor I like.

moehm 5y ago

Valid, but you forgot your $600 zero retention burr grinder.

beeforpork 5y ago
Hehe, yes, I am sure. Mine was 800€. To pay this, you need to be a coffee nerd, but I think it is absolutely the most important thing to get consistency and satisfaction. I use an inherited antique ceramique (no plastique) pour over filter and do not feel it has any drawbacks. I will try Tetsu's technique.
zhdc1 5y ago
Grind retention is : / I use a Rancilio MD 80 that I picked up for 80CHF. The guy I bought it from didn't know what he had. It's as large as my Gaggia, but grind retention be damned, I'm not giving it up.
urxvtcd 5y ago
Hand grinders are quite nice return of investment, for the same quality of grind you can pay a lot less, because there is no engine etc. Also hand grinders have much less of a problem with retention.
mongol 5y ago
What is retention?
- chongli 5y ago
  Retention is residual grinds that remain in the grinder between uses.
- moehm 5y ago
  To further explain, residual coffee goes stale, the oil in the coffee beans can go rancid and thus spoil your cup and if the retention varies you might miss your ratio or go overboard. This is in practice at most annoying, so you can indeed make good coffee without a zero retention grinder but for a 'coffee snob' the most important thing is consistency in the cup.

swalsh 5y ago

It's not the hardware that make it expensive, its the beans. Really good coffee is expensive. There are gems at cheaper price points, but its hard to find, and they're usually temporary.

zhdc1 5y ago
It's the hardware. You can pick up 1kg single source raw beans for anywhere between $8-$20 USD depending on your interests. Roasted, these will taste better than anything you'll buy in a store and will almost as good -> better than mail order specialty roasts. However, a good roaster costs $400-$1K+, a good grinder costs $200+, and a good (used) espresso maker costs another $200-$400. All of these amounts can escalate very quickly.
- Hasnep 5y ago
  Are consumers roasting their own coffee? Also, a good handgrinder is less than £50 and a V60 with filter papers will only be £10. Pourover coffee can be just as good as espresso, it's just different.
  - mns 5y ago
    A decent one maybe, a good one, just like the original comment mentioned starts at around 200$/Eu. Would recommend in the cheap category a Polrex, I stared with one of those and use now for travelling, it's quite a solid grider for the prices and it has decent results.
- SECProto 5y ago
  An acceptable roaster costs $20 (air popper), acceptable grinder $30 (hario or equiv), and a good espresso maker costs $30 (aeropress). And a good set of headphones costs $50 (ATH m20x) I spend far more on beans annually than I have on hardware in the past 5 years. I have zero interest in chasing more expensive hardware for a fix. But I did actually upgrade my headphones to Sennheiser hd599 when the aux cable in my old pair broke.
  - 5y ago

vcavallo 5y ago

what about grinding?

agloeregrets 5y ago

This. I use an AeroPress. The most expensive cup of coffee in the world is made with an AeroPress. You just need the unit and hot water to make an unbelievable cup of coffee. It costs $29 and a travel version even includes a cup, scoop and Stir for your $30. You absolutely do not need to spend a fortune to get amazing coffee.

Exuma 5y ago
What's the most expensive cup?
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]