its very similar. the way a $50 bottle might be reliably be 2x better than a $25 bottle, but a $2,000 bottle might not reliably be 2x better than a $1000 is the same when you talk about grinders. Focus on the actual burr set, the wattage of the motor and build quality/reliability and you can get something that will be a massive improvement over what you have.
Most modern 64mm flat burr grinders are good these days. You can always swap out the burrs later on for a nicer set. Look for one that has features you want. Hopper size, auto doser, rpm adjustment etc.
I buy dark roast whole bean from whatever bag says both “local” and has a “roast date”. Ground on the “fine” setting of a Bunn machine.
194F water, generous amount into a large french press. Stirred initially then let sit for 20 minutes. Pour a huge cup, top it with a lil 2oz espresso pod from the nespresso virtuo.
Every so often I’ll add a drop of (local) maple syrup.
Relative neophyte here but I have to ask about grinding fine for a French press- don’t you get sediment in your mug? I grind as coarse as possible so that the press will filter. Am I doing it wrong?
That’s part of French press life but there are ways to greatly reduce this. The Hoffman method takes like 8 minutes but almost zero grounds in the finished coffee. Technique (and grind) matter a lots in the amt of sediment.
Thanks! Is there a reason to grind more finely if the concern about grounds is addressed?
More extraction the finer you grind
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Just experiment with what works for you taste wise. As noted about finer grind is more extracting which is certainly not always desirable.
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Here’s my little coffee setup. There’s also a single cup moccamaster hiding in the cabinet since it doesn’t get used enough.
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I like a dark, rich, almost chewy cup of coffee. Personal preference.
Your journey is pretty much exactly mine. I was a big Baratza fan 5-10 years ago if not making espresso. But, the Ode 2 has been a significant step up since buying it about 13 months ago. I would recommend it over the Baratza products now.
After watching the Ode 2 videos on maintenance, I don’t think it will be very hard to work on at all. It appears very easy to swap out burrs if you ever wanted. But, I like you, I haven’t opened it up either.
Your description intrigued me and I did a search to see if I could source some in Japan - lo and behold the first result was a shop just a 5 minute walk from my house! I tried some over the weekend, and wow - peaches is right!
I also picked up some Red Honey, which I hope to try soon also. Thanks for the recommendation!
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What was the name of the roaster? Japan has some of the best specialty roasters in the entire world!
Glad you liked the coffee!!
Hi Zach,
I’m not sure if they roast in-house or not; I’ll need to drop by again and check: https://because1.theshop.jp/
Either way the espresso I had while I was waiting was excellent! Shimokitazawa and environs have various options for cafes and coffee roasters. Another Tokyo suburb with standout cafes is Kiyosumi-Shirakawa.
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Will be in the market for a new brewer soon. Likely end up with Moccamaster, but am interested if anyone here has any experience with the Simply Good plastic free brewer?
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I haven’t used it, but it looks like a moccamaster copy essentially. If I were going to spend that much money on a coffee maker I would personally be looking at either the Fellow Aiden or the xBloom, but if you’re not interested in messing with brew variables I say go with the Moccamaster
Thanks - yeah that is what it looked like to me as well just with the plastic free feature. I love the consistency of the Moccamaster. Will look into the Fellow Aiden though. xBloom seems a little out of my league haha
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If you want something easy that will last forever, moccamaster is it. The new stuff out there is moving more towards attempting to automate the pour over experience, and maximizing for lighter roasted coffees. If that’s not you I would avoid altogether and go with the tried and true!
My body is probably 35% plastic at this point so that’s not something super important to me lol. That said my normal brew process (ceramic v60 into a glass carafe) is coincidentally plastic free
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An old friend of mine actually helped design the X-Bloom. I think its a really cool machine that I wish more people would get into. IMO it is the ultimate version of a K-Cup style machine in terms of both flavor and environmental impact. I know that the grinder alone in that machine should be worth almost $500.
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Does anyone have any first hand experience with the Fellow Aiden? I have a Fellow grinder and considering the Aiden.