In this thread you can share what new coffee, equipment, techniques etc. you have tried this week.
What have you enjoyed and what didn’t you like? Have you learned anything new?
In this thread you can share what new coffee, equipment, techniques etc. you have tried this week.
What have you enjoyed and what didn’t you like? Have you learned anything new?
Stall can come from technique, the filter, the grind, the coffee… pretty much anything in the process. What type of pourover brewer are you using and, generally speaking, what’s your recipe look like? Specifically, how long is the entire brew taking? And how is the coffee? To a degree most brews will slow down as they progress.
If you’re always stalling with different speed filters and grinds and coffees, it’s likely technique. If you’re not taking some steps to make sure you agitate the coffee throughout the process, the brew can stall as the coffee settles into the bottom of the brewer.
Different filters do often run at different flow rates. That’s fairly well documented across the internet, but if you’d like some breakdowns on a specific filter I’m happy to link you to some. There are extremely fast filters that some people love. But the common filters can all produce good coffee with little to no stalling.
Your grinder could be producing enough fines that you’ll stall regardless of grind size (within reason) for a given filter. Fines aren’t really something you can control well, short of replacing a grinder. Grinding coarser can help a bit, and then you can control other things (more pours, less aggressive technique) to keep the brew rate even.
It might be the grinder, I try pulsing it but there’s a lot of fine dust. I’ll see what happens if I like sieve it
It’s just a conical funnel type pour over, I drip in a filter, as gross, pour water in a “stirring” pattern
What grinder are you using?
I’ve had it kind 10 years and it’s this one:
https://www.krupsusa.com/BREAKFAST-APPLIANCES/COFFEE-GRINDERS/Fast-Touch-Electric-Coffee-and-Spice-Grinder-F2034251/p/1500813248
Ah, that’s what’s called a blade grinder. They’re not great for getting a consistent grind size for coffee. They’re excellent for spices, but you’re going to have a hard time with coffee beans. If you don’t want to spend money on a burr grinder, you’ll absolutely have to pulse it and I’d recommend shaking it like a cocktail shaker too. It won’t be perfect but it’s probably the best you’re going to be able to get with it.
If you want to invest in your coffee more, absolutely look into getting a metal burr grinder. Skip the ceramic burrs, they’re not much better than blade grinders. If you don’t want to spend too much money, look at a hand grinder. KINGrinder is well reviewed on the budget end. Their P series (P0, P1, P2) is probably the cheapest metal burr grinders you’ll be able to find.
Thanks, I only use it for drip coffee and French presses, but I do those a lot in the summer.
I might have to upgrade
I’d be happy to help you pick out a grinder too if you know your budget and needs. It’s an area I’ve recently done a ton of research into as I recently upgraded my grinder as well.
If you have a recommendation up to $100 I’d be very interested and appreciative
A few good recommendations for hand grinders would be:
It’s going to be hard to find an electric grinder at that price point. And also, all hand grinders that I listed are going to be adjustable from the bottom, which is a bit annoying. Paying more in the hand grinder range will first net you easier to adjust settings, and then nicer burrs and maybe more quality of life features. Getting a decent electric grinder will probably be around double your current budget. Keep in mind though, most hand grinders can be used with a drill if you don’t want to hand grind. Just something to consider.
For what it’s worth, I’ve used another one of Timemore’s hand grinders many times (their S3) and it’s fantastic. A bit out of your budget, but I can personally attest to their quality so if it were me, I’d probably go with the C2S. But I know 1Zpresso is massively popular, and there’s probably very good reason for that. I just don’t have any hands on experience with them. And finally, the KINGrinders are going to be by far the cheapest.
I hope that helps as a starting point. Keep in mind I don’t think they’re capable of espresso, but you didn’t mention espresso so I didn’t look for those capable of that range. If espresso is something you’d like to get into in the future, you might want to consider different options and you may have to stretch your budget a bit.
https://youtu.be/AVYGxext8XI
There are a lot of grinders similar to the ones in that video. OXO, Bodum, Cuisinart. I am kinder to them than James; I’m not bothered by them being loud, nor does static particularly offend me, nor does it annoy me that they might be asymmetrical on my counter. For many people these aren’t starter grinders, they’re just coffee grinders that do fine and fit a reasonable budget. They’d be a big step up from your blade grinder.
If you’re buying or really want to get into high end coffee a hand powered grinder will give more nuance, but obviously it’s much more work every time you make coffee.
The powered step up would be a Baratza Encore and its ilk. Out of budget but maybe worth knowing exists.