Coffee Appreciation

'course:
https://www.facebook.com/events/333800956771396

The flooring came the other day in the post:

Incredibly rude service in federation brixton again today. Considering a boycott.

What happened?

Anyone got any recommendations for good coffee in Edinburgh?

Same as last time really (see a post about a week ago) - staff were just really unfriendly and arsey, no service with a smile or anything like that.

The first time it happened they were really quiet which makes such rudeness unacceptable, this time they were rammed (Saturday early afternoon) which is slightly more understandable as I imagine the lady in question was a bit stressed / pissed off. But still pretty f-ing shoddy IMO

Not been myself but have heard good things about BrewLab

http://www.brewlabcoffee.co.uk/

You can be absolutely slammed and still manage a smile. Sounds shitty.

I sometimes put up with shit service if the goods for sale are outstanding. But...

Cheers, will check it out.

Really good read in the current Fast Company about the coffee industry and how indies are trying to be less indie...

The piece is called Caffeine Crusaders and by Danielle Sacks. It touches on how the likes of Blue Bottle have accrued $45m in funding from the sort of investors who previously backed Twitter, how start-ups like Joyride are trying to turnaround the tastes of corporate America by having quality coffee beans delivered to work instead of ordering instant as part of the monthly stationery delivery, how machines like the Alpha Dominche SteamPunk are being developed to brew quickly and consistently for commercial clients etc.

Would love to link but it's paywalled. Worth getting a copy if you can.

So brewlab in edinburgh has definitely got the thumbs up, good coffee - pour over Kenyan by Barn in Berlin - , a great space - loads of exposed brick etc. etc. bit pricey but not outrageously so.

Had a great time with Lola last week, here's a cheeky pic:

Can I buy an aeropress in the west end?

Try MothersMilk on Little Portland Street http://www.mothersmilkcoffee.com

Try MothersMilk

do they breast feed adults for money?

If you can get to Leather Lane, then Prufrock sell them.

I think Notes sell them, there's branches on Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden

Haven't been to Prufrock in ages until yesterday. It was great to see my ex partner in crime behind the machine, Piotr, who's got a Polish AeroPress champion title from a year or two ago.
I was on a hunt for some V60 filters, and they had a very good choice of other tools and equipment for sale.

I would say brewlab but you ve already been. If you're still around at the weekend check out lock up coffee on brought on street lane. Espresso, but was good when I was last there (a year ago, mind)

Sorry for the slow reply. Still getting my head around the new forum.

Kochere is the Ethiopian yirgacheffe. I was super excited about this but it's not quite lived up to my hype. The issue could well be my brewing process- I'm drinking it at work, so I just run IJ through a porlex, prewet then immerse in a clever dripper. Purists will scoff at my lack of weighing and timing but I find it a robust approach to brewing most of the time. But I suspect in a few instances - e.g. with this Barn coffee - a more controlled process, or even a different brewing method altogether would help the coffee really shine.

Tl,Dr: nice but not spectacular, probably due to brew variables.

edit

is it this one? http://www.fastcompany.com/3033306/coffee-week/brewing-the-perfect-cup

cheers!

Understandable, I used to faff with scales and timer but happy to brew without these days. First couple of Aeropress Lola's were a bit off the mark but after that was ok.

Probably easier with aeropress?

Heading to the South of France for a bit of sun next week. Can anyone suggest any decent coffee around those parts? Will be staying in Nice, but travelling up and down the coast.

Probably yeah. But I just ran out of those beans so maybe I'll never know. I have an aeropress at home; might rotate it into the work lineup for a change of scenery someday.

Incidentally on the final cup of the yirgacheffe I (accidentally) used more water to pre-wet and it improved the taste. C'est la vie :)