Equipment obsession, is it a bad thing?

[Honu-Hugger]

"i too love espresso but make a lousy cup of it myself.
i had a nice electric maker and then bought the old fashioned kind where you put it on a burner. (just like dad had) but nothing works.
tastes like...

...any hints?

joe"

Sorry Joe, I missed this the first go'round. What works here are dark roasted Kona beans, I drink it "Cuban" style with a little raw sugar. I really can not accept the responsibility of getting another started down the road I went... but a burr grinder and a pump type espresso maker are worth looking at, too 😀

 

[back alley]

i will need to investigate further...

joe

 

[jan normandale]

coffee obsession ? I'm liking this too

coffee obsession ? I'm liking this too

I just returned from making an espresso and I'll thank this forum, especially the European members (Roman, Pherdi, Denis et al.), for my latest obsession. I use to drink it occasionally, but after salivating over the cups of espresso in the "Camera and Coffee" thread I had to buy an espresso maker. Of course, it didn't stop there. I use to laugh at the thought of burr grinders; I thought "what difference could the type of grinder possibly make?" Now there's a burr grinder in the kitchen and the first espresso maker had to be upgraded to a pump model, and then of course I had to outfit a setup at work -- it just never ends! 😀 😀 😀

Honu-Hugger and Joe

this is a great thread, espresso ....yeah!

Honu-Hugger, just like you I went around and bought a simple little machine. I convinced myself that was all that was necessary. After about 4 years with the machine I was talking machines with a friend. Before long I was searching the web looking for a new machine. Dangerous.

Now I'm the owner of a very shiny machine. But the espresso is great. Friends ask why? But one of them has gone out and bought one. Definitely obsessive behaviour.

Joe, I was happy with my stove tops. I still use them when I'm camping. A Coleman white fuel stove is all it takes to have great coffee in the open air. But my very first machine was a little electric job for less than $100 it had a small portafilter, and a steam wand all out of a little tank. It was pretty good. In the Italian area of Toronto there is a homewares store that carries stovetops. There is a new model that actually gives a crema! Check it out

here is a url for the description and price.
http://about.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=6371029/search=Stove Top Espresso Makers

good luck, ps I don't know if these work well , ask around first before buying

Jan

 

[back alley]

jan,

i have one similar to that, in fact, i think mine may be a bit better than that one.
it should be a simple process, add water, add coffee, add heat, voila!
sadly my coffee tastes like ...
i have tried various coffees from cheap to expensive, mild to strong all to no avail.

and i too bought in the italian area in town here. (all 2 blocks of it)

joe

 

[jan normandale]

Stovetops / coffee

Stovetops / coffee

jan,

i have one similar to that, in fact, i think mine may be a bit better than that one.
it should be a simple process, add water, add coffee, add heat, voila!
sadly my coffee tastes like ...
i have tried various coffees from cheap to expensive, mild to strong all to no avail.

and i too bought in the italian area in town here. (all 2 blocks of it)

joe

Joe, here is my check list for getting the most out of any kind of coffee machine

1. buy coffee that has been ground specifically for the machine type you are using. I tell the merchant ie stovetop, electric, press, perc, filter, etc

2. for espresso machines I always pack the coffee into about 3/4 full or a little more, then I pack it (with a press for that purpose) as tightly as possible.
2a. sometimes if the crema isn't too good , I'll "laminate" the coffee, ie fill the basket half full, pack; fill the rest of the way and pack again. This can help. It forces the coffee thru the machine more slowly and sometimes helps give a crema.

That's it for my knowledge, on coffee preparation

Jan

 

[back alley]

maybe i don't pack in tight enough.

i feel the need for research.

joe

 

[schaubild]

Actually, a electric burr grinder is not the definite thing. These machines grind very fast, you might have noticed that the coffepowder got quite warm. It's like the coffee is roasted a second time, this can result in some added bitterness. Give a hand grinder a chance. Takes a lot longer but the result will surprise you.

Just my 5 cents from Switzerland.

 

[jan normandale]

Well equipment obsession is alive and well. I just went and bought some stuff from an RFF member so he could "upgrade" to a Leica. I don't know who has it worse him or me. The level of my expenditure is a few hundred bucks. His will be two or three times my payment to him. We know who we are.

I believe that the rational way to look at equipment obsession is in the light of a humanitarian act. You help another fellow by buying his old cast offs thereby helping him to a higher level of personal development.

Something like that. My test for this thinking is simple if it sounds like it doesn't hold water it probably doesn't. Oh well. I know I've got a problem but at least I'm not in total denial, just creative denial. Maybe.

 

[Honu-Hugger]

Jan,
Creative, humorous and also true. An acquaintance from another list urgently needs to raise cash right now and I ended up winning an auction for one of his lenses. It really is a situation that benefits us both. I never thought of it that way before, but nobody sells unless they want to (or need to) -- might as well help if you can.

 

[Honu-Hugger]

BTW, thank you both for the coffee suggestions -- I'm still a rookie with the espresso. I noticed the burr grinder provided a more even grind, which worked better with my old steam forced maker. With the pump machine it may not have mattered much.