Life is too short for bad coffee - The Off Topic thread

Bawnmore

Not sure if anyone else had the same experience, but I found that I couldn't get even close to a consistent cup from a V60 until I got a gooseneck kettle to pour from. Before that I was trying to pour directly from the kettle, then from a jug and then from a teapot and they were all making a bad cup every time as I couldn't pour slowly or consistently enough. Picked up a gooseneck for 10 quid and the cup improved immediately.

Deja Boo

Just wondering, has anyone ever tried something called Butter Coffee?


Sounds rather unhealthy, and oily coffee??? (gag reflex kicking in)

cnocbui

I add cream to my espresso. Sort of the same idea but better result. I have ended up with butter coffee from dunking toast

it's nice enough, but I prefer cream.

Nothing wrong with saturated fats, healthwise. Cholesterol doesn't cause cardiovascular disease. It's carbs that are fattening.

juke

Deja Boo wrote: »

Just wondering, has anyone ever tried something called Butter Coffee?


Sounds rather unhealthy, and oily coffee??? (gag reflex kicking in)

Bulletproof Coffee? Been plenty of discussion about it over on the fitness forum over the years.

I'll pass :pac:

adrian522

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3W5iTSHrPR/?igshid=1bgqk2a04l3i8

Latte art... kind of how I do it.

MiskyBoyy

adrian522 wrote: »

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3W5iTSHrPR/?igshid=1bgqk2a04l3i8

Latte art... kind of how I do it.

Man, that ****ed with my OCD real bad

Good jib!

@Misky

That wasn't too bad, I was worried he was going to put his fingers in to pull out the cardboard and then serve it to someone! *shudders*

Hodors Appletart

The Bailies Xmas blend is really nice, there's a lovely creamy chocolate finish to it.

caviardreams

I went for the Bell Lane Elf Espresso this year - really nice too - kind of on the fruitier side than I normally go for. I'm a chocolatey person, so might still have to get some of the Bailies!

Squidgy Black

caviardreams wrote: »

I went for the Bell Lane Elf Espresso this year - really nice too - kind of on the fruitier side than I normally go for. I'm a chocolatey person, so might still have to get some of the Bailies!

Full Circle Christmas was similar, very fruity with a hint of chocolate towards the end of the shot.

Planet X

Hodors Appletart wrote: »

The Bailies Xmas blend is really nice, there's a lovely creamy chocolate finish to it.

Good news.
I'm into my two bags next week.

Planet X

Just ordered 3 bags of "back up" for over the Christmas period. More will be consumed and I don't want to be caught out over the holidays.
Do the same every year.

Failure to prepare etc

caviardreams

Finally got around to trying Bell Lane's Black Tie - absolutely gorgeous - might be my new favourite of theirs. Really rich and chocolatey - I drink Americano but imagine it would work in milk based drinks too.

DaveyDave

Hopefully my secret Santa used my wishlist to get me the grinder I wanted, what would be the best places to buy beans?

I lean towards the sweeter side, usually with a drop of milk. Sample sizes would be even better so I could try a few types if possible.

caviardreams

DaveyDave wrote: »

Hopefully my secret Santa used my wishlist to get me the grinder I wanted, what would be the best places to buy beans?

I lean towards the sweeter side, usually with a drop of milk. Sample sizes would be even better so I could try a few types if possible.

There are no shortage of places to buy good beans - I find the fun is in trying new ones. Roast date makes a huge difference, so to get the best out of the grinder go for fresh beans imo.

There are loads of good places online now, as well as local cafes which would be worth your while checking out - shopping local is always good!

Irish roasters I use regularly are Bell Lane, Badger & Dodo and Bailies. I use Rave in the UK, and then pick up some bags locally now and again too (Nick's coffee in Ranelagh is nice)

Most places do 250g bags which are not that long lasting if you drink a good bit of coffee and it migth take you a shot or two to dial in the grind anyway :pac::pac:

Enjoy :-D

lawred2

Bought a grinder and an aeropress

Anyone give me a pointer/suggestion on some decent beans I could easily pick up before Christmas.

Lavazza or similar?

BullBlackNova

lawred2 wrote: »

Bought a grinder and an aeropress

Anyone give me a pointer/suggestion on some decent beans I could easily pick up before Christmas.

Lavazza or similar?

Where are you based?

Most local coffee shops have something nice and handy. If you are talking supermarkets, most Aldi stores stock Velo, which is about €4 a bag and is roasted in Cork. No roast dates on the bags though.

lawred2

BullBlackNova wrote: »

Where are you based?

Most local coffee shops have something nice and handy. If you are talking supermarkets, most Aldi stores stock Velo, which is about €4 a bag and is roasted in Cork. No roast dates on the bags though.

North county Dublin. Yeah might be an idea to pop into one of the local coffee shops.

Take it the Lidl type stuff is muck? Same for Robert Roberts etc. What about Lavazza?

Any standard supermarket sold brands/beans that are fine if stuck?

BullBlackNova

lawred2 wrote: »

North county Dublin. Yeah might be an idea to pop into one of the local coffee shops.

Take it the Lidl type stuff is muck? Same for Robert Roberts etc. What about Lavazza?

Any standard supermarket sold brands/beans that are fine if stuck?

As I understand, the standard Lidl/Aldi beans are made by Robert Roberts. That's the case for their tea anyway (or at least it used to be!). I'm not a big fan.

Lavazza is okay but all depends on taste. Again, no roast dates on their standard stuff but that's probably what I'd pick up if my only local was a Super Valu or Dunnes, for example.

I try to get to my local cafes (Cork based so can't help with North County Dublin I'm afraid) but if caught out in a pinch, Aldi for Velo beans is my go to.

alec76

lawred2 wrote: »

North county Dublin. Yeah might be an idea to pop into one of the local coffee shops.

Take it the Lidl type stuff is muck? Same for Robert Roberts etc. What about Lavazza?

Any standard supermarket sold brands/beans that are fine if stuck?

I would stay away from Lavazza...but it is me.
I’ve tried couple bags from Lidl (brown 250g ) ,single origin Ethiopian and Colombian ,roasted in Germany ,there are roasted dates there too! ( September/October ). There are not very bad ,drinkable..... Not sure if it regular or one time event though.

caviardreams

alec76 wrote: »

I would stay away from Lavazza...but it is me.
I’ve tried couple bags from Lidl (brown 250g ) ,single origin Ethiopian and Colombian ,roasted in Germany ,there are roasted dates there too! ( September/October ). There are not very bad ,drinkable..... Not sure if it regular or one time event though.

I tried the lidl brown bag ones too - the zambia one is grand if stuck. Nothing amazing but drinkable as alec says.

Squidgy Black

lawred2 wrote: »

North county Dublin. Yeah might be an idea to pop into one of the local coffee shops.

Take it the Lidl type stuff is muck? Same for Robert Roberts etc. What about Lavazza?

Any standard supermarket sold brands/beans that are fine if stuck?

Any local coffee shop should have beans to sell, personal favourite is Full Circle Roasters, you can get them in Ebb&Flow in Clontarf.

Generally with beans from Tesco and Lidl, they'll be roasted ages ago and only have a 'Best Before' date as opposed to 'Roasted On'. Most people will tell you that beans are generally at their best up to around a month or roasting and start to go 'stale' after that.

Hodors Appletart

Alec, try get to Java Republic in Ballycoolin if you can, and grab a 227g bag of the Rwanda coffee, it's quite nice

DaveyDave

My secret Santa paid attention to my wishlist and got me a Delonghi KG79. I know it's not the best grinder I think it will do for my first burr grinder.

Reviews of the machine say it grinds too much for the cup settings, I had it set to minimum of 2 cups, 2 tablespoons of coffee as per instructions and I felt the result was a bit weak for one cup.

Part of me thinks I'm doing something wrong with the French press side of things. Not boiled, pour gently, sit for 4-5 mins.

Hodors Appletart

DaveyDave wrote: »

Part of me thinks I'm doing something wrong with the French press side of things. Not boiled, pour gently, sit for 4-5 mins.

Watch this video, Hoffman is a coffee genius.

murphyebass

Hodors Appletart wrote: »

Watch this video, Hoffman is a coffee genius.

Never thought of using a french press like that but will definitely give it a go.

I use the aeropress almost exclusively these days mainly due to pure handiness but this was interesting.

murphyebass

thank you to whoever recommended the tandem coffee in Aldi.

It’s very good for €4 a bag.

Had it as espresso yesterday and I was very impressed.

The missus had it as a cappuccino and was also happy out.

Not sure how they’re selling it so cheaply if I’m honest.

It won’t take away from getting a nice single origin or that but as a day to day coffee I can’t fault it at all.

caviardreams

murphyebass wrote: »

thank you to whoever recommended the tandem coffee in Aldi.

It’s very good for €4 a bag.

Had it as espresso yesterday and I was very impressed.

The missus had it as a cappuccino and was also happy out.

Not sure how they’re selling it so cheaply if I’m honest.

It won’t take away from getting a nice single origin or that but as a day to day coffee I can’t fault it at all.

It's only a 200g bag so it's really €5 per standard bag.

Bell Lane have 20% off coffee till end of Jan with code JAN2020

murphyebass

caviardreams wrote: »

It's only a 200g bag so it's really €5 per standard bag.

Bell Lane have 20% off coffee till end of Jan with code JAN2020

€5 is still a good value for a quality bean not roasted within an inch of its life

cnocbui

caviardreams wrote: »

It's only a 200g bag so it's really €5 per standard bag.

Bell Lane have 20% off coffee till end of Jan with code JAN2020

Not everyone lives in Dublin.