Coffee Appreciation

OK so most threads derail pretty quick (much to the annoyance of Thor, despite the fact that it draws attention away from his mate's shit bikes). One of the OT subjects that keeps cropping up is the perfect cup of coffee. As my stovetop is bubbling away in the kitchen, I thought I would give a place where this subject could flourish, ON topic. So:

What's the best ground coffee? Beans?

Where can you get a decent cup? (More difficult than it should be)

Which coffee makers are best? (we're moving and a bigger kitchen means I can get a machine - budget has been signed off by g/f up to £300)

Best way of serving?

Etc.

double espresso after a long meal.

i have an alessi hob top job which does the business very well.

coffee no too hot mind.

momouth beans do it for me 16 quid a bag though...
double shot latte with bonsoy:-)

or flat white or broadway market coffee shop....

You can't beat Nescafé for lack of flavour, gut rot, and contributing to nasty regimes or the cyncial exploitation of developing world markets.

Mmmmmm.

machine // Gaggia Classic

grinder // Dualit Burr grinder [as important as the machine IMHO]

Beans // Monmouth coffee organic espresso blend

Milk // Waitrose organic, yeo valley organic is alright, M&S organice is rubbish for frothing

Coffee // espresso, 'bastard strong 'cino, macciato - depends on time of day/mood

Actually, I prefer eating chocolate-covered coffee beans. I'm considering them as on-the-bike sustenance.

BringMeMyFix Actually, I prefer eating chocolate-covered coffee beans. I'm considering them as on-the-bike sustenance.
Dude, after the initial nice taste, it's like eating dirt/sand.

instant coffee is hangin'.

justMouse [quote]BringMeMyFix Actually, I prefer eating chocolate-covered coffee beans. I'm considering them as on-the-bike sustenance.
Dude, after the initial nice taste, it's like eating dirt/sand.[/quote]

Mmmm, dirt. Fantastic mineral content.

Velluto nero from ACS on Old Compton

Lidl ground expresso is much nicer than tesco's finest which is over-roasted....I make my coffee in a classic stovetop aluminium Italian espresso pot which cost 5 euros....coffee is delicious and complies with all the qualities you read about in broadsheet food supplements....i.e crema, floral bouquet....etc, etc......works better if you use a low flame and let it pass through the grinds really slowly.

Starbucks coffee doesn't taste like coffee it tastes like hot melted ice cream, most chain coffee shops are shit and none of the staff ever understand my order.

Pret a Manger has a good nicely roasted blend and because their coffee menu is much shorter than most you generlly get what you ask for and the same coffee, shop to shop..

There is no such thing as Italian coffee.

I have an official qualification in coffee....I did sit it 20 years ago now though.

ah, what a lovely morning thread!

I use a bialetti stovetop, works a treat for me. Been thinking about getting an espresso machine, but discussed this with an italian friend of mine, and according to him no one in italy has a espresso machine at home. This is for the simple reason that a espresso machine needs to be used alot to make good coffee and that will probably not happen at home, so instead you go to the nearest café where you, in italy, can get a good cup. Now this isn´t the case here in london though, it´s far too hard to find a good cup here.

But you can get them here:

Market Coffee house by spitalfields, fantastic

That big coffee place at Borough Market

The french place on broadway market

There´s a french / italian place on Sheperds Market that does decent coffee too

Also, there´s a coffee grinder on Delancey St in camden, I haven´t been in yet but it looks fantastic. An old man and a grinder, hopefully he´s grumpy too

When I worked in a restaurant, we'd fire up the machine, then make five or so cups and chuck them out.....because the first ones taste horrible...if this applies to home machines, you'll spend a lot on coffee or never get a good cup unless you drink loads...

Higher roast coffee may taste strong but has less caffeine in it.

Velluto nero from ACS on Old Compton

+1 (but also try the formula rossa - bit smoother..lovely crema)

machine - vintage pavoni lever
grinder - innova burr

......time for more coffee NOW.....

scott not scot [quote]BringMeMyFix Actually, I prefer eating chocolate-covered coffee beans. I'm considering them as on-the-bike sustenance.

I made the mistake of eating 3 bags of them in one day once....damn....it was like shitting diamonds![/quote]

I was going to write a short story once about someone who discovers a diamond in their microwave. Turns out that some cheese left uncleaned in the back corner for years had undergone a sort of accelerated carbonization from being cooked so many times. I was toying with the idea of getting the protagonist to experiment with different types of cheese, and possibly create assorted precious stones eg. Danish Blue would make a sapphire, and so on.

Unfortunately I had the idea at the time I gave up writing fiction, but it's something to get on with when I've retired :)

Oh shit, I've drifted off topic already...

but emeralds are green? surely a sapphire?

well-used bialetti packed really tightly with illy beans... mmmm

winston When I worked in a restaurant, we'd fire up the machine, then make five or so cups and chuck them out.....because the first ones taste horrible...if this applies to home machines, you'll spend a lot on coffee or never get a good cup unless you drink loads...

Higher roast coffee may taste strong but has less caffeine in it.

most of the commercial ones have an anti scaling unit on the pump that if left to stand for a couple of hours will taint the first cups of coffee.

Home machines don't have this so you don't tend to get that problem

Superprecise but emeralds are green? surely a sapphire?

Oooops - senior moment. Edited now. Thanks.

for a good machine, i'd recommend this one:

la pavoni machine. my mate's got one and it makes really nice espresso. plus it looks damn cool (which is important). they come in brass too. it's a f*cker to clean though.

also those little nestle nespresso capsules make surprisingly decent (and consistant) coffee, and there's no clean-up afterwards. they might be the way to go if you're looking for ease.

I have a bialetti stove top and don't ever get a satisfying crema. Is it because I'm using ground coffee rather than grinding it myself?

I also find it's very easy to boil the coffee if not taken off the stove immediately.

LOL Scott - the grim North is having an adverse effect on you. Come south and ponce!

whats all this faff about puting things in coffe? or tea even? i might let you slide with sugar, but thats as far as it goes

Creme de la crema:

The big coffee shop in Borough Market is an off shoot of The Monmouth Coffee House in Monmouth Street, who’ve been producing the best coffee I’ve been able to find in London over the last 20 years (now I feel old). Their espresso blend is great, but I'd also suggest you check out some of their other coffees as well, but don't espresso these, drip filter them instead, my personal favourites are the organic Guatemalan and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.
Espresso is great for a thick treacly hit of coffeeness, but a decent filter coffee will be just as strong but with a rounder and more aromatic taste. If you go to the Monmouth Coffee House, they’ll happily offer advice and you can taste before you buy. They’re busier than they used to be so I haven’t actually stopped there for a cup of coffee for ages but it used to be that if you bought a cup to taste and bought coffee afterwards they didn’t charge you for the cup you’d tasted. Monmouth are expensive, there’s no denying it, but they’re coffee is the best, they’re every bit as serious about their coffee as we are about our bikes.
I've never had a espresso machine that was plumbed into the mains but over the years I've had a Kenwood and a couple of Krups and neither were any better than the stove stops I've used, so I now stick with stove tops. At work I have a Russell Hobbs "stove top" that like a kettle has an electric element in the base so you just boil it like a kettle. It works okay, but has a trough around the bottom of the jug, which seems to layer the coffee if you don't stir it before pouring. Bialetti now make a similar pot, but the jug has a flat bottom and I think this probably works better. If you're looking at filter machines, the Siemens Porche is both very pretty, breaks down easily to clean, has a timer if you want to set it up the night before so when you wake up your coffee ready and waiting and has a decent thermos jug that keeps the coffee hot. The only Porche I'm ever likely to own :)