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Moccamaster

The model Moccamaster used as illustration in the PDF offered above is the same one that I purchased, KB-741 AO. I found them available online from a half-dozen sources in the USA, same prices everyplace. I ordered mine from Williams-Sonoma because of an exclusive color choice they had. Cost was $299.95 + Arizona sales tax. Shipping free. They shipped it via Federal Express, who delivered it on a Sunday. I do not know if that happens all the time or just in the holiday season. There are also several YouTube videos reviewing this brewer. I'll include a URL.

 
That internal view of the Technivorm (keep wanting to say Techniworm) is very impressive. It's always satisfying to own something you know is a quality product, especially when you use it every day. Probably worth paying full retail, but a "deal" just sweetens things up. Enjoy!
 
Was hoping stricklybojack's link...

was going to be about those stellar Bodum glass coffee tumblers based on the pic :/ Well, I have heard that this guy with his butter/coffee thing is some sort of a scam artist....haven't read enough lately to know for sure or not. However--KERRYGOLD (!) Is that even available in the States? It's all I bought in Ireland, and do not recall ever seeing it in a US supermarket. Must have a look 'round and see. Good stuff, that.
 
Being a daily grinder of beans...

have often contemplated fresh roasting, but time's too short in the AM, I need that caffeine but quick!

Our need for fresh ground precludes a Keurig, plus we can 2nd the brown water comment... we like black coffee strong, don't like flavored coffees. The Bunn commercial seems to be a quality piece, unlike the junky $100 ones they sell in stores, and brews well, and since we drink coffee from 6:30 AM to about 3 PM we need about 6-8 cups worth. And the Keurig single serve concept seems grossly over-packaged and wasteful, something that's gotten considerable criticism in Vermont, Keurig's home base since Green Mountain bought them out a couple years ago.We buy Vermont Coffee Co. fresh roasted beans in brown paper bags that you can save up for credit towards more coffee! or in a pinch, Trader Joe's Sumatran.
 
Kerrygold is available in the states.  I bought some for my home made soda bread when I was hosting St. Patrick's Day corned beef dinner.  Can't say I noticed any difference, but then I'm definitely not a butter snob.

 

I couldn't be bothered to read that whole "bulletproof" process.  Way too much work.
 
I found some "euro style" butter at FoodsCo a couple of months ago. It has slightly more flavor than the usual "fresh cream" butter that most stores here carry. I like it better.

 

The euro style presumably lets the cream age overnight (or longer) at room temp in order for it to age (or ferment) a bit. This adds a stronger flavor to the final butter product. A little bit of a cheesier taste, is the best I can describe it.

 

The euro butter also seems to keep better in the fridge than "fresh cream" butter.

 

As for adding butter to coffee. OK, it's probably good but like Ralph says, a bit of work what with preheating the blender and then washing it out afterwards. And for just one cup... too much bother.

 

Back to home base. I dug out all my burr grinders... for use with the Scoop. That's two Brauns (80's and 90's vintage), a Melita, and a La Pavoni. The Braun KMM 30 Type 3045 is probably my favorite. It's just harder to clean, cause you have to unhook the upper grinding disc assembly from the lower one to get at the works, and then reassembling it takes care so as not to lose the fineness adjustment or even worse, wind up with metal on metal burr disc contact. Anyway, I'm finding better results with The Scoop using any of the burr type grinders. Better flavor, more even grind, and less clogging of the filter with fines. So I'll probably relegate the blade grinder to spice use.

 

I also tested out my theory of preheating the Cusinart Burr Grind 'n Brew with a few cups of water only, grinder off. Jury's still out on the results because I didn't pay enough attention to water level for the final brew. But the machine appeared to be able to take the preheating regimen without requiring major drying before going to a full grind/brew cycle. But I'll need to do more testing. I did notice two things: lots of gurgling when adding more water to the preheated machine, and visible steam coming out of the brew basket during the grinding. Neither of which may be good, but the machine seems ok afterward.

 

Later!
 
Many people swear by their Chemex drip systems.  That would include my sister, who has an automatic model from the '70s (made by Norelco) that she uses daily and is still going.

 

I've put out this request in the past:  If anyone comes across a Chemex Automated in their thrifting/estate sailing travels, buy it  and I'll reimburse you including shipping.

 

There's a new type that has yet to hit the market, but it's way pricey (see link).

 

 


rp2813++12-26-2014-22-52-35.jpg
 
Wow, $350.  It says "fits all coffeemakers".  Does that mean it doesn't come with one?

 

I've had a box of Chemex filters for a couple of years now, I've just never ordered the glass carafe/brewer itself.  I should get one, what's one more in the collection?  
smiley-wink.gif
 
I think it comes with an 8-cup carafe but the machine can be used with other sizes.

 

One of the '70s machines went for well over $350 (but not quite double IIRC) on ebay a few years ago.
 
Norelco/Chemex

The old 70s Norelco "dial-a-brew" bases can be found all the time when thrifting. I've got a few here myself because they have outstanding wattage (I think one of mine is over 1500w) ...am just missing the proper sized Chemex carafe to use that setup. It's supposed to perform quite well--and way, way less costly than a $350 Chemex-branded vintage equivalent! The old Norelco bases are visually identical (same brushed metal, but black lid and sides). Also, they only have a single hole drip/water exit vs. some sort of shower head type grounds saturation.
 
I've seen old Norelcos being presented as viable alternatives to the Chemex Automated.  I'm not so sure the single hole drip outlet can achieve complete wetting of the grounds.  Maybe something could be inserted into the outlet that would effect better distribution, or maybe the lid to the Norelco's brewing basket could be carefully set into the carafe above the grounds.

 

Also, the Norelco machines don't offer the pauses in the brewing that the Chemex Automateds do.  I don't know how important that is.  It kind of strikes me as a gimmick.  Regardless, the Norelco is clearly an alternative that does still turn up in thrift stores on occasion. 

 

I'll be interested in JC's report.
 
Actually the pause in the initial brewing isn't a gimmick. It's also repeated in the directions for using the Chemex manual method, as well as for the Melita manual filter setup (which I also have, inherited from my mom). The initial wetting of the grounds and a 30 second pause is supposed to allow the grounds to "bloom" and release more aroma and flavor than if they were to be submerged all at once in very hot water. Makes me wonder about the french press method, though. It does make some sense as coffee beans have a fair amount of protein. The residual chemist in me tells me that protein can be denatured and toughened by high heat. And water near boiling is high heat. By just wetting the grounds and letting them set a bit, the proteins might be better rehydrated and made softer, and the grounds made more porous than grounds with dry, heat toughened proteins.

 

I suppose one could try a manual Melita or Chemex filter and compare the two methods - adding the hot water all at once vs. pre-wetting the grounds, letting them "bloom", and then adding the rest of the water.
 
The pause

The reason it seems like a gimmick to me is that there's a big difference between the dribbling of an automatic and the more heavy handed pour from a kettle.  Pausing during the hand-pour process makes sense, but not so much during the relatively slow and even delivery from an automatic drip machine.
 
Well, the idea is not a slow steady drip drip drip. But rather to add just enough saturate the grounds, then wait 30 seconds to a minute for the grounds to "bloom". Apparently that's a real thing, and one can sniff the aroma the "bloom" releases. I did some more reading and according to more than one site, the bloom is the release of CO2 trapped inside the beans. Although darker roasted coffees probably have less entrapped CO2, and one site says that coffees that were roasted more than a few days ago have probably lost most of their CO2 anyway. Personally I think that IF the bloom time is important, that CO2 release is just a symptom of the bloom, and like I conjectured earlier there may be other things going on with the coffee grounds. One site maintained that the coffee grounds need to be stirred gently during the bloom time. This helps to settle them, and the heavier ones sink to the bottom of the filter, helping to prevent clogging by fines. Also, without the pre-wetting and stirring, the grounds will tend to be more buoyant and float to the top of the filter cone or basket, not getting extracted as much.

 

I also found a discussion of french press methodology, and some maintain that one should add the water in a similar manner: a small amount, stir, wait a minute, then add the rest. I have noticed that in the french press there's a fair amount of buoyant grounds and foam when I add the water all at once. Haven't tried the pre-wetting technique with the press as yet.

 

I did try prewetting the grounds with the Scoop coffee maker. I simply used some of the pre-heat water to do that. I may experiment and actually pre-wet the grounds in a separate little vessel, let them sit a bit, then add the slurry to the filter and proceed with the regular drip process.

 

The pre-wetting of the grounds may get confused with the pre-wetting of the filter. Different purpose with the filter. It's supposed to clean it up, get rid of any paper taste, get rid of dust, and also preheat the basket/cone/receptacle. Since I'm using metal filters instead of paper I don't care much about getting rid of the paper taste (never have detected it anyway), but I think it helps to preheat the works before starting the regular drip process.

 

I know it all sounds complicated but there are some people who have put a lot of time and energy into brewing coffee just so, and their findings/opinions can be fascinating. Plus I have another week off work so I have time to play around with this stuff. It's not costing much except maybe getting me a bit more wired than usual, LOL.

 

Still not sure I want to try buttered coffee, though.

 

Here are some interesting links about the current coffee fad of "pour over" and how to do it...

 

Basic pour over technique:

 

imbibemagazine.com

Pour-Over Coffee Tips

Pour It On If you’re looking for a great cup of coffee that doesn’t require a lot of expensive gadgetry, a pour-over brewer, or manual cone filter, can be a perfect option. Here, Batdorf & Bronson coffee pro Jason Dominy shares some simple tips to ensure pour-over perfection. 1. Get soaked...
imbibemagazine.com imbibemagazine.com

 

And this guy, coincidentally named "Richie", has taken pour over to a whole new level, impressing an astrophysicist with his methodical study of how to hit the "sweet spot" with each cup...

 


 

I guess part of my fascination with all this is that it makes me a bit nostalgic of my science research days. I sort of miss being able to plan an experiment to try to isolate one variable and figure out what the best combination and technique might be. Seems to me that the perfect cup of coffee would be far less elusive than a LOT of the bio projects I was assigned... and you can consume the results!

 

 

 

 
 
I have the dial a brew and the chemex

I did this test some time ago.  The main difference between the two was the pause and water temperature.  The norelco was giving me about 185 and the chemex about 197 as I recall. The chemex also has the better water distribution system. 

 

During the pause there is a noticeable difference in the aroma using the chemex vs. Brewing in the Norelco.   In my opinion there is a noticeable difference in the taste too.  The chemex has a richer taste to me and doesn't have any kind of bitter taste. I know the filters help to control some of that but I think the pause and the water temperature also contribute to it.

 

It's really all about personal preference I think.  Some people will use a gas grill and others only charcoal, etc. My three favorite ways to make coffee has always been the Vacuum, Chemex and then a perc. Others will have a different preference. I guess it's all about our tastebuds.

 

It's funny that this came up now because I pulled out my chemex about a month ago and have been using it every day.  I do prewet the filter and drain the water but don't really notice the difference from when I don't. I just do it because that's how I was taught to use the chemex back in teh early 80s when I was first introduced to this method.  I had an automatic maker way back then and don't know what ever happened to it. This one I picked up on eBay and it works very well. I am really thrilled chemex is coming out with another automatic. But the price is steep. If the reviews are good I may spring for one of these if my 70s version should die. These are going for big bucks on eBay but I suspect this may change when the Ottomatic comes out.

 

 

[this post was last edited: 12/28/2014-09:39]
 
I don't have a Chemex carafe, but do see them once in a while on thrifting excursions.  I think I'll pick one up next time.  I'd like to try using the first generation Norelco I have, and setting its simple pre-Dial-a-Brew basket lid into the carafe for better distribution of the heated water while brewing.

 

Does Chemex still include the little glass insert/top with their carafes to be used after brewing, or was that only an accessory on the automated models?
 

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