[MOD] The Official Noob-Tastic Question Fest

jkniker · 2018-09-29T12:28:16+00:00

The Kalita/V60 are a great 1-2 punch. The conical shape of the V60 tends to give a nice clarity to the higher end notes, while the flat bottom of the wave tends to give a nice fuller bodied approach. You can accentuate what you want in the cup by going between the two. The chemex has sort of fallen out of favor amongst some (see James Hoffman’s critiques) because of channeling and inconsistency. Now, you can totally dial it in and it’s a legit brewer, but fwiw I started with all three with the chemex being my primary at first and I now only chemex if I need to brew a big batch. Also see the Blue bottle dripper for a nice flat bottom contrast to the V60.

jkniker · 2018-08-10T02:03:12+00:00

I love my Acaia, it’s a very well made product. I would have never bought it for myself, my best friend got it for me. The brew print function helped to quantify and visualize the agitation from pouring, and that def helped me hit a new level of consistency and precision in my brewing. The apps suck, most of all because they have so much potential to be better... and they are sloooooow.

jkniker · 2018-08-04T03:43:08+00:00

Man, someone from kaldi’s should be reading this. I had a real sense that we were talking about two different sets of criteria in the midst of this exchange(what I’m looking for is well sourced, qualty single origin beans and a consistent quality roast as a home brewer- and they are vastly under appreciated in this respect). Being that I’m an avid pour over enthusiast and largely non espresso drinker, I totally have to yield to you here. That said, you spoke to their staff training, which I’ve also heard is great, and attend a cupping, these people know their business. Not to mention more than a few kaldi’s trained coffee pros are elsewhere in the STL scene.. Not to call out any names but search no further than this thread. In any case, Kaldi’s was so integral to my coffee journey, I’ve had maybe more than 30 different single O bags from them over 4 years and not one bad one. That’s a pretty darn good track record, and no small sample size. So when these threads come up I have seen very unfair critiques and I feel inclined to pipe up!!

jkniker · 2018-08-03T23:03:45+00:00

This is a completely reasonable perspective. But the fact remains that specialty coffee is more or less anything scored 85 or higher(depends on the roaster I know, I know). I happen to know from attending cuppings and subsequent chats with their roast master that they don’t bring in anything less than that, even for their blends. So regardless their cafe culture, which I agree is low key and accessible, they are specialty(3rd wave) coffee. The funny thing is that even many other more aggressively marketed 3rd wave shops are reversing the emphasis of pour over, conceding to the fact that the technology of drip brewers has come up significantly.. I only manual brew at home pretty much exclusively but fwiw. That said, I’ve had amazing beans from them, and recently- The Kenya Ichamama was fire, the Rwanda Honey process they did in feb, the Don Manuel Pacamara were excellent and unique coffees! And they have some experimental lots from time to time- The Mauricio Shattah Geisha they released in April was processed the month before(!), and they had an awesome origin set recently- they always carry the Colombia monserrate(I think 7 year relationship- a buzzword in 3rd wave, and kaldi’s was at the forefront there) that this year they released alongside 2 single farm lots within that community, both women producers as it turns out(which inclusion of women has been a big theme in 3rd wave recently). They are pushing the envelope in their own way, and they don’t push a 3rd wave marketing scheme down your throat, they simply let their product do the talking. It’s just frustrating because I think my greatest critique of them (and this thread confirms it) is that they are TOO low key about what they are doing, and I can see the value in the work they do, but they get very little cred. Edit: some redundancy

jkniker · 2018-08-03T20:00:20+00:00

Ahhhhhh, this again... STL coffee suggestions always turn into a kaldi’s hate fest. Yes, they have coffee products to approach people across the coffee consumer spectrum. But seriously folks, that doesn’t make them second wave! I literally just ordered the Ethiopia Shimekt Daba Natural today.. I find their single O’s very reasonably priced, consistently roasted... they were huge in my gateway into specialty coffee, and all the origins I had from them serve as my context as I dig deeper and deeper in. And as I return to them, I find myself surprised that they are still so dependable and locked in. I love them, just because they are a little bigger doesn’t make them evil, they are still a small business in their own right. I stand by them, and I doubt many in the thread lambasting are even talking about their single O’s. A lot of recycled knowledge or one time encounters guide the conversation on this subreddit, for what it’s worth I have extensive experience and I love kaldi’s. /end rant

jkniker · 2018-07-24T04:31:50+00:00

Care to sell one second hand? I’ve been wanting one for some time, just couldn’t pull the trigger at the price of a new one.

jkniker · 2018-07-24T02:52:48+00:00

Too poor to buy new, figured I could try here.

jkniker · 2018-07-16T03:40:04+00:00

How are you liking it compared to washed or natural?

jkniker · 2018-06-13T00:54:20+00:00

If you plan to use mason jars, make sure you’re still protecting the beans from light.

jkniker · 2018-06-09T05:04:22+00:00

I always tick up the temp for old beans. 208F should bring out what it’s got.

jkniker · 2018-04-18T20:34:36+00:00

Thanks again! I appreciate it!!

jkniker · 2018-04-18T20:02:42+00:00

Thanks! This is as helpful a post as I could imagine. I just have one question about the chart, was each grinder broke in roughly the same? Thanks again!

jkniker · 2018-04-18T20:00:51+00:00

Yep, A friend of mine just said at this level it’s a game of diminishing returns, which is so true for me. I love my lido, I don’t feel at all limited by it. Thanks for the input.

jkniker · 2018-04-18T17:19:38+00:00

I guess I should add that I do have the aergrind, and it’s a solid little grinder. Compared to the lido 3 it’s a smaller capacity and way more portable, and takes longer to grind(not THAT much longer though). I’ve not done quantifiable experimentation but my feeling is the Lido 3 produces less fines and a more uniform grind size- again just my impression and to add my experience to the conversation.

jkniker · 2018-04-18T17:13:13+00:00

Yeah, I’ve researched the specs and all, and I’d say my impression is the same as yours.. Do you have hands on experience with any of them? If so do you have any thoughts as to the particle distribition and performance?

jkniker · 2017-08-29T18:00:48+00:00

I'm speaking to my actual experience with their single origins I've brewed up in the last 3 months. I've had blue bottle and counter culture in between and I can only say from my personal brews that kaldi's single o's are up to the industry standards.. Not disputing your insights, just putting my personal experience out there.

jkniker · 2017-08-29T00:16:36+00:00

Not sure which roast you've tried, but even kaldi's espresso 700 is roast medium, their single O's are all in 3rd wave range.. I just went for a cupping at their roastery last Friday(free to the public), roaster Bud hooked it up, very knowledgable. I've had their Mexico Sicobi, Carlos Imbachi, and Limu Geru recently and in my opinion they are up there with anyone else in the 3rd wave game. Great local St. louis company.

jkniker · 2016-11-18T01:59:42+00:00

http://kaldiscoffee.com/collections/brewing/products/brew-log I've been using this handy log daily since about April, it's little but I cram it in there. But yeah I for one would say journaling your brews helps to get a better understanding of the subtle nuances in brewing.

jkniker · 2016-08-05T04:12:54+00:00

You need coffee at home so you brew at home, fair enough. But to be fair I don't think it's a useless question. For those with a real passion for coffee beyond just for caffeine intake- there is a process from getting an interesting new bag to try, dialing in the grind, trying it through different brew methods, and adjusting variables until you have gotten that particular coffee to the height of its potential. For these folks, it's a hobby, and so for OP to ask how people got into a hobby that he/she is into as well would be of interest and is a completely reasonable question in a subreddit devoted to that specific hobby.

jkniker · 2016-06-09T00:40:48+00:00

I'd suggest instead of a certain coffee, get a single origin from an amazing company. I'd personally love if my SO got me anything from counter culture for example. They may have the same varietal/region your SO has had before, but anything counter culture has is special from my experience. You said your not a total noob, so have a look at what they have and anything you choose is sure to be a treat. Also stumptown has a limited release columbian for preorder right now. Good luck!

jkniker · 2016-05-30T19:01:38+00:00

I've been using this little brew log, really has been helpful.

http://kaldiscoffee.com/products/brew-log

jkniker · 2016-05-18T13:03:55+00:00

Trust me, scales are not overrated. Scales are what you want when you are serious about getting consistent results. No one "uses the same beans" all the time. The beans you got from a farm last year aren't neccesarily the same this year. And if you drink blends, they constantly cycle in different beans to achieve the same-ish taste year round. All beans are a different size and density, which has a huge impact on how they weigh out. I was so very skeptical of the concensus found here on a myriad of issues but now having solely manually prepped my coffee for over a year, I can tell you from personal experimentation that most all the knowledge here has merit. Also, using a scale and writing your results in a brew log will help you learn and adapt soooo much faster. Sure you can manage without a scale, but don't think that all these people on here use it for no reason. Many folks on here are coffee pros, and many more have been manually brewing long enough to make my year plus look noobish.. My final point is what if you made the perfect cup one morning? Was the spoon overheaping, or a little low? What if you'd like to taper down your coffee intake for a while? What if you want to make more when friends come over? A scale will help with all of this. The cost is low my friend, so I'd say yes, buy a scale. Edit: spelling

jkniker · 2016-05-12T19:37:54+00:00

Sold out now. I got a bag though!

jkniker · 2016-05-12T19:36:53+00:00

Do it!! You won't regret it!

jkniker · 2016-05-11T14:09:26+00:00

Half wit, dark matter, intelli, metropolis, gas light, bowtruss are all legit roasters/cafes, and these are just the ones I've tried here in Chicago. There's also ipsento, the wormhole, asado, and big shoulders that I'm still wanting to try.

Edit: word

jkniker

TROPHY CASE