Korean Job Discussion Forums

[paulandamy]

From reading these forums, I know there's quite a few coffee lovers out there. I got my aeropress (45,000 W) from Gmarket this past week and alongside my Porex ceramic hand grinder (50,000W) and the beans I just brought over from a roaster during my vacation in Vietnam ($15/kilo.. it was the good stuff) I'm in coffee heaven. I also have one of those bodum Mukka express things for making stovetop "cappuccino" but I don't think I'll ever be using it again now that I have my aeropress.

The downside... I'm going through my beans twice as fast as I was before

[cdninkorea]

I'm definitely one of the coffee lovers. I use a plain blade grinder by Braun. I've heard burr grinders are superior, but the high price tag has kept me from buying one. How do hand grinders compare to blade and burr grinders?

Also, I've always used a french press and have never had any complaints. I've heard of Aeropress but I don't know much about it. Is it superior to french press? If so, I'd be interested in knowing the how and why, but I guess I could Google that.

Regarding beans, when you run out I recommend Kaldis in Hongdae. It's pricier than the stuff you got it Vietnam, but it's the best I've had in Korea. They have a separate room with a commerical roaster, so the coffee is very fresh. They don't speak English but they have a wide selection of different beans.

[paulandamy]

Great recommendation - I'll definitely check out Kaldis - do you know how much they charge by the kilo?

I hesitate a little when I say that I'm a coffee lover - I'm not the ultimate authority on coffee or anything, but I do appreciate a good cup o' joe.

My hand grinder is actually a burr grinder, not a blade grinder. I love it because it being ceramic means that it never really dulls... AND it's possible to wash the parts with water... a BIG plus. Also, I can adjust the grinder to get a good espresso grind as well as a good larger grind... and it's consistent every time.. every single piece is the same size.. a huge plus over the blade grinders. Also.. it's very quiet compared to electric grinders and kind of therapeutic. Also.. I chose the porlex over some other brands because it looks good...

Aeropress is a really great device... it looks like crap (I wish they'd come out with a glass model.. I'd be all over that)... but it IS superior to french press.
Well first, I always hated how the french press coffee could get sludgy and you'd get some particles in it... no matter how good your french press was... also... because the grounds are there, you could end up getting a bitter cup by the end. The aeropress is kindo f the same concept.. but's it uses microfiltration... so you end up with a good cup every time without any sludgy particles.

I wouldn't recommend the hand grinder or the aeropress if you're ever making more than 2 cups of coffee at one time... it does get a little tiring.. but the consistency can't really be beat.. especially for the price.

But yeah, thanks for the rec on Kaldis - will definitely check it out when I run out