# Coffee but not espresso



## ajhuff (May 31, 2012)

I didn't want to muddy the coffee gear thread.

I like coffee. I'm not a fiend and I've been living without it more lately than with it but I do like and enjoy it. I'm not really an espresso drinker. I don't really sip drinks and less than a 16 oz serving of something, coffee or rib eyes, seems pointless to me. If I go to a real coffee shop, I do order a cafe Americano as my favorite choice, especially if I can get them to do it with a long pull.

I currently buy fresh roasted coffee from a local roaster, so I got that going for me.

I have Kitchen Aid burr grinder and I use either a French Press or siphon pot (on weekends) and I weigh my beans out for each brew. I use 50g/L.

Soooo... are there any recommendations to step up my coffee experience? Espresso seems like such a PITA to me to make that unless it was automatic and I could quickly pump out 4 shots at a time I'm really not interested. Is there a different process or equipment I should explore?

Thanks,

-AJ


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## Lefty (May 31, 2012)

Moka pots make nice, strong Italian style coffees and they're super cheap. It also take a bit of skill to make a great cup, and I like that aspect. It leaves a bit of room for artistry, if you know what I mean.

Wait, is a siphon pot a Moka pot?


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## GlassEye (Jun 1, 2012)

Get one of those really cool glass siphon pots, seem to be well liked. I want one, but I don't drink enough coffee to justify more coffee equipment.

I think Moka pot is a vac pot, not siphon pot. I am not quite sure though.


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## Lars (Jun 1, 2012)

Water quality is very important. I would try using 55 or 60g/l for your press..

Lars


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## Eamon Burke (Jun 1, 2012)

IMO, coffee is just murkied by fancy equipment. I like espresso and all, but my favorite beans go roast->grind->200F water->stir once->strain->drink.


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## Tristan (Jun 1, 2012)

Go low tech. Use a coffee sock. One pot at a time.


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## mano (Jun 1, 2012)

Krups Moka Brew: http://coffeegeek.com/proreviews/quickshot/krupsmokabrew

"Here's the real bottom line - it brews at near perfect temperatures, and the slight increase in atmospheric pressure (I'd put it at maybe 1.2BAR) creates a very unique cup. If you've never had moka pot coffee before, this will knock you over but bring you back for more. If you have had moka pot coffee before, this will be familiar but not quite. And if you enjoy americanos from your espresso machine, this brewer, in one of our tester's opinion, gives you that kind of taste and intensity without the need for a $400 machine.

CoffeeGeek recommends the Krups Moka Brew - definitely the first, and possibly the only Krups product we will recommend. For serious coffee aficionados, this will be a new type of taste and brewing for you that you will quickly learn to love. For coffee newbies and soccer moms it might frighten you off initially - the taste is intense - but you'll soon get used to it. Use quality, fresh roasted coffee that you grind when you brew, and this maker will knock those soccer kneepads right off."

It's a coffee-cult favorite that's no longer manufactured. I use one and have a back-up brand new in a box. Will trade for a suisin inox honyaki 240 suji. :biggrin:


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## sashae (Jun 1, 2012)

Try a cold brew! Take 1lb of coffee and 1gal water, and let the coarsely ground coffee soak in the water for 12-24 hours. Strain and drink with ice (the resultant coffee will be *very* strong and with no bitterness.) It's drastically better than plain iced coffee, and my main move through the summer. Sipping on one now!


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## SameGuy (Jun 1, 2012)

@Tristan: most of the Singapore kopitiam ("coffee shops", though they sell a lot more than coffee) still use "the sock" -- even the fancier chain places like Ya Kun Kaya Toast. 

It is a bold cup, for sure, and really, really good for the price. I tried to buy a sock in April but nobody would sell me one. Maybe next month.


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## ajhuff (Jun 1, 2012)

I have picked up a Moka pot so many times and put it down. Maybe this is the impetus I need to try one. I refuse to buy an aluminum one though and have been looking in stores for a stainless steel one. Too bad that Krups model is NLA.

-AJ


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## ajhuff (Jun 1, 2012)

I've considered the cold brew thing. My local coffee shop does a thing called a toddy with a white plastic contraption that holds and filters the coffee. They taste pretty good. I have wondered if you couldn't do the same thing in a French press. I did find this one day and want it so bad if only because it would look so damn cool sitting on the counter top.

-AJ


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## SameGuy (Jun 1, 2012)

I know a lot of folks hate aluminum, but the classic mokas (Bialetti et al) are all bare aluminum. I have a sweet Lagostina anodized aluminum one if you want it. But it's a bit of a collector piece so my wife would definitely need me to not give it away. It has been used less than a handful of times in the 20 years we've owned it, so it is practically brand new. It looks almost the same as this one but in a less effeminate color (gray with other colors as accents -- handle, etc.). I'll find out how much she'd want for it if you are interested.


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## Pensacola Tiger (Jun 1, 2012)

ajhuff said:


> I have picked up a Moka pot so many times and put it down. Maybe this is the impetus I need to try one. I refuse to buy an aluminum one though and have been looking in stores for a stainless steel one. Too bad that Krups model is NLA.
> 
> -AJ



Stainless moka pots at Sweet Maria's:

http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/espresso/moka-pots/bialetti-musa-moka-pot.html

Amazon has them for about the same price:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000E306Q6/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Rick


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## AFKitchenknivesguy (Jun 1, 2012)

I have about $8K in coffee/espresso equipment, been roasting for 5 years, and wouldn't mind moving to Hawaii and growing coffee someday. Ok the last part likely won't happen but we can all dream. With that said, I gotta agree with the statement simpler is better. Seriously, with all my expensive toys, all I need is a whirly grinder, french press, thermos, decent water, and great coffee and I could be happy for life. All the above easily is below $100.

With that said, i'm going to make a triple espresso cappaccino with my blind portifilter on my Vibiemme Domobar Super with my fresh roasted Red Bird.


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## Duckfat (Jun 1, 2012)

AFKitchenknivesguy said:


> i'm going to make a triple espresso cappaccino with my blind portifilter on my Vibiemme Domobar Super with my fresh roasted Red Bird.



Can I get a cup of that to go? I'd be a pretty happy camper if I could just move to the Big Island and drink coffee and eat sushi ever day. Ok maybe a little loco moco and some spam musubi to mix it up but it sure is a nice dream.

Dave


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## Eamon Burke (Jun 1, 2012)

mmm cold brew. Got a jar in the fridge now.


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## AFKitchenknivesguy (Jun 1, 2012)

Duckfat said:


> Can I get a cup of that to go? I'd be a pretty happy camper if I could just move to the Big Island and drink coffee and eat sushi ever day. Ok maybe a little loco moco and some spam musubi to mix it up but it sure is a nice dream.
> 
> Dave



I lived in Guam before here, and I can tell you Dave I never thought I wanted to live on an Island again. How a few years gone by, have changed me.


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## Duckfat (Jun 1, 2012)

I could deal with Island fever if I can grow my own coffee beans and maters year round. Just need a few million for a couple of acres with a small ranch in the Kona district.

Dave


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## mano (Jun 1, 2012)

I have one of those Toddy devices. It's good, but we used it for one summer vacation and never used it again. It seems a lot of the acids are removed so the coffee is not as complex as regularly brewed coffee left to cool.


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## ajhuff (Jun 1, 2012)

mano said:


> I have one of those Toddy devices. It's good, but we used it for one summer vacation and never used it again. It seems a lot of the acids are removed so the coffee is not as complex as regularly brewed coffee left to cool.


:
Thanks. Based on the above posts I think I will explore both the cold brew and the moka pot. I'll try the cold brew first since it is summer. Rather than make an investment in the toddy thing, I already have a larges French press. Reading online many people have had success cold brewing with a French press but the coffee to water ratio does not seem clear. If I have a 1 liter press can anyone recommend how much ground coffee to use?

Thanks,

-AJ


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## Lefty (Jun 4, 2012)

Sorry, can't help you with the ratio, but I'm making a Moka pot coffee right now and it smells SO FREAKIN' GOOD!!!

I feel I should elaborate a bit. It's a small batch roasted Vietnamese Espresso, with a very light tamping, intentionally brewed long, to resemble an Americano. 
Basically, it's a Vietnamese-Italian-Americano.


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## Pensacola Tiger (Jun 4, 2012)

Lefty said:


> Sorry, can't help you with the ratio, but I'm making a Moka pot coffee right now and it smells SO FREAKIN' GOOD!!!
> 
> I feel I should elaborate a bit. It's a small batch roasted Vietnamese Espresso, with a very light tamping, intentionally brewed long, to resemble an Americano.
> Basically, it's a Vietnamese-Italian-Americano.



With a Canadian twist?


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## Lefty (Jun 4, 2012)

You betcha, Rick!


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## MadMel (Jun 4, 2012)

Tristan said:


> Go low tech. Use a coffee sock. One pot at a time.



+1!!!


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## Jim (Jun 5, 2012)

50g/L seems very light. I use 65 or 70g, give it a try.


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## GlassEye (Jun 5, 2012)

Jim said:


> 50g/L seems very light. I use 65 or 70g, give it a try.



I usually aim for 16-18:1 water:coffee. I try to find the ratio, time, temp, grind sweetspot for each coffee I use, in the press-pot.


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