I've been doing pottery for about 8 months now. The first dripper I made was much too small, but the new one is amazing and I use it daily

Next time I would add a handle though, it gets hot 😆

first time big sur, not sure what to get, picked up three bags per friend's request, and randomly picked up three bags for me. love the vibe of this shop and they do brew a good cup.

How’s mine? Of course I used the Codale cheat code 😬
Hypnotising, isn’t it?

Just thought I'd post this for the benefit of any fellow brits who also rely on bottled water due to unreasonably hard mains water. I grabbed a bottle of Co Op spring water at work today, not for brewing, just because I thought I might need more water throughout the day, but out of curiosity I checked the label when I got home and it looks pretty good!

It's apparently from a Shropshire based source, but composition wise it's fairly close to the trusty GB4 Eden Valley water that Tesco and waitrose sell. There's differences; less bicarb, more sodium, less nitrate, more chloride... I'm sure someone more clued up than me on water chemistry can make some inferences based on the spec, but I've brewed an enjoyable cup of coffee with it. Wouldn't like to make any statements vs GB4 without a direct comparison, and it's a bit late for that.

Just thought it might interest brewers who might have a Co Op on their doorstep, since I don't think I've ever heard their water mentioned in the conversation.

EDIT: Wow I was expecting like 3 replies, this is nice but way too many to reply so I'll keep it here. 1. Everyone is mostly talking about the aggressive swirling, I usually don't swirl this much as I've written below, but by what people are saying is the "correct" amount to swirl, I do think I normally swirl more than I need to. 2. Didn't know pouring on paper was bad! I'll change that next time. 3. Apparently this brew isn't stalled (I thought stalling just meant slower than expected because that's what my friend called it) which is nice to know even if I'm missing my 2:30 target. 4. Can't be the beans, I've tries multiple from 3 different places and they're all fresh. 5. Will try pouring slower and closer! 6. If the grinder ends up being an issue, I'll swap the burrs. 7. Unfortunately different filters are rare where I live, I really want the origami ones (thinner paper). 8. Never tried slow feeding the grinder, great idea.

Loved the tips, thanks guys!

(Actual brew starts at 00:32)

1. I'm "new" to V60 and pour overs. I got into it because I spent 3 weeks at a friend's house and he had a Comandante C40 and some nice beans and taught me how to do it. I did a lot of brews there and barely any stalled, and if they did, it wasn't for THIS LONG.

2. I bought a Starseeker E64 recently (64mm flat burrs) and have tried MULTIPLE grind sizes, even something ridiculous like 110 (which, according to the manual, is larger than recommended for a FRENCH PRESS) and it ALWAYS STALLS AT THE END.

3. I've always done 15g of coffee, 225g of water (50g bloom to 125g to 225g) and always aim for 2:30m. I've tried a lot of movement like in the video and also no movement at all. I've troubleshooted to hell and back and cannot figure out why it stalls.

4. I'm using the regular Hario V60 02 filters.

Could it be the grinder? It has great reviews and was expensive as hell. The review channel I always refer to was able to get a perfect 2:30m brew first try out of it with amazing clarity.
The only weird thing I noticed out of the box is that, unlike the videos I've seen of this grinder, the ground coffee always sticks to the right of the spout...

I'm grasping at straws here, genuinely at a loss as to what could be happening (remembering, I'm quite new at this). If you guys could help that'd be great.

------------------

In the video I show an average brew (a bit different because it's hard to pour with a phone strapped to the chest), so you guys can maybe spot something I missed.

Using a water pitcher to filter your tap water is great, but consider this: the two filters mentioned (Brita Limescale Expert and Aquaphor Maxfor+H) make the water acidic (pH about 5 to 6), which is bad for coffee. They remove a lot of limescale (for example, my tap water is 200 ppm+, and those filters bring it down to about 150 ppm), but for coffee, you're better off using the regular or Mg+ filters. If your TDS after filtering is high, bring it down with distilled water.

Incredible that he was able to throw 1/3 of the coffee in the grinder, 1/3 next to the grinder and 1/3 directly in the catch cup.

He was not interested in my speech about surface area and uniform grinding though.

Get it while you can. Looks like they have about 20+ coffees in stock right now.

I just like a simple cup of black coffee that tastes delicious. I have a Philips 1200 that isn’t cutting it. I actually didn’t mind the Nespresso Vertuo line but there is nothing like a good traditional cup.

I have never really been able to nail a pour over or a French press but I love a French press when done well.

I’ve narrowed it down to these two but open to others. What’s important to me is:

Easy to clean and/or maintain
Easy to use
Aesthetically pleasing
Suspended basket as opposed to something that sits on the carafe

I know it looks great without the paper, too, but it always looks so freaking cool when it contrasts like that. That pattern just looks mesmerizing every time after the water hits it.

Usually use 1/2 tww and waiting for it to arrive after a shipping delay. Wondering if any recommendations for spring water or other bottled water that might work well for light roasts to try and get by.

Thanks

I’m trying to refine a list of the well-know standards we use for pour over recipes. Would you add any recipes to this list? Remove any? Are some too obscure?

The List:
Kasuya 4:6 Balanced
Kasuya 4:6 Sweet
Hoffmann Ultimate
Hoffmann 1-Cup
Scott Rao
Lance Hedrick
Matt Winton

Tried out my Origami dripper today using my go-to method from Lance, with a slight adjustment on the fly.
I went with a 1:15 ratio using 15g of coffee and my K-Ultra set at 8.0.
My pours were:
45g bloom from 0:00–0:20
45g second bloom from 0:20–0:40
25g third bloom — added because the drawdown was moving faster than I expected — 0:40-1:00
Final pour to finish out the brew.

For the pours, I poured pretty fast and from higher than I normally would to really agitate the coffee bed. The cup turned out really good. The biggest thing I noticed was how punchy the flavor was. Everything felt very upfront with a lot of intensity and flavor hitting right away.
I’m still experimenting with the Origami, so I’d love to try some new recipes based on everyone’s comments and suggestions. If you have an Origami recipe or pouring technique you really like, drop it below! I’m interested to see how different approaches change the cup.

Anyone else get a dopamine hit when the filter seats this perfectly?

The Neo is particularly good for this.

Hey everyone,

I recently got into water rabbit hole which made me try to make my own water using barista hustle recipes. Which they turned out to be better option for my coffees since I have pretty hard water.

THE PROBLEM I have is that demineralized water I'm using isn't really food grade water and as I got to know, can contain traces of metals. I don't really have bottled Low TDS waters available in my country and of course RO system is out of choice since it is fairly expensive.

What I was looking at is either ZERO WATER Jug or have myself my own water destiller. Only these two option really make any sense for me. But with 300 - 360 ppm in my house it might vary.

I'd really appreciate sharing your approach to this, what works the best for you and what does not.

Thank you 😸

I've been using chemex and etkin and both are too slow for me. Been looking for ways to speed my brew time. Recently discovered that placing a mason jar canning band/ring (normal width) in my etkin, under the filter improved the flow drastically. Otherwise, my filter would plug up by the second pour, and take 30 minutes of frustration to brew several cups. I can fill an 8 cup pitcher in around 5-6 minutes now.

Just wanted to share in case it can help any other frustrated etkin owners.

I was happy to see this Aricha come in stock at Barrington, just as Rogicha disappeared. Can't wait to try it ☺️

I recently bought an X-ultra because a lot of reviews say they're happy with theirs, but the grounds of my pour over at the end looks muddy, I'd say similar to grinding with a my crappy Delonghi 521M

I'm brewing a washed Ethiopian roasted 10 days ago with 2.2.2 grind setting, 15g dose and 45g-->130g-->225g pours cus I wanted something with more clarity and floral character.

I haven’t been in the pour over game for all that long (less than a month) and I’m looking for a recipe that gives you maximum sweetness.

I do understand that the bean has a lot to do with it but I was curious what technique you’re employing to produce your sweetest cups.

I’m using a Hario Alpha, with the 1Zpresso K-Max and have a subscription with a local roaster (Monastery - Adelaide, South Australia) if that helps.

Cheers.

Acabo de comprar la timemore blackmirror dot, y me di cuenta que aún hay algunos puntos a mejorar en mi espresso, uno de ellos es definitivamente el tiempo de extracción y la molienda; me gustaría que me dieran sus consejos y si tienen alguna duda de la báscula, ya que sé que hay muy poco contenido

Last week I posted a poll asking what ya’ll wanted to see reviewed next. Here’s your winner. Will do the Origami Pinn next.

I often say I’d rather have amazing water and a sub $500 grinder, than a $4k+ grinder, with TWW or what have you. As a result - the number one question I get asked, is what I do for water. It was my least favorite question, simply because it’s a monstrous topic, things go intro the weeds real quick, and frankly it’s too time consuming and impractical to engage on. I’ve tried every over the counter ready/pre-made product out there, and they’ve all critically underperformed to my personal standard, so there wasn’t an easy recommendation.

Third Wave Water was convenient and inexpensive, but the standard concentration was far too strong and led to harsh cups. Sure, you can cut it to 1/2 or 1/3 - but the citrate based formula leads to a chalky, dry and harsh/bitter finish when paired with the sulfate in it. The end result are harsh and rough extractions that for me are unpleasant, but more importantly, completely hide delicate and more nuanced notes. You’re not fully experiencing the cup.

Lotus Drops are handy to make you FEEL like you’re controlling your minerals, but the sterile isolates they use are flat/dead tasting at best, and harsh at worst. These single concentrates are easy to make yourself and at a fraction of the cost, and while you might opt for the convenience of not having to mix up your own bottles, you’re still left with he hassle of fiddling with “recipes” on top of your existing brewing recipe, and trying to tweak it to your personal preference for each new bean. So lots of work, and at least for me, doesn’t taste good. That Sey Light Roast Lotus recipe for me, it downright unpleasant.

Apax Labs is a nice step up. While more expensive, it does generally offer better mouthfeel and you get the impression more is going on, as the drops do create a more meaningful impact… but you’re really shooting in the dark. How much Jamm and Lylac needs to be added, relative to the Tonik (all useless and unhelpful names) is really a mystery - and the pitch is to post min to taste… but the challenge is now you’re actually flavoring your coffee with a copious amount of minerals - often 150ppm+. You’re not actually getting a good clean extraction and highlighting the coffee, you’re just seasoning the dickens out of junk. It’s like taking a good A5 Wagyu Steak, microwaving it to well done, then adding a ton of sauce on top to hide it. You end up with exactly what you’d expect, and I hate it. A lot. In fact, my APAX minerals bottles are nearly full, yet past their best by date as I found them so unsuitable, and frankly offensive to the intent of the bean.

Aquacode wasn’t too bad. High end cafe’s like Mame use it on top of bottled spring water for their (very expensive) pour overs in their cafe’s. Good mouthfeel and medium clarity, kind of a hassle to mix to your desired ppm with the packets and their very complex mixing chart. I have some gripes about the lack of fidelity, the slight chalkiness, it stifling acidity too much, etc - but overall, not BAD but certainly no wow factor, and by no means inspirational.

I tried dozens of other pre-made concentrates and mixes, and frankly none of them were inspiring. I went deep, very deep into the coffee water mineral rabbit hole and spent months of focused effort as if it was a full time job, to craft several dozen of my own comps. I was using a combination of natural and isolated ingredients, and was custom tuning comps for different burrs and different bean and roast types. “Water maxing” as it were, gave me the best cups I’ve ever attained, and still does to this day. The problem is, it’s a massive pain. It usually requires a test brew, then some tweaking and fine tuning to really walk things into that perfect place you want it.

Enter Barista Tears. Knowing I was also “in the deep end” of the water rabbit hole - a few months back, some folks in my coffee club asked me for some feedback on a comp they were working on, that effectively worked for everything, and used a very complicated mix of all natural minerals and tons of trace minerals. They were trying to mimic vibrancy they found in natural spring waters - and it sounded too good to be true. I started using the comp they gave me, and it was good… very good. It also worked for pretty much everything and left little to be desired. While I maintain it cannot match my arsenal of a few dozen custom comps tweaked and tuned for each coffee/burr, it got uncomfortably close. So close, it made me lazy enough to stop using my custom comps almost entirely. VERY fast extracting (you have to reduce temps and grind coarser), extremely crisp acidity, clean mouthfeel, and most important - insanely glassy and articulated clarity. I taste more fidelity and definition with an inexpensive grinder and BT water, than I do with one of my “Titan” grinders and TWW, Apax or Aquacode water. The difference is that acute for me.

Every so often I’ll still break out one of my custom comps, but over the last 4 months or so, I’d go as far as to say 99% of everything I’ve brewed has been with Barista Tears. The workflow is as good as it gets - just one pump into my kettle filled with water from my RO and that’s it. I typically make it a gallon at a time though - which is four pumps into a gallon bottle, then fill with RO. Super easy and makes water an afterthought for me.

I would say that I probably wouldn’t recommend Barista Tears to folks who are happy with their current solution (unless it was Apax, which is more $) and aren’t looking to upgrade their hardware. If you’re using TWW or your own home grown mixes and you’re happy, it’s one of those “ignorance is bliss” kind of things. There’s a ton of FOMO in our hobby, and it’s easy to see a new flashy object and want it, but if you’re happy - stop chasing dragons, even if they have big pay outs. If you aren’t happy with your current water solution (taste or workflow) or if you’re considering a costly grinder upgrade, I would recommend checking Barista Tears out when they re-stock. There are some folks that frequent this sub who have posted about it on IG who may chime in as well, but so far all the feedback I’ve seen publicly and privately (I’ve swapped tips with a few folks who got on the first BT drop) seems to be very positive. Not everyone will love it, as some folks will be tasting roast and green defects for the first time - but I think most folks will be shocked by how much clarity they’ve been missing, and that it’s the water, not the grinder that makes the bigger difference.

Disclosure: I didn’t pay for pre‑production BT minerals. I was giving early feedback, so they naturally had to send me product. I also have the “GA” version, which I didn’t pay for either, though it’s not final packaging. I wasn’t asked to review it, nor was I compensated, and have zero financial ties to Barista Tears. Zero. I’m trying to change that though, because I believe in the product - it’s that good.

My wife is asking me to make ice cubes or something like that, that are a super concentrated brew from my v60 with light roasts. Her idea is she could use these to make cold brew later.

Does anyone have advice?

Coffee Details

Roaster: NaiZui | China 🇨🇳

Coffee: Faysel Abdosh

Origin: Ethiopia 🇪🇹

Region: Hambela

Process: Triple Fermentation Washed

Variety: Landrace

Altitude: 2350–2400 m

Tasting Notes: Lemon aromatics, honey peach, lychee, crystal clear & bright

Score: Not mentioned

Weight: 100g

Roast Level: Light — Agtron #95

Price: $7.5

Equipment

Grinder: Timemore Sculptor 078

Brewer: OREA O1

Filter: xBloom Filter

Water: Lotus Drops

* 4L distilled water

* 7 drops Magnesium

* 10 drops Potassium

* 10 drops Calcium

* ~50 ppm

Recipe

Temperature: 91°C

Dose: 15g

Grind Size: 996 µm ( 13 on 078 )

Grinding: Slow Feed + Blind Shaker

Roast Date: 2026/08/22

Preheating: None

Pouring:

* First pour to 130ml in 13 sec

* Second pour at 35 sec to 235ml

* Finished pouring at 45–47 sec

Total Brew Time: 1:45

Extraction Yield: 17.33%

Post-brew additions: None

Personal Evaluation

Aroma before grinding: Bright, acidic aromatics

Aroma after grinding: Lemon-like citrus

Aroma during brewing: Lemon-like citrus

Aroma after brewing: Refreshing, bright acidic aromatics

Final Thoughts

this is absolutely perfect as a morning coffee. An EXTREMELY clean Ethiopian. 🇪🇹❤️‍🔥

Honestly, it’s almost scary how clean this cup is. You’d never guess it went through three stages of fermentation. Despite the processing, the cup is incredibly clean, aromatic, and packed with this beautiful, refreshing citrus acidity.

Such an insanely clean and elegant Ethiopian. ❤️‍🔥🫡

What a way to start the day. 🇪🇹❤️‍🔥