Espresso Pot Coffee

[mrcigar]

Today, I am drinking coffee

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Splendid

[senor_robusto]

very nice indeed! a couple of years back we picked up a great bialletti brikka in a thrifty in portrush (on n. ireland's north coast)!! what coffee are you enjoying?

alex

[senor_robusto]

oh, sorry..... i see an illy can there! lol.....

[mrcigar]

I use Lavazza too but it's not as smooth as Illy... or as expensive!

Milk is full cream too. Anything less and you should skip it and drink as an espresso shot. And I pour it into the pot first to take the chill out of it. See 2nd to last pic.

[ChimpsInTies]

Sorry to be picky but that's called a moka pot. Not an espresso pot. For espresso you need lots more pressure

They make lovely coffee though. I have a very nice stainless steel one. You should really think about upgrading from aluminium to stainless steel. Doesn't aluminium give you alzheimer's? I forget

[mrcigar]

Yes, you are quite right about the difference between moka and espresso - I had forgotten. Also, I can't remember... ermm... aluminium? where?

[senor_robusto]

i recommend you try some taylors 'hot lava java' or 'after dark' ground coffee in you moka pot! available in most supermarkets:

http://www.taylorscoffee.co.uk/products/lifestyle-coffee/hot-lava-java.asp

http://www.taylorscoffee.co.uk/products/lifestyle-coffee/after-dark.asp

or

cafe direct's machu picchu or mayan palenque!

http://www.cafedirect.co.uk/explore-our-range/gourmet-roast-ground-coffees/machu-picchu-organic/

http://www.cafedirect.co.uk/explore-our-range/gourmet-roast-ground-coffees/mayan-palenque/

all these coffees are easily available in supermarkets for around ?3.50 a bag! much better than illy's or lavazza, though they're still great coffees!

alex

[monkey66]

A second for Taylor's as a good supermarket brand. Don't seem to suffer the drastic over-roasting of many of the non-specialist brands. We use their Italian Roast beans at the office for our day to day brew.

Sent from happy, clappy, tappy.

[ChimpsInTies]

Of course surely someone who is willing to spend ?10+ on a single cigar wouldn't dream of drinking supermarket dish water... sorry, I mean supermarket coffee.

Until you'd bought fresh roasted coffee (and by fresh roasted I mean within a week of actually being roasted not roasted then sealed in a bag and left on a shelf for months on end) usually from on internet supplier. There are plenty of places you can get it online for about ?4-5 a bag. 2 of my favourites are coffeebeanshop.co.uk and RaveCoffee (who do free delivery over ?25). Once you've tasted how good coffee can actually taste, you will never want to drink supermarket muck again. Trust me!

[senor_robusto]

Of course surely someone who is willing to spend ?10+ on a single cigar wouldn't dream of drinking supermarket dish water... sorry, I mean supermarket coffee.

Until you'd bought fresh roasted coffee (and by fresh roasted I mean within a week of actually being roasted not roasted then sealed in a bag and left on a shelf for months on end) usually from on internet supplier. There are plenty of places you can get it online for about ?4-5 a bag. 2 of my favourites are coffeebeanshop.co.uk and RaveCoffee (who do free delivery over ?25). Once you've tasted how good coffee can actually taste, you will never want to drink supermarket muck again. Trust me!

oh the irony of it...... i mentioned the coffee above simply because it's readily available and inexpensive! one doesn't have to buy ?25 worth to save on a measly couple of quid! in theory, once P&P is paid, your 'fresh roasted' coffee probably works out at ?6-7 a bag! this coffee is within 5 minutes reach of most people, hence the recommendation! also, monkey is our resident coffee expert, if taylors tastes good to him, then that's recommendation enough for me!

taylors and cafe direct has pleased en the most hardened 'coffee nazis' on here (where are you big_T), try it, you may even like it!

alex

[ChimpsInTies]

Been there, done that. It's garbage end of. It's like someone coming on here and saying, "Why not just have a hamlet and be done with it". You'd laugh them out of the room.

From coffeebeanshop you can get 4 bags for ?14.99 + ?4 P&P. That's less that ?5 a bag. From Rave, if you buy 5 or 6 bags you get free delivery so you're getting it for less than ?5 again.

The reason Taylors is usually considered OK by most people is because they've probably never had decent coffee to compare it to. Coffee is a journey like cigars or wine or whiskey. If no one recommended things to you from their own experience you'd probably still be smoking hamlets and drinking nescafe. If you're happy to live in ignorant bliss then so be it. If you want to accept the knowledge and recommendations of others then don't be so dismissive.

[monkey66]

I know where you are coming from Chimp ...but.

When I looked for coffee for my new office at the beginning of the year I quickly discounted any kind of high-end set-up. I got a good bean to filter machine and started testing ?3.50 bags of coffee. Whilst one can get better deals buying by the kilo (or 5) the loss in quality of having that bag open for more than a few days is not worth it for me.

We tried about 20 supermarket coffees and by far the winner (for an everyday blend) was the Taylor Italian Roast. Grinding for each pot makes a big difference, as does the bag never being more than a couple of days exposed to the air (always best when first opened though). We spent some time until we found the sweet spot for water/coffee ratio for our machine. Now we have it is very consistent.

Most of these high-end coffees require more love and attention than an average office environment will allow (date period, temperature distinct taste profiles not always appealing to the majority etc.). Whichever way you cut it for a business there is significant cost implications here too.

At home I drink mainly SquareMile and Hasbean in my custom PID Bezzera, custom Super Jolly, Chemex, and PID filter machine. I have tried the Taylors at home (when mis-timed online orders for real coffee meant no coffee) and it does not compare with proper coffee in the espresso machine, but it wasn't a disgrace either. I would compare it as a bit better than a good tin of Illy (they are very variable) to give a reference point. Not that I drink Illy any more but 8 years ago I thought it was the dogs.

All of course just MHO. You are absolutely right that coffee is a journey and I understand your cynicism about Taylors but I can only share my experience and take it as you will.

BTW - I had fully expected to have to spend the extra and not find a cheap, drinkable coffee, it was a surprise to me too.

I always recommend at home people should all try a little real coffee with the suppliers we both mentioned and a simple fliter/chemex type set-up. You are quite right when you say once you have tried proper coffee the difference is night and day.

[ChimpsInTies]

Ahh, a fellow coffee lover.

Maybe we're spoiled at work because they've just bought us a full auto bean to cup espresso machine. Not to my taste as I can make far superior espresso on my Gaggia at home but nice for everyone in the office to simply press a button and get good coffee out.

Looking after coffee doesn't take too much work. Just don't leave the bag open on the side. Make sure it's always put away in an airtight box. I wasn't necessarily advocating buying massive kg bags but rather 4-5 250g small bags that way they can stay sealed til you need them. It doesn't take much to get through that in a month. If you're splitting the order between a couple of people even easier.

Life's to short for crap [coffee, cigars, whisky, steak, wine, etc etc]

[senor_robusto]

Been there, done that. It's garbage end of. It's like someone coming on here and saying, "Why not just have a hamlet and be done with it". You'd laugh them out of the room.

From coffeebeanshop you can get 4 bags for ?14.99 + ?4 P&P. That's less that ?5 a bag. From Rave, if you buy 5 or 6 bags you get free delivery so you're getting it for less than ?5 again.

The reason Taylors is usually considered OK by most people is because they've probably never had decent coffee to compare it to. Coffee is a journey like cigars or wine or whiskey. If no one recommended things to you from their own experience you'd probably still be smoking hamlets and drinking nescafe. If you're happy to live in ignorant bliss then so be it. If you want to accept the knowledge and recommendations of others then don't be so dismissive.

......so, we have a coffee snob amongst our ranks? lol! i have tried 'good' coffee, i have friends that class themselves as 'coffee snobs' and spend a fortune on buying from all over the country, from the places you guys mentioned! it was nice, but i don't ponder too much over coffee..... i like it, that's it! most folk on here don't have semi pro set ups, most of us have an espresso machine, pod machine, stove top, aerocinno, french press or plain ol' kettle and hot water!

oh, and you reckon i'd still be smoking hamlets and drinking nescafe if i didn't get recommendation from here? that's a bit presumptuous! for your info, all my knowledge is self gained through my own experience! i grew in this hobby with most of the guys on this forum, swapping cigars and debating each of their merits! i've i went from not smoking at all to smoking only cuban cigars about 5 years ago! the one thing i did learn was that most here don't look down their noses at people starting out or with 'less sophisticated palletes' than theirs! coffee, i like the stuff! nuff said!! whisk(e)y, now that's another subject altogether........

at the end of the day pal, we've all seen pompous a**holes come and go here! you sound like another one of those......

alex

[senor_robusto]

Life's to short for crap [coffee, cigars, whisky, steak, wine, etc etc]

lol...... oh right! life must be exciting for you then...... who are you, michael winner?

alex