Espresso coffee

Have a look here.

Try Illy coffee, it is sold in my local sainsburys in both ground and in beans. It's sold in a solid container which will be good for a month if you leave it the fridge.

although somewhat subjective to me it is the best....

Dave

I'll second Illy, the only pre-ground that was fine enough for my gaggia.

Now putting on my evil hat:
don't just think 'grinder', think 'roaster' as well

Illy is great, as is lavazza.

I wouldn't recommend keeping it in the fridge though - this is (allegedly) a myth. The cold breaks down certain oils which produce flavour. Apparently, you should keep it in an air tight container.

Phil

I've got Illy in the tin at the moment. Normally I go for Lavazza, don't let the crap packaging put you off it's very good indeed.

Spock

Kevinrt,

I always buy beans in bulk (ie 3 Kg a time) from Pumphreys in the local market as they give good discounts (see link). I store the beans in the freezer, in sealed containers, until ready for use Pumphreys. They also do mail order.

How fine or course your beans are ground is dependent on personal taste as much as the power of the pump your machine uses. If the beans are ground too coarse the water runs through without extracting the coffee, too fine and it simply will not pass through (without a powerful pump) or will be sludgey.

Pre-ground beans to suit all machines will inevitably be somewhere in the middle.

My machine is a Miele integrated machine, this grinds the beans immediately prior to brewing for maximum freshness. You can vary both the amount and coarseness of the coffee to your personal taste.

Hope this helps and enjoy the coffee.

Regards

Nic

Hi Kevin

You will not get really good coffee until you grind your own. It is the key factor. And then grind before each use.

Not much use this advice as you have yet to acquire a grinder. But here is some good advice. When you get a grinder do yourself a favour and go to hillandvalleycoffee.co.uk. It is owned / run by Charlie and Debbie a guy who knows his stuff aided by his wife on the admin side. I have bought their coffee for about 5 years and it is far better than any other I have found. It is roasted the day it is posted.

Anyway you have three weeks to get your grinder as they are away on holiday!

Whatever you do - try it.

Max

Sorry, but to echo an earlier post the only way to get good coffee is to roast the beans at home and then use straight away. If you don't use them, then throw the beans away or just buy Mellow Birds.

On a Naim forum it should be recognised that the source is paramount, whatever comes after can only degrade the experience

Nick,

Most people have neither the time, skill or the patience to roast their own beans prior to preparing each cup of coffee. To suggest that otherwise they may as well drink Mellow Birds is a bit like saying you cannot listen to music unless they have a CD555/LP12 Aro etc.

You can be a purist, without the need to insult everyone else who simply enjoys a decent cup of coffee.

Nic

skill time pateience? if you van breathe you can roast coffee.

If you feel insulted, tough.

Nick

What do you do when you want a cup of tea or a glass of orange?

Spock

quote:

Originally posted by Nick from Suffolk:
skill time pateience? if you van breathe you can roast coffee.

If you feel insulted, tough.

Nick,

It is difficult to feel insulted by one with such a limited grasp of spelling.

I have pretty thick skin, I just thought your remarks were insulting to everyone who happens not roast their own coffee beans, but if you want to continue to act like a twat, fuck off.

Nic

I've always liked Illy coffee, although in our house we've been drifting towards the Fairtrade stuff. Anyone know of a really good Fairtrade brand that does either ground or bean coffees?

K

PS - Andrea in the bar at Ogilvy & Mather makes a mean espresso (when he's there)

Why did Waitrose stop stocking Kimbo (sign of old age) which was much smoother than Lavazza and with good body. A nice alternative, now absent.

got a guilty concience a while ago for not using fairtrade coffee but... the ft stuff I tried was all crap and I've returned to Lavazza [the best around]. I've had fresh gound Gaggia brewed and barrista served that's tasted like *%$£". My el cheapo home machine with Lavazza turns out a lovely brew time after time.

I think that taking the esoteric route, fresh roast/fresh ground expensive machine etc is just making a rod for your own back as you're never able to get a cup of the same quality elsewhere eg when on holiday.

What I have found is that the right cup is paramount - all white, chunky porcelain, rounded in shape [not "deco"], with an open loop handle and pre-warmed.

I've been using some Illy pre-ground this week but am finding that even with a really firm tamp a double shot comes out in 10-15 secs with only a little crema. Any suggestions of other factors that affect the outcome?

You need a good 15 bar pressure to get a good crema.

Spock

Also, worth flushing your system thru if you have not done this for a while. Just make a cup of coffee as normal but don't put the coffee in.

Spock

A good grinder makes a huge difference.

But make sure it's a burr grinder as the ones that chop with blades, although cheaper, are not good.

quote:

all white, chunky porcelain, rounded in shape [not "deco"], with an open loop handle and pre-warmed.

I prefer thin porcelain with vertical sides, but then I like a double shot with a slug of unfoamed milk. But for a straight expreso shot, I agree chunky rounded cups.

quote:

Originally posted by kevinrt:
Any suggestions of other factors that affect the outcome?

if you have a single shot basket try that instead.

Can anyone living in the Oxford area recommend a good coffee shop so as I can get a good baseline espresso to compare my attempts with? We have a fair mix of *$s, Costa, Coffee Republics but I don't know about any decent independants.

(Mark Litherland used to post here and appeared to live locally, is he still around?)

Also does anyone know where I can buy Reg barber Tampers from a shop in the UK?

quote:

Can anyone living in the Oxford area recommend a good coffee shop

These are like hens teeth anywhere in the country.

One thing though you'll never get a decent espresso in any of the "chains". The best places are usually private and run by Italians.