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

s3rtvdbwfj81ch · 12-05-2019 12:30pm

have no beans in the house presently, miscalculated the Bailies sub length, and never got a new sub.

Stuck some of the mrs' Lavazza Oro into the aeropress (17g/180ml/85c/2min) and it was grand. I'm not sure you can make "bad" coffee in the aeropress tbh.

wersal gummage · 14-05-2019 1:36pm

Any thoughts on this, spec wise??

https://www.lidl.ie/en/special-offers.htm?articleId=19314

wersal gummage · 14-05-2019 1:37pm

Bawnmore wrote: »

€300, a Gaggia Classic is well within budget for example .

Was leaning towards this :

https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/smeg-ecf01

cnocbui · 14-05-2019 1:51pm

I was looking at those and almost went for one. Seems like a good machine.

alec76 · 14-05-2019 2:04pm

wersal gummage wrote: »

Was leaning towards this :

https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/smeg-ecf01

I don't know, there is no boiler there, only thermoblock ?
Obviously he didn't try none pressuriesed basket with it...
...plastic tamper does the job......
I wonder if this fella knows anything about espresso machines?

cnocbui · 14-05-2019 2:09pm

Nothing wrong with a thermoblock, or a plastic tamper.

alec76 · 14-05-2019 2:23pm

Boiler gives you constant temperature... without it almost impossible to get numbers right.... Unless you got extremely expensive water pump ....and expensive thermoblock ...combined with the boiler..not with this price range though.. As for the plastic tamper... Well, with the pressuresed basket no difference ...But again , you won't get decent shot with pressuresed basket.... Only great for newbies....

cnocbui · 14-05-2019 3:37pm

You seem to have some robust absolutist opinions there - I'll leave you to them...

alec76 · 14-05-2019 3:50pm

I am not saying that following machine is bad,just not happy with the review , I would not call it "trusted"

dball · 15-05-2019 12:11am

s3rtvdbwfj81ch · 19-06-2019 8:21am

Had a bit of a disaster!

I've been using a blade grinder that I picked up in Aldi or Lidl a couple of years ago, when I first started properly getting into coffee. I've found it fine, but the lid fell the other day and now it won't "engage" and so the blades won't function.

Anyway, a while back I got one of these from a friend

A Hario hand grinder, I put it together and it works fine, I need to get used to tweaking the grind size though.

I'd been given a bag of these for Father's Day, the roastery is around the corner from the house.

A fairly good Light Roast Rwandan, had a cup from the Aeropress this morning.

caviardreams · 30-06-2019 9:25am

With the sunny weather I have been having coffee in the late afternoon the past week, so opting for decaff :eek::eek::eek:

The Bell Lane one is very nice, for a decaff. Still prefer non-decaff for a much fuller and better flavour but the decaff is drinkable for sure.

Any other good decaffs round, or am I gonna get kicked off the forum for asking such a question? :pac::p

limnam · 30-06-2019 11:49am

caviardreams wrote: »

With the sunny weather I have been having coffee in the late afternoon the past week, so opting for decaff :eek::eek::eek:

The Bell Lane one is very nice, for a decaff. Still prefer non-decaff for a much fuller and better flavour but the decaff is drinkable for sure.

Any other good decaffs round, or am I gonna get kicked off the forum for asking such a question? :pac::p

*click* Ignored

I don't drink decaff so have no real recommendations. Just to say I am partial to an iced coffee in the warm weather

north south east west · 20-07-2019 5:40pm

What's McCabes coffee like? They are selling 1 kg bags of a number of different roasts for 21 euro which seems like good value.

dball · 25-07-2019 1:38pm

finally got one of the bean to cup machines last week on prime day on amazon, great thread over in Bargain alerts
about it.

Selling these as a result if i am allowed to post this here:
https://www.adverts.ie/small-kitchen-appliances/nespresso-coffee-grinder-espresso-french-press/18392538

Slaphead07 · 25-07-2019 6:15pm

wersal gummage wrote: »

Was leaning towards this :

https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/smeg-ecf01

I picked one up for €100 when my Gaggia Classic was acting up. Despite it's spec it actually makes superb smooth espressos and the milk frother is very easy to use. I'd hesitate at full price (currently €280 in BTs) but if you can get a good one at the right price why not?
there's an awfuf lot of nonsense talked about espresso machines but the bottom line is do they make good coffee? This one does.

The Nal · 26-07-2019 9:21am

What is wrong with people?

Starbucks traffic surges, posts best sales growth in three years

cnocbui · 26-07-2019 10:26am

Well if you were a German couple in Venice, it might beat a €950 fine for sitting down and making coffee on the steps of an old bridge. But other than that, the WiFi?

mossym · 26-07-2019 11:17am

The Nal wrote: »

What is wrong with people?

Starbucks traffic surges, posts best sales growth in three years

gateway drug. non coffee drinkers into bad coffee drinkers, result in increase in good coffee drinkers in a few years??

igCorcaigh · 26-07-2019 11:18am

mossym wrote: »

gateway drug. non coffee drinkers into bad coffee drinkers, result in increase in good coffee drinkers in a few years??

I don't hold out much hope.

Gloria Jeans is still busy, people seem very willing to pay over the mark for bad coffee.

Perhaps it's just a place to sit and chat?

I go to the indie shops for good coffee, but they do tend to be very small places.

Hodors Appletart · 28-07-2019 9:33am

i was in london for a few days and stopped into this place called long and short coffee its just off brick lane

i brought home some of this stuff

https://longandshort.london/coffee-shop/coffee/dambi-udo-ethiopia/

it really is gorgeous

cnocbui · 28-07-2019 10:49am

What weight are those bags - I assume 250g?

alec76 · 28-07-2019 11:23am

It says only 200g( additional information)

cnocbui · 28-07-2019 12:11pm

So €60 a kilo if you include postage. I'll pass.

Sephiroth_dude · 14-08-2019 12:13pm

Complete noob here, I recently brought a v60 and decided to try this morning, it came out looking like tea o_O , any ideas why this would happen? I followed a step by step guide as well .

The Nal · 14-08-2019 12:16pm

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

Complete noob here, I recently brought a v60 and decided to try this morning, it came out looking like tea o_O , any ideas why this would happen? I followed a step by step guide as well .

Sort of what it looks like from a V60. Did you grind the beans enough and pour the water directly on the coffee?

Sephiroth_dude · 14-08-2019 12:27pm

The Nal wrote: »

Sort of what it looks like from a V60. Did you grind the beans enough and pour the water directly on the coffee?

Yup It was a coarse grind, maybe I should have gone finer though?

The Nal · 14-08-2019 1:41pm

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

Yup It was a coarse grind, maybe I should have gone finer though?

Yup try it. The finer the grind the stronger the coffee!

adrian522 · 14-08-2019 1:47pm

How much coffee and how much water did you use? How did it taste?

J_E · 14-08-2019 11:46pm

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

Complete noob here, I recently brought a v60 and decided to try this morning, it came out looking like tea o_O , any ideas why this would happen? I followed a step by step guide as well .

What coffee are you using?

You should get a nice 'blooming' coffee bed at the start. Try not to pour too much all at once, go in consistent pulses where the bed is immersed . Try not to agitate the bed too much by pouring harshly. The idea is you want a gentle, constant flow of hot water through the bed of coffee and out the bottom.

Would recommend you do about 16g in and 250g out. Try time it for 3 mins. if it's off that mark you may need to adjust finer/coarser.

You should get an amazing cup of coffee if you do it right. Juicy and clean tasting coffee.

Bawnmore · 15-08-2019 10:10am

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 · 24-08-2019 1:08am

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

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

cnocbui · 24-08-2019 1:31am

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 · 24-08-2019 10:28am

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 · 08-10-2019 11:17pm

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

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

MiskyBoyy · 09-10-2019 1:14am

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! · 14-11-2019 2:13pm

@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 · 15-12-2019 11:37am

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

caviardreams · 15-12-2019 4:45pm

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 · 15-12-2019 6:48pm

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 · 15-12-2019 9:38pm

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 · 15-12-2019 9:42pm

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 · 22-12-2019 10:35am

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 · 23-12-2019 4:01am

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 · 23-12-2019 8:39am

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 · 23-12-2019 8:47am

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 · 23-12-2019 9:37am

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 · 23-12-2019 9:42am

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 · 23-12-2019 10:13am

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 · 23-12-2019 11:27am

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.

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

Comments