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Help me achieve my dream. . .

I've spent years messing with different brewing techniques. I have tried every type of filter and every type of ground and every temperature and every brewing duration and every type of roast I could possibly try. I just can't seem to get the clean and floral brew that all of the cafes produce with their industrial machines. I don't know what it is about them but they're just clearly superior to anything I have ever produced from home and unfortunately it's too expensive for me to go buy 4 $2 drip coffees every day. In Seattle, that's what a drip has come to cost thanks to Starbucks who created MORE than market saturation in the area; effectively making it difficult for the many small coffeehouses to sell drinks for any less. There are many fine roasterias up here (10 that I could name off the top of my head) of many different styles and flavours. . . I just can't get from their beans what I get from their machines.

So my question is whether any of you have any insight as to what I am missing (maybe an airtight brewing system so aromas saturate the body of the coffee? That's all I can think of) or if you know where or what type of machines these cafes use because I'd be more than happy to buy one. Help me reach my coffee dream!!!!

Mon, 2007-01-29 07:20 — Daniel

a couple of comments

Here are a couple of things that come to mind.

1) The drip machine that most people have in their house is far inferior to what is used in a coffee house. I have a Capresso 440.05 MT-500 that I am very happy with. It's a little expensive but a really nice machine. I've had this for about three of four years now and it holds up well. If I was purchasing today I would at least consider the Technivorm line. They are a bit more expensive but they are, to the best of my knowledge, the only consumer coffee maker that has passed SCAA testing.

2) I would also experiment with filters. I love permanent gold filters but if you are trying to reproduce cafe coffee I'd try a couple of brands of paper filters.