Re: No-compromise coffee
Wed 11 Apr, 2012 6:40 pm
Orion wrote:photohiker wrote:I use the Aeropress pretty often at home. I Never pour boiling water onto the grounds - I use a digital thermometer and kill the power on the kettle when it reaches 90c, by the time I have poured it into the Aeropress it has reached 92-93c.
Do you pre-heat the cylinder? Measure the temperature of the grounds/water mix during the steep period and you'll see what I'm talking about.
no, but when you pour boiling water into it, the temperature of the grounds would have to be close to 100C even though they are absorbing heat, their mass is low. Yes, the temperature will equalise as the cylinder absorbs the heat. I think if you read the instructions, they say something like 80C.
Re: No-compromise coffee
Wed 11 Apr, 2012 6:48 pm
Orion wrote:I think the AeroXpress guy really meant the plunger. He claimed to have reached over 6 bar which is the equivalent of placing 150 kg on the plunger (and is not a sane pressure for the Aeropress). He said his plunger was old. My Aeropress is only 11 months old and I've noticed the rubber part doesn't fit as snugly as it did when new.
Hey, all of us are right:
AeroXpress Guy wrote:Despite my AeroPress being older and inconsistently venting past the plunger. I was able to make a few shots.
Also, the AeroPress vents grounds out the side of the filter holder at the higher pressures.
Re: No-compromise coffee
Wed 11 Apr, 2012 6:52 pm
Hey glad I only drink Tea 
corvus
corvus
Re: No-compromise coffee
Wed 11 Apr, 2012 8:40 pm
corvus wrote:Hey glad I only drink Tea
corvus
What tea are you drinking and how are you making it?
Re: No-compromise coffee
Wed 11 Apr, 2012 9:07 pm
Perhaps you should consider one of these. I think they are better for no-compromise tea.
Re: No-compromise coffee
Thu 12 Apr, 2012 8:03 am
photohiker wrote:when you pour boiling water into it, the temperature of the grounds would have to be close to 100C even though they are absorbing heat, their mass is low.
Are you sure about that?
I've measured it and it didn't hit 100°C. It peaked briefly at 94°C, dropped below 92°C just 12 seconds into the brew, and at 30 seconds the temperature was 88°C. My temperature probe has a finite response time. It is likely that some of the grounds briefly saw near-100°C water but it would have had to have been around 1 second or less as the temperature was already in decline before I finished pouring the water.
When I used 96°C water instead the temperature peaked at 89°C and for the majority of the steep time it was in the range 83-87°C.
The Aeropress instructions are kind of weird. Despite what they suggest it is generally accepted that optimal extraction occurs around 92-96°C. This doesn't change just because you're brewing in a plastic cylinder.
The question is, which has a more adverse effect on the taste of the final beverage:
Exposing some of the grounds to above optimal temperature water for a very brief moment -OR- steeping all of the grounds at below optimal temperature for the majority of the brewing time?
Re: No-compromise coffee
Thu 12 Apr, 2012 11:31 am
photohiker wrote:Bushman Ben wrote:the total weight I was carrying was about 335grams before adding water and coffee into the equation
Did that include the bike pump?
Yep. Also, its probably worth mentioning due to your interest in the subject; that the pressure on the Airspresso at extraction seems to be around 9.5 - 10 bar. Im basing this off the fact that the bike pump is rated to ~10 and the pressure release valve in the pump starts to release after a few quick pumps and this is about the same time the coffee starts extracting.
And if you're REALLY worried, you can even take the tamp out.
Just while I'm whacking pictures here:
No-compromise coffee
Thu 12 Apr, 2012 11:54 am
This is an offer that I am making to all forum members in Australia that have responded to this topic up to this post.
I have an Airspresso, I have taken it on a walk and am impressed. I have some photos of it in action, and intend to write a bit of a review for it. When space and weight allow for it, I would now very much consider taking it.
However, due to other circumstances, I won't be going on any walks any time soon, so here's the deal.
Send me an email to tasadam (at) gmail.com requesting it, detailing the duration you would like it for, and I will post it to you, for you to try for a while.
All I ask, is for you to agree to cover registered post on to the next forum member as advised by me in a return email. And, if you could share your experience with it on this topic, possibly with photos, that would also be good.
It comes with a pump, but you will need to obtain some freshly roasted ground coffee, and you are well advised to try it out at home before a walk too.
Should interest remain high, I may extend the offer to other active forum members.
All requests considered, however I retain the right to withdraw the offer.
I have an Airspresso, I have taken it on a walk and am impressed. I have some photos of it in action, and intend to write a bit of a review for it. When space and weight allow for it, I would now very much consider taking it.
However, due to other circumstances, I won't be going on any walks any time soon, so here's the deal.
Send me an email to tasadam (at) gmail.com requesting it, detailing the duration you would like it for, and I will post it to you, for you to try for a while.
All I ask, is for you to agree to cover registered post on to the next forum member as advised by me in a return email. And, if you could share your experience with it on this topic, possibly with photos, that would also be good.
It comes with a pump, but you will need to obtain some freshly roasted ground coffee, and you are well advised to try it out at home before a walk too.
Should interest remain high, I may extend the offer to other active forum members.
All requests considered, however I retain the right to withdraw the offer.
Re: No-compromise coffee
Thu 12 Apr, 2012 12:12 pm
Here's My review of the thing: - I too like Tasadam loved it.
http://hike-australia.com/featured/gear ... e-machine/
http://hike-australia.com/featured/gear ... e-machine/
Re: No-compromise coffee
Thu 12 Apr, 2012 1:21 pm
At Tasadam's suggestion, I have posted a copy of my review here for your viewing pleasure
Ben's "The Airspresso" Coffee machine review:
I have a very exciting and interesting review ahead for coffee aficionados, with the Airspresso. With this in mind, I’d like to thank Steve over at Airspresso for getting one of these into my hot little hands to review, I have already spent far past my budget on gizmos and gadgets over the last couple of months!
The first impression I had upon opening the box and getting the machine out was the sheer workmanship and quality of the device. I find that usually hiking coffee machines fit into one of three categories, finicky and lightweight, heavy and robust or the third sad lonely category: make a terrible coffee (think coffee bags or instant). I must stress here , if you don’t care about “terrible” coffee, go buy your Nescafe international roast dry freeze and take a hike. So glad I finally got to make that joke, I have been sitting on that since I started the site.
Nice round 250g
How it works:
The Airspresso works using the extraction style that is pretty much the same as most coffee machines, with a twist. Basically you load the base with coffee and tamp, screw into the main body and fill with boiling water to the water line. Once the Airspresso is assembled, you use a bike tyre pump to pressurise the air pocket above the water, which starts the extraction process. The tiny holes made in the main body of the machine allow for consistent pressure across the whole puck which leads to an even extraction.
Airspresso state that by suing hot water rather than steam, many of the bitter extracts that are flushed out of the grind and into the coffee are left behind, which results in a better sweeter Crema.
Something you might have picked up on is that you will need a bike pump to work the machine, yes; this is true, but don’t worry they have thought of that too.
Weight:
It was much to my surprise that the Airspresso looks, feels and is sturdy, but weighs in at a nice round 250 grams. For those really worried about weight, you can also ditch the tamp and use your thumbs, a spoon or another flat object you have with you. This will bring the weight down a further 59g to 191 grams. You’re going to need that bike pump too, and Airspresso have two lightweight different ones that do the job, the one im using is the slightly heavier one but at 89g its hardly your biggest worry! So, with a total weight of just on 330g, I think you’ll agree its very reasonable.
Durability / Quality
For what it weighs, the Airspresso is incredibly sturdy and feels like proper machine. When compared with my 200 grams GSI Espresso maker, which fits in the light and flimsy category, it feels bomb-proof. The Airspresso is made of machined and anodized aluminums with a heat resistant medical grade plastic used for the middle. While it is heat resistant after making the third coffee in a row on the machine, i did use a tea-towel to hold the plastic centre as it did get quite hot. On the whole, It feels very solid and I get the distinct feeling that even if you were to use this regularly, you will have it for a very long time.
The quality of the workmanship is impeccable, its Australian made which is always a nice bonus and you can buy all the parts to replace lost or damaged components should it come to that.
The valve the pump screws into is a standard Presta valve, like the kind you would see on most bikes in a tour de France. The distinct advantage to these over a Schrader is the fact you can field service the valve, which means you’ll not be without coffee if you are unlucky enough to drop it in the dirt. They’re also bog standard so you can buy one at a bike shop if you break it.
Bare minimum to make the machine work (no coffee and water though)
Coffee quality
Cracking! If I had to give the Airspresso a 1 – 10 rating, and 1 was a bad instant coffee and 10 was an award winning coffee in Melbourne CBD, I’d comfortably give it a 7, on par with most good home coffee machines. You can enjoy a nice crema, and its consistent. One of the biggest challenges I have with the GSI is the inconsistency of the coffee, there are so many variables that come in to play when you’re in the bush with a steam driven machine like the GSI or any percolated coffee pot for that matter. I was able to make more than 10 consistently good coffees on recent trips without messing a single up. Call me whatever you like but this tells me its idiot proof, and I’m a fussy guy that pours at least one coffee down the sink in a week because I’ve messed it up on my machine at home and I make 10+ coffees a week on that thing!
Ease of cleaning and Water efficiency:
The coffee basket is machined and annodised aluminum, the coffee comes out easily and rinses even more easily, the top cap is the same so no worries there. The White medical grade plastic however did get dirty after my weekend away, and I think its just going to be a fact-of-life that the white plastic gets a bit brown and stained, personally I really couldn’t care less.
In terms of water efficiency, apart from the very little bit you lose when boiling the water, and the couple of mls that are left in the puck, you will get every drop back as coffee. Rinsing wise if you were really pressed for water, I think wiping down with a dry cloth would work fine.
Time to Coffee
Time to coffee; from start to finish for a single coffee, see the video link here on Hike Australia - in the next few days. This shows the whole process from taking the machine out of its case, preparing and finally the coffee itself. I think you’ll find the longest wait will be the water boiling. Until then, you can see the step by step at the bottom of this article!
I would like to add to this, that due to the way the coffee machine works, if you’re aiming to make more than a single cup the Airspresso gets more and more ahead of percolator style coffee and you can boil the water all at once and line up coffees to be made quickly.
Cost / Replacement parts:
This is the only real stumbling step I had with the Airspresso and its not a huge one; The price, compared with something like the GSI which costs roughly $50; the Airspresso clocks in at a $139 for the basic package, up to $199 for the full RRP kit and caboodle, and both packages still require a bike pump for somewhere between $28 and $39. However, due to the amount of cash that people like me spend on hiking equipment I just don't think its that much of a difference, especially over the life of the gear ,to complain about. This comes down the age old "You get what you pay for".
Once you have the kit, you probably wont ever need a new one; in fact your kids might even end up fighting over it. Ther are a few replacement parts, With replacement O rings coming in at a whopping $2 for two and the Presta valve at $6.
You can find all the info required on the Airspresso page.
In Conclusion
While the cost for the Airspresso is more expensive than many of the options out there, I suggest that you do not discount it on this alone. We in the hiking world regularly spend the extra dough to get the highest quality and I think that it is definitely worth thinking about doing in this case.
My feelings are that the Airspresso is a long term investment for a coffee lover that wants to have consistently good coffee in the bush. It is relatively lightweight, very compact and sturdy. This feels like a piece of equipment that you will have long after your down sleeping bag, brand new ultra lightweight tent and titanium spork have all been retired.
See below for a step by step process
Putting coffee in the Airpsresso basket
Tamping the coffee down
Always very important to not over-tamp the coffee
screw the base into the assembly
Pouring boiling water into airspresso
Maker sure that you have the Presta valve round the right way!
Pump the coffee!
Airpresto! Coffee-de-jour
Thankyou for taking the time to read the review! If you have any questions you can contact me by email ben(at)hike-australia.com , or you can just PM me! (But I could take a while to respond that way.)
Ben's "The Airspresso" Coffee machine review:
I have a very exciting and interesting review ahead for coffee aficionados, with the Airspresso. With this in mind, I’d like to thank Steve over at Airspresso for getting one of these into my hot little hands to review, I have already spent far past my budget on gizmos and gadgets over the last couple of months!
The first impression I had upon opening the box and getting the machine out was the sheer workmanship and quality of the device. I find that usually hiking coffee machines fit into one of three categories, finicky and lightweight, heavy and robust or the third sad lonely category: make a terrible coffee (think coffee bags or instant). I must stress here , if you don’t care about “terrible” coffee, go buy your Nescafe international roast dry freeze and take a hike. So glad I finally got to make that joke, I have been sitting on that since I started the site.
Nice round 250g
How it works:
The Airspresso works using the extraction style that is pretty much the same as most coffee machines, with a twist. Basically you load the base with coffee and tamp, screw into the main body and fill with boiling water to the water line. Once the Airspresso is assembled, you use a bike tyre pump to pressurise the air pocket above the water, which starts the extraction process. The tiny holes made in the main body of the machine allow for consistent pressure across the whole puck which leads to an even extraction.
Airspresso state that by suing hot water rather than steam, many of the bitter extracts that are flushed out of the grind and into the coffee are left behind, which results in a better sweeter Crema.
Something you might have picked up on is that you will need a bike pump to work the machine, yes; this is true, but don’t worry they have thought of that too.
Weight:
It was much to my surprise that the Airspresso looks, feels and is sturdy, but weighs in at a nice round 250 grams. For those really worried about weight, you can also ditch the tamp and use your thumbs, a spoon or another flat object you have with you. This will bring the weight down a further 59g to 191 grams. You’re going to need that bike pump too, and Airspresso have two lightweight different ones that do the job, the one im using is the slightly heavier one but at 89g its hardly your biggest worry! So, with a total weight of just on 330g, I think you’ll agree its very reasonable.
Durability / Quality
For what it weighs, the Airspresso is incredibly sturdy and feels like proper machine. When compared with my 200 grams GSI Espresso maker, which fits in the light and flimsy category, it feels bomb-proof. The Airspresso is made of machined and anodized aluminums with a heat resistant medical grade plastic used for the middle. While it is heat resistant after making the third coffee in a row on the machine, i did use a tea-towel to hold the plastic centre as it did get quite hot. On the whole, It feels very solid and I get the distinct feeling that even if you were to use this regularly, you will have it for a very long time.
The quality of the workmanship is impeccable, its Australian made which is always a nice bonus and you can buy all the parts to replace lost or damaged components should it come to that.
The valve the pump screws into is a standard Presta valve, like the kind you would see on most bikes in a tour de France. The distinct advantage to these over a Schrader is the fact you can field service the valve, which means you’ll not be without coffee if you are unlucky enough to drop it in the dirt. They’re also bog standard so you can buy one at a bike shop if you break it.
Bare minimum to make the machine work (no coffee and water though)
Coffee quality
Cracking! If I had to give the Airspresso a 1 – 10 rating, and 1 was a bad instant coffee and 10 was an award winning coffee in Melbourne CBD, I’d comfortably give it a 7, on par with most good home coffee machines. You can enjoy a nice crema, and its consistent. One of the biggest challenges I have with the GSI is the inconsistency of the coffee, there are so many variables that come in to play when you’re in the bush with a steam driven machine like the GSI or any percolated coffee pot for that matter. I was able to make more than 10 consistently good coffees on recent trips without messing a single up. Call me whatever you like but this tells me its idiot proof, and I’m a fussy guy that pours at least one coffee down the sink in a week because I’ve messed it up on my machine at home and I make 10+ coffees a week on that thing!
Ease of cleaning and Water efficiency:
The coffee basket is machined and annodised aluminum, the coffee comes out easily and rinses even more easily, the top cap is the same so no worries there. The White medical grade plastic however did get dirty after my weekend away, and I think its just going to be a fact-of-life that the white plastic gets a bit brown and stained, personally I really couldn’t care less.
In terms of water efficiency, apart from the very little bit you lose when boiling the water, and the couple of mls that are left in the puck, you will get every drop back as coffee. Rinsing wise if you were really pressed for water, I think wiping down with a dry cloth would work fine.
Time to Coffee
Time to coffee; from start to finish for a single coffee, see the video link here on Hike Australia - in the next few days. This shows the whole process from taking the machine out of its case, preparing and finally the coffee itself. I think you’ll find the longest wait will be the water boiling. Until then, you can see the step by step at the bottom of this article!
I would like to add to this, that due to the way the coffee machine works, if you’re aiming to make more than a single cup the Airspresso gets more and more ahead of percolator style coffee and you can boil the water all at once and line up coffees to be made quickly.
Cost / Replacement parts:
This is the only real stumbling step I had with the Airspresso and its not a huge one; The price, compared with something like the GSI which costs roughly $50; the Airspresso clocks in at a $139 for the basic package, up to $199 for the full RRP kit and caboodle, and both packages still require a bike pump for somewhere between $28 and $39. However, due to the amount of cash that people like me spend on hiking equipment I just don't think its that much of a difference, especially over the life of the gear ,to complain about. This comes down the age old "You get what you pay for".
Once you have the kit, you probably wont ever need a new one; in fact your kids might even end up fighting over it. Ther are a few replacement parts, With replacement O rings coming in at a whopping $2 for two and the Presta valve at $6.
You can find all the info required on the Airspresso page.
In Conclusion
While the cost for the Airspresso is more expensive than many of the options out there, I suggest that you do not discount it on this alone. We in the hiking world regularly spend the extra dough to get the highest quality and I think that it is definitely worth thinking about doing in this case.
My feelings are that the Airspresso is a long term investment for a coffee lover that wants to have consistently good coffee in the bush. It is relatively lightweight, very compact and sturdy. This feels like a piece of equipment that you will have long after your down sleeping bag, brand new ultra lightweight tent and titanium spork have all been retired.
See below for a step by step process
Putting coffee in the Airpsresso basket
Tamping the coffee down
Always very important to not over-tamp the coffee
screw the base into the assembly
Pouring boiling water into airspresso
Maker sure that you have the Presta valve round the right way!
Pump the coffee!
Airpresto! Coffee-de-jour
Thankyou for taking the time to read the review! If you have any questions you can contact me by email ben(at)hike-australia.com , or you can just PM me! (But I could take a while to respond that way.)
Re: No-compromise coffee
Tue 17 Apr, 2012 4:37 pm
tasadam wrote:This is an offer that I am making to all forum members in Australia that have responded to this topic up to this post.
I have an Airspresso, I have taken it on a walk and am impressed. I have some photos of it in action, and intend to write a bit of a review for it. When space and weight allow for it, I would now very much consider taking it.
However, due to other circumstances, I won't be going on any walks any time soon, so here's the deal.
Send me an email to tasadam (at) gmail.com requesting it, detailing the duration you would like it for, and I will post it to you, for you to try for a while.
All I ask, is for you to agree to cover registered post on to the next forum member as advised by me in a return email. And, if you could share your experience with it on this topic, possibly with photos, that would also be good.
It comes with a pump, but you will need to obtain some freshly roasted ground coffee, and you are well advised to try it out at home before a walk too.
Should interest remain high, I may extend the offer to other active forum members.
All requests considered, however I retain the right to withdraw the offer.
Opening this offer up to all members of the forum.
Re: No-compromise coffee
Tue 17 Apr, 2012 5:15 pm
Thanks for the offer, tasadam.
I'd take it up, but I drink tea on the trail. I've got a nice strong Ceylon B.O.P. that makes a nice cup out of river water.
I'd take it up, but I drink tea on the trail. I've got a nice strong Ceylon B.O.P. that makes a nice cup out of river water.
Re: No-compromise coffee
Thu 26 Apr, 2012 2:28 pm
tasadam wrote:Opening this offer up to all members of the forum.
I'd love to try it out, but I'm in California, probably too far away for shipping costs?
It looks like a pretty well designed device. The one thing I wonder about is having to pressurize it after adding the hot water. If you're not quick could it cool down too much? I often camp at an altitude where boiling water is just hot enough to begin with and I wonder if this might be a problem, the speed with which one can pump it up and pull a shot.
Re: No-compromise coffee
Tue 01 May, 2012 7:42 pm
phan_TOM wrote:andrewbish wrote:Life is full of compromises - but coffee shouldn't be amongst them. Instant coffee or coffee bags are simply no way to start your day!
I tried taking a $2 shop glass coffee plunger into the bush. The idea was that it would double as mug. Worked okay until I went to remove the used ground coffee by banging the plunger on a rock (it looked like a nice soft patch of grass in the pre-dawn!)
I have since been checking out the in-cup filter solutions. I like the MSR Mugmate and the Finum Brewing Basket - both look perfect for the job; however I have not been able to find local suppliers of either. One OS suppliers wanted to charge $66 delivery!
Can anyone suggest:
- a local supplier of the MSR Mugmate or Finum Brewing Basket(pref. in Vic)?
- an alternative product I can get locally?
- an international supplier who has a reasonable approach to shipping charges?
Couldn't agree more Andrew, but I have very recently come across another possible solution, one that I couldn't see even though it was right in front of me & which looks promising so far, it's cheap, light and after a test cup it's a brew that even a hardened connoisseur would find hard to fault
. In planning a trip for the coming weekend and gathering piles of gear into smaller more managable piles to load into my kayak my better half heard me muttering about the coffe conundrum and came to the rescue. I was contemplating taking some of these foul 'coffee bags' that I bought for a trip 6 or so months ago and haven't touched since or going the cowboy coffee option which is okay but not great, when my girlfriend pointed out one of these (see below) that has forever sat in the kitchen drawer that holds the spatulas etc and that I have seen a thousand times and not even noticed.
I had no problem in making a nice coffee from a locally sourced medium grind with no left over grounds, the only problem I could see would be using it in a cold climate as its a drip filter and might be an ice coffee before it finishes filling a cup. Truly made a delicious coffee though!
Heres some for sale on amazon for less than $4.00 http://www.amazon.com/Importfood-Vietnamese-coffee-filter-set/dp/B000ELGPAO
and heres some instructions on use http://www.ineedcoffee.com/04/vietnamese/[/quote
I have purchased several of these for others who like there coffee . These were purchased at several different Asian run variety stores the lighter aluminium ones were $2.50 each at about 23 grams , the stainless steel ones were about $6.00 at 86 grams . PS pour some hot water through it first so the coffee mix stays hot .
Re: No-compromise coffee
Tue 01 May, 2012 10:53 pm
Change to black Tea cleaner quicker and less caffine
corvus
corvus
No-compromise coffee
Wed 02 May, 2012 11:02 pm
Rather than post in "between walks" I thought I would make mention here to notify the intended audience...
This Friday Saturday and Sunday is the Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE).
http://internationalcoffeeexpo.com/
It's the biggest coffee expo to be held in the southern hemisphere.
Friday and Saturday are trade days, and Sunday is open to the public.
As part of the expo, AASCA (Australasian Specialty Coffee Association) will be holding the Australian Barista Championships, among other competitions.
I'll be there on Friday and most of Saturday, as I will be participating as a judge at the competition and helping out in the comp as needed.
If anyone is in the area and likes all things coffee, it would be well worth a visit.
This Friday Saturday and Sunday is the Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE).
http://internationalcoffeeexpo.com/
It's the biggest coffee expo to be held in the southern hemisphere.
Friday and Saturday are trade days, and Sunday is open to the public.
As part of the expo, AASCA (Australasian Specialty Coffee Association) will be holding the Australian Barista Championships, among other competitions.
I'll be there on Friday and most of Saturday, as I will be participating as a judge at the competition and helping out in the comp as needed.
If anyone is in the area and likes all things coffee, it would be well worth a visit.
Re: No-compromise coffee
Mon 07 May, 2012 6:26 pm
Airspresso does look pretty sweet! Might have to hit Adam up sometime if he is still willing to hand it round 
I’m a massive coffee nerd too… and have always suspected that on a venn diagram there would be a good intersection with hiking! No more wondering this thread is more than enough evidence.
I roast from green at home, have several espresso machines etc…
I know this has been already covered, but I feel compelled to mention the AeroPress again…
Some friends gave me an AeroPress... I must admit I’m sceptical of American coffee devices… slightly bigoted I know… it’s all that chain store rubbish tainting my view.
So therefore I was actually quite shocked by how well it works… Just turn your grinder down to the finest it will go… and let your water cool slightly.
Best with beans that work well in other low pressure/temperature brewing methods. E.g. Yirgacheffe.
You can get one for roughly 50 bucks delivered:
http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_nkw=AeroPress
Almost can’t bust it, and packs down well once the plunger is inserted. Hollow so you can sneak small items inside it too. 227g on my scales.
On the other hand the Airspresso starts at $139? Then you need an air source? It looks bulker and is heaver.
IMO the Airspresso would have to do a significantly better coffee than the Aero Press to be worth it. has a coffee snob/nerd directly compared them? same beans same water etc?
Regards,
Stonie.
I’m a massive coffee nerd too… and have always suspected that on a venn diagram there would be a good intersection with hiking! No more wondering this thread is more than enough evidence.
I roast from green at home, have several espresso machines etc…
I know this has been already covered, but I feel compelled to mention the AeroPress again…
Some friends gave me an AeroPress... I must admit I’m sceptical of American coffee devices… slightly bigoted I know… it’s all that chain store rubbish tainting my view.
So therefore I was actually quite shocked by how well it works… Just turn your grinder down to the finest it will go… and let your water cool slightly.
Best with beans that work well in other low pressure/temperature brewing methods. E.g. Yirgacheffe.
You can get one for roughly 50 bucks delivered:
http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_nkw=AeroPress
Almost can’t bust it, and packs down well once the plunger is inserted. Hollow so you can sneak small items inside it too. 227g on my scales.
On the other hand the Airspresso starts at $139? Then you need an air source? It looks bulker and is heaver.
IMO the Airspresso would have to do a significantly better coffee than the Aero Press to be worth it. has a coffee snob/nerd directly compared them? same beans same water etc?
Regards,
Stonie.
No-compromise coffee
Mon 07 May, 2012 11:17 pm
I received in the mail today a new device rest that sits on the cup to hold the Airspresso, also I received a lightweight tamper. Sorry, a LIGHTWEIGHT tamper! More to follow.
I also now have a smaller lighter pump for it.
On another note, judging at the Aus Barista Champ's was so much fun - and Will Priestly from Pilgrim Coffee in Hobart came SECOND in the final - a huge result considering the calibre of the competition.
I also now have a smaller lighter pump for it.
On another note, judging at the Aus Barista Champ's was so much fun - and Will Priestly from Pilgrim Coffee in Hobart came SECOND in the final - a huge result considering the calibre of the competition.
Re: No-compromise coffee
Tue 08 May, 2012 2:56 pm
stonie wrote:IMO the Airspresso would have to do a significantly better coffee than the Aero Press to be worth it. has a coffee snob/nerd directly compared them? same beans same water etc?
You know; I might just some professionals on board and do that...
tasadam wrote:I received in the mail today a new device rest that sits on the cup to hold the Airspresso, also I received a lightweight tamper. Sorry, a LIGHTWEIGHT tamper! More to follow.
I also now have a smaller lighter pump for it.
On another note, judging at the Aus Barista Champ's was so much fun - and Will Priestly from Pilgrim Coffee in Hobart came SECOND in the final - a huge result considering the calibre of the competition.
I have the prototype holder too; I'm not sure that I find the need for it yet; maybe if you have the espresso extractor which takes longer (60 seconds?) but the one i have after some furious pumping only takes about 15 seconds to extract, seems like an un-necessary extra.
Re: No-compromise coffee
Thu 17 May, 2012 11:05 am
tasadam wrote:This is an offer that I am making to all forum members in Australiathat have responded to this topic up to this post.
I have an Airspresso, I have taken it on a walk and am impressed. I have some photos of it in action, and intend to write a bit of a review for it. When space and weight allow for it, I would now very much consider taking it.
However, due to other circumstances, I won't be going on any walks any time soon, so here's the deal.
Send me an email to tasadam (at) gmail.com requesting it, detailing the duration you would like it for, and I will post it to you, for you to try for a while.
All I ask, is for you to agree to cover registered post on to the next forum member as advised by me in a return email. And, if you could share your experience with it on this topic, possibly with photos, that would also be good.
It comes with a pump, but you will need to obtain some freshly roasted ground coffee, and you are well advised to try it out at home before a walk too.
Should interest remain high, I may extend the offer to other active forum members.
All requests considered, however I retain the right to withdraw the offer.
The Airspresso is again available to the next member that would like to give it a go.
Previous member said
Unless someone else is in line for the airspresso I'll (somewhat reluctantly!) send it back to you
So, would anyone like to contact me as above?
Regards.
Re: No-compromise coffee
Sat 26 May, 2012 8:58 am
Have a look at this....
http://www.amazon.co.uk/SwissGold-Coffe ... B0056ZVVHA
Makes a sensational cup of coffee and is very light...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/SwissGold-Coffe ... B0056ZVVHA
Makes a sensational cup of coffee and is very light...
Re: No-compromise coffee
Tue 19 Jun, 2012 6:59 pm
Picked up a Swiss Gold Filter today. Light and simple - looks like the perfect backpacking coffee solution !
Re: No-compromise coffee
Tue 19 Jun, 2012 8:55 pm
A reminder before I get the Airspresso returned to me, if there is anyone willing to put it through its paces, email me and I will have it sent to you.
Re: No-compromise coffee
Fri 22 Jun, 2012 5:52 pm
Re: No-compromise coffee
Sun 24 Jun, 2012 6:02 pm
Tasadam kindly sent me the Airspresso for a few weeks ( my thanks to him for such a generous offer!). It is on its way back tomorrow so here are my thoughts.
It is pretty easy to get into an argument over what makes a good coffee. A lot of what is taken for wisdom is oft repeated opinion, even more so since the internet, but we all have our basic beliefs and here are mine. Whatever method you use to brew you have to start with fresh beans ie ones roasted a few days ago to a few weeks ago. You need to grind them fresh not too long before each cup. After that you can use a range of methods to make a good coffee and which method is the best depends on personal taste. Making an espresso may not be everyone's best but it is probably the hardest. For that reason I was a bit skeptical that you could make a good espresso in the bush. I use an AeroPress when I travel that I described on the first page of this thread along with a Kyocera hand grinder and I doubted it could be improved on.
The quick review is that this gadget (and it certainly is a gadget) can make a good espresso and probably a better one than either a gold filter or AeroPress. It exceeded my expectations.
The device is described very well already so I am not gong to repeat that. It is very well made. The coffee basket is deep - with the dosing method I was using ( fill tap refill tap then wipe off excess and firm tamp) I weighed the coffee dose at 21 grams which is a triple shot. There are a lot of variables in coffee and I did not have time to vary grind, water temperature, bean roast etc. There is a learning curve - the first cup I made was not drinkable - but the second was good. I only scalded my hand once. The cup support is a good idea. Once I had got the basics sorted I ran a comparison with the La Spaziale Vivaldi II double boiler machine that is in my kitchen ( that along with the Macap M4D grinder next to it would be over $3000 to replace - my wife wont read this will she?) so that is a tough comparison.
The Airspresso produced a good short black with reasonable crema. The double boiler machine produced more crema and a little more complexity but they were not that far apart. This was with a blend of beans I had roasted about a week before that was mostly Yirgacheffe. I think the best cups I got from the Airspresso were with this bean. Out of 10? Well I would give it an 8 with this bean,7 with the other blend I tried ( mostly Bani Ismali) better than almost any country town coffee (but bettered by a specialty shop like Mecca in Sydney or Veneziano's in Melbourne - not surprisingly). I was impressed - good espresso should require 9 bar and temperature stability but this gadget managed without either of those.
I used the provided pump. Later I used a pump with an inline guage and I think I was brewing at around 5 bar.
Next I tried a head to head with my AeroPress and gold filter:
To even things up I added hot water to make a long black.
The gold filter produced the worst coffee of the 3. It probably needed a coarser grind as there was too much grounds in the cup but the other 2 were clearly better. My AeroPress as usual produced a very mellow cup. It loses some high notes but is always pleasant. The Airpresso produced a more balanced cup - more interesting, less mellow.
So am I about to replace the AeroPress? Maybe not. I have thought about it but for me the downside of this gadget is the fiddle of the small parts. I think I would lose the small parts and I could never get it to come apart as I wanted. It just requires a degree of dexterity that I dont usually have before my first coffee of the day.
But I might change my mind after its gone...
Chris
It is pretty easy to get into an argument over what makes a good coffee. A lot of what is taken for wisdom is oft repeated opinion, even more so since the internet, but we all have our basic beliefs and here are mine. Whatever method you use to brew you have to start with fresh beans ie ones roasted a few days ago to a few weeks ago. You need to grind them fresh not too long before each cup. After that you can use a range of methods to make a good coffee and which method is the best depends on personal taste. Making an espresso may not be everyone's best but it is probably the hardest. For that reason I was a bit skeptical that you could make a good espresso in the bush. I use an AeroPress when I travel that I described on the first page of this thread along with a Kyocera hand grinder and I doubted it could be improved on.
The quick review is that this gadget (and it certainly is a gadget) can make a good espresso and probably a better one than either a gold filter or AeroPress. It exceeded my expectations.
The device is described very well already so I am not gong to repeat that. It is very well made. The coffee basket is deep - with the dosing method I was using ( fill tap refill tap then wipe off excess and firm tamp) I weighed the coffee dose at 21 grams which is a triple shot. There are a lot of variables in coffee and I did not have time to vary grind, water temperature, bean roast etc. There is a learning curve - the first cup I made was not drinkable - but the second was good. I only scalded my hand once. The cup support is a good idea. Once I had got the basics sorted I ran a comparison with the La Spaziale Vivaldi II double boiler machine that is in my kitchen ( that along with the Macap M4D grinder next to it would be over $3000 to replace - my wife wont read this will she?) so that is a tough comparison.
- DSCF0164 (Small).JPG (17.4 KiB) Viewed 30582 times
The Airspresso produced a good short black with reasonable crema. The double boiler machine produced more crema and a little more complexity but they were not that far apart. This was with a blend of beans I had roasted about a week before that was mostly Yirgacheffe. I think the best cups I got from the Airspresso were with this bean. Out of 10? Well I would give it an 8 with this bean,7 with the other blend I tried ( mostly Bani Ismali) better than almost any country town coffee (but bettered by a specialty shop like Mecca in Sydney or Veneziano's in Melbourne - not surprisingly). I was impressed - good espresso should require 9 bar and temperature stability but this gadget managed without either of those.
I used the provided pump. Later I used a pump with an inline guage and I think I was brewing at around 5 bar.
Next I tried a head to head with my AeroPress and gold filter:
- DSCF0192 (Small).JPG (41.92 KiB) Viewed 30582 times
To even things up I added hot water to make a long black.
- DSCF0193 (Small).JPG (39.78 KiB) Viewed 30582 times
The gold filter produced the worst coffee of the 3. It probably needed a coarser grind as there was too much grounds in the cup but the other 2 were clearly better. My AeroPress as usual produced a very mellow cup. It loses some high notes but is always pleasant. The Airpresso produced a more balanced cup - more interesting, less mellow.
So am I about to replace the AeroPress? Maybe not. I have thought about it but for me the downside of this gadget is the fiddle of the small parts. I think I would lose the small parts and I could never get it to come apart as I wanted. It just requires a degree of dexterity that I dont usually have before my first coffee of the day.
But I might change my mind after its gone...
Chris
Re: No-compromise coffee
Wed 27 Jun, 2012 3:25 pm
Little bit off topic but, Chris; Where did you get those cups? They're awesome and I want some.
Re: No-compromise coffee
Wed 27 Jun, 2012 9:25 pm
They are Terra Keramik. They have lost their silver glaze on the handles and rim. My wife bought me a set of 6. I now have 12 because they replaced them due to the glaze problem. The new ones sit in the cupboard unused as I am used to the old ones. Nothing about coffee is rational.
Chris
Chris
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