When you take your Coffee TOO seriously

[Michael Scott]

I did not expect a warm welcome on the Ninja!

it really isn't bad for a drip machine.

 

[JBrax]

it really isn't bad for a drip machine.

It suits our needs.

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

I did not expect a warm welcome on the Ninja!

I am a fan of the Ninja products. I have the blender as well.

 

[JBrax]

I am a fan of the Ninja products. I have the blender as well.

We have a Vitamix for the blending duties. We bought a juicer (Omega) and I really wish I bought the Ninja juicer. One of the few times I might have done too much research on a product.

 

[mechman]

You guys are still talking about coffee machines?!?! Go outside and take a walk or something! Sheesh!

 

[Michael Scott]

the sunlight , it burnses us!

 

[mechman]

Lol!

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

FWIW, today was the morning I brush out any grinds that are caught up under the ODE. This is what came out. YMMV.

 

[Michael Scott]

not bad. I get more than that from Encore

 

[phillihp23]

You guys are still talking about coffee machines?!?! Go outside and take a walk or something! Sheesh!

 

[phillihp23]

Got my 2 quart today. But the coffee grounds in the filter and will give it a try tomorrow this time. Next I will try putting the grounds in the water. See which I like better.

 

[phillihp23]

Results with half milk

 

[what bass]

Hello, my name is W.B. and im a Caramel Frappe addict.
I dont know if theres even any coffee in them.
I do stop at Caribou Coffee for a Vanilla White Mocha on occasion during the winter months.

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

Hello, my name is W.B. and im a Caramel Frappe addict.
I dont know if theres even any coffee in them.
I do stop at Caribou Coffee for a Vanilla White Mocha on occasion during the winter months.

Caribou is awesome and I will miss them greatly when I move to the west coast…checks watch…later this month.

 

[Todd Anderson]

I got my wife outfitted for cold brew. Bought an Encore Grinder, Medium Roast Coffee Beans, and the Country Line Kitchen Cold Brew Mason Jar. She liked the results! So all's well on that front.

Several things became immediate apparent:

(1) Assuming I was operating the Encore correctly, it took a long time to grind 2 cups worth of beans... and even longer to pour water into the Mason Jar (with the filter filled to within an inch of the top. Any tips would be appreciated!

(2) We need another 64oz mason jar to have a batch always at the ready. I ordered one and it should be here tomorrow.

(3) We need a cheap source of good beans. Just for quick delivery, I bought LifeSource Med. Roast coffee off amazon. But it cost 34.99 for a 12oz bag. Way too expensive. @Michael Scott... help a brother out!

 

[Michael Scott]

congrats on the encore! it's an amazing grinder for the price!!!

1. Yes, it will grind slower than you're used to with a lower quality machine. most cheaper grinders use higher speed motors and brute force to grind the beans as quickly as possible. ESPECIALLY if you're used to a blade grinder. To get an even grind it requires slow and steady so a burr grinder like this will take a few minutes as they use a lower rpm motor. Also the encore SHOULD tell you in the manual, but if you didn't see it...grind just enough to where the grounds rise up to that horizontal line on the dispenser. any higher and it can cause clogs later on (weird sciency stuff about back pressure and clogging up the chute)........

2. I highly suggest getting a coffee scale (they're only like $15-$20 on amazon, The Eravsow is like $14.99) to weigh your beans by weight rather than volume. it's a lot more accurate and consistent. For the jar fill it with water up to a certain point, then pour the beans in the filter and then stick it in the water. moves quicker because that way the coffee isn't being used as a filter. When you're using a weight for beans vs. just "2 cups of beans, 5 cups water" (or whatever your ratio is that they gave) it'll be a lot easier.......and yes, a 2nd 64 oz mason jar or two from walmart will be necessary to have it on top. Believe me, I have one in the pipe and one being used 24/7 for my wife

3. $34.99 for Lifeboost is highway robbery. that's INSANE as Lifeboost isn't THAT great comparatively. check out happymug and go to their roasted section (they sell green as well). They will roast the beans the day they ship them out to you, and you will get them in 2-4 days. They're the not the craziest 3rd wave roasters on the planet, but they are exceptional value, especially for someone buying coffee off of Amazon and you can branch out into whatever snobby 3rd wave roaster you want from there. I use them ALLLLLL the time for my daily drinker. Any of their medium or medium darks (don't be afraid to try a medium dark from them even if she's not a massive fan of super dark coffee. 3rd wave coffee roasters roast a LOOOOT lighter than what most people are used to and their dark coffees would be considered a medium in many other circles). They'll run you $9-11 per 12 oz bag and $20 - $23 for a 2 lb bag. $40 a lb for lifeboost... OWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

4.... wait, you have a freaking Gaggia on your countertop and you never had a nice grinder???? either you've been buying it pre-ground or you've been holding out on us Todd!

www.happymugcoffee.com

(they're shut down for today due to capacity, but check them out later in the day or tomorrow. )

Lifeboost is a reasonable coffee, but they're sooooooooooooooooooooooo overpriced because they're one of those coffees that does all of these unnecessary steps to make a super wholistic, super duper acid free cup of coffee (it was started by a chiropractor who believes in mysticism, that's all that needs to be said ) it's super duper organic processed mumbo jumps that drives the price into oblivion .... $34.95 is insane even for super duper hippy dippy coffee shop standards too. Even the ones who advertise everything as single source and water processed lol. They've also been caught "padding" their online reviews with paid shill reviews (not uncommon for online companies sadly, but they got caught red handed a few times). paying above $20 a lb is unnecessary even from high end roasters. $16 or less is very easy to get from HIGHLY reputable places.

 

[Todd Anderson]

congrats on the encore! it's an amazing grinder for the price!!!

1. Yes, it will grind slower than you're used to with a lower quality machine. most cheaper grinders use higher speed motors and brute force to grind the beans as quickly as possible. ESPECIALLY if you're used to a blade grinder. To get an even grind it requires slow and steady so a burr grinder like this will take a few minutes as they use a lower rpm motor. Also the encore SHOULD tell you in the manual, but if you didn't see it...grind just enough to where the grounds rise up to that horizontal line on the dispenser. any higher and it can cause clogs later on (weird sciency stuff about back pressure and clogging up the chute)........

2. I highly suggest getting a coffee scale (they're only like $15-$20 on amazon, The Eravsow is like $14.99) to weigh your beans by weight rather than volume. it's a lot more accurate and consistent. For the jar fill it with water up to a certain point, then pour the beans in the filter and then stick it in the water. moves quicker because that way the coffee isn't being used as a filter. When you're using a weight for beans vs. just "2 cups of beans, 5 cups water" (or whatever your ratio is that they gave) it'll be a lot easier.......and yes, a 2nd 64 oz mason jar or two from walmart will be necessary to have it on top. Believe me, I have one in the pipe and one being used 24/7 for my wife

3. $34.99 for Lifeboost is highway robbery. that's INSANE as Lifeboost isn't THAT great comparatively. check out happymug.com and go to their roasted section (they sell green as well). They will roast the beans the day they ship them out to you, and you will get them in 2-4 days. They're the not the craziest 3rd wave roasters on the planet, but they are exceptional value, especially for someone buying coffee off of Amazon and you can branch out into whathever snobby 3rd wave roaster you want from there. I use them ALLLLLL the time for my daily drinker. Any of their medium or medium darks (don't be afraid to try a medium dark from them even if she's not a massive fan of super dark coffee. 3rd wave coffee roasters roast a LOOOOT lighter than what most people are used to and their dark coffees would be considered a medium in many other circles).

4.... wait, you have a freaking Gaggia on your countertop and you never had a nice grinder???? either you've been buying it pre-ground or you've been holding out on us Todd!

www.happymugcoffee.com

(they're shut down for today due to capacity, but check them out later in the day or tomorrow. )

1) Thanks for the confirmation on griding speed. Good to know!
2) When weighing beans... instead of measuring 2 cups, you're suggesting that I gun for 16oz? If so, makes sense!
3)I'll hit up happymugcoffee.com. I'll buy a few different kinds and have her try them out. And, yeah, $34.99 is nuts. It may have actually been more like $37.99 . Purely based on quick delivery. I can't remember, but I think I placed the order when I was sitting at DCA airport ;-)

4)Ah... the Gaggia. Yes, it's a painful reminder of what I can't have. I was a hardcore espresso guy, but had to stop drinking coffee (and alcohol) with my little health crisis back in 2019. In fact, it will have been TWO YEARS in just 7 days. The Gaggia actually has a grinder built-in. You can dump grinds into a little cylinder, but it can handle whole beans.

Great machine. I miss those morning Americanos! :-(

 

[Michael Scott]

2....yes, the reason is because beans can vary in density. 2 cups of coffee grinds may equal 7 ounces one batch, and another flavor/roast will be 8 ounces due to being higher density (the lighter roasts will be denser than darker roasts for example). it's a way to measure consistency as coffee is simply a ratio of water to beans and throwing off weight of beans and using the same volume of water equates to an inconsistent cup

3. you should be pleased with happy mug. they have a TON of rotating coffees that will blow away Lifeboost and not destroy your wallet.

4. you gave up coffee!!!??!!!! how are you still alive!!! I had to give up alcohol with my little health stuff due to it being a trigger and making me just feel like garbage in general (I honestly don't miss it. I can still have a cocktail or a beer at a social gathering if I want, but 9 times out of 10 I don't feel like it. I've had maybe 5 drinks in 3 years), but giving up coffee would have been the death blow.

as for "16oz shooting for". that will depend. how are you diluting now? meaning what's your ratio of coffee to water that you're using ?? (I'm trying to determine if you're making it so you can drink it straight... or whether you're making it strong enough to require diluting before I give out weight recommendations)

 

[Todd Anderson]

2....yes, the reason is because beans can vary in density. 2 cups of coffee grinds may equal 7 ounces one batch, and another flavor/roast will be 8 ounces due to being higher density (the lighter roasts will be denser than darker roasts for example). it's a way to measure consistency as coffee is simply a ratio of water to beans and throwing off weight of beans and using the same volume of water equates to an inconsistent cup

3. you should be pleased with happy mug. they have a TON of rotating coffees that will blow away Lifeboost and not destroy your wallet.

4. you gave up coffee!!!??!!!! how are you still alive!!! I had to give up alcohol with my little health stuff due to it being a trigger and making me just feel like garbage in general (I honestly don't miss it. I can still have a cocktail or a beer at a social gathering if I want, but 9 times out of 10 I don't feel like it. I've had maybe 5 drinks in 3 years), but giving up coffee would have been the death blow.

as for "16oz shooting for". that will depend. how are you diluting now? meaning what's your ratio of coffee to water that you're using ?? (I'm trying to determine if you're making it so you can drink it straight... or whether you're making it strong enough to require diluting before I give out weight recommendations)

yup, stopped caffeine and alcohol on the same day… I hope to be able to sample bourbon every now and then, someday. But, I’m in the same boat as you. I don’t miss it a ton. Coffee was also tough to drop. I was probably drinking the equivalent of 5 espresso shots a day… withdraw from that was brutal! Like alcohol,I could *possibly* have one espresso a day. But, I’m not sure I want to reintroduce it. If it backfires, wouldn’t be pleasant

 

[Todd Anderson]

In terms of volume, I've only made one batch of cold brew. And to be honest, I have no idea how much water went in. The instructions said to fill the grind to 1" from the top of the filter, then pour water through it. By the time all was said and done, I'd filled it all the way to the top.

Not sure how my wife used it. She may have added almond milk. I'll ask..

 

[Todd Anderson]

Ok, she adds 1/2 cup of almond milk.

 

[Michael Scott]

Ok, she adds 1/2 cup of almond milk.

ok, I can extrapolate based on size... 2 cups of coffee is ROUGHTLY 164 grams of coffee, and you're putting probably 6 cups of water in.... (ish).... 1:18 ratio........ ok, you can continue to do that to your hearts content but what I would SUGGEST is picking up a cheap coffee scale (seriously, $15-$20 for one that's accurate down to 0.1 grams) and pull a 1:8 ratio of water to coffee. For what you're describing where she adds milk and/or ice to it like that in that ratio, I would suggest using 28 grams of coffee per every every cup (every 236 grams of water.... grams and ml weigh the same thing, so if you weigh out the water 236 ml is equal to 236 grams....easy) of liquid..... That will keep it from over extracting and putting out a nice cup of coffee. make it easy though, you don't have to break out the chemistry set for the measurements. Say you put 5 cups of water in there (you might be able to fit 6 in there, but with that big metal cylinder I want err on the side of caution) you would grind up 140 grams of coffee, put it in the cylinder and measure 5 cups of water in the jar, then set the cylinder in place. if that's leaving obvious volume gaps in your mason jar move it up to 168 grams of coffee and 6 cups next time to maximize your batches. That will bring out a cup that can easily be diluted with milk or water/ice like you described and should be the fantastic balance between strength and taste.

oh, and one thing that cold brew does MAGICALLY is make even low grade beans taste great. It also isn't as nuanced as hot coffee made with various methods, so using super expensive, super flavorful coffee that snobs rave about in cold brew is like getting Kobe beef steak and then drowning it in A-1 steak sauce. It'll taste great, but my goodness, you're not getting the flavors out of it that make it expensive so why bother with Kobe when a prime rib eye would have tasted the same at the end of the day lol. A good mid range coffee is great for cold brew ....

for the encore, every encore is different in terms of calibration (they don't calibrate them from the factory) so you'll have to find your "zero" so to speak. but I find grind 20 on their is a good place to start. you want the grinds to be medium fine... meaning just coarser than standard table salt. you don't want boulders in there, but you don't want it fine and powdery too so that it clogs up the filter.

 

[Michael Scott]

yup, stopped caffeine and alcohol on the same day… I hope to be able to sample bourbon every now and then, someday. But, I’m in the same boat as you. I don’t miss it a ton. Coffee was also tough to drop. I was probably drinking the equivalent of 5 espresso shots a day… withdraw from that was brutal! Like alcohol,I could *possibly* have one espresso a day. But, I’m not sure I want to reintroduce it. If it backfires, wouldn’t be pleasant

ahhh, sounds like me years ago. I was 4 shots in the morning just to get going, then 2 shots around noon to make it through the day. I had to give that up 10 years ago cuz it was ROUGH on my system. that sort of detox was BRUTAL coming off of.

I luckily found out that for my condition caffeine wasn't that big of a problem. sure, if I over do it and have 3 cups of coffee a day my muscles will tighten up and have problems, but as long as I stick to 1 cup of coffee a day with the occaisional 2nd mug of filtered coffee (no espresso, I gave that up as it caused too much problems) I'm fine. we tried zero caffeine and with caffeine and about the only "problem" is that it adds more muscle tension if I over do it. But I'm NO WHERE near where I once was at 6 shots of espresso a day

but seriously, that has to be torture buying nice coffee for your wife, smelling it, and grinding it, and then not partaking

 

[Michael Scott]

after 4 days of being down due to being swamped with backlog, Happy Mug is back up. I highly recommend the Mokka Java and Renegade Guatemalan for first timers

 

[Todd Anderson]

Okay... I figured out a few things. First off, I hadn't setup the Encore grinder properly. So, after 20 minutes of grinding powder, I watched a YouTube video and got things straightened out.

*oops*

Now I have medium-coarse grind, the cold brew jug fills quickly with water... and it takes about a minute to grind.




I also bought a second 64oz Ball jug.

First batch has been popular. The second batch is waiting. Looks like my wife and kids are in business ;-)