5 ms·

My Coffee Setup

21 points by holograham 13y ago

saryant 13y ago
I use a similar setup. I swap the V60 for a Chemex (better for larger quantities), a Bonavita instead of a Buono and I don't bother with Intelligentsia's overpriced roasts. Frankly, I think Intelli's golden days are behind them and they're partly riding on their reputation at this point. Better roasts at lower prices are available from other roasters.
- holograham 13y ago
  Where are you getting your coffee from now? I've tried some other online roasters (e.g. Tonx) and thought they were worse than Intelligentsia.
  - saryant 13y ago
    I buy from Brown Coffee Co.
- minimax 13y ago
  I live in Chicago where Intelligentsia was started and has several locations. Intelligentsia is good coffee but it's not the best in town by any means. Other strong (Chicago based) competitors: http://www.halfwitcoffee.com/ http://www.halfwitcoffee.com/ http://www.bigshoulderscoffee.com/ http://www.bigshoulderscoffee.com/ http://gaslightcoffeeroasters.com/ http://gaslightcoffeeroasters.com/ http://www.lacolombe.com/ http://www.lacolombe.com/ http://www.darkmattercoffee.com/ http://www.darkmattercoffee.com/
  - saryant 13y ago
    I haven't been to any of their Chicago locations, just Venice and Silver Lake in LA. I was also at a cafe in Tokyo a few weeks ago that imports Intelligentsia, which personally seems like overkill.
girvo 13y ago
I read that as "My Coffee Startup". I need to go to bed, and possibly read HN less.
- eksith 13y ago
  Both are equally acceptable (Startup/Setup, not going to bed or reading HN less).
  - r-s 13y ago
    I thought it was going to be about coffeescript.
philip1209 13y ago
I've been experimenting with a portable coffee setup. It's currently an Aeropress, a Porlex Mini Stainless Steel grinder, a thermometer, and a small scale. I'm experimenting to decide on the ideal type of filter - currently comparing paper vs. a couple different metal filters.
- holograham 13y ago
  ive tried metal -- hasnt done it for me. Also what "small scale" are you using?
  - philip1209 13y ago
    I'm using this scale: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SC3LLS/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SC3LLS/ref=oh_details_o... I have a finer mesh filter inbound that I'm told is closer to paper in taste.
- WiseWeasel 13y ago
  If portability is valued, why bother with a scale? I love this Able stainless steel filter for Aeropress: http://ablebrewing.com/products/disk-coffee-filter http://ablebrewing.com/products/disk-coffee-filter The difference in flavor from a paper filter is very noticeable and hugely appreciated.
  - philip1209 13y ago
    One of the fundamentals of good coffee is a proper ratio. I think it's worth the extra space. I just received that filter - I liked it, but I had to drastically change my grind size, and the resulting coffee didn't have the body that I associate with Aeropresses. I talked to the Able Brewing folks, and now I have one of the Disk Fine filters inbound that supposedly behaves more like a paper filter.
mililani 13y ago
$18/lb??? What a rip off. If anyone is wanting to get into great coffee without spending an arm and a leg, please look into roasting your own coffee beans. There is a place called Sweet Maria's in Oakland that can ship it to you; however, I often find shipping kills the deal. I found a really cool local roaster that is willing to sell me any of their green beans for $7/lb. After roasting, you lose some weight so that it comes out closer to $8/lb. And, it's really fresh. The freshest anyone can get.
- saryant 13y ago
  Fresh isn't always what you want. Many African varietals need two days rest before they really get good, though Latin American beans typically need just one day. One of the best shots of espresso I've ever had was a Rwandan roast pulled at fourteen days. Incredible.
  - adt2bt 13y ago
    Just curious, do you know of a good reason for this effect? Do roasted beans ferment after time?
    - ubercore 13y ago
      They don't ferment. I think the primary chemical reaction would be oxidation, which one normally tries to prevent. Perhaps with favorable conditions, it can produce a "better" flavor though
    - dljsjr 13y ago
      Roasted beans give off CO2, which is displaced by oxygen during the off-gassing process. Fresh roasted beans are full of CO2, which mask the aromatics/lipids. The first day or two, most of the off-gassing is all CO2. After the first day or two, the aromatics themselves start to off-gas, taking flavor with them. It's basically oxidation and enzymatic breakdown after that. So they don't ferment, they just oxidize (a lot of the flavor in coffee comes from aromatics and oils/lipids, so it's similar to butter getting bland if it oxidizes for a while).
marquis 13y ago
Intelligentsia coffee is great, there is also an artisan bean subscription service, out of SF I think: https://tonx.org https://tonx.org
- holograham 13y ago
  I've tried Tonx -- wasnt a huge fan. Perhaps I should give it another go.
  - nbauman 13y ago
    You should! :) Send me a note if you want me to kick out another sample your way.
gabemart 13y ago
Does anyone know of any double-blind taste-tests for enthusiast setups like this? Not limited to coffee but I'd also be very curious about tea, wine and much of the accepted wisdom of both classic and modern cooking. I don't mean this to be snide. I'm totally open to this kind of setup producing a far superior cup of coffee. But if we accept the premise that at least a portion of the experience, however slight, is psychological, I'd be very interested to know how big that portion is. Somewhere on my depressingly long list of project ideas is a kickstarter for a video series that does exactly this - very rigorous double-blind tests for coffee, tea, wine, beer, food preparation techniques etc.
- holograham 13y ago
  I would be more than willing to test my mettle :) Of course the issue with taste is that there is a huge mental component. Sure your taste buds/olfactory receptors tell your brain what you are experiencing but your eyes, touch, mental state, etc play a significant role as well. I am sure part of the reason I enjoy my cup of joe so much is because I hand craft it which gives me a sense of satisfaction -> hence positive mood. Also the fact I drink it in bed while reading activates more positive vibes which re-enforce the feedback loop that says "this coffee is AMAZING".
- dljsjr 13y ago
  I'm not aware of any super rigorous studies, but anecdotally the different types of setups definitely produce different flavors (I'm hesitant to ascribe a qualitative word like "better" since it could be pretty subjective). My room-mates were mostly apathetic to coffee before I moved in with them, but I have Chemex, an Aeropress, and a Moka. Now that they're used to my coffee, they can readily tell which one of the three I've used to make coffee when I make it. They also get excited when I decide to make coffee for the house after an extended dry spell; they use a Keurig when I don't make coffee and they both subjectively think that the stuff I make is way better than their Keurig. I can't ascribe all of that to just the setup, a part of it is the quality of the beans (sometimes I roast my own after buying green beans from Sweet Marias, and I also have a running Tonx subscription). But I'd say from experience that the brew method does in fact make a huge difference (still won't ascribe a qualitative word to it, though).
edoloughlin 13y ago
Baratza Vario Coffee Grinder – Simply the best home grinder on the market. 440 distinct grind settings. Ceramic burrs for low heat transfer and long life I can't help wondering if the grinder uses solid core or braided wire internally. If it's braided, he'd better ensure that there's some opposing winding in there to prevent any heat transfer from stray EM fields.
pandemicsyn 13y ago
For what its worth. I just upgraded from an old Delonghi and an Aeropress to a Crossland CC1 w/ a Vario grinder (a refurb from Baratza), love this setup so far. Having a good grinder definitely helps a lot at least as far as consistency goes.
imjared 13y ago
Thanks for this post. Was never really into coffee until I moved into a workspace that valued good coffee over Starbucks and K-cups (we drank MADCAP: http://madcapcoffee.com/ http://madcapcoffee.com/). I've been toying with the idea of getting my own setup but wasn't sure where to start. This definitely clarified that it's pretty expensive to get started so I may just stick with the artisan coffee shops in town.
- holograham 13y ago
  the grinder is really the huge purchase price. You can buy a cheaper grinder as a stop gap especially just starting out. Just make sure it's a burr grinder and not a blade grinder. Blade grinders SUCK. That said -- over the long term buying a quality burr grinder is still cost effective.
- sliverstorm 13y ago
  Consider an aeropress or french press. I like a french press @ home and an aeropress @ work (the aeropress is a bit cleaner to use). Then, if you're willing to throw in some manual labor, you can get a nice burr grinder like the Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill. All told, $50-75 90% of the benefit to your coffee is switching away from a regular drip machine and to some kind of press, and away from preground beans and to freshly burr-ground beans.
eliteraspberrie 13y ago
If you enjoy a dark roast like I do, make sure the beans are a little oily when you buy them, they should have a shiny surface. That means they are fresh.
ilija139 13y ago
Don't drink coffee, it's poison!
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- rprime 13y ago
  Why do you say that? Care to explain?
bndw 13y ago
Although I can agree with the pourover method (the resulting cup of coffee is by far my favorite), I've found that it simply takes more time than I'm willing to invest during the week. For a weekend morning, absolutely, but I find myself getting impatient during the week. If you find yourself in a similar dilemma, I'd recommend* an AeroPress. They take < 1 minute and essentially leave you with a double espresso, to which you can add water and have an Americano. A year ago I would have said French Press, but I grew tired of the 'silt' at the bottom of the cup. *I'm a bit of a coffee aficionado myself (Seattle) and have more than 5 coffee-making-devices at home.
- pimeys 13y ago
  Aeropress rocks. Really. My morning cup goes like this: * Lightly roasted beans * Hario mini for grinding, with click number five * Grind 14 grams of coffee and mix it with 230 grams of water * Let it brew for 3.5-4 minutes All of this with the inverse method. Easy, quite fast and a really cheap way of getting an excellent cup of coffee. All my equipment was around 50 euros and the most expensive part is to get proper and fresh beans.
sarhus 13y ago
In italy you'll find a mocha pot in every house. Any expert in coffee could tell me the difference in taste if you'd use the mocha (using hot water under pressure) or the drip method?

21 points by holograham 13y ago

I use a similar setup. I swap the V60 for a Chemex (better for larger quantities), a Bonavita instead of a Buono and I don't bother with Intelligentsia's overpriced roasts. Frankly, I think Intelli's golden days are behind them and they're partly riding on their reputation at this point. Better roasts at lower prices are available from other roasters.

holograham 13y ago
Where are you getting your coffee from now? I've tried some other online roasters (e.g. Tonx) and thought they were worse than Intelligentsia.
- saryant 13y ago
  I buy from Brown Coffee Co.
minimax 13y ago
I live in Chicago where Intelligentsia was started and has several locations. Intelligentsia is good coffee but it's not the best in town by any means. Other strong (Chicago based) competitors: http://www.halfwitcoffee.com/ http://www.halfwitcoffee.com/ http://www.bigshoulderscoffee.com/ http://www.bigshoulderscoffee.com/ http://gaslightcoffeeroasters.com/ http://gaslightcoffeeroasters.com/ http://www.lacolombe.com/ http://www.lacolombe.com/ http://www.darkmattercoffee.com/ http://www.darkmattercoffee.com/
- saryant 13y ago
  I haven't been to any of their Chicago locations, just Venice and Silver Lake in LA. I was also at a cafe in Tokyo a few weeks ago that imports Intelligentsia, which personally seems like overkill.

girvo 13y ago

I read that as "My Coffee Startup". I need to go to bed, and possibly read HN less.

eksith 13y ago
Both are equally acceptable (Startup/Setup, not going to bed or reading HN less).
- r-s 13y ago
  I thought it was going to be about coffeescript.

philip1209 13y ago

I've been experimenting with a portable coffee setup. It's currently an Aeropress, a Porlex Mini Stainless Steel grinder, a thermometer, and a small scale. I'm experimenting to decide on the ideal type of filter - currently comparing paper vs. a couple different metal filters.

holograham 13y ago
ive tried metal -- hasnt done it for me. Also what "small scale" are you using?
- philip1209 13y ago
  I'm using this scale: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SC3LLS/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SC3LLS/ref=oh_details_o... I have a finer mesh filter inbound that I'm told is closer to paper in taste.
WiseWeasel 13y ago
If portability is valued, why bother with a scale? I love this Able stainless steel filter for Aeropress: http://ablebrewing.com/products/disk-coffee-filter http://ablebrewing.com/products/disk-coffee-filter The difference in flavor from a paper filter is very noticeable and hugely appreciated.
- philip1209 13y ago
  One of the fundamentals of good coffee is a proper ratio. I think it's worth the extra space. I just received that filter - I liked it, but I had to drastically change my grind size, and the resulting coffee didn't have the body that I associate with Aeropresses. I talked to the Able Brewing folks, and now I have one of the Disk Fine filters inbound that supposedly behaves more like a paper filter.

mililani 13y ago

$18/lb??? What a rip off. If anyone is wanting to get into great coffee without spending an arm and a leg, please look into roasting your own coffee beans. There is a place called Sweet Maria's in Oakland that can ship it to you; however, I often find shipping kills the deal. I found a really cool local roaster that is willing to sell me any of their green beans for $7/lb. After roasting, you lose some weight so that it comes out closer to $8/lb. And, it's really fresh. The freshest anyone can get.

saryant 13y ago
Fresh isn't always what you want. Many African varietals need two days rest before they really get good, though Latin American beans typically need just one day. One of the best shots of espresso I've ever had was a Rwandan roast pulled at fourteen days. Incredible.
- adt2bt 13y ago
  Just curious, do you know of a good reason for this effect? Do roasted beans ferment after time?
  - ubercore 13y ago
    They don't ferment. I think the primary chemical reaction would be oxidation, which one normally tries to prevent. Perhaps with favorable conditions, it can produce a "better" flavor though
  - dljsjr 13y ago
    Roasted beans give off CO2, which is displaced by oxygen during the off-gassing process. Fresh roasted beans are full of CO2, which mask the aromatics/lipids. The first day or two, most of the off-gassing is all CO2. After the first day or two, the aromatics themselves start to off-gas, taking flavor with them. It's basically oxidation and enzymatic breakdown after that. So they don't ferment, they just oxidize (a lot of the flavor in coffee comes from aromatics and oils/lipids, so it's similar to butter getting bland if it oxidizes for a while).

marquis 13y ago

Intelligentsia coffee is great, there is also an artisan bean subscription service, out of SF I think: https://tonx.org https://tonx.org

holograham 13y ago
I've tried Tonx -- wasnt a huge fan. Perhaps I should give it another go.
- nbauman 13y ago
  You should! :) Send me a note if you want me to kick out another sample your way.

gabemart 13y ago

Does anyone know of any double-blind taste-tests for enthusiast setups like this? Not limited to coffee but I'd also be very curious about tea, wine and much of the accepted wisdom of both classic and modern cooking. I don't mean this to be snide. I'm totally open to this kind of setup producing a far superior cup of coffee. But if we accept the premise that at least a portion of the experience, however slight, is psychological, I'd be very interested to know how big that portion is. Somewhere on my depressingly long list of project ideas is a kickstarter for a video series that does exactly this - very rigorous double-blind tests for coffee, tea, wine, beer, food preparation techniques etc.

holograham 13y ago
I would be more than willing to test my mettle :) Of course the issue with taste is that there is a huge mental component. Sure your taste buds/olfactory receptors tell your brain what you are experiencing but your eyes, touch, mental state, etc play a significant role as well. I am sure part of the reason I enjoy my cup of joe so much is because I hand craft it which gives me a sense of satisfaction -> hence positive mood. Also the fact I drink it in bed while reading activates more positive vibes which re-enforce the feedback loop that says "this coffee is AMAZING".
dljsjr 13y ago
I'm not aware of any super rigorous studies, but anecdotally the different types of setups definitely produce different flavors (I'm hesitant to ascribe a qualitative word like "better" since it could be pretty subjective). My room-mates were mostly apathetic to coffee before I moved in with them, but I have Chemex, an Aeropress, and a Moka. Now that they're used to my coffee, they can readily tell which one of the three I've used to make coffee when I make it. They also get excited when I decide to make coffee for the house after an extended dry spell; they use a Keurig when I don't make coffee and they both subjectively think that the stuff I make is way better than their Keurig. I can't ascribe all of that to just the setup, a part of it is the quality of the beans (sometimes I roast my own after buying green beans from Sweet Marias, and I also have a running Tonx subscription). But I'd say from experience that the brew method does in fact make a huge difference (still won't ascribe a qualitative word to it, though).

edoloughlin 13y ago

Baratza Vario Coffee Grinder – Simply the best home grinder on the market. 440 distinct grind settings. Ceramic burrs for low heat transfer and long life I can't help wondering if the grinder uses solid core or braided wire internally. If it's braided, he'd better ensure that there's some opposing winding in there to prevent any heat transfer from stray EM fields.

pandemicsyn 13y ago

For what its worth. I just upgraded from an old Delonghi and an Aeropress to a Crossland CC1 w/ a Vario grinder (a refurb from Baratza), love this setup so far. Having a good grinder definitely helps a lot at least as far as consistency goes.

imjared 13y ago

Thanks for this post. Was never really into coffee until I moved into a workspace that valued good coffee over Starbucks and K-cups (we drank MADCAP: http://madcapcoffee.com/ http://madcapcoffee.com/). I've been toying with the idea of getting my own setup but wasn't sure where to start. This definitely clarified that it's pretty expensive to get started so I may just stick with the artisan coffee shops in town.

holograham 13y ago
the grinder is really the huge purchase price. You can buy a cheaper grinder as a stop gap especially just starting out. Just make sure it's a burr grinder and not a blade grinder. Blade grinders SUCK. That said -- over the long term buying a quality burr grinder is still cost effective.
sliverstorm 13y ago
Consider an aeropress or french press. I like a french press @ home and an aeropress @ work (the aeropress is a bit cleaner to use). Then, if you're willing to throw in some manual labor, you can get a nice burr grinder like the Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill. All told, $50-75 90% of the benefit to your coffee is switching away from a regular drip machine and to some kind of press, and away from preground beans and to freshly burr-ground beans.

eliteraspberrie 13y ago

If you enjoy a dark roast like I do, make sure the beans are a little oily when you buy them, they should have a shiny surface. That means they are fresh.

ilija139 13y ago

Don't drink coffee, it's poison!

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
rprime 13y ago
Why do you say that? Care to explain?

bndw 13y ago

Although I can agree with the pourover method (the resulting cup of coffee is by far my favorite), I've found that it simply takes more time than I'm willing to invest during the week. For a weekend morning, absolutely, but I find myself getting impatient during the week. If you find yourself in a similar dilemma, I'd recommend* an AeroPress. They take < 1 minute and essentially leave you with a double espresso, to which you can add water and have an Americano. A year ago I would have said French Press, but I grew tired of the 'silt' at the bottom of the cup. *I'm a bit of a coffee aficionado myself (Seattle) and have more than 5 coffee-making-devices at home.

pimeys 13y ago
Aeropress rocks. Really. My morning cup goes like this: * Lightly roasted beans * Hario mini for grinding, with click number five * Grind 14 grams of coffee and mix it with 230 grams of water * Let it brew for 3.5-4 minutes All of this with the inverse method. Easy, quite fast and a really cheap way of getting an excellent cup of coffee. All my equipment was around 50 euros and the most expensive part is to get proper and fresh beans.

sarhus 13y ago

In italy you'll find a mocha pot in every house. Any expert in coffee could tell me the difference in taste if you'd use the mocha (using hot water under pressure) or the drip method?