Sweet Maria's Cupping Supplies
On this page:- As is typical of Bodum products, the design is really simple and smart. I recommend this highly for anyone who uses a type of brewing that requires near boiling water ---The aforementioned pour-over method with a coffee cone, coffee sock, French press, or even you Vacuum brewers out there. (Remember, coffee should be brewed with water just off-boil ...at 195-200 degrees. By the time you take the Ibis carafe off the base and are ready to pour, I think your temperature will be good.)
Here's that stainless steel heating coil. It works great!-
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Here's an image of the carafe off the base. The base plugs, the carafe is cordless.
PINO Pro Digital Electric Kettle - perfect for the walk-away gourmet!
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I don't know exactly why I am so excited about the Pino Digital Kettle Pro. I need a lot of hot water, not just for cupping coffee samples, but for pour-over brewing with our Clever Coffee Dripper, for making French Press, and for herbal tea infusions at bedtime. I also have the bad habit of forgetting that I am heating water on the stove. I will evaporate a full pan of water before I remember I had it on the burner ... which led me to use the Bodum Ibis kettle. It's a fine one too, but I also forget about it, and then my water is cool and I need to heat it again. So here is the pretty sleek the Pino Digital Kettle Pro, an electric kettle that will heat water to a temperature that I preset, and hold it there until I am ready for it, or remember it, whichever comes first. It has a 50 oz (~1.5 Liter capacity), and the electric base is separate from the kettle top. It is 1000 watts, a bit lower than some other electric kettles, but will heat a full 1.5 liters from tap temperature to 205 in 9 minutes, and will heat 16 ounces of water in 2 minutes. In 2 months of use, my kettle has become slightly louder as it heats water, for some reason; just something odd I noticed.
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I really like the way this kettle connects to the electric base. I have owned Bodum kettles that, when not seated correctly on the base, melt the plastic around the electric contact. After that, you have to fuss to get the kettle to turn on, and eventually it won't heat at all. Unlike the Bodum kettle, the heating element here is sealed inside the kettle base, so it can't develop lime scale or other mineral deposits on it. And this design keeps the electric connector in a place well away from the water - smart! It makes a safe, secure connection and the kettle can rotate 360 degrees on the base. |
If I want water at 198 or 202 or 205 I can set that easily on the touch pad. The current temperature of the water reads instantly on the display from the moment you put the kettle on the base, and a "heating" light flashes when there is power being delivered to the burner. When the water hits your target temperature, it beeps twice and a green "warm" light comes on and cycle between a low setpoint and the target setpoint, both of which can be controlled. |
The handle is large and nicely insulated, and I like the way the kettle pours. |
The PINO kettle has a measurement bar inside so you can fill it to a particular level. Mine came loose but simply pushes back on to its bracket. |
PINO vs. Bodum: The PINO kettle has a few big advantages over the Bodum, which you might consider given that it costs more. It is all stainless, and water only contacts stainless steel, no plastic. The heating coil in the Bodum is in the water, so it can get scaled with minerals. And for very, very forgetful people like myself, it will shut itself off if the water evaporates down to the temperature sensor in the bottom. This is the best kettle for coffee cupping I have ever used, and if you are busy smelling the dry fragrance or making notes, the water will be ready for you when you are ready to pour your cups. |
PINO Digital Kettle Pro
$69.96 (+ 3 lbs shipping)  |
Bodum Ibis -Cordless Electric Kettle
I was really impressed with the design of the Bodum Ibis, a cordless electric kettle, when we used them in
the Roasting Basics seminar at the SCAA coffee convention. They are
great for cupping sessions, and daily coffee brewing. I use it for
cupping, Aeropress, pour-over brewing with a filtercone, and I pre-heat
my vacuum brewing water for the Cona or Yama with the Ibis. They are
remarkably fast at bringing the water to near boil temperature ...perfect
for French Press brewing or pour-over type brewing.
Their speed is due to an oversized Stainless Steel heating coil in
the carafe. Once the water is ready to go you have the convenience of
the cordless feature: well ...there is a cord but the carafe separates
from the base for service. The capacity is 50 ounces or 1.7 liters. |
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 Black |
 White |
Ibis Kettle in Black $37.50 (+ 3.2 lbs shipping) |
Ibis Kettle in White |
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| The Ibis Kettle is also available in a smaller 27 ounce size which is great for one person or traveling. This model is not cordless. |  |
| Mini Ibis Kettle in Black (27 oz) $28 (+ 1.5 lbs shipping) |
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The Sweet Maria's Coffee Cupping Spoon
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Sweet Maria's SS Cupping Spoon --- Impress everyone ...or make them think you have gone completely over-the-edge! Yes, the process of coffee tasting involves a special spoon, and coffee cuppers get very, very particular about the shape and make of theirs. I am one of those people, and have a collection of some 30 different models. But this is the one I chose to have made for us, my favorite. This has a deep round bowl, moderate size overall, that special curvature of the handle to permit skimming the coffee from the top of the cup. And, following a new form of thought in spoons, we are turning our back on silver-plating. Silver plate is soft, scratches and dings, and degrades quickly. A deplated spoon has a detectable metallic aroma. Stainless steel resists surface scratching, and is much more durable in general. This image gives you a better view of the logo which is now stamped on the handle - not etched like last time. I think this is an ideal gift for a coffee roasting person ... necessary, no! But enjoyable, yes. $20.20 (+.30 lb. shipping) |
Keeping Track of Volume
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This is the standard coffee measure scoop used in all the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA)cupping seminars. This is useful for cupping or home brewing, and while it is a little bit larger than others, the size guarantees adequate strength: 1 Level scoop approximates 10 to 11 grams coffee. Use 1 Scoop per 6 oz water (195-203 degrees fahrenheit) in all drip-infusion brewing methods (electric or manula, stovetop or automatic, even espresso!) as well as cupping. Please note: Scoops are now clear plastic, not blue. 35¢ each (+.1 lb. shipping) Limit 5 please! |
Keeping Track of Weight
In general, it's much better to brew by weight, not by volume. For absolute consistency, that means weighing the roasted coffee and the water. That might seem a bit over the top, but we have found that it does impact the cup quality - so we brew everyday coffee the same old way, but when Tom cups he is measuring by weight. We offer two different scales, a fairly inexpensive model that works well, but can't double as an espresso dose scale, or a really nice one that is super accurate and might be a good option for the obessessed.
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Keeping Track of Temperature
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We just received this low cost Digital Thermometer with a thermocouple wire probe, a simple and effective way to monitor temperatures in a roaster.... or a brewer! . And the temperature range on this thing is amazing: -58 f to +1382 f ! It comes ready to go with a K-type thermocouple and a 9v battery installed. You have a choice of Centigrade of Farenheit readout on the big easy-to-see LED screen, and a Hold button in case you want to freeze the readout screen at a particular moment (not sure why you would want to. You can replace the thermocouple with any K-type or J-type (different temperature potential) probe, available at any electonics store like a Radio Shack or even a Sears store. The thermometer is made in China and imported by Circuit Specialties. It also comes with a nice zippered canvas carrying case. Digital Thermometer with thermocouple: $29.90 (+ .4 Lb. ship weight) |