Coffee

[johnny crossan]

Welcome suggestions for beans - we mostly use Lavazza expresso varieties but recently tried Lofbergs Brazilian from Waitrose which were OK but Grumpy Mule Sumatran is also reliable ;-)

 

[johnny crossan]

Google "pressurised unpressurized single wall double wall basket".

For best (coffee shop) results, the unpressurized basket is best.

That said, your pressurised basket is fine and allows for variations in beans, grinds, etc

For milk drinks, not an issue. I'd struggle with that though as i drink black Americanos and those are nowhere near as forgiving.

Ymmv. Obv.

Will do thanks.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Welcome suggestions for beans - we mostly use Lavazza expresso varieties but recently tried Lofbergs Brazilian from Waitrose which were OK but Grumpy Mule Sumatran is also reliable ;-)

Try a local roaster for fresh.

 

[HolisticJim]

Percolator, filter or moca pot which can use pre ground.

I'd only get a machine if you are genuinely arsed because they are an expensive faff.

The Moka pot, do they make normal coffee which you add milk too or are they just expresso?

What coffee do you put into it?

 

[Blue Mist]

Great thread. I fancy moving away from instant coffee myself.

I dont know anything about any of these machines or bean-to-cups or whatever.

My friend bought a Tassimo but it seemed like the capsules were expensive and just another form of marginly better instant.

Could someone recommend a home device which makes a decent cup of proper coffee which won't cost me a fortune and won't leave me shelling out fortunes in add ons - obvs if a Tassimo is indeed my best option then please say.

Love a good cup of coffee.

Once roasted by the supplier the beans are good for 3 months.
Always check the roasting date on the side of the packet. If there isn't a date steer clear.
Then you have a choice, ground coffee needs no work from you, just put a large spoonful in a percolator and heat.
The reason people like to grind their coffee is because you can decide the strength of it. (A coarser grind is stronger)
I buy kilo bags of beans and keep them in the freezer, only grinding enough for a few days as again, once ground they lose their flavour.
Grinders are inexpensive.
Unless you want fancy dan coffee you do not need a machine. If you do, ergh I can't help you.
Oh, don't put milk or sugar in it. It spoils the taste.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

The Moka pot, do they make normal coffee which you add milk too or are they just expresso?

There are probably whole forums built around that very question.

It's espressoe-sque

Nearly but not quite.

 

[shevtheblue]

I recently moved away from caffeine for a couple weeks to decaf, noticed a change in mood where i felt a lot less grumpy but maybe im just imagining it? Decaf finished and i put the normal coffee beans back into the hopper and almost immediately felt different. Maybe i'm just a grumpy **** and it was a week of not being grumpy..

 

[heslops barnet]

I recently moved away from caffeine for a couple weeks to decaf, noticed a change in mood where i felt a lot less grumpy but maybe im just imagining it? Decaf finished and i put the normal coffee beans back into the hopper and almost immediately felt different. Maybe i'm just a grumpy **** and it was a week of not being grumpy..

Grumpy ****…..

 

[heslops barnet]

Was a never a big coffee lover just the occasional instant until I retired.

I now drink pints of the stuff using my coffee percolator that’s been sitting in the kitchen cupboard for years…….highlight of my day drinking coffee and reading of rag demise all day

 

[shevtheblue]

Grumpy ****…..

That's what her indoors calls me tbf, so i guess she was right all along :O

 

[grunge]

Try a local roaster for fresh.

Best coffee in Manchester by a long way ( that I have found ).

https://mancoco.co.uk/

 

[HolisticJim]

There are probably whole forums built around that very question.

It's espressoe-sque

Nearly but not quite.

Not sure what you mean tbh.
Do they make normal 'add milk' coffee? Not a fan of this little black coffee shots etc.

And which coffee do you put in them?

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Not sure what you mean tbh.
Do they make normal 'add milk' coffee? Not a fan of this little black coffee shots etc.

And which coffee do you put in them?

Have a look at YT.
They are a concentrated coffee shot, yes.
Some (italians esp.) like that.

Others use it for milk drinks (cuppachino)*
but then really, you'd need a steamer.

You can use them for white americanos.

Cheap enough or grab one at a car boot and give it a go.

But, like instant coffee, you get what you pay for with beans. Crap beans make crap coffee.

 

[Blue Mist]

I recently moved away from caffeine for a couple weeks to decaf, noticed a change in mood where i felt a lot less grumpy but maybe im just imagining it? Decaf finished and i put the normal coffee beans back into the hopper and almost immediately felt different. Maybe i'm just a grumpy **** and it was a week of not being grumpy..

Hmmmmm, I've always wondered how you get decaf coffee. It's a bean that is picked from a bush, dried, roasted and then ground to a powder. At what point does a supplier remove the caffeine?
If you mean you were drinking Nescafe or some other factory produced crap then I assume it's chemicals they put in or remove that makes you grumpy.

It's the same with tea. How can you remove caffeine from a leaf ?

Edit: certainly with coffee it involves the use of chemicals. Who the hell wants that.

 

[Blue Mist]

Best coffee in Manchester by a long way ( that I have found ).

https://mancoco.co.uk/

I would also say Poblado Coffee is excellent for using small plantations, ethically sourced, great tasting coffee.

They are a small Welsh company but don't hold thst against them :-)

 

[shevtheblue]

Hmmmmm, I've always wondered how you get decaf coffee. It's a bean that ospicked from a bush, dried, roasted and then ground to a powder. At what point does a supplier remove the caffeine?
If you mean you were drinking Nescafe or some other factory produced crap then I assume it's chemicals they put in or remove that makes you grumpy.

It's the same with tea. How can you remove caffeine from a leaf ?

Edit: certainly with coffee it involves the use of chemicals. Who the hell wants that.

I've not drank instant (other than being at someone's house, maybe) for over 10yrs. Get my beans from Pact. Re Decaf, never really thought of it tbh as this is the first time i've ever had decaf other than a sip from someone elses. It wasn't too bad taste wise but obviously you just don't feel fulfilled like you do with a shot of real espresso.

 

[N1985]

I recently moved away from caffeine for a couple weeks to decaf, noticed a change in mood where i felt a lot less grumpy but maybe im just imagining it? Decaf finished and i put the normal coffee beans back into the hopper and almost immediately felt different. Maybe i'm just a grumpy **** and it was a week of not being grumpy..

Ditching caffeine was one of the best things I did for my physical and mental health. Sleep like a baby these days.

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

Great thread. I fancy moving away from instant coffee myself.

I dont know anything about any of these machines or bean-to-cups or whatever.

My friend bought a Tassimo but it seemed like the capsules were expensive and just another form of marginly better instant.

Could someone recommend a home device which makes a decent cup of proper coffee which won't cost me a fortune and won't leave me shelling out fortunes in add ons - obvs if a Tassimo is indeed my best option then please say.

Love a good cup of coffee.

The pod machines are pretty naff.

By far the best bang for buck way of making really good coffee at home is a pourover (Hario V60 being the most common) and a fairly basic burr grinder. It will cost you about the same as one of those shit pod machines and the coffee you’ll be able to make will be about 1000x better.

The good thing about pourovers is you can play around with the recipes to tweak the extraction time which changes the taste of the coffee (shorter extraction the more ‘sour’ it tastes, with longer extractions bringing out more bitter notes). You also don’t need a particularly expensive grinder, just a half decent burr grinder that’s capable of a fairly uniform medium grind size. You’ll get a basic decent grinder and a V60 for £150 and be on your merry way.

I have an expensive espresso machine and grinder and about 75% of the time at home I’m brewing using a V60 or aeropress.

And this is going to sound daft and really nerdy but is actually quite important - some small .1g scales. You want to be able to repeat the brew recipe so know exactly how much coffee and water you’re using is importantly.

Be warned your mrs might think you are a drug dealer when she sees the scales arrive in the post.

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

Hmmmmm, I've always wondered how you get decaf coffee. It's a bean that is picked from a bush, dried, roasted and then ground to a powder. At what point does a supplier remove the caffeine?
If you mean you were drinking Nescafe or some other factory produced crap then I assume it's chemicals they put in or remove that makes you grumpy.

It's the same with tea. How can you remove caffeine from a leaf ?

Edit: certainly with coffee it involves the use of chemicals. Who the hell wants that.

Not true. Decent decaf from any roastery worth your money uses Swiss water extraction method. It’s do with how caffiene is solubale at a different rate to the other compounds in coffee, or something.

I went on a tour of a roastery a few years ago where the guy went into it in a lot of detail but I’ve forgotten most of it now!

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

Best coffee in Manchester by a long way ( that I have found ).

https://mancoco.co.uk/

Think I posted in this thread about them a few years ago. Really great I agree.

Lately I’ve been buying from Kobean in Heaton Moor - awesome place worth checking out if you are nearby.

Hart and Graft are good too.