Coffee Appreciation

I don't think Brita filters reduce hardness.

A couple of days in Barcelona next week. Where can I get good coffee there?

Nømad and Satan's are the best, both in town. If you go up to Gràcia (do, it's a great area), Syra and Onna are both good.

I don't think Brita filters reduce hardness

Brita claim they "reduce limescale build up"

Well, I applied the pre-boiled method for moka as described earlier and the jury is still out. The coffee is definitely good, maybe a bit brighter as I suspected it might be. Definitely more of a process with the pre-boil and cooling of the pot.

Cheers, will try to get to some of those next week.

Great little machine but do you think he’s got space for a grinder too? If it’s just for espresso then a Jura Ena micro 1 delivers the goods consistently.

£400 plus a year of learning how to use it properly ;)

Over three years without a coffee machine, our friendly French electrician put some new power points in on Thursday so I'm finally up and running again.. Took me half an hour to figure out how to get my grinder to work, now learning how to do this all over again... PS I fucking hate those fucking tiles...

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Nice set up. Enjoy getting the feel for it again.

My opinion of the tiles remain unchanged.

I generally by lighter buy roasts on all my beans and prefer the fruitier end of the taste spectrum but i don't think the brewing method helps that specifically. It's just seems to reduce the over extraction that you get with the cold water method.

Hah!

My tuition is available for a not incredibly extortionate rate!

Honestly though they're not as tricky to work with as I expected. Only took a couple of shots to get a feel for the force to apply to the lever. It does throw in an extra variable when dialling in the grind which isn't the most user-friendly feature.

On the plus side, it's one of those things you can say you're definitely better than James Bond at...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0XeO66xXAs

I like the tiles. Nice setup btw.

had a quick look and as you say, they contain some ion transfer things which claim to reduce temporary hardness.

"BRITA water filters reduce substances from tap water that can affect its taste and appearance. The process only partially de-mineralises water. Distilled water, in contrast, is fully de-mineralised."

"is that all it does?" I need this on a t-shirt :)

I went to our local coffee roaster yesterday, my other half teaches their autistic son so I got 10% discount... Bosh!

On water quality... The guy at Neli Coffee was telling me how shit water quality is in Queensland, I had no idea we had hard water... What's the best way to demineralise tap water? We've always used Brita filters, til I realised I was the only person that bought the refills... I stopped and we haven't had them in the house since, funny that... We do have two huuuge water tanks that collect rain water but not sure how safe that would be, I could always put that through another filter? #halfserious

Bottled water can be a simplish option. But shit for the environment.

We will install a proper filter system when we put in our new kitchen and the coffee machine will be plumbed in.

Any good?

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The guys behind Colonna are bringing out a water filter specifically designed for coffee. Think the kickstarter finished a little while ago, but don't think they are far off having it in production.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/522120647/peak-water-coffee-brewing-elevated

did you change the steam tip on yours? I didn't realise it could also froth milk...

I've been saving for a Rocket Evoluzione for about 5 years and other expenses always get in the way. So maybe a lever machine is the way to go?

Yep, got an M6 acorn nut and drilled a 1mm hole in it, works like a charm!

Can't comment on the Rocket, but I'm a big fan of the La Pavoni.

Apparently you can only get around 6-8 drinks out of it before it needs refilled with water, but that's more than enough for me (max I've put through in one sitting is a pair of flat whites, no issues with steam pressure falling off I'm happy to report). Plus it only takes around 10 minutes to warm up.

A little but of tinkering with the grind settings and I'm getting some OK crema, this coffee is good... For decaf... I miss caffeine, 25 years since the doc told me to lay off... 🚫☕😑

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Interesting, I may check that out... We've been talking about getting a filter plumbed in, gf's parents have one and the water quality is much improved...

Satan

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Decent beans for a Moka? Is pre-ground coffee a complete no no? Don't have a grinder. Not a coffee snob so nothing too fancy but theres so many options ive no idea what to go for. Normally use the black nespresso pods if that is any indication