Not sure how long/fresh/frequent/beans quality they roasting the beans, in details, but you can try to check with them if you asking for freshly-roasted beans. Freshly-roasted this term itself is subjective to different ppl.

They're certainly not freshly roasted, I can confirm to that.
For the batch of beans I ordered in May 2021, from it's expiry date April (2022/2023?? unsure?), this indicates that it's roasted/packed in April 2021.
It's not the freshest, but it's acceptable, for the convenience loh. Still have reasonable amount of crema.

All in, to me, it's a workable routine la, the naked portafilter may or may not show channeling, I'm not sure I want to spend the money for that too...

As i mentioned when I started this journey, it's basically done as a tradeoff between getting the best possible coffee, that I can, without the need to grind.
The 3200c is bought, because i wanted a semi auto for the ease of use for my GF, who can just tamper in 18g press a button and walk away.

I started with Sol, and as shared, their 'extra fine' wasn't fine enough.
I mitigated that by going to 20 - 20.5g and tampering quite hard. I was able to get a decent shot around 8.5 to 9 bars of pressure.

Upon finishing Sols' I went to Mr Coffee, and I can pull my shots using 18-19g, ard 24-28 seconds like that, with a 1 to 2 ratio, and the pressure at ~9 bars
Mathematically, and from my personal tasting wise, it's a good enough shot to us ya...

Previously I've use freshly grounded beans before as well, in my previous co, there's free flow of beans, and milk and expresso machines. I also had the opportunity to learn from some experienced gurus while I was there as well.. how to 'bless' the portafilter, always purge before you pull your shots etc...

Maybe in the future I'll get a timemore+freshly ground for the weekends coffee routine, spending ~180++ for hand grinders makes me hesitant though.
ZD17N maybe the only electronic grinder that can grind expresso, without going over 1,000 for a grinder.

My next option is, I can go to my local cafe that I frequent as well, they roast and sell coffee beans too, I can ask the to preground for me.

I take this as a journey for those of us without the benefit of grinders.

I'm enjoying the trip so far, if this is the worst that it gets, I'm really not complaining

This post has been edited by eltaria: May 31 2021, 11:59 PM

Machine's Ok.

part of the reasons I bought his is
1) Limited kitchen top space, this machine can act as hot water dispenser, so I don't need to purchase another device
2) Double boiler, I can froth while pulling the shot, increasing my turnaround time, for the less covid future when i can serve my friends/guests again in my place.
3) Semi Auto, press a button and walk away. For my GF's ease of use, I just teach her how to tamper properly, with the 18/18.5g
4) 3 liter of water tank is good too.

Haven't really used it that long, got it in March, I'm doing an average of 7 cups a week? Mainly 2+2 cups for the weekends, and occasional 2-4 cups in weekdays.

Handgrinder, I got check it out, Timemore would be an acceptable one I believe, but it costs like 200 bucks and you need to handgrind!
The closest grinder that I can possibly splurge on, is WD17N from Dankoff, that's around 900 bucks.

Anything from other brands, the grinders' gonna be 1k++, eureka mignon specialita, is 2.7k for the grinder itself... too pricey.
Again, even if $ is not an issue, kitchen space is a problem for those of us living in condo.
Also, owning a grinder, you'll need to 'waste' some coffee as you purge out the old grind setting leftovers... and it's another set of gadget to maintain too.

I envy to be in your position, but I guess my case is more mainstream falling within the same constraint as I, whereby we need to balance $, kitchen space, and preparation time to get the next best thing.


Who wouldn't want this for their coffee setup


This post has been edited by eltaria: Jun 1 2021, 12:13 AM

Most people don't know that the actual thing that affects the coffee most, after beans, is the grinder.

I highly recommend to upgrade your grinder

eltaria

dunno why you wanna get into espresso without grinder... is like wanna run marathon in slippers... you're severely handicapping yourself

a good well made grinder will last a lifetime... so start saving for it...

just in time video to get you started...

i like the part where he mentions about diminishing return.

does it worth the huge money on tht little bit of improvement? Zero retention etc etc but u need to fork out say another at least RM1500 or more? is always the angel vs the devil on your shoulder... haha happens to me all the time

sure... anything beyond certain price/design is diminishing returns... for me the optimum is df64 and niche... imho best bang for the buck

if I'm starting now... I'd save up and just get these 2... I won't buy a cheaper grinder and upgrade later

I'm using 1Zpresso JX pro hand grinder.
Can say is zero retention.
I use the brush and clean off any coffee grinds after every use.

Now I even roast my own coffee beans
Freshly roasted freshly ground. Can't get any fresher than that

Thinking of buying a v60

Should I go for 01 or 02 size?

Plastic or ceramic?

Plastic all the way. Cheaper and harder to break. Even if break, cheap to replace

Depends on your serving and to a point your brewing style. 01 for single or two cups. 02 works for 1 cup too of course, and can be used to serve larger servings too. In the end, guess it depends on your preference, but either would be fine

Worth to note that with 01, you're able to pour closer to the brew bed.

imo,
02 at least 18g/20g dose, less than that u have to grind finer, the hole is bigger in 02
01 more suitable for lower dose 10g-15g, I use this for expensive beans

Ah yeah that's true too. Well pouring closer vs higher has their merits. To each their own I guess. But need to take into account under "skills and recipes"

That reminds me. Tried to make a few brews using the W60 using normal V60 method(s) and that dripper is just too tall. The best distance for agitation is too close for the gooseneck kettle, which makes me have to pour a bit higher which just destroys the bed

What are your thoughts on the W60, mind sharing?

To be honest I only bought it to use the ceramic dripper more than the mesh filter. Not a fan of non-paper filters because of how much fines get into the final brew. But maybe one day I'll try it out

Some observations from it though :
- the mesh filter is soft and probably made of plastic. Reminds me of those mosquito nettings you use, but finer. Most probably won't affect the taste, but will definitely affect longevity
- looks like they are finer than metal filters, but not 100% sure on this. If true, the it'll be cleaner than metal filters
- the flat bottom dripper won't automatically make it able to brew Kalita filters unfortunately due to it being pretty shallow
- the ceramic dripper is massive. Bigger than a 02. So heating it up is a lot harder
- the shape of the dipper is interesting to me because like Origami, the paper lies on the lines and doesn't touch the wall, but unlike the Origami, it's like a spiral. The curvy shape of it actually means the lines inside to be higher than standard V60. Could be used to experiment in if water flow affects rate of extraction or drawdown time

The only thing that prevents me from using it is my grinder, which is the Kinu. It's a damn great grinder, but as many as said online, the fines can be quite a bit, which I do not want to have in my final brew. If I had a EK43 or even a Comandante or a machine with SSP Unimodal, then I'd be more confident in trying it out

Assuming I plan to get either a 1zpresso JX-Pro or JE-Plus or ACE48cs, what would be a good starter espresso model for a 1.5k budget (machine only). Hoping to have both espresso and milk drinks.

a) Gemilai CRM3605 with necessary mods: RM800-1000
b) Flair Classic/Pro2 + Manual stovetop milk steamer: RM950-1200 + Rm300
c) Others?

Personally, I would go with the Flair route, despite more work. Here's why:
1. it's good for learning espresso, I learnt a lot using my first gen Flair signature.
2. there's no components that will spoil easily, only the gaskets/o-rings which is the same for any machine. For the Gemilai, it is hard to predict how long the components will last, as it's a budget machine
3. If you decide to upgrade to a prosumer grade machine in the future, the flair is still a good complement, and it can still fetch a decent second hand price. Not so sure about Gemilai.
4. No need to worry about scaling problem or cleaning of the machine, until you're ready for it - must do diligently for prosumer machines

But of course you will need to steam milk separately and it doesn't feel like a typical "pulling a shot" with portafilter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53lTlpjM2sQ...offmannVerified

the sifu has reviewed the "Niche Killer"....

Was hoping he'd give a glowing review but it was overall better than average for the price. Guess this won't make the grinder even more in demand as it is now I guess, which is probably for the best

This post has been edited by graphidz: Jun 11 2021, 01:05 AM