Green Coffee Buying Club
Vendor Discussion Boards => old Traveling road shows => Topic started by: BoldJava on December 11, 2012, 05:53:51 PM
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Traveling Road Show - Need 9 more players, $4.42 each. Stovetop coffee maker with aluminum base and porcelain upper. Time to wade into the stovetops. There is a ton of them out them.
I used them for about 2.5 years. Makes a hearty, full-bodied cup. Definitely not an espresso so ignore all the marketing that calls it a "stovetop espresso" maker. Merely a strong, substantial, hearty cup. I enjoy them and use an Alessi on a recurrent basis. Great with half and half.
Makes 8 oz. Porcelain pot is dishwasher safe; hand wash the aluminum base. Works with gas, electric, ceramic stoves and well as halogens.
No money now. I have one on the way to me because I will never win. Once we have 10 members ready to toss in $4.42, I will let you know. I'll ask JSpain to have Patti pick a number and place the winner last on the list. Keep the stovetop for a week and then ship on to the next person. Who will be first?
* Need 10 people to participate
* Each person gets the brewer for one week and then passes on to the next person
* One lucky person will get to keep the brewer via random drawing
Entrants:
1. B|Java
2. ECC
3. JBViau
4. HeadChange4You
5. SJM (ship back to Dave)
6. Intrepid
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Who will be first?
Stop wondering! So in.
EDIT:
Have I mentioned recently how wonderful the Spain household is? ;D
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D'oh! Beaten to the punch. In (thanks)...
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Interesting mokka pot. Count me in.
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Sweet.
I'm in !!!
Susan
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So is this one an Alessi?
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Maybe I can send Dave some good chicory to make cafe au laite with? These are the best machines for that IMO.
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So is this one an Alessi?
Doesn't look like it
http://www.aerolatte.com/porcellana.html (http://www.aerolatte.com/porcellana.html)
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Aha. Thanks. That looks right.
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So is this one an Alessi?
No, this is my Alessi. Snagged it early one a.m. from Orphan Espresso. Impossible to establish the vintage: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/114082662487406291069/albums/5311738843232146177/5311738977020460210 (https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/114082662487406291069/albums/5311738843232146177/5311738977020460210) It's pretty enough that I get to display this on our pots rack without domestic differences of opinion.
Susan's titling is correct. The road show pot, Cafe Porcellana, was made by Aerolatte, a British concern.
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Count me in.
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K-bump. Let's give it another week to see if we can hit 10 participants. If we run short, I will survey the 'signers' to see if they wishs to share the cost with participants registered.
Who is in?
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We didn't achieve 'official road status.' We are however rotating the stovetop among:
JBViau,
ecc,
HeadChange and,
SJM.
I will begin this review. Sharp little tight arrangement. Love it.
Comes extremely well packaged - there won't be any broken porcelain here, with bubble wrap and double cardboard.
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Comes with good instructions, very clear diagram which helps you understand the brew.
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Unit disassembled. I hand washed it x3 -- note, base (aluminum) should not be dishwasher cleaned. Then, I made and tossed three pots with old coffee to clean out residual manufacturing oils.
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Water level is critical. Fill right to below the safety bleed valve. Easily seen from the inside (and the brass safety bleed, below). 7.5oz does it.
Coffee level. Fill right to the first ring. I used 16.0 grams. Note the grind: Right between espresso and pourover. So you can appreciate relative size, my pourover is 5.0 grind. My espresso is 2.2 grind. I use a 3.5 grind with mokka pots.
No tamping. Just a couple of knocks to ensure it is level.
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Temp setting. Over the years, I have found that lower temps result in a smoother, better extracted cup. Note the med-lo stove setting on mine. This takes about 20 minutes from a cold burner w/trivet. You can start it much hotter but get back to the stove to slow it down going into the steam phase. I am more a putzer, ritual type person. I have the rest of my life to make coffee -- rush seems unnecessary.
Note: I use an oven glove to remove the entire pot from the stove when the 6.75 oz is done brewing. You can use bare hand on the porcelain top portion but I prefer to get the entire unit off the stove when done.
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Finished cup: skosh under 7 oz.
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Barely any sludge.
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Now that I am done ferting around, I will brew a pot with some fresh Brazilian. Coming up.
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Now that I am done ferting around, I will brew a pot with some fresh Brazilian. Coming up.
In 20, 19, 18...
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re: "fill right to the first ring," I've seen a number of guides for moka pots that recommend filling the basket to the brim and leveling. This one's different, I take it, or are you downdosing? I've never tried this method, myself, and am looking forward to getting my feet wet with it (hopefully not literally).
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re: "fill right to the first ring," I've seen a number of guides for moka pots that recommend filling the basket to the brim and leveling. This one's different, I take it, or are you downdosing?...
This basket is oversized relative to others mokka pot grounds holders. Fill to the first ring -- it's 16 gr which is correct for the volume of coffee.
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Aerolatte cup.
Excellent. Brazils are always nice in mokka pots. I rate this cup superior to other mokka pots (used a raft of Bialettis) and on a par with my Alessi. Extremely clean, not muddy. Strong. Accentuates the acidity and tangerine in this Brazil. Great as a straight cup; no over-extracted tastes/hints in there. I would nurse/sip this for 20 minutes.
I then steamed 4 oz of whole milk and made a cafe' au lait (for Jeff and Tex) with the remaining 6 oz of the brewed mokka coffee. Good cup but too fluffy, too milk-based for me. Czarina would love it. I will try this again during the week at about a 7/1.5 ratio, coffee/milk.
A definite keeper, both aesthetically/tactile and cup-wise. Love it.
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Josh dropped me a note. Oh my!
We have been packing and prepping for a move. Czarina said, "I thought you were going to send this one out?" Sorry about that, it will be in the mail this morning.
Order:
JBViau,
ecc,
HeadChange and,
SJM.
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Ha, no worries. Hope the move goes well.
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I read back through the thread, but just to be clear, there is show roadshow cost on this one? Just making the rounds?
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I read back through the thread, but just to be clear, there is show roadshow cost on this one? Just making the rounds?
No cost. Enjoy and share your results.
B|Java
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Just a quick note to say that the brewer arrived yesterday (thanks). I'll start messing around with it tomorrow and report back.
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Got a note from Josh; he is playing with the Aerolatte. He wanted to know where to grab one. Amazon has jacked the price. Seattle Gear has best price, $45 shipped after discount on site.
http://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/aerolatte-porcellana-stove-top-espresso-maker (http://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/aerolatte-porcellana-stove-top-espresso-maker)
For those of you trying this coffee maker, it is great with a good Brazil.
B|Java
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Got a note from Josh; he is playing with the Aerolatte. He wanted to know where to grab one. Amazon has jacked the price. Seattle Gear has best price, $45 shipped after discount on site.
[url]http://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/aerolatte-porcellana-stove-top-espresso-maker[/url] ([url]http://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/aerolatte-porcellana-stove-top-espresso-maker[/url])
For those of you trying this coffee maker, it is great with a good Brazil.
B|Java
That must mean he liked it. Cool. I am looking forward to seeing how it compares to my stainless steel mokka pot.
And it reminds me that I should see if the mokka pot can save the Brazils I have tried from terminal flatness, which seems to be their signature when used in pourovers.
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I *do* like it! So far I've brewed 4 pots, and I find the process easy and enjoyable. I'm not someone who needs espresso at home, so this is a fine "close enough" concentrated brewed coffee to my taste.
I've never used a moka pot before, but I gather that the detachable top part/server is unusual in terms of design. I'm a fan.
Parameters:
- 17 g. of coffee fits just fine for me without going over the fill line.
- A grind between espresso and pourover does work well, as advertised, though closer to pourover like I ended up at on my first try was far from tragic tastewise.
Niggles:
- The coffee isn't all that hot. Maybe I'll experiment with pre-heating the porcelain server.
- Toward the end, the sputtering can make a bit of a mess if you're not careful and/or if you enjoy watching with the lid off. A glass server would be more spectator-friendly.
- The server's pour is a touch dribbly. For the sake of comparison, not any more so than the Kalita Style Set's glass carafe, and pours like a dream compared to the Brazen's. ;)
Question:
- Re: coming up on the end of the brew cycle, before the telltale sputtering I mentioned it seems as if the flow rate increases. I've been turning the heat down at this point and then killing it at the sputter. How does this compare to best practice?
Coffees:
- I've had good results with Oak Cliff's Finca El Puente (Honduras), Klatch's El Salvador Orange Bourbon, and to a lesser extent Kittel's Brazil (possibly pulped natural). This last wasn't my favorite of the bunch, but it's also my least fresh coffee.
More details in a few days...
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- The coffee isn't all that hot. Maybe I'll experiment with pre-heating the porcelain server.
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Are you using a medium low heat or are you barreling in on high? Vague memories tell me lower heat yields higher temp in the pot. Don't ask me why.
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Plain old medium. Saw my first drips at around 9 min. in. I think you're right, as my first try with higher heat and first drips at 4 min. was a bit cooler.
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When I hauled my moka pot out to revisit it, I checked online for information and came up with this guide which I think is pretty spot on:
http://stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/moka-pot/ (http://stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/moka-pot/)
I bring the water to a boil in the Aroma kettle and then pour it into the bottom of the moka pot.
Susan
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When I hauled my moka pot out to revisit it, I checked online for information and came up with this guide which I think is pretty spot on:
[url]http://stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/moka-pot/[/url] ([url]http://stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/moka-pot/[/url])
I bring the water to a boil in the Aroma kettle and then pour it into the bottom of the moka pot.
Susan
Good guide except for this: "It is incredibly important to pre-heat the water. If you don’t do this, the entire moka pot will get very hot and two bad things will happen. First — you will cook the coffee, which results in a bitter and thin brew. Second — your coffee will develop a harsh and noticeable metallic note..."
Using med-lo heat, I have never had a metallic taste nor a "thin cup" from a variety of alum, stainless steel - Bialettis and an Alessi. I don't need the extra step of a kettle boil they are suggesting.
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When I hauled my moka pot out to revisit it, I checked online for information and came up with this guide which I think is pretty spot on:
[url]http://stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/moka-pot/[/url] ([url]http://stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/moka-pot/[/url])
I bring the water to a boil in the Aroma kettle and then pour it into the bottom of the moka pot.
Susan
Good guide except for this: "It is incredibly important to pre-heat the water. If you don’t do this, the entire moka pot will get very hot and two bad things will happen. First — you will cook the coffee, which results in a bitter and thin brew. Second — your coffee will develop a harsh and noticeable metallic note..."
Using med-lo heat, I have never had a metallic taste nor a "thin cup" from a variety of alum, stainless steel - Bialettis and an Alessi. I don't need the extra step of a kettle boil they are suggesting.
I don't know if it is or isn't necessary (I use a stainless steel pot), but I do it and the results are good. The Aroma heats so fast that the "extra step" is negligible.
Of course it is very possible that B/J is right and Stump is wrong, but you might just try it to see if it changes your results in the cup in any way -- positive or negative.
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Of course it is very possible that B/J is right and Stump is wrong...
Didn't say they were wrong; don't care for that kind of framing. Coffee is too dogmatic already <grins>. Suggested that in my experience, the extra step was unnecessary if one pays attention to heat. When it returns, I will do a comparison for cupping result.
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Of course it is very possible that B/J is right and Stump is wrong...
Didn't say they were wrong; don't care for that kind of framing.
Right you are!!!
There are no "sides" here....
My bad...
Susan
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I haven't tried pre-heating yet but will tomorrow. What I *did* try was brewing up some Verve Gesha (http://www.vervecoffeeroasters.com/collections/coffee/products/finca-los-lajones-gesha-natural) in the moka pot today. It performed better than expected! Syrupy, juicy, but not puckery whatsoever. As you might expect, these beans have a very light roast on them, so that's encouraging to me in terms of the range of coffees this thing can handle.
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Ok, update: this will be moving on to Todd (ecc) tomorrow via USPS Priority. I'll post some final thoughts soon. Thanks again for the opportunity!
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Order:
JBViau,
ecc,
HeadChange and,
SJM and
back to Dave
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The Aerolatte stormed into Carmel yesterday, but didn't have the chance to play with it until this afternoon. Josh stuck in a couple of Honduras samples from Oak Cliff (thanks!) so I was all set.
Heated up about 400ml of water in a pouring kettle, and popped the Aerolatte on a scale. Got 8oz (240ml) of water just off the boil into the bottom. Awfully close to the overflow valve.
Aerolatte hits the stove, pour the fine ground coffee (used a little tighter than paper drip) into the pre-heated basket (poured the water in through it) and finger distributed along with a light tap.
The top of the unit went on easily, and off we went, with the stovetop power set to 4 out of 10.
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(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/11/uvu9uba2.jpg)
Once it got started, it didn't seem like it took more than a few minutes to steam all the water out of the bottom, I will have to do a better job timing it next time.
Although the aesthetics were pretty much on, I wasn't expecting much out of the cup. I was pleasantly surprised, big body, reasonable acidity, and quite a bit of nuance.
Cleanup was a small struggle with hot bits, the top went right into the sink, and a had to tap the lower parts a little sideways in the sink to get the filter cup out. A quick tap over the trash, and a rinse under the sink.
A little concerned about the long term maintenance of the little metal transport tube, I know it is easy to shoot steaming water through it to clean it, but it and the little section under the top filter screen could get some build up.
First look score: 7
Extermely picky coffee toy scoring:
10 - No way it leaves the house again, buying a replacement to ship on
8-9 - It's twin is already on order
7 - Want one
5-6 Wouldn't pass it by if it was discounted
4 Wouldn't pick on my friends for using one
3 Flawed but interesting
2 Facepalm
1 Would rather drink instant
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I haven't tried pre-heating yet but will tomorrow...
Before I forget, I did try this and came away unimpressed with the time it saved me. Still took 4 min. on med. heat to make my coffee. Maybe I was too slow in transferring water from my Bonavita kettle to the moka pot? Anyway, I wouldn't pre-heat in the future.
Todd, glad she made it to you unharmed. I wonder if you could use a Steamy Wanda (http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/pallo-steamy-wanda-steam-wand-brush.html)-type tool to clean inside the metal tube?
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Todd, what's with the tri-colored sand egg-timers?
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Before I forget, I did try this and came away unimpressed with the time it saved me. Still took 4 min. on med. heat to make my coffee. Maybe I was too slow in transferring water from my Bonavita kettle to the moka pot? Anyway, I wouldn't pre-heat in the future.
I don't think the reason for doing this is to "save time", although I can't tell you what the reason IS.
Also, 5 minutes is the time I have understood to be the benchmark for the time it takes to brew....
Susan
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There seems to be few places that might be hard to get to, pic to explain!
EDIT: That didn't work, I will try plan B
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yakster, nope, haven't tried it.
Susan, agreed. I don't get why the Stumptown people are so adamant about it. Pre-heating did cut my brew time in half. I'd just expected more of a difference in terms of time. Anyway, I'm not usually so rushed that it matters.
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Trying again(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/12/e8e2u4u7.jpg)
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One of the most unique mokka pots I have ever seen is on sale at O/E. $20. Novel style. http://www.orphanespresso.com/Vintage-UNRESTORED-Nova-Espress-4-cup-Moka-Pot-Espresso-Maker_p_5062.html# (http://www.orphanespresso.com/Vintage-UNRESTORED-Nova-Espress-4-cup-Moka-Pot-Espresso-Maker_p_5062.html#)
(http://www.orphanespresso.com/thumbnail.asp?file=assets/images/5062.jpg&maxx=300&maxy=0)
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Todd, what's with the tri-colored sand egg-timers?
That's an analog timer I've been trying out, the green is 3 minutes, red is 4, yellow is five. Accurate to within 10-15 seconds, everyday aesthetic is nicer than a digital timer. Roadshow? ;D
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Jason, when you get your turn with this coffee maker, why don't you just send it back home to Bold/Java, please.
I have figured out that I'm not really in need of another mocca pot, so I'd rather not tempt myself by trying this one out.
Thanks
Susan
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I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the B|aerolatte. It is impressive to get that quality of coffee out of a moka pot. I think I will be picking one of these up for the collection.
Thanks Dave! Sending this on to hc4u tomorrow.
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Order:
JBViau,
ecc,
HeadChange and,
SJM and
back to Dave
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So, I had to have one of these. It arrived this morning and I've brewed my first pot using old coffee per B/J's lead just to clean out the new pot smells and tastes.
Question: how did/do you get the porcelain top off the base without spilling coffee out of the spout?
Another question: since the porcelain top isn't attached to the base, do you use the filler tube as a handle to get the base up and off the stove?
It's cute.
I'll brew some "real" coffee soon and see how it stacks up against the stainless steel 6-cup that I have and which is my current favorite brew.
Susan