Coffee brewing devices ancient and modern

[Santino]

Technically nothing wrong with them, but you're locked into Lavazza's system. Nespresso is an open standard now, which is why you can buy coffee and machines that aren't Nestle.

Now this is solid intelligence.

 

[danny la rouge]

Look, I'll level with you, a colleague wants to buy a Lavazza coffee machine and is awaiting my Teams message on whether they should or not.

I can’t help. I’ve not tried a Lavazza machine. But it’ll be better than Nescafé.

 

[Silas Loom]

Technically nothing wrong with them, but you're locked into Lavazza's system. Nespresso is an open standard now, which is why you can buy coffee and machines that aren't Nestle.

Although the off-brand pods were always rather grim when we experimented with them a few years ago.

 

[Agrippa57]

I try to cover as many bases as possible, so here are the devices I use at present. Of particular note is the quirky "Atomic", which is why I've included a pic of it all on it's own.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

I'm sure we've had this thread before, but here's my rankings. I've tried all of them:

1. enamel percolator over a campfire, BBC on the shortwave in the background. (There's something comforting in knowing there's a whole world out there, but you're as far from it all as possible.) Stovetop will do in a pinch.
2. Cheap expresso machine.
3. Mr. Coffee Drip coffeemaker with a permanent filter, no paper filters please
4. AeroPress. Good coffee, just lots of cleanup.
5. Moka pot. I'd probably rate it better on taste, but it's a pain in the ass to run and tends to leak.
6. Flask drip system. Again, the paper filter is the culprit here.
7. Keurig with refillable plastic pods. I think it scalds the coffee.

In general, IMHO, the taste is damaged when the coffee makes contact with either paper or metal. It goes without saying that the type of coffee, its freshness, and grind make a huge difference. I tend to use fairly freshly ground coffee, in an expresso grind.

I know the above will be as controversial as the beans/toast question.

 

[iona]

4. AeroPress. Good coffee, just lots of cleanup.

What? How? What on earth are you doing with it?

One of the main reasons people like them is the lack of cleanup. Just pop the puck of coffee grounds out and it barely needs a quick rinse under the tap.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

What? How? What on earth are you doing with it?

One of the main reasons people like them is the lack of cleanup. Just pop the puck of coffee grounds out and it barely needs a quick rinse under the tap.

It seems like the grounds go everywhere. People swear by a Moka pot, and they all leak for me. Maybe I just lack coordination?

 

[iona]

It seems like the grounds go everywhere. Maybe I just lack coordination?

Do you mean they go everywhere when you try to put them into the aeropress before brewing, or when you try to empty it after?

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

Do you mean they go everywhere when you try to put them into the aeropress before brewing, or when you try to empty it after?

Emptying it after. I practically have to wash the floor.

 

[iona]

Emptying it after. I practically have to wash the floor afterward.

They should pop out in one solid piece like an ice hockey puck. Are you leaving some liquid in with the grounds rather than pushing the plunger as far down as possible once it's brewed, maybe? Or giving it a proper thwack to try to launch the puck into the bin from halfway across the room or something?

 

[Artaxerxes]

What? How? What on earth are you doing with it?

One of the main reasons people like them is the lack of cleanup. Just pop the puck of coffee grounds out and it barely needs a quick rinse under the tap.

I don’t even rinse most of the time

I love the noise of ti popping out and into the bin, very satisfying

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

They should pop out in one solid piece like an ice hockey puck. Are you leaving some liquid in with the grounds rather than pushing the plunger as far down as possible once it's brewed, maybe? Or giving it a proper thwack to try to launch the puck into the bin from halfway across the room or something?

I think it's the extra liquid. Probably user error.

 

[maomao]

About 5% of my compost heap is aeropress pucks. I think you need to push down harder at the end Yuwipi Woman . Put some bodyweight on it, squeeze the strong drops out and firm up that puck.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

About 5% of my compost heap is aeropress pucks. I think you need to push down harder at the end Yuwipi Woman . Put some bodyweight on it, squeeze the strong drops out and firm up that puck.

I'll try that. (Kinda like dropping a good-sized turd).

 

[iona]

About 5% of my compost heap is aeropress pucks. I think you need to push down harder at the end Yuwipi Woman . Put some bodyweight on it, squeeze the strong drops out and firm up that puck.

I find taking the aeropress off the cup and holding it above lets you do a harder final squeeze without the risk of breaking or knocking over the cup but that might not work for people with less grip strength.

Upending the aeropress, removing the plastic cap that the filter sits in, GENTLY pushing the plunger that last bit up so it's fully through the main tube bit and then leaving it to sit like that for a wee while will also dry the puck out a bit more. I do that sometimes if the paper filter is too wet to peel cleanly off the top of the grounds (I reuse the filters).

Then I carefully pop the grounds out into the compost bowl by the sink until there's a mini leaning tower of pisa made of aeropress picks

 

[petee]

danny la rouge

the assemblage


the constituents


rightmost: water holder
next left: where the coffee goes
next left:the receptacle into which the brewed coffee percolates. note how small (and few: just 5) the holes are.
leftmost: the lid

 

[maomao]

I find taking the aeropress off the cup and holding it above lets you do a harder final squeeze without the risk of breaking or knocking over the cup but that might not work for people with less grip strength.

I'm 130 kilos and always put my full upper body weight on it. Have never broken or spilled anything.

 

[iona]

I'm 130 kilos and always put my full upper body weight on it. Have never broken or spilled anything.

You're also tall, I think? Harder to get your weight fully above it and not leaning in from the side if you're shorter.

 

[danny la rouge]

danny la rouge

the assemblage
View attachment 444627

the constituents
View attachment 444628

rightmost: water holder
next left: where the coffee goes
next left:the receptacle into which the brewed coffee percolates. note how small (and few: just 5) the holes are.
leftmost: the lid

It’s a thing of beauty!

 

[petee]

It’s a thing of beauty!

i haven't seen anything like it for ages. even when a kid i kind of liked the make of it.
the parents were great tea drinkers of course but didn't really know what to do with this american thing, coffee. what my mother made with that was basically diesel.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

danny la rouge

the assemblage
View attachment 444627

the constituents
View attachment 444628

rightmost: water holder
next left: where the coffee goes
next left:the receptacle into which the brewed coffee percolates. note how small (and few: just 5) the holes are.
leftmost: the lid

I used something like that, but with an enameled surface. I believe it's called "Granite wear."

 

[Happy Tree]

By my reckoning my morning Aeropress coffee is approx a third espresso strength - I use it inverted and top up with more water during the pressing ..
So an espresso shot is 30ml ?
mug is 300ml but I use 3 shots' worth of beans (22g)

I don't drink coffee very often, but when I do I have the Aeropress. It's funny that everyone uses it upside-down. I think it's a great little machine and, most importantly, easy to clean.

 

[moose]

I've got a Bialetti Brikka, which makes a reasonable crema on espresso if you time it right. However, it's not very consistent and the pot itself is temperamental. It's our second in 18 months as the previous one starting spurting coffee everywhere. Bialetti are in the shit financially and you can see it in the build quality these days, alas.

 

[editor]

I try to cover as many bases as possible, so here are the devices I use at present. Of particular note is the quirky "Atomic", which is why I've included a pic of it all on it's own.

That's a formidable collection,

 

[pug]

Its Italian, highly engineered from the finest stainless steel.

The plate with the holes goes on top of the coffee grounds. Then the hot water goes in.

It's just like a vietnamese one except the holes which need the correct consistency of grinding in a burr grinder.

 

[petee]

 

[Agrippa57]

God, those are beautiful (and £2,340.64 on eBay!!!!!!!).
Your pot seems to work in a very similar way to the classic Neopolitan type of coffee maker. But without having to turn it upside down.

 

[Agrippa57]

I've got a Bialetti Brikka, which makes a reasonable crema on espresso if you time it right. However, it's not very consistent and the pot itself is temperamental. It's our second in 18 months as the previous one starting spurting coffee everywhere. Bialetti are in the shit financially and you can see it in the build quality these days, alas.

I know what you mean. I bought one of these after seeing an example in a shop in Rome a few years back. Probably the most grotesque machine I've ever owned, but I was sort of impressed by its impertinence. It fell to bits almost immediately. It took two days to arrive from Italy (oh for those days of EU membership...). Which is almost as fast as bits of it began falling over. I still have a passion for Italian design. Even though most production now comes from the Far East.

 

[petee]

Your pot seems to work in a very similar way to the classic Neopolitan type of coffee maker. But without having to turn it upside down.

certainly a similar design!

Vintage Neapolitan Flip Drip Coffee Espresso Maker Aluminum Italy | eBay

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[Chilli.s]

I like this one

Vintage Espresso Coffee Maker, Manual, Stove Top, 1960s Hungary | eBay

Made in Hungary in the 1960s. Good condition. Works properly.

www.ebay.com