Drip / Filter coffee

Swampy

I used to be a big expresso fan, however of course I still enjoy it but now I find myself a massive fan of filter coffee. I just don't feel the same body or flavour with an americano or any coffee that is essentially expresso and water.

At the moment, the best filter coffee I can find to buy take away (as in to drink there and then) is from Starbucks or Topaz garages.

So is there any other great places to buy filter coffee in Dublin?

Are all the coffee's you buy online strictly for expresso?

Thanks

Mr Magnolia

The stickies list general coffee suppliers for both espresso and filter coffees. Check out the 'cupping notes' on the likes of hasbean.co.uk. Here it's described whether the coffee suits espresso or filter brewing methods (or both).

I find I'm drinking more filter coffee myself of late though I still enjoy espresso as much as I always have. I use the french press mainly for filter though I have a couple of pour-overs too.

RE*AC*TOR

Hey Swampy. Glad to hear of your love for filter coffee. But you are pretty much on the money in terms of where to buy it. I'm no big fan of *$, but I've often found their filter to be drinkable. Can't say for petrol stations though.

There really isn't anywhere. A lot of hotels and stuff will do it, but they won't do it well. Similar story with catering companies etc.

Wish I had a positive answer for you.

Swampy

I just did a bit of reading there and the french press(which I must get) does seem to come up trumps for home made filter coffee.

As much as I would like, I can't afford a good grinder at the moment. Can any one recommend good ground coffee beans for a french press? And will they last better in a freezer or is that a myth?

RE*AC*TOR

The freezer thing is nonsense.

Can't recommend pre-ground I'm afraid. I guess look at what people like in whole bean, and maybe look to get that ground. But honestly, grinding yourself is the best thing you can do for your coffee. Even a good hand grinder would do the job (if somewhat labour intensive).

French press vs filter paper vs whatever - it doesn't really matter. I wouldn't say any of them come up trumps. At the moment I'm nearly completely using paper filters. You can make great coffee with any of the methods. Just be aware French Press will leave sediment at the end of the cup. No biggie, but turns some people off.

Khannie

Ikea have a french press for a tenner. Not a bad piece of kit either. I've all but converted to french press completely now. I find the topaz stuff to be.....moderate. Same for starbucks brewed stuff. I had some of Topaz's organic columbian there yesterday and preferred it to their normal brew.

Mostly people disagree with me on this, but I think a whirly grinder is better than nowt if you're on a budget (mine was around 20 euro delivered on ebay). A burr grinder does make a big difference, but I'd take whirly ground stuff over pre-ground.

So: burr grinder > whirly > pre-ground. If you can plump for it, a burr grinder with a french press and some nice beans from hasbean will deliver you savage results.

donnacha

tkmaxx had an excellent selection of bodum french presses last time i was in so worthwhile having a look there to save you the trip to the IKEA maze