When you take your Coffee TOO seriously

[Todd Anderson]

Does anyone have a suggestion for a solid cold press? My wife loves starbucks cold press coffee.. trying to get her to make it at home $$$$ ;-)

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

how are you liking the the Fellow ODE grinder now that you've had some time to play with it? I love my baratza, but I hear the ODE has better fines control on the coarser grinds for french press, which is my go to brew method along with a Hario V60

I was just commenting last night to my partner how perfect the ODE has been. Such a perfect, consistent grind. I've only used it for drip coffee grinds so far, for my Technivorm Moccamaster, but it's been spot on. I've got it running at about the 7 1/2 setting right now, but I think I'm going to bring it a little bit finer.

Also, the other two reasons for purchasing were sound level (SO much quieter than my previous Bodum) and the fact that it doesn't have a hopper, so it's easier to do single batch grinds - which means using the wet spoon stir technique to virtually eliminate the static problem that was making a mess of my counter.

All in all, I'm super pleased with it.

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

Does anyone have a suggestion for a solid cold press? My wife loves starbucks cold press coffee.. trying to get her to make it at home $$$$ ;-)

Wish I could help, I don't do cold press.

 

[Michael Scott]

Does anyone have a suggestion for a solid cold press? My wife loves starbucks cold press coffee.. trying to get her to make it at home $$$$ ;-)

by cold press you're talking about cold brew coffee Todd?

If so it's STUPID easy to do. ... a maker is handy, but all you really need is two of the 64 ounce mason jars. Literally pour in 7 cups of water and 196 grams of ground coffee beans (weighing is a MUST for coffee IMO) ..put on lid and shake it up thoroughly. let it sit for 16-24 hours (IMO 20 hours is perfect, but 24 is fine)... then take a cheese cloth and use that to filter out the grinds as you pour from one to the other.

OR if you like smaller amounts, do the same ratio.. say 2 cups of water with 56 grams of coffee (basically a 1 oz....28 gams.... to 1 fluid cup of water) and put it in a french press. cover with a lid and wait the same amount of hours, then plunge down with your french press plunger and decant to a jar (or drink it all at once). It's actually one of the STUPID easiest coffees in the world to make. just be warned at that ratio you want to add as much water/milk/cream/ice to your serving as you have coffee in the mug as it's pretty dang potent at those levels

I mean, there are several cold brew MACHINES out there that make it less messy and kind of dummy proof, but cold brew is about as simple as french press coffee in that it's just steeping in an immersion style container and filtering out the grinds at the end. I can recommend some simple makers out there that will work fine, but if you want to test it out yourself before you sink MONEY into one, the methods I described above will work perfectly, but will just LOOK ghetto

I make a gallon of cold brew for the wife every week and have about a half dozen methods for skinning said cat, and they all will taste the same (as I said, it's a REALLY simple process, just time consuming)

last but not least. get GOOOOD beans for your coffee. You don't have to drop $20 a lb on specialty coffee, but a a good solid base bean will do wonders for making it at home. Something from Happy Mug will be light years ahead of store bought coffee

 

[Michael Scott]

I was just commenting last night to my partner how perfect the ODE has been. Such a perfect, consistent grind. I've only used it for drip coffee grinds so far, for my Technivorm Moccamaster, but it's been spot on. I've got it running at about the 7 1/2 setting right now, but I think I'm going to bring it a little bit finer.

Also, the other two reasons for purchasing were sound level (SO much quieter than my previous Bodum) and the fact that it doesn't have a hopper, so it's easier to do single batch grinds - which means using the wet spoon stir technique to virtually eliminate the static problem that was making a mess of my counter.

All in all, I'm super pleased with it.

very nice. I love my Baratza encore, but it's like a freaking jet engine when it grinds. It's only downside, plus it has that bigger hopper. I almost want to get the "single serving hopper" Baratza has to cut down on the size of the hopper, but the gadget geek in me wants to get the ODE too. I've finally gotten to the place where I have more gadgets than counter space, so I'm building a full on coffee bar off to the side of the kitchen and will have more room there so extra gadgets won't be annoying

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

very nice. I love my Baratza encore, but it's like a freaking jet engine when it grinds. It's only downside, plus it has that bigger hopper. I almost want to get the "single serving hopper" Baratza has to cut down on the size of the hopper, but the gadget geek in me wants to get the ODE too. I've finally gotten to the place where I have more gadgets than counter space, so I'm building a full on coffee bar off to the side of the kitchen and will have more room there so extra gadgets won't be annoying

I can say that I whole-heartedly endorse the ODE. I was hesitant to spend that much, but also fed up with the messy counter. Between the single serve aspect and the industrial design, I gave it a shot on that Memorial Day sale. Glad I did, and can honestly say I'd pay full price if I had to, knowing what I know now.

 

[Michael Scott]

I can say that I whole-heartedly endorse the ODE. I was hesitant to spend that much, but also fed up with the messy counter. Between the single serve aspect and the industrial design, I gave it a shot on that Memorial Day sale. Glad I did, and can honestly say I'd pay full price if I had to, knowing what I know now.

the only downside I've heard about the ODE is that the "tapper" that is supposed to get the retention grinds to release at the end is absolutely worthless and that it doesn't get SUPER fine for Turkish coffee. James Hoffman was pretty impressed with it though when he checked it out last year

 

[Todd Anderson]

Yes, I meant cold brew!

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

the only downside I've heard about the ODE is that the "tapper" that is supposed to get the retention grinds to release at the end is absolutely worthless and that it doesn't get SUPER fine for Turkish coffee. James Hoffman was pretty impressed with it though when he checked it out last year

The knocker doesn't really work, but when using the spoon to do RDT, I don't need it. After I grind, I take the cup out and there is no mess. On Sundays, when I have a little more time to fuss, I'll put a paper towel down under it and use the brush to dig up under the burrs and clean out any extra, but there's not really a ton that sticks. RDT tends to eliminate the vast majority of the static electricity, so the knocker isn't really necessary if you're doing that.

Because I only brew drip, the need for a super fine grind setting isn't mission critical for me, but it is a shortcoming of the grinder.

Slightly OT: I can also recommend the Carter Anywhere travel mug they sell, but the Atmos (I had to try it) vacuum container just plain doesn't work.

 

[Todd Anderson]

by cold press you're talking about cold brew coffee Todd?

If so it's STUPID easy to do. ... a maker is handy, but all you really need is two of the 64 ounce mason jars. Literally pour in 7 cups of water and 196 grams of ground coffee beans (weighing is a MUST for coffee IMO) ..put on lid and shake it up thoroughly. let it sit for 16-24 hours (IMO 20 hours is perfect, but 24 is fine)... then take a cheese cloth and use that to filter out the grinds as you pour from one to the other.

OR if you like smaller amounts, do the same ratio.. say 2 cups of water with 56 grams of coffee (basically a 1 oz....28 gams.... to 1 fluid cup of water) and put it in a french press. cover with a lid and wait the same amount of hours, then plunge down with your french press plunger and decant to a jar (or drink it all at once). It's actually one of the STUPID easiest coffees in the world to make. just be warned at that ratio you want to add as much water/milk/cream/ice to your serving as you have coffee in the mug as it's pretty dang potent at those levels

I mean, there are several cold brew MACHINES out there that make it less messy and kind of dummy proof, but cold brew is about as simple as french press coffee in that it's just steeping in an immersion style container and filtering out the grinds at the end. I can recommend some simple makers out there that will work fine, but if you want to test it out yourself before you sink MONEY into one, the methods I described above will work perfectly, but will just LOOK ghetto

I make a gallon of cold brew for the wife every week and have about a half dozen methods for skinning said cat, and they all will taste the same (as I said, it's a REALLY simple process, just time consuming)

last but not least. get GOOOOD beans for your coffee. You don't have to drop $20 a lb on specialty coffee, but a a good solid base bean will do wonders for making it at home. Something from Happy Mug will be light years ahead of store bought coffee

I love the DIY route... but there's zero chance my wife will do it. Lets talk machines!

 

[Michael Scott]

The knocker doesn't really work, but when using the spoon to do RDT, I don't need it. After I grind, I take the cup out and there is no mess. On Sundays, when I have a little more time to fuss, I'll put a paper towel down under it and use the brush to dig up under the burrs and clean out any extra, but there's not really a ton that sticks. RDT tends to eliminate the vast majority of the static electricity, so the knocker isn't really necessary if you're doing that.

Because I only brew drip, the need for a super fine grind setting isn't mission critical for me, but it is a shortcoming of the grinder.

Slightly OT: I can also recommend the Carter Anywhere travel mug they sell, but the Atmos (I had to try it) vacuum container just plain doesn't work.

haha, yeah I've heard by a LOOOOT that he vacuum container is a joke. But that mug looks pretty nifty and seems like it works well.

and yeah, the only fine grinds I do are for my Hario V60, and even then, it's not super fine. Just an annoyance as I WOULD like to do Turkish some day, but for the price it's definitely not bad (the one Grinder I WANT, but the wife won't let me spend the money on is the NICHE grinder)

 

[Michael Scott]

I love the DIY route... but there's zero chance my wife will do it. Lets talk machines!

ahhh, if SHE's doing it, then I can understand why you'd want to simplify the process. I'm the coffee fanatic in the family so my wife just lets me do the work and bats her eyelashes at me so I make a week's worth at a time, and she just doles it out every morning (lazy bum)

IMO this is the simplest and most easy to clean one out there. other ones add a ton of features that are worthless for cold brew IMO. cold brew is best when it's like french press coffee. SIMPLE.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFLY64U?ots=1&slotNum=4&imprToken=aabd6a08-d7f7-d69b-764&tag=rv32-004591-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1&language=en_US&asc_campaign=c19295&asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reviewed.com%2Fcooking%2Fbest-right-now%2Fbest-cold-brew-coffee-makers&asc_source=direct

or this

Amazon.com

just a heads up, because the grinds can sit ABOVE the water line if you're not careful in the first one, make sure you have her do a full batch of it at a time and then pull out the filter (or decant to a different storage container) and refrigerate the rest. You don't want the grinds stacked up in the center "container" and have the water line below the top of the grinds, as that means they aren't extracting those top grinds and you've wasted it.

also remember, grind a little finer than normal. say what you would do for drip coffee or a pourover (the finer side of medium)... don't do super coarse like you would for french press

cold brew lasts about 7 days in the fridge with no ill effects.

Just again,

1. get good beans. Doesn't have to be super expensive as cold brew is very forgiving, but if you start with garbage beans, you're gonna get garbage coffee
2. steep it at least 16 hours. If you find it too thin, just make the grind size finer next time, or steep longer.
3. with the ratios I gave you (28 grams per every fluid cup) remember that you'll need to dilute a bit with equal parts cream and/or water to drink as it can be pretty stinking strong

 

[Todd Anderson]

Awesome, thanks!

 

[Michael Scott]

Awesome, thanks!

NP, if you have any questions just ask. I've been cold brewing and been a general coffee "enthusiast" for the better part of 2 decades.

and you will save a buttload of money on coffee as Starburnt Cold brew is like $5 a freaking cup...just for basic cold brew and nothing fancy.... a 16 oz cup of "end result" cold brew from these makers will be $1 at most (estimating a $16 a lb coffee bean plus addons like cream etc)

 

[Todd Anderson]

Believe me, I know... I was watching my wife go out the door and come with 3 cups (her and my daughters) every day!

 

[Michael Scott]

Believe me, I know... I was watching my wife go out the door and come with 3 cups (her and my daughters) every day!

cold brew is ridiculously simple to make, and starburnt isn't known for great coffee beans. If you buy a good coffee bean and put some effort into balancing how much water to bean ratio and you'll make a vastly superior cup... and $15 a day for cold brew???? oooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

my wife when we first got married was spending $12 a day on starbucks before I started learning how to make GOOD coffee (back then we were poor and using folgers in a Mr. Coffee maker) and we saved so much money it wasn't even funny

 

[phillihp23]

ahhh, if SHE's doing it, then I can understand why you'd want to simplify the process. I'm the coffee fanatic in the family so my wife just lets me do the work and bats her eyelashes at me so I make a week's worth at a time, and she just doles it out every morning (lazy bum)

IMO this is the simplest and most easy to clean one out there. other ones add a ton of features that are worthless for cold brew IMO. cold brew is best when it's like french press coffee. SIMPLE.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFLY64U?ots=1&slotNum=4&imprToken=aabd6a08-d7f7-d69b-764&tag=rv32-004591-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1&language=en_US&asc_campaign=c19295&asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reviewed.com%2Fcooking%2Fbest-right-now%2Fbest-cold-brew-coffee-makers&asc_source=direct

or this

Amazon.com

just a heads up, because the grinds can sit ABOVE the water line if you're not careful in the first one, make sure you have her do a full batch of it at a time and then pull out the filter (or decant to a different storage container) and refrigerate the rest. You don't want the grinds stacked up in the center "container" and have the water line below the top of the grinds, as that means they aren't extracting those top grinds and you've wasted it.

also remember, grind a little finer than normal. say what you would do for drip coffee or a pourover (the finer side of medium)... don't do super coarse like you would for french press

cold brew lasts about 7 days in the fridge with no ill effects.

Just again,

1. get good beans. Doesn't have to be super expensive as cold brew is very forgiving, but if you start with garbage beans, you're gonna get garbage coffee
2. steep it at least 16 hours. If you find it too thin, just make the grind size finer next time, or steep longer.
3. with the ratios I gave you (28 grams per every fluid cup) remember that you'll need to dilute a bit with equal parts cream and/or water to drink as it can be pretty stinking strong

Ohh.. I like that county line cold brewer…be great to make ice tea also…ordering one.

 

[Michael Scott]

Ohh.. I like that county line cold brewer…be great to make ice tea also…ordering one.

it's a nice little brewer. simple, easy, cheap

 

[JBrax]

Believe me, I know... I was watching my wife go out the door and come with 3 cups (her and my daughters) every day!

 

[JBrax]

After reading through this thread ya’ll have me questioning the Ninja I have sitting on my counter. How long have I been enjoying substandard coffee? Seriously though I’m with Sonnie in that I just want my cup of joe on the go. I do enjoy a premium cold brew from time to time but generally just regular ol coffee.

 

[Michael Scott]

After reading through this thread ya’ll have me questioning the Ninja I have sitting on my counter. How long have I been enjoying substandard coffee? Seriously though I’m with Sonnie in that I just want my cup of joe on the go. I do enjoy a premium cold brew from time to time but generally just regular ol coffee.

Next thing you'll be saying is that you just use the TV speakers to listen to your movies!

Lol

 

[JBrax]

Well, currently……

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

After reading through this thread ya’ll have me questioning the Ninja I have sitting on my counter. How long have I been enjoying substandard coffee? Seriously though I’m with Sonnie in that I just want my cup of joe on the go. I do enjoy a premium cold brew from time to time but generally just regular ol coffee.

If you’re just making drip coffee, the Ninja Coffee Bar is no slouch. That’s what I had up until I treated myself at Christmas this past year. You could likely make bigger improvements with a nice grinder than a different brewer.

 

[Michael Scott]

If you’re just making drip coffee, the Ninja Coffee Bar is no slouch. That’s what I had up until I treated myself at Christmas this past year. You could likely make bigger improvements with a nice grinder than a different brewer.

yup, Even if you have what is considered a "mediocre" coffee machine by enthusiasts, you'll likely end up getting the MOST improvements with a better grinder. I mean, you want to experiment with an Aeropress, a Hario V60, or a chemex you can most CERTAINLY fine tune your brews. but one of the biggest increases is always a good grinder that creates consistent FRESH grinds.

 

[JBrax]

If you’re just making drip coffee, the Ninja Coffee Bar is no slouch. That’s what I had up until I treated myself at Christmas this past year. You could likely make bigger improvements with a nice grinder than a different brewer.

I did not expect a warm welcome on the Ninja!