coffee gadgets... - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

kugino · 09-01-2007, 06:54 AM

i received a Technivorm KBT-741 coffee brewer from my buddy a few weeks back as a gift and simply love it! With my mazzer mini grinder and home-roasted beans, i'm very happy with the quality of my coffee in the morning (and evening)...any other coffee gadget geeks around here? share your stuff...

JadeEast · 09-01-2007, 07:22 AM

I've got a few my favorites are the bodum vacuum pot because it's super kewl.
http://www.caffevita.com/shop/index....products_id=65

and a couple of little Vietnamese coffee makers.

http://www.quickspice.com/cgi-bin/So...html?E+scstore

but the stainless moka pot gets me to work on time.

jeremynwolf · 09-01-2007, 01:49 PM

I've tried a number of them, but the hands down winner for me is a the Aeropress:
http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress_story.htm
Despite the oddity of it's being made by a company famous for its orange flying rings, this coffee maker is unbreakable, easy to clean, incredibly fast, and unbeatable (IMHO) in terms of the coffee that comes out. It brews an incredibly strong, concentrated "shot," so what you get is sort of like an americano (you add water after brewing about two ounces of concentrate), but smoother, and not technically espresso.

sugarinthegourd · 09-01-2007, 03:22 PM

I'm going to have to try that Aeropress! Never heard of it, but the reviews are great.

Agent Kang · 09-02-2007, 01:25 AM

Originally Posted by sugarinthegourd

I'm going to have to try that Aeropress! Never heard of it, but the reviews are great.

x2.

Thanks for the link!

Daveze · 09-02-2007, 03:56 AM

Massive Presso fan here.

I also have a La Pavoni Europiccola (except chrome instead of the oh-so-sexy brass) but it doesn't cop as much usage as I'd like...

On grinding duty is the lowly but dutiful Sunbeam EM0480.

Also on hand are a number of moka pots, french presses and a crappy Breville. I'm quite intrigued by the Aeropress, I've heard some very good opinions of it, its sweetly cheap too. Coffee and bass guitars have been my primary vices in life but headphones and home audio are making strong moves towards similar titles.

kugino · 09-02-2007, 07:29 AM

Originally Posted by Daveze

Massive Presso fan here.

I also have a La Pavoni Europiccola (except chrome instead of the oh-so-sexy brass) but it doesn't cop as much usage as I'd like...

On grinding duty is the lowly but dutiful Sunbeam EM0480.

Also on hand are a number of moka pots, french presses and a crappy Breville. I'm quite intrigued by the Aeropress, I've heard some very good opinions of it, its sweetly cheap too. Coffee and bass guitars have been my primary vices in life but headphones and home audio are making strong moves towards similar titles.

that's a mighty fine la pavoni you've got there...one of these days i'll get a nice used one. i have a francis francis that my wife wanted to get b/c of how it looks...but alas, it pulls a good shot maybe 1/3 times. part of it is the barista, part of it is the machine...the beans are faultless

just saw the movie of the presso on their website and...well, that crema on the espresso scares me

kugino · 09-02-2007, 07:44 AM

Originally Posted by jeremynwolf

I've tried a number of them, but the hands down winner for me is a the Aeropress:
http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress_story.htm
Despite the oddity of it's being made by a company famous for its orange flying rings, this coffee maker is unbreakable, easy to clean, incredibly fast, and unbeatable (IMHO) in terms of the coffee that comes out. It brews an incredibly strong, concentrated "shot," so what you get is sort of like an americano (you add water after brewing about two ounces of concentrate), but smoother, and not technically espresso.

i've never tried it and for $25 it might be a worthwhile purchase, if only to see what the hubbub is about...

but a lot of their methodology goes against the "standards" of properly brewed coffee - temp. of water b/n 195-202 F, extraction time of around 4 minutes, etc. 20 seconds seems way too short...and what you're getting isn't an espresso "shot" by any means...it's concentrated, but certainly not espresso in the true sense. however, it may taste good...i've not tried it yet so can't comment on the taste...just commenting on what i've read so far...

jeremynwolf · 09-02-2007, 02:56 PM

Yeah, the methodology is unorthodox, and I had my doubts at first as well, but it's cheap, so I figured I might as well try it. What I've found is that it makes an excellent cup of coffee (though I do tend to brew a little hotter than they recommend), but it uses more beans/cup than most makers would. That's fine for me, as I live alone and it's an excellent one cup solution, and still more efficient than brewing too much and throwing some away. While it claims to be able to make up to four cups at a time, I don't really like the brew for more than one, as in order to use enough grounds, it's difficult to fit enough water.

In fact, I have two of them, so that when my girlfriend stays over, we can brew two cups separately. This definitely results in better coffee than brewing two cups at once in one Aeropress.

As far as the short brew time, they claim it's the pressure that allows it to work. I'm neither an engineer nor a true coffee expert, but I've tried most of the ways that are supposed to allow you to brew a small amount of good, strong coffee, and the coffee coming out of the Aeropress tastes good to me.

kugino · 09-02-2007, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by jeremynwolf

Yeah, the methodology is unorthodox, and I had my doubts at first as well, but it's cheap, so I figured I might as well try it. What I've found is that it makes an excellent cup of coffee (though I do tend to brew a little hotter than they recommend), but it uses more beans/cup than most makers would. That's fine for me, as I live alone and it's an excellent one cup solution, and still more efficient than brewing too much and throwing some away. While it claims to be able to make up to four cups at a time, I don't really like the brew for more than one, as in order to use enough grounds, it's difficult to fit enough water.

In fact, I have two of them, so that when my girlfriend stays over, we can brew two cups separately. This definitely results in better coffee than brewing two cups at once in one Aeropress.

As far as the short brew time, they claim it's the pressure that allows it to work. I'm neither an engineer nor a true coffee expert, but I've tried most of the ways that are supposed to allow you to brew a small amount of good, strong coffee, and the coffee coming out of the Aeropress tastes good to me.

i'm going to pick one up tomorrow