redbone wrote:Think I will get this porcelain p.o. from Bialetti. Not based on reviews or because I need it, just because it's well designed in the classic 8 sided Bialetti style. Also by all accounts it looks like Bialetti is shutting down.

That looked really cool and I got interested, but based on spamazon reviews I decided against it. It apparently cracks easily among other things. That is interesting about Bialetti and sad if true, though their web site looks like usual.

Good to know. Only place I could see it live was downtown and have yet to get there but no rush now.

I've been using the Melodrip for 3 weeks now and nothing but positive here. I wanted it as the Gabi didn't let me control the flow speed enough which is set at 4:00min for 300gr. The first couple of times I used the Melodrip making a standard V60 profile with a kettle bloom, 4 pours and a total time of 2:50min for 18/300gr. Tastewise it's much better than pouring with the kettle only, sweeter and it feels like I'm using 21gr instead of 18gr.

I'll be doing the Melodrip recipe the next couple of weeks to see what differences that makes. Going for more pours and longer extraction times should give even better results.

Erik, or anyone else really - curious for an update here?

I just got my melodrip and curious to know what experiments, batch sizes, and methods you all have utilized.

I used the Melodrip for a few days when I was not at altitude and the only other coffee tools I had were an Aergrind, a Stagg XF, a metal cone, and an Acaia Pearl. I was able to get some really interesting cups out of the metal cone, and I think it might have made some interesting textures as a result. Keep in mind these were rather inconsistent as I was using a stovetop tea kettle with a 1 inch spout off boil.

The XF was too thin to actually fit the Melodrip in well, and so I folded the filter sideways by pushing the Melodrip in and spinning while the filter was going down. I haven't experimented with it at altitude yet.

I've been using the MD for about half of the beans where it has given me better results. It does extract more so using very bright coffees can mute the bright flavours a bit. For instance with a Kenia I almost never use the MD where with a good Colombia it can produce better results. It all depends on the bean used.

I use it for all my v60s now. My gooseneck (and my pouring probably) was agitating the bed a lot and I would find that my subsequent pours would drain a lot slower due to the filter getting clogged. Now I can easily see the layer of water on top of my grounds instead of it being a large slurry. I also feel that I can get a stronger cup with less bitterness (as measured by TDS) compared to bloom then single pour for the same water dose.

I appreciate the ideas - been looking at the Melodrip for a while. I've been using a Phin (vietnamese coffee filter) to distribute my pour. It's been a bit finicky to use because I have to preheat it every time. It did end up evening out my drip distribution quite well. Has anyone tried a similar approach?