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I go to Kaffe Stugan every Sunday afternoon to get great coffee, but I recently upgraded my morning routine and get incredible coffee at home now, too. Thought I’d share this tip for any other coffee drinkers, I got all this stuff on Taobao recently.
A coffee drinking friend of mine brought my attention to the Aeropress, which is like a french press but produces much better results, and faster with less cleanup. Makes one badass cup of coffee (that beats Starbucks) in about 60 seconds. I got one on Taobao for about 180 kuai: Aeropress on Taobao
If you have the Aeropress you’re going to want to be grinding your own beans. You can use an electric grinder but that’s not how a true boss would do it. For that you will need a hand grinder, like a Japanese-made Hario hand grinder which produces a much more consistant grind. I got one on Taobao for 130 yuan: Hario MSS-1B on Taobao
As far as beans go, you can easily go with beans imported from Italy, Colombia, or pretty much anywhere (available online or at places like Treat). Yunnan province produces decent beans as well though, and at very low cost. I got these Yunnan beans for 30 yuan: Yunnan coffee beans on Taobao
Here’s a Youtube clip of the Aeropress in action so you can see what it is. It’s basically a plunger that looks like science lab equipment.
I’m looking forward to making iced coffee with this in the summer, too.
Thats a great price for a hand grinder. I got a Japanese-made one in the US for about double the price (and found the same one at Ito Yokado for even more.)
I also saw that Carrefour has coffee cones now, maybe the filters too. That’s what I’ve been using for years, but it’s not as fast as that press.
Quote:Thats a great price for a hand grinder. I got a Japanese-made one in the US for about double the price (and found the same one at Ito Yokado for even more.)It is a fantastic price. It’s significantly more if you’re buying in the US on Amazon. It might have something to do with the product being Japanese (even the instruction manual is in Japanese only).
I got a French press at Ikea for 60rmb does the job and a lot cheaper than the French presses in Starbucks. Regarding take away coffee I always go to Cafe Dak opposite Dicos on Kehua Lu just don’t try the salt coffee.
I got a French press at Ikea for 60rmb does the job and a lot cheaper than the French presses in Starbucks. Regarding take away coffee I always go to Cafe Dak opposite Dicos on Kehua Lu just don’t try the salt coffee.
I got a French press at Ikea for 60rmb does the job and a lot cheaper than the French presses in Starbucks. Regarding take away coffee I always go to Cafe Dak opposite Dicos on Kehua Lu just don’t try the salt coffee.
…is at my house!
Screw hand grinders, I’m sure coffee hipsters dig ’em, but I prefer a conical burr grinder as it’s the only way you’re going to get a nice even fine ground for espresso. I was using a Breville until it broke, so instead I picked up a Delonghi (KG89) on taobao for little over $100.
The real bad boy is my Maillard Stovetop Espresso Maker that I picked up in Canada. A tad pricey, but it makes a good 8 shots of rocket fuel per boil.
I’ve seen decent beans available on Taobao, though I personally buy mine from a roaster close by Chunxi Lu. You can generally pick up beans no older than 10 days or so for 120 RMB per 500g bag. I buy their espresso beans that smell like chocolate when kept in a vacuum container.
😉
…is at my house!
Screw hand grinders, I’m sure coffee hipsters dig ’em, but I prefer a conical burr grinder as it’s the only way you’re going to get a nice even fine ground for espresso. I was using a Breville until it broke, so instead I picked up a Delonghi (KG89) on taobao for little over $100.
The real bad boy is my Maillard Stovetop Espresso Maker that I picked up in Canada. A tad pricey, but it makes a good 8 shots of rocket fuel per boil.
I’ve seen decent beans available on Taobao, though I personally buy mine from a roaster close by Chunxi Lu. You can generally pick up beans no older than 10 days or so for 120 RMB per 500g bag. I buy their espresso beans that smell like chocolate when kept in a vacuum container.
😉
…is at my house!
Screw hand grinders, I’m sure coffee hipsters dig ’em, but I prefer a conical burr grinder as it’s the only way you’re going to get a nice even fine ground for espresso. I was using a Breville until it broke, so instead I picked up a Delonghi (KG89) on taobao for little over $100.
The real bad boy is my Maillard Stovetop Espresso Maker that I picked up in Canada. A tad pricey, but it makes a good 8 shots of rocket fuel per boil.
I’ve seen decent beans available on Taobao, though I personally buy mine from a roaster close by Chunxi Lu. You can generally pick up beans no older than 10 days or so for 120 RMB per 500g bag. I buy their espresso beans that smell like chocolate when kept in a vacuum container.
😉
Quote:Screw hand grinders, I’m sure coffee hipsters dig ’em, but I prefer a conical burr grinder as it’s the only way you’re going to get a nice even fine ground for espresso. I was using a Breville until it broke, so instead I picked up a Delonghi (KG89) on taobao for little over $100.The real bad boy is my Maillard Stovetop Espresso Maker that I picked up in Canada. A tad pricey, but it makes a good 8 shots of rocket fuel per boil.
I’ve seen decent beans available on Taobao, though I personally buy mine from a roaster close by Chunxi Lu. You can generally pick up beans no older than 10 days or so for 120 RMB per 500g bag. I buy their espresso beans that smell like chocolate when kept in a vacuum container.
That is quite an industrial set up you have, props!!
The Hario is a conical burr grinder, by the way. Ceramic burrs which stay sharp and can be cleaned with water. I grind a small amount of beans for each cup individually which doesn’t consume more than one minute. While I’m grinding, the boiling water from my electric kettle cools off for exactly one minute to get to 80 degrees celsius which is the ideal temperature for extraction. The Hario is very much a grind-as-you-go grinder, not intended for grinding a lot of beans at once. It meets all of my criteria: small, inexpensive, consistant, adjustable grind.
It’s definitely a process which I’m looking to improve though. There are a lot of different brew methods with the Aeropress in particular – one popular variation is the inverted brew method. There are others, and even entire websites dedicated collecting brew methods.
Quote:Screw hand grinders, I’m sure coffee hipsters dig ’em, but I prefer a conical burr grinder as it’s the only way you’re going to get a nice even fine ground for espresso. I was using a Breville until it broke, so instead I picked up a Delonghi (KG89) on taobao for little over $100.The real bad boy is my Maillard Stovetop Espresso Maker that I picked up in Canada. A tad pricey, but it makes a good 8 shots of rocket fuel per boil.
I’ve seen decent beans available on Taobao, though I personally buy mine from a roaster close by Chunxi Lu. You can generally pick up beans no older than 10 days or so for 120 RMB per 500g bag. I buy their espresso beans that smell like chocolate when kept in a vacuum container.
That is quite an industrial set up you have, props!!
The Hario is a conical burr grinder, by the way. Ceramic burrs which stay sharp and can be cleaned with water. I grind a small amount of beans for each cup individually which doesn’t consume more than one minute. While I’m grinding, the boiling water from my electric kettle cools off for exactly one minute to get to 80 degrees celsius which is the ideal temperature for extraction. The Hario is very much a grind-as-you-go grinder, not intended for grinding a lot of beans at once. It meets all of my criteria: small, inexpensive, consistant, adjustable grind.
It’s definitely a process which I’m looking to improve though. There are a lot of different brew methods with the Aeropress in particular – one popular variation is the inverted brew method. There are others, and even entire websites dedicated collecting brew methods.
Quote:Screw hand grinders, I’m sure coffee hipsters dig ’em, but I prefer a conical burr grinder as it’s the only way you’re going to get a nice even fine ground for espresso. I was using a Breville until it broke, so instead I picked up a Delonghi (KG89) on taobao for little over $100.The real bad boy is my Maillard Stovetop Espresso Maker that I picked up in Canada. A tad pricey, but it makes a good 8 shots of rocket fuel per boil.
I’ve seen decent beans available on Taobao, though I personally buy mine from a roaster close by Chunxi Lu. You can generally pick up beans no older than 10 days or so for 120 RMB per 500g bag. I buy their espresso beans that smell like chocolate when kept in a vacuum container.
That is quite an industrial set up you have, props!!
The Hario is a conical burr grinder, by the way. Ceramic burrs which stay sharp and can be cleaned with water. I grind a small amount of beans for each cup individually which doesn’t consume more than one minute. While I’m grinding, the boiling water from my electric kettle cools off for exactly one minute to get to 80 degrees celsius which is the ideal temperature for extraction. The Hario is very much a grind-as-you-go grinder, not intended for grinding a lot of beans at once. It meets all of my criteria: small, inexpensive, consistant, adjustable grind.
It’s definitely a process which I’m looking to improve though. There are a lot of different brew methods with the Aeropress in particular – one popular variation is the inverted brew method. There are others, and even entire websites dedicated collecting brew methods.
Quote:It’s definitely a process which I’m looking to improve though. There are a lot of different brew methods with the Aeropress in particular – one popular variation is the inverted brew method. There are others, and even entire websites dedicated collecting brew methods.Believe it. I’ve traded days off my lifespan in search of good coffee and accouterments. It’s a slippery slope, but once you’re making decent coffee for yourself you don’t have trouble justifying the time or expense. My next buy would be a mid priced espresso machine, of which there are countless to choose from. A shame being in China makes it all the more expensive, but again the black gold you end up with is worth the effort.
Quote:It’s definitely a process which I’m looking to improve though. There are a lot of different brew methods with the Aeropress in particular – one popular variation is the inverted brew method. There are others, and even entire websites dedicated collecting brew methods.Believe it. I’ve traded days off my lifespan in search of good coffee and accouterments. It’s a slippery slope, but once you’re making decent coffee for yourself you don’t have trouble justifying the time or expense. My next buy would be a mid priced espresso machine, of which there are countless to choose from. A shame being in China makes it all the more expensive, but again the black gold you end up with is worth the effort.
Quote:It’s definitely a process which I’m looking to improve though. There are a lot of different brew methods with the Aeropress in particular – one popular variation is the inverted brew method. There are others, and even entire websites dedicated collecting brew methods.Believe it. I’ve traded days off my lifespan in search of good coffee and accouterments. It’s a slippery slope, but once you’re making decent coffee for yourself you don’t have trouble justifying the time or expense. My next buy would be a mid priced espresso machine, of which there are countless to choose from. A shame being in China makes it all the more expensive, but again the black gold you end up with is worth the effort.
I nearly bought one of those Aeropress machines last year in Taiwan. I’d never heard of it before or since, so it’s good to hear some feedback on it.
Personally, I use a French press (called a “plunger” where I’m from) and one of those little battery-operated frothers from Ikea to froth up the (pre-heated) milk.
But am seriously considering investing in one of these La Sorrentina Atomics, which my friends in Australia have. It’s a stovetop but has the same kind of portafilter as a commercial espresso machine, as well as a milk steamer spout. A year after trying it for the first time, my girlfriend still won’t shut up about how good the coffee is.
I nearly bought one of those Aeropress machines last year in Taiwan. I’d never heard of it before or since, so it’s good to hear some feedback on it.
Personally, I use a French press (called a “plunger” where I’m from) and one of those little battery-operated frothers from Ikea to froth up the (pre-heated) milk.
But am seriously considering investing in one of these La Sorrentina Atomics, which my friends in Australia have. It’s a stovetop but has the same kind of portafilter as a commercial espresso machine, as well as a milk steamer spout. A year after trying it for the first time, my girlfriend still won’t shut up about how good the coffee is.
I nearly bought one of those Aeropress machines last year in Taiwan. I’d never heard of it before or since, so it’s good to hear some feedback on it.
Personally, I use a French press (called a “plunger” where I’m from) and one of those little battery-operated frothers from Ikea to froth up the (pre-heated) milk.
But am seriously considering investing in one of these La Sorrentina Atomics, which my friends in Australia have. It’s a stovetop but has the same kind of portafilter as a commercial espresso machine, as well as a milk steamer spout. A year after trying it for the first time, my girlfriend still won’t shut up about how good the coffee is.
Quote:I nearly bought one of those Aeropress machines last year in Taiwan. I’d never heard of it before or since, so it’s good to hear some feedback on it.The Aeropress brings a ridiculous value proposition – $25 for world class coffee. You could spend an entire weekend reading all of the Amazon reviews. If you aren’t trying to spend $400+ on coffee equipment, I would go straight to the Aeropress.
If you want a “real” espresso, you need an espresso machine which can create the 8-9 bar of pressure, but moka pots (aka stovetop espresso makers) get the job done too. This stuff can quickly get crazy expensive as Brendan says. But in my opinion this kind of equipment is like watches – you either buy something cheap that gets the job done, or you spend a ton on something that’s with you for decades.
Either way, I still enjoy the experience of going to Kaffe Stugan – they’re so friendly and knowledgeable – but otherwise I don’t feel the need to get coffee anywhere else!
Quote:I nearly bought one of those Aeropress machines last year in Taiwan. I’d never heard of it before or since, so it’s good to hear some feedback on it.The Aeropress brings a ridiculous value proposition – $25 for world class coffee. You could spend an entire weekend reading all of the Amazon reviews. If you aren’t trying to spend $400+ on coffee equipment, I would go straight to the Aeropress.
If you want a “real” espresso, you need an espresso machine which can create the 8-9 bar of pressure, but moka pots (aka stovetop espresso makers) get the job done too. This stuff can quickly get crazy expensive as Brendan says. But in my opinion this kind of equipment is like watches – you either buy something cheap that gets the job done, or you spend a ton on something that’s with you for decades.
Either way, I still enjoy the experience of going to Kaffe Stugan – they’re so friendly and knowledgeable – but otherwise I don’t feel the need to get coffee anywhere else!
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