Coffee Appreciation

You must live 5 minutes from my front door too then!

Have you been to that cafe? Amazing coffee and food, but a true haven for yummy mummies and thus pricey.

Or 10 minutes!

Yep! It's a nice little spot, but a bit too cosy to truly have a good chat to someone for me (not enough space between tables).

I do like Bodega 50 (opposite the shakespeare) for sitting outside with a pour over, though...

I am not too far from Monmouth so can get ground coffee from them and have signed up to Pact for £1 thing. Or is it best to grind yourself?

I am not too far from Monmouth so can get ground coffee from them and have signed up to Pact for £1 thing. Or is it best to grind yourself?

I'd go as far as to say that for espresso, it's essential that you grind yourself. Espresso grinds go stale very quickly, plus you need to get the grind exactly right for your machine (although Monmouth are often really cool and can often guess the grind for your particular model).

The bare minimum would be a Porlex Mini hand grinder at around £30. For an electric grinder, either a second-hand commercial grinder from eBay (£75 and up) or a new MC2 (not sure how much).

For coffee pots - Adsa do a 6 cup and 12 cup ali copy that makes a good coffee just remember to prep it from new. Its also cheap at around £6. Whilst Ikea do a stainless steel one that makes an acceptable coffee.

Have you got a decent grinder? In a way, it's more important.

How about the water?

Oh and check out your local morrisons as their fairtrade beans seem to be very cheap/discounted the 250g packs are sub a quid. Acceptable in the french press and blasted through the baby gaggia.

So it's best to get a grinder first then a machine?
Just had a cup of the Pact coffee it's good brewed in a aero press

In my experience the qualities of the beans change significantly as they age- it's important to be able to change the grind (finer as the beans age) to get the same pouring characteristics.

You could of course just buy what you will use in a couple of days, of course.

How about the water?

Good point. I'm still using the big bottles from Tesco.

My point about the grinder though, is that you'd almost be better off without an espresso machine if you can't freshly grind to the exact coarseness required by your machine. Espresso is a very precise brew method, though excellent when done right.

Good point. I'm still using the big bottles from Tesco.

My point about the grinder though, is that you'd almost be better off without an espresso machine if you can't freshly grind to the exact coarseness required by your machine. Espresso is a very precise brew method, though excellent when done right.

You are right, but would add that personal flavour preference also plays a key role in grind, and bean quality in the brew method.

Still say if you are using tap water or even brita filtered water IMO ikea coffee beans are really nice for a french press.

Then I do like the process of making a good espresso.

the aluminum pot having the pressure cap

I used one of those where I was working for three weeks now -
I'm not sure whether it was a bit broken, or supposed to work this way -
it remained silent during the brewing process, then, all of a sudden BLLLAAAARRRRGHHHLLLARGGHHH
fucking scary I-will-be-exploding-in-about-three-seconds-if-you-don't-put-me-off-the-stove-sounds outta the kitchen.

Hated that thing.
Ended up bringing my own Moka Pot there, as well as ground beans, as their grinder was shit also.

How about the water?

Yes.

^^ That's part of the charm, and a handy heads-up.

Stainless Bialetti Venus 4cup ordered.

How much should one pay for 250g coffee?
For beans
For ground beans
thanks

^ I don't think there is a 'should'.

I pay between 4.50 and 7 but usually around 5.50.

Occasionally I'll come across a really nice 3 quid bag in the supermarket though.

Depends on the beans.

Thanks
(you're right shouldn't be should)

Saw the Pacts coffee deal which looks good but more expensive than the £3-£4 for fair trade coffee in the local corner shop

You'll pay a premium for freshly roasted coffee.

What the...? http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/aug/15/coffee-drinkers-risk-death-rate

The study found that those who drank larger amounts of coffee were more likely to smoke and had less healthy lungs and hearts.
Unfortunately 'Smokers likely to die young' doesn't get much attention any more

Also correlation≠cause - could be a host of other reasons, such as work stress, smoking obviously, poor diet etc etc

new study next week - the results will surprise you

I love my coffee but I rarely drink more than 4 cups a day, partially because I'm a coffee snob. I rarely drink coffee after 4:00pm so 4 cups between 7:30am and 4:00pm is quite hard for me to fit in.

Drink faster, you cissy!

: P

Show me a 55 year-old male with low blood pressure... Once you hit middle-age, you become more susceptible to that stuff, just keep an eye on it and be healthy and you don't have anything to worry about.

How much should one pay for 250g coffee?
For beans
For ground beans
thanks

The most I've paid for 250g beans was £22. They were Hacienda Esmerelda though and it was Christmas!

#boastpost