which coffee should I buy?

Lucyliu

Well Vermooten, I have exactly the same problem. Why does my machine at home not make coffee like I get in Starbucks or Neros ?? I drink americano - black !

I have tried the Italian coffee pot that you put on the stove (i,ve lived in Italy and all Italians use these)....and we also have the coffee maker thats a mini version of the ones in the coffee shops..and my conclusion is that its the pressure !! I reckon its only the mega pressured makers that can make the real nice coffee....friends have them and their coffee tastes nice.

.I spend so much in the coffee shops I,m gona buy a mega expensive one - coz it,ll save me money in the long run.

Mind you - I am a coffee addict !

biondino

Glad to see see Illy gets a mention - it's my favourite of the classy-but-still-easy-to-find brands.

Nespresso, while it shouldn't be good and goes against my better judgment, does indeed make fantastic coffee while being incredibly easy to use. Lots of unnecessary packaging involved, though, and it costs more.

I have a Bialetti Mukka, which is a stove-top coffee maker with a special nozzle between the two compartments which allows you to fill the top compartment with milk for the perfect latte (or cappuccino if you depress the button on top while it's working. I've only used it twice, first time too weak, second time too strong, but it seems a really interesting idea.

normanp

For total simplicity:
Percol Guatemala (organic, Fairtrade) - Tescos do it
Non-bleached paper filter in plastic funnel thing
Pre-warm small coffee pot and cup(s) with hot water, cover funnel with the saucer while it drips.

The coffee/water ratio is super critical as it can go from too heavy to washed out/stale.
I use 2 generous heaped dsp per person and then wet the coffee a bit with the boiling (after the boil wait a few secs so that it is a little below 100 degrees) water, leave a minute, then add more boiling water (I know exaclty how much on my funnel - needs experimentation).

It is delicious black & quite strong. The test is if it has a visible light oily slick of aromatic oils on top - then you will get the delicious sour overtone above the almost chocolatey flavours.

After opening the packet it will taste less good after a week, and be disappointiong after 3 weeks - even in an airtight container in the frig. It's fantastic when freshly opened.

But what is the best time to drink it and how much? I say between 10 and 10.30am and one or 2 tiny cups only...

BattoowooGreekgreek

For a quick hit, no ars1ng about - I found by accident after buying a load for a relatives birthday party the Tesco's own individual plastic cup filter coffee is good, I prefer the medium strength red box, they come in pack's of 10.

Bit of an eco disaster on the packaging and I can't really wax lyrical Jilly Goulden style about the taste , but a nice coffee all the same and quick enough to sort for a pre/post bike hit of caffeine if you are in a rush.

twowheeledwriter

I use a stove-top espresso pot and the cheapest (arabica) coffee I can find in the French supermarkets. And I get lovely coffee.

I too had little success with nice tasting coffee in a cafetiere - so I don't use one any more.

So experience makes me think it's the method of making the coffee rather than purely the ground coffee that affects the taste.

ride_whenever

I might have to get one of these stove top pots, how much of an arse are they to clean and how much will one set me back?

Coriander

ride_whenever wrote:

I might have to get one of these stove top pots, how much of an ars* are they to clean and how much will one set me back?

They're really not expensive (and are almost free in Italy), and they're very easy to clean once you've dumped the grinds in the compost. But, Italian friends, swear blind you should never wash them in soapy water, just running water.

When you use one, do make sure you screw it together very tightly or you'll get a fine (or not so fine depending on how loose it is) spray of coffee all over your kitchen.

andyrr

Definately try http://www.hasbean.co.uk/
Before I had an I-roast2 roaster I would order a few bags of various beans, roasted for espresso, from Steve.
Much better than any of the std shop stuff IMHO and it arrives in a few days and they will have been roasted a day or so prior to being sent so are way fresher than supermarket or Starbucks beans. Starbucks beans are nothing special and ridiculously expensive IMHO : their fancy Black Apron beans are something like £9 / 250g which is OTT, hasbean bags start at £3. Try these : http://www.hasbean.co.uk/product_info.p ... cts_id=644
Brazil Fazenda Santa Terezinha Certified Organic

singlespeedexplosif

'Only people living in Italy, France or Spain should be qualified to answer this question'

indeed. and advice from anyone mentioning 'milk' in the same post as 'coffee' should be ignored. The person themselves should be laughed and pointed at, in a Nelson Muntz stylee.

ride_whenever

I used one of these stove tops, at my ex's and found the ground coffee would work it's way up into the top section, any easy way to prevent this?

Kiwi Kranker

singlespeedexplosif wrote:

'Only people living in Italy, France or Spain should be qualified to answer this question'

Ahemmm but bollocks

The top 3 cafes in London are run by New Zealanders and they use their own roasting techniques for the fresh beans they use.(or so I have been told by numerous sources and read for myself before someone goes on and on and on about some mag review that begs to differ...come on you know you want to, get your anorak on....)

Little do people know there is a massive coffee culture in NZ and to a smaller extent OZ.

Having bleated on about that can I suggest you try and track down and try coffee beans from 'Flat white', 'Sacred' or 'Bullet Coffee' or their suppliers. (I know bullet will do a fresh grind for you while you wait)

They are well worth a try. There is nothing better here in London....period...but I would say that

biondino

Kiwi Kranker wrote:

singlespeedexplosif wrote:

'Only people living in Italy, France or Spain should be qualified to answer this question'

Ahemmm but bollocks

The top 3 cafes in London are run by New Zealanders and they use their own roasting techniques for the fresh beans they use.(or so I have been told by numerous sources and read for myself before someone goes on and on and on about some mag review that begs to differ...come on you know you want to, get your anorak on....)

Little do people know there is a massive coffee culture in NZ and to a smaller extent OZ.

Having bleated on about that can I suggest you try and track down and try coffee beans from 'Flat white', 'Sacred' or 'Bullet Coffee' or their suppliers. (I know bullet will do a fresh grind for you while you wait)

They are well worth a try. There is nothing better here in London....period...but I would say that

I shouldn't really be saying this, but despite the fact II'm anglo-Italian, Flat White and Sacred are my favourite coffee bars in London *shame*

Et Tu Titus

I love Illy beans (or ready ground) and they come in a handy tin too !! If I can't get hold of them or am feeling cheap, I go for Lavazza Expresso Delux, which isn't too bad and about half the price.

Recently discovered beans from a company called "Origin" that are used in one of the nearby poncy cafe's where I live, favoured by the beautiful and yummy mummy brigade. They taste amazing (the coffee beans that is) but are super expensive.

If in doubt, buy a Gaggia machine. I have had mine for 2 years now, use it several times a day (trying to cut back but it keeps taling to me !! ) and have saved a small fortune / dented the profit margins of Starbucks / Nero etc

Stuww

I have to agree with Nuggs.

For great tasting coffee at home with a superb crema Nespresso machines are the dogs.

I prefer the Ristretto pods, there not cheap but you get a great cup every time, my expensive chrome Gaggia espresso machine is in the shed redundent!

If you are in the south west try a latte at a http://www.bostonteaparty.co.uk/ cafe, I've never tasted better.

Stu

Coffeeholic

giant_man

Urrggghh!! Coffee is one thing I gave up 20 years ago thank God. Got tired of that flavour, only drink tea now, much more refreshing. Can't understand these coffee drinkers ....

mrushton

Stuww wrote:

I have to agree with Nuggs.

For great tasting coffee at home with a superb crema Nespresso machines are the dogs.

I prefer the Ristretto pods, there not cheap but you get a great cup every time, my expensive chrome Gaggia espresso machine is in the shed redundent!

If you are in the south west try a latte at a http://www.bostonteaparty.co.uk/ cafe, I've never tasted better.

Stu

Coffeeholic

Out of interest, what's the cost of Nespresso. Machine and pods. I presume there are machines from ££-££££ and the pods are £?

ride_whenever

Not really, the machines range upwards from about 100 pounds and the pots are between 20 and 30p each.

The crema is fantastic though...

synchronicity

singlespeedexplosif wrote:

'Only people living in Italy, France or Spain should be qualified to answer this question'

indeed. and advice from anyone mentioning 'milk' in the same post as 'coffee' should be ignored. The person themselves should be laughed and pointed at, in a Nelson Muntz stylee.

You're saying that the only type of coffee is without milk. Ie. expresso. How can I put this.... Geez that's the most coffee-snob thing I've ever heard in my entire life!
Have you even been to another country? I can tell you that most people here in Tenerife/Spain drink an expresso in the morning, and a "cortado" (short coffee with milk) the rest of the time. Coffee with milk is the norm in OZ.

Kiwi Kranker wrote:

singlespeedexplosif wrote:

'Only people living in Italy, France or Spain should be qualified to answer this question'

Ahemmm but bollocks

The top 3 cafes in London are run by New Zealanders and they use their own roasting techniques for the fresh beans they use.(or so I have been told by numerous sources and read for myself before someone goes on and on and on about some mag review that begs to differ...come on you know you want to, get your anorak on....)

Little do people know there is a massive coffee culture in NZ and to a smaller extent OZ.

I am Australian expat, lived there until I was 28, so yeah I am well aware of the coffee culture in OZ. It's HUGE (and so are the coffee mugs). I remember that the unspoken aim in our office was to see who could leave the darkest, most-permanent coffee-stain rings on the inside of our mugs. LOL.

I went to the coffee festival in Darling harbour once, drank 14 little cups of coffee... ... trying to re-create the taste of genuine Italian coffee. The worst were the African coffees.

Sorry to say this, but every time I try OZ coffee, it tastes like it's got sawdust in it. Everyone there thinks they know how to make the best coffee... I do like all the graphic-designs they/we have, etc, but other than that, I'm always disappointed. Sorry to say this, but whenever I am in OZ, the coffee is normally so bad, that I become a tea-drinker!

I've travelled a lot, and the only other noteable coffee that I drank which comes to mind was in Jamaica - fresh blue mountain coffee.

Stuww

I bought this machine and milk frother http://tinyurl.com/5a47yj from Amazon, although I think there was an offer on as I got sent some cashback and I'm sure it worked out at no more than £80 ish all in!

Pods are about 25p each plus £5 postage, minimum order of 50.

Although the machine is a base model it makes great coffee.

Stu

Clever Pun

Monmoth coffee is awesome, but you're in Manc right? so that doesn't help... errm sorry

onbike 1939

Doobz wrote:

Lavazza and illy is good stuff..

Also if you go into starbucks you can get some fresh beans ground for you

Cough...cough. You can store green, unroasted coffee beans for up to 18 months without deterioration. Roasted beans will keep for around a week and a half. Ground coffee will keep 25 minutes. The coffee you see in the supermarket can never be fresh. If you want freshly roasted beans, then you're limited to a few small speciality roasters such as "Hasbean".

Harp

So, roasted beans keep for about a week ? That sounds like sh1te to me.

What about the warehouses that store these beans , then the supermarkets who store them, then the peeps that buy them, if they only kept for a week by the time we got round to making a coffee with them they'd be crap.

What I think peeps mean when they say they keep for a week is that if you are a coffee anorak then you can - and i'd bet you can't - tell if a bean has been lying too long.

I like ny coffee as much as the next guy but geez, don't listen to the hype.

Scrumple

If you want to know what coffee "peeps" really mean when they say roasted beans only keep a week....

Bread. Make breadcrumbs and leave them out. Stale in an hour.
Leave bread out, and it stales in a day.
Keep bread in a plastic bag and it lasts a few days.

Coffee...

Keep roasted beans in a valve bag (lets C02 out as the beans produce this after roasting) with all the air removed, sealed in foil.... and yes the supermarkets etc. ca shelve them for months. Bit like vacuum packed anything.

Keep roasted beans at home once the bag is opened.... they will NOT last more than a couple of weeks without going stale. Sure, they will not be ruined, like milk curdling, but they will be no where near as fragrant.

If you have ground coffee at home (as per the bread example) it is going to go stale very very fast due to the huge exposed surface area. Grinding your own gives you a bit more life out of the coffee, as it slows down the shelf life.

So the peeps is right innit. Simple physics and common sense. Just see what happens to your custard creams if you leave the biscuit tin open overnight!

Oh... and the hype? What colour do you think coffee beans are? Brown, like the adverts when they are all in the sacks??
Try again! Hype is often true, and what you think is true isn't!





(answer: beans are delivered green, and stay that way until the last minute when they are roasted)

onbike 1939

Harp wrote:

So, roasted beans keep for about a week ? That sounds like sh1te to me.

What about the warehouses that store these beans , then the supermarkets who store them, then the peeps that buy them, if they only kept for a week by the time we got round to making a coffee with them they'd be crap.

What I think peeps mean when they say they keep for a week is that if you are a coffee anorak then you can - and i'd bet you can't - tell if a bean has been lying too long.

I like ny coffee as much as the next guy but geez, don't listen to the hype.

You clearly know absolutely nothing about coffee.

"Question: How do I store my coffee beans?

Answer: How you store your coffee depends on what form it is in, mainly either whole bean or ground coffee. Here is a quick run-down on storing coffee:

* Whole green (raw) beans - In a tightly sealed container, kept in a cool spot out of the light. Will keep for about a year.
* Whole roasted beans - Store at room temperature in a non-clear container, or in a dark place. Will last about 1 to 2 weeks.
* Ground roasted coffee - Sealed container again, but will only stay fresh for a few days at this point. Only grind what you will quickly use"
http://coffeetea.about.com/od/coffeeand ... gbeans.htm

http://www.coffee-makers-cafe.com/coffe ... fresh.html
http://www.coffeebeancorral.com/custom.aspx?id=4

It is possible I suppose that you know more than those involved in the coffee business or those of us who buy green beans, roast them and grind them, but I doubt it.

Clever Pun

Harp wrote:

So, roasted beans keep for about a week ? That sounds like sh1te to me.

What about the warehouses that store these beans , then the supermarkets who store them, then the peeps that buy them, if they only kept for a week by the time we got round to making a coffee with them they'd be crap.

What I think peeps mean when they say they keep for a week is that if you are a coffee anorak then you can - and i'd bet you can't - tell if a bean has been lying too long.

I like ny coffee as much as the next guy but geez, don't listen to the hype.

they recomend 3 weeks normally, but you can freeze them of course.

I'm really against those mespresso machines and the like... Gaggia espresso machines for the purist

it's like comparing campag to shim... nah better not

Kiwi Kranker

synchronicity wrote:

singlespeedexplosif wrote:

'Only people living in Italy, France or Spain should be qualified to answer this question'

indeed. and advice from anyone mentioning 'milk' in the same post as 'coffee' should be ignored. The person themselves should be laughed and pointed at, in a Nelson Muntz stylee.

You're saying that the only type of coffee is without milk. Ie. expresso. How can I put this.... Geez that's the most coffee-snob thing I've ever heard in my entire life!
Have you even been to another country? I can tell you that most people here in Tenerife/Spain drink an expresso in the morning, and a "cortado" (short coffee with milk) the rest of the time. Coffee with milk is the norm in OZ.

Kiwi Kranker wrote:

singlespeedexplosif wrote:

'Only people living in Italy, France or Spain should be qualified to answer this question'

Ahemmm but bollocks

The top 3 cafes in London are run by New Zealanders and they use their own roasting techniques for the fresh beans they use.(or so I have been told by numerous sources and read for myself before someone goes on and on and on about some mag review that begs to differ...come on you know you want to, get your anorak on....)

Little do people know there is a massive coffee culture in NZ and to a smaller extent OZ.

I am Australian expat, lived there until I was 28, so yeah I am well aware of the coffee culture in OZ. It's HUGE (and so are the coffee mugs). I remember that the unspoken aim in our office was to see who could leave the darkest, most-permanent coffee-stain rings on the inside of our mugs. LOL.

I went to the coffee festival in Darling harbour once, drank 14 little cups of coffee... ... trying to re-create the taste of genuine Italian coffee. The worst were the African coffees.

Sorry to say this, but every time I try OZ coffee, it tastes like it's got sawdust in it. Everyone there thinks they know how to make the best coffee... I do like all the graphic-designs they/we have, etc, but other than that, I'm always disappointed. Sorry to say this, but whenever I am in OZ, the coffee is normally so bad, that I become a tea-drinker!

I've travelled a lot, and the only other noteable coffee that I drank which comes to mind was in Jamaica - fresh blue mountain coffee.

Better take a quick detour to Auckland and 'Roasted Addiction' next time you are in the southern hemisphere!

Maybe we should send you our baristas (sp?) as well as our Rugby coaches....*ducks*

synchronicity

I might just do that if I'm ever in NZ again... do you grow your own coffee over there?

I don't think it's possible in most of Australia as we don't have the right sort of environment. :?

Kiwi Kranker

I dont think we do though to be perfectly honest I wouldnt know.

I dont think we would have the right environment either.

Nuggs

Clever Pun wrote:

I'm really against those mespresso machines and the like... Gaggia espresso machines for the purist

I went from a Gaggia to a Nespresso and have never looked back...

BombingAround

If you want to make cafe style coffee then you need cafe style equipment. Although you can make a good cup from a cafetiere or stovetop pot you'll never make one anywhere near cafe standards.

I go to many cafes and restaurants and it's not often i get a coffee thats better than a cup of Nescafe. Most of your everyday 'cafes' don't know how to make a proper coffee.

Most cafes make drinks that start with an espresso shot.

Espresso - Espresso
Americano - Espresso topped up with hot water
Latte - Espresso with milk
Cappucino - Espresso with milk and foam
Flat white - Espresso with milk and water

To produce a good espresso there are certain elements that need to be present:

1) Good beans rosted within a week
2) Good grinder that produces a conisistant fine grind
3) Good espresso machine wich delivers correct temp water at 9 bar of pressure
4) Skillful Barista

I have a setup at home. I have an espresso machine, grinder and roaster.......the whole lot came to around £2,400.00. It's expensive but i make coffee that puts $tarbuck, Costa, Nero........to shame. You don't need to spend that much money but i wanted a machine that was on 24/7 and was plumbed in so i could make a coffee, tea or hot milk drink anytime i want within seconds.

I could give my 2k machine to most of you guys though and i doubt you'd be able to make a drinkable cuppa........you gotta be willing to learn to make a good espresso.

To the guy who said:

" Only people living in Italy, France or Spain should be qualified to answer this question'

indeed. and advice from anyone mentioning 'milk' in the same post as 'coffee' should be ignored. The person themselves should be laughed and pointed at, in a Nelson Muntz stylee. "

What a load of crap.......i've never had a decent cup of coffee in Italy.......some of the best coffee is to be had over in the states. You clearly haven't had any decent coffee.

To the people drinking Illy.........illy is okay compared to the supermarket stuff but take the next step and visit Hasbean........buy some coffee that was roasted the day before and you'll really see the difference. I can tell the difference between coffee roasted this week and coffee roasted 3 weeks ago.

Sorry for the long story but there seems to be a lot of people on here interested in achieving a good cuppa and are on their way to good coffee. I'd just liek to see you take the next step and make some seriously great coffee.