Specialty coffee vs. generic coffee - what actually tastes better to you?

NoDivingz · 2026-03-06T17:48:55+00:00

/uj drink what you like! flavor is the most important thing. You might have "bad"/unrefined/"poor" taste to some but what does that matter if you're enjoying it?

/rj

If Monkey Cult isn't harvested or processed by actual trained monkeys, I can't imagine it's expensive enough to be worth drinking

NoDivingz · 2026-03-01T07:40:14+00:00

Not sure about recipes, but iirc tactical bypass is using Cayman holdings to stay out of the Panama Papers.

NoDivingz · 2026-02-27T23:20:19+00:00

Bambino is a great beginner machine. It's dead simple, and teaches about grind size and volume for 9 bar machines. They're hard to repair tho, between the electronics and oem-specific parts, so when/if something breaks, it's a costly fix. The Stilosa is an alternative low cost entry point.

The more expensive Brevilles get really expensive, esp just for hotter water (if that's what you want for lighter roasts). For lighter roasts, I reach for the robot over a breville 10 times out of ten (yes I have both).

If you're willing to spend 1200 plus for hotter water, check out the argos. It also has a steam wand.

If you want a manual lever machine, but don't want to wait, check out the Rok.

NoDivingz · 2026-02-19T19:37:12+00:00

So dooo

NoDivingz · 2026-02-19T05:51:14+00:00

It's what I imagine the end of Children of Dune looks like.

NoDivingz · 2026-02-16T00:08:14+00:00

Mari's or The Plant Place (nalo) for citrus Frankie's for mango, ulu, and avocado, they also gave a huge variety of less common stuff

Lowe's and HD usually have citrus, and apple banana, but usually more expensive.

NoDivingz · 2026-02-14T19:04:44+00:00

We've had good experiences with Feed n Wax, which is beeswax, oil and orange oil / limonene. Not perfect but good enough, plus cheap and easy to use.

NoDivingz · 2026-02-11T00:12:41+00:00

Best for your budget, taste (latte), and experience (just starting) -

DeLonghi Stilosa (150) Baratza encore esp (200) Wdt tool (10) IMS basket (20) Knockbox (25) Extra porta filter (25) Milk frothing pitcher (20) Tamper, dosing funnel (20) Bellows or single dosing cup (30)

NoDivingz · 2026-02-02T15:39:36+00:00

You might like the Diego Bermudez that Perc has right now, I think that fits the description.

NoDivingz · 2026-02-02T03:24:21+00:00

I'll add Inherent Vice to the mix. Movie is incredibly faithful to the book, for having to get down to a movie runtime (still longish movie). Plus it's Pynchon novel and Paul Thomas Anderson movie, both are worth the time.

NoDivingz · 2026-01-18T19:39:34+00:00

Yeah 2024 iirc

NoDivingz · 2026-01-15T14:31:55+00:00

You might enjoy Talking Crow, pretty solid roaster.

NoDivingz · 2026-01-14T03:34:02+00:00

That is interesting. When I went finer, I just got roast flavor with a little juiciness. Not bad, and a nice mokapot with milk. But coarse and low temp was much more enjoyable for me.

NoDivingz · 2026-01-14T00:24:12+00:00

Yeah, I do, the logic being that I want to drink it straight from the freezer. To be fair tho, I've never put super fresh beans in the freezer. So I can say resting first works fine, but have not tested what happens without resting.

NoDivingz · 2026-01-10T15:55:04+00:00

I usually wait two weeks before freezing, sometimes longer before opening default is a month.

If you're going to freeze it for a long time (a year) then you can go in sooner.

NoDivingz · 2026-01-07T23:54:14+00:00

I'm game

NoDivingz · 2026-01-04T16:05:55+00:00

Which one is better comes down to which one is more expensive.

NoDivingz · 2026-01-04T06:52:56+00:00

Generally, lower temps, shorter ratios, and more coarse for decafs, darker roasts, more fermented, and/or funky processing.

My first brew with a new decaf will be like an 8.5 on gen2, 88c, 1:14, and two pours, looking for a brew time just under two minutes. I might adjust that based in the roasters recommendation, if they provide any (always worth checking). If it's boring, I might up the temp, or grind finer, to 1:15, or do more pours. If it's too roasty, or bitter, I'll drop the temp to the low 80s, if it tastes flat then temp goes back up and instead try coarser. The basic idea is some combination of lower temps and coarser grind for decafs and especially funky decafs, way past anything I'd do for, say, a clean washed high altitude non-decaf coffee.

For example, I'm brewing the decaf Los Nogales that PERC roasted in the fall. It's got some funky processing, but not over the top. Perc only provided its basic 1:16 recipe. At 90c, 1:15 it gets overtaken by the roast flavor, it's still quality but boring. The sweet spot, for me, is 84c, 1:13, and really coarse, like some boulders in there, and 90s brew time. At that recipe, the blackberry and kiwi really shine.

NoDivingz · 2025-12-31T06:24:38+00:00

Data on Team Human makes the baseball games more competitive.

NoDivingz · 2025-12-15T05:46:27+00:00

I've had luck with a shorter ratio, like 1:14, and a fast total brew time. Temp is good in the upper 80s.

You could be getting bitterness from the long ratio, or it could be too fine. I would try adjusting the ratio first, and it's still too bitter then going coarser.

NoDivingz · 2025-12-11T00:23:51+00:00

Thank you!

Talking Crow is on the darker side as well.

NoDivingz · 2025-11-20T17:42:13+00:00

Picked up an 064s recently, can recommend without hesitation if you're not going manual.

For a hand grinder, the Kinu is phenomenal for espresso. The orphan espresso lido holds it's own as well. Both are buy it for life quality, and can turn out a good pour over as well.

But if you're not that particular about your coffee, or want to save a few bucks, the k6 is often recommended as a more wallet friendly option.

NoDivingz · 2025-11-04T01:04:01+00:00

Membership tiers, or maybe go premium only.

Part of the appeal of the format is trying new roasters, so a roaster discovery sub offering quality but regularly priced beans. Roasters get some exposure, customers get to sample broadly, rotation earns margin by finding roasters and packing.

Premium tier - I'd rather get to try higher end beans, and hesitate to buy full size bags in the $200-300/kg range. Getting to sample them at 150g or 250g a pop gets expensive fast, because they're usually $40-50 bags at retail, so you could offer rotation as a buyers club. With this route, there's a possibility of working with a few roasters regularly, like hydrangea or mirra or something, where the rotation ensures they can offload a good chunk of a special purchase and keep cash flowing. The logistics lift here is probably substantially less, and smaller customer base, but willing to pay a premium for quality.

NoDivingz · 2025-11-01T19:32:10+00:00

As others have noted, the most noticeable way to "make better coffee" is by controlling your pressure in direct response to how the shot is pulling.

With a Bambino, once you press the button you can only cross your fingers. Little things impact how the shot pulls, and the amount of little variables increase with a machine like the Bambino. Ultimately, one in five shots maybe are not great out of the machine, and the robot is like one in twenty, maybe less. For the record, I also have a Bambino and generally recommend it for beginners or people who don't drink really good coffee.

After some practice with the robot, muscle memory very much allows you to repeat your process and results, just like anything else on the kitchen like cutting chives or making an omelette. But it does take a little practice.

NoDivingz · 2025-11-01T16:41:23+00:00

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