EdipisReks1

This is not a surprise, re: Ode with SSP. It is very, very good for filter, but just doesn’t have the specificity for espresso. Good thing my Niche shipped.

That is the cheap one! Made a decent macchiato, but ground too fine. The Ode is just not suited to the task.

Trying to figure out why one of these was $50 and the other was $10, other than “Jacob is a gullible dipshit with a credit card:” The Subminimal is a little nicer, but it ain’t 5x nicer. 2.35x nicer, tops. The anodized finish on both is, as far as I can tell (and I used a loupe) absolutely identical.

Yemenia pour-over. 16:1 210F 3:30 draw. This is a fascinating coffee. Delicious. Thank you Covered_Ears!

I have no idea what she is like now, and I agree she isn’t a great singer. I think that relationship was abusive, but it was consensual (and I think pretty much only went one way, abuse wise). I don’t know what the word for that is, but if you find out let me know! It’s one I would use. Did not actually get fish fucking in The Shape of Water. Honestly I think GDT looked at the Abe Sapien costume and thought “I’d fuck that; I should make a movie about that.” The version I have had scenes in Russian with no subtitles. I don’t know if that is in purpose, but the two main characters couldn’t speak, so maybe? I’m aware that I’m talking about a movie from several years ago, but I’m in my backlog.

IMS makes espresso baskets. The Flair 58 has a standard sized portafilter, so you can use commercial parts. I choose IMS over VST due to cost and availability. A precision basket will be better than most of what is shipped with machines (Flair has a perfectly good basket, but it’s not precision). Makes a difference on extraction evenness. I’ve attached comparison pics. The IMS precision competition basket has a significantly different shape and is more free-flowing; also has very precise holes (hence “precision.” :)). Difference is not subtle.

The Shape of Water. I haven’t seen it before. I’ve been promised fish fucking. I had better get fish fucking. I mean, I watched it. I’m an obsessive Beatles fan. Have the Let It Be set here (didn’t even have to pay for it*). I think Yoko comes off as a perfectly nice person who happened to fall in love with the most famous person in the world. There were no villains. Not even the cops who tried to shut down Rooftop. Edit; auto correct error. *they probably meant to send it to somebody else.

Let’s see how you are talking after 5 years of weekends; we’ll have an idea of how the espresso is going by then.

Dunhill joined me for a movie, last night, after I turned on the space heater. Coraline, if anybody was interested (Field of Dreams, which I had never seen, was first. It was delightful, but Dunhill didn’t join for that). It wasn’t Bossa Nova, so Silver couldn’t be bothered. She loves Bossa Nova (especially when it’s a Stan Getz video; good taste) and ignores almost anything else. She stares intently and keeps perfect time with her ears (this is not a joke) to Bossa Nova music. I have video evidence.

I don’t understand how anybody complains that the Bellman doesn’t have enough steam pressure: it will produce as much pressure as you are brave enough to produce. It’s built about as tough as my Fissler pressure cooker, and the safety valve is… liberal, so I bet it’ll produce more pressure than I’m brave enough for, and I don’t have much of a fear impulse. I BARELY opened the valve for the vortex, and then slightly more for the stretch. I would have oat milk all over my kitchen if I had opened it all the way. I could have steamed several more drinks, with it off heat. No problem.

Still don’t have the Flair 58 dialed in (still going too coarse; getting turbos, though less so now), but I have the Bellman figured out. I could have done latte, but of course I don’t do latte art. The smug smiley face doesn’t count as latte art. Not terrible. Not bad for the second time I’ve used the Flair and the third time I have used the Bellman.

4 was too fine. But it’s a perfectly nice cup of washed Finca Los Andes. Just the basic Hoffman recipe. I find his basic recipes to be good starting points. Precisely zero bitterness, though. Not really any stronger than my standard V60 method, I would say. Chocolatey, nice brightness (this was a medium-light roast, water was 210F). Coats the back of the tongue nicely. It was certainly easy. I can see why my old roommate stole it from me 15 years ago. 13.75/250 would probably fill the mug, and is what I would do next time, and at a 5 on the SSP multipurpose (I grind rather fine for pour over, and this really wanted something closer to my pour over than espresso, based on the puck being a bit wet).

Why do I feel slightly intimidated? I’ve used one of these many times! I guess because the last time I used one I was buying pre-ground coffee. I do indeed have zero idea of where to grind on the Ode with SSP. I do espresso at 1.75 or so; pour-over is somewhere around 7. I guess start at 4? I suppose that is more than “zero idea.”

Good coffee day for Jacob. Sample of Yemenia from friendly and generous colleague arrived. AeroPress (I haven’t had one in years, since a roommate stole it) arrived. Niche Zero shipped. Zutto for Heather arrived. Funny enough, I have not had coffee today.

Marc, that isn’t an oboe. I specifically said “oboe.”

Niche has shipped! I’m very excited.

Holy shit fuck this movie is amazing.

50th anniversary on calibrated plasma? Yes please.

Al, if I weren’t vegan I would happily eat that. That is a nice hard mahogany sear.

Apparently I have a muppet. A muppet that pukes on me, but a muppet nonetheless.

Cauliflower Dal Fry and some really, really ugly naan (I ignored my own advice and didn’t measure, and this is the result: and you can tell which one was on a baking steel and which was on a cordierite baking stone). But the Dal was divine; the cauliflower dissolved into it but the lentils still had texture. Pressure cookers are magic. I would have been very happy to get this from a decent takeout joint (other than the ugly naan, though it tasted good enough), which is my benchmark for Indian food at home. A very beige meal, though. Used my new Tanaka R2 gyuto for the first time. It’s a dreamboat. Only had to give it a slight microbevel on a Rika followed by a chrome strop. I sold my previous Tanaka R2. Not selling this one. These really should be at least twice the price (they aren’t cheap, but they are too cheap for what they are, and what they are is just… sort of perfect.) I wish the spine and choil edges were a bit more broken, but it’s sort of the house style, and neither is uncomfortable in use. But even at half this price point I expect more rounded tactile grip edges. I can round it myself, but then I would have to re-etch, and I just don’t feel like dealing with Ferric Chloride anymore). Everything can be improved.

First shot with the Flair 58 pulled. I didn’t grind fine enough (first use, after all!) and it pulled as a turbo, 18.5 in 40 out in about 18 seconds. I’ll go substantially finer next time. It was acceptable, though, especially as a latte. I’m still getting too large of bubbles with the Bellman, but I think I’m using too much pressure (the Bellman is much more aggressive a steamer than my Breville is, and I’ve only used it twice, so I’m not beating myself up over it). All in all, not too bad! Also not an ugly puck. Zero channeling evident on the top side (it broke when I tried to flip it over, so you’ll have to take my word for it). I really like the IMS basket.

The journey is the point; if you just want espresso, go to Starbucks. Espresso is as close to zen as I can imagine something being where you still get to waste a lot of time and money.

I come up with reasonable ideas on occasion! Not often; on occasion.

I should probably use my new espresso machine before I buy a new new espresso machine, I guess.