Troubleshooting Capresso Infinity grinder

[spamtr...@gmail.com]

I'm sticking this here, because I could not find any instructions on
the web, and google does a fair job of finding googlegroups posts.

The Capresso Infinity grinder (Model 505) is the only motorized
conical burr grinder under $100. Which is why its failure to function
yesterday caused us consternation. Basic troubleshooting revealed
a chunk of plastic had broken off the bean hopper. My beloved wife,
who is the only one to use the grinder, claimed ignorance.

I took off the grounds recipient, and, with the torx bits of my screwdriver,
removed the lower burr, discovering impacted coffeegrounds underneath.
Still did not spin. NB: the lower burr is pushed upwards by three balls
atop three springs. Do not lose these.`

How to remove the housing mystified me, but I found that it was held
on by five tabs, which I could depress with an old butter knife,
allowing me to slide the housing downwards.
The power cord is connected to a terminal block, which in turn is connected
to two blue wires. One blue wire goes to a microswitch, which is closed
when the bean hopper is properly installed. From there, another blue wire
leads to the grinding timer switch. From there, a white wire goes to
a little circuit board with a MZ-23 PTC thermistor on it, and four diodes.
Red and black wires from the motor go to this PCB.

Measuring continuity with a VOM was not very fruitful, so I turned
the timer switch to 10, plugged the grinder in, and manually closed
the microswitch. Success! as the motor spun.

Monday I will try to order a new bean hopper, and perhaps a new
microswitch, direct from Capresso.

[spamtr...@gmail.com]

The microswitch is a Baokezhen SC7301. The nubbin looks pushed in,
compared to a datasheet picture on the web.

[John Kuthe]

Gee, should have gotten a good old fashioned U.S. made Kitchenaid A9 Coffee Mill like I have. Made in Troy Ohio, and still grinding on from the 1940's!

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/t31.0-8/12140961_1016902311703582_2183187834194420682_o.jpg

John Kuthe...

[sam.r...@gmail.com]

Thanks! This was totally helpful! My coffee grinder wasn't working and this is the problem, so I'm also going to order a new microswitch.

[sandv]

Hello! We might have the same problem. Where did you find the microswitch? Couldn't find it anywhere. Thanks so much for your detailed description.

On Saturday, March 26, 2016 at 9:52:38 AM UTC-7, spamtr...@gmail.com wrote:

[fluge...@gmail.com]

On Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 11:24:51 PM UTC-5, sandv wrote:
> Hello! We might have the same problem. Where did you find the microswitch? Couldn't find it anywhere. Thanks so much for your detailed description.

The issue with mine turned out to be the thermal fuse, which is in the bottom part of the grinder next to the motor (remove the 4 screws in the base to access). It's a small silver cylinder with a green cap. Test it for continuity, if it fails then it needs to be replaced. It can also be bypassed (simply removed), which is what I did. Just be careful when using afterwards (wait for motor to cool down between uses), as the motor may burn out if it is run continuously for too long.

[002...@gmail.com]

hello i had a similar issue. I took apart the microswitch and added more material to the "nubin" with superglue and baking soda. heres how it looks first attempt. https://photos.app.goo.gl/cvMS0NhcD3pjdqc13

hope this helps anyone who sees this and cannot find a replacement microswitch.

[penm...@aol.com]

For many years I futzed with roasting/grinding beans, and spent big
bucks on so called 'rare' beans plus mucho money on fancy shmancy
grinders and brewers... all for naught.
It's not possible to brew good coffee without good water... a few
years ago I installed a Reverse Osmosis water filter... what a
difference good water makes. Now I buy ground coffee in big cans for
cheap (Walmart Brand), makes fantastic brew, but it's really about the
H2O.... if you're using tap water you're masturbating. Bottled water
is tap water too, only from someone else's tap, probably from a garden
hose. And all those paper/charcoal element filters attached at the
sink spigot are no better than aquarium filters... will load up with
bacteria/viruses and make you very sick.
If you're a coffee and/or tea drinker you need an RO filter.

[casa de suspiros]

All excellent points.

But remember that RO water is devoid of most all beneficial minerals,
not as bad as distilled water, but close.

So you need to supplement with:

https://traceminerals.com/endure/

[penm...@aol.com]

On Mon, 5 Feb 2018 11:01:54 -0700, casa de suspiros <n...@quite.yet>
wrote:

Um, stop being dense... coffee is not the only liquid one drinks.

[dsi1]

On Monday, February 5, 2018 at 7:07:07 AM UTC-10, Sheldon wrote:
>
> For many years I futzed with roasting/grinding beans, and spent big
> bucks on so called 'rare' beans plus mucho money on fancy shmancy
> grinders and brewers... all for naught.
> It's not possible to brew good coffee without good water... a few
> years ago I installed a Reverse Osmosis water filter... what a
> difference good water makes. Now I buy ground coffee in big cans for
> cheap (Walmart Brand), makes fantastic brew, but it's really about the
> H2O.... if you're using tap water you're masturbating. Bottled water
> is tap water too, only from someone else's tap, probably from a garden
> hose. And all those paper/charcoal element filters attached at the
> sink spigot are no better than aquarium filters... will load up with
> bacteria/viruses and make you very sick.
> If you're a coffee and/or tea drinker you need an RO filter.

Our tap water is just great stuff. No treatment needed. OTOH, Hawaii water probably kills more people than your water.

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/37422520/maui-waters-claim-life-of-10th-victim-in-just-over-a-month

[mol...@gmail.com]

You need a # 10 security torx bit. Has a small hole in middle. Took me a couple of visits to the hardware store to get this cleared up.

[tenn...@gmail.com]

On Saturday, March 26, 2016 at 12:52:38 PM UTC-4, spamtr...@gmail.com wrote:

I bought a used model and discovered the damaged bean hopper. disassembled as noted above and required a lot of force for me. Cut the two leads from the micro switch and wired them together to bypass the switch. I suppose I no longer have an idiot proof machine because it will now turn on regardless of the fact that the hopper is on or not. This is not recommended for safety purposes. I also know how not to put my finger in the toaster once I turn it on as well.

[dsi1]

On Thursday, March 8, 2018 at 3:08:42 PM UTC-10, tenn...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> I bought a used model and discovered the damaged bean hopper. disassembled as noted above and required a lot of force for me. Cut the two leads from the micro switch and wired them together to bypass the switch. I suppose I no longer have an idiot proof machine because it will now turn on regardless of the fact that the hopper is on or not. This is not recommended for safety purposes. I also know how not to put my finger in the toaster once I turn it on as well.

I got an Epica Electric Coffee Grinder and am as pleased as punch. It's got a powerful motor, is quiet (relatively), has a removable grinding chamber, and costs about $23 on Amazon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKrTThMbUZI

[nymph...@gmail.com]

On Saturday, March 26, 2016 at 12:52:38 PM UTC-4, spamtr...@gmail.com wrote:

The microswitch on the bean hopper is there so the grinder won't run if the hopper is improperly installed. It is not necessary if you pay attention when installing the bean hopper. You can remove it and connect the two wires, properly insulate the connection with electrical tape and you are good to go.

[chriscat...@gmail.com]

We tried to grind a pound of coffee all at once. The grinder overheated and stopped working. Did we burn up the motor? Please help! Cathy

[Leonard Blaisdell]

In article <3fa5bbde-bd2f-4ac5...@googlegroups.com>,

<chriscat...@gmail.com> wrote:

> We tried to grind a pound of coffee all at once. The grinder overheated and
> stopped working. Did we burn up the motor? Please help! Cathy

You may have tripped a GFI or breaker depending on what else was
running at the same time. Does anything else work in the same outlet?
If not, reset the GFI or breaker, otherwise, contact the seller or
manufacturer. Best I have.

leo

[itsjoan...@webtv.net]

What I'd like to know is why anyone would grind a whole pound of coffee at
once? Coffee looses it flavor once ground even if sealed tightly. Why not
grind what you only need daily?

[Cindy Hamilton]

Because I make coffee first thing in the morning. I want it fast, and
I don't want to stop to grind.

Nor do I want to hear the grinder at 4 am.

Cindy Hamilton

[Bruce]

I tend to get up before my wife does. If I'd start grinding coffee at
5 am, I'd wake her up.

[Ed Pawlowski]

On 6/8/2018 6:47 AM, Bruce wrote:


>>
>> Because I make coffee first thing in the morning. I want it fast, and
>> I don't want to stop to grind.
>>
>> Nor do I want to hear the grinder at 4 am.
>
> I tend to get up before my wife does. If I'd start grinding coffee at
> 5 am, I'd wake her up.
>

Does she sleep in the kitchen?

My wife never gets up from the grinder but the coffee is for her anyway.
I drink tea. Much quieter, more civilized.

[Cindy Hamilton]

On Friday, June 8, 2018 at 8:14:48 AM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 6/8/2018 6:47 AM, Bruce wrote:
>
>
> >>
> >> Because I make coffee first thing in the morning. I want it fast, and
> >> I don't want to stop to grind.
> >>
> >> Nor do I want to hear the grinder at 4 am.
> >
> > I tend to get up before my wife does. If I'd start grinding coffee at
> > 5 am, I'd wake her up.
> >
>
> Does she sleep in the kitchen?

Don't know about Bruce, but I have a small ranch-style house with
hardwood floors. You can hear everything everywhere in the house.
While the coffee is brewing, I sit in the bedroom. When I hear
it is done burbling I know it's ready. The grinder is a hell of a
lot louder than that.

> My wife never gets up from the grinder but the coffee is for her anyway.
> I drink tea. Much quieter, more civilized.

Tea is ok. But first thing in the morning it has to be coffee.

Cindy Hamilton

[S Viemeister]

On 6/8/2018 2:03 PM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:

> Tea is ok. But first thing in the morning it has to be coffee.
>

Yes.
Coffee in the morning, tea for the rest of the day.

[penm...@aol.com]

On Thu, 7 Jun 2018, chriscat...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>We tried to grind a pound of coffee all at once. The grinder overheated and stopped working. Did we burn up the motor? Please help! Cathy

What kind of grinder?

[penm...@aol.com]

On Fri, 08 Jun 2018 20:47:16 +1000, Bruce <br...@invalid.invalid>
wrote:

Someone with a functioning brain would grind their coffee and set up
their coffee brewer the evening prior... it's not rocket science... I
did that for many years. Only ignoranuses grind coffee in the early
morning while others are sleeping. Coffee grinders are very loud, and
also messy... normal folks don't want to be futzing with a coffee
grinder first thing in the early morning.

Anyone who needs the entire pound ground at once should be buying
already ground coffee or grind it in the store's grinder... and then
there's no reason to own a coffee mill... if the motor burned out toss
it in the trash, you really don't need a coffee mill.

[Dave Smith]

On 2018-06-08 9:53 AM, penm...@aol.com wrote:
> On Fri, 08 Jun 2018 20:47:16 +1000, Bruce <br...@invalid.invalid>

Nor do I want to hear the grinder at 4 am.
>>
>> I tend to get up before my wife does. If I'd start grinding coffee at
>> 5 am, I'd wake her up.
>
> Someone with a functioning brain would grind their coffee and set up
> their coffee brewer the evening prior... it's not rocket science... I
> did that for many years.

That would defeat the purpose of freshly ground coffee.

[U.S. Janet B.]

I now grind once a week because I am just so not into grinding
everyday anymore. I want my coffee now.
Janet US

[itsjoan...@webtv.net]

On Friday, June 8, 2018 at 8:53:27 AM UTC-5, Sheldon wrote:
>
> Someone with a functioning brain would grind their coffee and set up
> their coffee brewer the evening prior... it's not rocket science... I
> did that for many years.
>

I did that once or twice and did not care for the results. I use COLD
water from a water jug in the refrigerator and f-r-e-s-h-l-y ground
beans.

>
> Only ignoranuses grind coffee in the early
> morning while others are sleeping. Coffee grinders are very loud, and
> also messy... normal folks don't want to be futzing with a coffee
> grinder first thing in the early morning.
>

I've got a burr grinder and yes, it makes noise but it's not like a buzz
saw. The grounds drop right into it's accompanying jar ready to be dumped
into the brew basket. It's not rocket science.

>
> Anyone who needs the entire pound ground at once should be buying
> already ground coffee or grind it in the store's grinder... and then
> there's no reason to own a coffee mill... if the motor burned out toss
> it in the trash, you really don't need a coffee mill.
>

Agree.

[itsjoan...@webtv.net]

Thank you.

I don't think people realize how quickly coffee loses it flavor
once ground.

[graham]

I think many people don't give a flying eff!

[Cindy Hamilton]

Meh. Up until a few years ago I drank instant.

Cindy Hamilton

[Cheri]

"graham" <g.st...@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:pfeb6h$35c$2...@dont-email.me...

LOL, I think I am one of them. I buy Folgers or Yuban, tastes fine to us. I
just use a Bunn coffee maker but do set it up after use so it's ready for
the next pot.

Cheri

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Fri 08 Jun 2018 07:06:35a, Dave Smith told us...

In the morning I only drink fresly ground and brewed espresso and
always over ice.

The rest of the day an vening I only drink iced black tea with no
sweeteners but sometimes a touch of lemon.

Since moving to AZ the only hot beverages I drink are cocoa or cider,
and then usually around the holidays.

--

~~ If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it. ~~

~~ A mind is a terrible thing to lose. ~~

**********************************************************

Wayne Boatwright

[Gary]

penm...@aol.com wrote:
>
> Someone with a functioning brain would grind their coffee and set up
> their coffee brewer the evening prior... it's not rocket science... I
> did that for many years.

That's what I did for years. Even grinding right before brewing
didn't impress me at all.

Eventually I learned that buying preground is no worse the fresh
ground coffee. I never detected some so extra delicious taste by
grind some in the morning then brewing immediately.

I buy a can or bag of preground now (mostly 12 oz now). Set it up
the night before and flip it on in the morning.

I have an excellent (over 25 years now) Krupps coffee grinder.
Used it for coffee for years until I learned doing that was
worthless. 10 years ago, I started using it to powder dry ferret
food. Worked like a charm for that too. Hasn't been used in over
2 years now but I still have it. Still has ferret food residue in
it. It's held on reserve for the next generation of little ones
here.

[Gary]

I've tried both ways, Dave. Fresh ground is no better than set it
up the evening before coffee, imo. I buy preground now. Still
tastes good as 'grind and brew' to me.

[Hank Rogers]

OK, thanks Popeye. What sort of coffee do yoose think should we be using?

Jewish Kosher maybe?

[Hank Rogers]

Popeye, didn't yoose already say they didn't need no damn grinder?

[Gary]

Cindy Hamilton wrote:

>
> itsjoan...@webtv.net wrote:
> > I don't think people realize how quickly coffee loses it flavor
> > once ground.
>
> Meh. Up until a few years ago I drank instant.

I've always switched to instant for a few months, then back to
brewed. It's variety.

[Bruce]

On Fri, 8 Jun 2018 08:14:44 -0400, Ed Pawlowski <e...@snet.net> wrote:

>On 6/8/2018 6:47 AM, Bruce wrote:
>
>
>>>
>>> Because I make coffee first thing in the morning. I want it fast, and
>>> I don't want to stop to grind.
>>>
>>> Nor do I want to hear the grinder at 4 am.
>>
>> I tend to get up before my wife does. If I'd start grinding coffee at
>> 5 am, I'd wake her up.
>>
>
>Does she sleep in the kitchen?

No :) But the kitchen and the bedroom share a wall.

>My wife never gets up from the grinder but the coffee is for her anyway.
> I drink tea. Much quieter, more civilized.

I'll never understand tea.

[Bruce]

We've used beans for years and now ground coffee for years. I can't
tell the difference.

[Bruce]

I don't like instant, but I'd still prefer it to tea. I prefer a glass
of water to tea. I prefer a gasp of air to tea.

[Ed Pawlowski]

On 6/8/2018 4:46 PM, Bruce wrote:

>
> I don't like instant, but I'd still prefer it to tea. I prefer a glass
> of water to tea. I prefer a gasp of air to tea.
>

I said tea is more civilized. Now you confirmed it.
I tell my wife coffee is for sailors and hangovers.

I do buy the best I can get for her though and grind it fresh.

[Bruce]

On Fri, 8 Jun 2018 17:04:25 -0400, Ed Pawlowski <e...@snet.net> wrote:

>On 6/8/2018 4:46 PM, Bruce wrote:
>
>>
>> I don't like instant, but I'd still prefer it to tea. I prefer a glass
>> of water to tea. I prefer a gasp of air to tea.
>>
>
>I said tea is more civilized. Now you confirmed it.

I did? How is that?

>I tell my wife coffee is for sailors and hangovers.

Tea is for women and sissies.

[Dave Smith]

When I was working my way through university I had a summer job in the
furnace room of an alloy plant, working with molten metal. That is a
whole new world of heat to experience. I found that they only thing that
satisfied my thirst was clear tea.

Tea can be very good It has to be made properly, and the important first
step is to steep in in a decent pot. You should also use a good tea,
preferably loose rather than bags. I switched to coffee for a long
time, but over the last 6 months or so I have been drinking a lot more tea.

[Dave Smith]

I use pre ground only for convenience. When I want a better quality
coffee I get some good beans and grind them.

[Bruce]

I've had all kinds of tea. The good, the bad and the ugly. To me it's
all useless. I'll have some water instead.

[Bruce]

A shame we can't do a blind test. It could all be between your and
Joan's ears, unless you have superior taste buds, of course :)

[dsi1]

On Friday, June 8, 2018 at 11:04:29 AM UTC-10, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>
> I said tea is more civilized. Now you confirmed it.
> I tell my wife coffee is for sailors and hangovers.
>
> I do buy the best I can get for her though and grind it fresh.

Billions of Chinese can't be wrong although, a great many of them are Wong. Coffee is mostly for folks that feel the need to self-medicate.

[itsjoan...@webtv.net]

I think you are correct; they get used to drinking swill and don't taste
how bad it has become.

[itsjoan...@webtv.net]

That's fine if you can't discern the difference in taste. But some of
us can and prefer to grind the beans right before brewing.

[Bruce]

Exactly what I always say about supermarket food full of added
chemicals. But you're not supposed to be critical like that in rfc.
All mouth breathers unite!

[Bruce]

On Fri, 8 Jun 2018 14:40:02 -0700 (PDT), dsi1 <dsi...@yahoo.com>
wrote:

More bullshit from the Hawaiian bubbling volcano that never stops.

[Dave Smith]

I don't know how important a blind taste test would be. Some people
simply seem not to have good taste. Heck, we have someone who actually
likes McDonalds food.

[Dave Smith]

We have ground most of our coffee for years, but I always bought
pre-ground espresso. I recently bought some espresso beans a (another)
grinder to use specifically for the espresso. It made an amazing
difference to my morning latte.

[Bruce]

On Fri, 8 Jun 2018 18:12:29 -0400, Dave Smith

<adavid...@sympatico.ca> wrote:

>On 2018-06-08 5:33 PM, Bruce wrote:
>> On Fri, 8 Jun 2018 17:24:40 -0400, Dave Smith
>> <adavid...@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>>
>>> On 2018-06-08 4:45 PM, Bruce wrote:
>>>> On Fri, 8 Jun 2018 10:34:26 -0600, graham <g.st...@shaw.ca> wrote:
>>> once ground.
>>>>>>
>>>>> I think many people don't give a flying eff!
>>>>
>>>> We've used beans for years and now ground coffee for years. I can't
>>>> tell the difference.
>>>
>>> I use pre ground only for convenience. When I want a better quality
>>> coffee I get some good beans and grind them.
>>
>> A shame we can't do a blind test. It could all be between your and
>> Joan's ears, unless you have superior taste buds, of course :)
>>
>
>I don't know how important a blind taste test would be.

To find out if you're fooling yourself, if it's all between your ears.

[Ed Pawlowski]

On 6/8/2018 5:22 PM, Dave Smith wrote:

>
> Tea can be very good It has to be made properly, and the important first
> step is to steep in in a decent pot. You should also use a good tea,
> preferably loose rather than bags.  I switched to coffee for a long
> time, but over the last 6 months or so I have been drinking a lot more tea.
>
>

I get mine from west of you. www.teatrader.com

[penm...@aol.com]

On Fri, 8 Jun 2018 10:06:35 -0400, Dave Smith
<adavid...@sympatico.ca> wrote:

>On 2018-06-08 9:53 AM, penm...@aol.com wrote:

>> On Fri, 08 Jun 2018 20:47:16 +1000, Bruce <br...@invalid.invalid>
> Nor do I want to hear the grinder at 4 am.
>>>
>>> I tend to get up before my wife does. If I'd start grinding coffee at
>>> 5 am, I'd wake her up.
>>

>> Someone with a functioning brain would grind their coffee and set up
>> their coffee brewer the evening prior... it's not rocket science... I
>> did that for many years.
>
>That would defeat the purpose of freshly ground coffee.

You don't get it. The OP defeated the purpose by wanting to grind an
entire pound all at once. DUH
Grinding for the morning the evening prior defeats nothing... next
you'll be saying coffee ain't fresh unless you have coffee trees and
pick and roast beans two minutes before brewing.
For many years I ground coffee, even roasted my beans until I
discovered Walmart ground coffee in cans, best coffee bar none,
and I even had my own coffee business durng the 70s. Walmart is big
enough to monitor the entire process from planting coffee trees to
roasting, grinding, and canning.... there is no better coffee on the
planet than Walmart's. Walmart sells more coffee than ALL others on
the planet combined.... it's the best stocked aisle in their super
stores. Compared to Walmart Starbucks is a flea on your ass. I'd not
be surprised to learn that Starbucks uses Walmart coffee.
Unfortunately Starbucks brews with city tap water. Blech.
Coffee is 99.999% water, coffee is ALL about the water. Same as
anyone who buys the best of the top shelf gin for their 2nis and uses
shitty city tap water to make their ice... and those stoopid insert
filters don't cut it, those are no better than cheapo glass wool and
carbon aquarium filter elements.... excelent breeders of bacteria,
etc.
UNLESS YOU USE A REVERSE OSMOSIS WATER FILTER DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT
COFFEE.

[penm...@aol.com]

TIAD

[dsi1]

On Friday, June 8, 2018 at 12:12:25 PM UTC-10, Dave Smith wrote:
>
> I don't know how important a blind taste test would be. Some people
> simply seem not to have good taste. Heck, we have someone who actually
> likes McDonalds food.

There are people that claim to be able to tell the difference in the number of windings in guitar pickups and others say they can hear the difference between speaker connected with Monster Cables and ordinary speaker wire. A blind test is useful in showing that any difference they're hearing is imaginary.

My guess is that people that claim to be able to taste the difference between knife ground coffee and burr ground coffee fit into realm of these imaginary claims. My guess is that I could tell the difference between freshly ground coffee and ground coffee that's been sitting a while - but I could be wrong.

The reality is that, all things being equal, the most important factor in great tasting coffee is going to be the coffee to water ration. Well, that's my guess anyway.

[Ed Pawlowski]

On 6/8/2018 8:14 PM, penm...@aol.com wrote:

> UNLESS YOU USE A REVERSE OSMOSIS WATER FILTER DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT
> COFFEE.
>

Good, I won't. We've been using filtered water for 37 years with no
problems. Good taste, good ice. RO takes the minerals out and leaves
bland water.

[Ed Pawlowski]

On 6/8/2018 8:41 PM, dsi1 wrote:

> There are people that claim to be able to tell the difference in the number of windings in guitar pickups and others say they can hear the difference between speaker connected with Monster Cables and ordinary speaker wire. A blind test is useful in showing that any difference they're hearing is imaginary.

Years ago Stereo Review magazine did a blind speaker cable test. Lamp
cord did as good as Monster Cable.

>
> My guess is that people that claim to be able to taste the difference between knife ground coffee and burr ground coffee fit into realm of these imaginary claims. My guess is that I could tell the difference between freshly ground coffee and ground coffee that's been sitting a while - but I could be wrong.
>
> The reality is that, all things being equal, the most important factor in great tasting coffee is going to be the coffee to water ration. Well, that's my guess anyway.
>

I have a simple way of classifying those things. Like and Don't Like.
My taste cannot tell you what the chicken at for dinner from the taste
of my egg.

[Cheri]

"Ed Pawlowski" <e...@snet.net> wrote in message
news:PRFSC.215399$o43....@fx33.iad...

I can if they had a lot of fish in the feed. :)

Cheri

[Dave Smith]

On 2018-06-08 9:14 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 6/8/2018 8:41 PM, dsi1 wrote:
>
>> There are people that claim to be able to tell the difference in the
>> number of windings in guitar pickups and others say they can hear the
>> difference between speaker connected with Monster Cables and ordinary
>> speaker wire. A blind test is useful in showing that any difference
>> they're hearing is imaginary.
>
> Years ago Stereo Review magazine did a blind speaker cable test.  Lamp
> cord did as good as Monster Cable.

I used to work with a guy who thought himself quite knowledgeable about
music. One day I commented about a song on the radio and he thought I
was blowing smoke when I commented about the acoustic guitar. He doubted
that. He also doubted that I could tell the difference between nylon
strings and steel strings, or the difference between a Stratocaster, a
Telecaster and a Les Paul. Maybe he could not tell the difference, but
most guitar players can.

>

[Doris Night]

My husband gets up much earlier than me, and makes his own coffee out
of pre-ground Maxwell House in the big drip machine.

When he hears me getting out of bed, he gets out the grinder and the
little Melitta pot, and makes my coffee fresh. Yes, I'm spoiled.

He used to do it in a French press, but it broke a couple of months
ago.

Doris

[Bruce]

On Sat, 09 Jun 2018 07:08:54 +1000, Bruce <br...@invalid.invalid>
wrote:

>On Fri, 8 Jun 2018 17:04:25 -0400, Ed Pawlowski <e...@snet.net> wrote:
>
>>On 6/8/2018 4:46 PM, Bruce wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> I don't like instant, but I'd still prefer it to tea. I prefer a glass
>>> of water to tea. I prefer a gasp of air to tea.
>>>
>>
>>I said tea is more civilized. Now you confirmed it.
>
>I did? How is that?

Sorry, Ed, I shouldn't have asked you a straightforward question.
Didn't mean to put you on the spot.

[Ed Pawlowski]

The fact that you don't drink it would mean civilized people do.

[Doris Night]

On Sat, 9 Jun 2018 07:32:51 -0500, heyjoe <sam...@example.invalid>
wrote:

>On Fri, 08 Jun 2018 23:33:53 -0400, Doris Night wrote:
>
>> When he hears me getting out of bed, he gets out the grinder and the
>> little Melitta pot, and makes my coffee fresh. Yes, I'm spoiled.
>>
>> He used to do it in a French press, but it broke a couple of months
>> ago.
>

>Can you taste any difference between the French pressed and the filter
>dripped? Supposedly the filter removes some of the coffee oils, which I
>would guess changes the taste.
>
>More importantly, do you prefer the French pressed coffee, or the filter
>dripped coffee??

I think I prefer the filtered coffee. You tend to get a bit of muddy
sediment in the French Pressed stuff.

But they are both miles ahead of regular drip coffee.

Doris

[penm...@aol.com]

On Sat, 9 Jun 2018 10:42:31 -0500, heyjoe <sam...@example.invalid>
wrote:

>On Sat, 09 Jun 2018 10:07:18 -0400, Doris Night wrote:
>
>> But they are both miles ahead of regular drip coffee.
>

>How can the Melitta be better than "regular drip coffee". I'm guessing
>the only differences are
>1) different paper filters
>2) water temperature
>
>Have used a Melitta occasionally and thought it was awkward and clumsy
>compared to my ancient Mr. Coffee.
>
>Ooh, ooh - third thought - have hard water here, so I clean my Mr.
>Coffee on the first of the month, every month.

Brewing coffee with hard water is the very worst coffee... before
discusssing coffee brewing methods one must first use RO filtered
water.

[Gary]

heyjoe wrote:
>
> On Fri, 08 Jun 2018 23:33:53 -0400, Doris Night wrote:
>

> > When he hears me getting out of bed, he gets out the grinder and the
> > little Melitta pot, and makes my coffee fresh. Yes, I'm spoiled.
> >
> > He used to do it in a French press, but it broke a couple of months
> > ago.
>

> Can you taste any difference between the French pressed and the filter
> dripped? Supposedly the filter removes some of the coffee oils, which I
> would guess changes the taste.
>
> More importantly, do you prefer the French pressed coffee, or the filter
> dripped coffee??

I used to use a French Press until I broke it a few years ago.
Rather than replace it, I just dug out an old Mr.Coffee 4-cup
maker out of the closet. Some day, if I think of it while
shopping, I'll get a new french press. IMO, taste is much better
(stronger) with that over a drip machine. With a drip machine,
you get one pass and that's all. With a french press, you can
vary the soaking time and strength to your taste.

Difference also depends on your blend of coffee and how much of
it you use. Water certainly makes a difference too in some cases.
I use city water but I make it up the night before, so the
chlorine is gone by morning.

I constantly play with coffee, trying this and that. I only drink
one cup in the morning though so I'm not all that picky. As long
as I have that one cup, good or bad, it's over for the day.

[Gary]

Doris Night wrote:
>
> I think I prefer the filtered coffee. You tend to get a bit of muddy
> sediment in the French Pressed stuff.
>
> But they are both miles ahead of regular drip coffee.

I agree except with the French Pressed being muddy. Once you
press it down, just wait another 5 minutes for whatever the
screen misses to settle, then pour off the top and leave the
bottom inch untouched. As soon as I poured the hot water in I
would cover it with a kitchen towel, then again once I pressed it
down. That keeps the coffee hot until you get to drink it about
10 minutes later. Good stuff. I need to buy another FP.

[Hank Rogers]

Whut is dat RO popeye? Rectum Osmosis?

[Bruce]

Hmmm... I was hoping for a less infantile reply from you, but alas.

[Dave Smith]

My wife and I use the French press almost daily and it is still hit and
miss. Sometimes it is terrific and other times it is quite
disappointing. We grind the beans for that, and always a coarse grind.

[graham]

After seeing the one used by friends, I bought a Cuisinart maker that
grinds the beans into a filter basket and then heats the water. It makes
excellent coffee IMO and even s/mkt brands of beans make such an
acceptable brew, I don't bother now with fancy ones.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Sat 09 Jun 2018 02:53:37p, Dave Smith told us...

When I drank hot coffee I always made it in a 1930s double-bowl
vacuum pot. It made terrific coffee. I've often wondered about the
coffee made in the Keurig type machines but I won't spend the money
to find out.

--

~~ If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it. ~~

~~ A mind is a terrible thing to lose. ~~

**********************************************************

Wayne Boatwright

[graham]

On 2018-06-09 4:25 PM, Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> On Sat 09 Jun 2018 02:53:37p, Dave Smith told us...
>
>> On 2018-06-09 3:24 PM, Gary wrote:
>>> Doris Night wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I think I prefer the filtered coffee. You tend to get a bit of
>>>> muddy sediment in the French Pressed stuff.
>>>>
>>>> But they are both miles ahead of regular drip coffee.
>>>
>>> I agree except with the French Pressed being muddy. Once you
>>> press it down, just wait another 5 minutes for whatever the
>>> screen misses to settle, then pour off the top and leave the
>>> bottom inch untouched. As soon as I poured the hot water in I
>>> would cover it with a kitchen towel, then again once I pressed it
>>> down. That keeps the coffee hot until you get to drink it about
>>> 10 minutes later. Good stuff. I need to buy another FP.
>>>
>>
>> My wife and I use the French press almost daily and it is still
>> hit and miss. Sometimes it is terrific and other times it is quite
>> disappointing. We grind the beans for that, and always a coarse
>> grind.
>>
>
> When I drank hot coffee I always made it in a 1930s double-bowl
> vacuum pot. It made terrific coffee.

I had one of those some 45 years ago and I agree, it made superb coffee.
However, it was a bit fiddly to use and, unfortunately, fragile:-(

[dsi1]

On Saturday, June 9, 2018 at 11:53:32 AM UTC-10, Dave Smith wrote:
>
> My wife and I use the French press almost daily and it is still hit and
> miss. Sometimes it is terrific and other times it is quite
> disappointing. We grind the beans for that, and always a coarse grind.

Damn the French for coming up with a brewing method for their muddy coffee! I grind my beans really fine for an automatic drip machine. It work fine.

I have a fancy schmancy vacuum pot that I've never used. I can't even figure out how it works. It looks more like a chemistry set than a coffee maker. My brother gave it to my other brother over a decade ago. He gave it to me unused about 6 months ago. Sometimes the cat will sit on the box. As of yet, that's the most usage this contraption has yielded.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Sat 09 Jun 2018 03:27:29p, graham told us...

I have a half dozen of "antique" vacuum pots and agree that they can
be a bit fiddly to use. Fortunately I have never broken one.

[Ed Pawlowski]

On 6/9/2018 6:25 PM, Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> I've often wondered about the
> coffee made in the Keurig type machines but I won't spend the money
> to find out.
>

Convenient. No way to really justify the waste with the pods but they
do have a place. I've seen them in the waiting area of the car dealer
or tire shop.

As for taste, I don't think you missed anything.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Sat 09 Jun 2018 04:52:34p, Ed Pawlowski told us...

Thanks, Ed. I won't bother.

[dsi1]

On Saturday, June 9, 2018 at 1:52:38 PM UTC-10, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

>
> Convenient. No way to really justify the waste with the pods but they
> do have a place. I've seen them in the waiting area of the car dealer
> or tire shop.
>
> As for taste, I don't think you missed anything.

It's going to taste better than the usual tire shop coffee. I had one in my office. The problem with them is that the water metering section was unreliable and inaccurate. I have one in a box and am thinking about hauling it out in the near future. My guess is that a lot of businesses have tried them and were happy with the brew but were reluctant to replace them once they broke down.

[Dave Smith]

Back in the mid 60s I worked in a snack bar at a teen night club and
we had vacuum coffee makers. They were pretty simple to use. Put the
water in the put and stick the funnel on top with the coffee in it. Put
the pot on the burner. When the water heats up the pressure from the
steam forces the water up into the funnel. When all the water has gone
to the top you take it off and the coffee gets sucked back into the pot.

[Dave Smith]

Sure, it's better that the crappy coffee in the waiting room that has
been heated for an hour or more. I have had it at the homes of a number
of friends and at the snack bar at the YMCA. There was a coffee shop
that had a variety of coffees and flavoured coffees. You select the
variety you want and they stick it in the machine. It usually tastes
like instant coffee.

[Doris Night]

On Sat, 9 Jun 2018 10:42:31 -0500, heyjoe <sam...@example.invalid>
wrote:

>On Sat, 09 Jun 2018 10:07:18 -0400, Doris Night wrote:
>

>> But they are both miles ahead of regular drip coffee.
>

>How can the Melitta be better than "regular drip coffee". I'm guessing
>the only differences are
>1) different paper filters
>2) water temperature
>

Freshly ground beans. My husband doesn't bother with grinding the
beans, except for coffee he makes for me.

Doris

[Dave Smith]

On 2018-06-09 6:25 PM, Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> On Sat 09 Jun 2018 02:53:37p, Dave Smith told us...

>> My wife and I use the French press almost daily and it is still
>> hit and miss. Sometimes it is terrific and other times it is quite
>> disappointing. We grind the beans for that, and always a coarse
>> grind.
>>
>
> When I drank hot coffee I always made it in a 1930s double-bowl
> vacuum pot. It made terrific coffee. I've often wondered about the
> coffee made in the Keurig type machines but I won't spend the money
> to find out.

Those vacuum systems made great coffee. Apparently they are still
available.

Don't waste your money on a Keurig machine. I have had it served to me
many times and it tastes like instant coffee. My niece had a Nespresso
coffee maker and it make a great cup of coffee. Unfortunately, she ran
out of pods and had a hard time getting more. She was in Estonia at the
time. I considered getting a Nespresso, but they are expensive. It is a
15 mile drive to the closest place that sells the pods. They are
expensive and seemed to come only in variety packs which included a
number of different flavours.

We have a drip coffee maker, an espresso machine and a French press and
use them all. It is usually espresso in the morning and then drip or FP
after supper.

[Gary]

Dave Smith wrote:
>
> I don't know how important a blind taste test would be. Some people
> simply seem not to have good taste.

It's good for personal evaluation. I've always loved root beer.
One day I bought 5 different brands of it and went home to do a
blind taste test. A few were eliminated after the first pass.
Near the end, I kept tasting several times.

Winner for me was "Dad's Root Beer."
Runner up was "A&W"

From then on, I knew what to buy. :)

[Gary]

Dave Smith wrote:
>
> I don't know how important a blind taste test would be. Some people

> simply seem not to have good taste. Heck, we have someone who actually
> likes McDonalds food.

http://www.hostpic.org/images/1806101853000114.jpg :)

[dsi1]

On Saturday, June 9, 2018 at 3:29:00 PM UTC-10, Dave Smith wrote:
>
> Sure, it's better that the crappy coffee in the waiting room that has
> been heated for an hour or more. I have had it at the homes of a number
> of friends and at the snack bar at the YMCA. There was a coffee shop
> that had a variety of coffees and flavoured coffees. You select the
> variety you want and they stick it in the machine. It usually tastes
> like instant coffee.

I'll take coffee however I can get it. When we were in the UK, we were drinking instant because of the lack of a coffee machine in the hotel room. I have never known a Keurig cup to taste like instant but I suppose we'd need a blind taste test to really find out. I would have rejected the machine with the first cup if it brewed instant coffee.

[dsi1]

We've been eating at McDonald's a lot. It's kind of a depressing place but it's cheap, fast, and you know what you're going to get. It helps a lot if you're really hungry. Come to think of it, most of the food places we go to are pretty depressing. That's the breaks.

Here's a funny sign I saw at the hardware store. It implies something about surfers. However, as we all know, that's totally wrong.

https://www.amazon.com/photos/share/HTCWQRbUpOifg6OApApS92WkydDNGnVAqo22zAnakEA

[Ophelia]

"dsi1" wrote in message
news:9cbb1adb-7519-479d...@googlegroups.com...

==

Good grief!

[dsi1]

On Sunday, June 10, 2018 at 9:00:51 AM UTC-10, Ophelia wrote:
>
> ==
>
> Good grief!

Sex Wax is a product that is made of a very soft wax. It is used by surfers to increase the grip of their body parts on the board - by paradoxically, waxing the surface.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO9eNGy9nDw

[Ophelia]

"dsi1" wrote in message
news:4f2ae85b-633c-475f...@googlegroups.com...

==

Err thank you:)

[dsi1]

On Sunday, June 10, 2018 at 10:15:48 AM UTC-10, Ophelia wrote:
>
> ==
>

> Err thank you:)

From his accent, that surfer dude is either Scottish/Irish or he's from the Caribbean. That's rather odd.

[Ophelia]

"dsi1" wrote in message
news:4f5f8247-8ea1-4c2f...@googlegroups.com...

==

Scottish, I would understand ... :))

[sge...@gmail.com]

Found this on a Google search. In my case, after removing the cover to the unit, I jumped the microswitch and turned the timer on. Voila - it ran.

I think I'd rotated the hopper all the way to the 'remove' position and it just wasn't engaging the microswitch button.

[dsi1]

On Monday, June 11, 2018 at 5:27:58 AM UTC-10, Ophelia wrote:
>
> Scottish, I would understand ... :))

When we were at Heathrow airport, I was talking to some tall footballer lads, inquiring about the shuttle bus. I said "you sound like you guys are from Ireland." They informed me that they were Scottish. Ha ha at least they didn't take to start beating us to bloody messes. Your football fans are famous the world over for stuff like that but these were friendly footballers. :)

[Ophelia]

"dsi1" wrote in message
news:a80349c5-eb08-47ea...@googlegroups.com...

==

So long as you don't ever ask them if they are English ... you might have
ended up a bloody mess!!!

[dsi1]

On Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 1:57:13 AM UTC-10, Ophelia wrote:
>
> So long as you don't ever ask them if they are English ... you might have
> ended up a bloody mess!!!

Thanks for that important travel tip. I will certainly keep that in mind!

[Bruce]

On Tue, 12 Jun 2018 10:50:54 -0700 (PDT), dsi1 <dsi...@yahoo.com>
wrote:

How can someone not know that.

[Ophelia]

"dsi1" wrote in message
news:62f5e43a-de4e-41d2...@googlegroups.com...

==

Welcome!