Full Up: Takahiro Kettle - The Road Show, $12 for 10 entrants, ordered

[John F]

So it's 1 thumbs up and two down so far?

[BoldJava]

So it's 1 thumbs up and two down so far?

Oui.

[John F]

Oui.

I'm interested to see if it ends up over 50% favorable.

Hey, Jano...maybe you wanna sell me this used hunk of junk for $40. 

[peter]

This is not to be critical of anyone's pouring style or condescending, but your pour (John) may just require lots of control, and others may not.  The pouring of many may be well-suited to the Hario etc. and you (John) are squeezing whatever you can out of the method and need fine little streams.  I'll be surprised if more than half say they need the Takahiro.

[John F]

This is not to be critical of anyone's pouring style or condescending, but your pour (John) may just require lots of control, and others may not.  The pouring of many may be well-suited to the Hario etc. and you (John) are squeezing whatever you can out of the method and need fine little streams.  I'll be surprised if more than half say they need the Takahiro.

This could be a can of worms but what you say above could also apply to espresso. 

Maybe people are more comfortable purchasing more than they need for espresso but not for pourover.

[peter]

This is not to be critical of anyone's pouring style or condescending, but your pour (John) may just require lots of control, and others may not.  The pouring of many may be well-suited to the Hario etc. and you (John) are squeezing whatever you can out of the method and need fine little streams.  I'll be surprised if more than half say they need the Takahiro.

This could be a can of worms but what you say above could also apply to espresso. 

Maybe people are more comfortable purchasing more than they need for espresso but not for pourover.

Well, I try to apply my thinking of puck preparation and extraction to the pourover.  You know, forming the bed, preinfusion, avoid channeling, maintain temp, correct overall time...

Always buy the best and grow into it is a good motto.

[BozemanEric]

Definitely a thumbs-up on a single cup pour. Unfortunately there are two of us in the household.

I would probably give the larger kettle a thumbs up but I don't know if I'm willing to drop 200 bucks on it.

I will admit the controllability of the pour is unparalleled to anything I have had in my hands.  I usually do a 24 ounce pour with the breakfast and another 24 ounce pour for our go cups on the way out the door.  With 24+ ounces of liquid in the kettle, at max temp, water would spittle out the spout completely negating the wonderful pouring ability the spout allows.  If I lived alone, this kettle would probably be on my wish list right now. Then again, if I lived alone, I would have a lot more money to spend on coffee gear.

[EricBNC]

...Maybe people are more comfortable purchasing more than they need for espresso but not for pourover.

Or maybe the item is not really needed to make a decent cup of pour over coffee...

[John F]

It's certainly not needed.

A fire and a soup can on a stick would work.

[BoldJava]

Very little of what we do is needed to make coffee.  We are geeking it to the 2nd power or 3rd for some of us.

The Takahiro is the Bentley of the kettle lineup.  Some will be more than pleased with a Ford for a variety of reasons; some will find the Bentley too nuanced for their tastes/pocketbook.  It isn't if it's a good kettle -- that's settled.  It is a matter of individual taste, cost, value.  I would be more surprised if all said it was the kettle of their dreams.

[BozemanEric]

I love it when NEED enters into these conversations as it often does. Are we not a group of people that have thousands invested in coffee equipment and, for some of us, hundreds of pounds of green beans stashed throughout our houses?

[EricBNC]

It's certainly not needed.

A fire and a soup can on a stick would work.

Now, to finish answering your question, find a suitably cheap and simple way to make a shot of espresso. Jeffo makes a cup he likes enough to share using a microwave and a cup - pretty common kitchen stuff these days. I haven't read the recipe for throwing together an shot of espresso with similar items - so people spend large amounts on the appliance needed. If it took a similar priced item to make coffee then similar money likely would be spent, but it does not.

[John F]

My bet is most people have way more machine than they need / are using / are exploiting the limitations of.

It's acceptable to do that with espresso....my theory is that it's less acceptable with pourover. Perhaps it's viewed as "simple".

[EricBNC]

I think the process is simple.

Water and ground beans filtered using consistent portions equals a cup of pour over coffee. Once you get the water temp right and the grind size right the battle is won and you end up with a good cup of pour over coffee. An excellent cup would be more likely to happen using excellent beans rather than a perfectly poured measure of water.

[John F]

I understand your position.

Mine is that after bean, grind, and temp there is still pour. Exploiting most variables is good and more is better.

Every edge is worth considering (if you are obsessed like that). I do realize k cup brewers outnumber pouring kettles several thousands to one for a reason.