New brewer en route

**AndreasDK** · 07-19-2012, 09:40 PM

Back in high school I was very happy with my Bialetti Moka pot and having grown tired of instant coffee this last years time and rarely getting excited about drip coffee I decided to get myself a new machine.

My old machine broke about 1½ years ago and I have been using instant coffee ever since.

I usually drink about 15 mugs og coffee per day (most of it at work) and wish to lower this number because of the ill effects it has on my body.

Last night I ordered a Bialetti Dama Nuova and am looking so much forward to getting it.
I think it looks pretty darn good and I so love the sound these moka pots make and the aroma they produce.

Now the only question is....
A cheap grinder (like 20 USD) or some Illy / Lavazza pre-ground.

I have never tried grinding my own coffee and simply canot taste the benefits when I order cappucinos at cafès and our in two sachets of brown sugar.

**AndreasDK** · 07-19-2012, 09:42 PM

I am not looking for state of the art coffee.

Money is an issue as well and I guess I will be making two brews of coffee on the percolator daily for myself and possibly three when I have friends over.

**nff** · 07-19-2012, 10:22 PM

if you want a coffee grinder and dont want to spend much go for the hario mini mill hand grinder its around that price and is actually a really decent grinder. plus you get your workout using it.

**AndreasDK** · 07-20-2012, 06:17 AM

I ended up buying this as it was available locally and has won a few prices for being the best home grinder in a few danish tests.

Also... I bought 200g of whole espresso beans in a coffee shop - house blended.

Looking forward to trying it out :-)

**galopede** · 07-20-2012, 08:02 AM

What's the difference between the Bialetti you bought, the Dama Nuove and the normal Bialetti stovetops? Slightly more rounded shape or is there something more.

I've had one of the standard ones for years until I bought some other make in stainless steel I found on a trip to Paris a few years ago. A lot easier to keep clean.

To be honest, I make most of my coffee in a Bodum press. Not really a fan of Espresso!

Enjoy your coffee!

Gareth

**ninjaboy** · 07-20-2012, 08:07 AM

I had a Bialetti Mukka for instant Cappuccino action, but never could get illy preground to taste as good as any of the lavazza's preground varieties, but I really prefer Illy! i guess grinding to the optimum level will get you into that sweet spot of flavour ;)

**AndreasDK** · 07-20-2012, 08:17 AM

I mainly like the rounded shape but remember the handle on my old Moka to be quite unpleasant when carrying because it was narrow and I had one of the bigger pots so that it weighed a bit.

THis one has a rounded handle with silicone on it.

I have no idea if it has the normal Moka spout or the one from Brikka, that makes a bit more foam because it builds up more pressure before releasing.
Actually I have no idea if the difference is all that big after all. I was happy with the classic Moka so I just guess I will be with this one as well :-)

Originally Posted by galopede

What's the difference between the Bialetti you bought, the Dama Nuove and the normal Bialetti stovetops? Slightly more rounded shape or is there something more.

I've had one of the standard ones for years until I bought some other make in stainless steel I found on a trip to Paris a few years ago. A lot easier to keep clean.

To be honest, I make most of my coffee in a Bodum press. Not really a fan of Espresso!

Enjoy your coffee!

Gareth

**AndreasDK** · 07-20-2012, 08:20 AM

@ninjaboy

Hmm....

Just bought a cheap 30 USD grinder and some beans but saw a deal on both preground Lavazza Espresso and 2-for-one bags og pretty exotic beans from a decent national vendor here in Denmark.

I guess I will be more prone to trying out some different beans now having the grinder but with time I will have a go with the Lavazza.
Do you prefer the espresso or moka grind in your stovetop?

I HATE grinds in my cup, so a press is not for me.

**AndreasDK** · 07-23-2012, 09:23 AM

Picked up a nice double walled french press today and have my stove top on its way.

First pot in the french press using freshly grinded espresso bean: too thin (one tablespoon of whole beans).

**JPDyson** · 07-23-2012, 10:12 AM

Originally Posted by AndreasDK

Picked up a nice double walled french press today and have my stove top on its way.

First pot in the french press using freshly grinded espresso bean: too thin (one tablespoon of whole beans).

Any chance you've got a scale? Shoot for 60g of coffee per 1000g (or 1L) of water. Handy that water is about 1g/L at room temp.

**AndreasDK** · 07-23-2012, 11:10 AM

Yeahh... I`ve got a scale.

Will try it tomorrow and remember how many tablespoons it is, as I prefer not to use a scale every time.
Coffee is supposed to simple here in my house :-)

**JPDyson** · 07-23-2012, 01:45 PM

Originally Posted by AndreasDK

Yeahh... I`ve got a scale.

Will try it tomorrow and remember how many tablespoons it is, as I prefer not to use a scale every time.
Coffee is supposed to simple here in my house :-)

Oh I use the scale every day, and it's not so tedious as you might think. In any case, my ratio is always right...

**Jasonian** · 07-24-2012, 08:58 PM

So, where in Denmark are you located? How big is your press? 1tablespoon is never enough for even only 6oz or ~175ml of coffee. I'd use 2 tablespoons for that much. There's a basic ratio for you. :)

Of you're in Copenhagen, there's certainly good coffee to be found.

**AndreasDK** · 07-25-2012, 07:02 AM

The press is 750 ml, so I guess that means I shall use (60g/4*3) 45g per brew.

I live in a small city in Jutland where we don`t have any coffee shops, but I can easily drive to one to buy some beans.

The beans I have now costed app. 8 USD for 200g and with 45g per brew that will mean app. 2 USD per brew.

Any good recipes for ice coffee? The summer has hit Denmark and we are melting these days with the temperature reaching 27 Celsius / 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

**JPDyson** · 07-25-2012, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by AndreasDK

Any good recipes for ice coffee? The summer has hit Denmark and we are melting these days with the temperature reaching 27 Celsius / 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Basically, brew with about half the water you would normally, and pour the resultant (concentrated) brew over ice to make up the other half of the water. I sometimes do 60% water and 40% ice.