AeroPress: ~$25 Immersion brewing only, limited undiluted normal strength capacity, small capacity increases chances for error.
EsproPress: $70-$100, Immersion brewing only.
French Press: range from $25 to upwards of $50 depending. Immersion brewing only.
Hario V60: $25, percolation brewing only.
All of these methods can produce excellent coffee. Some are more prone to error than others. The smaller the batch the greater the chance for error in brewing strength and ratio (but if you have the approximate combo of grind/contact time/temperature, all this means is your end strength will vary).
The Keurig (as far as I've been able to measure) is incapable of proper extraction or achieving "SCAA Gold Cup" standards (extraction 18%-22%, strength 1.15% - 1.35%). My recommendation: ebay the thing. 9g of coffee (standard K-cup) is only enough ground brew coffee to make a correctly extracted cup of approximately 5oz size. Larger amounts end up weak. Bold K-cups have only enough coffee (13g) to support a proper extraction minimum at decent strength of around 7oz size. At $0.50 (on average) per pod, you're paying about $20-$40/lb of coffee.
------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------- Le café doit être noir comme le diable, chaud comme l'enfer, pur comme un ange, et doux comme l'amour.
"There is no right answer with coffee. There is only the elixir in your cup at the moment you partake."
"...I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind;..." - Lord Kelvin RECIPES thread => http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/585708
calblacksmith Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 5,665 Location: Riverside, Ca, U.S.A. Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ECM Veneziano A1 Grinder: Many different commercial Vac Pot: 40s era Silex Drip: Milita, Bunn&Curtis... Roaster: Cast iron pan, gas burner
Posted Fri Oct 26, 2012, 1:39pm Subject: Re: Best brew method for me?
OK, you ASKED! Well, this really isn't the place to get into the whole subject. In short, my internet at home, comes from my cell phone (the only other option is dialup and Hughes net, not much better than dialup at a whole lot more money) and then only when the signal bounces off a few well placed trucks or something, in short, we really don't have internet. A lot of the functionality of all game systems (Xbox is not alone here) relies on internet. There should be an option to be able to use a stand alone computer and download onto a thumb drive for things like download content and all the other nice things you can only get on line.
Ya ya ya, I know easier said than done. Ok, nuf said. Back to coffee!
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
For ease of use at work, I'd go with one of the first two options. You can use them with cone filters and toss the grinds away and cleanup should be a breeze. I've used and recommend the CCD and I'll be trying out the porcelain Bonavita full immersion brewer once it's released. You can brew 400 ml of coffee net with the CCD and the Bonavita should be about the same or better.
The AeroPress is also easy to clean up, but the batch size is smaller. You can brew concentrated coffee and add water, but it may be less convenient.
If you want a fuller body cup with some solids, oils and press pot like taste, you can use a metal mesh filter with the CCD (Kone and others) or the Able Brewing Disk or maybe the kaffeologie S-Filter with the AeroPress. I've used these methods at work, but they involve a bit more cleanup.
Those are the easy ways to get coffee at work.
I also work in technical support, though I'm not chained to my desk, and these days I mostly make coffee at work (when I do) with a Kalita Wave Style set, a pouring kettle I re-purposed from an olive oil kettle from a thrift store, and an electric water kettle to boost the hot water from the cooler up to boiling so that I can let it cool a bit and pour at the right temps. This is more involved, more expensive, takes more time... deeper down the rabbit hole. I pair this with a Hario Slim grinder and I run the ground coffee through the hand grinder a second time to get a more even grind.
I also have a mypressi Twist espresso maker in a kit with a hand grinder that I was using to make espresso at work. I haven't used it in several weeks, probably because I've really been enjoying playing with the Kalita Wave at work and partly because I've been pulling an espresso shot at home before I leave for work on a Gaggia Factory.
My latest purchase was the long awaited Behmor Brazen pot brewer. I brew a 900 ml pot of coffee every morning for the family using 50 grams of fresh coffee and I end up drinking about 400 ml of the resultant 800 ml pot. I think this combined with the macchiato I make in the morning is why I haven't been making coffee at work as often.
allenb4473 Senior Member Joined: 26 Oct 2012 Posts: 5 Location: Texas Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Fri Oct 26, 2012, 7:58pm Subject: Re: Best brew method for me?
Yeah that new brazen setup looks pretty sweet and so does that CO2 expresso maker. For now I think I'll go with the CCD, wire screen, and the digital kettle.
One question... it appears as if the CCD needs to have a mated mug? True? Mine are pretty wide at the mouth, I might need to buy something for that too
Posted Sat Oct 27, 2012, 9:41am Subject: Re: Best brew method for me?
Yeah, you do need to make sure that the CCD fits the mug (or thermos) you'll be using, or transfer via an intermediate vessel (a milk frothing pitcher works well for this, and is easy to preheat with a bit of left over brewing water). I have straight sided 16oz mugs that are not too big, but some large mugs with flared rims can be too big, and need you to balance the CCD partially on the edge.
TheBigDripper Senior Member Joined: 5 Jun 2012 Posts: 42 Location: Texas Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Bialetti 6-cup moka pot Grinder: Vintage Zassenhaus Drip: Too many too list
Posted Tue Oct 30, 2012, 8:22am Subject: Re: Best brew method for me?
For single cups, I use either a two-cup (which equals one of *my* cups) Wear-ever drip-o-lator, or, if I'm in a hurry, my Braun 4-cup coffee maker (gold mesh, 200 degree brewing temp). For larger quantities, a 7-cup Drip-o-lator. My collection of coffee-making devices continues to grow...
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