Coffee

Don't have decent coffee place near me anymore, so lazy and highly commercial but reliable choice is Fortnum's Sandringham Blend.

Even lazier instant is Lavazza's Prontissimo stuff from the supermarkets.

Not tried it myself but a colleague recommended "F*cking Strong Coffee" only last week. Not sure if it's hype but will be giving it a go.

Tested a variety of grounds - this is my current favourite. Slight hint if chocolate does help

Ooh...

Whittards 'San Agustin Colombia'  (from Whittards)

Raw Bean Coffee co 'Mexican'  (from Sainsbury's)

Iley  'Iley blend'  (commonly available)

Lavaza 'Black' or 'Qualita Oro'  (commonly available)

In that order.
All as beans fed into a DeLonghi bean to cup machine (and that's the lazy option as well!)

Here's a nice festive one from our local coffee supplier...

Union Revelation organic beans are nice. Grind them up and make a really good espresso with the Sage. 

I use the Signals coffee bar nr Ipswich, Trimley st Martin, great coffee from a naimite. You do need to ring ahead though unlike Costa and and Starbucks. But you can bring your own music to play on some delightful Hifi kit.....no need to buy. Hmmn did end up buying a ND555/555psu, 252/supercap last time.......coffee and company was superb.

Forgot to add: beans go into a JURA Classic - it grinds them as needed.
For a lazy version we also use Nespresso with a variety of capsules - surprisingly good coffee.

I use a cafetiere and favour Waitrose Columbian Blend or Illy Espresso if I need a bit more ooomph. For instant, Nescafe Alta Rica is the only one to pass my lips.

I moved to a Nespresso Lattissima+ two years ago.     I usually do the Fortissio or Envio Lungo, plus a shot of Roma Espresso into an insulated Yeti cup.   I add half & half instead of steaming milk with the Lattissima milk attachment.  Push the button.   No muss, no fuss.    

The more gear we have the less skill we need.

My know-it-all coffee-head son thinks this is sacrilege and he may be right.

I get beans from a local supplier, Bean Brothers in Huddersfield, currently using Ethiopian Sidamo which has a lovely sweet fruit/cocoa palate. Beans ground in Krups grinder, and coffee made in a deLonghi filter machine, drunk black.

I remain deeply unconvinced that using a Nespresso isn’t environmentally irresponsible. I know they’ve had some stick about this, so they may have improved since I last looked.

Be that as it may, here’s my current coffee situation:

Beans: Lavazza Qualita Oro (though I tend to go for almost anything that’s on offer in the supermarket)

Grinder: the rather literally-named ‘hand ground’ one that looks like an hourglass. Quite satisfying to use and very effective.

To brew: Filter machine for quick and everyday, stovetop Moka pot for when I need something extra strong and a Rok Espresso maker ‘for best’.

The Rok is definitely worth looking up on the ‘Tube if you haven’t come across it already. Like the grinder, it’s effective and satisfying in equal measure.

Mark

Really depends upon which flavour from the coffee you want. As part of what I do for a living I buy about £43k worth of coffee beans and filter for my retail outlets. All Lavazza who if you can try them do a wide range of single estate coffees.  I get a lot of samples sent to me from various companies which I give to staff to try and they give me feedback. Personally I am a Blue Mountain Clifton Estate man.

De Longhi, Jura, Nespresso, La Perruche... ooh, we are a refined lot on this forum, aren't we ? I'm about to get a de Longhi myself...

I use a variety of coffee delivery machines, Filter, Group 2, Group 3 and Bean to Cup.

The old posh bean to cup coffee machine, a Jura, continues to chuck out a most satisfying brew, whilst I'm perfectly satisfied with

Morrisons best Brazilian or Columbian beans.

Works for me.

I guess I'm quite serious about my coffe and I'm also lucky to have a few good choices of coffee suppliers in my area. Although it's of no interest to others on this forum - unless you suddenly decide to go to Bergen in Norway, and you also happen to bring your coffee brewing paraphernalia, then I can highly recommend Bergen Kaffebryggeri. I also buy a value pack from my local grocery which is consistenly of very good quality - although not always recently roasted.

Apart from that I use a variety of brewing equipment from Hario V60, Chemex, Bodum French Press, Aeropress, several manual grinders and also electric, various kettles etc.

My wife recently bought one of these Nespresso coffee makers with larger pods and it makes good tasting coffee (although I prefer my own).

My girls are buying me a grinder for Xmas.  Going to try different beans.  

SamClaus posted:

De Longhi, Jura, Nespresso, La Perruche... ooh, we are a refined lot on this forum, aren't we ? I'm about to get a de Longhi myself...

I’m not sure my DeLonghi is refined. I went for the Brilliante range because I loved the cheesy styling.

A few years ago someone bought me a gift from Union Coffee Roasters where I would get a couple of small packs of coffee beans of different varieties and styles delivered every month for a year. They do lots of single origin coffees as well as blends, and all hand-roasted.

This really opened the door to me buying much better coffee and I continue to buy all my beans from them. I like the lighter roasts and favourites at the moment are Yirgacheffe (Ethiopia) and Timana (Colombia) but I've never had one that wasn't interesting.

Make mine in a Jura bean-to-cup machine (which really is very good) or occasionally in a Moka pot on the hob.

Bruce

Mike,my favourite coffee brand has not  changed since the last coffee thread:Vergnano Granaroma,classic blend for moka.Oh,I said Moka,not Mokka...

pixies posted:

Here's a nice festive one from our local coffee supplier...

Snap! Having very limited space, this De Longhi was a godsend, it was either this or no machine. It has its limitations compared to larger or more expensive machines, but we no longer have instant coffee in the house. After some months of sampling beans and ready ground from local stores and mail order we have settled on Lidl ready ground Java Sumatra.

Hi NOTNAIM MAN. I’ve had a few different espresso machines over the years and have found this Delonghi model to be one of the best and would never go back to instant coffee.

We are a Nespresso household and have been for quite a few years now.  It's actually a very good cup, and neither of us have the patience to be grinding and extracting espresso the old fashioned ways.

When we entertain, we usually get out the old automatic drip machine and serve reasonable store-bought ground coffee.

We still have our old Melita cone filter drip setup, and a "pour over" from that with good grounds is still hard to beat.  But it doesn't get used much as Nespresso is too easy.

Great thread! Currently enjoying Kenya Dormans AA Plus. Caramel and chocolate plus a hint of berries. Served no milk, just a dash of hot water.

Prepared on Sage Barrista Express. 

Beans are from Brian Wogan, fantastic roaster outlet in Bristol.