FOT Forum
FOT Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: Sarah on January 25, 2011, 04:29:10 PM
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What burr grinder do you recommend to get the best coarse grind for a French press?
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A Capresso 560 of coarse!
Had it for 2 years and it's still going strong.
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I've used this (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&biw=1600&bih=708&q=coffee+grinder&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=5304746225896792363&ei=FkI_TZzIKMrKgQe97pCUAw&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CFcQ8gIwAA#) cheapo Krups grinder with my french press since I've had it and it's always done fine work for me.
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Research had already led me to put a Capresso 560 in my Amazon shopping cart, but I thought I'd check. And before I buy it, I'm going to see what I think of coffee made with beans ground in my old Braun, which is a lot like yours, MoS (my Krups is dedicated to grinding spices). For all I know, I'll like it just fine and be able to save eighty some bucks.
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Research had already led me to put a Capresso 560 in my Amazon shopping cart, but I thought I'd check. And before I buy it, I'm going to see what I think of coffee made with beans ground in my old Braun, which is a lot like yours, MoS (my Krups is dedicated to grinding spices). For all I know, I'll like it just fine and be able to save eighty some bucks.
Are you sure you're even going to live long enough to enjoy it? On the other hand, at your age, why bother saving?
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I live for the day, sir!
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Now that you mention it, the Capresso is probably overkill for a french press. I've used one like that Krups for french press and it works fine.
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I used a cheapo model when I had a French press before. The problem is I just got this
(http://www.bodumusa.com/shop/images_products/product/1303_16_a.jpg)
and when I was doing my research before buying it, I came across all these earnest proclamations that a uniform coarse grind was essential for the best French press coffee and the only way to get such a thing was with a burr grinder.
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Is a French press really worth it? I have a two-sided Black and Decker which makes decent coffee out of excellent beans from Coffee Fool. And I have a Hamilton Beach $9 Target grinder set to the middle setting.
I might be willing to try a French press, but if I liked it I'm afraid it would make me drink less because of the increased mess and bother.
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I used to have a Cuisinart burr grinder, (about fifty dollars at Bed Bath and Beyond) which worked fine, and you could grind a lot of coffee at a time, and the grind setting was adjustable. The first one worked for a year, the second one, I lost, somehow....
Now I use a cheap Krups, which works fine for my French press, but you have to pay attention when you are grinding so you don't over-grind. If you, usually, don't make a lot of coffee at a time, you won't have to grind for a long period, so the beans will not overheat, which is the main reason people choose to spend the money on a burr grinder. For one or two cups of press coffee, I have found no difference.
My French press is stainless steel thermal, and to me, the quality of the press, perfect timing, heating your milk to just below scalding, pouring the milk and pressed coffee at exactly the same time, so that both streams meet before they hit the cup, and having a couple of lumps of dark brown sugar cubes nestled in the waiting cup to melt under the stream, and good coffee beans make more of a discernible difference to me than an expensive burr grinder does for home use. I'm not really a coffee snob, I just like coffee my way.
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Is a French press really worth it?
I've always found drip coffee to be bland and French press coffee to be delicious but never hot enough. A stainless steel thermal press will take care of that problem. It was very nice of the handle of my old stovetop espresso maker to break so that I could get one.
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My French press is the mid-sized Frieling thermal stainless steel. The thermal quality is great, and since there is no glass vessel to break it will last a long time.
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I use a french press at work, in conjunction with an electric kettle, to make me-sized portions of coffee at work. The alternative is to try to use a Mr. Coffee to make like 2 cups and that never works.
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http://www.sweetmarias.com/clevercoffeedripperpictorial.php (http://www.sweetmarias.com/clevercoffeedripperpictorial.php)
anyone ever use one of these? I bought one at a clearance sale and haven't used it yet.
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What about a Chemex, anybody use one of those?
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Hey, my mummy and daddy had one of those. It wasn't in use for long; they soon reverted to the good old percolator. And all that was decades ago: they switched over to a stovetop espresso maker in the seventies.
Isn't this exactly the kind of thing people come to this board for? Christ, I should be shot.
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Hey, my mummy and daddy had one of those. It wasn't in use for long; they soon reverted to the good old percolator. And all that was decades ago: they switched over to a stovetop espresso maker in the seventies.
Isn't this exactly the kind of thing people come to this board for? Christ, I should be shot.
People who use it love it, but it seems real real real real real real real real real complicated.
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I use an AeroPress, which makes a pretty good cup of coffee quickly and is easy to clean.
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Confession: I'm not happy with my brand-new, expensive French press (the coffee's fine with milk and sugar but not quite right black, which is how I generally drink it) so I've gone and bought a Bialetti stainless-steel stovetop espresso pot. I am decadent and disgusting, but I will have coffee I like.
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Confession: I am decadent and disgusting, but I will have coffee I like.
I'm with you, Sarah.
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That's a comfort, my dear.
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I had my first French press coffee today (out of an admittedly cheap press). It was fine, less sour in the bottom half than either my coffeemaker or the usual stuff I get at one of the 9 coffee shops within walking distance of the place I stay when I'm not at home.
That sourness is the #1 frustration I have with coffee, but I'm not sure that not dealing with the various methods of avoiding it is worth the extra work to me, since I make the coffee I make at my place of business.
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Is a French press really worth it? I have a two-sided Black and Decker which makes decent coffee out of excellent beans from Coffee Fool. And I have a Hamilton Beach $9 Target grinder set to the middle setting.
I might be willing to try a French press, but if I liked it I'm afraid it would make me drink less because of the increased mess and bother.
Have you had French press coffee? If not, I'd try it at a good cafe first. If you get the sensation that it's good coffee taken to the next level (like it was for me), you *will* want one. (I no longer drink coffee, because I no longer can tolerate caffeine due to anxiety issues... still I miss French Roast coffee.)
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Your answer:
I had my first French press coffee today (out of an admittedly cheap press). It was fine, less sour in the bottom half than either my coffeemaker or the usual stuff I get at one of the 9 coffee shops within walking distance of the place I stay when I'm not at home.
That sourness is the #1 frustration I have with coffee, but I'm not sure that not dealing with the various methods of avoiding it is worth the extra work to me, since I make the coffee I make at my place of business.
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A grinder is even more important with espresso than with a french press. You'll want a conical burr grinder if you can afford it. I know because I'm decadent too
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I have to recover from this latest round of extravagance first.
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Where did you buy your French press Sarah? If you are not happy with it, try returning it. I have found that most places accept returns and don't want dissatisfied customers, unless it's Target.
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Nah, I kind of like having the choice.
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i knew a barrister (thank you spellcheck) who went through the Starbucks coffee college and he said: "if you can't burr grind your coffee, don't grind it at all. Have the store do it for you or just buy bags of ground coffee. Now let me inform you about cheese pairing. . . ".
also, i threw out all of my caffeine accoutrements the last time i quit coffee. i'm back now, of course, and went the cheap route: http://www.amazon.com/Melitta-Ready-Black-Filter-Holder/dp/B001796HGY. (http://www.amazon.com/Melitta-Ready-Black-Filter-Holder/dp/B001796HGY.) you set it on a travel mug, add a filter, put in some grounds and pour boiling water over it. i was prepared to settle for weak coffee but it is surprisingly good.
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I ordered the Aeropress. What the hell.
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The Aeropress rocks. I'm getting one for the office, too. I'm never going back. Thanks, break.
The hilarious thing is I'm just using coffee I ground at the store. It just takes all the sourness out, all of it. And it's really easy to use, provided you can heat your water to 175 degrees F somewhere (I recommend an electric kettle, but you could use the microwave).
Do it. The Chemex just looked too complicated and too hard to clean, but maybe it's good, as well.
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I wish you could send me a cup of coffee made with your new device so that I could see whether I like it. All this talk of "smoothness" and "low acidity" gives me pause. Still, I seem to be on some insane roll, so I may get one of these gizmos as well just so I can do a comparison.
Tomorrow I will report on the brew produced by the stainless steel stovetop espresso pot that arrived this afternoon. Thus far, all I can say is that it is handsome and heavy.
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All this talk of "smoothness" and "low acidity" gives me pause.
Afraid all that deliciousness will force you to crack a smile, Lubec?
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Hell, you just made me crack a smile--I'm easy.
Reading further about the AeroPress, I find that it scares me. My hands are clumsy, and I could see disaster striking.
Report on the coffee produced by the new stovetop pot: perfectly all right but not superb. A problem is that I like strong coffee but am so sensitive to caffeine now that I have to use a combination of caffeinated and decaffeinated beans (ah, for times gone by, when I could down countless double espressos a day with no ill effect but stained teeth). This means that my coffee is never going to be as good as it can be. Poor, poor me.
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Hell, you just made me crack a smile--I'm easy.
Reading further about the AeroPress, I find that it scares me. My hands are clumsy, and I could see disaster striking.
Report on the coffee produced by the new stovetop pot: perfectly all right but not superb. A problem is that I like strong coffee but am so sensitive to caffeine now that I have to use a combination of caffeinated and decaffeinated beans (ah, for times gone by, when I could down countless double espressos a day with no ill effect but stained teeth). This means that my coffee is never going to be as good as it can be. Poor, poor me.
Coffee for me is mainly a caffeine-delivery device (the most effective one for me). I have grown to appreciate the taste but not love it, per se. I do love the ritual of a hot morning drink as I work.
Sorry you've become sensitive to the stuff, Lubec. Nothing on the planet is more effective at lifting my mood. Sometimes it still bothers me, but then I think, "it's not cocaine - all it does is give you more energy. They sell it in countless shops." and I feel better. Or at least ok.
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Just lately, my sensitivity has been less pronounced, I'm happy to report. Or, rather, my level of exhaustion is such that I fall asleep regularly throughout the day and sleep more or less normally (for me) at night even with extra caffeine. And boy am I ever craving it. For the first time, I'm appreciating the high, not just taking advantage of the illusion of energy. Why, I had an extra eight ounces this morning and just made another pot (another sixteen ounces, made with an extra scoop of coffee, so it's almost exactly the way I like it). It's all very exciting--not least because I broke my coffee grinder in the process (it was a genuine accident, I promise: the top got caught in my sleeve and flew off the counter, and the switch portion shattered on impact with the floor), so now I can justify purchasing a burr grinder.
Like I said--exciting.
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Just lately, my sensitivity has been less pronounced, I'm happy to report. Or, rather, my level of exhaustion is such that I fall asleep regularly throughout the day and sleep more or less normally (for me) at night even with extra caffeine. And boy am I ever craving it. For the first time, I'm appreciating the high, not just taking advantage of the illusion of energy. Why, I had an extra eight ounces this morning and just made another pot (another sixteen ounces, made with an extra scoop of coffee, so it's almost exactly the way I like it). It's all very exciting--not least because I broke my coffee grinder in the process (it was a genuine accident, I promise: the top got caught in my sleeve and flew off the counter, and the switch portion shattered on impact with the floor), so now I can justify purchasing a burr grinder.
Like I said--exciting.
Get the Aeropress - it'll chaynge yer lahf, as we say where I'm from (but not where I am).