Buying my gf a coffee set up for xmas

[ironchefscott]

So I live in Portland, we have amazing coffee here. But my gf's coffee setup blows.
I really have enjoyed drinking coffee from a chemex at some local coffee shops...but do you guys have any idea where to get the scales cheap that you can pour the coffee on top of? I have a scale that could weigh the coffee already but....I want one to set the chemex on top of to weigh the water I use.
Or am I just going the wrong route? I was thinking perhaps a french press as well.
here's the thing I am thinking of spending only about 120 tops.....I know....I should spend more...but any advice ideas?
oh yea and I need to get a grinder. Burr right?

 

[Skitalets]

Folks can probably guess my reaction, but I would say Aeropress!

Certainly for grinder, I don't think you can get a good electric burr grinder for under $100, but a nice hand grinder is affordable in that range.

 

[ironchefscott]

I have heard that the aeropress is a tricky one to brew properly with..thanks for you input skitalets! On that note how fast does coffee degrade once ground?
I know you want to grind it right before brewing but........will a week make that much of difference in your opinion?

 

[thejavaman]

I have heard that the aeropress is a tricky one to brew properly with..thanks for you input skitalets! On that note how fast does coffee degrade once ground?
I know you want to grind it right before brewing but........will a week make that much of difference in your opinion?

The Aeropress is easy as hell to use. Takes a little technique, but it becomes second nature after a while. It's a great little device. Also, grinding your coffee a week in advance will DRASTICALLY affect the cup character in a negative way. Roasted coffee begins to degrade within hours after roasting & again, exponentially even, after grinding. Grind only enough to use right then & store the rest (whole bean) in an airtight container (preferably with a one way degassing valve) away from light, heat & moisture.

 

[MoJo]

I have heard that the aeropress is a tricky one to brew properly with..thanks for you input skitalets! On that note how fast does coffee degrade once ground?
I know you want to grind it right before brewing but........will a week make that much of difference in your opinion?

The Aeropress is easy as hell to use. Takes a little technique, but it becomes second nature after a while. It's a great little device. Also, grinding your coffee a week in advance will DRASTICALLY affect the cup character in a negative way. Roasted coffee begins to degrade within hours after roasting & again, exponentially even, after grinding. Grind only enough to use right then & store the rest (whole bean) in an airtight container (preferably with a one way degassing valve) away from light, heat & moisture.

Sorry to hi jack the thread for a minute, but what is the technique needed for an aeropress? I use mine all the time and love it, my technique is to grind beans, put beans in areopress, pour small amount of hot water, stir in aeropress, pour in the rest of the water (depending on how strong I want it and how much coffee I grinded, usually to alittle above number 2), put in top, let sit for a minute, press top to push the water through, add any adittional water or milk to my cup and enjoy . Is there a better way?

back to the thread, I recommend the aeropress, easy to use, really easy to clean.

 

[thejavaman]

Sorry to hi jack the thread for a minute, but what is the technique needed for an aeropress?

Tons of different variations on basically the same thing:

http://worldaeropresschampionship.wordpress.com/recipes/

I exclusively use the inverted method with the coava disk (metal filter that lets the coffee oils through instead of being trapped in the paper filters):

http://coava.myshopify.com/products/disk-coffee-filter

 

[MoJo]

Sorry to hi jack the thread for a minute, but what is the technique needed for an aeropress?

Tons of different variations on basically the same thing:

http://worldaeropresschampionship.wordpress.com/recipes/

I exclusively use the inverted method with the coava disk (metal filter that lets the coffee oils through instead of being trapped in the paper filters):

http://coava.myshopify.com/products/disk-coffee-filter

Thanks, I am definitely going to try that filter and method

ironchefscott,

This is the burr grinder I have that cost $80, http://www.amazon.com/Capresso-Infinity-Conical-Grinder-8-5-Ounce/dp/B001QTVXCS/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1354664820&sr=8-11&keywords=burr+grinder, it does a good job grinding beans for me and easy to use, but it is not so easy to clean because a good amount of ground beans don't make it to the dispenser so to clean it you have to take out the grinder and wipe it down with the brush. I'm to lazy to do it daily, but typically do it once a week, only takes a minute. Don't know how it stacks up to others, but it works well enough for me.

 

[thejavaman]

I have a Capresso Infinity at work. Been a great little grinder for me. It's definitely not "espresso worthy", but it works great for everything else.

 

[ironchefscott]

thanks everyone for your opinion...think I am going handgrinder and doing a chemex...thinking next step will be an aeropress.