Too Much Coffee

Funny thing to use. Nice on the table. I found out that if I light the lamp first and then start roasting the beans in the frying pan the timing is just about right. I'll have time to make a sandwich too.

One question right now though... Mine uses a cloth filter. It's turning nasty pretty fast and somehow it seems too effective to me. I'd like a metal filter that would let some of those nice, tasty oils thorugh. Any suggestions?

The cloth should let the oils through - I've just got a vacpot too, and keeping the filter clean will be a challenge. Mark Prince recommends OxyClean but I don't really know what that is!

I keep meaning to dig out my old Cona too to see how glass filtration compares.

Oxyclean works well on laundry stains. Here is a link

Basically, it's the same as espresso machine detergent. Only less aggressive to the cloth

kingseven wrote:I keep meaning to dig out my old Cona too to see how glass filtration compares.

So, that one has no cloth or paper in the way, huh?

The Bodum one is the same I think. Gave mine to my stepson who is afraid to use it.

I have the plastic bodum filter disk and a glass rod one, that I alternate on my Santos.
Both seem roughly equivalent as far as efficiency of filtration is concerned. Both, however, are prone to clogging.

Strangely when I was using a coarse french press type grind (not like James' "coarse") it seemed to clog a lot more. When I moved back to more of a pour over type grind it seemed to happen less. I don't know if this is a grinder specific problem...

Biggest problem with the vacpot for me is temperature control. There isn't any. At least not in an easy way like the French press.

I have been using a rapijet burner and getting very controllable brew temps in my Hario TC-2 - holding steady to the degree with a k-type probe in there. I do it the barismo way - you get the water stable then add the coffee.

And your clogging is likely a grinder specific problem sadly - was it the Macap?

No - the NS Grinta, and before that a Gaggia MDF. Never tried the Mahlkonig Guatemala with the vacpot before I sold it

I tried getting the brew water to stabilise in the 91-95 range, but it seems to want to keep creeping up towards boiling. Perhaps it's just that my gas hob, even on the lowest setting is too strong.