The coffee thread

[lyra_k]

I use one of these babies, which I found on sale for half price.

The coffee varies...I use this coffee guy in Bisbee who sources all his coffee from little family growers (seriously, my only nod to that sorta thing ), he's getting quite a following now

http://www.oldbisbeeroasters.com/

 

[subversplat]

Nope. It is virtually undrinkable on its own.

That's OK, I like my coffee with milk and sugar anyway In fact, I'm drinking freeze dried decaf with milk and sugar right now - I am obviously anathema to the coffee buffs

I might buy a percolator one day though, they're only about 50p at car boots after all and I'm not in the business of shunning finicky stuff, I just equally like the cheap-and-easy stuff too

 

[gentlegreen]

A non-espresso coffee made in an espresso machine or stove-top pot has a far better flavour than any filter or plunge-pot. Something about the pressure/steam IIRC.

If you like the taste of caramelised coffee

 

[gentlegreen]

Freshly ground south american for me - in a cafétière.

Unfortunately a catalogue of dodgy regimes :-

Colombian - "fruity"
Nicaraguan - "beefy"
Costa Rica - "chocolatey"
Guatemala Maragogype - "complex"

 

[danny la rouge]

If you like the taste of caramelised coffee

Boil the water first, then take the pot off the heat as soon as it has percolated. And use a small ring, not a big one.

 

[pembrokestephen]

I use one of these on a Saturday morning for an extremely leisurely breakfast (compared with the hastily swilled-down cup of tea on weekdays when I'm at work).

I like Taylor's of Harrogate's Imperial blend, which is ready ground. I never notice the difference between ready and freshly ground and haven't got anything to grind coffee with (apart from a mortar & pestle or maybe asking the cats to chew it first ).

http://www.firebox.com/index.html?dir=firebox&action=product&pid=1077

 

[Herbsman.]

Coffee is, as we all know, better than anything else known to humans. And the best kind of coffee is what the Italians call caffè (kaff-EH), and we call espresso.

I use one of these:

One cup with white sugar first thing, then another without sugar after walking the dog and having my shower, and that's me happy for the day.

Ahh!

You tit. When I woke up this morning I intended to start a coffee thread. I'm about a day too late

Got one of these for £13, including 2 cups... Funny thing is, it's large enough to make about 6 cups of coffee, and I can't get matching cups seperately anywhere I go

Coffee, I love it, but not as much as before, cos my stupid conscience won't let me buy anything other than fairtrade coffee (I actually have an invisible fairtrade angel on my right shoulder and a 'corporation of exploitation' devil on my left), so I'm missing out on all of the varieties I used to buy.

That was the whole reason I started drinking coffee, to pick 'n' mix varieties from Whittards, and to have a different one every morning, slightly different flavour every day, choose from light, medium or dark roast depending on how late i stayed up the night before

Now it's all gone extremely monotonous

 

[Pie 1]

I use this

with this

Perfect creamy expresso

 

[Herbsman.]

Freshly ground south american for me - in a cafétière.

Unfortunately a catalogue of dodgy regimes :-

Colombian - "fruity"
Nicaraguan - "beefy"
Costa Rica - "chocolatey"
Guatemala Maragogype - "complex"

I quite like Ethiopian pure mocha,
Guatemala Elephant is nice too

where'd you get your beans from gentlegreen?


btw peeps might want to check out http://www.coffeegeek.com/

oh gawd i really miss the flavour of nice coffee, i think i might knock the fair trade angel off my shoulder and get some decent exploitation stuff

 

[sojourner]

Coffee, I love it, but not as much as before, cos my stupid conscience won't let me buy anything other than fairtrade coffee (I actually have an invisible fairtrade angel on my right shoulder and a 'corporation of exploitation' devil on my left), so I'm missing out on all of the varieties I used to buy.

Ha, not just me then. I drift past all the different coffees longingly, and then reach for the fair trade. Decent coffee though so it'd be churlish to complain. I always use a cafetiere cos I can't be arsed with all the other ways to make it.

Tastes like coffee, which is important. I did actually buy some cheapo freeze-dried 'coffee' granules when I was on me arsebones a coupla months ago, and it tasted NOTHING like coffee at all

 

[gentlegreen]

where'd you get your beans from gentlegreen?

I get mine from http://www.aurorashopping.com/

... but they now only stock the nicaraguan.

their Oolong and Keemun tea are good quality and value though.

 

[danny la rouge]

I use this

That is a very sexy machine. Manages to look retro and contemporary all at once.

 

[pogofish]

If you like the taste of caramelised coffee

Not if you do it properly - ie, pour straight away & don't let the coffee stew in the pot.

 

[dilute micro]

The very best coffee is made on the red hot coals of a camp fire. You put a few spoons full of fresh ground coffee into a tin cup, fill it with water, then rake out some coals and set the cup on top so it wont tip over. Then you wait about 10 minutes until you see the grounds moving around and steam rising off the top right before the boil.

Until you do this you wont believe me.

 

[*Miss Daisy*]

Coffee is, as we all know, better than anything else known to humans. And the best kind of coffee is what the Italians call caffè (kaff-EH), and we call espresso.

I use one of these:

One cup with white sugar first thing, then another without sugar after walking the dog and having my shower, and that's me happy for the day.

Ahh!

Thats how i have my coffe too,

It took me ages to find one,, and now i'm so pleased,,

The coffee is always hot, unlike the cafetiere i had,, the coffeee cooled down really quick,,

 

[Ms Ordinary]

Coffee, I love it, but not as much as before, cos my stupid conscience won't let me buy anything other than fairtrade coffee (I actually have an invisible fairtrade angel on my right shoulder and a 'corporation of exploitation' devil on my left), so I'm missing out on all of the varieties I used to buy.

That was the whole reason I started drinking coffee, to pick 'n' mix varieties from Whittards, and to have a different one every morning, slightly different flavour every day, choose from light, medium or dark roast depending on how late i stayed up the night before

Now it's all gone extremely monotonous

Look out for coffee by Union Coffee Roasters - they do loads of different coffees & seem to trade ethically, even though not all their coffees have the Fairtrade cert - they seem to do short runs of different types of coffees. I've just noticed you can buy online from them as well...

 

[scott_forester]

Have you got one of those whirrie things to froth the milk?

(Incidentally, and as a tip should you go there, if you ask for a latte in Italy you get a glass of milk.)

Jamie Olivier has a great tip for for frothy milk, pour it into a plastic pint milk container and shake - works a treat.

 

[H.Dot]

I use this

I think I know what I want for Christmas now...



<reminds self that I need to get some more coffee beans this week>

 

[Herbsman.]

Look out for coffee by Union Coffee Roasters - they do loads of different coffees & seem to trade ethically, even though not all their coffees have the Fairtrade cert - they seem to do short runs of different types of coffees. I've just noticed you can buy online from them as well...

Cheers for that, I'll check it out.

Ever noticed, when you buy ground coffee, it says something like "suitable for all coffee makers including cafetiéres and espresso pots"? How so? Cafetieres need coarsely ground coffee and espresso pots need finely ground coffee, so how does that work? It must be a compromise between the two, which probably explains why my plunger is so difficult to plunge...

 

[gentlegreen]

Look out for coffee by Union Coffee Roasters - they do loads of different coffees & seem to trade ethically, even though not all their coffees have the Fairtrade cert - they seem to do short runs of different types of coffees. I've just noticed you can buy online from them as well...

Any idea what they mean by "hand packed" ? ...it's a pity they don't sell whole beans in less than kilo packs

 

[kained&able]

I have a proper coffee machine and all think i paid £35 for it. Samatra or java are probbaley my favorite coffees and i make a danm danm fine mocha.(chocolate milk in the bottom squirty cream((preferably cognac flavoured)) on the top)

I fucking love coffee and have got back to drinking it a lot as my flatmate refuses to function in the mrning with out at least a cup.

Can't wait to get back to uni to be able to give myself a heart attack again.


dave

 

[Herbsman.]

Ugh I feel all horrible and overstimulated now, too much coffee this morning

 

[pogofish]

Ever noticed, when you buy ground coffee, it says something like "suitable for all coffee makers including cafetiéres and espresso pots"? How so?

Yup, an "average" grind that produces unsatisfactory & usually piss-weak results in both. Probably perfect for a UK market used to Nescafe & Mellow Birds (spit) !

 

[pogofish]

<reminds self that I need to get some more coffee beans this week>

You know you like coffee when you never have to remind yourself about that!

Shudders at the memory of the small festial when on arrival, I unpacked the stove & coffeepot but found I'd forgotten the coffee It seemed a very long time till I found a stall selling very overpriced coffee the next day but boy, was it good!

 

[pogofish]

Ugh I feel all horrible and overstimulated now, too much coffee this morning

I don't. Indeed I'm probably down on it today.

Just away to make another cup!

 

[lights.out.london]

I can happily spend too much time and too much money in the Algerian place on Old Compton Street.

There's one wee female assistant who is really helpful and patient (more so than some of the fellas, who seem too busy at times to serve customers; god forbid you should ask a question) - she's happy to let customers sniff the beans and she'll explain a bit about origin, taste and what have you.

I love coffee.

 

[H.Dot]

You know you like coffee when you never have to remind yourself about that!

not strictly true I don't have much storage space, so I have to run everything down before I buy more

 

[Herbsman.]

Right,

According to the 'rules' of making coffee, you're supposed to use water that's just off the boil. Which I have been doing since I started drinking ground coffee.

However, today I thought I'd try it with boiling water. It tasted far less bitter, much sweeter. I think I'm going to use boiling water from now on... sorry.

 

[guinnessdrinker]

Algerian Coffee Company, Old Compton Street London rocks. And they do mail order. I'm embarrassed at work when I serve clients freeze dried shit. Its wrong. On a higher level.

be careful with them. I have used them to send tea to my mum and paid for the delivery to find that my mum had to pay again for the delivery at the other end. I was not impressed.