Good coffee for the office?

fishtastico

I'm a fan of coffee, but all I have (or can afford) is a little french press. All of the coffee I've bought for it has left plenty to be desired, to say the least. What I want to know is, is there a particular brand suitable for the press that doesn't taste like heated-up muck?

adrian522

If you bought a small hand grinder from coffee angel it would improve the coffee out of your French press no end.Then you could could pick up fresh beans from coffee angel, 3fe, nicks etc and just experiment a bit.

Sinfonia

As above, buy from places like 3fe (Abbey St. & Grand Canal) or Cinnamon in Ranelagh; they both sell hasbean beans.
And if you can stretch €30 or so, you can pick up a Hario hand grinder so that the coffee beans will remain unground (and thus fresher) for longer! If not, the place you buy the beans from will grind it for you, and just tell them it's for french press; only thing then is that the grounds will lose their flavour much quicker.

fishtastico

Thanks! Definitely going to invest in a hand grinder

fishtastico

Went out and bought a Hario grinder and some beans from coffee angel. There's a definite improvement in taste, and the smell of the beans as they're being ground is amazing. Thanks for the tip!

adrian522

Excellent, which beans did you get?

See here for how to get the best from your French press

http://www.hasbean.co.uk/pages/French-Press-Brew-Guide.html

http://coffeegeek.com/guides/presspot

http://stumptowncoffee.com/guide/press-pot/

You can also start experimenting with different beans and what not.

fishtastico

adrian522 wrote: »

Excellent, which beans did you get?

See here for how to get the best from your French press

http://www.hasbean.co.uk/pages/French-Press-Brew-Guide.html

http://coffeegeek.com/guides/presspot

http://stumptowncoffee.com/guide/press-pot/

You can also start experimenting with different beans and what not.

Cheers, I'll be trying those instructions out. The beans I got are called Clouds of August. What's the best way to store them? And once I grind some, how long before it'll noticeably lose flavour?

PPC

fishtastico wrote: »

Cheers, I'll be trying those instructions out. The beans I got are called Clouds of August. What's the best way to store them? And once I grind some, how long before it'll noticeably lose flavour?

I normally just keep them in the bag they come in and keep them in the press.
Consume with in 2~4 weeks of the roast date on the packet.

I wouldn't use coffee thats ground for more than 5~10 minutes.

fishtastico

5-10 minutes? Is it really that noticeable or are you just taking the piss?

adrian522

yeah, try to grind your beans just before you make your coffee for the best results...

As far as storage, just keep them in the bag somewhere dry and preferably dark.

jackbhoy

fishtastico wrote: »

5-10 minutes? Is it really that noticeable or are you just taking the piss?

Just grind and put straight into an airtight container. I do this every morning and use it for pour over at 10am and 2pm and I doubt anyone could ever tell the difference in a blind taste test! Would never use left over coffee the next day though as has noticeably deteriorated by then.

PPC

fishtastico wrote: »

5-10 minutes? Is it really that noticeable or are you just taking the piss?

http://www.chemistryviews.org/details/ezine/694285/Espresso__A_ThreeStep_Preparation.html Explanation of it here of what happens under step 2.

Stuff thats ground for half an hour is noticeable different.
The general rule is within 10 minutes of grinding, but i'll normally have water on the grounds within 1 minute of grinding, no point in not doing it if you have the option.