What have you got on Filter today?

James_R

I don't taste that much coffee out these days as I work from home and have my beans arriving in the post. Most times when I do get out I'm in Coffee Angel picking up some V60 filters and am always impressed by their filter and espresso offerings.

The last time I visited 3fE the filter option (for one person) was from a Marco machine. I was in Joe's Kildare village the other day and excitedly asked what was on filter. The barista serving me pointed at the Marco and told me about the lovely Barn roasted coffee that had been brewed. I'm sure it is a lovely coffee but it would have been even more lovely brewed V60, Chemex or even Aeropress.

Are Marco machines taking over to save time these days?

adrian522

Don't know, make my coffee at home, mostly get espresso when out and about.

I thought those Marco's were just water delivery, and you would use in conjunction with a filter method?

J_E

I think filter from a machine is a bit disappointing unless you are outputting huge amounts of filter coffee - with a pourover station it is not that time-consuming to have 3 or 4 pourovers on the go at any one time, just takes someone who can pour it right and keep an eye on it. I like the cafes where they have pourover stations. When I see filter from a machine I wonder how long it was left there.

mandarin

I’m pretty certain most coffee professionals would say the opposite is true: you are far more likely to get a good cup of filter when the process is automated. There is a theatre to single-cup brewing with the likes of a V60 but the results will always be wildly inconsistent. In contrast, batch brewing (as long as the coffee is kept fresh) offers quality and consistency.

Some good points here:
https://theotherblackstuff.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/batch-brewing/

and here
http://www.freshcup.com/back-to-batch-brew/

J_E

I guess it's a similar argument is brought up from time to time, if a machine could replace a barista and make a better cup, would you want it? I think part of what I enjoy about filter coffee is the process of it, to be honest. It adds a social/psychological dimension even if the taste may not be as perfect as a machine.

James_R

adrian522 wrote: »

I thought those Marco's were just water delivery, and you would use in conjunction with a filter method?

It was a Marco brewer. I asked was it fresh and she told me it's always brewed fresh as it doesn't last too long.

Anyway it tasted average but had a lot of potential to be great. I will be avoiding any automated filter brewing system in the future. If they don't have the time/skills to brew a single cup I'll go elsewhere.