Need help with buying a coffee espresso maker

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My south indian coffee filter steel container is breaking apart at the edges. any recommendations for a similar device?

Yeah, replace it with Sofi72 and then try out specialist roasts with it. But only dark roasts will work. IIANM

^This steel container is flexible and works across a wide range of grinds from coarse Turkish all the way to espresso fine. But not the one you get in stores

Here's an Indian reviewer who knows what he's talking about

 

[tech.addict]

For VFM coffee which is a daily driver I like coffee from Hunkal height. Their Aranya gold and house blend is good quality coffee which is very well priced (at around 600 Rs per kg). Their site recently went down. You can contact them at hunkalcoffee@gmail.com or at 9886000788. I have ordered multiple times, they are trust worthy.
There is also a monthly payday sale at somethingbrewings. They offer some good discount sometimed.
Most of the roasters if you buy directly from them mention exact roasting date. But if you buy the same from amazon/swiggy/zomato will mention the month maximum. This will be the case even for Blue Tokai.

 

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Blue Tokai has many cafe's in bangalore

Looking at the hot coffee->pour over allows to customise by roast and a choice of three different kinds of beans

Try before you buy

Indian Coffee Roaster List | Notion

Follow @mumbaicoffeecollective on Instagram for more updates

ashwink-tech.notion.site

And

https://www.reddit.com/r/IndiaCoffee/s/s3jHk0nDhH

That is a really exhaustive list. Awesome.

Keep scrolling to the right of the spreadsheet and you will find the city the roaster is based which should make for cheaper delivery. Spreadsheet appears read only so can't sort it by city

 

[6pack]

Yeah, replace it with Sofi72 and then try out specialist roasts with it. But only dark roasts will work. IIANM

Rs.2500 for a south indian coffee filter! nah, i think i'll buy a french press. Only the bottom part of my south indian filter is cracking at the top edge. I'll try using my SIF without the damper and directly over a coffee mug. didnt like the damper one bit. i tried to flatten it but the pin in center was too thick and jutting out.

 

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Rs.2500 for a south indian coffee filter! nah, i think i'll buy a french press. Only the bottom part of my south indian filter is cracking at the top edge. I'll try using my SIF without the damper and directly over a coffee mug. didnt like the damper one bit. i tried to flatten it but the pin in center was too thick and jutting out.

Yeah, this isn't your regular SIF. If you watch the video you will understand why this product was made. Precision costs more and leads to consistency meaning you reach that right mix without too much effort. They have a Facebook community for their customers to share recipes. With speciality coffees this is essential considering it works across roasts from light to dark. This is an attempt to standardise so everyone does not have to reinvent the wheel. kudos to the these people for trying.

Otherwise you can't reliably share recipes with the traditional filter for the below reasons.

The traditional South Indian filter comes in varying sizes, shapes, dimensions and even materials in stores across India. Eliminating the variances from one brewer to the next means that people around the world can now create their own recipes and share it with others.

SOFI 72 is made from high-quality food-grade stainless steel (SS 304). We have gone through extensive QC to ensure:

• Minimum variance in hole size within the capabilities of the manual punch process.
• Similar coverage of the holes on the filter across units. This is proved to be the most important factor in getting similar brew results from one unit to the next.
• That all brewers have a 72.5mm filter.

Because SOFI brews at atmospheric pressure, it is a lot more forgiving than something like espresso. Our extensive testing has shown that long as the brewers have the same filter size, approximately the same number of holes that are well spaced and distributed evenly, and made from the same material, you can consistently replicate recipes across units!

 

[6pack]

Yeah, this isn't your regular SIF. If you watch the video you will understand why this product was made. Precision costs more and leads to consistency meaning you reach that right mix without too much effort. They have a Facebook community for their customers to share recipes. With speciality coffees this is essential considering it works across roasts from light to dark. This is an attempt to standardise so everyone does not have to reinvent the wheel. kudos to the these people for trying.

Otherwise you can't reliably share recipes with the traditional filter for the below reasons.

yes, i saw the video. I saw they spent 35k on just one sif machine and found it made not much different coffee from regular sif. i still think 2.5k for one sif is too much. this is my point of view and dont take it too personally, i think coffee enthusiasts are like audio enthusiasts. they think spending a lot on equipment gives better results. too much money to burn or its a rich people time pass hobby probably. sorry, i dont want to be in this club. not for me buddy. i dont care about consistency or ground size or anything. i just want a cup of coffee every day within minutes and enjoy it instead of fretting on tiny details etc. I'm not going to sell the coffee i make or start a business. i dont care if the brew is dark or bitter or smooth. i dont want to be in this coffee lovers club.

I think these points are just marketing bs.

SOFI 72 is made from high-quality food-grade stainless steel (SS 304). We have gone through extensive QC to ensure:

• Minimum variance in hole size within the capabilities of the manual punch process.
• Similar coverage of the holes on the filter across units. This is proved to be the most important factor in getting similar brew results from one unit to the next.
• That all brewers have a 72.5mm filter.

Because SOFI brews at atmospheric pressure, it is a lot more forgiving than something like espresso. Our extensive testing has shown that long as the brewers have the same filter size, approximately the same number of holes that are well spaced and distributed evenly, and made from the same material, you can consistently replicate recipes across units!

Lot of sif on amazon are made from stainless steel including 304 grade steel.All those bullet points hold true for other sif makers who have their own in house factory. If i have my own sif factory and use the same hole making machine and the same template, i will get consistent resuts every time. I'm not going to spend time drilling holes in different places every batch.

Because SOFI brews at atmospheric pressure, it is a lot more forgiving than something like espresso. What? Why are they are comparing it to those fancy coffee machines with 10+ bar pressure. Is it because it costs 2.5k and they need to justify the price? All this looks like snake oil to me. I doubt there's not much difference between their SIF and a regular SIF bought from store.

 

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I think these points are just marketing bs.

Lot of sif on amazon are made from stainless steel including 304 grade steel.All those bullet points hold true for other sif makers who have their own in house factory. If i have my own sif factory and use the same hole making machine and the same template, i will get consistent resuts every time. I'm not going to spend time drilling holes in different places every batch.

Yes and so long as people buy from that same factory they will have consistent results. But you cannot do that since these are unbranded generic products. So everyone ends buying from different factories which is the case today.

Because SOFI brews at atmospheric pressure, it is a lot more forgiving than something like espresso. What? Why are they are comparing it to those fancy coffee machines with 10+ bar pressure. Is it because it costs 2.5k and they need to justify the price? All this looks like snake oil to me. I doubt there's not much difference between their SIF and a regular SIF bought from store.

If you do it all yourself. No, there isn't. But if you want to try out different coffees and want to know what others did then you will have to figure it all out by yourself and vice versa. This product removes that effort as everyone is using a similar product. Not snake oil this is a niche product for a specific purpose.

You can't compare with prices in the store. They are selling abroad which is why the price is on the higher side

 

[uzerdelhi]

All this is so confusing lol
Can someone suggest me where to start? What should equipment should i buy and what coffee? I want to keep it cheap for now. I'm willing to sacrifice the taste for experience
As for the coffee i would like, i want it to be a bit on the sweeter side when used in cappuccinos

Want to keep both equipment + coffee under 1k for starting out

 

[booo]

All this is so confusing lol
Can someone suggest me where to start? What should equipment should i buy and what coffee? I want to keep it cheap for now. I'm willing to sacrifice the taste for experience
As for the coffee i would like, i want it to be a bit on the sweeter side when used in cappuccinos

Want to keep both equipment + coffee under 1k for starting out

Coffee world is similar to audiophile world and it could become a money pit. So first of all decide what kind coffee you want to drink? Black coffee, milk coffee or cappuccino, espresso and other types. Black coffee is the healthiest and cheapest to begin with.

 

[uzerdelhi]

Coffee world is similar to audiophile world and it could become a money pit. So first of all decide what kind coffee you want to drink? Black coffee, milk coffee or cappuccino, espresso and other types. Black coffee is the healthiest and cheapest to begin with.

Something on the sweeter side, def milk coffee / cappuccino (I thought milk coffee and cappuccinos were the same thing?)

 

[tech.addict]

Want to keep both equipment + coffee under 1k for starting out

If you drink black you can get a French press in around 600 Rs. Rest you spend for coffee. Buy the Aranya gold from Hunkal height, it's a medium roast, a good daily driver at around 300 Rs for 500 gm.
If you want sweetened milk coffee, you can add condensed milk to the brew, in that way volume of the brew will not get diluted.

 

[tearphones]

Something on the sweeter side, def milk coffee / cappuccino (I thought milk coffee and cappuccinos were the same thing?)

You can do what I did to get started:

- buy a 3-cup size moka pot (Rs 4,000 on amazon, or Rs 4,800 on their official distributor in India)
- buy some medium or medium-dark beans: M.S. Estate is good. (Rs. 580). Get them pre-ground to moka pot grind size.
- follow the instructions on how to brew (also see the first comment on that video if you need a text version).
- buy full-fat milk from your neighborhood, heat it separately, and add it to your cup along with the moka pot coffee. (Do not get skim milk, as the moka pot will already produce more dilute liquid than an espresso machine).

This will get you started. After you enjoy this for sometime (3-6 months), see if you want to graduate to a good grinder.

 

[Mr.J]

Something on the sweeter side, def milk coffee / cappuccino (I thought milk coffee and cappuccinos were the same thing?)

No, cappuccino has milk foam on top.
Only milk and coffee is called 'flat white'.

 

[booo]

No, cappuccino has milk foam on top.
Only milk and coffee is called 'flat white'.

Cappuccino will also get you into crazy world of espresso machines.

 

[uzerdelhi]

If you drink black you can get a French press in around 600 Rs. Rest you spend for coffee. Buy the Aranya gold from Hunkal height, it's a medium roast, a good daily driver at around 300 Rs for 500 gm.
If you want sweetened milk coffee, you can add condensed milk to the brew, in that way volume of the brew will not get diluted.

I want milk coffee / cappucino for starters

You can do what I did to get started:

- buy a 3-cup size moka pot (Rs 4,000 on amazon, or Rs 4,800 on their official distributor in India)
- buy some medium or medium-dark beans: M.S. Estate is good. (Rs. 580). Get them pre-ground to moka pot grind size.
- follow the instructions on how to brew (also see the first comment on that video if you need a text version).
- buy full-fat milk from your neighborhood, heat it separately, and add it to your cup along with the moka pot coffee. (Do not get skim milk, as the moka pot will already produce more dilute liquid than an espresso machine).

This will get you started. After you enjoy this for sometime (3-6 months), see if you want to graduate to a good grinder.

I don't want to spend so much just to get my foot in the door, I kinda want both equipment and coffee to be under 1k for now

No, cappuccino has milk foam on top.
Only milk and coffee is called 'flat white'.

Either of them works then
Right now i drink 1tbsp of Continental xtra instant south blend coffee and 1tbsp of sugar in 200ml milk daily
And cappucino with a little bit of sugar from cafe coffee day coffee machine in my office (I don't really like the taste of it but that's probably due to the beans)

 

[booo]

Btw, on the scale of strength: espresso then everything in between and then pour over black coffee.

For example; if i drink my espresso after 3pm in the afternoon; i won’t sleep till 2am. Drinking espresso is analogous to drinking single malt whiskey straight. Not many people like it. Now; if you add milk to it it becomes flat white.

You will be a kafir if you talk about instant coffee in the coffee community.

Now coming to black coffee, personally i rate pour over then americano then French press.

As daily drink i prefer cortada which is cappuccino but with 1/3rd milk. So more bitter and smaller portion.

 

[uzerdelhi]

Btw, on the scale of strength: espresso then everything in between and then pour over black coffee.

For example; if i drink my espresso after 3pm in the afternoon; i won’t sleep till 2am. Drinking espresso is analogous to drinking single malt whiskey straight. Not many people like it. Now; if you add milk to it it becomes flat white.

You will be a kafir if you talk about instant coffee in the coffee community.

Now coming to black coffee, personally i rate pour over then americano then French press.

As daily drink i prefer cortada which is cappuccino but with 1/3rd milk. So more bitter and smaller portion.

Instant is convenient and not confusing atleast lol
But i wanna to get "real" coffee to get into the good graces of the coffee connoisseurs

 

[tearphones]

I don't want to spend so much just to get my foot in the door, I kinda want both equipment and coffee to be under 1k for now

A 250g bag of coffee beans is usually anywhere from Rs 400 to Rs 1000.
If you want to have milk coffee, you will need to brew it at a high concentration so that you can dilute it with milk later. That equipment will cost a bit, I am afraid. Moka Pot, South Indian Filter Coffee and Espresso machines are the only ones that come to my mind that can make good milk coffee.

Alternately, you can try specialty instant coffee, like from starbucks. But since I started brewing my own coffee, I haven't been able to stand instant coffee at all.

 

[uzerdelhi]

A 250g bag of coffee beans is usually anywhere from Rs 400 to Rs 1000.
If you want to have milk coffee, you will need to brew it at a high concentration so that you can dilute it with milk later. That equipment will cost a bit, I am afraid. Moka Pot, South Indian Filter Coffee and Espresso machines are the only ones that come to my mind that can make good milk coffee.

Alternately, you can try specialty instant coffee, like from starbucks. But since I started brewing my own coffee, I haven't been able to stand instant coffee at all.

There are moka pots available for 700-1000 on Amazon. Should I get one of those for now? The taste will only depend on the coffee itself right?

 

[rsaeon]

I haven't been able to stand instant coffee at all

There's a joke that europeans have about instant coffee, they don't call it coffee, they call it 'instant' and they're very apologetic if that's all they have to serve, haha.

I don't want to spend so much just to get my foot in the door, I kinda want both equipment and coffee to be under 1k for now

Mokapot is probably the best option, i got a couple over the years and I never paid more than a few hundred. Most large-chain super markets have them for a lower price than Amazon. They're usually aluminum too, so they'll never rust and last a very long time.

You can get preground coffee from places like Blue Tokai, but order directly from their website instead of Amazon, the coffee is fresher. That said, I do have ground coffee that's been stored in an air tight container in my freezer since 2018 and it's still pretty good. Be warned though, it's a deep hole. Once you've had good coffee, it's very difficult to enjoy instant. Yes, five year old ground coffee still tastes better than instant.

Once you know how much sugar you like your in your coffee, add sugar to your cup first then slow pour your coffee in. I spent years doing it the other way around, struggling to get it properly mixed and dissolved. Then one day I saw someone's grandmother do it this way at IKEA and I was blown away with how much easier my life had become.

For foam, this manual contraption works better than anything motorized and takes less than 30 seconds if you start with warm milk:

Amazon.in

It's much easier to clean too, just rinse in hot water with a small dab of dish washing soap/powder.

Also like others have suggested, use full cream/fat milk. I use Amul Gold, that's what most coffee places here use. The packaging is white/red and it comes in both box and bag. There's a world of a difference between something like this and toned milk. I could never enjoy toned milk coffee even though we're all riddled with cardiac disease in my family (primary hyperlipidemia).