Stovetop coffee

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Dan
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Re: Stovetop coffee

Post by Dan »

J.D. wrote:
Dan wrote:I love my coffee but most of the time I have it in the morning, don't really have the time though so I'm just rocking a DeLonghi Citiz that uses the nespresso capsules, it's actually not that bad and good for the price. Beats the parents $1.5k machine by far.
I actually looked at one of these once. As far as I can tell, it's a Nespresso at about ¾ the price. I understand they do a pretty good job. The deal breaker for me was that I could only use the capsules instead of going to my local bean burner.
The other half actually found some reusable capsules on eBay. She uses them quite a bit as she tends to buy her coffee from DiBellas and a few other places, they work a treat.
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J.D.
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Re: Stovetop coffee

Post by J.D. »

AstrO wrote:BUT they didn't have any Milk Frother's in stock, so I ended splurging and buying one of these, with some birthday cash, when I returned to Adelaide.
You can also use this together with your moka pot to make cappuccino or latte.

I did actually buy a frother but I use it for hot chocolate rather than coffee. I've had a bit more success with the old manual one.
Dan wrote:The other half actually found some reusable capsules on eBay. She uses them quite a bit as she tends to buy her coffee from DiBellas and a few other places, they work a treat.
So does this mean you could grind your own beans and refill the capsules?

Or are they just returned to the shop like printer cartridges?

*EDIT* Never mind...found it. Thanks for the tip. I'm thinking of buying one of those Expressi things for my sister for Christmas.
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Duke
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Re: Stovetop coffee

Post by Duke »

Resurrection of an old thread sorry.

JD,
You still using the Bialetti Brikka & if so are you still happy with it?
I'm looking at getting one to try for that crema it provides. It'll also be an alternative to the no-name stove-top rip-off I use from time to time.
Also what size do you recommend, I'm guessing just the 2 shot given I'll be the only coffee drinker when using the Brikka but then the 4 shot is not much more $'s?

Also where did you score the Zassenhaus coffee grinder, I nearly fell off my perch when I saw the price of them tonight online. :O

Finally I'm also interested to know if you ever got the 100yr old grinders repaired?
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J.D.
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Re: Stovetop coffee

Post by J.D. »

No worries.

The 2-cup Brikka is very difficult to use. The time between hot and boiling is so short that it is very difficult to get it right. You don't want it spluttering.

The Mokka is easier and I suspect the 4-cup Brikka is too. By the way: I use the 2-cup as a single latte shot. These days I use the Mokka more often than not.

I get my grinders mostly from ebay.de (Germany). Ignore anything described as "rare" unless it looks very unusual (wanker alert). I think the most I've ever paid is $75 for a mint DeVe (Dutch version of a Dienes). Don't spend more than that. Zassenhaus are very good but come in different grades and you definitely get what you pay for. Don't worry too much about the age of the grinder. As long as it's in good nick it should serve you well. They don't wear out very quickly unless you do a lot of very fine grinds where the burrs actually touch each other. My Dad has had the same Zass for about 60 years and it's a lot better than the first one I bought. They come in different grades, as I said.

Here's something on how to restore and adjust an old coffee grinder:

http://www.orphanespresso.com/vintage-h ... 546-1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A word to the wise: a manual grinder cannot achieve the consistency of a commercial grade electric conical burr grinder like a Mazzer. On the other hand, there are wankers out there who will tell you that they can taste the difference and that manual grinders taste terrible. This is total bullshit. It's just a way to say they spent $2500 on a Mazzer and it was worth every cent. Where the internet is concerned, even coffee is not exempt from competitive spending...

It is true that the crank arm places an eccentric load on the burr and that means consistency will always be a problem. You have to get the aggregate grind right.

Brands to look out for are:

Dienes, PeDe and DeVe (all the same brand and generally the best)
Zassenhaus
KYM
Armin Trosser
Leinbrock's
Lehnartz

Stay away from Peugeot Freres and Japy Freres. These are French grinders and most are not really able to do fine grinds because French coffee used to be made mostly with a press (like a Bodum). Most of the ones I've seen have been very old and probably beyond repair. My 100 year old Zass has to be sand blasted. I can do it at work but it's a matter of timing.

by the way: as far as milk goes, I bought a milk frother for $25 from Aldi.
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wobblysauce
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Re: Stovetop coffee

Post by wobblysauce »

Came across this, some might find it interesting, and like the other stove-top pot.


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