this post was submitted on 28 May 2026
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Coffee

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I’m pretty new to the world of coffee, at least to caring about it, anyway. I’ve been drinking drip coffee from pre-ground beans for years but wanted to start getting more into it. I picked up a moka pot and have loved it so far, but I’m stuck either using pre-ground or a blade grinder. I mostly do my coffee around 5:30 in the morning, a few hours before my infant daughter and wife are awake, and don’t want to risk waking them so I was thinking manual. I also don’t have tons of money to spend right now, since most of my money goes toward my daughter. My absolute cap would be $200 CAD but the cheaper the better honestly, as long as it isn’t really bad. I saw the Timemore S3 was very highly reviewed, and I can find it for around $180 CAD right now, so that’s what I was thinking, but I’ve only started doing research yesterday so I’m probably missing a thousand good models. Does anyone have any suggestions for models or blog posts or anything to look at? I’d really appreciate any help. The grinder would be used mostly for moka pot but I do also have a French press (mostly for my wife) and the aforementioned drip coffee machine that I’d like to be able to use the grinder for too. Espresso is off the table due to finances so I don’t need something that can go that finely ground.

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[–] BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 2 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

I’ve been looking for excuses to whip out the mortar pestle again…

My wife makes a lovely French press but I could never get the technique right. It was always too watery. What I like about the moka is I get a really strong concentrated coffee without having to pay for an espresso machine. If I’m craving an espresso shot, it’s good enough to satisfy the craving. If I want regular coffee, I can make a mock americano with it that I like better than drip coffee at least. And if I want something fancier, it makes a really nice mock latte too. It’s not quite the same as espresso but I wouldn’t say I like it any less. It’s just different. It’s a bit finicky but if you do it right it makes a lovely drink.

[–] Krusty@quokk.au 2 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

You can let that shit soak before you press it. 5 minutes minimum. And the grind matters. If you do fine grind.. you're getting mud. I prefer a croaser grind and a good 10-15 minute soak with water from the kettle.

You can even cold brew in a French press. That really gives the coffee body.

[–] BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 1 points 7 hours ago

I definitely soaked it for 5 minutes, I remember always setting a timer for 5 mins when making it, but I’m currently stuck with a shitty blade grinder so I probably am just not good at using it, where my wife is probably better at it. My grind was probably the wrong size.

When I get a decent grinder I’ll try french press again and see if I can get a better result. For now I’ll use the grinder as an excuse for me being bad at making it.