Coffee

Mr Grumpy said:
If i may offer a challenge to the coffee drinkers here.

For those using decent beans and a proper technique (Instants need not apply), try drinking your coffee black (americano if you will), no sugar, no milk, nothing.

It's odd for the first few but then you learn that you didn't need milk and sugar anyways and plain coffee is actually sweet enough.

I did this on a zero diary/sugar/wheat diet and never returned to milk and sugar in a coffee. I can't abide it now.
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Somebody told me black coffee stains your teeth, always put me off it.

Is it true?
 
just made the switch to a moka pot from a nespresso pod machine. The coffee is better but I miss the crema and the denser texture of the pods, am I correct in assuming a bean to cup or other form of "proper" machine would remedy that?
 
flook said:
just made the switch to a moka pot from a nespresso pod machine. The coffee is better but I miss the crema and the denser texture of the pods, am I correct in assuming a bean to cup or other form of "proper" machine would remedy that?
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I use a moka pot when I have a strong americano. But if you want a milky type coffee or the others as you say a machine will be best . I've got a Siemens and bought it half price . The different models always go up and down in price. If you're looking for a machine the EQ 700 is now on offer at around £650 at currys or john Lewis. Currys also give a trade in of anything electrical for 10%off .
 
Stephen Ireland's pants said:
I use a moka pot when I have a strong americano. But if you want a milky type coffee or the others as you say a machine will be best . I've got a Siemens and bought it half price . The different models always go up and down in price. If you're looking for a machine the EQ 700 is now on offer at around £650 at currys or john Lewis. Currys also give a trade in of anything electrical for 10%off .
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not milky, always strong and black but with the pods you get a nice crema on top and a seemingly denser coffee. Moka pot just doesn't give the same texture for want of a better word. Won't be paying £650 for a machine either, I like coffee, but I don't like it that much :)
 
BlindEyeSeesAll said:
Heads-up for a bargain if you use Lavazza rosso as I do..

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I had to buy a bag of that in the supermarket the other day as I'd run out of proper beans.

It's like what I imagine tarmac would taste like if you ground it up and necked it.

What is it with mass produced beans being so over roasted they just end up like charcoal. Hideous.
 
flook said:
just made the switch to a moka pot from a nespresso pod machine. The coffee is better but I miss the crema and the denser texture of the pods, am I correct in assuming a bean to cup or other form of "proper" machine would remedy that?
Click to expand...
The "crema" you get in Nespresso pods isn't crema at all, those machines can't generate the necessary pressure. You can only get crema from a proper espresso machine as it is the high pressure (9 bar) of espresso machines that make espresso, espresso. Those pod machines just visually replicate it by aerating the coffee in the spout.

Crema or not, the coffee you'll get from a moka pot will be approximately a billion times nicer than the tasteless shite those pod machines churn out.

Enjoy your moka pot for the beautiful coffee it makes in its own right.
 
Mr Grumpy said:
If i may offer a challenge to the coffee drinkers here.

For those using decent beans and a proper technique (Instants need not apply), try drinking your coffee black (americano if you will), no sugar, no milk, nothing.

It's odd for the first few but then you learn that you didn't need milk and sugar anyways and plain coffee is actually sweet enough.

I did this on a zero diary/sugar/wheat diet and never returned to milk and sugar in a coffee. I can't abide it now.
Click to expand...
I'm going to be the resident coffee pedant here and point out that americano refers to a specific drink of a shot of espresso diluted with hot water, not just any black coffee. I.e a V60 is a different drink to an americano, even though they are both long black coffee drinks.

Anyway - my view on this is it massively depends on the coffee. Most people put milk in by default as virtually all mass roasted commercially available coffees in supermarkets are roasted far too dark, and so tend to be very bitter. Milk is very good at hiding bitterness, so milk in coffee is popular.

Lighter roasted specialty coffees tend to be a lot less bitter and have more acidic flavour profiles, some verging on being tea-like. They are a lot more pleasant to drink black.

But to get decent specialty coffee you need to buy direct from a roaster or from a cafe, which most people don't.
 
Johnny Mars Bar said:
I'm going to be the resident coffee pedant here and point out that americano refers to a specific drink of a shot of espresso diluted with hot water, not just any black coffee. I.e a V60 is a different drink to an americano, even though they are both long black coffee drinks.

Anyway - my view on this is it massively depends on the coffee. Most people put milk in by default as virtually all mass roasted commercially available coffees in supermarkets are roasted far too dark, and so tend to be very bitter. Milk is very good at hiding bitterness, so milk in coffee is popular.

Lighter roasted specialty coffees tend to be a lot less bitter and have more acidic flavour profiles, some verging on being tea-like. They are a lot more pleasant to drink black.

But to get decent specialty coffee you need to buy direct from a roaster or from a cafe, which most people don't.
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Apparently salt can also help reduce bitterness in coffee. I’ve not tried it, if my coffee is bitter I’ll pour it out and change the grind
 
Johnny Mars Bar said:
I had to buy a bag of that in the supermarket the other day as I'd run out of proper beans.

It's like what I imagine tarmac would taste like if you ground it up and necked it.

What is it with mass produced beans being so over roasted they just end up like charcoal. Hideous.
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I only drink espresso, no milk or sugar, and it suits me fine
 
CTID1988 said:
Bought a moka pot over 20 years ago for about 2 quid in Italy, still sees me right now and makes great coffee. No chance id be forking out on hundreds on an espresso machine
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Moka pots are wonderful things, especially the old Bialetti ones. I've been to their big shop/museum in Milan a few years back, what a place.

RE espresso - anyone who buys a proper espresso machine needs to go into it with the realisation that you're not really buying a convenient way of making coffee, you're buying a hobby.

I've got a Gaggia Classic Pro, one of the older ones when they still made them Italy (I believe mine is from 2001) before they cheaped out on components and moved manufacturing, and a Sage Smart Grinder. The grinder is not the best bit of kit to be honest, but it was on sale and I had some John Lewis vouchers sitting there doing nothing. It's ok for now - I want a Niche grinder at some point. In making good espresso, the grinder is more important than the espresso machine really.

Mine is a fairly modest setup as far as 'proper' espresso goes and even then, when you factor in all of the costs it's cheaper just to buy coffee from a cafe.

That's not the appeal of home espresso though. I like buying the bits and bobs and the tinkering. It's clearly the same part of my brain that enjoys nicely made pens and stationery, cameras, mechanical watches, vinyl records, Brompton bicycles and Land Rovers. I am a tinkerer.
 
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