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Hi all,
All I can say WOW! You guys(and Gals) are a huge wealth of
knowledge and thank you all for your wonderful information. It almost
seem like too much info but as I am working my way through every line of
the digests I realize there is so much more I haven't even touched on
yet. The next question I have that I'm guessing will start a lively
debate is...
What are the thoughts between the SwissGold and the Aeropress?
Pro's and con's of each?
Still drooling over the thought of a really great cup of coffee!
Looking forward to meeting you Masterchief!
Dennis
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Glad you're enjoying the list. I'll bite on the SwissGold, but I don't have an Aeropress. I really like my SwissGold (SG), and for the past few months I've used it on a daily basis. It's easy to clean, painless to use, and makes a great cup of coffee--no paper filters to suck up essential oils, a fine enough screen for people who don't like any kind of sludge, a great cover to keep the brewing temperature relatively stable through the 4 minutes of brewing, and all for 10 bucks. They seem to hold up well, and several of my friends are using them now, too. I think I've gone through a solid 8 SGs since March (people come over, see, try, and like it, and take it home with them. I've just been ordering more as I get more greens). I really like the coffee it makes. Cons? I haven't really come up with anything serious yet. I guess that if you damage (scratch) the filter, exposing the metal beneath the gold plating, you'll risk tainting the flavour of the cup, but that's getting pretty picky. I wish it didn't have so many nearly-impossible to reach/clean ridges in the insert and lid. Those are my two cents on the subject. --Derek On 7/28/06, True, Dennis W. FC1 (CVN69) wrote: <Snip> -- The Uglyroast 3! Coffee Roaster. ...Now 85% less ugly!http://uglyroast.atspace.com |
Another small portable unit is a presspot/travel mug that I found in Australia. It is plastic & steel rod construction, strong & well made. The filter is also plastic, looks like nylon. I can't remember who made it, I'm away from home, but I do remember it was made in the UK. On 7/28/06, True, Dennis W. FC1 (CVN69) wrote: <Snip> -- "There is nothing new under the sun but there are lots of old things we don't know." -- Ambrose Bierce |
Dennis, I don't have a SG one-cup, although I do have a SG. My thoughts are, "eh..." Here's the thing--all of these different methods brew the same essential product. Coffee. The methods differ in extraction time, temperature, and the amount of oils and solids allowed to pass through the filter (even if the filter is gravity (turkish)). Based on this, the SG is a great way to brew and offers a bit more control over how much body your brewed result has. It will also decrease stability a bit. A "cleaner" cup is achieved with a filter such as vac pot, chemex, filter cone.. What's my point? Well, if you are doing this stuff at HOME, I suggest trying a bunch of cheap options before even going anywhere with espresso unless you just have a burning desire to go there. And I mean that; make available to yourself a few different options. For example; drip, FP, and turkish. There is just a lot of low hanging fruit in methods like turkish, FP, SG, Aero, Chemex, VacPot, AutoDrip, Stovetop Espresso, etc. which are an order of magnitude less costly than good espresso (time and money considered). If you are brewing on a BOAT, well then I think Aero is a clear-cut winner based on its ease of use. Also of note is the vendor's (erroneous?) contention that brewing should be performed at a low 175F (170F? something low). You might even be able to get this out of a spigot. Finding hot enough water might be your biggest challenge. You could also clean it easily with a paper towel and a short rinse somewhere. With any other method, you're probably looking at too much trouble in a shipboard (well, Navy shipboard) environment. Good luck, and welcome home soon, Steve On 7/28/06, True, Dennis W. FC1 (CVN69) wrote: <Snip> -- Steven Hay hay.steve -AT- gmail.com Barry Paradox: Consider k to be the greatest element of the set of natural numbers whose description require maximum of 50 words: "(k+1) is a natural number which requires more than 50 words to describe it." |
On 7/28/06, True, Dennis W. FC1 (CVN69) wrote: <Snip> I have one of each. The Swiss Gold makes a bolder cup - closer to French Press. It can get a bit of sludge in the cup when you use a whirly blade grinder (as I do at the office where the SG lives). This can be either a plus or a minus, depending on your tastes. I kinda like it. The SG seems a bit more trouble than the aeropress, but not much different actually in that respect. Maybe slighty messier to clean up. SG requires water just off the boil and takes a little longer, is a bit more trouble during the brew - the bloom of the grinds when first wet will sometimes stop the water flow all together until attended to. The Aeropress is less prone to stoppage, since the press forces the water thru the grinds. The Aeropress is super easy to clean up. The coffee passes thru a paper filter, which can be either good or bad, again depending on your tastes. The brewed coffee from the Aeropress seems "smooth" to me, not bitter in the least and not quite as rich in flavor and body as the SG brews. I have them both. I like them both. I use them both. I use the Aeropress more often because: - It seems faster - It seems easier to clean up - It is a newer toy Safe Journeys and Sweet Music Justin Marquez (Snyder, TX) |
<Snip> I have both, I use both. I like variety. The Swiss Gold makes the best basic cup of coffee around, in my opinion. The Aeropress makes a coffee extract, to which one then adds whatever amount of hot water one prefers. It makes a good cup of coffee also, but it is different. If I were choosing one of the two, I'd take the Swiss Gold one cup. It is simpler. Be well, Lissa -- Are all librarians this much trouble? The Mummy Returns, 2001. |
Dennis, If you want to experience great coffee with simplicity, get a good French Press. Don't spend a lot of money at the front end on brewers. Spend you money on a good grinder. If I were starting out new, I would buy a Rocky grinder and a French Press. There are other good mid-range grinders, but if you step up to espresso, you won't be handicapped by the Rocky. If you don't mind spending the extra bucks I would go with a Mazzer Mini and you will never need to buy another grinder. Burr replacement, yes, but the Mazzer will last a lifetime. Les On 7/28/06, True, Dennis W. FC1 (CVN69) wrote: <Snip> |
Dennis, I'll underline Les's recommendations re: grinder, it will make the most difference in the cup as compared to any brewing method. And it is necessary to getting the best quality cup from any brewing method. IMHO having a vac pot (big - little, cheap - expensive, whatever) will give you a standard against which you can compare other brewing methods. A stove top mokha pot will give you something that is in the direction of espresso and is the first step away from regular brewed coffee. In my experience the mokha pot used correctly will provide a nectar that is superior to what is served in the majority of espresso houses. They are relatively inexpensive and will allow you to make an informed decision about joining the 'Dark Side'. But the grinder is step one. Mike (just plain) |
Agreed about the importance of a grinder. That said, you can go without it for a while; not having one will not prevent you from making a darn good cuppa. That said, its a high priority. I'd say after you get your feet wet with a few brewing methods, a grinder should be first on the list of equipment to get. Absolutely get one before you buy any sort of espresso machine. This is due to the fact that a whirly blade and other cheap-o grinders will leave large and small chunks of coffee together which will lead to different levels of extraction when brewing or in the worst case, with espresso, channeling (fatal). If you can't afford a Rocky, some people have had luck with a Solis Maestro which is $100 cheaper. On the other hand, if you can afford more than a Rocky, I love my Mazzer. Steve On 7/28/06, Michael Dhabolt wrote: <Snip> -- Steven Hay hay.steve -AT- gmail.com Barry Paradox: Consider k to be the greatest element of the set of natural numbers whose description require maximum of 50 words: "(k+1) is a natural number which requires more than 50 words to describe it." |
An Aeropress, brewing inverted with 5 micron (nominal) polyester felt instead of paper, is an unbeatable brewing device. It has all the body of an FP with none of the fines, and you can get all the oils you want. In fact, for some coffees I find it produces too much oil, and I "revert" before pressing too much inverted. It's very hot in Chicago today, and I'm about to press a Metropolis Red Line as an iced. In polyester, of course. ;-) - Scott "getting obsessive now" Marquardt On 7/28/06, True, Dennis W. FC1 (CVN69) wrote: <Snip> |
"...on a BOAT..." SHIP! On 7/28/06, Steve Hay wrote: <Snip> -- "When the theme hits the bass, I dance the Jig!" - -Virgil Fox at the Wichita WurliTzer |
Sorry, Meant to say.. TARGET! On 7/29/06, raymanowen wrote: <Snip> -- Steven Hay hay.steve -AT- gmail.com Barry Paradox: Consider k to be the greatest element of the set of natural numbers whose description require maximum of 50 words: "(k+1) is a natural number which requires more than 50 words to describe it." |
Get within radio detection and ranging distance of one of these TARGETS!, and you will have ventured much too close to a nest of angry HORNETS!They'll be coming for you, "just so you don't get lost." I suspect these HORNETS! like their coffee too much to share- On 7/29/06, Steve Hay wrote: <Snip> -- "When the theme hits the bass, I dance the Jig!" - -Virgil Fox at the Wichita WurliTzer |