Silly Commuter Coffee

itboffin

surely the manly way is to crush them in your hands?

i'm pretty sure that's what Chuck does

pangolin

I tried that but couldn't get a consistent grind.

Here's the Iberital in it's natural habitat.



The espresso machine is ok - proper steam wand (no added froth) but one of those dodgy pressurised portafilters. I've depressurised it as much as I can but still not ideal. Shortly to be replaced by a Gaggia Classic.

godders1

You may know already but modern classics come with a pressurised PF basket too. PF is standard size though (58mm) so easy to get a non pressurised replacement.

pangolin

Yup I've got a regular basket for it and a rancilio steam wand. The problem with my current one is that it's some off the shelf Chinese one that a Turkish dept store has branded, and nobody seems to sell quite the right size basket for it. Emailed a few places with dimensions but no luck.

godders1

Nice:
http://www.prendas.co.uk/rocket-espress ... eeves.html

adam0bmx0

My new (2nd hand) grinder, she's a beast.

the_fuggler

Quick question - looking for a machine to make a nice espresso and isn't huge. Is the Gaggia Classic still the place to start?

rjsterry

Slight change of tack from all the gadgetlust: if you find yourself in Seaton in Devon and require a cakestop, then I can very much recommend Broom Wagon, both for its coffee and for its choice of name.

itboffin

since last Friday i've been drastically cutting back on my coffee intake not a complete detox but something more human, feck me have i been having bad headaches as a result, drink a double espresso and bing headache gone :roll:

i may have been drinking 10 fresh ground drip filter or espresso a day :shock:

bigmonka

That's a pretty extreme amount of caffeine you were drinking, I'm not surprised you're having withdrawal symptoms!
What was the reason for you starting to cut back?

meanredspider

itboffin wrote:

i may have been drinking 10 fresh ground drip filter or espresso a day :shock:

I think drip filter coffee is more caffeine-rich than espresso.

meanredspider

For sheer convenience, Nespresso capsules are hard to beat. I've noticed a recent surge in generic capsules (patent- busting?) especially in NL. The quality is pretty variable though. Douwe Egbert's espresso capsule I really like (in fact almost prefer to my usual Nespresso brew) but I also just tried Dualit's version and it's terrible. Funny response from Dualit when I wrote to them basically telling me I must be wrong because they've done lots of testing :roll:

bigmonka

meanredspider wrote:

For sheer convenience, Nespresso capsules are hard to beat. I've noticed a recent surge in generic capsules (patent- busting?) especially in NL. The quality is pretty variable though. Douwe Egbert's espresso capsule I really like (in fact almost prefer to my usual Nespresso brew) but I also just tried Dualit's version and it's terrible. Funny response from Dualit when I wrote to them basically telling me I must be wrong because they've done lots of testing :roll:

Did you start your letter with "I think you'd better stick to making overpriced toasters cos your coffee's crap"

Stevo C

meanredspider wrote:

For sheer convenience, Nespresso capsules are hard to beat. I've noticed a recent surge in generic capsules (patent- busting?) especially in NL. The quality is pretty variable though. Douwe Egbert's espresso capsule I really like (in fact almost prefer to my usual Nespresso brew) but I also just tried Dualit's version and it's terrible. Funny response from Dualit when I wrote to them basically telling me I must be wrong because they've done lots of testing :roll:

The original patents covering the Nespresso capsules expired in 2011, allowing other companies to begin production of generic versions. Nestle tried to use their current patents to block competitors, however this was challenged in the courts. At the end of last year, the European Patent Office revoked some of Nestles patents, clearing the way for competitors to launch nespresso compatable pods.

We have a nespresso machine in the office and are currently trialling aftermarket pods - I've tried around 4 different brands and none of them have been better than the original nespresso ones - the generics are only marginally cheaper as well

meanredspider

BigMonka wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

For sheer convenience, Nespresso capsules are hard to beat. I've noticed a recent surge in generic capsules (patent- busting?) especially in NL. The quality is pretty variable though. Douwe Egbert's espresso capsule I really like (in fact almost prefer to my usual Nespresso brew) but I also just tried Dualit's version and it's terrible. Funny response from Dualit when I wrote to them basically telling me I must be wrong because they've done lots of testing :roll:

Did you start your letter with "I think you'd better stick to making overpriced toasters cos your coffee's crap"

Do you work at Dualit?

It fact, their toaster nearly burned the house down because the clockwork timer stopped working so the toaster stayed on... :shock:

itboffin

The guy running the coffee stand at my local station went full out and started roasting his own on a large scale then he took it to the next level by setting up in a small Ind. Unit and making personal trips to plantation's I suspect not just for coffee, but still its very good indeed and local, relatively speaking.

Country local means a very different thing.

davis

Any contenders for a decent consistent manual* grinder at about 50 quid?

(*: Assuming manual because I believe it'll be cheaper for the same grind quality)

iPete

Prolex mini or tall? both £42 @ Hasbean
http://www.hasbean.co.uk/collections/gr ... orlex-tall

I really like the mini, got one for my other half and prefer it to my Hario mini.

adam0bmx0

Or the new Rhino hand grinder from Coffee Hit:

http://coffeehit.co.uk/rhino-hand-grinder-993

iPete

My Gaggia Classic is currently packed away and can't be used (the Rancilio is still out!) and I'm pleasantly surprised by the coffee I'm getting from a Trung Tin a friend got in Singapore.

davis

Hmmm I like the idea of the Porlex tall, but is there anything that's a bit bigger? Would guess at using something like 100g a time for the office brew. Failing that, how long does it take to grind 30g in the Porlex?

iPete

100g, I wouldn't recommend that with one of those hand grinders. Does anything more 'industrial' exist?

Doing just 40g with a Porlex mini is tedious.

DrLex

Anyone have a hasbean code to share? Liking the idea of a porlex at work.

vermin

davis wrote:

Hmmm I like the idea of the Porlex tall, but is there anything that's a bit bigger? Would guess at using something like 100g a time for the office brew. Failing that, how long does it take to grind 30g in the Porlex?

Ha!, You'll need a coffee first to get you through it. Ages.

notsoblue

iPete wrote:

100g, I wouldn't recommend that with one of those hand grinders. Does anything more 'industrial' exist?

Doing just 40g with a Porlex mini is tedious.

Can you attach an electric screwdriver to it?

iPete

notsoblue wrote:

iPete wrote:

100g, I wouldn't recommend that with one of those hand grinders. Does anything more 'industrial' exist?

Doing just 40g with a Porlex mini is tedious.

Can you attach an electric screwdriver to it?

No but you can attach it to your fixie.

http://road.cc/content/news/103472-peda ... y-or-spoof

bigmonka

iPete wrote:

No but you can attach it to your fixie.

http://road.cc/content/news/103472-peda ... y-or-spoof

That's brilliant!

itboffin

I'm rocking some gathaithi as from notes today, its just avg imo

redjeepǃ

iPete wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

iPete wrote:

100g, I wouldn't recommend that with one of those hand grinders. Does anything more 'industrial' exist?

Doing just 40g with a Porlex mini is tedious.

Can you attach an electric screwdriver to it?

No but you can attach it to your fixie.

http://road.cc/content/news/103472-peda ... y-or-spoof

What a great idea.....

Can anybody tell me what the coffee from an aeropress is like in comparison to say a moka pot or an espresso machine in terms of strength and depth ? I use a Bodum moka pot and also have a varied collection of espresso machines, cafetiere etc, but am thinking of getting an aeropress just for the sake of trying it. For instance, is it more like a brew from a cafetiere or an espresso ?

bigmonka

Redjeep! wrote:

What a great idea.....

Can anybody tell me what the coffee from an aeropress is like in comparison to say a moka pot or an espresso machine in terms of strength and depth ? I use a Bodum moka pot and also have a varied collection of espresso machines, cafetiere etc, but am thinking of getting an aeropress just for the sake of trying it. For instance, is it more like a brew from a cafetiere or an espresso ?

Aeropress is much closer to espresso than cafetiere, it can produce really quite an intense shot. In fact I stopped using one as I found it a bit too intense (and I'm used to using an espresso machine at home). It's quite a fun way of making coffee and led to lots of conversations about it in the kitchen at work. I'd say it's worth giving it a try as lots of people swear by it.