Coffee Appreciation

Is there some consensus on the best soy milk for steaming? Something to get a decent texture out of as well as a flavour that doesn't wreck the espresso its blended with. I remember mention of Bonsoy being good before they changed their recipe - what seems to be the best choice now? Got a feeling my other half is lactose intolerant so we need to try some diet changes, trying to make the transition as easy as possible.

No, they are all shit.

I remember a tasting session with Paul Bonna where he was trying to find a decent fake milk, and also even tried blending soy and rice milks. None made anything remotely acceptable. Instead make a decent filter - aeropress or Kalita and have an enjoyable beverage.

49th Parallel in Vancouver have started making their own almond milk, seems like a good idea because almond milk doesn't curdle in coffee. Tried using it last year, perfect rosettas but tastes like sugary hell.

Best thing is Bonsoy in a pitcher, chuck espresso in and steam together. No latte art but tastes fine.

This is a bit of a gamble, but on the back of the hangover cure, I've taken a punt for a bag a month of unknown blend...

http://www.hasbean.co.uk/products/guest-espresso-blend-monthly-subscription

wicked

i was in touch with Steve before xmas asking about an espresso subscription

ordered this

Is there some consensus on the best soy milk for steaming? Something to get a decent texture out of as well as a flavour that doesn't wreck the espresso its blended with. I remember mention of Bonsoy being good before they changed their recipe - what seems to be the best choice now? Got a feeling my other half is lactose intolerant so we need to try some diet changes, trying to make the transition as easy as possible.

combine the soy milk and espresso then steam them together. Not the prettiest solution but stops curdling quite well. At least that works with bonsoy.

pea(berry)roast

Got a bag of Square Mile Sweet Shop yesterday from Prufrock.

It's good, and its quite balanced, but I don't find it especially fruity which is slightly disappointing.

it changes frequently

"The idea behind Sweet Shop is simple: Combine sweet and characterful coffees to create a fun, wildly complex and fruit-driven espresso. It isn’t about balance. It isn’t about tradition. This is about cramming as much fruit into the cup as possible. We want an espresso that doesn’t taste like anything else. Fun is a core part of the philosophy, and we want to use Sweet Shop as a playground for our espresso ideas. This means its components will change often, some blends maybe around for a week some for a couple of months - this espresso will not be for the faint hearted, it will always be a crazy and sweet. It will always be a juicy, bright, playful espresso but we want to explore as much of coffee as we can with it."

I appreciate that. The same goes for Red Brick, if I remember correctly.

I'd have liked the coffee to be more fruity, but it's perfectly nice as it is. I've had several African coffee which are much more fruity than this, yet they don't make a big deal out of it, hence my slight disappointment.

Will try the Aeropress as it may work quit differently to how it tastes as espresso or americano.

Cheers.

Is there some consensus on the best soy milk for steaming? Something to get a decent texture out of as well as a flavour that doesn't wreck the espresso its blended with. I remember mention of Bonsoy being good before they changed their recipe - what seems to be the best choice now? Got a feeling my other half is lactose intolerant so we need to try some diet changes, trying to make the transition as easy as possible.
Have you tried Lactofree milk? http://www.lactofree.co.uk/ You can even do a three step test if your partner is unsure of her intolerance: http://www.lactofree.co.uk/discovery/

Having experimented with soya for quite some time, I've found that most brands will 'work' (ie get frothy and not curdle) provided the coffee isn't too acidic and you pour or mix it with the espresso before adding any hot water, as others here have suggested.

Rather than trying to find a brand that doesn't "wreck" the coffee, I would try to match the coffee with the soya. Some beans do taste better than others with the acquired and slightly nutty taste of soy. In other words - embrace the soy!

If you can't easily get hold of Bonsoy, I find the fresh Alpro and Holland & Barratt's own brand pretty good.

I'd have liked the coffee to be more fruity, but it's perfectly nice as it is. I've had several African coffee which are much more fruity than this, yet they don't make a big deal out of it, hence my slight disappointment.

I'm with you on this. It's a really cool idea and results in some fantastic coffee, but the whole "sweetshop" thing with all the graphics and hype is a bit OTT.

I've been reading this thread and I've just bought a Gran Gaggia on eBay for just over £20. Needs descaling (is Waitrose's appliance descaler suitable?). I know little about espresso machines but learning from this mammoth thread. Has anyone tried the Coffee Plant in Portobello Road? How does it measure up compared to the likes of Monmouth?

I've been reading this thread and I've just bought a Gran Gaggia on eBay for just over £20. Needs descaling (is Waitrose's appliance descaler suitable?).

Get yourself some tartaric acid crystals from eBay or from a local shop. If it's quite scaled, then give it a nice and strong solution, and you can repeatedly re-use the solution, while avoiding putting any clumps of chalk back into the water tank. Let the solution sit in the boiler tank for maybe twenty minutes at a time. Pop out the shower screen and the block which is attached underneath and leave these sitting in solution too.

I tried the Square Mile Sweet Shop in the Aeropress. It was ok, but not as good as espresso. It seemed to taste a bit kind of unripe in the aeropress, in a sort of grape peel way. Will let it steep longer tomorrow and see if that helps.

I guess the marketing is following the likes of Has Bean, who tend to have OTT descriptions of all their coffees. "This one's like eating a kumquat, a jar of honey and a lamb biryani, combined, and then finished off by smoking a Pink Panther wafer".

^ Just one more tiny Pink Panther wafer, Sir?

Any recommendations for a shop in London that refurbished your machine for a fees?Obtained g/f old machine that need a good sservice.

Get yourself some tartaric acid crystals from eBay or from a local shop. If it's quite scaled, then give it a nice and strong solution, and you can repeatedly re-use the solution, while avoiding putting any clumps of chalk back into the water tank. Let the solution sit in the boiler tank for maybe twenty minutes at a time. Pop out the shower screen and the block which is attached underneath and leave these sitting in solution too.

I'm a bit too busy to dig up the relevant details but for my gaggia i know that the alu boiler is extremely sensitive to descaling solutions and you have to be extremely careful what you put in and how long for otherwise you'll knacker the insides of the boiler.

I use puly caff descaler and even then everything I've read suggests to not let it sit in the machine for more than 10 minutes.

Any recommendations for a shop in London that refurbished your machine for a fees?Obtained g/f old machine that need a good sservice.

not in london but this guy does a lot of business on coffee forums.

http://www.gaggiamanualservice.com/

I'm a bit too busy to dig up the relevant details but for my gaggia i know that the alu boiler is extremely sensitive to descaling solutions and you have to be extremely careful what you put in and how long for otherwise you'll knacker the insides of the boiler.

I think the main issue is for health reasons; if you use citric acid, then it forms aluminium citrate which can make you ill.

I believe tartaric acid is a safe option.

Does anyone know of any shops in London that sell tartaric acid? I can only find it on eBay and need it sharpish.

You can "Click and collect" from this place in islington.

I don;t know the place I just found it on google

You can "Click and collect" from this place in islington.

I don;t know the place I just found it on google

Many thanks, I've been ringing local chemists looking for the stuff. Will pick up tomorrow.

not in london but this guy does a lot of business on coffee forums.

http://www.gaggiamanualservice.com/

Mine isn't a Gaggia thought, it's a dualit espressivo.

Recommendations for a good milk steamer?