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> if I were to use this, would the metal mesh screen capture all particles, even the finely ground ones?

Steel will let some fines through, but the mesh is a lot tighter than on my French press... The fines have never been enough to bother me, basically large enough to see, but small enough that I don't feel then when drinking.

The main difference between paper filters and steel ones is the oils. With paper you get a cleaner cup, the flavors pop a little more. With steel you get more of the oils, and it is a richer cup similar to French pressed coffee.

>how much can I make in one press?

Basically a small cup. Personally I think it's strong enough that you can easily top of a large mug with hot water and still have a good cup of coffee... Definitely still stronger than a basic drip pot makes.

>mostly going to be coffee and water, don't even know what other kinds to make, really. (yet)

Coffee and water are pretty much the appropriate ingredients. Really is a matter of trying different beans, different grinds, different steep times.

>is this a chore for daily coffee making, or is the flavor worth the extra hassle?

For me it's worth the hassle on the weekends. Personally I prefer my Moka pot on weekdays before work, but that's actually more effort (though I cheat and use pre-ground coffee.)

It's definitely not set it and forget it, but it definitely makes better coffee. It is more effort, but if you've got an extra few minutes in the morning is a much better way to start your day. For me it's the difference between "I need coffee" and "I'm going to thoroughly enjoy my morning coffee".

Quick edit: I did use my Aeropress every day until this last Christmas when I got the Moka pot. The Moka pot makes coffee that resembles espresso. The Aeropress makes very strong coffee that doesn't really resembles espresso. Different device, different purpose.

The grinder is this. It's not great and I would prefer a good hand grinder over it but it was a gift so I can't complain.

I use the Aeropress most often but I also use the Moka pot pretty regularly. I haven't had the Toddy for long so I've only made one batch with it. And like I said before I haven't used the Keurig in years.

Yes I'm in the DFW area, I'm assuming you got that from the Novel and Avoca coffee. As for the Revelator, my friend recently went on a trip to New Orleans and got me that. The Cafe Du Monde coffee was from a family friend who heard I liked coffee but it's a few months stale now so I'm probably gonna throw it out.

Ok, so I took your advice and the steaming went SOOO much better. It was actually attractive microfoam haha. Turned out wonderful! I'm still having trouble steaming all of the milk though. Using a 20oz Krupps pitcher (this one) I definitely get microfoam going, but not nearly enough to cover the coffee like for a cappuccino.

I've been filling it about 40% full and steaming from there, after having the pitcher itself in the fridge with the milk to keep it chilled. My steaming is running about 13-15 seconds before the pitcher gets hot to the touch in my hand, at which point I stop the steaming. It makes beautiful silky smooth microfoam, but it's not dense at all. I'm worried about steaming for any longer in case I scald the milk.

Should I try steaming for longer anyways and see what happens? Now that I'm getting nice microfoam, I'm really happy, but I wish I could get more...

You'll definitely want to upgrade to a quality burr grinder. I've never made espresso with a blade grinder but I imagine it would be pretty difficult. To use a non-pressurized portafilter you'll really need a decent grinder like one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Baratza-Preciso-Coffee-Grinder-685/dp/B003JFCRN6

Grind is one of the most important things for espresso. Good grinders range from $100 all the way up to $2k and more. A Baratza Encore is about $120 and a great starter grinder and would work great with a pressurized portafilter. That is actually what I use at home.

Tough to make a recommendation without knowing your budget, and what you currently own, use, and like or dislike.

I have over a dozen coffee making devices, multiple pour overs, Aeropress, Chemex, Siphon, and a few electric machines. They all have their own plusses and minuses, and I use them all (today was a generic ceramic cone with a Melita 4 filter), but the 2 things that get used every time I make coffee are a grinder and scale.

Upgrading to a good burr grinder is almost universally acknowledged to be amongst the most useful things you can do to improve your coffee, and actually weighing your beans and water are probably a close second. My Baratza Encore does a great job, and I'm also very happy with my American Weigh Scales LB-3000.

Welcome to the world of increasingly more and better coffee.

May I recommend something that will help you keep your (what appears to be tiny) kitchen clean? Get yourself a bar mat. It will help catch loose beans/grinds and keep them from getting scattered all over your kitchen. Also if you spill water or what ever it will all stay contained. I got mine from a place I used to work (says Barcardi and Coke on it) Make friends with a bar tender, or spend the 10 bucks now and enjoy your clean kitchen. Also makes it look like you know what you're doing. Seriously, a bar mat is the way to go.

That and a Chemex should be your next purchase.

edit- something like this

first of all, fresh beans will get you the most flavor. Go to your local cafe of roaster and ask them to grind some beans for you in a brew that you liked. you can even go to higher end grocery stores for this. places like kroger/walmart/etc have beans that have been sitting on the shelves for months, and in warehouses for God knows how long.

second, there's many methods to brew. If you like a large volume with good flavor, nothing wrong with a drip machine. A well-done pour-over will extract more flavors, but takes longer and requires more gear and money.

Aeropress is the cheapest, quickest, and best option for flavor (IMO) that you can buy and learn in 5 minutes. It makes wonderful coffee, but in smaller amounts so it might not be ideal if you want something to sip on.

All of this depends on your budget, check out /r/coffee for more detail on gear and different brewing methods

If you're looking at blended drinks I recommend cold brew. Literally just take coarsely ground coffee and soak it in water overnight, then strain it. About 1:8 ratio by weight, or 1 lb/gallon for an espresso-esque concentrate. A Mason jar or French Press is the cheapest way to do it, but there are special devices like the Toddy, Filtron, and Bruer. For the blended drinks do a 20 oz cup full of ice, 3 oz each of milk and concentrate, and some of a frappe powder like this.

If you do care to get more direct about the coffee, you can take the same concentrate and dilute it 1:1 with water and drink it over ice, or with milk and sugar.

That is a beautiful machine.. I would love a Rocket Appartamento one day, but I really can't justify the cost.

I'm running a De'Longhi Dedica EC680 with a modded portafilter. It works great, but I'd love something with a pressure release.

Not really, the way my pot is set up makes it super simple. Fill it up with water(1000ml), add coarse grind coffee to the top of the filter basket (~80g). Sit it on the counter or in the fridge for about a day.

http://www.amazon.com/Hario-MCPN-14B-Water-Coffee-1000ml/dp/B001VPXEBU

Best $23 I have spent on something coffee related.

I will also say that good cold brew can be made with less than premium beans. Sure good beans will yield a better cup, but $10/lb stuff will do just fine. Especially if you are like me and add a little cream or half and half with ice.

How set are they in their device and method, and are they interested in reading/learning about brewing?

Rather than the beans or any particular device, I've been finding this book to be really valuable as a casual/at-home brewer. It's fairly method-neutral, does a good job of explaining how to tune your cup for strength/extraction using evidence, and has a nice mix of "prose" and "information-focused" sections. Plus, the printing quality and material texture of the physical edition is just really nice.

Thanks! Quite nicely. The shaft is supported along the entire length, and there's a spring that gently presses the burs apart. Way nicer than my old hand grinder, a shitty Hario Skerton clone, which had a bent shaft so the burs wobbled.
Edit: Found the Hario Skerton clone: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008YK3IUM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cool. How is yours better than this $30 one from Amazon?

EurKitchen Professional Whipped Cream Dispenser w/Leak-Free Reinforced Aluminum Threads for Max Durability and Safety - 1-Pint (Black) - Cream Whipper Uses Standard 8-Gram N2O Chargers (Not Included) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017XZYC2Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_HXvVBbNSHR2MW

What about something like https://www.amazon.com/Hario-MCPN-14B-Water-Coffee-1000ml/dp/B001VPXEBU ?

And honestly if I can get a cheap version of a blended drink without tasting much if any coffee I'd be happy. Or at least the bitter stuff I associate with black coffee.

What if I used Xanthan Gum instead of a frappe powder and solely used my own ingredients for the rest of it?

Porlex Mini. It's supposed to fit inside the plunger of the Aeropress but I've found it doesn't fit as well as I'd like: it still sticks out the top, and if you push it down too far the grind hopper gets stuck in the plunger and is really hard to get out. Also you need to remove the rubber ring which leaves you with nowhere to put the grinder handle. It's still a very nice and compact grinder.

Great setup. For when you're ready.