Best coffee in Dublin?

donnacha

Jezek wrote: »

It seems the big boys still can't get good coffee exactly right .. I've been to Joe Coffee a few times since it opened and I have to say I've been disappointed.

Fresh Coffee retail: The freshly roasted squaremile from 3 weeks ago is still sitting there, waiting to be sold...stale by this stage. They then tried to sell me a 3 week old James Gourmet bean that they use for brewing. It's just repackaged with no info, I had to ask a few times for any info. I asked if it was a single origin, the guy behind the counter kept insisting yes, it's a single origin blend. I asked to see the bag with info, It's a kenyan SO, I say 3 weeks is too old, he says we got a shipment today, I'll get you a bag. I say ok, and then get asked to pay 12 euro - I pay but looked it up online, it costs 6 pound to buy from James Gourmet..so I got ripped off.

The cool-looking brew bar :This doesn't get used very often, and the person manning it runs around doing 100 other things at the same time. My coffee was ok both times, but it took very long to make and the confusion it caused was a bit cringe-inducing.

Generally, people don't have too much knowledge and cant help you, they have a few buzzwords - smooth, chocolate etc that they will throw at you, but if you ask about processing their eyes glaze over....now it might be a couple of the people there but I don't think they are maintaining their own standards...

Overall, not a bad place to stop for a cup, but a lot of wrinkles to be smoothed over.

Interesting. I'll definitely drop into them over xmas. The most exciting thing for me about this operation is another retail outlet selling beans from Squaremile (though I'd only last mth re-signed up to a subscription with them) and the fact that they sell James Gourmet Beans - I didn't think anyone was selling them - probably been nearly two years since I tried one of their roasts (mind you at €12 I won't be purchasing unless desperate).

Jezek

donnacha wrote: »

Interesting. I'll definitely drop into them over xmas. The most exciting thing for me about this operation is another retail outlet selling beans from Squaremile (though I'd only last mth re-signed up to a subscription with them) and the fact that they sell James Gourmet Beans - I didn't think anyone was selling them - probably been nearly two years since I tried one of their roasts (mind you at €12 I won't be purchasing unless desperate).

I popped into Vice after Joe for my Squaremile bag, it's become an addiction now
Mind you, I suspect you'll see the same Squaremile on the shelfs of Joe that they got the first day they opened.

Mr Magnolia

Were they selling squaremile by the bag? I have never been anything but blown-away by any of the beans I ordered in from squaremile, just a pity it's so expensive. I'll have to check the savings with a shipment to the North.

Jezek

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

Were they selling squaremile by the bag? I have never been anything but blown-away by any of the beans I ordered in from squaremile, just a pity it's so expensive. I'll have to check the savings with a shipment to the North.

They sell Squaremile by the bag in Vice Coffee Inc (Twisted Pepper) and Joe (Arnotts) in Dublin. Not too expensive - 11.50 for 350 for the SO I'm drinking right now. Oh and it's a great one (predictably).

Wigsy

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

Were they selling squaremile by the bag? I have never been anything but blown-away by any of the beans I ordered in from squaremile, just a pity it's so expensive. I'll have to check the savings with a shipment to the North.

Postage is only £2.87 to RoI from Square mile. Great value for 350g bags & not worth going via north.

Perdit

Jezek wrote: »

It seems the big boys still can't get good coffee exactly right .. I've been to Joe Coffee a few times since it opened and I have to say I've been disappointed.

Fresh Coffee retail: The freshly roasted squaremile from 3 weeks ago is still sitting there, waiting to be sold...stale by this stage. They then tried to sell me a 3 week old James Gourmet bean that they use for brewing. It's just repackaged with no info, I had to ask a few times for any info. I asked if it was a single origin, the guy behind the counter kept insisting yes, it's a single origin blend. I asked to see the bag with info, It's a kenyan SO, I say 3 weeks is too old, he says we got a shipment today, I'll get you a bag. I say ok, and then get asked to pay 12 euro - I pay but looked it up online, it costs 6 pound to buy from James Gourmet..so I got ripped off.

The cool-looking brew bar :This doesn't get used very often, and the person manning it runs around doing 100 other things at the same time. My coffee was ok both times, but it took very long to make and the confusion it caused was a bit cringe-inducing.

Generally, people don't have too much knowledge and cant help you, they have a few buzzwords - smooth, chocolate etc that they will throw at you, but if you ask about processing their eyes glaze over....now it might be a couple of the people there but I don't think they are maintaining their own standards...

Overall, not a bad place to stop for a cup, but a lot of wrinkles to be smoothed over.

Dropped into Joe's too and had a passable espresso (house blend of two washed coffees from Guatemala and El Salvador, which the barista had no trouble explaining, without any noticeable glazing of the eyes). In relation to coffee staling, while whole bean coffee 3 weeks from its roast date will have lost some of some of its aromatics and acidity, it would be somewhat extreme to label it as stale. In my experience with brew methods that don't emphasize aromatics as much, such as espresso extractions, you can brew whole bean coffee, that has been stored in a sealed bag, for up to 4 weeks after roast date without any significant diminution of flavour attributes. Also, I don't think €12 for a bag of James Coffee is entirely a rip-off. A £6 bag of Kenyan Thithi from JG in the UK costs £3.64 to mail to Ireland bringing the total cost to £9.64 which is around €11.60, so you paid a premium of around €0.40 for that bag.

Jezek

Perdit wrote: »

Dropped into Joe's too and had a passable espresso (house blend of two washed coffees from Guatemala and El Salvador, which the barista had no trouble explaining, without any noticeable glazing of the eyes). In relation to coffee staling, while whole bean coffee 3 weeks from its roast date will have lost some of some of its aromatics and acidity, it would be somewhat extreme to label it as stale. In my experience with brew methods that don't emphasize aromatics as much, such as espresso extractions, you can brew whole bean coffee, that has been stored in a sealed bag, for up to 4 weeks after roast date without any significant diminution of flavour attributes. Also, I don't think €12 for a bag of James Coffee is entirely a rip-off. A £6 bag of Kenyan Thithi from JG in the UK costs £3.64 to mail to Ireland bringing the total cost to £9.64 which is around €11.60, so you paid a premium of around €0.40 for that bag.

I have noticed that the level of service changes depending on who is there - some of their people know a lot more than others.

I agree, 3 week old coffee is not stale for making an espresso. However, it is stale to try and sell to the public, as it will be 1-2 weeks before the average consumer uses up the 350 gram bag. In any case it's probably past its peak after week 2.

AS for the price, I did get ripped off. They don't buy or ship the coffee at the prices you mention, they do it in much lower prices which allow them to set their own retail point. Take Vice coffee for example: they sold me a Squaremile. This is 9.50 pound on the site. + 2.87 for shipping: 12, 37 = 14,75 euro. If we add a little surcharge that you feel is reasonable, then we are at 15 euros and counting.

However, vice sold it to me for 11.50. They did not rip me off.

donnacha

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

Were they selling squaremile by the bag? I have never been anything but blown-away by any of the beans I ordered in from squaremile, just a pity it's so expensive. I'll have to check the savings with a shipment to the North.

I was delighted when I'd discovered their espresso subscription bags are 500g. Its still not cheap (works out around €17 a bag delivered) but well worth it IMO.

On a completely unrelated roaster I have been one here to say I wasn't the biggest fan of Badger & Dodo roast profiles ... I need to take this back as I've recently starting buying a bag a couple of times a month. I'm pretty sure they aren't roasting as dark as they had been but I also feel I'm getting more out of them since I upgraded my machine.

Krusty_Clown

Seeing as I have a couple of hours to kill, where's the best cup of coffee in Dublin airport? Thanks!

sebphoto

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Seeing as I have a couple of hours to kill, where's the best cup of coffee in Dublin airport? Thanks!

What terminal?

On terminal 2, imho go upstairs and look for one place
with huge 3kg Illy can mounted on coffee grinder. I liked their coffee.
I heard that there is also Ariosa somewhere, but I couldn't find it.

Mr Magnolia

Wigsy wrote: »

Postage is only £2.87 to RoI from Square mile. Great value for 350g bags & not worth going via north.

£8.15 for 4 bags to ROI.

sebphoto

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

£8.15 for 4 bags to ROI.

I never tried Red Brick from Square Mile. Do you guys recommend this one especially for latte?

Jezek

I've been going to Joe more and more lately. The service has been improving, and they have been getting interesting guest coffees, such as Koppi and Intelligentsia. I have gotten to talk to the head barista little bit and he has a lot of knowledge and passion for his craft. Guest espressos have been consistently very good. They also brew me up a cup whenever I buy a bag of beans, something that I kind of expected from other places but never got.

P.S. tomorrow Peter James from James Gourmet will be there, kind of an informal tasting/cupping event I gather. Should be interesting.

Gran Hermano

Jezek wrote: »

I've been going to Joe more and more lately. The service has been improving, and they have been getting interesting guest coffees, such as Koppi and Intelligentsia. I have gotten to talk to the head barista little bit and he has a lot of knowledge and passion for his craft. Guest espressos have been consistently very good. They also brew me up a cup whenever I buy a bag of beans, something that I kind of expected from other places but never got.

P.S. tomorrow Peter James from James Gourmet will be there, kind of an informal tasting/cupping event I gather. Should be interesting.

Been a while but I had some nice coffees from James Gourmet in the past.

James_R

donnacha wrote: »

On a completely unrelated roaster I have been one here to say I wasn't the biggest fan of Badger & Dodo roast profiles ... I need to take this back as I've recently starting buying a bag a couple of times a month. I'm pretty sure they aren't roasting as dark as they had been but I also feel I'm getting more out of them since I upgraded my machine.

What did you upgrade to Donnacha? I'm looking at making the leap from Gaggia Classic to La Nuova Era Cuadra.

OldBean

They're definitely roasting lighter.

donnacha

James_R wrote: »

What did you upgrade to Donnacha? I'm looking at making the leap from Gaggia Classic to La Nuova Era Cuadra.

I went with a La Spaz Mini Vivaldi:
http://www.bellabarista.co.uk/pdf/Laspaziales1MiniVivaldicloserlookv2.pdf

Sam the Sham

James_R wrote: »

What did you upgrade to Donnacha? I'm looking at making the leap from Gaggia Classic to La Nuova Era Cuadra.

Why that machine (which seems quite an exotic brand), if I may ask?

Not criticising the choice, just looking for information...

Jezek

Sam the Sham wrote: »

Why that machine (which seems quite an exotic brand), if I may ask?

Not criticising the choice, just looking for information...

e61 HX machine with good looks, price not bad, why not!

Waesfjord

Jezek wrote: »

e61 HX machine with good looks, price not bad, why not!

Can I ask what are the price of these machines, as don't see them for sale on the web in Ireland or UK? Only place I see is Ebay Germany for about €1200.

James_R

brian1976 wrote: »

Can I ask what are the price of these machines, as don't see them for sale on the web in Ireland or UK? Only place I see is Ebay Germany for about €1200.

There's a place in Cork that are the official Irish stockist of LNE:

Mahers Pure Coffee, 25 Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork. Tel. + 353 21 4270008

They stock them for €875 + €191.48 (23%) = €1023.98 + €50 (delivery) = €1073.98

Dutch company also stock them with €80 shipping:

http://casabarista.com/espresso-equipment/espresso-machines/la-nuova-era/cuadra/

James_R

Sam the Sham wrote: »

Why that machine (which seems quite an exotic brand), if I may ask?

Not criticising the choice, just looking for information...

Some good info here:

http://www.toomuchcoffee.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=95665

and here:

http://coffeegeek.com/forums/espresso/machines/642790

for me it has most of the features I'm after in the price range I'm happy to pay PLUS she's VERY pretty!!!

Other options I'm looking at:

http://casabarista.com/expobar-leva-espresso-machine/
http://casabarista.com/rocket-cellini-classic-espresso/

cookie1977

I'd like to vote for the UCD sports centre coffee shop. Best coffee in UCD and one of the best in Dublin too. Americano regular only 1.80 too!

Waesfjord

James_R wrote: »

There's a place in Cork that are the official Irish stockist of LNE:

Mahers Pure Coffee, 25 Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork. Tel. + 353 21 4270008

They stock them for €875 + €191.48 (23%) = €1023.98 + €50 (delivery) = €1073.98

Dutch company also stock them with €80 shipping:

http://casabarista.com/espresso-equipment/espresso-machines/la-nuova-era/cuadra/

The Nuova is a nice looking machine alright.

Did you ever consider the Fracino Cherub as an option, as seems to be a cheaper alterative, in that they are E61 'style' grouphead HX machine, with a slightly larger boiler. Just wondering, as have the Cherub on my wish list once I move house and have more space!!

Jezek

cookie1977 wrote: »

I'd like to vote for the UCD sports centre coffee shop. Best coffee in UCD and one of the best in Dublin too. Americano regular only 1.80 too!

Ok, I'm intrigued! What coffee do they serve? TCD Science gallery is pretty solid in my eyes for best college coffee, but I've never been to the UCD sports centre cafe.

James_R

brian1976 wrote: »

The Nuova is a nice looking machine alright.

Did you ever consider the Fracino Cherub as an option, as seems to be a cheaper alterative, in that they are E61 'style' grouphead HX machine, with a slightly larger boiler. Just wondering, as have the Cherub on my wish list once I move house and have more space!!

The Cherub does look nice alright. Must look up some comparisons. I'm also toying with the idea of spending a little more for one of these:

http://casabarista.com/bezzera-mitica-espresso/

James_R

donnacha wrote: »

I went with a La Spaz Mini Vivaldi:
http://www.bellabarista.co.uk/pdf/Laspaziales1MiniVivaldicloserlookv2.pdf

Very nice Donnacha, not so much chrome but after reading that pdf she sounds fantastic. What did you upgrade from? night and day?

Sam the Sham

James_R wrote: »

The Cherub does look nice alright. Must look up some comparisons. I'm also toying with the idea of spending a little more for one of these:

http://casabarista.com/bezzera-mitica-espresso/

Why the mitica rather than, say, a Rocket Cellini v2?

James_R

Sam the Sham wrote: »

Why the mitica rather than, say, a Rocket Cellini v2?

TBH that's the first one I've looked at in the increased price range but yeah I'd have to compare it to similarly priced models like the Cellini V2:

http://casabarista.com/espresso-equipment/espresso-machines/rocket/cellini-plus-v2/

Matthew Gleeson

A place called 'Roasted Brown' its in Temple bar, fantastic coffee!