The Coffee Battle Photo

[av8rmike]

My brother posted his picture of the two coffeemakers going head-to-head from our Dad's on Easter. He posted:

... [T]he filters the Chemex coffeemaker uses are, of course, proprietary Chemex filters. Given the amount of effort involved in making coffee with the thing, I can't understand why anyone buys them.

Well, come on! We're talking about the 70s! People bought them as conversation starters, and to match their fondue pots. Although, I can't picture Mom & Dad ever owning, much less using, a fondue pot. BTW Phil, you got that wrong, the Chemex® was Mom's, not mine. I'm all for having control over the brewing process, but even I draw the line someplace, and it's at 70s-era kitsch. The Bodum press suits my needs just fine.
Finally, Dad told me Monday night that he didn't care at all for the taste of the Zabar's Jamaican Blue Mountain, and I assured him that even in my press, I didn't like the taste of it. So, I'm not completely crazy.

Comments

[anitavacation.livejournal.com]

I want in on the next contest! I love my Toddy (www.totallytoddy.com) cold brewing system.

[av8rmike.livejournal.com]

I must say, that's a new one to me. Cold brewing? A whole pound of grounds, and for eight to twelve hours?? I can't imagine how that works, given that you usually need heat to extract the right flavor from grounds.

[anitavacation.livejournal.com]

I'm really partial to latte, was spending too much money at Starbucks, and an espresso machine was *way* out of my price range. Toddy meets my needs:
- I "brew" a pound about once every 3 weeks and the carafe keeps just fine in the fridge for that length of time.
- For a latte I mix one part toddy concentrate to either three parts milk or a combination of water and half & half.
- The flavor is mild even when I buy bold blend from Starbucks. Their grinding machine is reliable in making a coarse grind (fine grind clogs the filter pad).
- I'm supposed to avoid caffeine - Toddy is not for folks who're looking for a big caffeine punch.

I highly recommend it for folks who want to stop spending their life savings at Starbucks.

[scout1222.livejournal.com]

Your brother shares my dad's name. I'm not exactly sure why I felt the need to say that, but there you go.

[violaman.livejournal.com]

I knew the Chemex was originally Mom's, not yours. But that bit of information wasn't really crucial to the mind-numbingly asinine debate we had about the grounds, the water temperature (Mom made Dad get out the digital thermometer to make sure the water was as close to 200 degrees as possible), and the brewing time. If my brother and I had ever wondered why our parents got divorced, this taste test was a clear enough example.

[lehaha3586.livejournal.com]

if you happen to see this comment by 5:30, but in case you're interested, Gyorgy Pauk's(http://www.violin.org/2002comp/pauk.html) giving a masterclass in goodwin hall at 5:30. I would've mentioned it earlier but I forgot lol