[El_Doug]

 
Quote:

^ I figure if I go that deep, I'll go for broke. 

 
Freshly roasted (quite possibly a little too fresh). My Maestro wasn't really up-to-par, even at the finest settings, I was getting too quick a shot. Didn't taste too bad (drank like ten shots), though I'm not sure how espresso is supposed to taste. (Nor if I even would like said taste) Still have not been able to steam milk properly. 

 
you'd LOVE a proper shot.  perfect balance of bitter, sour, and sweet, with nice body.  it's worth going to a cafe around your area to try one made by a trained barista. 
 
have you tried tamping firmer if the shot is extracting too quickly?  though 30lbs of force is recommended, you can go up to 50lbs of force if your grind is too coarse
 
going for broke... Mazzer Robur is a nice grinder  

 
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One of these:
 

 
those a nice for macchiatos, not much else - they whip up a ton of large-bubble foam, to be sure, but dont help with reaching proper temperature or making nice microfoam

 

[Mdraluck23]

I'm not quite the connoisseur like you guys. I like coffee. I like how some of it tastes better. I really have't been into it long enough to know all about it. My family has a Keurig brewer where you use the little cups and just press "brew".

 

[Kirosia]

I just made what was very close to a latte/cappuccino. Tasted very similar to what I bought from Starbucks a few days ago, which at least means I'm going in the proper direction. Also I learned that grounds and  milk spewing EVERYWHERE is counter-productive to having a hot drink. 
 
Quote:

I like how some of it tastes better. 

 
Coffee is inherently bitter to some extent, I believe. Anyways a cheap coffee setup would be a Melitta single-serve cone, paper filters, and a blade grinder (plus fresh-roasted beans, of course). The products (excluding the fresh beans and perhaps the grinder) can often be found at your local supermarket.  Here's a guide (same concept): 
 
http://coffeegeek.com/guides/howtouseapourover

 

[Mdraluck23]

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May I add to this thread that I am also an enormous hot chocolate fan. Some steamed milk, Ghirardelli chocolate powder, POW. Perfect. I sometimes add a shot of a raspberry syrup for some delicious flavor.
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Quote:

Coffee is inherently bitter to some extent, I believe. Anyways a cheap coffee setup would be a Melitta single-serve cone, paper filters, and a blade grinder (plus fresh-roasted beans, of course). The products (excluding the fresh beans and perhaps the grinder) can often be found at your local supermarket.  Here's a guide (same concept): 
 
http://coffeegeek.com/guides/howtouseapourover

 
I meant that I do notice "bad" or "good" coffee. Some people are content to chug anything down. I know where I can get a good cup. 
 
(Don't hate me, but if you are ever in a rut without a good coffee maker and you are on the go, Mickey D's makes an o.k. cup nowadays.)
 
EDIT: Is the Times New Roman font what happens when you CTRL+V? I just did it because I was afraid I would lose my text when I clicked "Quote".

 

[El_Doug]

Jacques Torres has a very neat method for making hot chocolate with a steamer, which comes out VERY velvety, and perfectly balanced.  Check it out: 
 

 
Quote:

May I add to this thread that I am also an enormous hot chocolate fan. Some steamed milk, Ghirardelli chocolate powder, POW. Perfect. I sometimes add a shot of a raspberry syrup for some delicious flavor.
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[Mdraluck23]

I wish I had a real steamer to perform that technique. That looks delicious. *Licks lips, then goes and makes some Hot Chocolate*
 

 
Please excuse my rapid photography, but I felt like sharing.
 
EDIT: Upon further inspection of my photograph, I noticed a hair on my mug. Ew. It was my puppy's.

 

[Kirosia]

 
 
 
 
Quote:

(Don't hate me, but if you are ever in a rut without a good coffee maker and you are on the go, Mickey D's makes an o.k. cup nowadays.)

 
I actually like (if prefer) fast food coffee. Perhaps I'm just too used to additives. But anytime I try to add sugar/cream to a fresh home brew, it ends up tasting bad. 

 

[Mdraluck23]

Quote:

 
 
 
 
Quote:

(Don't hate me, but if you are ever in a rut without a good coffee maker and you are on the go, Mickey D's makes an o.k. cup nowadays.)

 
I actually like (if prefer) fast food coffee. Perhaps I'm just too used to additives. But anytime I try to add sugar/cream to a fresh home brew, it ends up tasting bad. 

Agreed on the additives part. Just like Passion Iced Tea at Starbucks. I only get Starbucks when I have a gift card, and I always go for a Passion Iced Tea. Something they add....

 

[dfkt]

Quote:

Agreed on the additives part. [...] Something they add....

Heroin?

 

[JoeDirte]

I've gotta give a Brikka a try.  I love my Moka Express.  Thanks!

 

[Kirosia]

Just tried making a simple "Affogato al Caffe" using vanilla ice cream and a shot of espresso. (Espresso La Forza from CC) Damn that was good. 

 

[El_Doug]

aww, no amaretto in it?  shame on you  
 
Quote:

Just tried making a simple "Affogato al Caffe" using vanilla ice cream and a shot of espresso. (Espresso La Forza from CC) Damn that was good. 

 

[zlobby]

Im selling a Cunill Tranquillo espresso grinder.  I was using it with a gaggia classic and it made for great shots.  Burrs still sharp.  PM me if interested.  If this is for some reason considered spamming, mods please remove.  

 

[nick n]

I just picked up one of these yesterday on the way home from work. I just could not resist.
It figures that I would go into a store for $3 worth of foam scraps to re-stuff some headphone earpads and walk out with this thing. I've been eyeing them up for weeks after the lady let me look at one and my excuse is that it will save me $ in the long run. Always have to plan ahead!!! I tried it only 4 times so far with some Direct Trade Intelligentsia "Black Cat" blend. that ran me $22 / lb. but its worth it all the way. Only thing is my grinder is a piece of you-know-what and yes i did see the top post above this...
It's called a HANDPRESSO. Comes in a textured black slideout box that's inside the outer shiny box. Has a spare o ring and screen too. Obligatory manual with 7 pages of english and the other 5000 pages are foreign
Boy is this thing a sturdy and very high quality build.  All hand operated and incredibly fast/easy to clean. I especially love the golden bean logo on the front lol. Anyhow here's how it works see the video because I don't feel like typing it out again, I lost my last post-in-progress.
It even blows steam out after it is nearly done .I was shocked.
Anyone else try these yet? Looking for some tips on tamping, tweaks, etc anything to help make a better shot.
 
video link on operating this awesome gadget:
http://www.handpresso.fr/hp_videos/hp_manual_domepod.flv
 I know there's similar things out there but this is the only one I have ever seen for sale around here. It had to be done.
 
One other thing it sounds weird but is supposed to be great. I was talking with the guy making my americano ,( same place I got my beans ) about the upcoming coffee competition here and he mentioned that last time someone had infused orange juice with real vanilla beans and used that instead of water for some of his shots. He said it was amazingly good. The espresso apparently already had some citrus notes in it which this amplified. Thought that was worth mentioning in case someone wanted to try that themselves and report back. I don't know how that would work but I guess it might.
 

 

[El_Doug]

I saw the handpresso video from seattlecoffeegear on youtube - certainly looked interesting for lunch breaks  
 
orange juice, espresso, vanilla... that sounds vomit-inducing to me, however I somehow want to try it