Coffee Appreciation

'Hazelnut' and 'creamy' are always a bit of a no no for me but that is because I like clean/fruity/sharp flavours generally. I think they are used as lazy flavour guides a lot of the time.

If you like the Sumatran flavours then I would go for Monmouth as HatBeard suggested. The best (and only tbh) Sumatran I've ever had that I liked was from Monmouth.

I think I'm still finding what I like, I love trying all sorts of stuff and what I like probably is also evolving as it should.

I will try some Monmouth.

I'm more in your camp and didn't really get on with Monmouth, though it was a few years ago.

@Aroogah Just spent $30 on 8oz of single origin blue mountain coffee beans, here's hoping it's worth it..

Hope so!

23 quid at current rates. Yeah, fair enough.

Makes this look positively good value:
http://smallbatchcoffee.co.uk/coffee/bolivia-uchumachi-white-honey.html
(It is excellent and the bag made at least 4 pots of coffee so I'm happy enough).

I'm really enjoying this at the moment:

http://smallbatchcoffee.co.uk/coffee/small-batch-blends/blue-note-filter.html

Though it does make me sneeze I've noticed. Other coffees I have no issues with but, as delicious as this is I always get sniffly not long after drinking it.

Did you get any Blue Mountain sess while you were there?

It makes the coffee seem cheap!

Why is it so expensive?

Fuck knows, got it at the airport. Think blue mountain coffee is like the AOC for French wine and cheese and meats, in that if it's not grown on the mountain it can't be labelled as such, and the cheaper stuff is a blend of beans from the mountain mixed with beans from off the mountain..
All the different brands which quoted 100% blue mountain coffee beans where between $25-30 so just picked one whose label I liked the most..

Got it, similar to manuka honey in some sense. Would be interesting to see how much is hipster tax and how much is actually decent

Blue Mountain is an AOC for that coffee. It is exceptionally free of bitterness you get out of most coffees. A lot of the production goes into Tia Maria liqueur and the rest of the price is driven by high demand for whats left. It is very good but because of the lack of bitterness it is also a very un-coffee like experience.

my Delonghi machine came with a plastic scoop/tamper... where shall I look for a replacement tamper 50mm diameter?

won't be cheapest but theirs are great.

http://www.madebyknock.com/store/p13/heft_51mm_tamper_.html

may need to check it works with your model/basket

Anyone know of any decent cafes/coffee shops in Colchester? I'll be there for a few days next week.

I'm sorry

#pray4jdp

Legit

OR

Shit

???

https://coffeegator.com/products/400-ml-pour-over-coffee-maker

Avoid metal filters, get a Chemex.

https://coffeetastingclub.com/chemex-coffee-maker/?attribute_pa_size=3-cup&gclid=Cj0KEQjwrsDIBRDX3JCunOrr_YYBEiQAifH1FoIwp4yEdFHAHjA93gUojBgYEStpov3zHf2pCHzZ8IcaAktG8P8HAQ

Advice sought. My mC2 has begun to stop responding when i press the go button after 1 or 2 doses. Switching power off at wall gets it going again for 1 or 2 more doses. It's still usable but getting annoying.

Anyone had similar & managed to fix it?

Currently having a seat in an airport with a Starbucks. Coffee appreciated.

Hopefully the airport has somewhere that sells some

Dunkin donuts coffee is alright. Donuts, not so much.

I just got a Hario Skerton grinder. The granule size dial is continuous, but how do I refine it to the right size for a French press? Based on taste? Finer grains = what effect on taste?

The shop has now been open for 5 weeks, it has been a massive buzz and I've never been so happy. Sales are growing steadily and if that continues I might even reach break-even some time this year. The support and promo we have received from the other quality coffee and food businesses in the town has been heartwarming; co-operation grows the market and increases demand and everyone makes an effort to get along.

The Nitro coffee has been very satisfying - lots of development went into that and I'm so happy with the result. It seems that the customers are too, regular consumers are not aware of it in the market yet and it has a real wow factor when I draw them a sample from the stout tap on the bar, backed up by it being a genuinely delicious drink.

I am no longer roasting coffee for Bella Barista / The Roastery, the conflict of interest became unviable and sadly the relationship ended acrimoniously. We've both lost, they no longer have a qualified roaster and I have lost an income stream which helped to service the shop's current shortfall, but hey ho, we both knew it would end suddenly one way or the other and I think we're both glad to be rid of each other. God it's like the end of a bad marriage!

@Matisse was a massive help in the setup stage generously giving me a framework for my financial planning. What has surprised me most is how close the estimates have been and how important the business plan document is, not just in the setup but since opening the doors to compare the real situation to the forecast and see trends appearing.

Another surprise has been the number of people already very knowledgeable about spesh coffee, it truly is on the edge of going fully mainstream, but more satisfying to me is getting repeat business from people who have no interest in becoming a coffee dork and just want a really nice latte - reassures me that we're getting the tone right.

That is all really, a stream of consciousness I've been looking to get off my chest while walking the dog. It's genuinely a dream come true this.

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