Coffee beans

Try either (or both!), Lavazza Rosso, or Illy Beans..........both great in my Jura.

Enjoy 

Dave.

The best coffee I have ever tasted is Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.  Quite mild but wonderful flavour.  Beware though, costs a small fortune over here!

Peter

Hi

I have Lavazza Espresso [preground] for my Gaggia Classic as my every day staple.

If you are in the UK and into your coffee you must investigate the Algerian Coffee Store. If you are ever in London, make a bee-line to their door! 

http://www.algcoffee.co.uk/scripts/default.asp

Cheers, Julian

Check out Union Roasted Coffee online.

I got a 6 month 'subscription' as a gift and some of the cofee is genuinely sublime, a complete league from anything I would ever buy in a shop, and better even than from the specialist shop in my home town.

Some of the verbiage on the website reminds me of the worst sort of pretentious wine reviewers drivel (my latest delivery will apparently taste of strawberry candyflosss and plum spice) but the varieties they have sent so far have been superb, and interestingly different.There is plenty of info if you have an idea what sort of cofee you want, or just take a punt.

One tip for great coffee, get a burr grinder rather than a spinning blade. It really does make a difference.

I have a beans-to-cup Jura machine and a stove top pot which I use at various times (and even take on holiday with me!)

I figure I drink only one or two cups a day but I really like it to be good cofee, and now it is a real treat.

Bruce

My experience is probably not relevant unless you have a branch of Whittards near you, but they have a great range of ground coffees and beans. You don't need to have a grinder yourself as they will grind small quantities for you.

The girls behind the counter in Worcester are real enthusiasts, and have suggested some splendid coffees for me to brew.

The problem is that it is certainly more expensive then pre-ground vacuum packed coffee from the supermarket. Of these, my favourite is not seemingly special, but I like it as robust but certainly very fine brew: Co-op Fairtrade Columbian - currently marketed under their "simply Irresistible" range. I make this straight in the mug, allow to brew and then add sugar and milk to taste.

ATB from George

There used to be a coffee shop in Sheffield called Pollards. They used to roast the green beans on site. Many varieties. Wonderful smell coming from the shop! I've just Googled Pollards and found their web site. They are now wholesale only, but their web site is full of information about coffee, equipment etc. Well worth a look. 

Thanks to all replies so far. My machine grinds the beans itself - will check what type of grinder it is. 

Am loving trying different beans at the moment - soooo much better than the usual cuppa! Appreciate all help / advice as per. normal.

My local Whittards are quite helpful, but feel a few gigs in London combined with coffee shop visits won't go amiss.

ps - in between grinds, where do yo store your beans? Someone told me in a sealed plastic tub (thanks takeaways!) in the freezer - any thoughts?

Yep. We have a Cuisinart burr grinder and it does a great job. Much better than the spinny-blade models.

Dancing Goats from Seattle is great. Not sure you can buy it in the uk (?)

Yeah the Pacific Northwest is awash with interesting boutique coffees. I'm sure there is a huge variety in the UK as well.

My current favorite coffee is Ruta Maya.  The beans come from an organic cooperative farm in Chiapas, Mexico, and are slow roasted in Austin, Texas.   They have an online store, and I order six kilo-sized bags at a time.   I open one, and the other five keep perfectly fresh in the freezer.

Three cheers for the inventor of the auto-brew, auto-grind coffee maker!  

Hook

Gaggia Titanium super automatic here.  I like Illy and Lavazza; Mrs like SBUX Espresso beans, so that is what we generally serve.

Try Vergnano

Graham, I share your pain - I was distraught when Pollards closed though I used it more for loose tea than for coffee. However, the good news is that they reopened a few months ago on Ecclesall Road, close to the Hunters Bar roundabout. It's not a cafe anymore but they still offer the same range of tea and coffee, and you can combine a visit with a shopping expedition on Eccy and Sharrow Vale Road.

Regards

Nigel

The best Italian coffee is Illy, which can get from the Waitrose and is currently on offer at 1/3 off. It's not cheap but is a wonderful coffee and takes me back to Italy.

I've just bought 3 tins at £3.90 on offer from Waitrose.

Dave

Nigel,

          Thanks for the tip off. It's been a while since I was on Eccy. Must get down there soon.

Great area for restaurants (very cosmopolitan).

Surely it is "Dancing goats from Seattle ARE great....."

And yes, they are. Highly amusing.

Lavazza Rosso, that's a very classy Dave, my fave too. Cafe Kimbo is also quite smooth, but not sure if you can get it in the UK though.

Kind regards

Jo

Mind you, though the Jura wins on convenience, the, (presently retired), Gaggia Classic still manages to turn out a tastier espresso.

Thoughts anyone...................remember, this is not Hi-Fi corner, so no talk of any upgrades! 

Regards,

Dave.

This is the best expresso maker known to man, being Sicilian I should know, every househould in Italy and Sicily has one, and makes the best expresso ever...

60,000,000 Italians swear by it.

The "Lazy Sunday" blend from Taylor's of Harrogate is superb - either in beans or ground form.  It's got a light refreshing taste.  Many of Taylor's coffees are excellent and there's plenty of choice in their range - and no, I don't have any connection with the firm!  At the moment I'm enjoying a Columbian coffee from the memorable "Grumpy Mule" brand - love the name too!

Really bizzare-I tried this new cofee yesterday and it really does taste (a bit) of strawberry. Incredibly light and fruity.

I take it all back

http://www.unionroasted.com/bello-horizonte.html