RE: Coffee Connoisseurs

sadgit said:
for cheap and truly amazing black coffee, you cannot go wrong with one of these

www.coffee-direct.co.uk

Italian Style Stovetop Espresso Coffee Maker

Available is 3, 6 and 9 cup sizes, the Italian Style Espresso Coffee Maker by Grunwerg is a high quality stovetop solution.
www.coffee-direct.co.uk www.coffee-direct.co.uk
Click to expand...
I had a Bialetti but it got ruined (accidentally left grounds in without washing for several months) so even after a good clean the coffee was horrible. I used that before I really understood what the different coffees were. I used to make a much of coffee with one which now I look back was probably 5 or 6 espressos at a time.

I need a new one but for a double espresso what size is best? Would it just be the 2 cup? 9/10 I'm the only person drinking a coffee so I don't need a mug full.
 
Yesterdays_Jam said:
Purely an espresso man to be honest...I'm not really needing the steam wand. Which Sage did you get? Been looking at the Sage Barista Pro
Click to expand...
I've got the Sage Barista Pro after a lot of research and I can't fault it. It's obviously got an adjustable built in grinder, wand and a lot of adjustable settings too, although I've still found it a doddle to use, which was an important factor for me.

I managed to get a decent discount online too, from a guy called Kev Lewis who does the coffee blog channel on YouTube - not sure if this applies, but I can dig his email out if it helps.

Edit: just read your more recent posts.

I've had a Gaggia Classic Pro before and more recently a Rancilio Sylvia - the Sage makes better coffee more consistently than both in my experience.
 
Yesterdays_Jam said:
Massive fan of Gaggia...I think I might go back to the Classic Pro...that does look good mind.
Click to expand...
That Gaggia Brera was a freebie from the communications company Leonardo, and the put them in the Comms shacks of all the Tide class RFA ships, much to the annoyance of a lot of the senior people on board. They go for £300-400. I used to get the beans in from Costco...Lavazza, the Starbucks blend, Java, Colombian etc. All they wanted was the £7 for a kilo San Francisco beans. They all said it was their favourite.

fullsizeoutput_4bb2.jpeg
 
Nano said:
I had a Bialetti but it got ruined (accidentally left grounds in without washing for several months) so even after a good clean the coffee was horrible. I used that before I really understood what the different coffees were. I used to make a much of coffee with one which now I look back was probably 5 or 6 espressos at a time.

I need a new one but for a double espresso what size is best? Would it just be the 2 cup? 9/10 I'm the only person drinking a coffee so I don't need a mug full.
Click to expand...
Ours just big enough for 2 espressos ( 300ml ? ish) .. We bought our in Cortona about 20 years ago and still going "strong"
 
Jonny Ingbar said:
I've got the Sage Barista Pro after a lot of research and I can't fault it. It's obviously got an adjustable built in grinder, wand and a lot of adjustable settings too, although I've still found it a doddle to use, which was an important factor for me.

I managed to get a decent discount online too, from a guy called Kev Lewis who does the coffee blog channel on YouTube - not sure if this applies, but I can dig his email out if it helps.

Edit: just read your more recent posts.

I've had a Gaggia Classic Pro before and more recently a Rancilio Sylvia - the Sage makes better coffee more consistently than both in my experience.
Click to expand...
That's what I have (Barista Pro), and found I need to keep dialling it in, but this was not expected to be honest. I wouldn't say it's easy to dial in either mind, hard to get the right yield without it being bitter or sour, and when you do get it there it doesn't stay that way for long. Frustrating.

The milk wand on a £1,000 machine is terrible, can still get ok results with it, but I've used wands on many £200 machines and they've been better.

I reckon I could have done better getting a separate espresso machine, grinder and steam wand, and got better results.
 
I love a nice cup of coffee, but can't be bothered too much beyond your standard caffetiere affair.

I must admit though that this thread is strangely addictive. It's like coffee porn and I feel like a filthy voyeur just reading it.
 
We have a subscription with these guys, who ethically source their coffee and estimate the growers get more than 30% than the Fairtrade price.

It's also a great way to explore difference beans whenever a delivery arrives.

www.bluecoffeebox.com

The Independent, Ethical Coffee Subscription | Blue Coffee Box

Blue Coffee Box are a speciality coffee subscription club, offering beans or ground coffee hand-roasted by the UK's best. Letterbox-friendly, free delivery.
www.bluecoffeebox.com www.bluecoffeebox.com
 
One thing to ponder. If you take milk, even with the best beans, home coffee from a bean to cup doesn't quite match up to continental cafe coffee. It took me a little while to figure it out. If you really want that Italian/Spanish cafe taste, then use UHT milk. It somehow adds a little sweetness.
 
We have a jar of decaf on the shelf, make depends on where we shop when it's on the list. It's the accompanying small glass of advocaat and biscuit that makes it enjoyable.
 
I feel that there incremental improvements as you move up the "Coffee Aficionado/snob" ladder. A journey if you will?

Nescafe

Nescafe Gold

Shop coffee - Greggs, MaccyD, Costa, etc.

Proper Coffee bought pre-ground

Proper Coffee bought as beans

Proper Coffee raw beans roasted

Then you have the method you prefer to create your coffee; ibrik, drip filter, aeropress, espresso, cold brew (and variations on those) you also need to consider how you grind your beans (burr or blade, leccy or by hand) how you like your coffee, strong n short, black and long, milky, frothy, etc.

It's a complicated thing!

Personally I buy my beans from a local guy in Darlo, grind them with a simple blade grinder and brew through a ceramic filter and drink it with a slurp of warmed milk. There is no wrong way.
 
Muttley said:
I feel that there incremental improvements as you move up the "Coffee Aficionado/snob" ladder. A journey if you will?

Nescafe

Nescafe Gold

Shop coffee - Greggs, MaccyD, Costa, etc.

Proper Coffee bought pre-ground

Proper Coffee bought as beans

Proper Coffee raw beans roasted

Then you have the method you prefer to create your coffee; ibrik, drip filter, aeropress, espresso, cold brew (and variations on those) you also need to consider how you grind your beans (burr or blade, leccy or by hand) how you like your coffee, strong n short, black and long, milky, frothy, etc.

It's a complicated thing!

Personally I buy my beans from a local guy in Darlo, grind them with a simple blade grinder and brew through a ceramic filter and drink it with a slurp of warmed milk. There is no wrong way.
Click to expand...
That's not true. I was in the office and was desperate for a coffee so bought a tin of some no brand instant I've never heard of from the pound shop across from the office.

It's awful but I don't want to waste it
 
Andy_W said:
That's what I have (Barista Pro), and found I need to keep dialling it in, but this was not expected to be honest. I wouldn't say it's easy to dial in either mind, hard to get the right yield without it being bitter or sour, and when you do get it there it doesn't stay that way for long. Frustrating.

The milk wand on a £1,000 machine is terrible, can still get ok results with it, but I've used wands on many £200 machines and they've been better.

I reckon I could have done better getting a separate espresso machine, grinder and steam wand, and got better results.
Click to expand...
Really? Haven't had any of those issues at all.

Any traditional machine will need dialling in, which is where a bean to cup has an advantage, but the familiar the machine the easier it becomes I've found.

The wand has been excellent, it has 4 holes and a decent pressure, so it's quick and effective and I'm getting proper glossy flat white micro foam from it.

Has yours always been like that? I know mine needs the tip cleaning often and flushing too.

The wand is way better than the Gaggia and Rancilio machines I've owned.
 
Laughing said:
We froth our milk with a metal jug and a plunger with a couple of wire plates in it. Froths it much thicker than a steamer
Click to expand...
Depends what type of milf you're qfter, but generally a wand is needed for the more glossy milk; flat white, latte, whereas cappuccino milk is a lot easier to create.
 
Nano said:
That's not true. I was in the office and was desperate for a coffee so bought a tin of some no brand instant I've never heard of from the pound shop across from the office.

It's awful but I don't want to waste it
Click to expand...
Oh I don't mean that you will never drink Nescafe again after you have tasted "proper" coffee, as you say needs must. But if I was to offer you Nescafe OR a filter coffee I strongly suspect that you would not choose the instant?
 
Jonny Ingbar said:
Really? Haven't had any of those issues at all.

Any traditional machine will need dialling in, which is where a bean to cup has an advantage, but the familiar the machine the easier it becomes I've found.

The wand has been excellent, it has 4 holes and a decent pressure, so it's quick and effective and I'm getting proper glossy flat white micro foam from it.

Has yours always been like that? I know mine needs the tip cleaning often and flushing too.

The wand is way better than the Gaggia and Rancilio machines I've owned.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's been good, but nowhere near what I expected for that price, to be fair.

The wand blocks up a lot, despite flushing and cleaning each time and using the tool to clean it out, to the point where no matter what I do, only two of the holes seem to work within about 5 seconds of using it. It's probably the worst wand of any machine I've used in all honesty.

I might just have a duff machine, I've already my money's worth out of it now mind, just would have expected a bit more.

It's available for <£500 now though, so I'd still recommend it at that price, but would need to know what the alternatives are in that price range too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top