Coffee

MrJones

Hi,
im looking for suggestions for some quality coffee.
at the moment i drink nescafe original blend and it's ok. There has to be better out there though.
also i have a jar of nescafe fine blend and it's too light.
does anyone have any suggestions for quality coffee that
you can make instantly with hot water? also suggestions for how to make types of coffe that you have to brew are welcome. (except espresso -there's no satisfaction in drinking it )

hshortt

Get a little Cafe-Cup for about 6 euro from a Bewleys store, these have little plungers that you can use right in the cup. Then you can choose from a range of better coffees. I like Bewleys French Roast, it's strong with lovely aftertaste. I normally work off a couple of different grinds depending on how it will be used, grind extra fine for Espresso or medium from the plunger.

I don't really like instant coffee but the nicest one I've tried was the Nescafe Gold Blend.

Cheerio
Howard

Lorraine B

For instant it has to be Carte Noir or Nescafe Gold Blend

MrJones

Surely there are some more suggestion besides NESCAFE and CARTE NOIRE (as great and all as they are*). any other non-instant coffee suggestions?

*may contain sarcasm

bonkey

MrJones wrote:

Hi,
im looking for suggestions for some quality coffee.
...
does anyone have any suggestions for quality coffee that
you can make instantly with hot water?

I'm not sure such a beast exists.

I'm not being flippant...I honestly can't say I've ever had a cup of instant that can come anywhere close to a good cup of properly brewed coffee. Now, thats not to say I can always tell the difference...there's plenty of bad brewed coffee out there too.

also suggestions for how to make types of coffe that you have to brew are welcome.

Despite being a coffee-lover, I cannot justify the cost of a "proper" modern coffee machine (Gaggia, Jura, etc.). I use something almost identical to whats pictured here.

growler

"quality" and "instant" are mutually exclusive when it comes to coffee, buy an espresso maker and invest in some freshly ground beans, like a java, blue mountain, finca oriflama or some of the specialist blends, the 6 minutes it takes to make a cup is well worth it.

iremex

growler wrote:

"quality" and "instant" are mutually exclusive when it comes to coffee, buy an espresso maker and invest in some freshly ground beans, like a java, blue mountain, finca oriflama or some of the specialist blends, the 6 minutes it takes to make a cup is well worth it.

i am in total agreement with growler on this. i purchased a l'spaziale expresso machine along with a rancillio grinder and throw some starbucks "Expresso roast" or "Sumatra" beans to the mix and u got one of the finest coffees around. 6mins and u are in heaven.:D

be warned though, that it will have a horrid ramifications on and mug-of-joe u drink anywhere else as it wont be to your standard. :eek:

lasair

i love kenco.
it is kinda strong with a lovely taste.
my i suggest you check out:
http://www.pigsback.com/offers/832694650/default.asp
for coffee ideas..
tried alot of them and they went down as a big hit at home.

daveg

Can't believe no one mentioned this already. Try some of the packs of fresh coffee one cups which are sold in tesco & M&S and more I'm sure. Basically it's a little filter tub with ground coffee inside thats sits on the top of your cup. You fill it with water and it filters coffee for 1. I got sick of making a pot of filter coffee just for myself so these are the dogs bollax. Word of warning though once you open the foil pack store the rest in an airtight container/freezer bag to keep it fresh. Tends to taste stail after a week or so. Also go for the higher quality ones (M&S or Tesco finest range) for a better tasting coffee.

MrJones

nice one daveg

Kintarō Hattori

Douwe Egberts is my instant coffee of choice, tis truely delicous, especially if someone else makes it for you!

growler

I wonder if any of those recommending instant coffee brands have ever tasted the real thing?

eclectichoney

second the douwe egberts, beats nescafe/kenco into the ground by a mile - while non-instant coffee is ridiculously superior to all instants, there are times (i.e. in a office where the extent of technology/washing facilities barely extends to a kettle!) where you just *have* no other choice but to settle for instant. in such a case DE is the best of a bad lot!

Kintarō Hattori

growler wrote:

I wonder if any of those recommending instant coffee brands have ever tasted the real thing?

What eclectichoney said my man. While the real thing always beats instant, it's not always close to hand, and Mr. Jones did ask about instants.

hargo

Freshly ground is as instant with a 1 cup plunger as they come, takes 4 minutes! Store coffee in freezer and don't use Starbucks. Overpriced and poor flavour.

adrian522

I recently bought a delonghi espresso maker for €100. Now I know its probably not the best quality, but its he best I'm ever likely to make at home. Spent 30Eur on a grinder and I'm happy out with the results.

adrian522

I recently bought a delonghi espresso maker for €100. Now I know its probably not the best quality, but its he best I'm ever likely to make at home. Spent 30Eur on a grinder and I'm happy out with the results.

CuppaCocoa

Get yourself a Philips 'Senseo' coffee machine. Takes 2 mins with no fuss or mess. It uses coffee 'pods' which are basically a round coffee bag through which the water is forced giving a creamy head. The only gripe I have is that I can only find 2 types of coffee bags in my supermarket for it and the dark roast one which I use is not as strong as I would like. You can buy stronger on the internet though which I will be investigating soon. I have used the coffee filters from M&S but thought they were absolutely dire. I also have an espresso machine but found it a pain in the arse to clean! The Senseo suits my laziness!

MR DAZ

My fav instant coffee has to be the Nescafe "Alta Rica" - it da job!!!!

dudara

Nescafe "Alta Rica" or Carte Noir would be my preferred instants.

At home I have a Morphy Richards espresso maker which I'm very pleased with. I use the Tesco Espresso ground coffee in this and I particularly like it. i also have a stovetop Bialetti for backup.

I've used plenty of other brands, but I seem to always come back to the Tesco one, in terms of flavour and value. I despise Douwe Egberts and Bewleys.

daveg made a great suggestion there with the one-cup filters. Tesco sell them in boxes of 10 and they're great for coffee without having to make a pot.

Tchocky

Lavazza!

All that vacuum-packed-could-be-drugs goodness

unklerosco

lilybarlean wrote:

Get yourself a Philips 'Senseo' coffee machine.

My dads been onto me about getting one of these for ages, seemingly they are gonna be huge.. Taking off in a big way in around europe n should start getting bigger over here soon.. He's been in the tea n coffe trade for near 30yrs now so id assume he know what he's talking about..

Also, dont store coffee in a freezer or fridge.. Dont ask me why, i was just told not to..

CJhaughey

Tchocky wrote:

Lavazza!

All that vacuum-packed-could-be-drugs goodness

Yep you are dead right there, forget any other brands just try this once and you'll be hooked!

cornbb

For ground "real" coffee I'd have to reccomend the maximum strength Fair Trade stuff they sell in Dunnes. Not only does it taste fantastic (a bit chocolatey, actually), its cheaper too.

Blub2k4

Personally I'd stay away from the senseo machines and the simple reason is that the coffe bags in it are proprietary. If you could get some sort of generic refiller for them, but then you might as well go with normal filter coffee.....like I do already.

It's just an expensive gag for people who aren't arsed cleaning a coffee machine.

beefa

How come Irish people drink so much instant coffee, have they no self respect??:rolleyes:

me loves Lavazza & Illy to make at home, the best coffee I can find in town is in the Metro cafe on South William street and the corner of Chattam row they know their coffee:) .

Also Im seriously unimpressed by the arrival of starbucks, which is way more expensive than other coffee shops + not all that!, the cheek of them to come into our rip-off nation and try and out rip us off!:mad:

bonkey

beefa wrote:

How come Irish people drink so much instant coffee, have they no self respect??:rolleyes:

Yeah. Thats what it is. Self-respect. :rolleyes:

westtip

Greek coffee, no particular brand, Bring as much back as you can if you visit greece. Have loved it since the late 70s when first visited the Greek Islands. Best consumed on a greek island (personal fav is Amorgos), mid morning sitting watching a ferry come in or out and the general hubbub on the quayside, consumed with a nice sweet greek pastry, or same place in the evening with a glass of metaxa after dinner. Always serve with a glass of water. The greeks don't have fancy coffee makers - just little pots you boil up the coffee and water (about one heaped teaspoons per small coffee cup) and add sugar....the best "instant" coffee you will get

I can feel the sun on my face now...