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

Hodors Appletart · 25-04-2021 1:43pm

medium fine here too, somewhere around 11-13 clicks on my Encore (I go to about 18 clicks for French Press)

Pen Rua · 05-05-2021 5:54pm

I've been using James Hoffman's recently released Aeropress recipe.

https://youtu.be/j6VlT_jUVPc

I've really enjoyed it, and have been more than satisfied with its results. Normal method, no rinsing paper, 11-12g dose in, 200g water, no need to stir etc, infuse for 2 mins, swirl, sit for 30 seconds, press.

It means I get about 22-23 cups per 250g bag, as opposed to 16-17 cups with the old recipe I used (15g) or 8-9 cups with a lot of the Aeropress World Champion recipes. It's a heck of a lot more straight forward with no rinsing, no blooming, no counting stirs. Some might be in to it but I found it a little annoying after a couple of cups.

He has a whole series on the Aeropress. In Episode 2, he does a deep dive into the variables of an Aeropress to see what, if any, difference they make. Deducts a whole load of supposed Aeropress truths!

Man Vs ManUre · 05-05-2021 5:58pm

You have to go to Ethiopia for a good up of coffee. There used to be a direct flight from Dublin to Addis Abbas but no more, so you have to take a stopover now (you can probably stay on the plane if you fly with Ethiopian airlines).
Otherwise you need to go to Columbia or Guatemala for a good coffee, much longer journeys.

alec76 · 06-05-2021 6:06am

Man Vs ManUre wrote: »

You have to go to Ethiopia for a good up of coffee. There used to be a direct flight from Dublin to Addis Abbas but no more, so you have to take a stopover now (you can probably stay on the plane if you fly with Ethiopian airlines).
Otherwise you need to go to Columbia or Guatemala for a good coffee, much
longer journeys.

i seriously doubt it

cnocbui · 06-05-2021 10:31am

Man Vs ManUre wrote: »

You have to go to Ethiopia for a good up of coffee. There used to be a direct flight from Dublin to Addis Abbas but no more, so you have to take a stopover now (you can probably stay on the plane if you fly with Ethiopian airlines).
Otherwise you need to go to Columbia or Guatemala for a good coffee, much longer journeys.

Looks like the manure won.

caviardreams · 14-05-2021 8:11pm

I see LIDL are doing Brady's coffee now: https://www.bradyscoffee.ie/bradys-coffee-bred-guide-lidl

I guess to compete with Velo in Aldi and Dunnes and tap into the new post-covid home coffee market

fits · 17-05-2021 7:36am

Man Vs ManUre wrote: »

Otherwise you need to go to Columbia or Guatemala for a good coffee, much longer journeys.

Was in that part of the world a few years ago and all I could get was Nescafé.

caviardreams · 17-05-2021 6:08pm

caviardreams wrote: »

I see LIDL are doing Brady's coffee now: https://www.bradyscoffee.ie/bradys-coffee-bred-guide-lidl

I guess to compete with Velo in Aldi and Dunnes and tap into the new post-covid home coffee market

Picked this up today but haven't tried it. Batch no. is 200421 so quite like roasted on 20 April 2021 I guess. €4 for 227g - they do a ground and whole bean of a Guatemalan and Brazilian blend

breeno · 17-05-2021 11:05pm

caviardreams wrote: »

Picked this up today but haven't tried it. Batch no. is 200421 so quite like roasted on 20 April 2021 I guess. €4 for 227g - they do a ground and whole bean of a Guatemalan and Brazilian blend

Let us know what it's like. I'm always on the lookout for an everyday (cheaper!) bean to compliment the nicer stuff! Bonus when it's available locally like this.

breeno · 18-05-2021 12:05am

On a similar note, are Aldi still doing the Roasting Collective beans or were they only temporary? They were actually quite decent.

Hodors Appletart · 18-05-2021 8:25am

breeno wrote: »

On a similar note, are Aldi still doing the Roasting Collective beans or were they only temporary? They were actually quite decent.

only temporary afaik, I always look for them when I'm in and haven't seen them since

breeno · 18-05-2021 9:19am

Hodors Appletart wrote: »

only temporary afaik, I always look for them when I'm in and haven't seen them since

Had a feeling that might be the case. Shame, they were pretty good for a very low price - around €2 for 227g bag.

Hodors Appletart · 18-05-2021 9:20am

You must have got them on special or something near the end of their run, they were similarly priced to the Velo stuff

The Hound Gone Wild · 18-05-2021 2:04pm

3FE opening a new shop in Rathgar and advertising a shop managers position for €13 an hour. They're catching a lot of shít on Twitter for it. Anyone in the industry know if these are standard wages?

I've heard the owner say on a podcast that he gives 33% of takings to staff wages no matter the level of income so I'd expect that to be a baseline I suppose?

DaveyDave · 18-05-2021 2:31pm

All sorts of retail or customer facing rolls are underpaid. Most of them are overworked and abused by customers.

Hodors Appletart · 18-05-2021 3:08pm

25k a year for a managers role is pretty bad (assume a 37.5hr week x 52)

what are the non-manager staff on?

caviardreams · 18-05-2021 7:50pm

Hodors Appletart wrote: »

25k a year for a managers role is pretty bad (assume a 37.5hr week x 52)

what are the non-manager staff on?

Minimum wage or just over I'd say. Retail management pay is terrible, especially as it is Sunday working etc. too (and a very tough gig). That said I would have put the typical for a role like this at €30k per year - as 3FE are on the pricier side coffee wise I would have expected that level.

Hodors Appletart · 19-05-2021 8:09am

God I've been so long out of retail, that's really bad.

Squidgy Black · 19-05-2021 2:22pm

The Hound Gone Wild wrote: »

3FE opening a new shop in Rathgar and advertising a shop managers position for €13 an hour. They're catching a lot of shít on Twitter for it. Anyone in the industry know if these are standard wages?

I've heard the owner say on a podcast that he gives 33% of takings to staff wages no matter the level of income so I'd expect that to be a baseline I suppose?

It's not that far off standard store management sort of wages, I know a few of my mates are on 13/14 quid per hour in clothing stores and that. Normal staff would probably be on 11 quid an hour just above minimum.

Think it's more just twitter as a whole taking umbrage that it's not paying exorbitant wages and pointing at stuff like cost of rent in Dublin, even though it's technically above the "living wage".

Hodors Appletart · 19-05-2021 3:24pm

The English speaking phone/chat agents who work in the company I work for are on 30k basic, anyone speaking a language we support are paid 33k, everyone is on mon-fri 9-5 too, no weekends or late nights

25k is a paltry sum to manage a coffee shop.

caviardreams · 19-05-2021 6:37pm

caviardreams wrote: »

Picked this up today but haven't tried it. Batch no. is 200421 so quite like roasted on 20 April 2021 I guess. €4 for 227g - they do a ground and whole bean of a Guatemalan and Brazilian blend

Tried the Brady's from LIDL - it's nice, decent, if unremarkable but tbh there have been a couple of "meh" beans in the last few badger & dodo subs which I would put in the same ballpark so could definitely see myself buying this if low on beans or now and again. €17.60 per kg so a good price point. A good solid drinkable coffee to me, on the chocolatey side. Might work better as espresso as it's what I'd class as a medium-dark roast (I'm using a clever)

Good to see an Irish business doing well anyway!

Hodors Appletart · 20-05-2021 8:06am

Sounds like it's worth a try

caviardreams · 20-05-2021 8:10am

Hodors Appletart wrote: »

Sounds like it's worth a try

As it's a new product line I may have got v lucky with the roast date being reasonable and not sure that will continue going forward and may affect things, and I imagine there may be some variability if beans change over time too.

Definitely worth a try - it definitely wasn't awful and I'd put it above the Aldi Velo tandem for example.

Hodors Appletart · 20-05-2021 8:18am

Oh really, better than Tandem?

Bigbooty · 20-05-2021 8:37am

Anyone get that Yemeni SO cloudpicker released to raise money for UNICEF? Just opened it there and it's cracking. Right up my street.

caviardreams · 20-05-2021 8:57am

Hodors Appletart wrote: »

Oh really, better than Tandem?

I thought so but I'm really not a fan of the Tandem tbh so don't go by that. I really like Velo's other stuff, but not the tandem.
Still haven't tried the Dunnes BMX so must give that a shot.

Hodors Appletart · 20-05-2021 9:23am

I really like the Tandem in the FP, especially at 1 Litre plus volumes

not a fan of it in Aero or other smalller methods really

Hodors Appletart · 21-05-2021 11:17am

I was just in Driftwood in Finglas, they have bags of Upside Burundi with a date of 12/05 on them. I didn't pick one up because I've just opened a couple of bags of B&D, but someone might be interested

Weepsie · 21-05-2021 11:52am

Hodors Appletart wrote: »

I was just in Driftwood in Finglas, they have bags of Upside Burundi with a date of 12/05 on them. I didn't pick one up because I've just opened a couple of bags of B&D, but someone might be interested

This guy. I've to pop into the bike shop there too so 2for1

Anyway my good bean order arrived on my desk at work this morn. 1 roasted on Wednesday, 2 last Friday and another is about 3 weeks ago so no complaints there really.

TheRef · 21-05-2021 12:02pm

I got some free bags of Velo Tandem with my new Sage DTP. Wasn't particularly impressed. Moved quickly to the PS Roasters range and they were significantly better. Bought the Velo BMX in Dunnes recently and on that now. Won't be buying it again.
It's fine but life's too short...

Krusty_Clown · 23-05-2021 1:56pm

Finally got around to roasting some of the natural Myanmar Catuai. I went a little darker than I normally would, but even just 24 hours later, it's an incredible cup. It's like a chocolaty version of an Ethiopian natural. Never tasted anything quite the same. Definitely one to look out for if you like natural processed coffees.

caviardreams · 25-05-2021 9:05pm

More new coffee brands coming to LIDL including Soma: https://www.shelflife.ie/lidl-makes-e2-5-million-supply-deal-with-irish-artisan-coffee-producers/

Squidgy Black · 26-05-2021 10:11am

caviardreams wrote: »

More new coffee brands coming to LIDL including Soma: https://www.shelflife.ie/lidl-makes-e2-5-million-supply-deal-with-irish-artisan-coffee-producers/

I've had some of Soma's stuff, they're great roasters. Should be interesting to see how it works out.

It's good to see things move towards a more accessible market

MiskyBoyy · 27-05-2021 10:02pm

Tesco have Warbler & Wren coffee now, €5 per 200g

https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=308858959

Picked up a bag but haven't tried it yet.

https://www.hotpress.com/lifestyle-sports/warbler-wren-guardians-best-coffee-dublin-cup-bean-22778363

Hodors Appletart · 27-05-2021 10:28pm

it's white label lavazza

Scroll down here

caviardreams · 29-05-2021 8:56pm

I've been wanting an electric gooseneck variable temp kettle for ages and think it's time as a birthday treat. It would open up trying a V60 etc. to me, but at the moment I only use a clever dripper so maybe I won't notice any upgrade until I move to pour over?

Any recommendations? Looking at the Fellow stagg but a cheaper option would be nice!

Squidgy Black · 30-05-2021 5:53pm

caviardreams wrote: »

I've been wanting an electric gooseneck variable temp kettle for ages and think it's time as a birthday treat. It would open up trying a V60 etc. to me, but at the moment I only use a clever dripper so maybe I won't notice any upgrade until I move to pour over?

Any recommendations? Looking at the Fellow stagg but a cheaper option would be nice!

Bonavita sometimes pops up on sale some places, or else just go with a standard gooseneck and a thermometer. I've one of the electric Hario v60 kettles and the thermometer lid (that I managed to get cheap on eBay), but any digital thermometer with a nice display would work

caviardreams · 06-06-2021 5:25pm

Picked up a bag of Viking Blend by Coffe House Lane in the Grow with Ireland Aldi specials - €5 for 227g. They also had their 1690 blend there.

Production date looks to be 28th May from the batch code. There was another Irish brand there but the roast date was 16th Feb so left it.

Weepsie · 07-06-2021 12:59am

caviardreams wrote: »

Picked up a bag of Viking Blend by Coffe House Lane in the Grow with Ireland Aldi specials - €5 for 227g. They also had their 1690 blend there.

Production date looks to be 28th May from the batch code. There was another Irish brand there but the roast date was 16th Feb so left it.

They're not too bad. I used to pick up 3 bags for 10 from their stall at bloom

Enrico Palazzo · 08-06-2021 7:46pm

caviardreams wrote: »

I've been wanting an electric gooseneck variable temp kettle for ages and think it's time as a birthday treat. It would open up trying a V60 etc. to me, but at the moment I only use a clever dripper so maybe I won't notice any upgrade until I move to pour over?

Any recommendations? Looking at the Fellow stagg but a cheaper option would be nice!

Won't make a difference for clever as there is no need for flow control. Also, a plain gooseneck pot will do the job just fine for V60. Enough to pour boiling water in, use a thermometer and a timer to see how long it takes to drop to the desired temperature the first time and then just reproduce the volume and time moving forward. With my setup it takes 25 seconds for 0.5l of boiling water to drop down to 94 degrees in the pot. And the pot was like 10 euro.

Weepsie · 11-06-2021 2:23pm

Giving creed on Pearse street my business when I do want to buy a coffee now. 2.50 for a filter is a good price certainly better than others, and it's a nice cup too..

Helps that I'm literally beside them, but was always hmming over walking to 3fe or Cloud picker

caviardreams · 12-06-2021 11:52am

2.50 for filter is a great price in fairness! Have you tried their beans at all?

Weepsie · 12-06-2021 11:12pm

I havn't. they chrage a bit more in store I think than online, but the filter was this I think

https://creedcoffeeroasters.ie/product/kenya-kariaini-aa/

Hodors Appletart · 15-06-2021 9:44am

My mrs brought home some of this stuff from Aldi yesterday

Link

Blake's Culture Blend - BB Feb 2022 so roasted a good 4 months ago, but that's not the worst part.

The front of the bag is fine

Peruvian and Indonesian whole-bean coffee, blended to perfection to create a full bodied rich smooth taste with a hint of fruitiness

all good, sounds ok if not a bit generic on the descriptors.

But on the back! I'll break this paragraph up into it's component parts, and give a commentary on each part if you don't mind.

A blend of three beans - Oh, wonder if it's two peruvian or two indonesian

designed to give the coffee a nice body, with low acidity and a hint of sweetness - sounds ok actually, a bit better than the front description anyway

The main bean variety used is an Arabica bean - Main bean? Main? what?

Sumatra Mandheling Raja Gayo cool, the indo bean is Arabica.

This gives the blend a nice smooth body - right, surely a SO Indo bean is bring more to the party than "smooth body"?

To this we add some Peruvian Arabica HB Grade One, which gives the blend it's sweetness and a hint of fruitiness - no origin statement for the Peruvian at all.

To this we add a small amount of Robusta - aw hell naw

for that extra kick of caffeine - and what flavour profile is the Robusta bringing? no mention of that?

20.5/330ml Clever Dripper, Hoffman Method

Tastes ok, it does have that kind of rich chocolatiness suggested by "body" "sweetness" "rich" and "smooth", the fruitiness is kind of orange peel bitterness in the finish, which almost tips over into acrid (it smells acrid in the bag).

Little bit of cardboard/paper in it too, but I'll put that down to age.

caviardreams · 15-06-2021 10:55am

Thanks for taking the hit on that one for us all! :pac:

The Coffee House Lane Aldi blend is grand - a medium dark roast imo so may work better in espresso. Can't taste much of anything in it. Would have the Brady's in LIDL above it for sure.

Good roast date on it though and 100% Arabica from what I can tell!

Weepsie · 15-06-2021 12:10pm

At the risk of sounding like a shill for Creed, popped in yesterday to get some espresso beans and a filter on my break. Got the house blend which tasted great as a white american this morning using my flair, though my second cup a little while ago was not as good due to user error in the prep.

Anyway, they gave me the filter for free, so likeing that service.

caviardreams · 15-06-2021 12:18pm

How's the flair going for you? Toying between the Robot and the Flaire at the moment - both look ace!

Weepsie · 15-06-2021 12:56pm

Flair is mostly excellent. The biggest issue is me. I have a tendency to try lots of new beans and move around so dialling in grind settings on the ZX pro can have a big effect on it.

I enjoy the workflow though it's not for everyone. I heat the chamber on a moka pot base, and the portafilter in the cup I'm using and grind while doing that. Getting the tamp right is nearly the trickiest part and I think it's because of the shape of the portafilter. You can make it uneven easily until you get the knack of it.

I probably didn't need the Pro, just I found a very lightly used one for a little more than Signature. I only intended on getting the neo.

I also have the new Rok, complete with bottomless portafilter and the pressurised filter. Its better if your in a hurry, as there's less faffing, easier to prep and clean, but the extraction just isn't as good and is a bit thinner. Some guy in Korea does a lot of mods for it though.

What I like about them most is that, parts can of course where etc, but I'm not going to be scratching my head in 10-20 years time looking for an electrical part, and they're built like tanks. I had an original Rok that I just sold, and it still worked very well, just the threads for the various screws were wearing so I had to change a few of them

I use it 4-5 days a week (probably 10-15 times a week) so I've no complaints. I still use the V60 a lot when I want something different, and I'm going to soon settle on go to espresso beans and stick with them.

caviardreams · 15-06-2021 2:50pm

Hadn't even thought of the Rok thanks!

Really helpful thanks for taking the time.

Weepsie wrote: »

I use it 4-5 days a week (probably 10-15 times a week) so I've no complaints. I still use the V60 a lot when I want something different, and I'm going to soon settle on go to espresso beans and stick with them.

Ah stop, where's the fun and frustration in that!

:P

zweton · 18-06-2021 8:46am

anyone rate Bewleys Subriana? had it the other day was nice.

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

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