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Post by julesd68 on May 11, 2015 16:58:02 GMT
Is there anyone else here who indulges in the daily ritual of trying to make the best coffee they can each day?
I have a basic Gaggia machine, which I love, but the trick is learning how to get consistent daily results. I've been a bit frustrated with this recently and so bought myself a shot glass with marked measures. Used it today for the first time and bingo, I get a much better result. I went back to basics for a traditional cappucino of 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk and 1/3 froth ... This time I prepared exactly 60ml espresso with the aid of the shot glass. My microfoam wasn't perfect but very respectable indeed - all in all a very pleasing result!
I'd be interested to know what espresso people are using - I've been buying a few different things recently but keep coming back to Waitrose's own brand espresso. At the price of £3.79 for 250g I just cannot fault it - it's 100% Arabica and produces a lovely, rich chocolatey espresso which is never bitter.
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2015 17:20:06 GMT
I get better results by grinding my own beans. You can vary the grind to get it spot on.
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Post by julesd68 on May 11, 2015 17:32:31 GMT
Yes I'd like to do that for sure - the pour speed was just a bit on the quick speed today ...
But I'd only like to buy a grinder when I can afford to buy something decent - what are you using ?
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2015 17:48:12 GMT
An Isomac Granmacinino.
It seems to do the job, but I might look elsewhere when purchasing next time.
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Post by Sovereign on May 12, 2015 7:13:49 GMT
I'm a real fussy bugger when it comes to coffee, it's hard for me to be really impressed by a coffee in a restaunt / coffee shop. It winds me up when coffees are often weak and thin tasting.
I've not got an espresso machine at home, a friend of mine has a machine that cost him a fortune and he grinds everything fresh and I'm not very impressed, I'm guessing he is not using it correctly.
At home myself I use either an aero press or a regular cafetiere. I find both work well if you make it nice and strong. I would like to try a fancy machine myself to see what difference it makes, it is my birthday soon maybe the wife could buy one, on top of the track day she has already bought :-)
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Post by ChrisB on May 12, 2015 7:43:34 GMT
We mostly use a Beem cordless espresso maker - it's just an electric version of a stove-top Moka pot.  On weekday mornings, when we're rushing about with not much time, we use an Aeropress. Bean grinding is done with one of these - a Cuisinart professional burr grinder  Long standing favourite choice of bean is Monsoon Malabar from Booths, our local supermarket  |
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Post by MartinT on May 12, 2015 8:46:11 GMT
Just Kenco Millicano for me at work. We only have a kettle and it's better than the machine coffee.
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Post by pinkie on May 12, 2015 8:51:14 GMT
I have an old Gaggia espresson machine, and a Gaggia burr grinder. The grinder works fine, but the "dosing reservoir" is a crap design and has to be held on with insulating tape. Set the grind as coarse as you can get away with and still get a decent crema. Use filtered water and keep the machine descaled with a citric acid wash every few months. Also clean the "head" and shower fairly regularly. Make sure you don't put too much coffee in a dose - it needs tamping down well, but dont try to cram so much in it is compressed by turning the handle to lock the coffee in.
And buy nice beans - everyones tastes differ. I still tend to buy French (cheap) Grand Mere brand, because I just loved the taste and it was the brand (cheap) that all my friends in France mothers used!
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espresso
May 12, 2015 10:54:15 GMT
via mobile
Post by Deleted on May 12, 2015 10:54:15 GMT
I use Illy medium roast beans. Most people that drink it are happy with it.
Some of my friends enjoy coming round as they know they always get a good coffee.
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Post by Mr Whippy on May 12, 2015 11:21:06 GMT
...BONGO!
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Post by julesd68 on May 12, 2015 11:31:30 GMT
it is my birthday soon maybe the wife could buy one, on top of the track day she has already bought :-) You must have got a good 'un if you can swing that with her!!  Getting a grinder is the next step for me but I'm only going to do that when funds permit buying a good one - looking at reviews its amazing how many grinders don't appear to grind fine enough for espresso but then you don't know if people are making mistakes with preparation elsewhere in the chain, like over tamping the coffee and then blaming that on the grind ... The one thing that took me a while to work out was not to tamp the coffee too much since it gets tamped when you tighten up the portafilter ... Wish they could have told me that in the instructions! I have a fairly religious cleaning routine with my machine - everything gets cleaned each day, including the head. |
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Post by Sovereign on May 12, 2015 14:52:01 GMT
Just having a late afternoon bloody strong coffee, a bit too strong really. Made with my Aeropress. The Aeropress works perfectly every time and is only 20quid!
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Post by Mr Whippy on May 12, 2015 16:36:07 GMT
I use a Von Ryan's.
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Post by MartinT on May 12, 2015 17:00:03 GMT
...Express?
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Post by jamescg1972 on May 12, 2015 17:01:05 GMT
Just having a late afternoon bloody strong coffee, a bit too strong really. Made with my Aeropress. The Aeropress works perfectly every time and is only 20quid! Thanks for this. I've been humming and hahing over what to buy to use in the office. Just been onto Amazon and bought one. Arrives tomorrow. Just need to get some nice coffee now. |
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Post by Mr Whippy on May 12, 2015 18:22:14 GMT
Only at midnight, though. |
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Post by MartinT on May 12, 2015 18:24:28 GMT
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Post by Tim on May 13, 2015 11:58:31 GMT
Been a coffee lover for longer than I can remember, tried all manner of fan-dangled gizmos and machines and had a Gaggia once. Machines are great but take a lot of maintenance and counter space (as well as being expensive), so I took the simple route and bought an Aeropress about 3 years ago and have never been happier (got 2 now, 1 at the office). I only buy whole beans and I hand grind them in a Zassenhaus burr grinder. I'm anal about coffee so I weigh the beans before grinding, check the water temperature, which is always filtered and freshly boiled and I time the brew to the second. This gives me the exact coffee I want and it's repeatable every time. My current favourite beans are from a local(ish) roaster, Hawkins Coffee - 100% Arabica and a blend from Africa and South America, it's their Reserve High Mountain espresso and it's absolutely delicious. Coffee for me is one of life's pleasures and it has to be right and as I limit myself to two cups a day, it's a ritual that deserves time and the whole manual process of making it is part of that ritual. All this talk has got me salivating, so I'm off to start grinding EDIT:I rarely drink anything other than Americano, no sugar, no milk, just good coffee and water. |
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Post by julesd68 on May 13, 2015 12:31:16 GMT
Nice one Tim - it's a shame Hawkins don't do mail order via the website or I might have given that blend a whirl ... Their spelling isn't the best though - 'expresso'
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Post by Sovereign on May 13, 2015 13:08:24 GMT
EDIT:I rarely drink anything other than Americano, no sugar, no milk, just good coffee and water. Yes I only have strong black coffee, I love the taste of coffee, I can taste sugar and milk in my cereal if I wanted to |
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