September 30 Day/Rule Focus Pix & Discussion

Thank you Clint. Hope your day is a good one as well.

 

Working the RMBC! Very nice shave Clint. Enjoy your day.

 

thank you Daniel..

 

awesome shave and pic Clint..

 

thank you Clint.good morning..

 

Thank you Joe and Gary.

 

Wait....y'all had a coffee conversation while I wasn't watching!?! As a serious coffee enthusiast marching towards coffee connoisseur (maybe someday I'll graduate to a Phd coffee purist)....I'm saddened.

First order of business (hangs right next to the coffee machine in our kitchen):



Now....coffee non enthusiasts...it's ok. TLDR, I get it. Skip the rest...

Bonavita - awesome machines. We have a BV1900-TS. Rock solid for 2.5 years, then a few weeks ago stopped brewing halfway into a cycle (even with monthly cleaning cycles). Ugh...thought it had given its due. Searching said to run it through back to back cleaning cycles. Went through 4 Urnex packets, took it apart and gently scrubbed/washed/rinsed it 5 more cycles with the 'chemical water' and the 1900 is back like new. Yay. Saved me some serious bucks.....was already searching Technivorm machines while the 1900 was brewing the first Urnex packet.....

Pour Over -> Bodum = Poor man's version of a Chemex. Have had two. First lasted many years, then finally bit it on a soft bump in our ceramic sink. Second Bodum is now also 2.5 years old. This one came with a plastic/stainless filter insert. Cone filters work. But, Chemex filters fit.

Second purchase to go with a pour over system is a water kettle with temperature gauge. 206 degrees is the ticket. Our Bonavita is within a degree or two before it hits the grounds.

Between the Bonavita 1900 and Bodum pour over....equal amounts of coffee to water, hard to tell a difference. It's the water temp that makes it (that science part). And...yes, I've had a throw down to see if I could do pour over as fast as the Bonavita (and for the same quantity for me and wifey). Not quite. Bonavita wins. The pour over system is about to start traveling in the toter rig for coffee on the weekends.

Surprisingly, Mr. Coffee machines (well, at least the one's my parents had) are close....about 195ish degrees out of the first spout most of the time. Mr. Coffee simple brew machines are like Timex watches though.

Keurig....I'll have to test better. I measured 180 between bottom spout and drinking cup. Some temps lost in the pods. Need to measure at the first spout. We have a Keurig now, a present for my oldest daughter this year, and even she will say (begrudgingly) it's not as good as the Bonavita or pour over, but she gives in to quick convenience. The Keurig sits next to the Bonavita, and it cowers from the piercing stares every time I make coffee....it's just not worthy. I also tried some stainless kcup inserts so we could use our own grounds...they just don''t hold enough for the correct ratio. Bland coffee, bleh.

Percolator....brings me back to why I have a coffee addiction. First, percolators are near perfect temperature. Mix with great ground coffee....it's just coffee goodness. Second, staying at my grandparents over the summer school break (usually several weeks). My grandfather was the wet shaver. My grandmother the coffee connoisseur for her times. Smaller house, 1800 square feet maybe, all with a common hall in the middle, could smell coffee percolating several times a day. She would drink it well into the evening, and still sleep 7-8 hours. 40ish years as a school secretary of very early mornings. It was either New Orleans Blend or with Chicory. Not much beats these two for awesome childhood memories in my world.

Now...coffee beans. It's like soaps....can't try them all, so many options & opinions. For the longest time we used Coffee Bean Direct. Before that it was the store bought brands (but beans got to $9+ per pound in DFW area, $8+ even in the discount stores). Coffee Bean Direct shipped beats typical grocery store pricing, and are much much fresher. However, as they became more popular, even making it into the Amazon Prime world, prices went up. Last 10 months, we're using Coffee AM. Their beans seem even more freshly roasted, and we like their Hazelnut flavor better (stronger). We can get ~2 months of coffee beans shipped in for less than 5 weeks of buying grocery store options.

Coffee grounds....the two places mentioned will grind it for you, just choose the grind size for the method of brewing. Coffee grounds in bags (even Community coffee, my favorite), still a good cuppa joe most times, just not as 'smooth' tasting when brewed at the coffee/water ratio recommended by the SCA (specialty coffee association).

Ok.....if you've read this far......I'm on the first step of the coffee connoisseur graduation stage.

 

That post inspired my second cup of coffee, Blair. Thanks.

 

I think i'll need to brew a few cups more as well

 

Thanks Blair! Your post is information packed, and it's clear you have another disorder in addition to shaving, photography, and driving trucks well past their point of failure.

You have inspired me to clean the Bonavita and check out different coffees. I cleaned the pot last week by dissolving a dishwasher pod in boiling water and giving it a good soak. It completely removed the coffee stains and made it shiny new inside. My coffee cup has also been washed a couple of times in the past week, a quite unusual and controversial step for for an old engineer to take. Next thing you know...I'll be carrying pens in my shirt pocket without the requisite pocket protector. I am happy to report, though, that the calculator will ALWAYS be carried on my belt.

While we don't usually get beans, we last ordered Day Tripper and another bean I can't recall from a local roaster that was good. Occasionally I will use our French Press and a small hand grinder for a nice cup.

On the coffee/water ratio recommended by SCA...way too strong for my Bride, so we stick to the BCA (Bride Coffee Association) ratio.

Keep the coffee information coming!

 

Great post Blair. I love my Bonavita machine. It brews fantastic coffee quickly.

 

We have to brew separate coffee in our house. I vacillate between a Aeropress and a pour-over, with the occasional Chemex thrown in for good measure. Dr. Mrs. Primo...Melitta #2 pour-over is her daily ritual.

 

I'm gonna go heat up water in my percolator pot.

3 scoops Eight O'clock Columbian in the Bistro Burr grinder, 2 notches more coarse than 'auto-drip'

AeroPress, water at 190-205 full to top, stir, then top off more. 60 seconds total extraction time.

Dilute 45-50% hot water. Big 2X mug.

Only coffee I'd drink black, but don't.

Milk, cream, or uh-oh... Chocolate milk

2 sweet-n-low, yea I like the chemical taste.

Came to this after the 30 year old Braun gave up the ghost.

Never use the Chemex...... Way overrated. Buy a Melitta type.

Every cup....... Exactly the same. Better than that first cup from a good auto-drip.

Yum

 

Another great shave this morning, with the same arsenal as yesterday. 0:30 to load the Stoylin "No-Name" brush, with tips-only work. Suds are beginning to form in the soap. Good sign it's getting good work and doing its job. I could see that both sides of Porcupine Alley needed extra work to kill off the Astroturf. My initial thought was-"Gee, if I leave the Alley alone for jjst a couple days, a beard will form just like that". But naaah..killing it off was the better idea. Cactus Nation went well-nice and smooth there. No cuts/Knicks anywhere. Aqua Velva again to close. You Williams lovers tend to use Aqua Velva to finish your shaves, but AV is just as much at home with Down At The River(Central Texas Soaps). Once again, a Top Of The World Excellent shave.

 

Mr. Cawtuh, you set up your coffees for some good "perculatin'".

 

That's a nice setup, Keith!

 

Kinda like that ol' giant sucking sound, eh?

 

Love it, Pierpaolo!

 

Delightful GEM shave, Joe! Chatillon Lux makes every shave special.