I would be ****ing crazy if I drank that much coffee daily.

Anyone here have any good recommendations for an Expresso macine (or maker whatever its called) in the $150 to $300 range. I really don't care if a milk frother is included or a grinder I have one, I'd actually prefer it to be more compact.

*Espresso

Gaggia Classic is a solid semiautomachine if you can stretch it a bit.

Any suggestions on a bean that will make a nutty, but also very full, rich, bold, cup?

Recommendations for an electric burr grinder under $150?

I've heard a lot of good about Baratza Encore

Going to Jamaica tomorrow. Anything specific I should look for coffee wise? Blue Mountain is the good stuff right? Any specific brands or things to look for?

apparently the good blue mountain stuff is all exported to japan.. we were there in november and brought back a few pounds of random brands at the grocery store. we weren't in a very touristy part of the island.. it's much much more expensive at the airport..

the coffee was good though i'm not sure it's worth the really high price..

Quick question about the aeropress:

I have one at home and one at work and have always used the paper filters. I'm pretty content with them but am I missing anything mindblowing? I'm almost out of paper filters and before I rebuy wanted to get opinions on if I needed to switch to the stainless steel reusable filter as they're a little pricey and I worry about accidentally throwing them away out of habit. Thoughts?

Definitely switch to the metal filter, it makes a better cup of coffee and you're saving money in the long run!

I'm personally not a huge fan of the metal filter but I use it. I find it to make cleanup slightly more of a pain (silt will get stuck in the holes, which means you can't just simply rinse it off, you actually have to rub it a bit to get the silt out). On the other hand, I like not having to worry about running out of paper. Taste is slightly better with metal but not a mind-blowing difference IMO (for what it's worth, I'm the only non-supertaster in my house).

Had my first taste of coffee at the new Boston Stoker by my house and I enjoyed it very much.

Was @ Caesar's Tijuana and ordered a double-espresso with lunch. They provided some lime peel on the side, and the resulting flavor (with a sugar cube stirred in as well) was quite unexpectedly delicious.

Just a twist or two to get some extract in there. Gonna have to re-create @ home.

Wanted to post a followup.

I bought a 3 pack of metal filters on ebay for $8. Way cheaper than the single piece items on amazon for $15+.

PROS:
Cheapish
No need to buy filters

CONS:
Cleanup takes longer (+10s)
Not as much fun to demo to people (popping out a hockey puck and being "done" was great)

NEUTRALS:
No change in taste (imo)

The biggest difference in taste I've noticed was after reading a recommendation to not push the air pocket through the coffee. One I stopped trying to compress the grinds into a puck over my cup the taste improved quite a bit.

So you just let the water drip through like a cone filter, or have I misunderstood? I may be wrong, but doesn't this kind of defeat the whole purpose of an Aeropress?

No, I press the water through, but when the water is out and there's that air pocket (non-inverted method) and still some plunger left to depress - I used to push all the air through the grinds and compress the puck of coffee over the mug. So all the water in the grinds was squeezed out into my cup.

Now I stop as soon as I hear air hissing out the bottom and compress the puck over the sink or garbage instead of over the cup.

Basically at this point:


I stop pressing.

Oh, I see what you mean. Big difference in taste? I'm going to dust off the ol' Aeropress and try this.

It was a big difference in taste for the beans I've been using. Noticeably more smooth, and less subtle offensive tastes. More noticeable than switching to a metal filter. Of course, YMMV but I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Few Questions:
What is ideal brew time for inverted method?

How hot should water be? I'm using electric kettle and letting the boiling water kind of calm down a little before pouring in.

Have been buying small quantity of beans from whole foods and using their grinder. Anyone know best grind setting they have for aeropress?

And how much coffee powder are you using per cup?

This is a good guide:

http://stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/aeropress/

This thread's been deserted for awhile!

I just wanted to let people know that the maker of aeropress is considering some problems with the aeropress a factory defect and sending out replacement parts for free. I recently called them to buy a new rubber piece and a new barrel, or at least price them to see if I'd be better off just buying a new one. Mine wasn't making a good seal at all anymore. The guy informed me that if I had the brown model they consider that a factory defect. Had new parts within a few days at no cost. Great customer service!

Also, Ethiopian beans from the Hambela region are my new all time favorite. So good. They have a fruity taste that is much different from my usual Central American favorites. I've tried them from several different roasters and while they all seem to have slightly different tastes, they are all very pleasing.

Are you using the inverted method? I get a bit of a leak when I flip it prior to the plunge, but always just had a paper towel underneath my mug...

I do use the inverted method. My problem wasn't so much a leak as it was that when i would plunge there was no pressure. The air just slipped around the rubber piece until all the air was out. They sent me a piece of paper with the new parts telling me not to leave the rubber part in the barrel when not in use, which I did often as I'm always on the road and carry my aeropress with me at all times.

My aeropress was getting really horrendous gouges in it in the months after I first got it and it was replaced back then, which would have been 3+ years ago at this point.

Anyone tried Weed coffee?