Coffee
Current Equipment left to right: Rocky Rancilio, Gaggia Classic Pro, Bunn LPGE-2, and Bunn VP17-1
The 4 Bs of Great Coffee
Beans
I purchase my raw coffee beans from Sweet Maria’s.
Coming Soon – How I Met My Coffee
Roaster
Behmor Drum Roaster is where the magic happens, roasting them green beans to a medium-dark roast. I typically run the heat manually at full bore. Once I hear first crack, I’ll let it go an additional 1.5 to 2 minutes. I like to hear a crack or two from 2nd crack but I won’t mind if it goes a little in either direction.
Grinders
Rancilio Rocky for my home espresso and French press usage. I’ve had this workhorse grinder for over 20 years as of 2026. For many years it was my only grinder. Every day I would set it up for a fine espresso grind and then have to adjust it out to a medium grind for my regular pot of coffee. You lose some product during the transition. Now it gets used daily for my espresso. I rarely brew a French press, but when I do, this is my guy. The replacement for the Rocky is the Rancilio Stile.
Bunn LPGE-2 for grinding my beans directly into the Bunn brew basket for our daily pot of coffee.
Capresso Infinity 560 is what I keep in the RV for grinding coffee for percolator use.
Hario Skerton Pro is a backup grinder I keep in the RV, just in case the Capresso breaks, or we are unable to provide AC power to run the Capresso. I have used it. A pretty nice manual grinder. I have a couple more manual grinders I’ve tried over the years but they are nothing to write home about.
Brewers
Bunn VP17-1 brewer is my daily pour-over workhorse delivering consistent results. Nothing beats a Bunn pour-over brewer. I love the commercial version because I can adjust and dial in the temperature of the water in the holding tank. You don’t get that with the home Bunn brewers. Mine has been upgraded with stainless steel brew basket.
Gaggia Classic Pro for my espresso. Designed and made in Italy, they know a thing or two about espresso. I’ve modified mine to include a little up water tank when turned on as well as an aftermarket portafilter with a hand-made Italian walnut handle. I pull a double shot almost every day from this for my signature Cafe DM.
French Press is the classic. Makes a great strong cup of coffee but then gets cold really quick. Keeping it warm will change the fresh flavor.
While camping I like to stick with the lowly percolator.
