While I’m a tea drinker, as shown above, our youngest daughter spent four years at college in Seattle. As expected with any young person there, 85% of waking time is spent hanging out in coffee shops, and she became a coffee fanatic. To the point where she and a roommate found and visited coffee shops with names starting with every letter in the alphabet.
When she graduated and came back to northern Ohio, we got her a coffee system from one of her favorite Seattle shops, Storyville Coffee. They put together a complete system in a package, which was made of quality brand equipment with their house brand on it. It’s a nice setup for a kid just starting out on her own!
Same for me, with my trusty Rancilio Silvia machine and Rocky grinder. Just wish I was better at making cappuccino…I’d like to blame the machine but imagine it’s me
I used a Silvia for years, I had one at home and one in the office. They are probably the most popular machine for years because they are the cheapest with a brass boiler, problem is they lose pressure during the brew and they both eventually died.
I bought the Lelit Mara 62 purely on the recommendation of the store after a discussion on the telephone as I know very little about coffee machines (Bella Barista, who are one of the biggest suppliers and roasters in the UK). That model was new in and I bought one of the first ones, but they have proven very popular. For £850/€1,000 they are fantastic value. I’ve had it just over 2 years.
I also had a Rocky grinder (two of them), but the Eureka Mignon produces a better grind and consequently better coffee, and is only marginally more expensive. It is also hugely popular.
We had the pleasure of staying at Tea Trails in Sri Lanka, at about 1,600m in the middle of the tea plantations. The accomodation is the former estate manager’s house. It’s an amazing place and you get to see the whole tea growing and processing process in splendid relaxation and isolation. The property only has 6 rooms. If you’re going to have a cup of tea, it’s worth the trip.
They are famous for the silver tips, the dried bud from the top of the plant. This lady stands here separating them all day, every day.
Only women work the fields and processing. It’s highly skilled, well paid work, and they have a school, childcare and a medical facility next to the factory. The last last pictured was apparently the Usain Bolt of the tea-picking business.
I used to have the same Rocky/Silvia setup for about 11 years - then passed on to a friend for a bargain price ) about 2 years ago - had pid’d mine too and modified Rocky with a push switch for the protafilter to start the grinder with a microswitch inside. Its still going strong after 13 years…built to last! Great little machine…and did milk better than my 4 times more expensive Domobar Double Boiler Rotarty Pump that is now fully plumbed in too and on a good inline water filter so never have to fill it or drain it just clean out once a week.
We have a boiling water tap in our kitchen that has serious filter on it because without it the thing would die, so I just fill a jug with water from that, let it cool down a bit and put it in the machine.
Just replaced the power cable on my machine here at home. The coffee tastes so much better and more refined now, a blind taste is not necessary. Anyone would notice the difference. Thinking about replacing the cable on the grinder too.
I am trolling, yes. And I do love my coffee. Usually single origin beans, in V60 or Aeropress. Would love a good espresso machine hope there will be one in my next kitchen.
Yup, mine is about 12 years old and still going strong too…I’ve replaced the burrs on the Rocky a couple of times, and got through a few portafilter seals but otherwise all good.
I’ve had a few clients in the coffee business and one showed me some stuff he sold in Japan. It’s coffee in a sort of syrup form in a tin and you pour some in a glass and add hot water. After that you’re meant to drink it. I’d rather drink engine oil.
They are something between a business and a non-profit. Their purpose is to help coffee farmers, not to make $. But the coffee is great and the service is excellent.
This is a coffee thread so why the posts about tea?
I’ve been ordering from Dean’s Beans for many years and they get my highest recommendation. Organic, fair trade coffee is about the best coffee available.
Okay so my name is Ralph and I’m a coffee addict. This is my story:
I buy whole bean, mostly dark/medium blend roasts and grind the beans in a blade grinder (oh the shame from not using a burr grinder). I use an ancient Oster thermos with a #4 Melita filter and drink coffee throughout the day. No k-cups since they would be way to expensive for a coffee junkie like me but more importantly they make terrible tasting and weak coffee. Nothing to fancy but it gets the job done.
Here’s a little story of relevance to this thread.
I’m a life long chronic migraine sufferer and about 13 years ago my neurologist recommended that I give up caffeine since caffeine can act as a migraine trigger. So I followed the good doctor’s advice and gave up caffeine for a year. And what a miserable year it was spent drinking decaf coffee and herbal tea. Absolutely god awful. After a full year of misery I realized that my migraines were no better than when I was a happy coffee junkie so… (well you can figure out the rest)
just clean out once a week.
