Coffee Grinders

Mark

The thing should be arriving Tuesday.

I will let you know how it performs.

Regards

Mick

Fritz

If I promise to send you a very large coffee grinder as a gift, will you promise to stick your head inside it when it is on full speed.

Regards

Mick

Based on what I'd read here, I bought the smaller sibling of the Kitchen Aid grinder depicted above. It arrived yesterday.

My first impression was that the coffee had lost an acidic note, one I didn't like, allowing a more rounded, fruity flavor to come through. The difference was more noticeable when the coffee had cooled a bit. This was pretty much what I'd expected. Maybe other differences will become apparent over time. All in all, this is on the order of a good tweak, rather than a full-blown box upgrade.

I'll try it on Phase 2 Mana tomorrow.

Strange how in another place other than one's own, wherte exactly the same machine, blend, etc, etc, are used, it always smells and tastes better, innit, know wot i mean Jonh?


Fritz Von To do wiv bikes innit, cycle-ogical

Chaps

The coffee grinder has arrived and we have used it for breakfast.

The machine is built like a tank and is built to last and frankly looks to be of professional rather than domestic quality. It is very heavy indeed.

It crushes rather than chops the beans and the result is a more vibrant tasting coffee.

One could easily become a coffee snob with this machine and the Gaggia.

It is well worth the money and I suggest you all buy one.

I am flying out on holiday later today leaving my son who is looking after the house to experiment with bean sizes etc.

On our returm (not certain when that is...(we may fly onto Spain after Tenerife to house hunt)
we will look to source some decent coffee beans.

Many thanks for your recommendations, this forum does attract some very knowledgable people.

Regards

Mick

Mick

I am pleased to hear that you like it. I thought you might.

On your return we must discuss beans.

Safe travels.

Simon

Chaps

We soon need to buy some coffee beans.

Any recommendations

We like it medium/strong.

Regards

Mick

Blue Mountain Belladonna

Mick,

Can't recommend any particular beans/coffee but I can recommend buying from the Tea & Coffee Emporium I'm sure if you give him a call you won't be disappointed with the results. He used to run briks as well....

Steve.

quote:

Originally posted by Mick Parry:
Any recommendations. We like it medium/strong.

Mick, I think the might want to figure out which type of bean you like first, and how you like it roasted. Strength has more to do with the amount of coffee, but sometimes it can be confused with the darkness of the roast (i.e. strong = nearly burnt). For espresso, you usually want a darker roast. You might want to try a few varieties of beans first - sample Java, Sumatra, Columbian, Ethiopian etc. See what tickles your taste buds. Often places that sell beans will blend a few of these and for espresson dark roast them. It's a bit like figuring out which type of wine you like. If you want to get going quickly though, then Illy sells whole been in silver sealed cans - if it's anything like their ground stuff it will be great. In fact, since you will grind it just before making the coffee it should taste better.

Hope that helps,

Dan

Is a burr-grinder like a pepper-mill? If so, how do the hand-cranked ones compare to those already recommended?

Mick

I use the cans of Illy beans, if anything through lack of time to track down and experiment with anything else.

Have you got the knack of running the grinder just long enough for the amount of coffe you are about to use? it took me a few goes to get it right, as I do not like the idea of leaving much in the glass bowl at the bottom, as I do not think it is air tight enough.

Simon

Mick,
As you will now know a GOOD grinder is a very important aspect of making a real espresso but it is not enough just to buy whole beans to grind. The roast, blend and of paramount importance is freshness. Illy beans are not fresh, I know about the vacuum sealing, inert gas and the hype but when compared to fresh roast they pale into insignificance.
Hill and Valley are an on-line micro-roaster who promise to deliver within a week of roasting but, I think they roast a little to dark (as is the current trend) if you do try something the “bourbon espresso” is very nice.
Roderts & Co. are excellent (E-shop has been down for a while but they are still trading) and I am lucky enough to live within 15 minutes of this roasters so cannot comment on there mail order service but the beans are the best pre-blended espresso I have had. Of course personal preferences come into this nevertheless the “Sienna” blend is there premium espresso and has won several taste awards, they are very proud of it.
As for trying single varieties, this will of course reveal your preferences, however unless you want to get into the world of blending a tried and tested pre-blended is better to stick with. Even if you find bean two varieties that you like they may not mix well, also a bean you may not be keen on singly may add something to espresso that improves the complexity of the final blend. Robusta for instance is regarded as inferior to Arabica (and would not be used alone) but is used extensively at 10 to 15 percent to a lot of espressos.
I actually buy green beans then roast and blend them, using four varieties (the norm for most espresso blends) so as to get the freshest roast, and the flavour I am looking for,
and it keeps me out of trouble,
John.

This lot could well be wartime codes being passed through enemy lines I fear ?


Fritz Von Shabby Tricks

Fritz,

Beware the cow that flies at midnight

John,

I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss the Illy stuff. I've had great results: good crema, consitent shot times, great taste. We're talking a fine line here - you're shooting for the sublime shot, and I can respect that, but I'm for reaching an acceptable level with minimum of fuss. Illy will beat the pants off of anything pulled at the local *$ by some clueless teenager.

Also, I still think it is worth educating yourself as far a varieties of bean. Moka-Java is a very common blend, but do you like the Moka or the Java part. If you like the Moka part you may also like Ethiopian. Often 'breakfast blends' are overly roasted South American beans. THe over-roasting makes it hard to tell whats in it, and usually Columbian is a cheaper bean than say Kona. I think the wine analogy holds -- educating yourself about different grape varieties adds imensely to the enjoyment.

Mick -- do you take your espresso straight or always with steamed milk? Are you still using that whizzer thingy?

Dan

Beware the cow that flies at midnight


That's my mates wife when she comes home drunk ?

Ah, it's great to see all my UK friends get the coffee tech/drinking bug; this is only fair payback for getting me hooked on Indian food in London all those years ago.

Of course, I've got the coffee monkey as bad as anyone else...

Sleepless In Seattle

Chaps

We will be buying some beans this afternoon and will let you know the results.

I am tempted to roast the beans myself or is that taking it a bit too far.

Regards

Mick

quote:

Originally posted by Mick Parry:
Chaps

We will be buying some beans this afternoon and will let you know the results.

I am tempted to roast the beans myself or is that taking it a bit too far.

Regards

Mick

Definately not ! But before you get into the oven with them make sure your fire-proof suit is done up !


Fritz Von Always helpful

Mick;

Very glad to hear that the Kitchen Aid grinder appears to be a success.

Our home coffee habits don't currently stretch to espresso, as although the method can be reduced to a reasonably precise methematical formula, there are IMHO significant variables introduced by not making cup after cup, as in a commercial environment.

Home roasting is absolutely practical. We have a tiny Hearthware roaster, which has now been superceded but as far as one can tell it does an excellent job, producing slightly over 2oz of roasted beans per session, which takes about 10 mins. Any roaster really needs to be run outside, as the process produces pleasant but pungent fumes. You therefore need an outside location which is within easy reach and sheltered from rain and has a power point, along with a good container to store your roasted beans, such as a Vacu-Vin coffee jar, which comes with a pump to get most of the air out of it. Ideally the beans should rest for about 24 hours before use.

The best thing about home roasting is that your coffee is fresher than it could otherwise be, and you control this. It is also enormous fun, as you can experiment with different roasts on different beans even before you start messing with your own blends, and so on.

One of the things we have found with coffee is that one can feel, with eperimentation, that one's preferences are veering in a particular direction, indicating that sensibilities are developing. I think it's really important at some point to acquire a fixed reference point of some sort. We did this a couple of weeks ago, by drinking this:



OK, you have to go to Rome and find the place, but a visit to Sant'Eustachio Cafè is IMHO worth whatever you have to do to get there. The experience is, quite simply, one of drinking the perfect cup of coffee, and it is absolutely impossible to say why it is so good -- you just go quiet and enjoy it. Interestingly, there were a couple of things which I noticed in the "method" which seemed untypical. Firstly, we were asked if we wanted sugar before the coffee was made. We normally take it straight, so we declined. What arrived was "licquorous" -- very slightly sweet in a way that sugar doesn't do, with no unpleasant aftertaste, but loads of "taste echo" like you get with a really nice port. Secondly, the barista stored his cups stacked on the machine in the normal way, but when getting down a new cup to use, he removed it from the bottom of the stack rather than the top. Thus our cups were significantly warmer than is usual (just comfortable to hold). (When using a Moka pot at home, I've found upending the cup over a empty toaster slot and powering the toaster for 90 seconds makes a big improvement over a cold cup.)

I would strongly recommend the trip. It's just around the corner from the Pantheon, so there is plenty in the vicinity to cause your jaw to hit the pavement...

Best;

Mark

Chaps

Fokkowing Marks posting, can anyone recommend a good roaster.

Regards

Mick

Rio Ferdinand.

Does he or they have a website.

Regards

Mick