Coffee Appreciation

Baratza Encore is all you need. Perfect filter upgrade from Porlex.

I don't get the lack of love for the Zassenhaus Turkish grinder.

Didn't somebody way upthread mentioned there's like two different versions (production runs) of this; one being inferior to the other?

Got myself a 5-pack variety pack from Bella Barista. Will report back once they've de-gassed a bit, but I had a sneaky Kenyan* already which was very tasty.

*Not Racist.

By grind quality I mean the uniformity of particle sizes - equally as important for filter brewing as espresso. The usual problem with low end grinders is that they produce a wider range of particle sizes and lots of fines in particular, which I've found makes it harder to get a positive balance of flavours consistently.

I've just got my grinder shipped down from glasgow so can finally return to non-pre-ground coffee. Where's good in london for fresh roasted beans? None of this fruity light roast nonsense that's popular with the kids these days. Strong and dark, the way I like my men.

No idea about the coffee but pm'd

I rate Rave for their Italian Job - dark traditional roast

@bazschmaz thanks that looks decent i'll give them an order.

a magnificent

m?

The rule states that “a” should be used before words that begin with consonants (e.g., b, c ,d) while “an” should be used before words that begin with vowels (e.g., a,e,i). Notice, however, that the usage is determined by the pronunciation and not by the spelling, as many people wrongly assume.

You should say, therefore, “an hour” (because hour begins with a vowel sound) and “a history” (because history begins with a consonant sound).

Similarly you should say “a union” even if union begins with a “u.” That is because the pronunciation begins with “yu”, which is a consonant sound.

I was riffing on "a owl".

Where to pick up a decent hand grinder in central London?

IIRC prufrock had some hario ones and the rhino ones when I was last in

Rave is offering free delivery today; promo code is MDTWIT.

@kati ARGH I just ordered this morning and didn't clock this.

I'm getting really fricking bored with my Gaggia's propensity to fail - even more so with the customer service team one has to deal with at Philips when things go wrong. It's been one thing after another since I got a Classic 2 years ago and all down to shit plastic components or actual mechanical failures.

Now the bloody steamer knob's come off :(

It must be true what was said about reliability issues after Philips took them over. Mine has always been fine. I'd maybe just araldite the knob back on unless you find a cheap spare.

Anyone have a Made by Knock Feldgrind and have any opinions on it? I'm after something fairly portable but more consistent than my Porlex mini.

Possibly good deal on a Fracino Piccino here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181685520909?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Title has "coffe" typo. Seller will post. I'd ask them if it works ok, and that it's not a model for pod capsules.

I think his happened to @TTM 's machine too.

Pliers are now a part of his flat white preparation routine. Just use them to twist the silver nob bit that is left protruding after the black bit has come off. Not ideal, but better than having to deal with all the customer service BS

Cafetiere methods anyone? In particularly measurements. I've used a few from various websites, currently trying 8 cup cafetiere with 56g grinds, about 750ml water, soak the grinds about 1/2 way for a minute to bloom and then top up for the remaining 3 mins. Not bad but i think the taste could be cleaner, plus it can be a struggle to depress the full way which i suspect means it's not quite right.

I could be fully wrong but with a cafetiere I just stick to the classic 60g per 1l of water. For 750ml (my usual quantity when doing a cafetiere) I use 45g coffee. I put in about 100ml of water for a 30second bloom, then I add the remaining 650ml for a 2.5min brew, then I cut with a knife, stick the lid on and plunge.

@harpoonist

@NurseHolliday hmmm that does sounds more like what I'm trying to achieve. Thanks I'll give that a bash tomorrow.

Re Aeropress technique and specifically lots if stiring...

I've been trying this for a couple of weeks (Aeropress inverted) and have decided that's a good tip! Cheers.

It seems to work especially well for espresso blends and darker roasted stuff which I tend to let steep for longer as (unstirred) it has time to settle (detrimental to the flavour I think).