Coffee Appreciation

I am lucky to work 2 mins away from there :)

You should pop round to their sister shop - Collona and Hunter for an awesome selection of beers and a bigger range of food.

Its called an Eva Solo, pretty nice way of brewing.

Amen to that, I'd have one at home if i didn't already use an aeropress. And a chemex. And a clever dripper... You get the picture.

Awesome to see love for Colonna and Smalls/Hunter from @danb and @rhb - has been my goto for a long time now.

Was in Brussels last weekend for a short trip. Upon arriving I was chuffed to find a great coffee shop just 200m away called 'OR Espresso Bar'. Whilst waiting to order and looking at all they had to offer I noticed a shinning gold Aeropress donning the phrase 'World Aeropress Champion 2012'. These guys are legit.

They had loads of different single origins for Chemex and Aeropress and the usual range of espresso drinks. It was a lovely place with awesome baristas who really knew their trade well. 10/10, if you end up in Brussels be sure to try them out.

Eva Solo it was, yeah. I clean forgot about C&H, would've been perfect. We arrived on train and hungry spotted Jinka Jinka (?) by station, looked good but no veggi options. We went next door bakers/quiche/pastie place Bertinet (?) but skipped the coffee there as it was illy.

Struggling to find a 6 hole brass head plate for the Gaggia Classic. Is there a link to where you purchased it? Did it make a discernible difference? Should I also get a new gasket (3 year old machine now).
Is the top one the shower screen you refer to? http://www.espressoservices.co.uk/ims_gaggia_shower_screen.html
Questions Questions Questions....

Went down to Exeter this weekend, I visited two coffee shops, but out of the two, Devon Coffee was awesome. I had a pourover at both places, not a V60 but very similar, I can't remember the name of the exact product unfortunately.

However, the owner of Devon Coffee roasts his own beans, in a machine he hand built and installed in a stone shed in his back garden! It's no basic roaster either, he showed me the drawings and research he did to choose a design and the air flow methods, and he's built all the circuitry for the temperature controlling and thermometers. He also showed me mock ups of his new website he's launching soon to sell the beans online. I was just very impressed by his handiwork, and so I felt it necessary to come and rave about it. The coffee itself tasted great, deep flavours, taste got better as it cooled, definitely worth buying a pack once he launches it to give it a try.

I believe the name of the beans and the website is going to be Exe Beans or Exe Coffee.

Awesome. Which brand is that?

My favourite roasters are Clifton and Workshop.

For cafés I like this app.

Not a fan of Notes - boring coffee in my view.

Aeropress awesome but too much hassle at work with busy kitchen area - always have a strong 20g aeropress brew before a Saturday ride :)

This month's Kopi coffee is nice. Peruvian something.

I'm planning on visiting Full Court Press for a brew in Bristol tomorrow, should be good.

Came across this little espresso bar in Venice back in November just heaven on earth.
Couple of questions: does changing the head plate and shower screen on a gaggia classic really make a noticeable difference?
Can you suggest alternatives to Pact, their coffees aren't bold enough for me, I like kimbo extra cream or hasbean breakfast bomb?

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@scrablepouch - I did get all the parts from Espresso Service, yes.

Re-plate, I have changed machine, beans and plate at the same time so I can't say for sure.

The plate they have advertise is 4 holes & brass in colour (on photo) but the one I have received has 6 holes and is silver in colour (still made of brass though).
http://www.espressoservices.co.uk/gaggia_seals__shower_plates_an.html

And yes, it is that top shower screen.
And just change the seal if it leaks (mine didn't on my old 2006 Gaggia).

ANSWERS!

GREAT, Thanks for the info!

T

What's everyone's preferred method for aeropress brewing? Currently using inverted with a stir after a little water added, then topping water up to the top.

Keen to hear different though...

Non-inverted, I start with this then change the timings a little;

• a splash of water, stir. Let it 'bloom' for 20s
  
• pour 85° water up to the '1 cup' mark, add the plunger and leave for 30s
  
• plunge but stop before it starts hissing (or keep going if you need more bitters)
  
  

Stir your coffee, or add water for a long drink.

Keen to hear different though...

Ditto. Always interested in how people adjust.

The big revolution for me was leaving it for 3-4 minutes. I get a lot more flavour out of the beans and a richer texture. I use about 20g which makes it strong rather than refreshing. I love the texture you get out of an aeropress.

Aside from that: inverted with washed filter and stop plunging as soon as the hissing starts.

Picked up some Campbell & Syme from Federation in Brixton on the weekend... The Purple Haze blend really didn't work at all with my Silvia - I was stuffing 21.5g into the portafilter and setting my Iberital with the burrs almost touching just to stop it pouring a shot in about 3s..

Wasted almost the whole bag just trying to dial it in. What a joke - can't believe that Federation use that as their house blend.

The single origin I also picked up at the same time has yielded better results at (a more usual) 18-19g dose. Pretty full bodied (almost too much for espresso) - works well with milk.

Stop buying coffee and let me know then you need it, I still want your opinion on mine.

Haha! Ok - give me some this week?

No problem.

I'm looking to upgrade me grinder - budget about £350, stepless, not too arsed about electronic gadgetry

any suggestions? what are people using? any quality 2nd hand that peeps are looking to offload

Vario?

Bog standard inverted for me and I agree about stopping plunge prior to hissing.