Coffee Appreciation

^Not Bologna but if you have a chance to travel a bit take the train to the Palma area and visit a parmiggiano factory. Did it a few years ago and it was superb. (Also very cheap in their factory shop!).

Oh and drink the sparkling Lambrusco if you can find. Amazing wine.

Finally got round to fixing my Gaggia, only to discover that it had self healed in the interim. Must have been an airlock that dispersed itself over time. Sweet.

A question: after making a shot and banging the portafilter to remove the coffee, I always have bits of coffee left in the basket. I then need to rinse this under the tap. When I see baristas pulling shots I'm sure they don't get this. Am I missing something? If it's any help, my coffee "pucks" always seem to be quite wet and sludgy rather than solid.

the pucks shouldn't be soggy - but usually at (good!) coffee shops the staff will wipe with a cloth/brush to remove any old grounds before re-filling

OK, so is my grind or tamp a bit off if I have soggy pucks? Which I do.

Ah, a bit of googling turns up the advice "worry about coffee not pucks." reasonable.

Bang it out, reload.
Real Baristas don't wipe.

you can't touch this

Got a dry puck this morning.

#csb

Aldi espresso machine.... yes or no?
https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/thursday-8th-may/product-detail/ps/p/espresso-coffee-machinee/

As a general rule I don't trust multi-in-ones. The nespresso/ Coffee bag function is done by an adaptor for the portafilter I think.

Did a descaling on my Gaggia Baby Class.

Looks like it was much needed...

Do they sell bags of Red Brick beans at LMNH on Old st? If so, how much?

Ace Hotel London is square mile coffee and it's just down the road.

https://www.acehotel.com/london

Nescafe is the anti-porn of coffee. Easy and cheap, but still a waste of time and money.

Obvious Troll can't spell sugar.

^^^ Poor trolling, must try harder.

Oh, and Mellow Birds over Nescafe anyday.

Kenco ftw.

Did a descaling on my Gaggia Baby Class.

Looks like it was much needed...

That looks slightly metallic. Make sure it is very well flushed afterwords. I'd maybe let it scale a little with London water, and then run on bottled water only, like Tesco Ashbeck.

^^ Much better, although you need to mention putting in 4 sugers and hazelnut syrup for the full effect.

Best thing I've learnt from this is that Nescafé is underrated.

Hope it gets the recognition it deserves soon!!

Do they sell bags of Red Brick beans at LMNH on Old st? If so, how much?

They do. Ranges from around £12 to £18 I think

Red Brick is usually a bit cheaper, I'd hope! We sell it at £8.50 a bag. Everything else usually between £11-£14.

If you can't be arsed to queue at Monmouth in Borough go a couple of doors down and grab a coffee at 'Elliots'. [It looks closed but is open]

They open at 7.30 and are using their own Square Mile blend - They've just got a new girl working there who makes one of the best coffee's I've had in London and is way better than Monmouth's at the mo

Thanks for the tips. I popped in to LMNH as it was on my way home. They sold bags but couldn't/wouldn't grind it for me. And they were £10. Then got it from the Ace hotel this morning for £8.50. Sorted.

^^^ Are you on a mission to troll every thread on this forum? Doing a good job if so.

Hey lebowski, thought I recognised a forum face briefly this morning, glad we could help!

I don't get it, is Jeez arguing with himself about instant coffee?

quantity is absolutely essential when it comes to coffee, and quantity can only be maximised by not going for a top quality strong coffee (due to strength and money)

I just cannot glean any sense from this. It's the kind of thing I might come up with if I clumsily clattered into a thread about a subject I know nothing about and was forced at gunpoint to type a few thoughts.

I wouldn't normally rise to this stuff but I feel like there's something worth discussing somewhere, if I could only grasp what it is.