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Meanwhile the Technivorm Moccamaster has a simple on/off switch that you could probably toggle with a relay, a motor, some gears, and a chopstick. It also makes

Meanwhile the Technivorm Moccamaster has a simple on/off switch that you could probably toggle with a relay, a motor, some gears, and a chopstick. It also makes just about the best coffee you're going to get with an automatic drip/filter machine. The bigger challenge of course is that, if you want actually good coffee in the morning, you need to automate the weighing, grinding, and depositing of fresh coffee into a rinsed filter. That's going to look like Factorio in your kitchen.

linsomniac 3y ago
I had a Oxo "Barrista Brain" that I really liked, partly because it would remind me when it needed cleaning, and could be scheduled to start brewing at a particular time. However, those fancy electronics ended up being the primary failure point 4 years down the line, the dial control failed. I ended up replacing it with a Moccamaster and a Zigbee "smart outlet". Because the Moccamaster is so dead simple, I just leave it switched on, and use the button on the outlet to turn it off. To brew in the morning, I have a button on my headboard that if I hold it for 2 seconds starts the brewing. The "start brewing at X:YY" on the Oxo didn't end up working that great for me, because I get up at varying times (half an hour before my alarm this morning, for example). So, I'd recommend anything with a rocker "on" switch and a smart plug, for sure.
m463 3y ago
I have a mocchamaster and when I switched to cold-brew, I couldn't go back. After reading a friend's copy of "modernist cuisine" I was intrigued and tried the toddy system. A little clunky but the coffee was wonderfully mellow. Since then I caved a little to practicality and use a cold brewer that is a 1/2 gallon mason jar with a perforated steel filter. The only difference I've ever heard about steel vs paper filters is that paper filters out the coffee oils (which could mean lower cholesterol).
- nerdponx 3y ago
  +1 on a "cold brewer" that's just a jar and a filter. Cold brew is the easiest damn thing in the world and it's incredibly delicious. I actually sometimes brew cold brew and then heat it up, just because I like the smooth taste. You also don't have to give any kind of a shit about grind size or consistency since it's getting a 12-hour soak anyway. A lot of my cold brew is just espresso leftovers when I accidentally set the grinder wrong. However I find that not all coffees taste good as cold brew. Some trial-and-error is needed. I also find that paper filtering is much easier on my stomach than metal filtering, so I'd encourage it for anyone who has a sensitive stomach and doesn't already use a paper filter. Whatever oils are supposedly bad for my cholesterol, also make me feel like I'm simultaneously digesting myself and being rocketed to space, so IMO those are better off sent to the compost. I even use paper filters for Moka pot and espresso, in the form of circles cut from Chemex filters (courtesy of https://goodbrotherscoffee.com/ https://goodbrotherscoffee.com/).
baby_souffle 3y ago
> Meanwhile the Technivorm Moccamaster +1 for that machine. It's not confused about what it is: it's a simple, well made machine. It'll probably outlast me. > has a simple on/off switch that you could probably toggle with a relay, a motor, some gears, and a chopstick. It also makes just about the best coffee you're going to get with an automatic drip/filter machine. It's even simpler than that! I did a quick writeup [0] on how you can use a $10 'smart' outlet to drive the process. To save people a click: and the smart outlet has power monitoring functions and the coffee maker has it's own "no-water-left" protection it's pretty easy to detect if the thing is brewing or not. If you want to take it further, you can also pulse power to get a preliminary bloom phase before you do the main brew. > if you want actually good coffee in the morning, you need to automate the weighing, grinding, and depositing of fresh coffee into a rinsed filter. I will not contest that the best coffee is the coffee that's been ground and brewed right in front of me. I will posit that if you do the grind before bed and then brew in the AM, the quality isn't going to be that different and pre-caffinated / still-groggy you is going to value the "it's there, ready to be drank" aspect far more than you'll value the marginal increase in quality that'd come from doing all the prep _right then_. > That's going to look like Factorio in your kitchen. That's not a downside, if you ask me :D. If you ask others, though... 0: https://karlquinsland.com/improved-esphome-coffee-automation/ https://karlquinsland.com/improved-esphome-coffee-automation...
- dqv 3y ago
  >I will not contest that the best coffee is the coffee that's been ground and brewed right in front of me. I will posit that if you do the grind before bed and then brew in the AM, the quality isn't going to be that different and pre-caffinated / still-groggy you is going to value the "it's there, ready to be drank" aspect far more than you'll value the marginal increase in quality that'd come from doing all the prep _right then_. I think I've become addicted to the tactility of making the coffee as much I have to the caffeine. Uh, I was going to go on a long description of the tactile experience of making the coffee in a pour-over brewer, but I'll save that for my journal ;)
  - xanderlewis 3y ago
chii 3y ago
> That's going to look like Factorio in your kitchen. that would be great!
xanderlewis 3y ago
Ah, the Moccamaster. Probably the coffee machine that most closely obeys the UNIX philosophy.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
mdekkers 3y ago
> That's going to look like Factorio in your kitchen. Why are you trying to make that sound like it is some kind of problem?
diob 3y ago
Yes, Moccamaster is the way to go. I still do manual pour overs but it's hard to beat the Technivorm. I imagine it's because the kettle is less precise when it comes to temperature (and decreases over the pour), whereas the machine can pump out the perfect temp the entire brew.
vlowrian 3y ago
> The bigger challenge of course is that, if you want actually good coffee in the morning, you need to automate the weighing, grinding, and depositing of fresh coffee into a rinsed filter. Cables & Coffee have done a video on an automated Moccamaster including fresh grinding. Admittedly, you'll still have to change the filter yourself - but grinding and even the water refill are automated :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-Fz2ofHvX8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-Fz2ofHvX8
toxik 3y ago
The Moccamaster is well built and looks classic, but it’s a _very_ barebones machine. No thermos flask, no programming, minimal controls.

linsomniac 3y ago

I had a Oxo "Barrista Brain" that I really liked, partly because it would remind me when it needed cleaning, and could be scheduled to start brewing at a particular time. However, those fancy electronics ended up being the primary failure point 4 years down the line, the dial control failed. I ended up replacing it with a Moccamaster and a Zigbee "smart outlet". Because the Moccamaster is so dead simple, I just leave it switched on, and use the button on the outlet to turn it off. To brew in the morning, I have a button on my headboard that if I hold it for 2 seconds starts the brewing. The "start brewing at X:YY" on the Oxo didn't end up working that great for me, because I get up at varying times (half an hour before my alarm this morning, for example). So, I'd recommend anything with a rocker "on" switch and a smart plug, for sure.

m463 3y ago

I have a mocchamaster and when I switched to cold-brew, I couldn't go back. After reading a friend's copy of "modernist cuisine" I was intrigued and tried the toddy system. A little clunky but the coffee was wonderfully mellow. Since then I caved a little to practicality and use a cold brewer that is a 1/2 gallon mason jar with a perforated steel filter. The only difference I've ever heard about steel vs paper filters is that paper filters out the coffee oils (which could mean lower cholesterol).

nerdponx 3y ago
+1 on a "cold brewer" that's just a jar and a filter. Cold brew is the easiest damn thing in the world and it's incredibly delicious. I actually sometimes brew cold brew and then heat it up, just because I like the smooth taste. You also don't have to give any kind of a shit about grind size or consistency since it's getting a 12-hour soak anyway. A lot of my cold brew is just espresso leftovers when I accidentally set the grinder wrong. However I find that not all coffees taste good as cold brew. Some trial-and-error is needed. I also find that paper filtering is much easier on my stomach than metal filtering, so I'd encourage it for anyone who has a sensitive stomach and doesn't already use a paper filter. Whatever oils are supposedly bad for my cholesterol, also make me feel like I'm simultaneously digesting myself and being rocketed to space, so IMO those are better off sent to the compost. I even use paper filters for Moka pot and espresso, in the form of circles cut from Chemex filters (courtesy of https://goodbrotherscoffee.com/ https://goodbrotherscoffee.com/).

baby_souffle 3y ago

> Meanwhile the Technivorm Moccamaster +1 for that machine. It's not confused about what it is: it's a simple, well made machine. It'll probably outlast me. > has a simple on/off switch that you could probably toggle with a relay, a motor, some gears, and a chopstick. It also makes just about the best coffee you're going to get with an automatic drip/filter machine. It's even simpler than that! I did a quick writeup [0] on how you can use a $10 'smart' outlet to drive the process. To save people a click: and the smart outlet has power monitoring functions and the coffee maker has it's own "no-water-left" protection it's pretty easy to detect if the thing is brewing or not. If you want to take it further, you can also pulse power to get a preliminary bloom phase before you do the main brew. > if you want actually good coffee in the morning, you need to automate the weighing, grinding, and depositing of fresh coffee into a rinsed filter. I will not contest that the best coffee is the coffee that's been ground and brewed right in front of me. I will posit that if you do the grind before bed and then brew in the AM, the quality isn't going to be that different and pre-caffinated / still-groggy you is going to value the "it's there, ready to be drank" aspect far more than you'll value the marginal increase in quality that'd come from doing all the prep _right then_. > That's going to look like Factorio in your kitchen. That's not a downside, if you ask me :D. If you ask others, though... 0: https://karlquinsland.com/improved-esphome-coffee-automation/ https://karlquinsland.com/improved-esphome-coffee-automation...

dqv 3y ago
>I will not contest that the best coffee is the coffee that's been ground and brewed right in front of me. I will posit that if you do the grind before bed and then brew in the AM, the quality isn't going to be that different and pre-caffinated / still-groggy you is going to value the "it's there, ready to be drank" aspect far more than you'll value the marginal increase in quality that'd come from doing all the prep _right then_. I think I've become addicted to the tactility of making the coffee as much I have to the caffeine. Uh, I was going to go on a long description of the tactile experience of making the coffee in a pour-over brewer, but I'll save that for my journal ;)
- xanderlewis 3y ago

chii 3y ago

> That's going to look like Factorio in your kitchen. that would be great!

xanderlewis 3y ago

Ah, the Moccamaster. Probably the coffee machine that most closely obeys the UNIX philosophy.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

mdekkers 3y ago

> That's going to look like Factorio in your kitchen. Why are you trying to make that sound like it is some kind of problem?

diob 3y ago

Yes, Moccamaster is the way to go. I still do manual pour overs but it's hard to beat the Technivorm. I imagine it's because the kettle is less precise when it comes to temperature (and decreases over the pour), whereas the machine can pump out the perfect temp the entire brew.

vlowrian 3y ago

> The bigger challenge of course is that, if you want actually good coffee in the morning, you need to automate the weighing, grinding, and depositing of fresh coffee into a rinsed filter. Cables & Coffee have done a video on an automated Moccamaster including fresh grinding. Admittedly, you'll still have to change the filter yourself - but grinding and even the water refill are automated :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-Fz2ofHvX8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-Fz2ofHvX8

toxik 3y ago

The Moccamaster is well built and looks classic, but it’s a _very_ barebones machine. No thermos flask, no programming, minimal controls.