Coffee Appreciation

Much more than here in the boonies too; the expensive stuff is only about £18-20/kilo in the middle of Canada.

Thanks for the replies. I'll try the beans again tomorrow. I would have had them 5 days, so if they were roasted then immediately packaged and sent they should be at least 7 days old.

Still don't get the smell part tho. Any ideas, @StevePeel?

what coffee machine can we get for our office that makes nice coffee (one of our staff is italian) but has some green credentials?
I don't want to have to look after it, just sign an order each month for the coffee. We have about 10 staff. I obvs don't want to be throwing away loads of recyclable plastic!

Preference over espresso based vs filter/other?

The Technivorm is a joy and makes great filter coffee very easily and quietly, no mess, doesn't need to be plumbed in etc. Think @Velocio can attest to how they work in an office. Made in the netherlands and presume you can get compostable filter papers etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcG99PA7uYU

Incidentally on watching that I wish I'd got the machine with three settings so I could half pots more accurately. Didn't know it existed!

that looks ace, but unfortunately the boss 'doesn't like the sort of coffee that comes from a cafetiere'
so i assume it needs to be espresso based.

Freshness isn’t the issue here, I’d say it’s the coffee (I personally find Allpress too dark and uninteresting) and/or the brew parameters – if you’re going from one roaster to another you often have to treat it totally differently and start from scratch, adjusting things according to taste and ignoring the numbers you’re used to.
I’d try pulling some shots on a coarser and coarser grind and see if it dials the bitterness out. Might taste better at 25 seconds from a bigger dose.
Or it’s just bad coffee.

Technivorm is a joy and makes great filter coffee

I second this!

Or anywhere up to 30 at times, depending on the bean.

Or like, years if you freeze them.

I got a decent pour time of around 25 seconds from 16g of beans at the same grind as my usual coffee.

I'll try what you suggest and increase the dose with a coarser grind.

A new batch of Finca El Triunfo from Tate Coffee has just landed.

This is good shit.

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The Dark Arts Bad & Guji is an absolute smasher. Different filter types: Pour over, Aeropress and french press all tasted great. Would drink again.

Had it over the lats couple of weeks and loved it as well!

Amazing they're doing this on-site, one of my teenage hangouts as I grew up around the corner... Great stuff!

In an old Nissen hut in the car park:

Also, more ethical than most:

https://www.tate.org.uk/about-us/tate-enterprises/coffee-tate

Hi coffee lovers!
Anyone using this machine?

I bought it about 5-6 month ago, second hand on eBay but immaculate condition, with users manual, etc... when deciding to listen to people who say aluminum makers are potentially unsafe (having used them for 15 years...) and switch to a stainless steel model.

Following an user error (duh, forgot to put water one morning coffee was really needed) and overheating, the tank's inner coating started to peel off. I wrote to Alessi to ask if it was dangerous and if I could buy a spare tank. They said the tank on its own couldn't be replaced as it's calibrated with the upper section (makes sense actually), offered me to buy a whole new machine at trade price, but despite repeated emails they never replied on the potential dangerousity of peeling coating, and never even acknowledged the question. In frustration I didn't buy the new machine at trade price. And we're still using the machine.

Is your Alessi 9090 also peeling over time, even being properly used with no incident?

Why did they feel the need to coat the stainless steel? I have a stainless Bialetti too and as far as I can tell, it isn't coated.

I'd like to keep using it, it's a really cool object but scared of poisoning ourselves...

Coating on stainless steel? New to me too, I wonder why it would be considered necessary. Read about the peeling on amazon reviews as well.

I lust after this, but haven't got up the gumption to spend the money on it, when I've been given a perfectly sound/useable stove top.
Still want it though.

Coating on stainless steel?

I know, bonkers, I don't understand the reason behind... Picture I sent Alessi at the time, it's worst now.

Good idea about Amazon reviews, will have a look

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Still want it though.

My eBay one was £70 including postage, in perfect condition before I ducked it up... So maybe worth putting an alert I eBay?

I'd hazard a guess here that it's not "solid" stainless steel. I think it's plated, and the stainless has come off revealing bog standard cheap steel below, which is now rusting.

Whether that makes it safe, I don't know. I'd say probably not because the plating is steel and the resultant oxidation probably isn't the best thing to be drinking either

I'd say stick to quality alu, at least all the health concerns associated with it are lies :)

Rust is fine. Bloody wusses.

I'd hazard a guess here that it's not "solid" stainless steel.

The U/S of the pot has an engraving saying "inox 18/10" so it is stainless.

I agree with you it's best to stop using it. The rest of the pot (collar, top recipient, etc...) isn't coated. I wonder if I could blast all the coating out to save it, surely 18/10 stainless is safe to use even with high temperatures?

The exterior of the pot is varnished, to give the maker a shinier aspect, and a very slight orange/gold coloration. This has also got damaged with the overheating... Now the pot has a motorbike exhaust look at the bottom, which isn't too bad looking.

Still used it this morning, but it's time to pull the Bialetti out of the cupboard...

OK I think it's hard to see what's going on, is the inside coating flaking off, or is it just discoloured?

Take the one for trade price and sell the fucked one on eBay