Cafétiére (plunger)

RE*AC*TOR

I have a bodum french press jobby. I usually use plain ole lavazza (silver and red packet) for making coffee, but sometimes I grind my own. Either way I usually find that I end up with sentiment in the end of my mug. Is lavazza too finely ground? It is café espresso, so I reckon it might be. Can anyone recommend a good alternative?

billyblanks

Lavazza is a fine grind, it is for use in espresso machines. Putting it in your French press is ok....not ideal though. Grinding your own is the best way to go, a 'course' grind is what you need. This will answer all your questions.

http://www.coffeegeek.com/guides/presspot

RE*AC*TOR

good guide. However, it bascially says you have to grind. My grinder would fit into the cheap and nasty category. Not really in the market for buying a more expensive one. SO is there anywhere that sells a suitably coarse ground coffee?

The Sweeper

I thought they tend to sell coffee mostly in a "one grind fits all" sort of texture. The sediment in the bottom of the cup doesn't bother me too much, though it there's a lot of it, it usually just means I've made the coffee too strong.

CJhaughey

I think that unless you have a really coarse grind that you will tend to find this with all coffee, even then as the coarse grinds rub off each other there is bound to be a bit of dust in the dregs, look on the bright side at least your friends and you will know it is real coffee!
I find that Lavazza's grind although made for espresso machine use is perfect for cafétieres as it allows the coffee to diffuse as the water is forced through the grinds, other brands that have a coarser grind like Douwe Egberts have a watery type of taste which I don't like.
have you tried the Lavazza Oro?
fantastic coffee well worth seeking out.

RE*AC*TOR

yeah - i've tried it - you can get it in Tescos AFAIK. To be honest - for the difference in price i'd always go with Rosso. Its about half the price. If I'm feeling like splurging I'll get some Illé.

billyblanks

Ok........I've posted this before, Lavazza and Illy are both good coffees but they are roasted in Italy, probably sit in storage for a while then are shipped to another distributor, sit there for another bit, then finally make it onto a shelf in your local shop. Coffee looses its freshness alot quicker than you think, about 3 weeks if sealed properly. Bewleys roast and blend their own coffee here in Ireland so it is alot fresher http://www.bewleys.ie/coffee/roasting_tour/6/ They produce some very good coffees, with strenght and tasting notes on the packs so you cant go wrong. But at the end of the day try as many Coffees as you can and make your own mind up on taste.....

Dellgirl

Leave th ecoffee a good 3 or 4 mins before you plunge, do it slowly and leave to settle again before you pour. This shuld help.

CJhaughey

billyblanks wrote:

Ok........I've posted this before, Lavazza and Illy are both good coffees but they are roasted in Italy, probably sit in storage for a while then are shipped to another distributor, sit there for another bit, then finally make it onto a shelf in your local shop. Coffee looses its freshness alot quicker than you think, about 3 weeks if sealed properly. Bewleys roast and blend their own coffee here in Ireland so it is alot fresher http://www.bewleys.ie/coffee/roasting_tour/6/ They produce some very good coffees, with strenght and tasting notes on the packs so you cant go wrong. But at the end of the day try as many Coffees as you can and make your own mind up on taste.....

I still think that Lavazza and Illy are better tasting than Bewleys.
I think it has more to do with the quality of beans than freshness.
If you want to you could always buy lavazza or Illy beans and grind em fresh.
I tried but it is a pain in the ass to do that when you need a quick fix.....

billyblanks

CJhaughey wrote:

I still think that Lavazza and Illy are better tasting than Bewleys.
I think it has more to do with the quality of beans than freshness.

Yep, Fair enough, at the end of the day its about what you like. Despite what I was saying I dont actually drink Bewleys coffee (anymore) :rolleyes: I just think its a good brand for people who want Good tasting coffee but dont want any hassle! I roast my own coffee at home, it is a bit of hassle but well worth it. and it works out about 50% cheaper than buying roasted coffee.