Possible to get espresso-level coffee without a machine?

[fuzzybabybunny]

Is it possible to get espresso-level richness without a machine that can build up the mechanical pressure to force water through grinds at a certain PSI? Something hand-operated? Or is something like the Aeropress or a Moka Pot the best there is?

 

[Eli]

Just grind your beans really fine, pack it into the filter and use small amounts of water in comparison... adjust to taste? I'm sure you could make drip coffee stronger than espresso if you wanted to..

 

[Hail The Brain Slug]

The Nomad

I'm not sure if it ever actually came out, though. I would look into a coldbrew machine instead.

 

[Kneedragger]

I would say the Moka Pot got me the closest.

 

[Eli]

Those products look pretty neat.. I guess I've been living under a rock.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

The Nomad

I'm not sure if it ever actually came out, though. I would look into a coldbrew machine instead.

Holy crap.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

On another note, getting the same taste and mouthfeel that you get from steamed milk would be really impossibly unless you had a machine, right?

I've tried to get "steamed" milk by pouring some in a glass jar, shaking it a bunch, and microwaving it. It, uh, wasn't exactly how I wanted it.

 

[DigDog]

espresso comes from "extra pressure" and no, you are not going to get it from a normal kettle, you need a machine. i've had surprisingly good results from a nespresso machine using the pre-packed coffee pods, and the machine is cheap:
http://www.johnlewis.com/nespresso-...d80c7fe&s_kwcid=402x356450&tmad=c&tmcampid=73

 

[destrekor]

The Nomad

I'm not sure if it ever actually came out, though. I would look into a coldbrew machine instead.

That is freaking awesome. Do want.

 

[MongGrel]

Aeropress works for me.

 

[CraKaJaX]

I've got a small 3C Moka Pot and the AeroPress. Personally speaking, if I am looking for espresso-strong coffee I think the Moka fits the bill better out of the two. The coffee is a lot stronger than from the Aero - even using the same beans.

 

[MongGrel]

I've got a small 3C Moka Pot and the AeroPress. Personally speaking, if I am looking for espresso-strong coffee I think the Moka fits the bill better out of the two. The coffee is a lot stronger than from the Aero - even using the same beans.

You'd know better than I , I do not have a Moka Pot.

I've been guilty of pouring it back into a Aeropress and pushing it a second time before ....

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

That is freaking awesome. Do want.

HELL NO.

http://www.amazon.com/UniTerra-Nomad-Espresso-Machine-Luminescent/dp/B00JSZQ4LM

Only $290!

 

[MongGrel]

Does seem a bit pricey for that, had not even looked at one.

 

[destrekor]

On another note, getting the same taste and mouthfeel that you get from steamed milk would be really impossibly unless you had a machine, right?

I've tried to get "steamed" milk by pouring some in a glass jar, shaking it a bunch, and microwaving it. It, uh, wasn't exactly how I wanted it.

You can approximate frothed milk that way, but the true steaming process requires actual steam immersion to nearly scald the milk while helping to "cook" some of the proteins and introduce microfoam. A high-quality machine achieves this with a simple steam wand and some manipulation of immersion level by hand. Most home machines don't have the requisite pressure and will include some type of trick with a "frothing" method build into the steam wand to introduce more of the foam, but it won't be true microfoam.



....

The best you can hope for when it comes to espresso-level coffee (minus the milk for latte or cappuccino) is to use fine grind, appropriate water temperature (nearest 190ºF as you can get), and use something like a moka pot or french press. I think a moka pot might be the closest you can get.

In either case, a moka pot and french press can both produce a very strong concentrated coffee, should you prepare it that way, but they will always have a different flavor profile due to the difference in extraction temperature, pressure, and thus time.

 

[Artdeco]

Looks like the Nomad OS in production

http://www.amazon.com/UniTerra-Noma...qid=1446205316&sr=8-1&keywords=Nomad+espresso

Look on Amazon, there are several ways to get frothed milk.

 

[CraKaJaX]

You'd know better than I , I do not have a Moka Pot.

I've been guilty of pouring it back into a Aeropress and pushing it a second time before ....

For $20 I'd say a 3C Moka is worth the investment if you're a coffee addict. It's especially nice for traveling. I just recently bought some hario stuff to give drip coffee a try too:

http://www.amazon.com/Hario-VDC-02W...UTF8&qid=1446205351&sr=1-2&keywords=hario+v60

http://www.amazon.com/Hario-Range-C..._UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=0NG2EBPGAG6ZXT2TM2FA

One thing is for sure - the drip saves me a lot of time in the morning compared to the Aero. In order to fill my to-go mug, I had to go through the Aero twice. Yea it was probably 5-7 minutes.... but 5 minutes in the morning while getting ready for work is something I can barely afford

 

[destrekor]

HELL NO.

http://www.amazon.com/UniTerra-Nomad-Espresso-Machine-Luminescent/dp/B00JSZQ4LM

Only $290!

Well shit, nevermind. You can get an actual quality espresso machine (which requires electricity, sure) for the same price or less. And I'd much rather the real machine versus the hand-crank portable.

I cannot believe they are asking that much per unit. That's just ridiculous.

The only benefit that offers is the portable size. Otherwise, if you are camping without electricity, you can still get a good portable power device and espresso machine for around the same price, depending on quality of both items. For trail hiking, yeah, that won't do, but outside of having too much money and a demand for espresso or bust, I'd rather just accept other types of portable coffee. So what if they don't create true espresso, they don't cost nearly $300.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Well shit, nevermind. You can get an actual quality espresso machine (which requires electricity, sure) for the same price or less. And I'd much rather the real machine versus the hand-crank portable.

I cannot believe they are asking that much per unit. That's just ridiculous.

The only benefit that offers is the portable size. Otherwise, if you are camping without electricity, you can still get a good portable power device and espresso machine for around the same price, depending on quality of both items. For trail hiking, yeah, that won't do, but outside of having too much money and a demand for espresso or bust, I'd rather just accept other types of portable coffee. So what if they don't create true espresso, they don't cost nearly $300.

Yeah, they went full retard with the price. Just completely full retard. By about $200.

I wouldn't want to travel with that thing either. It's not compact and it juts out at weird angles which would make packing difficult.

 

[MongGrel]

You can approximate frothed milk that way, but the true steaming process requires actual steam immersion to nearly scald the milk while helping to "cook" some of the proteins and introduce microfoam. A high-quality machine achieves this with a simple steam wand and some manipulation of immersion level by hand. Most home machines don't have the requisite pressure and will include some type of trick with a "frothing" method build into the steam wand to introduce more of the foam, but it won't be true microfoam.



....

The best you can hope for when it comes to espresso-level coffee (minus the milk for latte or cappuccino) is to use fine grind, appropriate water temperature (nearest 190ºF as you can get), and use something like a moka pot or french press. I think a moka pot might be the closest you can get.

In either case, a moka pot and french press can both produce a very strong concentrated coffee, should you prepare it that way, but they will always have a different flavor profile due to the difference in extraction temperature, pressure, and thus time.

All of the above is true of course.

But is why I have a separate tea kettle I get to boiling and let it cool a little before pouring and usually grind the beans fine in the Aeropress. We still use a drip maker now and then.

Personally, we can't justify $300 for an espresso maker in our house.

Just have one of these cheapos the wife uses early in the morning on weekends a lot to knock a half pot out I guess.

Not cutting edge, but not bad either.

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-BVM...UTF8&qid=1446206182&sr=1-1&keywords=mr+coffee

But that is off topic, sorry.

 

[destrekor]

All of the above is true of course.

But is why I have a separate tea kettle I get to boiling and let it cool a little before pouring and usually grind the beans fine in the Aeropress. We still use a drip maker now and then.

Personally, we can't justify $300 for an espresso maker in our house.

Just have one of these cheapos the wife uses early in the morning on weekends a lot to knock a half pot out I guess.

Not cutting edge, but not bad either.

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-BVM...UTF8&qid=1446206182&sr=1-1&keywords=mr+coffee

But that is off topic, sorry.

Mine is packed away at the moment, but I have a Hamilton Beach espresso machine, I think it is this model (http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-40729-Espresso-Cappuccino/dp/B0006FU8AG), out of production now. I have no idea how the current ones rank, but I remember seeing some reviews from espresso and coffee sites that were pretty impressed with it, especially considering the $75 price (or about $90 perhaps). Very inexpensive, and I've been very impressed with it as a cheap machine. It doesn't at all match good quality machines when it comes to steaming, especially because it has a very small boiler.

 

[Muse]

I have a stove top two level affair, Italian made, the type that you see in polygonal cross sections made of aluminum, but mine is circular cross sections and stainless steel. It's kind of like this but better looking:

Venus Espresso Coffee Maker, Stainless Steel, 6 cup

I have made countless thousands of cups of coffee in this, well, close to 30,000, I figure. I can make it virtually as strong as espresso, but I prefer a weaker coffee. That way I don't have to drink water. I think that water should never pass your lips. Uh, I always buy organic coffee. I get the stuff at Costco, grind it in my 600W Osterizer blender (which I also got at Costco).

I do grind my coffee really fine.

I have adapted my coffee maker. It came with a little round ~2.25" diameter stainless perforated barrier with a knob on top to filter out the grounds. I don't use that. Instead I cut ordinary paper coffee filters (the kind that you can press flat and are 5-6 inches in diameter) into ~2.25" diameter pieces to use in the coffee maker between the ground coffee and the chamber that receives the brewed coffee. I get 4 of these rounds out of one paper filter. One of these filters will last for a dozen or more coffee brewing sessions before I need to replace it (they either start to tear or start getting too clogged to work efficiently). I made a kind of compass device to which I have attached a razor blade to cut my custom filters. Once in a while I sit down and make a fresh batch of filters, around 100, which will last me a couple of years or so. This arrangement is very efficient in making an excellent ~14 oz. cup of coffee.

I do not believe in grinding coffee every time. I grind about 2 pounds of coffee at a time, store 1/2 in the refrigerator, leave the rest out in a plastic container. I don't believe that more frequent grinding is beneficial, particularly if you grind very fine like I do.

 

[sdifox]

On another note, getting the same taste and mouthfeel that you get from steamed milk would be really impossibly unless you had a machine, right?

I've tried to get "steamed" milk by pouring some in a glass jar, shaking it a bunch, and microwaving it. It, uh, wasn't exactly how I wanted it.

french press.

 

[CraKaJaX]

I do not believe in grinding coffee every time. I grind about 2 pounds of coffee at a time, store 1/2 in the refrigerator, leave the rest out in a plastic container. I don't believe that more frequent grinding is beneficial, particularly if you grind very fine like I do.

I'm curious as to why you believe this?

 

[destrekor]

I'm curious as to why you believe this?

Seriously. Believe all one wants, but by grinding in advance and leaving your grind to rest, so, you are actually bleeding your coffee of the oils that make it that much better. You end up with coffee that does not have the full flavor and is lifeless.

Not only do you lose oil, it is oxidized.

The finer you grind, the more oil is lost to oxidation, and the faster it is lost.