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Permalink Reply by James Liu on March 9, 2010 at 9:17pm

The Buono is overrated.

Don't get me wrong. It's really nice to be able to put hot water where you want it. But it doesn't show the sort of build quality I want for something that I'll be handling before I've had my first cup of coffee.

I can direct water almost as well with my cheapie Procoter-Sliex 1L electric kettle as with a Buono. Admittedly, my P-S isn't quite as good. But for the $45 price difference... Plus my kettle boils water on top pouring it.

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Permalink Reply by Eric on March 9, 2010 at 10:00pm

I dont think the kettle is over-rated, actually i have seen an increase in quality both at home in all my manual pouring methods, and at our shop with our pour over bars. The steady stream and flow that is created provides insane control that is needed if you want a good gravity driven coffee method in addition to a more even extraction of your brewed coffee.

James Liu said:

The Buono is overrated.

Don't get me wrong. It's really nice to be able to put hot water where you want it. But it doesn't show the sort of build quality I want for something that I'll be handling before I've had my first cup of coffee.

I can direct water almost as well with my cheapie Procoter-Sliex 1L electric kettle as with a Buono. Admittedly, my P-S isn't quite as good. But for the $45 price difference... Plus my kettle boils water on top pouring it.

As far as the whole issue of what should be logically used in a shop. I personally would use the V60s on a pour over bar for a cup by cup basis, chemex for groups of people, and clevers, solos and siphons for special occasions because of the timing and potential quality problems and restraints one could have in a high volume situation. You are looking for quality vs profitability on the time spent making these drinks am i correct? Also for the money on a grinder i would go with a baratza for the low volume but would use a small ditting or something to that extent in a busier cafe environment. I think stumptown does french press into an airpot and dump the unused every 20 minutes if im not mistaken, this is also an idea...

Finally besides brewing methods, i would recommend not to be cheap on getting good equipment and proper technique because all that does is create a misrepresentation of the coffee and thats no good for the business or the coffee...

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Permalink Reply by Daniel Ho on March 10, 2010 at 7:37pm

Hi Adam! Am I correct to assume that you want this for home use?

I think that you should spend the money on a good grinder. The Barazata that everyone is talking about is a goodie. I think they can be had rebranded from Starbucks...they go on sale a couple times a year.

As for manual pour over, this is dead simple. I like Chemex, but really you even just stretch a large filter over a measuring cup. Some of the best coffee that I've ever had came from a "coffee sock" which are cotton muslin reusable filters available in most latin-american grocery stores ("colador de cafe"). They seem to be popular with the Japanese and Koreans as well.

Now a fancy kettle, I'd love one too. Don't really have space for more gadgets so I make do with what I have...but the ability to put water anywhere I like is pretty appealing. It's OK to say that here, right? I'm among fellow coffee geeks? :-)

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Permalink Reply by James Liu on March 10, 2010 at 11:41pm

In a shop environment, definitely Clever over V60. To get a decent extraction, your barista needs a lot more face-time with the V60 than with a Clever. Attention better devoted to the next cup, or to a customer, or anywhere else.

You should try the spout on that cheapie Procter Silex I have. If it's less than 3/4 full of water (almost always, who ever pours a liter at a time anyway?) I get very close to what I can manage with a Buono.

Don't get me started on why not to get a press pot. Really, don't.

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Permalink Reply by Adam on March 11, 2010 at 8:54am

I purchased a Clever Coffee Dripper at the Coffee Fest in NYC a couple of weeks ago. I had a gift cert. for Sur La Table and armed with a lower price from the internet, I purchased the Kitchenaid Proline coffee grinder. I also got a scale.
So now I have the CCD, scale and grinder, wow. I like the look of the kettle and the fact that you can control the pour, but it is really annoying that they are not readily available for purchase. Oh well, I'll look for something else with the same type of spout. I like the coffee I am getting from the CCD so far. There are so many manual methods I might have to get a few more to add to my arsenal! Moka Pot, Chemex, on and on ...somebody help me!!

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Permalink Reply by Daniel Ho on March 11, 2010 at 9:29am

Nah, you don't need help. You're safe here among friends. :-)

Call me when you start on your espresso journey! heh

Enjoy the ride. Life is too short to drink bad coffee!

Cheers,
d.

Adam said:

...There are so many manual methods I might have to get a few more to add to my arsenal! Moka Pot, Chemex, on and on ...somebody help me!!

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Permalink Reply by Matthew on January 16, 2012 at 7:59am

Brady, it has been about a year now.   Have you seen better results from your clever, have opinions changed?

Brady said:

Adam said:

Thanks for the replies:
The difference in the Clever is that it has the plug in the bottom.

Understood. I own a Clever and prefer the Melitta. Yet to have a superior cup from a Clever, or even hear that it is to be expected.

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