Coffee Appreciation

check this to see what youre doing wrong maybe?
http://www.squaremileblog.com/2009/01/21/videocast-4-stove-topmoka-pot/

repost from probably a year ago...still good though.

Yes, good video.

I do use cold water though; it's more convenient and I did not taste a difference tbh.
Also i do not use the wet towel to 'stop the brewing process', I just pour the coffe in my cup as soon as i hear any gurgling.

Can't really explain why, but yes, the original (Bialetti) ones work better than the others.

Coarseness of the grounds should be somewhere between filter-coffee-coarseness and espresso.

I use a gas stove, smallest flame on full power.

^^^Nice Yirgacheffes have flavours of tannin, bergamot and lemon, like an Earl Grey. But coffee.

Exactly. It's really, really good.

Oh tried M&S esspresso blend

Good call, although I grabbed the French roast, very nice, and as you say 2for£4.50 makes it a good bargin

I'm finally giving in. I ordered a bag of coffee from Has Bean on Tuesday. Usually it would arrive on Wednesday morning but it's been 'awaiting despatch' since Tuedsay afternoon and still no sign of it. On the same day I ordered some leather dressing from Chicago and that arrived today. Not happy. I'm buying a bag today when I'm out. Can't take the tea anymore.

Did you bother to read the information they kindly prodived on the website to say they are not shipping until the 3rd of January? You really do need that coffee.

Hasbean has probably the best customer service of any company I know.

Yeah, fucking lazy bastards having a holiday. How dare they? I need my order now!!

FFS

I know Has Bean has great customer service. That's why I'm disappointed. At no point between entering the website and placing my order was my attention drawn to the closure. Yes, it's there if you look under 'conditions and shipping' but as I order so frequently this isn't something I do. Lesson learnt.

Perhaps the closure was communicated by email but I don't subscribe to newsletters as a general rule as it tempts me to spend all my money.'

I wonder if this would work stuck to a metal jug?
http://www.espresso-products.co.uk/temperature-sensitive-sticker-249-p.asp
Simpler than a thermometre.

Also ordered http://www.espresso-products.co.uk/tiamo-ceramic-conical-burr-slim-grinder-black-396-p.asp
£19.99 and looks exactly the same as Hario ones, will report back on how it works

Yes, good video.

I do use cold water though; it's more convenient and I did not taste a difference tbh.
Also i do not use the wet towel to 'stop the brewing process', I just pour the coffe in my cup as soon as i hear any gurgling.

Can't really explain why, but yes, the original (Bialetti) ones work better than the others.

Coarseness of the grounds should be somewhere between filter-coffee-coarseness and espresso.

I use a gas stove, smallest flame on full power.

What works for me is A Zass turkish unit (old stock) almost at finest grind, then either half a filter full for the Kaliffa or rounded overfill for the Kona. Cold water, electric stove at half heat. Takes around 6-8 minutes, produces a different kind of heaven depending on which maker.

Yes, good video.

I do use cold water though; it's more convenient and I did not taste a difference tbh.
Also i do not use the wet towel to 'stop the brewing process', I just pour the coffe in my cup as soon as i hear any gurgling.

Can't really explain why, but yes, the original (Bialetti) ones work better than the others.

Coarseness of the grounds should be somewhere between filter-coffee-coarseness and espresso.

I use a gas stove, smallest flame on full power.

When I had a Moka I also used cold water and, like you, didn't notice much of a difference. One thing that I found useful was to remove the pot from the heat as soon as coffee started to hit the upper resevoir.

The thermal mass from the hot water still allows things to brew, but it cooled down quickly enough to prevent that last bit of hot water from pushing the bitter flavours into the coffee. It's worth noting here that I always used espresso grinds in my Moka, for no other reason than I like strong coffee. This method may not be as effective with coarser grinds.

for many years i used to use a single-cup stove-top machine, then someone bought us a nespresso machine and in the euphoria of such convenient espresso making with a perfect crema every time, i lost sight of the joy of actually preparing and making a nice cup of coffee. after several price increases i decided 34p a pod was too much for a cup of so-so coffee and a bought another 1-cup stove top machine. So far i've tried tesco espresso - bit over roasted for my taste, and now enjoying lavazza crema e gusto, and i feel like i've come home - lovely

All hail Brazilian Santos High Roast!

That is all.

would this be a step in the wrong direction?

http://mobile.comet.co.uk/p/Coffee-Makers/buy-GAGGIA-CLASSIC-RI8161/40-Coffee-Maker/412414

currently aeropress...

January sales finished already, was going to collect one today, not now though.

for many years i used to use a single-cup stove-top machine, then someone bought us a nespresso machine and in the euphoria of such convenient espresso making with a perfect crema every time, i lost sight of the joy of actually preparing and making a nice cup of coffee. after several price increases i decided 34p a pod was too much for a cup of so-so coffee and a bought another 1-cup stove top machine. So far i've tried tesco espresso - bit over roasted for my taste, and now enjoying lavazza crema e gusto, and i feel like i've come home - lovely

Glad you've fallen in love with making coffee again. Do yourself a favour and get some freshly roasted coffee then you'll really see an improvement. A quick review through this thread should give you some suggestions of where to get it from.

I wonder if this would work stuck to a metal jug?
http://www.espresso-products.co.uk/temperature-sensitive-sticker-249-p.asp
Simpler than a thermometre.

Don't think that'll be very good TBH. Those things are quite slow to react and you'll probably be well beyond the indicated temperature. Best thing is to use your hand. Stop steaming when the jug gets uncomfortable to hold and you'll be around 65deg. You can calibrate yourself against a regular steaming thermometer, but make sure that is calibrated properly in boiling water as they are not the highest quality scientific instruments in the world.

Also ordered http://www.espresso-products.co.uk/tiamo-ceramic-conical-burr-slim-grinder-black-396-p.asp
£19.99 and looks exactly the same as Hario ones, will report back on how it works

I have a friend who sells these and he has been told that they are made in the same factory as the Hario ones and are identical. Same goes with the siphons & V60's.

http://thirdfloorespresso.tumblr.com/post/15131006405/eur5-january-lucky-dip

for anyone in Dublin

Any top tips for aeropress usage? I'm looking for a beginner grinder at the moment. I have a shit blade grinder, which I don't expect to use to be frank. Is the cheap Krups GVX231 worth the £35 price tag or is that just throwing money away?

i think the general wisdom is to buy the porlex hand grinder

Thanks for the Porlex tip, if I didn't already have the Zass Turkish that would be my go to.
What about ceramic (Porlex) vs hardened steel (Zassenhaus) burrs?
My Zass is about 6 years old and hasn't required adjustment to make up for erosion of the burrs.

i think the general wisdom is to buy the porlex hand grinder

^This. Best £30 you can spend that will give you the biggest improvement in coffee.

Casasteve - search the thread for aeropress, there are quite a few discussions, tips and how to videos.

Any top tips for aeropress usage? I'm looking for a beginner grinder at the moment. I have a shit blade grinder, which I don't expect to use to be frank. Is the cheap Krups GVX231 worth the £35 price tag or is that just throwing money away?

The Krups will be better than a blade grinder, but still a bit crappy. It's the tiny burrs and underpowered motor which make the grounds get hot and loose flavour. Plus it''ll probably break sooner or later and be noisy and slow.

But if it's a choice between that and buying pre-ground then definitely buy it.

The Dualit is a better piece of kit, there's a few on ebay at the mo, or the KitchenAid has nice big 65mm burrs and is good for brewed coffee if you can find one in budget.

None of these will be any good for espresso BTW.

i'm pondering getting a filter coffee maker (correct word?) Is there any that are better than others? Ie is this thing for £60

http://www.johnlewis.com/231253622/Product.aspx

5 times better than this for a tenner?

http://www.johnlewis.com/231302306/Product.aspx

I'm currently using a hario filter holder and a grinder, so i'm already doing good coffee but would like to make a pot that sits and stews during the course of a sunday morning

Would a single filter be a better idea? Anything that sits and stews for a long time tends to get really bitter and horrible.

I understand the appeal of those but I grew up in the US where I grew to loathe drip brewed coffee. I don't think I've ever had good coffee from one of those, but, in fairness, that my have had more to do with the coffee rather than the machine.