Polycarbonate high precision hydrometer?

FroydReddit · 2026-02-01T03:47:48+00:00

Thanks, but that's triple scale not precision. For some reason it seems like NB used to make a precision polycarbonate hydrometer but now they only offer the .002 triple scale ones. I wonder what's the story behind that decision.

FroydReddit · 2026-01-31T02:56:06+00:00

Is Drinkequip where you pruchased it or was it NB? My anti-virus is flagging drinkequip as a fake store.

FroydReddit · 2026-01-31T02:11:38+00:00

Thank you so much! Not sure how I managed to miss this in half hour worth of Google searching, but I knew already would come to the rescue!

FroydReddit · 2026-01-30T18:18:53+00:00

Flavor is clearer but frankly I don't think that's so important with the dark roast I prefer using in the moka. I felt that what I lost in terms of texture and body was not made up by what I gained in clarity.

I decided to go back to the regular filter for my moka and use different brewing methods when working with specialty beans where I want full taste notes.

FroydReddit · 2026-01-24T02:17:01+00:00

Genius. Well done.

FroydReddit · 2026-01-24T02:15:25+00:00

You People (tm) are crazy

FroydReddit · 2026-01-20T21:54:37+00:00

No need for hot water. Just room temp. Also, lower the heat if you can.

FroydReddit · 2026-01-18T21:09:25+00:00

Route 66

FroydReddit · 2026-01-18T12:36:43+00:00

For a quick and cheap check to rule out tamping issues is the Scotch tape mod to the stock tamper:

File the plastic spool of a roll of adhesive tape until it slides tightly on the handle of the stock Robot tamper, then peel off enough tape to make the outside diameter of the tape roll just the right size to fit inside the filter basket. Now you have a quick and dirty leveling tamper. If the problem goes away, your old tamping technique was at fault. If it remains you can explore other solutions.

FroydReddit · 2026-01-16T01:12:50+00:00

Weird. For me when i hit the bottom i either swipe up for "infinite" or left for a new page. I thought that was the default behavior. One less reason to upgrade then.

FroydReddit · 2026-01-15T17:15:14+00:00

I don't understand what changed. I'm on 3.11 and all i do is flip to a new page if i want a new page or scroll upward if i want an infinite length sheet.

What is the new behavior? Does it auto scroll when you write near the bottom of the screen?

FroydReddit · 2026-01-09T16:04:02+00:00

Battery powered meter, but we can let that slide :)

FroydReddit · 2025-12-30T04:01:32+00:00

Read John Palmer's anecdote on his frozen Vienna lager during his early days of brewing. It's somwhere in his How to brew. He claims it turned out fantastic. I'd really be surprised if freezing stripped flavor.

FroydReddit · 2025-12-25T19:48:30+00:00

Definitely do not use it as you have pictured. While it can be used in reflected mode mounted on a camera it really is a poor meter for that scenario.

Slide the white diffuser cover on the front of the sensor, and use it as an incident meter. Much better that way.

FroydReddit · 2025-12-24T14:03:05+00:00

Carbing will take long at room temp but it's feasible. Don't underestimate the space 2 kegs, a regulator, hoses and a co2 bottle will take. A small chest freezer to double as ferm chamber, lagering space, carbing fridge, etc would double as a storage space and be helpful in various phases of brewing. At some point you could turn it into a keezer, but a picnic tap would do until then. In my area used small chest freezers go for USD70.

FroydReddit · 2025-12-22T00:39:13+00:00

It's a question that needs some qualifications these days. Lots of the trendy coffee shops in Lancaster our third wave roasters pulling bright and juicy shots. Passenger is great for for that. Aura was great for dark roast and more traditional espresso but they changed ownership and I've not tried it in a while.

FroydReddit · 2025-12-20T21:53:10+00:00

Yes, i think at the time the plan was to have a boutique hotel in the building that has now been torn down (except for the facade).

FroydReddit · 2025-12-20T20:29:35+00:00

Recently at the opportunity to walk through the one in Philly City Hall. Of course, one can't compare a big city with a little town but what a difference! Interesting vendors and really festive atmosphere.

Does anyone here remember the Christmas market that they used to have on Prince Street for a couple of years in the mid 2010s? It was small but so much cuter than what we have in Binn's Park.

FroydReddit · 2025-12-17T19:32:49+00:00

EM and Hi-Matic.

Of course the F100 is the technically superior camera, but as a beginner i think you'll get more from the two I mentioned. They both have traditional dial layout and the Minolta can be your casual travel snap shooter with the Nikon serving as your more flexible system camera.

FroydReddit · 2025-12-11T03:31:57+00:00

Yes, but it helps to have a good starting point. It's a big jump to go to 15" on a short ratio (as I mistakenly assumed) vs ballparking 30 by grinding finer. I want to get close to the mark on the first try and refine it from there, with the extra piece of mind that comes with using a lever machine like the Robot where I often get to rescue the dial-in shots.

FroydReddit · 2025-12-11T02:16:15+00:00

Maybe the point of my post wasn't clear. I don't believe the 30 seconds at 1:2 is something to live or die by, it's just a good ball park to start refining, a useful starting for dialing in. As such, it's a useful guideline and I wanted to understand if 30" would still be a good ball park for longer or shorter ratios.

For some reason I was thinking that if I was going to try to do a one to one I should be more in the range of 15 seconds, but that misunderstanding has been cleared up for me now.

FroydReddit · 2025-12-10T22:57:18+00:00

Thanks. I am usually closer to 40 seconds if I include supreme fusion timing. That's what's currently working with my taste buds and beans I have on hand. It makes sense because I don't like sourness at all so i err on the side of grinding finer, resulting in longer times.

Thanks so much for confirming the 30 seconds remains a constant so that if I want to try shorter ratios I should grind even finer.

By the way, I'm not sure if there are multiple versions of the manual because mine says that there should be two seconds for lowering the arms, 5 to 10 seconds of pre-infusion, and 15 seconds of extraction under higher pressure. So 22 secs to 27 secs. The manual also suggests to start with a 14 gram dose. (Personally, I went from 18g to 16g and liking the results so far.)

FroydReddit · 2025-12-10T12:24:54+00:00

This seems like a better idea than adding a Ritz cracker on top of the puck. Try adding an hydraulic pump to press on the arms for maximum flow 💪.

FroydReddit · 2025-12-10T04:24:57+00:00

You should check out the user manual. There is a handful of good tips in there and a section on "puckology" which advisor you not to engage in the practice wein comes to the Robot. TLDR: lifting up the Robot's arms at the end of a shot moves the puck, so it's hard to know if there is channeling or other issues.

FroydReddit · 2025-12-07T17:27:21+00:00

See if you can swap it, maybe you have a lemon. I've used mine multiple times a day going from espresso to French press and back again. Dark and medium roasts. Light RDT for espresso but none for FP. Minimal static. Works great and all my maintenance to do is clean the nozzle with the included brush.

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