PS: I changed the title of this post to be super specific because "Hario Switch" might have gotten some unintentional crossover from the Gaming community 😁
Spending the money on the grinder first is such a wise choice - followed obviously by spending the money on the beans themselves - and you can't go wrong with an aeropress. It's also ridiculously portable, especially if you measure out your beans beforehand into little single dose containers...
I would add "and only if it is a fresh build" because while I am interested in seeing new builds, and I do want to support vendors, I don't want to be spammed here. A pinned thread for vendor news as the other commentor suggested would do just as well for info.
I almost feel like my piano training has kicked in with my QWERTY technique. I almost move my left hand above my right sometimes to hit certain keys. It's definitely a lost cause and you are totally right: we know so much more about ergonomics now that if you are going to learn to touch type at this point, you might as well learn an alternative layout.
I'm really enjoying learning it so far. Semimak sounds really interesting. I think what I take away from reading about alt layouts is, beyond a certain point, you need to start to understand the dexterity and capability of your own fingers because metrics won't tell you much more than the very basics of what a layout can do.
Ech what a nightmare. I figure I have one shot at an alt layout before my brain plasticity finally gives out so Colemak DH it is.
I hear you re: row stagger. I actually just realised in terms of touch typing the keys on the bottom row are shifted one column/one finger compared to a column staggered keyboard. Just as well I caught that before CDVK got too engrained.
I make my cold brew in a plastic and glass contraption that produces a drip onto a reservoir into a bed of grounds that has a metal filter on the bottom. I can't say I have ever noticed a metallic taste to the coffee. I put an aeropress filter on top of the grounds to help the moisture distribute. I suppose you could do the same at the bottom to avoid direct contact between the grounds and the metal in the filter, if it was a concern that some kind of reaction might take place (that wouldn't otherwise take place in the presence of ~0C water + dissolvables).
I've never understood the drama around inverted to be honest. I've done it and I've never had anything close to an accident. All of these stories about catastrophe. How? Just .. put the cup upside down over the thing and rotate them both back?
The only real issue I have with inverted is I kind of like avoiding topping up my brew with water but its a totally minor thing if it gets the flavours. I suppose it allows you to try things out with much smaller doses of coffee too!
I totally agree. This community has been really lovely and the whole reddit blow up happened just at the time I had started noodling with different brewing methods again so it was a happy coincidence. Thanks everybody!
I'm really loving it. Something clicked when I started adding the top row to my drills and now its actually fun. I'm deliberately taking my time so I don't pick up any bad habits. My QWERTY typing is fast but atrocious in terms of form.
What's really annoying me right now is that I'm learning on a row staggered keyboard and I know fine well that the V and K should not be there, but, for the purposes of the exercise they are and I have to kind of bear with it and hope that my new muscle memory will correct when my little Ferris Sweep arrives.
It's possible. The local roaster I am getting my beans from is new to me. He has said that he prefers lighter roasts suitable for brewing but I don't think he notes much on the delivery. The beans feel lighter roasted? Not dark and dessicated at least.
Yeah I have a trusty, well worn aeropress on the shelf. Usually reserved for first thing in the morning "emergency" coffee. I'll see what I can find for recipes. My emergency aeropress technique tends to be non-inverted, fill, put the top bit on, wait and press.
I usually brew my light roasted beans with boiling water but I'm pretty sure JH himself says that 80C does a surprisingly good job with a light roast as an alternative - it's just in-between that gets pretty dodgy. So I wanted to see if 80C would help but, yes, boiling is probably the best to default to when I am varying other things.
Also worth noting that I have a Fellow Ode v2 with the stainless steel burrs that I have just broken in and recalibrated, which I hope will give me a bit of clarity and less fines. It's possible that the shop was using a really good grinder.
PS: I changed the title of this post to be super specific because "Hario Switch" might have gotten some unintentional crossover from the Gaming community 😁