c/coffee-enthusiasts

Unpopular opinion: You don't need to spend $100 on a grinder for good coffee

I started out with a $20 blade grinder from Target and everyone told me I was ruining my beans. After 6 months of using it for my morning French press, I honestly couldn't tell the difference from my friend's $200 burr grinder at his place in Portland. I finally upgraded to a $40 hand grinder from Amazon and that was enough to get consistent results without breaking the bank. Anyone else think the grinder hype is a little overblown?

Just realized cold brew is way easier with a nut milk bag

I spent like 6 months making cold brew with a French press and it was always a hassle cleaning the grounds out of the mesh. Then a buddy of mine who runs a coffee cart in Portland told me to grab a $8 nut milk bag from the grocery store. You just dump coarse grounds into a mason jar, pour water, let it sit 18 hours on the counter, then strain through the bag into another jar. No more gritty sludge stuck in the press filter. Has anyone else switched away from fancy gear to something stupid simple for cold brew?

Tried cold brewing with a French press instead of a mason jar last night

I usually do my cold brew in a big jar and strain it through a mesh sieve, but I was out of clean jars so I threw everything straight into my 34 oz French press and let it sit on the counter for 18 hours. The plunger caught almost all the grounds, but the coffee came out way cloudier than normal and had this weird gritty texture at the bottom. Has anyone else tried this method and figured out a trick to keep the silt out?

That week I burned 4 batches of beans in a row

Last Tuesday I was trying to roast a batch of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and totally spaced out while checking emails. The smoke alarm went off and my roommate came running in thinking the apartment was on fire. Three more tries that week and each one came out either scorched or barely roasted. Has anyone else had a week where your timing was just completely off with a new bean profile?

Rant: That cafe owner in Portland told me to use a different grinder setting for pour-over vs drip and I ignored him for months

Guy named Dave at a shop on Hawthorne said I was grinding too fine for my V60. Laughed it off. Kept getting bitter cups for 4 months straight. Finally tried his suggestion and went from 11 to 14 on my Baratza. Night and day difference. Anyone else had a pro give advice you wished you'd listened to sooner?

Made coffee with tap water for 10 years until a friend in Cleveland brought his own bottle

He came over last week and pulled a half gallon of spring water out of his bag. Said he couldn't drink my coffee with what comes out of the faucet here. I didn't believe him so he brewed two cups side by side. Mine tasted like pennies and his was smooth. Now I gotta haul jugs from the store like some kind of snob. Anyone else have a moment where some little detail ruined the way you used to do things?

Diner waitress in Ohio told me to stop swirling my coffee

French press vs aeropress for daily use. One won by a landslide.

I spent about 3 months bouncing between a French press and an Aeropress for my morning coffee. Started with the French press because it was cheap and everyone talks it up. But man, that sludge at the bottom of the cup drove me nuts after a while. Plus cleaning the mesh filter was a pain. Switched to the Aeropress about 6 weeks ago and it's just way cleaner. The coffee comes out smooth with no grit, and cleanup takes like 30 seconds. I use a medium grind and let it steep for a minute, then press. My only gripe is it only makes one cup at a time. Anyone else find the French press overrated once they tried something else?

Warning: Chasing the perfect espresso shot took me 3 weeks

I kept getting sour shots no matter what I did with my machine. So I went down the rabbit hole of water temperature and brew ratios. Turns out I was using water that was too cold by about 8 degrees because my thermometer was off. Finally fixed it with a cheap digital probe. Has anyone else spent way too long chasing one variable like this?

Got told my pour over was too slow by a guy at work

Been doing 3 minute pours for years and a co-worker said I was over extracting and getting bitterness because the water cools too much. Tried speeding it up to 2 minutes flat and using slightly coarser grind and the cups actually taste cleaner now. Anyone else have a coffee routine someone called out that ended up fixing something?

That roastery cafe in Portland messed up my whole morning routine

I stopped by Crema Coffee on Ankeny last Saturday and watched them pour a batch from a 2 hour old carafe. The barista said they reuse grounds if the first extraction looks light and that changed how I order now. Anyone else start asking for a fresh pour before you see them hit the grinder?

Nearly ruined a batch of cold brew at 5am this morning

I set up my Toddy brewer last night with 12 ounces of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and forgot to put the rubber stopper in the bottom before adding water. Woke up at 4:45am to find coffee dripping all over my kitchen counter and onto the floor. About 3 cups of concentrate had already drained out before I caught it. I grabbed a bowl quick and saved maybe half of what was left in the bucket. Now I gotta scrub dried coffee off my cabinets and figure out if the salvaged brew is even drinkable. Has anyone else had a brain fart with their cold brew setup and managed to save the batch?

A regular at the cafe told me to stop oversteaming my milk

I used to think louder, thicker froth meant better latte art. About 3 months ago, this older guy who comes in every Tuesday morning asked if I was trying to make shaving cream. He said my milk was too dry and that's why my designs always broke apart. So I started pulling back on the steam wand earlier and aiming for a quieter, silkier texture. Honestly, it took about 2 weeks of practice to get the feel right. Now my rosettas actually hold their shape and the foam tastes way sweeter. Has anyone else had a customer call them out on something like that?

Tried a hario switch for the first time last weekend and got something totally different

I did a 4 minute immersion brew with 18g of coffee and 300ml water at 205F, then let it drain through a v60 filter. The cup came out super clean but with no body at all, almost like tea. Has anyone else had their go-to recipe turn out way different with a new brewer?

Question about why people pre-rinse their paper filters

I've been brewing pour-over coffee for about five years now and I keep seeing people online and in cafes rinsing their paper filters with hot water before brewing. But here's what I noticed at a shop in Seattle last month: the barista rinsed the filter, dumped the water, then let the cone sit for two full minutes before adding coffee. I asked why and she said it preheats the brewer. That makes sense. But then I see other people doing it just to get rid of paper taste. I've never noticed any off flavor from my unrinsed filters at home. Am I missing something? Does the paper quality matter that much? I use Melitta filters and they seem fine without rinsing. Has anyone else compared side by side with and without rinsing?

Hit up an old coffee shop I used to go to in Portland and noticed they stopped grinding on demand

I was in Portland last weekend visiting family and stopped by this place I used to hit every morning back in 2015. Back then they would grind your beans right when you ordered, even if you were getting a drip coffee. Now they have all these pre-ground batches sitting in hoppers and just dump them into the machine. The guy behind the counter said they switched because it was too slow during the rush. I get it from a business side but man, the smell used to hit you as soon as you walked in. Now it just smells like a normal diner. Has anyone else noticed their old spots changing like this?

I used to think you were crazy for weighing your beans...

Our barista at Brew Lab in Portland finally made me see it. He said 'volume is a lie' while pouring exactly 18.5 grams into the portafilter. I took my $30 scale home and tried it with my morning brew. Now I get it - my cups aren't bitter one minute and sour the next, they're actually consistent. Has anyone else had a snobby barista talk you into measuring?

Is anyone else seeing people ruin their pour-over by grinding too fine?

I've been watching folks at my local cafe in Portland burn through bags of single-origin beans because they're grinding them to dust, thinking finer means better extraction. Last week a guy spent $45 on a bag of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and got nothing but bitter sludge because his V60 took 5 minutes to drain. What setting are you all using for light roasts on a flat burr grinder?

Why does nobody talk about how bad French press is for office coffee

I switched from a drip machine to a French press at work about 6 months ago because everyone online said it was superior. First few cups were fine, but cleaning that thing in a shared break room sink is a nightmare. Grounds get stuck in the drain, the mesh screen clogs after a week, and my coworker chipped the carafe dumping it out. I went back to the $30 Mr. Coffee last Tuesday and I swear the coffee tastes the same when you're just trying to wake up. Has anyone else wasted time on a French press setup at work only to give up?

I finally got why people roast their own beans after visiting that tiny shop in Astoria

Stopped into this little place called Coffee Girl down by the river last week while the kids were at a playdate. The owner was just finishing up a batch of Ethiopian beans and the smell was so different from what I'm used to... more like toasted nuts and berries than that burnt smell from the big chains. She let me taste a sip of the fresh roast compared to something that had sat for 3 weeks and it was like two totally different drinks. The fresh one was bright with this almost wine-like finish. Now I'm looking at those $30 countertop roasters on Craigslist. Has anyone else done a side by side like that with fresh vs old beans?

Burned my tongue off at a latte art throwdown in Portland last weekend

I was at this small competition at a shop on Division Street and took a sip of my cappuccino way too fast because I was nervous. Ended up with a blistered tongue for three days and couldn't taste any of the other drinks I tried that night. Anyone else ever ruined a coffee event for yourself by rushing the first sip?

Talking to a 20 year barista made me rethink everything about grinding

Guy at a shop in Portland told me I was wasting good beans by grinding too fine for drip. Said he's seen half a pound of coffee turn into bitter mud more times than he can count. Has anyone here actually tested different grind sizes side by side and noticed a real difference?

TIL that roasting coffee at home actually saves you about $8 per pound compared to buying bags from the local shop

I was crunching numbers after my last batch of green beans from Sweet Maria's and realized I'm spending nearly half of what I used to, but has anyone else found their own roasting setup pays for itself faster than they expected?

Showerthought: Is the pour-over hype actually better than a solid $30 drip machine or are we just fooling ourselves?

I spent last weekend at a local coffee shop in Portland watching a barista spend 4 minutes on a single pour-over while the guy next to me got a cup from the auto-drip in 30 seconds and honestly I couldn't tell which one tasted better - do you put real stock in the ritual or just the results?

Picked a ceramic burr grinder over a flat burr for my espresso setup

I had to choose between a $200 ceramic burr and a $300 flat burr grinder at a local shop in Austin. Went with the ceramic one for less heat transfer, and after 2 months of daily pulls, my shots actually taste cleaner than I expected. Has anyone else noticed a difference in flavor with ceramic burrs?