Flick Senior Member Joined: 2 Aug 2007 Posts: 154 Location: Earth Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Rancillo Silvia Grinder: Pasquini Vac Pot: Yama 3 cup Drip: Bodum French Press, Manual... Roaster: Iroast2
Posted Wed Feb 20, 2008, 5:36pm Subject: Re: Which advice to follow given all of the variables in French Press brewing?
Go fairly coarse, and get a grind size above 3 mins, probably under 4. You want the grind as fine as possible, because EVERY grinder is better at finer grind, it just how they are, or at least I've never heard otherwise. If you go really fine, with the 48 oz, there is a lot more coffee, hence more resistance, and you need a coarser grind. Now since it is subjective on brew times, what i'm try to say with the brew times, is a coffee ground, where most think it will be french press, so maybe just go a little finer on the grind then your grinder suggest.
Buy a great burr grinder! I don't know what grinder you use, but it would probably be at least 100, maybe even around 250. A great grinder is awesome, not only in the taste for the french press, but you may want to make other methods later too, some more demanding of a great grinder then others, espresso for one. Try different coffees too, especially since your perception of what they may have been in a lighter roast, was probably terrible with a bad auto-drip, you may like them, you may not.
1/3 cup to 17 oz seems decent strength. Thats around 5.33/2=2.66ish, which is around 26g of coffee for 17 oz. Are your pre warming the pot?
Posted Wed Feb 20, 2008, 6:31pm Subject: Re: Which advice to follow given all of the variables in French Press brewing?
The grinder is a Krups GVX-2 $50 Starbucks special that was gifted to me last year. While it's light years ahead of the numerous whirlyblades I've tried, I'm sure it falls well short of high end stuff. The good news is that I don't need it to do an espresso grind, just press and drip. I appears that the finest setting on this unit is about as fine as I'd want to go with a press, definitely finer than the local Starbuck's would grind for me by a long shot. I get plenty of silt and the grounds are quite powdery. I was amazed at the difference it made when I cleaned the burrs on this thing. A years + accumulation of crud had really affected performance. After the cleaning it functioned as I had remembered it when new. Live and learn.
I've not tried pre-warming the pot, but do pre-warm the cup.
Coffees so far have been Starbuck and Whole Foods (Sumatra and Sulawesi) and Rock City (small company in Maine) and Whole Foods Organic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. The Yirgacheffe is a completely different experience than the other two, but very enjoyable. I need to research some local roasters and shops closer to home. I'm in Providence, RI if anyone has suggestions.
Check this place out: http://www.coffeexchange.com/ I just found the site the other day but may drive over this weekend as I'm only 24 miles west of Providence.
That's the same grinder I'm using. From reading through these forums I'm gathering the grinder is very key to a great coffee drinking experience. So, now i'm thinking very seriously about upgrading. Just haven't got a clue as to what I should upgrade too! So many threads and only two eyes!
Posted Thu Feb 21, 2008, 4:26am Subject: Re: Which advice to follow given all of the variables in French Press brewing?
JVBorella Said:
Check this place out: http://www.coffeexchange.com/ I just found the site the other day but may drive over this weekend as I'm only 24 miles west of Providence.
I have actually been to this place while out around town, but it was before I was bitten by the java bug so I didn't appreciate it at the time. If memory serves the coffee was excellent and was one of those expereinces that made me wonder why it was so much better than what I brewed at home. I'll have to swing by today and grab a few samples.
Posted Thu Feb 21, 2008, 4:32am Subject: Re: Which advice to follow given all of the variables in French Press brewing?
CSweet Said:
That's the same grinder I'm using. From reading through these forums I'm gathering the grinder is very key to a great coffee drinking experience. So, now i'm thinking very seriously about upgrading. Just haven't got a clue as to what I should upgrade too! So many threads and only two eyes!
I eventually plan to upgrade my grinder as well. I'm trying to pace myself though. I've had a tendency in the past to get a bit carried away when discovering a new passion and if I'm not careful would wind up owning the contents of an espresso bar pretty quickly. ;)
I'm trying to figure out whether I can get a decent one for $100ish or should just go straight to the $250 range. To some extent I'm sure there's a diminishing return effect and I can't see paying 80% more for a 10% improvement.
CSweet Senior Member Joined: 17 Feb 2008 Posts: 13 Location: NOVA Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: ZassenHaus, Maestro Plus Vac Pot: Yama 8cp Drip: Bodum Press Pot Roaster: Behmor
Posted Thu Feb 21, 2008, 4:03pm Subject: Re: Which advice to follow given all of the variables in French Press brewing?
toenail Said:
I eventually plan to upgrade my grinder as well. I'm trying to pace myself though. I've had a tendency in the past to get a bit carried away when discovering a new passion and if I'm not careful would wind up owning the contents of an espresso bar pretty quickly. ;)
I'm trying to figure out whether I can get a decent one for $100ish or should just go straight to the $250 range. To some extent I'm sure there's a diminishing return effect and I can't see paying 80% more for a 10% improvement.
Wow, that pretty well sums me up as well. I'm debating going with the hand grinding Zassenhaus style (Under $100) or paying for something I can grow into. A grinder that’s capable of the courser grinds I need now for pressing and eventually the finer grinds for espresso's and such.
Posted Thu Feb 21, 2008, 4:43pm Subject: Re: Which advice to follow given all of the variables in French Press brewing?
CSweet Said:
Wow, that pretty well sums me up as well. I'm debating going with the hand grinding Zassenhaus style (Under $100) or paying for something I can grow into. A grinder that’s capable of the courser grinds I need now for pressing and eventually the finer grinds for espresso's and such.
I'm more or less happy with the GVX-2 for press and drip. I'm looking more down the road toward espresso. I do own a cheapo (non-pump) espresso machine but am relatively confident that my current grinder would be an even weaker link than the espresso maker. As you've observed, the hand grinders from Zassenhaus seem to be the most bang for the buck, though I've read a bit about recent QC vs the old stuff and need to look into this deeper. The other option is to modify the GVX-2. I did find a very favorable review which made it seem quite passable as an espresso grinder after modification. Unfortunately the person who documented this left a busted link and the page can't be referenced. An initial look at the burr adjustment set-up confirms that either an adjustment to the stop mechanism for grind setting or a shimming of the top burr might accomplish this. Not sure if I want to try this or not. I'd hate to wind up with no grinder and a pile of metal shavings.
On another note, I did manage to hit up the Coffee Exchange in Providence today. Picked up a few freshly roasted samples and also flirted with a G.A.T. Klassica stove-top thingy. At only $14.95 it has to be worth a try just to satisfy my curiosity. Next time I'm there I'll pick it up.
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