Coffee Appreciation

So, i dug this out today. I got it as a present a while ago.

Can some of you coffee aficionados recommend a particular type of ground coffee I should be using with this bad boy? Does it matter?

So, i dug this out today. I got it as a present a while ago.

Can some of you coffee aficionados recommend a particular type of ground coffee I should be using with this bad boy? Does it matter?

http://www.vimeo.com/2905947

there you go dude, should be everything you need to know.

if anyone wants to geek the fuck out the USBC is going on right now

Wikipedia is your friend

yes, thanks. i am vaguely familiar with the internet, so i did look it up on wikipedia. i'm not satisfied that the answer is that a flat white is served in a smaller cup than a latte. that would make it just a cappucino without the foam, no?

Cheers Ross. So if I rock up to any coffee shop I just let them know I'm using a stove top?

Ace.

yes, thanks. i am vaguely familiar with the internet, so i did look it up on wikipedia. i'm not satisfied that the answer is that a flat white is served in a smaller cup than a latte. that would make it just a cappucino without the foam, no?

didn't see this. that wiki definition isn't brilliant. the latte is basically an american invention (i can't be bothered to look that up to see that i'm 100%) but it's essentially a 3rd wave creation (ie - it wasn't invented by the italians)
a latte would typically be one shot of espresso with over 7/8/9/10+++ ounces of milk with a slight head of foam. you can serve it in a glass if you want, it definitely doesn't define the drink though the idea of pouring espresso ontop is bullshit though.

a flatwhite comes from some antipodean shit, it is typically a double shot in an 7/8oz cup with slightly thinner milk than a latte. the rosetta's on top basically demonstrate that the milk has been probably steams (you can't rosetta with shit milk) and that the person who's made your drink knows what the fuck they're doing.

that's just be interpretation of it all. i'll probably go and have a look at some books later now to see what their definition of a latte is though.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/2009-us-barista-championship

nick from intelli is coming up next and there's a good chance he's going to take the whole comp so it could be sweeet

Cheers Ross. So if I rock up to any coffee shop I just let them know I'm using a stove top?

Ace.

it really depends where you go. if you go into flat white (especially as they've just got a nice big new deli grinder) yeah just tell them you're using a moka pot and they'll know what to do. if you're just going into standard X coffee shop i would probably just ask them to make it slightly coarser than espresso grind

it really depends where you go. if you go into **flat white **(especially as they've just got a nice big new deli grinder)

where's that?

where's that?

http://www.flat-white.co.uk/

17 berwick street

thanks Ross!

Ved, sorry to complicate things, but traditionally a moka pot is made with coffee ground slightly coarser than espresso. In that video, the guy is advocating using a much coarser grind, something like a paper filter grind. The idea of this is that it provides less resistance to the water being pushed up and therefore brews at a lower temperature and creates a cleaner less bitter taste.

I have tried this method and although it does indeed taste more mellow, it also has less body which for me kinda spoils it. If I'm feeling inclined to make a moka pot it's because I need an espresso substitute and if it doesn't stick to your ribs then it's not doing the job.

Back to the point of this message; try coffee ground for moka pot and also try coarser grinds and decide for yourself what's best.

And in our place a flat white is the same as a latte but in a smaller cup, so it's down to the proportion of coffee to milk. A cappuccino is like a latte but we make the milk stiffer. All have a double shot. This is not definitive, just how we do em.

i think of a flat white as a cappuccino with half the pointless milk thrown away so double the flavour. they are the closest (in the u.k.) to the cappuccinos i had in italy which were small, not masses of foam and you couldn't tell where the froth stopped and the coffee started.U.K ones seem to be milky coffee with a dollop of mr whippy on top.
none of that stupid brown shit sprinkled on top either.

Cheers bombcup, much appreciated. I have the moka pot as my kitchen is tiny and I defo do not have enough space for a machine.

amusingly, gustav ran into me whilst i enjoyed my first flat white this morning. i wasn't overly impressed... think i'll stick to cappuccinos.

amusingly, gustav ran into me whilst i enjoyed my first flat white this morning. i wasn't overly impressed... think i'll stick to cappuccinos.

where did you go?

milk based drinks are out anyway because they've made me fat. it's all spro's and piccalo's for me from now on.

went to taste of bitter love. but i'm willing to experiment... go on, recommend me a decent flat white then.

went to taste of bitter love. but i'm willing to experiment... go on, recommend me a decent flat white then.

woah, woah, woah.

taste of bitter love is absolutely fucking brilliant. it is probably my favourite overall shop in london. it's owned by the woman that works there most of the time Flic (think that's her name) with her boyfriend Billie. i've never had anything other than a spro and some food there though. nearly all the food in there is made by flic in some tiny space downstairs. i'm a huge fan.

for the best flat white you're probably best off going to either Flat White on berwick street or Milkbar on Bateman street. best consistency and they're all lovely. i would go to milkbar over flat white because it's not as busy.

you could try dose espresso in long lane EC1 (i think, best google it) i've still not been there everyone has raved about it though.

you could try sacred in westfield/holloway/ganton street, but i find it too hit and miss.

ohhhh you should also try and catch Gwilyms coffee cart which is on Whitecross Street (weekdays) & Columbia Road in the backyard off Ezra Street (Sunday 8am-2pm only)

he's now british barista champion 2009

coffee taster's tongue insured for £10 million.

clearly a costa coffee pr stunt. but i still want to cut it off. cunt.

wow. i've not seen someone wing as badly as that since the bbc let that nigerian taxi driver in to talk about the economy. fantastic stuff, my favourite part is when he claims to taste every batch of green coffee!

i heart this thead. it makes me fantasise about the future when i have my own place, free time and a wicked-dope coffee machine, and when i'm not doing a fucking stupid university course.

having got to monmouth for some properly ground coffee i have managed to get my shots sorted. did 2 yesterday but i think i may have let the portafilter get too hot? i burned my arm with it :-) .
i left the machine to warm up for while before using it and dont think i had quite enough coffee in as it came through a bit quick and the top of the coffee in the portafilter was a bit pockmarked after brewing.
today i just waited for the green light to come on and had about 6 seconds before anything came through with the pour lasting another 15 before filling up a bar italia espresso cup, it hadn't even started to blonde. a thick caramel coloured crema, good full almost mocha type flavour and zero bitterness FTW no thin insipid rubbish shots. i obviously had the amount and tamper just right.

i then adulterated it with some badly frothed milk. i need to get the plastic end for the wand sorted and some proper coffee cups so i'll stick to espressos for now.

I've not made an espresso for about 2 weeks. French press FTW!

I've moved to using full basket of coffee. Did what I thought was a lighter tamp than yesterday when it was a slow pour and today I get nothing.. nada.... zip.. I waited for 30 seconds with not a drop of coffee coming out. Doh! I gave up, rode to work and bought one :)
Looks like with the full basket I'll need to make the grind coarser still..

I've not made an espresso for about 2 weeks. French press FTW!

Blurgh.. the guys here drink 'em and I prefer my espressos to their stuff.