Burr Grinder?

nesbitt

I am new to good coffee at home!:o

I bought a Bodum french press for one person as I am the only coffee drinker in the house. Grand sturdy gadget with smooth press. Great so far, feeling well pleased.:)

I made coffee with Bewleys Organic Explore Guatemala with good sell by date and coffee smells lovely but has a brackish aftertaste on my palette. Also purchased Douwe Egberts Cafetiere Blend again with good sell by date, will try this in the morning....

Is is worth buying beans and simply grinding a few days supply of fresh ground coffee, kept in a little lock n lock airtight container? If so could anyone recommend a grinder and where to purchase in Dublin area.

qwytre

I bought a grinder from www.coffeeangel.com. I bought malkhonig vario one, its a bit pricey but I would recommend it. The slighty less expensive ones are probably just as good.

On the beans, forget about the sell-by date. Thats irrelevant, what you need to know is the roasted-on date. The fresher the better, and usually the beans are at the best up to 4 weeks are roasting.

I buy beans from hasbean.co.uk and jamesgourmetcoffee.com and get them delivered. You can also buy hasbean beans from 3fE on middle abbey st and from the ice cream shop on wicklow st. 3FE are great, you could pop in there and ask for some pointers\advice and they will help you out. Great coffee too of course from there.

Buy fresh beans is the main thing.

qwytre

Also, for the best taste you should grind the beans only when you need them. If you grind them and leave them for a few days they will loose some freshness and taste and just dont taste as well.

nesbitt

Searched the forum and noticed recommendations for coffee angel, might pop into town next week as I like to buy in person as I need advice and can't afford costly mistakes. Also noticed a recommendation for Java Republic their Roastery shop is quite near me by car in Ballycoolin so will definitely take a jaunt over there on Monday, the Bodum grinder and beans for 70euro might be a good buy. That type of price point is what I have in mind. Little New Year treat for myself:)

PPC

Have a read of http://theotherblackstuff.ie/machines/baratza-grinders/ for reviews of the grinders CoffeeAngel sell.

I'd avoid the Bodum one aswell, buy it cheap, buy it twice. May aswell spend some decent money on it at the start, if i had of known this at the start i would have saved some money

qwytre

Coffee angel only have portable coffee stands around various locations (I dont know if they have a phyical shop where you can view the grinders etc). Best to contact coffee angel by phone or email first.

nesbitt

PPC wrote: »

Have a read of http://theotherblackstuff.ie/machines/baratza-grinders/ for reviews of the grinders CoffeeAngel sell.

I enjoyed reading the review. Can relate to comment that a low priced competent grinder seems to be hard to obtain.

nesbitt

After some consideration I purchased a Krups Burr Grinder GVX2 from Debenhams. I can adjust the grind with 17 settings fine to course and select the amount, 2 to 12 cups. Easy clean too.

Ground Starbucks beans, made the coffee in French press and was impressed with resulting brew for my efforts:). No brackish aftertaste, nice aroma and smooth rich flavour.

I will be happily sampling different beans over coming weeks and enjoying better coffee at home. So good result for me. Many thanks for all advice and info for sourcing coffee and equipment.:)

alastair

PPC wrote: »

Have a read of http://theotherblackstuff.ie/machines/baratza-grinders/ for reviews of the grinders CoffeeAngel sell.

I'd avoid the Bodum one aswell, buy it cheap, buy it twice. May aswell spend some decent money on it at the start, if i had of known this at the start i would have saved some money

The Bodum grinder is actually grand for French press purposes. We've been using one for a couple of years and no complaint (except the power switch has gone a bit flakey). Useless for anything beyond filter though. Combined with a Iberital MC2 for espresso it works out okay.

If I'd the wonga I'd swap both for a Malkhonig Vario though - if only for the space saving and earache reduction benefits.

el dude

alastair wrote: »

The Bodum grinder is actually grand for French press purposes. We've been using one for a couple of years and no complaint (except the power switch has gone a bit flakey). Useless for anything beyond filter though. Combined with a Iberital MC2 for espresso it works out okay.

If I'd the wonga I'd swap both for a Malkhonig Vario though - if only for the space saving and earache reduction benefits.

what do you mean by that? I'm just curious, been thinking about getting into making proper coffee lately? so just trying to learn about the different ways it's done etc.

alastair

el dude wrote: »

what do you mean by that? I'm just curious, been thinking about getting into making proper coffee lately? so just trying to learn about the different ways it's done etc.

It won't grind fine enough for espresso - but it's grand for the coarser grind needed for French press and filter.