Coffee Appreciation

Michael McCarthy does make a mean cup of coffee.
Mmmm....

so does Grind though....

So my coffee loving friend in Newcastle that I'm going to visit next week has asked me to bring him up a bag od beans. So what's good at the moment? Anything interesting that he won't be able to get up north?

Standard St. Ali Cult of Done recommendation or I personally think Caravan is underrated and often overlooked – their espresso blend is seriously delicious.

http://www.airspresso.com.au/

Mobile espresso.

http://worldaeropresschampionship.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/the-world-aeropress-championships-2011/
looks fun

"The WACs went walkabout there for a while"

Oh noes!

Someone just bought me an "blended iced frappacino" thing from Costa.

It was without doubt the most disgusting thing I've tasted in a long while

You bothered tasting it? Anyone brings me a toasted oat moccalatte* or similar and they'll be wearing it.

• actually, that might be quite nice.
  

SOLD
Hey Coffee appreciators. Selling my coffee machine. Good machine, works (as illustrated) but is a bit leaky round the gaskets. As a result the shot looks good but is a bit weak. All spares are available on internetz.

Offering it up to you guys based on someone with more knowledge probably being able to make it work better quite easily as it is a good machine.

Comes with both baskets and a tamper.
SOLD. In E9 London Fields. Bit of a lump so delivery very locally otherwise collection.

Dibs pming now

Unlikely second dibs if Moog opts out.

3rd dibs

Stove top / Moka pot.

[I grew up drinking mugs of this, didn't realise it was meant for small strong cups, and now pretty much everything else I drink tastes of tears and fail :( ]

I did something similar - was staying with an italian friend when i was in my 20s and trying to be a good guest I made the pot of coffee in the a.m. with his espresso - by the time he got up was on my second (canadian sized mug) and shortly their after was so jangly of nerve I couldnt do a thing all day..
FAIL
But it was sooo nice..up until then

just spoke to my GF who went out for coffee in Helsingborg in Sweden. 45 SEK for a cup, that's £4.50. fucking expensive over here, I miss the £1.40 flat whites from that clothes shop on shoreditch high st

'Present'? If so, they sell 'em for 2.20 now :)

bah!

The whites have become black, and the flat whites have become expensive. Where will it end?

^ awesome

Just received the new Has Bean Breakfast Bomb blend.. Cannot wait to set if off..

ran out of beanz again.

just ordered an Aeropress to stop me buying an espresso machine off ebay. was planning to go to Monmouth this Friday to get some coffee for it.

any suggestions for a noob? presume i just ask for it to be ground for espresso? how much should I get (250g?)? how much should I be looking to pay?

/literally have no clue

^ "Slightly finer than a filter grind".

250g is good amount, you're looking at around 18g per cup so that's about 13 - 14 brews there,

I pay about a fiver a 250g bag from hasbean, never tried Monmouth. Square Mile beans I had recently were £12 for 350g.

P.s. all you need to know on aeropress here and pdf here

Recently been doing 'blind' presses with the AeroPress before making a new cup.
Don't know why I didn't do this before.

Cheers!

Urgh, at the supermarket only columbian bean/ground they had was bloody taylors again. I want paying so couldn't make too much fuss. Smelt good though the packet valve, but does not brew well, always comes out strangely "empty"tasting, I.e. opposite of full bodied.

Also check out the coffee brewing portal brewmethods for lots of different Aeropress techniques.

My method is 14g of fine to medium grind coffee, 1 minute brew time including 6 stirs at the beginning and 4 more after 45 seconds, then plunge after 1 minute until 1:15.

Squaremile sell their retail coffee in 350g bags, so although more expensive (cheapest at the mo is £8), it works out about the same price as Monmouth and Hasbean.