reproducing that perfect coffee at home?

positivenote

hi all,
i have grown addicted to starbucks americano coffee with a shot of caramel over the past year or so, buying sometimes 3 or 4 cups a day... costing me a fortune. Over this period of time ive had numerous coffee making machines, from a Russell Hobbs expresso machine, a traditional 'plunging' glass brewing coffee type thing and now im using one of those italian small kettles that you but the water in the base and thesteam evaporates up through the coffee granuals to produce the coffee in the top half of the kettle.... its a small metal type thing that goes on the hob. Anyway i have thus failed to get a coffee of the same quality as i purchase... can anyone advise me on what i may be doing wrong. I have purchased the expresso beans from Starbucks and have had them grinded.
any advice would be great and would save me a few bob also
Thanks

Doodee

well first off you are buying an espresso that is topped with hot water and then given a shot of flavour.
When dealing with coffee it is best to eliminate the variables.
So starting with teh espresso, are you using the same beans as Starbucks? if not then I suggest that you try and mimic them.
Afaik SB also sell the syrups that you crave so if that is correct (along with the correct bean/grind) then your only other issue is water temp when mixing the too.

To be perfectly honest though, SB use a commercial espresso machine to pour the shot so trying to replicate that at home will not be like for like. At best you can hope for a near likeness.

Coffee is a lot more than just water and powder.

Mr Magnolia

Forget about americano, a well brewed coffee using freshly roasted, freshly ground beans will beat the pants of what you're currently enjoying. Buy a cheap plunger and a manual/hand grinder and give it a go. It's more expensive up front but it will pay for itself in the long run. Check out the stickies on the front page or let us know if you'd like a supplier recommended should you decide to go down this route.

Espresso guy

Making a good coffee at home can be difficult, but not impossible, as Mr Magnolia said, try grinding your beans yourself, and start basic with a plunger type application. Also experiment with different blends of coffee,and remember, the grind of the coffee is extremely important, so get a good grinder that ensures consistency!!

Also as was said previously, remember that starbucks are using a commercial machine,(albeit an automatic machine) so its an espresso based drink that is the base of your favourite beverage, so will taste different to filter coffee at home i.e will not be as strong possibly as the starbucks coffee.....But good luck with it and keep us posted!!

positivenote

hi all, thanks so much for the responses thus far. i got SB to grind the expresso beans they use for me and ive been using an expresso kettle at home... but im finding that i get alot of 'gunk' at the end of the top part of the kettle and also at the bottom of the cup... im thinking that the beans may have been ground too much...
if im to make a similiar drink to what im served in SB will i have to get an expresso machine? if so what should i be looking at if im going to continue using the SB expresso beans ? its just for myself as the wife thinks my coffe is always too strong so dont want to be spending a few hundred euro either?
Thanks

Espresso guy

I would say they ground the beans too fine!! Ive had this experience before, when asking for an espresso grind, they have just one setting and pulverise the beans!! They dont take into consideration the fact that all coffees are a little different, and may need a slightly different grind to extract the best from them.

An espresso machine at home would be ideal, if you dont have the budget for one, start with the grinder, and experiment with differing grinds on various coffees for filter extraction, and maybe when you are comfortable with the grinder, at a later stage you can invest in an espresso machine for yourself!!

Doodee

Maybe consider gettig yourself and aeropress. It will give you a cleaner cup and is a good foundation to start from. From the sound of it the grind size is not suitable for the mokka pot, have a look at coffeeangel.ie they have some Hario handmills that you could user with whole beans. As was said there is a major difference with grinding for your cup then from using pre ground. Ground should be used within 15mins otherwise it will loose flavour signicantly. If you do make a hand mill purchase try some freshly roasted beans from coffee angel too, you will be pleasantly surprised.
Do you always take syrup in your coffee?

positivenote

not always, usually just when i go to SB... At home i never do. But i have at this stage gone through an expresso machine, 3 plunger type 'kettle'(?), and am currently trying the mokka kettle... i really want to get drinking a nice daily cup for my long drives in the morning and also over the sunday papers.

Mr Magnolia

positivenote wrote: »

not always, usually just when i go to SB... At home i never do. But i have at this stage gone through an expresso machine, 3 plunger type 'kettle'(?), and am currently trying the mokka kettle... i really want to get drinking a nice daily cup for my long drives in the morning and also over the sunday papers.

Have you a budget in mind?

This would be a basic set-up for under €60 that will produce coffee at home better than what you're currently used to once you put some time into learning how to brew properly.

Ikea French Press (plunger/cafetieré) - €10



Hand Grinder with beans from coffeeangel - €48



There are also other suppliers listed in the sticky on the main page.

positivenote

cheers for the photos and advice... already have the plunger and some ground beans (will ask for a grinder for upcoming b'day). Is there a step by step process that i can refernce re: times and when to pour water etc?? wouldnt mind giving it a go in the mornin
thanks again

Mr Magnolia

Preground isn't ideal as ground coffee deteriorates very quickly after grinding. Also, an espresso grind is a lot finer than what's required for a french press so you're going to end up with a lot of sludge in the bottom of the cup, don't let this annoy you though.

The general rule of thumb for brewing coffee is 60g of ground coffee per litre of water. So it goes that if your french press is 0.5L, you'll need 30g of coffee. If you have a half decent kitchen scales weigh your coffee out before you start.

Coffee is best brewed at 94 degreesC so let the kettle boil and then leave it to cool for a few minutes.

• Heat the french press with some of the hot water.
• Empty the water and put your ground coffee in.
• Add the water slowly and steadily taking care to wet all the grinds and time 4 minutes. I use the timer on the oven to beep after 4 minutes.
• Give it a quick stir with a big spoon.
• Plunge (slowly and steadily), pour and enjoy.

Gran Hermano

Have a look at the videos on this blog for tips on using a French press.
http://www.squaremileblog.com/2008/11/12/videocast-2-french-press-technique/

There is also one for the stovetop moka.