iteachcoffee

Grind is critical, no compaction. If it runs too slow, micro adjust to a courser grind. Too fast, adjust finer. Use fresh roasted coffee for best results. You want a honey like flow.

these?: http://www.truthcoffee.com/shop/equipment/refillable-pods/

he may be!

Solenoids last six months to six years! Replace when they pop. The Head seal every six months to a year, as they get hard and brittle they stop sealing. Descaling is usually pricey. What area are you in? generally only needed after many years unless in a hard water area....

Invert it!

Rather don't, rather buy a blind filter. Should set you back around R30-50 bucks, pop out your filter from your handle, pop in the blind and flush. I actually recommend, if you have multiple portafilter handles, to set one up as a blind permanently, and toss out the single basket. BTW backflush every time you finish using the machine in a domestic environment, and backflush with coffee detergent (TSP) weekly. Commercially, every 2 hours backflush, and detergent daily. otherwise coffee oils are going to make themselves known. And man they are bitter.

sort of...

it is true for all methods, too fine, and too many of the solubles are released, ensuring bitterness, also too hot will cause this or too long a contact time. We call this over-extraction. The opposite isalso true, under-extraction tastes sour...

same day may taste stronger, it isn't. fresh roasted coffee "off-gasses" giving off ±14x it's own volume in CO2, giving it an odd fizzy flavour, it tastes better when it settles. perhaps this is confused with stronger? I always leave coffee 24 hours before doing quality control testing, called cupping.

buy local! (I am biased, but not without good reason

a good rocket or expobar will set you back 12-20k and a decent grinder 3k-8k then a tamper, milk jugs, filters etc another ±1k... PM me if you want specifics...

the grinder usually matters more. Start by not compromising on a good robust burr grinder...

would you like a pink unicorn with that? Quality and convenience and price form a triangle, you have to decide which to prioritise

dont remove from the freezer and use. Let them get to room temperature before opening. Dont let them suck moisture to them. Seriously, don't bother. Buy less more often, and fresh. ultimately better and less hassle

it remains a compromise. Buy small quantities often. Weekly or bi-weekly

green beans are at their best from 3-4 days after roasting till 3 weeks. They fall off sharply after around 4 weeks. They go flat and woody. Green beans themselves last up to a year depending on storage. Vacuum packed is best. (for gree, not roasted. Store roasted in a cool dark place, in an airtight container. No, not the fridge or freezer)

I like them tastebuds!

or you could order direct from most Coffee Roasters, PM me and I can give you my website (not going to spam everybody here with a URL)

I like the order you posted that in....

Turns out that riding your bike increases your life expectancy dramatically. Wearing a helmet, may make you safer in certain circumstances (almost statistically insignificantly) Helmet laws, making helmets mandatory, kill absolutely. See my earlier post. (fewer riders cause more riders to be killed by brain dead or blind drivers) Ride. Don't have laws and leave helmet wearing to personal choice.

Ok. Time to apply thought and reason in this debate. To all of you with helmet stories, the collective noun for anecdote is not statistics. Helmets, as a fact, are very beneficial for bicycle riders under the age of sixteen. Well documented, evidence based, reasoning. If you are in a head injury, wearing a helmet as an individual MAY help often. As a society however, it turns out that helmet wear and particularly mandated helmet wear causes more and more severe injuries. Helmet laws cause fewer people to ride, and then less often. Fewer riders on the road is the single biggest negative contributor to bike safety. For some unknown reason, cars pass much closer to helmeted riders. A few more facts that matter: Helmet design specs are doltish. Crown of head at speeds below 20km/h. That isn't how we hurt our heads. Sport riding does demand good helmets, particularly mountain biking. But the helmets (mostly) aren't designed our needs, but around those specs and dumb marketing. In conclusion, helmet choice NEEDS to be personal and not mandatory. Stop worrying about others and choose for yourself (unless they are kids) see these references: http://www.badscience.net/2013/12/bicycle-helmets-and-the-law-a-perfect-teaching-case-for-epidemiology/ British Journal of Medicine: http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f3817?ijkey=I5vHBog6FhaaLzX&keytype=ref The TED Talk video: my 2 cents

yup! that is the one, and that was me!

err, that may have been me!