Bragging Rights Thread: Great Coffee Gear Scores! - Page 36

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IamOiman
Team HB
Posts: 2165
Joined: 6 years ago

#351: Post by IamOiman »

Exactly why I got it! I was looking around for one on Subito but the ones found were in the North, and I do not like buying stuff on Subito without personally looking at it. If I remember this particular grinder had a pretty long life, from the 1960's to early 1990's. I do not know its age as I did not see a tag anywhere on the exterior but there may be a date stamped inside somewhere.

I cleaned up the grinder a bit and I think I will disassemble it in the US for a deeper cleaning. I am just happy it works!
-Ryan
Using a spice grinder violates the Geneva Convention
LMWDP #612

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Randy G.
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Joined: 17 years ago

#352: Post by Randy G. »

My story has little to do with my efforts or luck, and I certainly do not think of it as a score. This is more a story of the depth of decency, sympathy, and charity that I have so often witnessed in the coffee community as a whole. So many along my journey of over eighteen years have shared, taught, and assisted to help me get to where I am today. I have tried to do much the same to what extent I could.

In November of 2018 I lost my home and virtually all its contents, coffee and not, to the Camp Fire. We left with very little as there was a fire engine parked at the house and we had a minimum of 100 feet of clearance and in some places close to double that. It did not matter as this fire was a perfect storm of low humidity, dry brush at the end of the summer, very high winds, and smoke so heavy that they could not get aircraft in the air. There were so many offers from folks here on HB and elsewhere it would be a disservice to so many to try to list them all.

But as heartwarming and poignant as all the offers were, there is one to which I need to give special thanks. Back in January of this year, in a thread here on HB discussing conical grinders, I had mentioned that I had lost my Kony in the fire and that, while it did a great job, I had never recommended it to anyone for home use. I added that when I recover I hoped to be able to get a Monolith Conical for a number of reasons, but its quality and dedicated single-dose design were the main reasons since I have been single dosing for years.

Not long after posted in that thread I received a message from Denis Basaric, the owner of KafaTek. He offered his condolences about the fire and sent along his thanks that my wife and I along with our pets were all safe. He went on to tell me that he would be sending me one of the new MC3 KafaTek Monolith Conical grinders. He said that it might have some blemishes but would meet all the specifications and pass all the tests he demands of his grinders. As the first shipment of the MC3 had not even gone out it was a few weeks before the grinder arrived and it is everything you have heard about it!


On the right is the amazing MC3 Monolith Conical. On the right is the Arzum Okka auto Turkish Coffee Maker, both resting on what little space one has in the "kitchen" of a motorhome. The Okka is astounding. Put in fine ground coffee, add sugar if you like, place one or two cups on the drip tray, select the brew strength and one or two cup brew, and it does the rest. When done, it even has a cleaning cycle! And, yes, the MC3 grinds fine enough for Turkish!

I wanted to do something in return for Denis's generosity so I offered to write some sort of review or article on my website concerning the grinder. A fairly empty offer, really, since he sells out of every shipment even before production begins. In that message I continued, "If you have not been to my website you may not know that I started it back in late 2000 when I first decided to start drinking coffee and making espresso at home." I went on to talk about the reviews I have done and I mentioned the "How to Solve Espresso Problems at Home" article there.

His response was, "I am aware of your extensive web site, it's a resource. Read it years ago when I was getting into the espresso craze."

When I started my website I had received information and was educated by the work of so many folks on the "old" alt.coffee, and people like David Bogie ("Bogiesan") Mark Prince (Coffeekid and Coffeegeek), and so many more. It was Bogiesan's "Espresso FAQ" that initially motivated me to start my Espresso! My Espresso! website. Since I started my website I have received letters of thanks from all over the world and from all levels of home baristas as well as pros. The above comment from Denis will stand as one of my most cherished.

What I can say about all this is that through it all, from my beginnings until today, I have found the world of coffee to be almost 100% filled with decent, honest, and generous people, willing to help. It is that spirit I have carried on here as well on my website, happy to discuss and share information, to teach, to assist, and do so across all borders and divides which are all too often found elsewhere. I times such as these it gives one hope for humanity.
EspressoMyEspresso.com - 2000-2023 - a good run, its time is done
★★ Quite Helpful

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Jofari
Posts: 163
Joined: 10 years ago

#353: Post by Jofari »

Randy G. wrote:My story has little to do with my efforts or luck, and I certainly do not think of it as a score. This is more a story of the depth of decency, sympathy, and charity that I have so often witnessed in the coffee community as a whole. So many along my journey of over eighteen years have shared, taught, and assisted to help me get to where I am today. I have tried to do much the same to what extent I could.
Randy, I'm sorry to hear about you losing your home. I also have enjoyed reading your website. This is a wonderful story of kindness. Thanks for sharing.

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happycat
Posts: 1464
Joined: 11 years ago

#354: Post by happycat »

Randy G. wrote: Not long after posted in that thread I received a message from Denis Basaric, the owner of KafaTek. He offered his condolences about the fire and sent along his thanks that my wife and I along with our pets were all safe. He went on to tell me that he would be sending me one of the new MC3 KafaTek Monolith Conical grinders. He said that it might have some blemishes but would meet all the specifications and pass all the tests he demands of his grinders. As the first shipment of the MC3 had not even gone out it was a few weeks before the grinder arrived and it is everything you have heard about it!

[....

What I can say about all this is that through it all, from my beginnings until today, I have found the world of coffee to be almost 100% filled with decent, honest, and generous people, willing to help. It is that spirit I have carried on here as well on my website, happy to discuss and share information, to teach, to assist, and do so across all borders and divides which are all too often found elsewhere. I times such as these it gives one hope for humanity.
Thanks for sharing Denis' kindness. I would certainly value hearing about any coffee kindness you received

I'm of the philosophy that we largely find what we're looking for, good or bad, in any community. We all have something someone suffering can use, even if it's just a kind word or a smile to someone having a rough day, or perhaps a moment of listening or shared vulnerability that puts things into perspective. Losses are a way to connect with people. You now have a way to share an exceptional coffee and lend an ear.. Denis will be repaid many times over.
LMWDP #603

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TomC (original poster)
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#355: Post by TomC (original poster) »

Like Randy, my dad lost everything he owned in the Camp Fire. And somewhat like Randy, an American manufacturer of high quality goods responded by replacing their products gratis. My dad has always been a BBQ/grilling/smoking enthusiast and had tons of "toys". MAK, an American builder of pellet grill/smokers gave him a brand new unit to replace the one he'd lost. Needless to say, when the day comes that I can have a place for a pellet grill, I'll be buying a MAK.

It's really heartwarming when you read things like this. Even more so when it's someone being taken care of, as a gratitude for the wisdom and experience they've shared over the years, not just whether they were a previous customer or not.
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mathof
Posts: 1474
Joined: 13 years ago

#356: Post by mathof »

It doesn't even have to be products. When my goddaughter was a little girl, she was accidentally left behind in an underground train car when the people looking after her exited without making sure she was with them. A young man travelling with a group of football fans detached himself from his friends and took her off at the next station. He brought her to the station master's office and stayed with her until she was reunited with her carers, who had had the sense to alert the station staff where they got off. They offered to reward her saviour who said to my goddaughter, "All I want is for you to support Liverpool (football team) in the future." She's has three children of her own now and they were all excited to watch Liverpool win the European Champions League the other day.

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Jofari
Posts: 163
Joined: 10 years ago

#357: Post by Jofari »

I was taking a walk through my neighborhood yesterday and walked past a house with a bunch of free stuff in a pile. I noticed a Technivorm Moccamaster in the pile. The woman who lives in the house came out and encouraged me to take it, saying that it works just fine. I took it home, cleaned it and tested it and everything seems to work well! The only thing missing is the lid for the brew basket, but it's not necessary for brewing.

Mrbiglzwerth
Posts: 34
Joined: 8 years ago

#358: Post by Mrbiglzwerth »

Randy G. wrote:My story has little to do with my efforts or luck, and I certainly do not think of it as a score. This is more a story of the depth of decency, sympathy, and charity that I have so often witnessed in the coffee community as a whole. So many along my journey of over eighteen years have shared, taught, and assisted to help me get to where I am today. I have tried to do much the same to what extent I could.

In November of 2018 I lost my home and virtually all its contents, coffee and not, to the Camp Fire. We left with very little as there was a fire engine parked at the house and we had a minimum of 100 feet of clearance and in some places close to double that. It did not matter as this fire was a perfect storm of low humidity, dry brush at the end of the summer, very high winds, and smoke so heavy that they could not get aircraft in the air. There were so many offers from folks here on HB and elsewhere it would be a disservice to so many to try to list them all.

But as heartwarming and poignant as all the offers were, there is one to which I need to give special thanks. Back in January of this year, in a thread here on HB discussing conical grinders, I had mentioned that I had lost my Kony in the fire and that, while it did a great job, I had never recommended it to anyone for home use. I added that when I recover I hoped to be able to get a Monolith Conical for a number of reasons, but its quality and dedicated single-dose design were the main reasons since I have been single dosing for years.

Not long after posted in that thread I received a message from Denis Basaric, the owner of KafaTek. He offered his condolences about the fire and sent along his thanks that my wife and I along with our pets were all safe. He went on to tell me that he would be sending me one of the new MC3 KafaTek Monolith Conical grinders. He said that it might have some blemishes but would meet all the specifications and pass all the tests he demands of his grinders. As the first shipment of the MC3 had not even gone out it was a few weeks before the grinder arrived and it is everything you have heard about it!

<image>
On the right is the amazing MC3 Monolith Conical. On the right is the Arzum Okka auto Turkish Coffee Maker, both resting on what little space one has in the "kitchen" of a motorhome. The Okka is astounding. Put in fine ground coffee, add sugar if you like, place one or two cups on the drip tray, select the brew strength and one or two cup brew, and it does the rest. When done, it even has a cleaning cycle! And, yes, the MC3 grinds fine enough for Turkish!

I wanted to do something in return for Denis's generosity so I offered to write some sort of review or article on my website concerning the grinder. A fairly empty offer, really, since he sells out of every shipment even before production begins. In that message I continued, "If you have not been to my website you may not know that I started it back in late 2000 when I first decided to start drinking coffee and making espresso at home." I went on to talk about the reviews I have done and I mentioned the "How to Solve Espresso Problems at Home" article there.

His response was, "I am aware of your extensive web site, it's a resource. Read it years ago when I was getting into the espresso craze."

When I started my website I had received information and was educated by the work of so many folks on the "old" alt.coffee, and people like David Bogie ("Bogiesan") Mark Prince (Coffeekid and Coffeegeek), and so many more. It was Bogiesan's "Espresso FAQ" that initially motivated me to start my Espresso! My Espresso! website. Since I started my website I have received letters of thanks from all over the world and from all levels of home baristas as well as pros. The above comment from Denis will stand as one of my most cherished.

What I can say about all this is that through it all, from my beginnings until today, I have found the world of coffee to be almost 100% filled with decent, honest, and generous people, willing to help. It is that spirit I have carried on here as well on my website, happy to discuss and share information, to teach, to assist, and do so across all borders and divides which are all too often found elsewhere. I times such as these it gives one hope for humanity.
This story makes me feel even better about my choice to purchase a Monolith!

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slybarman
Posts: 1207
Joined: 12 years ago

#359: Post by slybarman »

Lelit Bianca that had only pulled 30 shots total according to the non-resettable counter for $1000.

I call that a score.

Coffcarl
Posts: 260
Joined: 6 years ago

#360: Post by Coffcarl »

Well ok, I know I am fishing for responses, since I already posted this pic in the "show your espresso setup" forum, but here goes:

Picked up a Grimac mini from a local FB marketplace and. We negotiated down from 200 to 140. Missing the steam wand as it had had a frother contraption, the water spout was missing the end piece, and most importantly, missing a portafilter. Water was leaking from the flow meter (o ring). Also, I impatiently manhandled the nut on the side of the e61 grouphead trying to figure out why water was not making it to the grouphead. I managed to salvage the gauge, whose needle was pegged past the limit.

The importer, Grimac Royal Falcon Enterprises, was able to get all the parts to me posthaste, and even with some consumables, two rounds of shipping, and 2 group head cleaning brushes, I was able to get this beauty going for a total cost of under $320. It has a Sirai pstat, e61 grouphead, and beefy commercial solenoids and opv.

Plenty of steam, even though the boiler is 1.3 liters, and because the boiler is sized for home, it does not take long to heat up, and is relatively energy efficient. Bonus, it is NSF certified, so maybe I can take things to another level and cater.

I count myself lucky in the extreme.

Pictured next to my $35 plus $20 in parts Bezzera EB grinder.