It's as complicated as we make it, ain't it? I spent money thinking I was gonna buy me some better coffee, and all I've done is purchase a challenge.
I have seen several electric kettles with the built in thermometer, but never a "manual" model. Guess it was never a thing in my world. And I agree, some people enjoy complicating things unnecessarily but I'm not one of those people. I suppose that's why the Keurig is truly my coffee brewer of choice; it's fast, easy, no cleanup, and produces decent brew. I do like buying gadgets, discussing the pros and cons, and playing with them, though.
As you've seen, I get well into the nuts & bolts on about everything I touch...but this one was unintended...and unwanted. I thought I would buy a high-quality maker and that would be the end of it, not the beginning of it. I bought some McCafe today. It is not very good. I really think the grind is too fine for the higher temps of the Bonavita. I'm thinking of breaking out my Mr. Coffee until my new grinder arrives. Regarding kettles and water temp...when I was making different green teas on a daily basis, I had a just-boils-water electric kettle, and would use a thermometer to zero in the water temp. There is a way to roughly guess temps by observing what stage the heating water is at...I've forgotten how to do it. Somewhere along the scale of "occasional breaking bubble to full rolling boil."
Sorry the McCafe is a disappointment; which one did you get? And why is that grinder taking so long? Sheesh. When I make pour-over coffee, I just boil the water and dump it over the coffee grounds. Done.
Which reminds me that after my five day power outage I bought an on stove perculator. I think the next time I'm unrushed to make coffee, I'll use that perculator. I had an electric perculator before sometime way back there in yers past, I've used Mr Coffee for several years and for eleven months I had one of the single cup jobs, which was really good, by the way. Now I have had for the past few years, a Bunn. It's a good machine but wasn't worth a damn during the power outage. I do remember thinking once upon a time that the drip was better than the perc. I don't know the Bunn is any better than the Mr. Coffee but it is more consistant. May be my imagination. Nevertheless, come Saturday morn when my wife sleeps late, I'm going to dig out that new on stove perculator I recently bought and giver a try.
It's not the coffee, it's all the other variables. I just brewed a pot of it in my Mr. Coffee and it's a little weak. I used more than I did in the Bonavita and it's definitely not as harsh (lower temps.) I got no idea why the grinder is taking "so long." I also ordered some chicory and cloth face masks on the same order on Nov 29. It was only 5 days ago, and all the stuff says it is in stock. They split the order into 2 different shipments, neither has been consigned to a carrier yet, and both show an ETA of Wednesday the 9th. My other orders have arrived in 7 days or less. It's really no big deal. Funny how expectations get set. Not that long ago I would have filled out an order form and put it in the mail, and by the time the package arrived it would be a complete surprise.
I brought my gas stove with me when I moved here and had it converted to propane. I prefer cooking with gas, and it's nice to have during the rare power outage. The only downside is that the newer stoves are controlled electronically, so all I have at the top burners...I cannot bake. Like most of us here, I made electric percolator coffee for years before the drips were introduced. It's been a long time since I've used a stove top one...probably the last time I went camping. When my power goes out, I boil a kettle of water, set up the Mr. Coffee and manually pour the hot water over the grounds.
I am enjoying the new milk frother ! No more cold milk in my hot coffee, and I like the froth on top. It reminds me of back when I was a kid and had hot chocolate at a restaurant with the fluffy whipped cream on the top. Bobby said I am now a barista, so I told him that his coffee will be $3 a cup.......
That's pretty cool. I may have to start taking milk in my coffee. So can you flavor it? Can you add a drop of vanilla, or a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg (or a little sugar/cocoa powder) to the milk before frothing it?
If a cup of coffee tastes wonderful to me, it's great. I am not going to sweat the size of the grounds nor the water temp. If it's lousy, I'll toss it and make another. Simple as that.
I also can add flavorings , @John Brunner , and I can add them either to the milk or to the coffee. So far, when I add some of the raw cacao powder (that @Bobby Cole bought) , I have been adding that to the black coffee and stirring it in, but adding the flavoring like caramel to the milk, which makes it have a flavor and not just be frothy milk on top. I also sometimes sprinkle a little spice on top, like cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. I am having a lot of fun experimenting with this ! I wonder if eggnog will froth ?
Is that your new insulated mug? I hope Bobby is giving you a generous tip!! (I always thought being a barista sounds like a fun job.)
Tip? The way things are looking, I’m going to have to build a small addition on the house for her coffee and juice bar.
All the coffee grinder discussion made me think that I have a "decorative item" on a kitchen shelf that is a replica of an old style grinder. I pulled it down and dusted it off; it appears to have a grinding mechanism that works but I doubt it works very well.
That's similar to mine. I have another one that had been on a shelf as a decorative item for years before I tried to actually use it, and it worked fine. It's back on the shelf though, because the one I am using allows me to easily adjust the coarseness of the grind to what works best. Your's is the same basic design as this one, which sells for $262 on Amazon.