Aeropress!

[scullion Profile]

Brazier coffee in Somerset roast their own.

black chough (pronounced chuff), roasted down here, is pretty good, too.

[Renee Profile]

What an interesting place scullion, but I wasn't quite sure about the descriptions! The Guatemalan coffee flavours are described as "A fantastic, very sweet coffee with Mango, Pineapple and Plum flavours".

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Sounds fairly nasty to me Renée, but I'm sure they do several

Update on the potential bargain coffee beans I mentioned

For some reason one of the yuppie/hipster food shops has a supply of Italian coffee bean, Caffé del Presidente, at half price (£8.99 instead of £17.99 for a kilo)

Yum

I have stockpiled

[Renee Profile]

Sue, I thought that all the descriptions sounded rather strange! I just want coffee that tastes like coffee!

I hope that you enjoy the Caffé del Presidente!

[Renee Profile]

This is an interesting website:

https://barefootcoffeeroasters.com/coun ... fee-beans/

[scullion Profile]

I wasn't quite sure about the descriptions!

i didn't think anyone really took any notice of those sort of descriptions - just remember the ridiculous descriptions by 'the wine show', a few decades ago, with the flavours of tarmac (along with the usual suspects) etc.
the black chough is a really good, strong roast coffee. i don't know if i've noticed caramel.

[Renee Profile]

Yes and I can remember Jilly Goolden's descriptions of wines many years ago on the BBC programme! Mind you, I can taste grapefruit when I drink Cabernet Sauvignon!

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I’d like to know what the code is for one particular flavour or aroma in those overblown descriptions

You know how if you soak pulses before you cook them, the soaking water has a distinctive odour? That’s a note I detect in some quite expensive coffees and I dislike it. The Presidente is mercifully free of it.

[Renee Profile]

I find that very interesting Sue and it's something that I might not notice. You must have a very keen sense of smell/taste!

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I seem to be part blood hound - I have a really good sense of smell, a bit of a two edged sword when working in a lab

When I was a regular in a local wine bar I was the VAR - or perhaps NAR (nasal assistant referee) - as it was accepted that I could reliably tell if a bottle of wine was corked or not with one good sniff

[Renee Profile]

Yes and I can remember Jilly Goolden's descriptions of wines many years ago on the BBC programme! Mind you, I can taste grapefruit when I drink Sauvignon Blanc!

I couldn't edit my post above to change the wine name, so have altered it on a quote.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Great article reviewing different coffee makers on Eater London, the Aeropress is highly recommended

I take her point that the “shots” it make are fine as the base for an Americano or a latte but I don’t really find it a substitute for a real espresso

https://london.eater.com/2020/3/11/2116 ... fee-makers

[slimpersoninside Profile]

Great article reviewing different coffee makers on Eater London, the Aeropress is highly recommended

I take her point that the “shots” it make are fine as the base for an Americano or a latte but I don’t really find it a substitute for a real espresso

https://london.eater.com/2020/3/11/2116 ... fee-makers

I would take exception with her best espresso machine, there are better ones on the market. This depends on if it was chosen for being a bean-to-cup, if so she could possibly be right.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

So which would you rate above the Sage, which I admit is on my wish list?

I have an entry level DeLonghi, it’s not brilliant but it was a freebie, so having lasted over 5 years with one repair it owes me nothing

[slimpersoninside Profile]

I'm not a machine guru but I belong to a coffee forum which helped me to choose.
I have a Lelit Mara and a decent entry level grinder (Eureka Mignon) which I'm very happy with and can't see upgrading.

It depends on what you're after. How keen you are to take time to perfect your technique, what space you have and do you want bean to cup/combined coffee and grinder (it is widely accepted that the grinder is more important than the espresso machine and the ones in btc and combined aren't as good as they should be) etc. Oh, of course how much you want to spend.

If you're interested this is the forum. It will probably raise more questions than it answers though. Some on there can be a bit off handish but others will take the time to help.
https://coffeeforums.co.uk/
I was going to get a Sage until I looked into it.

[slimpersoninside Profile]

I'm not a machine guru but I belong to a coffee forum which helped me to choose.
I have a Lelit Mara and a decent entry level grinder (Eureka Mignon) which I'm very happy with and can't see upgrading.

It depends on what you're after. How keen you are to take time to perfect your technique, what space you have and do you want bean to cup/combined coffee and grinder (it is widely accepted that the grinder is more important than the espresso machine and the ones in btc and combined aren't as good as they could be) etc. Oh, of course how much you want to spend.

If you're interested this is the forum. It will probably raise more questions than it answers though. Some on there can be a bit off handish but others will take the time to help.
https://coffeeforums.co.uk/
I was going to get a Sage until I looked into it.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Thanks, I’ll have a look on the coffee forum

I’m not convinced by bean to cup, having seen a demo of the Sage I think I’d find it very hard to keep clean, I was going for the “straight” version

[halfateabag Profile]

Sue, maybe it's worth another look..... We 'treated' each other to kitchen machines last Crimbo. Mine was a Sage (Kenwood) and his was a bean 2 cup coffee machine. I did the research and gave him a shedload of detail if he wanted to go down that route. I give him his due.... he did listen (0n that occasion) and his extensive knowledge of the bean, room temp. roastiness (wind direction !!!) and a lot of other stuff which you can't even begin to determine !!!!! I would not enter into the knowing of the machine, this is his beast and he now does me coffee - cappachino. The only thing I have requested is that he makes the frothy milk hotter so that I don't have to drink it straight away in less than a minute.

The machine was not cheap but (thanks Dad) we now have a treat of beautiful coffee (not every day) Earl Grey takes a turn as does Chai but I refuse to 'know' how the machine works otherwise I have made a rod for my own back. Yes, it can be tad messy but if you put an A4 sheet of card over the area where the 'mess' is made then you can collect the loose grounds and use them in the next cup. I find I am the one that sorts out the mess - why am I not surprised......

[Stokey Sue Profile]

So is that the Sage? Does sound great

Because of my eyesight I don’t always find particular bits of kit suit me, they have to be disability friendly as well as basically good - for example replacing my microwave will be a nightmare as I can’t read the displays on lots of them, and of course they aren’t plugged in when displayed in stores so guesswork from photos

[slimpersoninside Profile]

Ah yes, of course Sue, it must be a nightmare to get everyday items with your eyesight problems.

Good luck with finding what you want.