Coffee Appreciation

I've gone and bought a gaggia classic, with Rancillo steam wand thingy. Better read this thread again ready for it's arrival. Grinder upgrade to follow shortly I reckon...

I'm thoroughly enjoying my tax rebate i.e. a Silvia / Rocky combo. Nearly finished a batch of HasBean's Brazil Espresso Perfeito blend. It's been my favourite as an everyday espresso above both Blake & Jailbreak, though admittedly, that's like comparing coffee with apples and oranges.

I just time my dose, rather than weighing. 13 seconds is a good shot. ~13.5 seconds plus a slightly firmer tamp is a good ristretto. In addition to that timing, I'm also adding a 'click-clack pump' once the grinder's stopped. Google and all will be revealed, if you don't already know.

It's been interesting rediscovering loads of HasBean's offerings via the new brewing method (previously either Handpresso + Porlex, or Brikka + Zassenhaus).

I'm relieved to have found a quick, clean, and faff-free preparation routine. Really, it's a piece of piss; but tastes nicer than piss. #beargryllsmeme

I didn't get amazing taste from red brick with aeropress. How did you get on?

How did you brew? I did an espresso grind with water up to "2", maybe 40s or so extraction, then topped up with water.

How did yours taste? Mine was (this sounds wank) rich, fruity, but still smooth.

Rhb, read about warming up the Classic, pre-shot flush, and temp surfing according to the brew-ready light. That'll keep you consistent with the machine. There's also the OPV mod; you can borrow my gauge if you like.

Is the steam wand upgrade on a Gaggia Classic worth the money/hassle?

Yes, big time. The standard wand has the frothing aid thing which blasts air into the milk and makes microfoam all but impossible. You can remove it but then there's not enough wand left to get into the bottom of the jug to spin the milk. The Silvia wand gets over this and allows you, with a lot (months / years) of practise, to get latte art milk.

ran out of Square Mile Guatemalan beans today so bought some Co-Op 'Italian Coffee beans' to tide me over for this weekend of work until I can get back to London (I'm in Reading) and get something a bit nicer. I wasnt expecting much but...

Holy shit they are horrible. Really bad stale fruit smell when I ground them and the taste is pretty bad too. oof. Im gonna be drinking tea this weekend it seems

haha. Waitrose's single origin offerings are about the only supermarket coffee I've found to be drinkable. Surprisingly enough you can sometimes find Union coffee, sometimes even in whole bean, in Costcutter shops.

Rhb, read about warming up the Classic, pre-shot flush, and temp surfing according to the brew-ready light. That'll keep you consistent with the machine. There's also the OPV mod; you can borrow my gauge if you like.

Cool, will read up on those bits, many thanks.

ran out of Square Mile Guatemalan beans today so bought some Co-Op 'Italian Coffee beans' to tide me over for this weekend of work until I can get back to London (I'm in Reading) and get something a bit nicer. I wasnt expecting much but...

Holy shit they are horrible. Really bad stale fruit smell when I ground them and the taste is pretty bad too. oof. Im gonna be drinking tea this weekend it seems

I've had an emergency bag of these unopened for a while. They sound binnable...

ran out of Square Mile Guatemalan beans today so bought some Co-Op 'Italian Coffee beans' to tide me over for this weekend of work until I can get back to London (I'm in Reading) and get something a bit nicer. I wasnt expecting much but...

Holy shit they are horrible. Really bad stale fruit smell when I ground them and the taste is pretty bad too. oof. Im gonna be drinking tea this weekend it seems

I can bet you the sainsburies version of 'italian' is worse. I actually threw mine out, and I don't have much cash, so throwing out coffee would be deemed madness, but they were actually that bad. I think stale fruit is prob closest description though.

Tesco's columbian supreme beans + finest columbian / kenyan are what I end up with most of (reliably good enough), sainsburies taste the difference kenyan aren't bad either. My local coffee roasters are great, and I like them, but not that consistent if I'm really honest. Sometimes you get amazing stuff, other days, its maybe like its the day before roast (despite them claimable its not), maybe just different humidities have an effect on the roast process and thats what I'm picking up on?

How did you brew? I did an espresso grind with water up to "2", maybe 40s or so extraction, then topped up with water.

How did yours taste? Mine was (this sounds wank) rich, fruity, but still smooth.

Cheers, i was going for a coarse grind and long steep time with the aeropress inverted.
Obviously this was a bad idea with espresso beans!
Just tried it with a finer grind and its a lot better, thanks.

First shots from the classic today, after washing it thru a bit following instruction manual steps.

#1 using leftover Xmas espresso blend beans, bitter & yukky. went straight down the sink.

#2 using my most recent beans, a much nicer drink, similar flavour to when brewed. defo nicer than coffees I'd end up with at Costa etc or small cafes with lavazza etc.

Lots to learn and develop, glad I got the hasbean starter espresso pack so plenty of beans to experiment with.

Stopping now so i'll sleep tonight & not grind my teeth away.

Good call. Caffeine poisoning is a common side effect of dialling in a new machine.

In the absence of anywhere else within lunchtime walking distance of my office in Victoria (unless anybody knows a place?) I went to Whittards and picked up half a lb of Columbian beans.

Surprisingly good in the Aeropress.

Method for those who care: I ground them at home in the Gino Rossi RR45 (will rebuild this one day and post pics), set a little bit coarser than I would for espresso. First a blank press with boiling water (triple purpose to this: to soak the filter, but catching the water in the mug to re-use, which both warms the mug and cools off the water a little), then 1.5 scoops coffee, add water, quick stir and press straight away. I want to experiment with coarser grinds and longer extraction times out of interest, but for now this is good.

Rhb, read about warming up the Classic, pre-shot flush, and temp surfing according to the brew-ready light. That'll keep you consistent with the machine. There's also the OPV mod; you can borrow my gauge if you like.

Might get a slating for this but it seems that Lavazza Creme Gusto is ground perfectly for Gaggia machines, really good shots every time. As for the bew ready light - ignore it. Put in the receiver and wait until whole assembly is hot before drawing your shot.

In the absence of anywhere else within lunchtime walking distance of my office in Victoria (unless anybody knows a place?) I went to Whittards and picked up half a lb of Columbian beans.

Surprisingly good in the Aeropress.

Method for those who care: I ground them at home in the Gino Rossi RR45 (will rebuild this one day and post pics), set a little bit coarser than I would for espresso. First a blank press with boiling water (triple purpose to this: to soak the filter, but catching the water in the mug to re-use, which both warms the mug and cools off the water a little), then 1.5 scoops coffee, add water, quick stir and press straight away. I want to experiment with coarser grinds and longer extraction times out of interest, but for now this is good.

Flat cap coffee cart on Strutton Ground market normally stock Square Mile coffee beans. It's just off Victoria street, across the road from Scotland Yard. Don't think its too far from Whittards.

As for the brew ready light - ignore it. Put in the receiver and wait until whole assembly is hot before drawing your shot.

You must warm the portafilter and basket as you describe, but trust me, the water temperature rises and falls quite dramatically during the temperature cycles. The machine needs a good 15-20 mins with the portafilter fitted, a flush, and then for the brew to start at whatever is deemed to be the correct point during the brew cycle. I tend to go hotter, ie. near when the light has just turned on.

Flat cap coffee cart on Strutton Ground market normally stock Square Mile coffee beans.

Ah, cool, I know the place you're talking about! Cheers!

I have just received the most excellent service from myespresso.co.uk

just had an instant 100degree hot-water tap (quooker) installed in the office.

asides from being a bit scary to use (it sputters out quite violently) I'm undecided if it's just too hot to use for the aeropress.

I'm liking the convenience but may have to go back to decanting it into a jug and letting it cool before making my brew.

I reckon you're right to let it cool down.

Or get them to turn the thermostat down? Even 100degs is too hot for making normal tea.

@HB - we've got one of the blasted things too. That's why I do a blind press and let the water stand in the cup for 30s before I use it.

just had an instant 100degree hot-water tap (quooker) installed in the office.

asides from being a bit scary to use (it sputters out quite violently) I'm undecided if it's just too hot to use for the aeropress.

I'm liking the convenience but may have to go back to decanting it into a jug and letting it cool before making my brew.

We have a constant hot water boiler at work which I've tried a few times with the aeropress but with no luck. Even the best beans come out tasting bland and dull. I've given up using it.

Flat cap coffee cart on Strutton Ground market normally stock Square Mile coffee beans. It's just off Victoria street, across the road from Scotland Yard. Don't think its too far from Whittards.

Ah, cool, I know the place you're talking about! Cheers!

Is this a stall, or an actual shop?