Semiunlrelated question, but someone can probably assist me:

Why does drinking 4shotespresso drinks make my pee smell so bad after ?

Google "coffee urine odor" and you will find links.

Other foods can cause urine odor. Some people discovered that eating asparagus makes ones urine smell like rotten eggs.

~ Rick

In my case the Aeropress gadget is helping me cut down. Instead of brewing a ten cup pot and having five cups that morning and five stale cups the next day I can stick to about three fresh and very good cups every morning.

If I don't have coffee I do get headaches late in the day; it's some sort of withdrawel symptom.

~ Rick

Where do the addicts dispose of coffee grinds?

With the Aeropress they come out of the machine in the shape of a pressed wafer. I let them dry a bit then put them in a Tupperware container in the freezer and eat them the next day for an inexpensive crispy, tasty, high-energy snack.

Good for me, good for the environment.

~ Rick

grinds from my press go down the drain.

wat

I actually had to look up wat.

~ Rick

100% dark Kona Coffee is one of my favorites. There are probably better ones but I love Kona Joes... No matter how strong you make it, it will never taste bitter when drinkin black...

All - $20k for the perfect cup of coffee, apparently.

-Al

Al,

They just opened a location in the neighborhood: Blue Bottle SOMA. I'll check it out soon.

D - from one of the yelp reviews:

Haha, there is something perfectly "SF" about that.

In the NYTimes article, they mention 2 coffee shops in my hood, La Mill and Intelligenstia ... the idea of a "coffee aficionado" is a bit too precious for my tastes, but I will say, both these spots really do brew an awesome cup of coffee, and I imagine Blue Bottle does too.

-Al

Al,

I have about a quarter-pound of 100% Vienna-roasted Kona beans at home, and I will press out one, no, two cups for you for $500. Imagine the savings!

That article on the 20K coffee pot is retahded. I love coffee more than most, but this just reinforces that coffee addicts are just like those pothead buddies that everyone had in college who would make some newfangled balloon-powered bong that fit in a suitcase and would continuously brag about how it changed the pot-smoking game.

That guy stirring and sniffing the coffee in that article is a total toolbox.

/rant.

Al, Sucker:

Yeah, that's basically why I feel like I need to wait a few weeks before checking out that joint. Some restaurants here serve Blue Bottle coffee in a french press, it's pretty good stuff but I dunno, once coffee is at a certain level of being good I'm not sure I can really tell the difference.

That machine is kind of wild. Reminds me a little of a bizarre coffee dream I had once. I'll probably end up checking that place out next time I'm in SF just to see what the stink is all about. Anybody know how much they're getting for a cup?

Al, There's a Korean place right next to the Citibank building in New York that has been serving individual coffees in that siphon thing since the late 90s. Fun to watch and drink but I can't say I can tell the difference.

Last time I was in SF I went to Rituals which people rave about. Meh. I prefer Peet's.

I checked it out today. It's clear that they're trying to make coffee more upscale, given the design of the cafe and the way the staff are being trained. If you're going to have the espresso, try it from the gold machine on the left, which I believe is single source. I ignored the siphon.

I had my usual cup of drip and also had some of my buddy's espresso. It's excellent stuff, but I prefer the far less pretentious vibe of the Hayes Valley location. The coffee is clearly a cut above Ritual and (definitely) Philz, but that's long been the case. A lot of good bay area restaurants are switching to Blue Bottle, and I know they have the google contract.

Also, I tried the Coffee Bar on Mariposa and Bryant. I really liked the vibe there, and the coffee is on par with Blue Bottle. It's a nice place to have an informal meeting or get some work done. Parking seems pretty easy too.

just an addition to my last post:

i went to the blue bottle cafe again today, and had the iced kyoto-style coffee, which is made in the odd, 19th century-looking contraption next to the siphon. this stuff is really intense and complex, and i recommend it. it was almost like drinking a nice scotch.

Does anyone know where I can find antique tea or coffee presses? Google has yielded little of value.

Ebay?

I did try ebay.

That machine just looks like an overpriced version of a nice vacuum style brewer that one can get for say $100. I'm sure it's better but not much.

I hate to be the jerk that comes in to a thread, doesn't read it all, and asks something that has already been talked about:

What do you guys think of Senseo type coffee makers? Are those good quality?

The ones that use pods? Stay away if you're particular about your coffee. An aeropress or french press will produce a superior cup, cost $30 or less and don't lock you into using proprietary coffee.