My Journey with Coffee Grinders

Just this weekend, I've finally received one grinder that I've been eye-ing all year long but never pull the trigger because of the price. And eventually, I gave in and bought it with my salary incentive. ;P A clue: It's name is Rosco Mini.

This is yet another hand grinder into my collection. Ever wonder why I am so into hand grinders? Let's do a little bit of reminiscent shall we??

I started my espresso journey with a mere Capresso Infinity. It uses 38-mm conical burrs and has stepped adjustment. It has a black and white theme which looks like beautiful piano. Being in for espresso, the stepped adjustment is sufficient but not perfect. If you have used any grinder before, you will know that grind retention is always the bane in all electrical grinder. For specialty coffee, we strive for freshest coffee and yet there is this some ground coffee that remained in the grind path, that you cannot get it out no matter what. Needless to say, this is also the same story in the Capresso.

Pic: Cappresso Infinity

Staying in the United States at that time, I have abundant access to their second hand grinder market. Subsequently, I upgraded my Cappresso Infinity into a used La Pavoni PGC. It also uses a 38mm conical burrs, a little bit different because it's using a burr design that was coined as Trespade burrs. These burrs are supposedly designed for espresso grinding, and can produce admirable result in the cup. The apparent upgrade, for me, was that it has a stepless worm gear adjustment. This means that you can make a very fine microadjustment to change the grind size and get the perfect flow on your espresso machine. All is good at this point huh? Wait until you turn on the grinder - the thundering sound of this grinder will almost make your neighbor start packing - they thought the apartment is falling apart. Performance wise, it's decent. But there is this quirk of super loud noise as well as the grind retention that made me do another upgrade sooner than I thought.

Pic: La Pavoni PGC Grinder

At that time, I was very active in Coffeegeek forum. It was my fountain of knowledge that time and I spent like half of my awake time reading it. There's so much info out there! Very often, I bumped into the name Super Jolly. It was mentioned over and over again. And I thought the name was very jolly-jolley, very christmas-ey. The Super Jolly was so called the standard in cafes for espresso grinding. So I started paying attention on Ebay for these. Lucky enough, there're plenty of these floating on second hand market due to Starbucks' decision to dump them, in favor of super-automatic machine. I've managed to secure one of these for around USD 200 with shipping cost.

Pic: Mazzer Super Jolly

Super Jolly is manufactured by Mazzer company in Italy. These beasts are no kid man! They are tough as rock and can suffer the most harshest abuse from any cafe and yet make through in one piece. The outer shell is rock solid, the adjustment is controlled in a stepless manner through their threaded collar. As they say, it is the standard of espresso industry. Very tough and quality.

With my Mazzer Super Jolly still performing, I got myself into another good deal of Mazzer Major, less than USD 300 for high end commercial grinder! Super Jolly is using a 64mm flat burr and Mazzer Major is its big brother, a 83mm flat burr! It grinds faster, and everything else is a step meaner as compared to its little brother - including the size!

Pic: Mazzer Major. It may not be very obvious, but this grinder is HUGE, more so with the hopper on

Both the grinders are good. But as mentioned, there's a common theme between them - the grind retention. I single dose mostly at that time and so getting 16g out of 18g beans I put in just doesn't feel right. With both the grinder, I have to develop a routine, a ritual, to brush out the grind that is retained in the chute.  The brushing ritual works, but it's a hassle and definitely not the most elegant solution.

And later on, there's this 'most innovative grinder of the year' Baratza Vario that garnered a lot of positive feedback from the Coffeegeeks. After digging through Ebay for quite some times, I eventually bump myself into a decent deal. The Baratza Vario uses a ceramic 54mm flat burr. The ceramic burrs doesn't look very robust, but the proof is in the cup. Some said it is almost on par with Super Jolly in the cup due to its unique burrs design. And most importantly, it is famous for its low retention. With about 18g beans in, I can easily get 17.8g out. Good enough I thought. But as everything, there's always something to complain about. Because the Vario is made from mostly plastic and it is using a Macro-Micro adjustment, the grind setting isn't very robust. It is a hair less intuitive to dial in as compared to other grinder and it requires more grind adjustment from day to day. For me, that is a deal breaker because that would waste a lot of coffee bean and I am stingy on that(being a poor student what). ;P

Pic: Baratza Vario

Then, I came into this thread. This thread basically got me interested into trying hand grinder. And so I did. My first grinder that I ordered was a Armin Trosser. It was a box coffee mill that is made of wood. My first impression was that the grinder look nice. After loading beans into the chamber, the crank is so difficult to turn. And at its finest setting, it's obvious it couldnt grind espresso as advertised by the ebay seller. And off it go, back to its owner. Thanks to the seller that keeps to his pride and word.Though I don't think I will ever get another similar box mill again, this hand grinder experience definitely got me hooked.

Pic: Armin Trosser vintage coffee grinder

Maybe it's fate, then there is a new hand grinder - OE Pharos,  that was designed from scratch was born in the house of OrphanEspresso. It is using the Titan-sized conical burrs at 68mm. In espresso, Titan Conical burrs are said and proven to give the best flavors separation and to showcase the single origin coffee best. As you would imagine, I was dying to have one. But owning a Titan Conical grinder is a dream to me at that time, due to the price mainly. Even a used 68mm conical burrs grinder will cost upward of USD 1,000, and not to mention the shipping cost for its size. This 68mm-burrs Pharos comes new at USD 245! It's a fraction of the price of its counterpart, of course minus the motor. I followed closely the owners' review for some while before deciding to get one myself.

Pic: OE Pharos

True enough, as they claimed, the flavors from these burrs are indeed better. But most importantly, it is the other aspects that got me seriously addicted to hand grinding. First, the grind retention is almost negligible. 18g in 17.9g out, sometimes 18g. Grinding motor noise is almost non-existence, except the beautiful sound of the coffee beans cracking inside the burrs. And knowing that the grinder will basically work for a long long time, due to the absence of motor, keeps me a very happy home barista. Another feature of these Titan sized grinder is that they have a larger sweetspot for grind size. You know when you're doing espresso, you have to make fine tweaking to the grind size day-to-day due to the beans aging right? With titan sized grinder, guess what? You don't have to do that or you'll just be doing very very minor tweak. This is just part of the unexpected pleasant surprise.

Eventually, when I finally came back to Malaysia after my graduation, I started my coffee journey again. This time, undoubtedly, my first choice would be hand grinder. Partially due the low retention, and also the durability aspect of a hand grinder. You will never know when the motor will die. It happened to my Cappresso Infinity once but luckily it got replaced under warranty. In Malaysia, if that happens, I suspect the part is difficult to obtain and most likely be very expensive. So, I think I can survive without the motor. ;P A Hario mini was limping along with me for a short while but we said goodbye very soon because of the plasticky built and inferior grind particles.

Thus, I got myself another innovation from OrphanEspresso. This time it was their Lido grinder. It utilizes a small 38mm conical burrs grinder. I know, it's not the Titan sized. But given the budget, this will be good enough, as better coffee will give off better result than a better grinder. And I am not particularly super fussy on this as long as it's a decently pulled shot.

Pic: OE Lido Hand Grinder

It's true that you have to work out a little using these grinder as compared to pressing one button. But for the better quality coffee(zero retention) and cheaper cost, why not? Plus, by hand grinding you get a feel of the coffee beans, whether it's hard or soft, or whether you're grinding too fine. You actually can pick up those senses. These actually gives me a sense of satisfaction. As they said - hand ground, hand-pulled, hands down! 

p/s: I may be adding another 'hand roast' before the 'hand ground', on a 'hand picked' coffee. Hahaha! Will talk about my home roast effort in coming posts.

Lastly, a little sneak peak. ;D Back to the topic, I've just received my Rosco Mini grinder from Ross in Australia as I mention in the start of the entry. First thing first, it's an work of art, and quality! Very precise hand grinder made using solid material and attention to detail. It may looks like the vintage turkish hand grinder, but that is far from the truth - the Rosco mini is on another level!  Next time

Busy as bee ;(

Dear bloggie,

There're so many things I would like to share but life is soo busy flying here and there. Please forgive me and will update soon. :P

My Cup Obsession

Any true coffee lover will understand the importance of serving properly brewed coffee or espresso in the right cup. It will not only enhance the overall experience of drinking the coffee, but also make the drink more tasty (Trust me!!). Inevitably, some of them eventually got into the rabbit hole of searching for the perfect cup. And shamelessly, yours sincerely is one of the cup obsess. :P

Here's some of my cups galore:

Start with my top favorite!

Name: Illy Nude Crystal Demitasse

Source: Illy USA

Capacity to rim: ~2.0 oz/60 ml

Price: USD 40 / piece

Name: Illy Frosted Crystal Demitasse

Source: Illy USA

Capacity to rim: ~2.0 oz/ 60 ml

Price: USD 40 / piece

Name: Orphan Espresso Inker Demitasse

Source : Orphan Espresso, USA

Capacity to rim: ~1.75 oz/ 55 ml

Price: USD 3 / piece

Name: Orphan Espresso Inker Cappuccino Cup

Source: Orphan Espresso, USA

Capacity to rim: ~ 6oz / 180ml

Price: ~USD 8 / piece

Name: Ocean Crystal Espresso Demitasse

Source: Full of Bean, Penang

Capacity to rim: ~2.0 oz / 60 ml

Price: RM 15 / piece

Name: NoBrand Espresso Demitasse

Source: One Utama - Cup: Aeon & Saucer: Live it up!

Capacity to rim: ~ 2.5 oz / 75 ml

Price: RM 10 / piece

Name: Cuisinox 10 Oz Latte Cup

Source: Ebay

Capacity to rim: 10 oz / 300 ml

Price : ~USD 6 / piece

Name: Cuisinox 5 oz Tulip Cappuccino Cup

Source: Ebay

Capacity to rim: 5 oz / 150 ml

Price: ~USD 5 / piece

Name: NoBrand shot glass

Source: Ikano

Capacity to rim: 1 oz / 30ml

Price : RM 5.90 / piece

The cups I used to own...(and more!) =/

 My current favorite:

Disclaimer: I am not selling anything and the price is only indicative price at the time I got it. And the capacity was also based on the measurement I did last time based purely on my memory. By no mean they're absolute.

Tipsy Brew O' Coffee

Other than CAFFEine; ,  there is another cafe in Setiawalk that I have yet to visit. A very fancy playful name it has - Tipsy Brew O' Coffee. Whenever there is a new cafe addition in Puchong, I am always full of delight and expectation!! Of course hoping it to be my fresh roasted coffee supplier and my go-to cafe whenever I don't feel like brewing at home. But of course the second reason is very very unlikely, as brewing the coffee yourself is half the fun!

Pic: Exterior of Tipsy Brew O'Coffee

Inside Tipsy Brew O' Coffee, you're greeted with very cold air cond (haha, it was sunny hot outside). The wall decoration and lightings make the whole place feels cosy inside. On the coffee shelf there is a few antique hand grinders with coffee brewing equipment, just pure eye-candy for coffee lover like me. :D

From the outside, you would think that this is a place that serves only coffee and probably a few varieties of cakes. But in the actual, there're so many others food and drink choices, even if you're allergic of coffee, you will most likely to find yourself a favourite here. :) There are nutrition drinks, teas, cakes and countless other food. Anyhow, today my mission today is just for the coffee, no other.

They're serving many single origin coffees, ranging from the Java, Brazil, Kenyan, Ethiopians, etc. The price at a glance is a bit steep, with the Java at RM12.90 + tax up to RM20.90+ tax for the Kenyan & Ethiopians. Brewing methods include pour over, French Press and Siphon.

The one that caught my eye was this Ethiopians Ninety Plus Amaro Dernaye, at the top line of RM20.90 + tax. So I guess I shouldn't go wrong with it since it's a Cup of Excellence (COE) coffee scored 90+, brewed with my favourite technique French Press. 

However, at the steep price at RM20.90, or RM23 after tax, the first sip was surely disappointing. I was expected to be bombarded by complexity of typical Ethiopian, so much more that I am tasting a 90+ graded Ethiopian. To be honest, it has not much dimensional and actually tasted quite flat. A trace of staleness was present, but not very noticeable in the subsequent sips. The brightness was even very subtle in the first few sips. As the cup cools, some pineapple surfaced and the acidity is more noticeable. But that was the most exciting part about the whole coffee. A pale bitter aftertaste lingers. Suffice to say, I am very disappointed, especially with the price. And I am wondering how old was the coffee beans that I was served. Unfortunately, that's the sad thing with cafe business. If the coffee beans don't go fast enough, it will go stale, even if it's an excellent coffee to start with.

Pic:The barista preparing my French Press

The consolation is, the service and the people are quite friendly here. The lady boss at one time did come and asked how was my coffee. What else can I say at the moment other than "it was ok..". 

Tipsy Brew O' Coffee is probably a good place to hang out with friends, to have meals there. Coffee wise, it's not so bad but definitely it's won't make to my top list. They're serving popular Italian Lavazza coffee with their espresso machine too. But I am certainly not so keen on trying that for now..

Typica Cafe, not your typical Cafe

Last weekend, me and my dear went to Typica Cafe in Shaw Parade. The visit was long due because we had been planning to go there forever but never seems to be able to squeeze out time. But I am glad we finally did!

The Typica Cafe is located behind the Berjaya Times Square from the main road. From the outside, the Shaw Parade seems like a very old, antique building. After getting a slot in the old and narrow parking area, we took the lift and down to G floor. Immediately out of the lift, we smelled something very fragrant and yet very familar. No doubt, it's the coffee aroma! In fact, the cafe is just in front of us from the lift.

Even though the cafe was just there right in front, we (I actually) were stunned there for a second - there seems to be no main door for entrance, only a side door. Anyhow, masuk saja lah. It turns out that's the door we're supposed to use.

The moment we stepped in, a time machine has brought us back into the 1970s. The music, the decoration.. Very cosy environment. Every little details of the cafe just goes to show the efforts and passion that spills out from the people there. The little flower decoration on the desk, a nostalgic exam table where we always sit during the primary school, very artistic menu.

Based on the recommendation of my colleague, I went and ordered a cold drip Mandheling, and my dear ordered a cheese cake - her usual pick. Unfortunately, no espresso nor espresso-based drink were serve there, so no cappa for her as black coffee is 'yucky' for her.

One thing worth noting, the barista there seems to pay very close attention to the brewing process. Before grinding, the barista gave the beans a smell. After grinding, smell again to make sure nothing is wrong. During brewing process, the barista again smelled the coffee to make sure the coffee is brewing properly. But it just make me wondering, won't the nose get numb after so much of smelling? Haha.


Anyhow, the coffee and the cake arrived! Just for your information, their cold drip coffee was brewed using a cool glass tower, that was dripping a few drop every seconds. At that rate, a cup of coffee requires upwards of 5-8 hours, just to make a cup of coffee! How amazing is that?

Here's some photos that will do the talking :D

The coffee bar

Limited space but very nicely decorated!

Their bench, as I understood, was actually a retired old sign board!

My long awaited cold drip coffee- Indonesia Mandheling, served in martini glass

The almost finished cheesecake ;P

The crew picking up flawed beans. No way I have the same patience as she does! :P

 My dear trying to drink the black coffee. She said it's better than what I brewed! In defense, I told her it's the Tesco preground beans so of course it's not as good xD

 As I come home, I brought a small pack of souvenir. Hehe.

It was very nicely packed. The coffee was too little though so the coffee was very diluted. :(

In closing, we finally manage to give a visit to the famous Typica Cafe that I've longed to go for almost 2 months! To be honest though, I am a little disappointed with the visit. The coffee was decent (not impressive either), but the price is very high, which I suspect due to the low volume and the hand crafted process added to the coffee making. 

Chaicoffski, music in your mouth - The new kid in the block

Thanks to the Barista Club Malaysia on Facebook, I got to know this new coffee brewer that was launched very recently in Australia - Chaicoffeeski filter brewer. And for the first time, we Malaysian are one of the first that gets to try new product- thanks to Cuppa! From my brief research on the net, it seems that Chaicoffski company is quite new and this is the first product they launch under this name.

Out of the box, you get 3 things - The cup, the filter and the lid. Of course, it also comes with a colorful manual that gives a very basic idea how this brewer works.

Chaicoffski advertises their coffee as :

-Faster, hotter, simpler
-Uses 35% less coffee than other brewer" 

-The high-tech Turbo filter is made from 304 stainless steel 60 micron mesh and does not require filter paper. 
-The flavor of the brew is clean and never bitter. 
-The Chaicoffski brewer is the fastest, simplest and most economical available.


While I don't fully agree with everything that was advertised, Chaicoffski is indeed a very good brewer. It is simple to use, makes a decent cup of coffee, and with less sludge as compared to conventional French Press. On top of that, it is also particularly durable, made from stainless steel material. No breakable parts like glass vessel on the French Press.

After using it for a week, I found it is preferably to be used as how you would use a plunger coffee maker. Chaicoffski recommends using an espresso grind, 30 seconds steep, and 35% less coffee. However, I found there is too much sludge and the taste is not as good. Using it with a coarse ground size and 4 minute steep, you will get a rich bodied drink with all the flavors, just like French Press. This is especially good to showcase the character of your very expensive single-origin coffee. Plus, you will get less sludge and it is less hassle to clean, unlike the French Press.

Put the ground coffee and add hot water - Don't forget to stir to fully saturate the grind!

After 4 minutes, lift up the filter and let the remaining coffee drips through

Caution: Hot drink! And it stays that way for quite some time thanks to the double walled mug

The amount of sludge from using espresso grind:

As a conclusion, the Chaicoffski brewer is a simple, tasty and convenient coffee brewer. And the price is very affordable too at RM59 on sales (Normal: RM69) at Cuppa's website. So grab it now while it lasts! Oh, don't hesitate to go straight to their office in Ampang (Megan Embassy) too. They have a nice little showroom there with tons of unique coffee equipment there. /please



p/s: Throughout the post, did you realize that Chaicoffeeski actually stands for Chai - Tea, Coff - Coffee, and Ski. The name makes more sense now right? /wahaha

CAFFEine; in Setiawalk, Puchong

Lately, there are many cafes mushrooming in Puchong area. That's a good news to Puchong-ians like me because we can get to taste good coffee without going too far./wahaha

The latest cafe I've visited in the last month is the CAFFEine; in Setiawalk. Setiawalk is a commercial-condo, a newly live-work-play concept by SP Setia group. The major attraction there is the super pretty man-made lake, surrounded in the center by buildings consisted of restaurants, condominiums, cafes, bars, shopping malls. And not to forget the very new and comfy TGV cinema at the 5th level!

Very nice lake view : )

Before I went into the CAFFEine; , I had a small dilemma. There's another cafe in Setiawalk - Tipsy O Brew. How do I choose? The CAFFEine; had a nicer and more colorful logo, so there you go. :P

I went in there, and there's a promotion for cake+coffee/tea promotion for RM15. Happily, I saw their cheesecake on display looked pretty delicious.


"One espresso and a Blueberry Cheesecake please"

2 minutes later:

Here's a closer view on the espresso - and the biscotti (the bread-biscuit slice)

At first glance, the espresso looks a little different - the crema is on the rough side with big foam instead  fine foam I am used to see. I had a sip at it without expecting much. But once the liquid was in my mouth, it was quite delicious! The strength of the shot is just nice, not too strong like the usual ristrettos you will get in indies cafes. The flavors were also at the balanced side, the right amount of brightness with sweetness. I guess this is probably how espresso tastes like in the Italy.

The corner decoration of CAFFEine;

After the damage was done and stomach was full, it's time to go home. /bye

Overall, CAFFEine; is not a bad place to hang out in and to try their coffee. Don't expect a third-wave-style super acidic coffee here and you will quite enjoy it.