Extract your coffee with a french press

August 12, 2016

Most coffee connoisseurs agree that French pressing coffee is the purest way to extract the flavor profile the coffee roaster intended.  Over the years however, there has been great debate as to the best type of French press coffee maker to use.

Traditionally, a glass French press coffee maker was often used as this provided an elegant coffee or tea service.  There are two major drawbacks to glass French press coffee makers.  First they are terribly delicate and will assuredly shatter if dropped to floor and will often chip or break just tapping it on the side of the trash can to loosen the used grounds.  Second, glass French press coffee makers have incredibly poor heat retention capabilities, meaning that your coffee gets chilled far too quickly.


Enter the stainless steel french press. When we designed our Table Top French Presses, we solved both issues of durability and insulation while maintaining an elegant design. Stylish, functional and durable, the Planetary Design Table Top French press coffee makers create a pure, clean and flavorful brew that’s hot hours after it’s been prepared.  You can drop a stainless steel French press, you can bang it against the trash can to release the grounds, you can even take it in on a boat for a whitewater trip and let it bounce around the dry box!   It’s nearly indestructible you can enjoy the best brew on the planet, nearly anywhere on the planet.

To use a table top stainless steel french press simply add coffee grounds, (use a french press grind which is slightly more course than a drip grind) approximately 1 tablespoon for every 4 ounces of water.  You can either add the cream and sugar if desired to the french press coffee maker now or wait until after pouring.  Let the brew steep for 4-5 minutes or to desired taste, push down plunger and enjoy! 

This article is from http://planetarydesign.com

Posted by morton morton. Posted In : Beverages 

 

Helpful tips for getting your espresso machine

August 12, 2016

Here are 5 simple tips for those of you who are new to pulling shots on a single boiler semi-automatic machine.  Some of the most popular espresso machines are the Gaggia Classic and Rancilio Silvia but these tips should be helpful with many other units as well.   

1. FRESH 

You always want to use the freshest beans possible and grind them just before brewing. Even a few minutes can make a difference.  So you really want to take your fresh ground coffee right from the grinder directly to tamping and brewing.  If you don’t have a local coffee bean roaster down the street, make sure you bu?yola-link-is-coming=truey coffee that is properly packaged. Look for bags with a one-way gas release valves.  Then store your beans correctly too, which means in airtight containers and away from light and heat.

2. PRE-HEAT

Turn your machine on at least 15 minutes before use. The bigger your machine the longer it takes for everything to get up to brewing temperature.  While the machine is heating up, keep the portafilter locked into the grouphead so it gets warm too. You will want your cups warm as well so put them on the warming surface.  Many people will run a blank shot into their cup (just hot water, no  coffee).

3. DON'T STEAM YOUR COFFEE

So if you are making a milk based drink and steaming the milk first, you’ll have to cool down the boiler and refill it before pulling espresso again.  After steaming there may still be a bunch of steam in the boiler. If you go to brew an espresso that steam is going to hit the coffee and scald it. So check your owners manual on the procedure for cooling down and refilling your boiler after steaming. Continue reading: Whole Latte Love

Posted by morton. Posted In : Kitchen 

 

Just bought an espresso machine for my wife

March 28, 2016
I bought this for my wife for her birthday! I was looking to spend the money for a high end $500-$600 espresso machine. My wife parents has one and every time we go over, we always have a cup or two. We end up asking about how much they cost, where they bought it ect. For the information we got from her parents, the machine broke down a couple times and had to send it to get fixed. Which cost between $100-$200 depending what the problem was.

After looking around a couple days looking at reviews, It was between this machine and nespresso vertuoline. I realized that the vertuoline took different capsules. A bit more expensive for the machine and each capsule. The vertuoline made cups of coffee and shots of espressos. The pixie just makes espresso depending if you have the froth maker bundle.

In conclusion, have a coffee machine already and we just wanted to make espresso, didn't need to spend more for the vertuoline and high end espresso machine, when in the long run have to get it fixed all the time, when I can use the money on getting a nespresso pixie machine. I can buy 5 of them if they ever broke instead of the high end machine. I also wanted to stick with the original line capsules. Simple

When I got the item, i was a bit surprised how small it was. I hooked it up and popped a capsule in and tried it out! Let me tell you! This machine is amazing! I would have to say it's way better tasting then these $500-$600 espresso machines.

I am a coffee snob. Most of the time I like using my manual pull machine and grinding the beans. This has some very compelling benefits. The coffee is very good, certainly better than Starbucks (I know that is a low hurdle). It is fast, clean, consistent and easy to use. The coffee is certainly more expensive than if you buy coffee beans and make your own but it is also less expensive than if you go out for coffee at a local coffee shop. I liked this one so much that we bought one for our house, one for my wife's office and plan to get one for my office.

Guide: Perfect espresso brewing technique

Posted by morton morton. Posted In : Personal 

 

This espresso machine is AMAZING for the price!

March 28, 2016

I did a lot of research before buying an espresso machine and it came down to this one or another that was over $800. This is my first espresso machine and my coffee tastes like I bought it from the coffee shop. I've had it for about 3 weeks and use it daily. This machine is super easy to navigate and use. I was able to make the perfect latte on my first try without having any experience in using an espresso machine before. I mostly make lattes but I've been experimenting with making frappes. I love how easy it is to use and clean. The water reservoir holds more than enough water and is easily removable for refilling, or you can just add water to it, using a cup (easier and less time consuming). The manual says to let it heat up for 15 mins before using it but it's usually ready after about 2-3 minutes. I've heard people say the espresso turns out better if you let it warm up longer, but I think it's perfectly fine after only a few minutes. The machine is small but I have no issue with it. My milk frothing pitcher fits perfectly under the steamer, just make sure you don't buy a pitcher that is too large; there's really no need. I don't really use the top for warming my cups but I've touched it before and it does get pretty warm. I really don't know how I was surviving before I got an espresso machine.

So I had mixed feeling about this product at first -- until it hit me... This machine is a perfect entry level (rookie) machine for anyone who just wants to get hands on experience with making espresso at home; this is not by any stretch going to be your supreme quality espresso from an experienced barista at an established espresso bar. However if you are looking at having a cappuccino or latte, or just a shot of espresso without making the expensive trip to Starbucks every single time you get the craving this machine will give you that. With that said understand that with areas around culinary/bar-tending art your output will depend on your time and input to a limited degree. Meaning that you will need to take the time to hone your skills learn from your mistakes, so that you can get the most out of your coffee or machine and eventually if that’s your plan move on to a more expensive interactive machine. Now if you are passed the “rookie” phase then yes please move on this will be a waste of time and money for you, but if you are like me and just want to enjoy the experience then start with this device it’s the perfect way to: (results may vary per machine) play with your coffee grind, your tampering technique, your steaming/frothing…etc. In the end I may move on later down the road from this espresso Machine, for the time allowing I have enjoyed every cup I made and sharing it with my special someone and my crazy family. As always understand this is just a personal opinion based on my level of experience and knowledge. I hope that you allow your personal taste, comfort, and sense of adventure be your everlasting guide toward your own exciting journey. I share mine I hope you share yours.

Tip: If you can't seem to get the espresso to come out when you first try it, make sure the steamer knob is turned completely off. The first day I got my De'Longhi I thought it was broken; I tried everything to get it to work. I eventually tried the steamer to see if it worked and it did. I turned the steamer off and tried the espresso again and voila! it worked!

Posted by morton morton. Posted In : Beverages 

 

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