Calling coffee lovers out there? [Archive]

View Full Version : Calling coffee lovers out there?

Tim

23-03-2013, 11:38

Has anyone on the forum got an Aeropress coffee maker (http://aerobie.com/products/aeropress.htm) and if so what do you think of it? if you believe what internet folk say, its the absolute bees knees.

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/aeropress_system_new_zpsb12a981e.jpg

WGwAHGCh9ZQ

And get this - there's a World Aeropress Championship! Here's the 2012 champion . . . I just love YouTube :lol:

FtBYnoHEPzU

Rare Bird

23-03-2013, 12:01

O dear i find coffee the most revolting thing as revolting as smoking

So what's the simularity between them, here's fowar

1. People need it to function
2. Both smell
3. Smelly Breath is the result
4. The house stink to high heaven

Tim

23-03-2013, 12:06

:lol: can't argue with most of that fella . . .

Mind you, I don't need it too function, its a treat and can be somewhat of a ritual, much like the tea ceremony. The smell is one of the best things for me, the aroma of freshly milled beans is heavenly ;)

I love good coffee :D

Barry

23-03-2013, 17:06

+ 1 to that Tim. :)

The AeroPress idea looks interesting: sort of a combination of a filter drip coffee maker and a cafetière; though I would prefer to see unbleached papers used.

Have to confess I use a filter drip coffee maker most of the time, though I do have a cafetière.

I have been told that one should make coffee in the same way as one makes tea. Pour hot water (just off the boil) onto freshly ground coffee, leave to 'brew' for one minute and then pour out through a strainer.

What variety of coffee do you like Tim? I used to prefer robusta, but after a recent visit to Central American, have developed a liking for Costa Rican and Guatemalan varieties such as Huehuetenango and Cobán. These are softer, less powerful varieties than the highland coffees, but are no less complex in flavour.

guyhayton

23-03-2013, 20:20

Has anyone on the forum got an Aeropress coffee maker (http://aerobie.com/products/aeropress.htm) and if so what do you think of it?

I have an Aeropress and it is an excellent way to make coffee. I bought mine from coffeehit.co.uk (http://www.coffeehit.co.uk/aeropress-coffee-maker/p147) as it was the brown tinted version which is better looking and the updated version.

Works best with freshly ground beans and make sure to stir for at least 10-15secs after adding water.

Highly recommended! for once a cheap way of producing a superior cup of coffee.

Jonboy

23-03-2013, 21:32

Fresh coffee is a must for me first thing to get set up for the day made with a Bodum coffee press

http://www.bodum.com/gb/en-us/shop/detail/1978-01/?navid=87

I'm drinking This Kenyan coffee (http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/groceries/index.jsp?bmUID=1364074280747) at the mo

Tim

24-03-2013, 13:36

What variety of coffee do you like Tim?
Almost exclusively South/Central American Arabica bean coffees as I like a fairly rich roast and enjoy the fruity citrus notes of the coffees from this region, but it needs to be smooth too. Columbian features a lot in my preferences.

At the moment I'm enjoying a Taylors Guatemala Cloud Forests coffee.

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/image_002_zps149f4671.jpg

I used to have a Moka pot but these days I use a filter drip at home and have a French press at work. But I have got lazy and the filter drip is going in the bin. I used to grind my own beans with a blade grinder, but I'm just about to order a new grinder and the AeroPress, so in future It's going to be freshly ground beans all the time.

Brian Wogan in Bristol roasts beans daily and comes highly recommended and I'm going to get my beans direct from him in the future: http://www.wogancoffee.co.uk

I'm going all out, back to fresh beans, burr (manual) grinder, AeroPress and nice new cups and saucers - time to treat myself a little more and make it special again, much like a tea ceremony which is fascinating to watch and enjoy.
I spent nearly a whole day online last week reading about coffees, methods of brewing and watching YouTube videos - how sad am I :lol: Learnt loads though, don't you just love 'tinternet'.

Thanks for the coffehit and AeroPress recommendation Guy, it sealed the deal ;)

(Jon, your Kenyan coffee link just takes me to the main Sainsbury's portal, not a specific product?)

guyhayton

24-03-2013, 19:18

I'm going all out, back to fresh beans, burr (manual) grinder, AeroPress and nice new cups and saucers - time to treat myself a little more and make it special again, much like a tea ceremony which is fascinating to watch and enjoy.

You will get some exercise with the hand grinder :lol:

I have the Hario Mini Mill Slim hand grinder and whilst good, I tend to use my electric grinder during the week as I just cannot be ars3d first thing in the morning before work!

Tim

25-03-2013, 08:49

You will get some exercise with the hand grinder :lol:
Indeed, but that's part of the point - to make it more of a ritual by doing everything by hand as opposed to having a machine making my coffee for me. I could do with the exercise too ;)

Alex_UK

25-03-2013, 10:08

That Aeropress looks interesting. I'm a real coffee snob, I'm afraid, I hardly ever drink instant coffee, there is pretty much always a pot on the filter machine when I'm at home - just about to put on the second pot of the day. I'm a bit of a Columbia Supremo addict, but sometimes go for something with a bit more kick - the Taylor's Guatemala looks good. :)

Tim

25-03-2013, 10:24

the Taylor's Guatemala looks good.
If you like Columbia Supremo Alex, it should appeal to you. I think I'm going to put some on now :)

Jonboy

25-03-2013, 21:58

I had a fad of collecting hand coffee grinders quite a few being French, Peugeot and Japy being favourites, also got a couple of large cast iron Victorian ones that I run off an old Japy engine, I was going to go the whole hog and start roasting beans via for a display at the shows I attend, a bit sad really but that s me

Tim

28-03-2013, 14:58

Haselsh1

28-03-2013, 15:28

I love Imperial Teas in Lincoln for their Aged Java which is a damn fine, earthy coffee of the best quality and I love my Gaggia coffee grinder. I use a filter machine most of the time but Aged Java does make for a very nice espresso experience. I drink coffee these days as often as I can as I found I was indulging in far too much alcohol/wine and felt the need to cut back. Unfortunately, coffee affects my head quite badly so I have to take care with its consumption.

Barry

28-03-2013, 15:32

Well my AeroPress just arrived and I must say all the feedback is spot on, what a fantastic coffee maker - I'm enjoying the best coffee I have ever had at home, for a £19.99 purchase, really easy to use too. My next step is to buy my grinder (decided against a hand jobby and going for this one Iberital MC2 Auto Grinder (http://www.happydonkey.co.uk/hd0866-iberital-mc2-auto.html) and get fresh beans delivered.

But the AeroPress is really superb, 18g coffee, 95°C freshly heated water, 30 seconds to brew and I'm in coffee heaven :D

Seems rather expensive - I'll stick with my Krups electric grinder.

I think this thread should be made a 'sticky', along the lines of those of the cheese recommendations and the beer and wine recommendations.

So Admin - can this be done? :)

[The next thread ought to be on tea recommendations - but maybe that is "a bridge too far"!]

Tim

28-03-2013, 15:47

Seems rather expensive - I'll stick with my Krups electric grinder.
Its actually on the budget end of electric burr grinders Barry, some folk spend hundreds on just the grinder alone. I do have a Braun blade grinder already, but the grind is very irregular producing both coarse and fine grinds and it generates heat which is bad for the beans. Anyway, I totally agree it does seem rather a lot for a grinder and not for everyone and that price is ex VAT! Maybe I need my head seeing to, but I do enjoy a good coffee :scratch:

Much like AoS lurking around and reading up at coffeeforums.co.uk (http://coffeeforums.co.uk/forum.php) has resulted in my spending money :doh:

Haselsh1

28-03-2013, 15:51

The problem is that a lot of these so called coffee grinders are not actually grinders at all. Most of these units just smash the coffee to bits instead of grinding it. My Gaggia is fully adjustable for grind and is a proper grinder.

losenotaminute

28-03-2013, 15:51

I would highly recommend a Bialletti stove-top coffee maker such as this:

http://www.conranshop.co.uk/357210/BIALETTI-MOKA-EXPRESS-12-CUP/Product

One of the best purchases I have made, the 9-cup expresso makes two mugs, which I put in a vacuum flask for work every day. Saves me a fortune rather than buying from Starbucks and tastes just as good if not better.

For grinding beans I just use an electric spice grinder.

Lawrence

Tim

28-03-2013, 16:15

I would highly recommend a Bialletti stove-top coffee maker such as this:
As a previous owner of a Bialletti Moka pot (which I agree is very good) I reckon you should give the AeroPress a go if you fancy experimenting ;)

Tim

28-03-2013, 16:44

Can I just mention this company too, very good service. Next day delivery, extremely well packed and very competitive prices. . . I will be using them again. The AeroPress from them was £19.99, but I bought a load of other stuff too, each item was superb and exactly as described on the website - very impressed indeed.

http://www.creamsupplies.co.uk

Barry

28-03-2013, 16:57

Its actually on the budget end of electric burr grinders Barry, some folk spend hundreds on just the grinder alone. I do have a Braun blade grinder already, but the grind is very irregular producing both coarse and fine grinds and it generates heat which is bad for the beans. Anyway, I totally agree it does seem rather a lot for a grinder and not for everyone and that price is ex VAT! Maybe I need my head seeing to, but I do enjoy a good coffee :scratch:

Much like AoS lurking around and reading up at coffeeforums.co.uk (http://coffeeforums.co.uk/forum.php) has resulted in my spending money :doh:

My Krups is a blade grinder but the grinds are fine and even. Most people make the mistake of not fully covering the blades with beans, which will produce an uneven grind. I give the beans a 'buzz' in two or three, 5 second bursts, whilst shaking the grinder. That way the heat generated is minimal and I can control the fineness of the grind.

http://johnlewis.scene7.com/is/image/JohnLewis/231706515?$prod_grid3$

Tim

28-03-2013, 19:38

It's all in the grinds Barry and having recently completed some 'pepsi' challenges, I am now convinced its worth it ;)

Alex_UK

28-03-2013, 20:44

My Krups is a blade grinder but the grinds are fine and even. Most people make the mistake of not fully covering the blades with beans, which will produce an uneven grind. I give the beans a 'buzz' in two or three, 5 second bursts, whilst shaking the grinder. That way the heat generated is minimal and I can control the fineness of the grind.

http://johnlewis.scene7.com/is/image/JohnLewis/231706515?$prod_grid3$

Similar way I work with my Whittard's grinder Barry - never had a problem with irregular grinds.

This thread has made me realise that hifi forums attract a very anal type of person - or should that be connoisseur?!!!

Tim

28-03-2013, 22:03

This thread has made me realise that hifi forums attract a very anal type of person - or should that be connoisseur?!!!
You were right the first time Alex and its not just hi-fi forums!
(and yup, I know I'm anal, but it doesn't make me a bad person) :lol:

Val33

28-03-2013, 23:04

Another place for great beans is http://www.hasbean.co.uk/. I have a standing order for a random bag every month!

Val

Techno Commander

28-03-2013, 23:11

I have an aeropress and its excellent for a simple cup of coffee. If you want to go "one better" may i recommend a Bialetti Brikka. :D

Takes a few cups to break it in and get a good coffee coating inside and remove any metallic taste.

It seems that the Brikka takes moka pot technology to the next level by pressurising the system before allowing the water to pass over the coffee grounds and producing a "crema" in the pot.

2ptgR9lLkBo

ni8oMwxcmR4

I realise it isnt espresso, but it is rather good.

Jonboy

29-03-2013, 08:42

you lot are making me drool, i can see this thread costing me money as the electric grinders look very appealing compared to my old hand jobbie, nothing wrong with a hand jobbie at the end of the day :eyebrows:

Haselsh1

29-03-2013, 09:16

As far as espresso is concerned, everything is in the grind and the fineness of the grind. Poor grind, poor crema. Its that simple.

Tim

29-03-2013, 10:43

As far as espresso is concerned, everything is in the grind and the fineness of the grind. Poor grind, poor crema. Its that simple.

/rUal5lWRYvg

:eyebrows:

Haselsh1

29-03-2013, 11:11

http://www.imperialteas.co.uk/accessories/coffee-equipment/coffee-grinders

Tim

29-03-2013, 12:00

http://www.imperialteas.co.uk/accessories/coffee-equipment/coffee-grinders
Nice one Shaun, I really like the look of this one;

http://www.imperialteas.co.uk/bmz_cache/0/01c40afd55211604620eb990d92bbf6e.image.179x250.jpg

Barry

29-03-2013, 16:24

/rUal5lWRYvg

:eyebrows:

Caffeine enemas?! I have heard of long-race cyclists using caffeine suppositories, but the consumption of coffee by way of the anus is taking it just a little bit too far. :eek:

Haselsh1

29-03-2013, 17:14

My arse is definitely an exit and not an entrance for anything :eek:

Tim

02-04-2013, 09:18

My arse is definitely an exit and not an entrance for anything
:lol: indeed.
I'm really liking my AeroPress, one of the best things about it is the easy clean up afterwards and you can re-use the filter papers, which are tiny compared to a normal drip filter. AeroPress reckon they can be rinsed and reused up to 7 times and I agree. But the best thing is the quality and taste of the brewed coffee . . . superb from a cheap home device.

2,000 filters use the same paper as ONE daily newspaper (see website), so if you re-use them x 7, that's 14,000 brews, which is about 42 years @ one brew a day, so don't worry too much about them being wasteful of resources. Source (http://www.amazon.co.uk/350-Aeropress-Replacement-Micro-Filters/dp/B000LTOCSG)

Now that's a comforting thought ;)

guyhayton

02-04-2013, 18:43

Yeah, I was tremendously impressed with my Aeropress - although the cafetiere still gets use on workday mornings (less faff)

I don't reuse the filters though..... life is definitely too short for that. I just pop the puck straight into the recycling bin and then run the press under the tap, stand to dry on a tea towel.

The Grand Wazoo

02-04-2013, 22:03

I pointed this out to Tim before he bought his new gadget & thought I'd post it here in case anyone's interested.
We use one of these Beem M-300F Espresso Machines (http://www.hifi-tower.co.uk/Beem-M-300F-Cordless-Espresso-Coffee-Machine-Mocha-Latte_i3428.htm).

http://media.hifitower.eu/M/10004104_title_espressomaschine_beem_m300_g.jpg

It's a basically a Moka pot for those who don't have a gas hob. It'll do Espresso, Latte & Mocha but I can't vouch for the latter two options as I only like my coffee delivered at creosote strength and with no additives.
The creosote is great!

Theotherlarryb

03-04-2013, 20:25

I have an Aeropress and like it. Also have a zassenhaus grinder but find myself using an e,ectric burr grinder way more, just a cheapie but it does the job - the DeLonghi one that had great reviews on Amazon.

But then, if you really want to get into coffee, you should look into buying a home roaster and green beans. I have the iRoast 2 and buy beans from these lovely people:

http://www.greencoffeeltd.co.uk/asp/home.asp

Roasting takes about 15 mins, you can do small batches, you can play around with the roast profiles to your heart's content and it fills your house with the most gorgeous smells! :lol:

Barry

03-04-2013, 21:38

Theotherlarryb

04-04-2013, 20:10

Oh dear. So they did. I guess they are a has bean? :doh:

Time to find a new source. Any ideas?

Alex_UK

04-04-2013, 20:17

I guess they are a has bean? :doh:

:lol:

Tim

04-04-2013, 21:03

I guess they are a has bean?
Well your answer is right there . . . .

http://www.hasbean.co.uk/collections/subscriptions

;)

Theotherlarryb

06-04-2013, 08:44

Ha! Brilliant. Hadn't seen that site before, will take a look. Cheers!

Need to work through my stash of green beans first though - one of the advantages of buying green is that they have a shelf life of 2 years.

I find roasted whole beans last about 2 weeks max once opened and ground beans, maybe a day!

Mmm, this coffee talk is making me thirsty :)

Tim

06-04-2013, 09:07

Ha! Brilliant. Hadn't seen that site before, will take a look. Cheers!
It comes recommended - I have no personal experience but others have used it on AoS I believe and it gets good reports on the UK Coffeeforum site.

I won a Zassenhaus burr grinder on ebay last night for £15.30 too, so looking forward to that arriving. Don't think I'll roast my own just yet though ;)

Theotherlarryb

06-04-2013, 17:05

Thanks very much. I shall give it a whirl. And enjoy your Zassenhaus, they are the Rolls Royce of grinders!

By the way, a good Aeropress "mod" which I use and forgot to mention earlier is this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aeropress-Stainless-Steel-Coffee-Filter/dp/B0063SL2TQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365267720&sr=8-1&keywords=Coava+filter

Seems to let more of the oils through. You also get some very fine "sludge" like you do with cafetiere, but then I like that - the paper filters for me can filter just a bit too much out in comparison.

Cheers for the has bean tip :idea:

Alex_UK

18-04-2013, 15:59

How about this for the coolest coffee maker ever!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/529116_451166601625071_1829532778_n.jpg

Unfortunately the price of the Espresso Vecolce (http://www.bornrich.com/limited-edition-espresso-veloce-coffee-machines-takes-automotive-art-winning-lap.html) V12 is "TBC" but I suspect it would cost rather more than the Aeropress! Also available in V10 guise, which will probably cost a bit less but still as much as a house!

Tim

18-04-2013, 18:22

I think I'll stick with my Aeropress and second-hand grinder Alex, which by the way I'm very, very impressed with - Zassenhaus sure make a good hand grinder. Probably my best ever buy on eBay . . . it was a little grubby on arrival (never cleaned I would bet), but I stripped it down, cleaned the burrs with toothpaste and a toothbrush, polished all the chrome and woodwork, lubricated where needed then re-assembled and its as good a new.

I only buy whole beans now and am enjoying the best coffee I have ever had at home . . . luvvly jubbly :D

(I'm a real coffee snob geek now :lol:)

Alex_UK

18-04-2013, 18:57

Probably wise - nice one with the grinder. I've got an antique one I inherited from my Granny which I keep meaning to look at.

When I got my Krups espresso machine I got really into it, I loved the phrase "tamping" and would only grind my own, but I've got lazy these days. I'm still a snob, though! :)

Tim

19-04-2013, 23:00

12 things you maybe didn't know about coffee?

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/coffee_beans_hd_picture_1_167193_zps715eebaf.jpg (http://s173.photobucket.com/user/greatgig/media/coffee_beans_hd_picture_1_167193_zps715eebaf.jpg.h tml)

Coffee legend claims it was first discovered in Ethiopia in the 9th century, but apparently the earliest credible evidence of either coffee drinking or knowledge of the coffee tree appears in the middle of the 15th century. The age of coffee may be disputed, but its origin is Ethiopia.

Coffee is the second largest traded commodity in the world after oil.

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe (http://www.ethiopianyirgacheffe.com/Ethiopian_Yirgacheffe.html) is widely regarded as one of the worlds finest beans (I had never heard of it until a few weeks ago).

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/Ethiopian-Yirgacheffe_zps87dda462.jpg (http://s173.photobucket.com/user/greatgig/media/Ethiopian-Yirgacheffe_zps87dda462.jpg.html)

Robusta beans have a much higher caffeine content than Arabica beans.

125 million people rely on coffee as a cash crop.

Over two third's of the worlds coffee industry is controlled by a handful of companies, the largest being Folgers (Procter & Gamble) who produce 270 million kg of coffee per annum. The second biggest player is Maxwell house who are owned by Phillip Morris International (the tobacco company), followed by Sara Lee and Nestlé - Starbucks are next up and are the largest of the speciality companies. Nestlé dominates instant coffee production with a market share globally of over 50%.

Despite being a 2 billion dollar company, Starbucks buys less than 2% of the world's coffee production.

Virtually the entire worlds coffee bean production is picked and processed by hand.

The average price per pound paid to farmers for Fair Trade Certified coffee in 2009 was $1.69, well above the average market price of $1.25

An estimated 1.6 billion cups of coffee are drunk worldwide every day

Coffee growers receive on average 7%-10% of the retail price of coffee in supermarkets

One of the worlds most unusual (and expensive at $100 to $600 per 500g) coffee's is Kopi Luwak (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_Luwak). Rare and coveted, 'Kopi' means coffee in Indonesian and 'Luwak' is an Indonesian animal that eats the raw coffee berry, who have a taste for the sweet, red coffee cherries that contain the beans. The animal can't digest the bean in the berry and secretes the bean (they shit them out!) after it has fermented in the stomach and that's what gives the coffee its unique taste and aroma. They are then collected from the jungle floor and thoroughly washed and dried.

Luwak (or Civet)

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/luwak_coffee_zpsd7f032aa.jpg (http://s173.photobucket.com/user/greatgig/media/luwak_coffee_zpsd7f032aa.jpg.html)

Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

Traditionally in Ethiopia the green beans are hand washed then pan roasted before being ground in a pestle and mortar.
The grounds are then added to a jug of water and heated over an open flame before being served in small cups.
(makes my hand ground beans and AeroPress seem a lot easier now!)

e3TrHV_yzaY

Barry

20-04-2013, 00:12

When I visited Ethiopia a few years ago, I found myself sitting on the floor of a mud hut in the Omo valley and had the pleasure of being served coffee made in exactly the same way.

On my return I bought back a couple of kilos of Ethiopian coffee beans - they could well have been Yirgacheffee, but I'm not certain and can't now remember.

Tim

20-04-2013, 10:39

I found myself sitting on the floor of a mud hut in the Omo valley and had the pleasure of being served coffee made in exactly the same way.
Sounds great, I would love to try that myself one day. My enjoyment of coffee has certainly increased immeasurably since I started taking it a bit more seriously, I bought a few books on the subject too, which make for fascinating reading. I'm pretty strict though, maximum of 2 cups a day and most days its just the 1, but that makes it all the more enjoyable and something to look forward too. I really enjoy hand grinding the beans and taking care about the brewing process as well.

This is my current bean;

http://www.cafedirect.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/machu-picchu-beans.png

http://www.cafedirect.co.uk/