Espresso Enthusiasts

[DaveFromCampbelltown]

Early morning tragedy. The coffee grinder ran out of Peruvian beans.
Tragedy averted by refilling with Honduran beans.*

Made batch via the Aeropress. It is quite a different coffee, with what James Hoffman (look him up on Youtube) would call a different flavour profile. I have no idea what that means, just that it tastes different while still tasting nice. Like caramel icecream tastes different from chocolate icecream, but both are nice.

Interestingly, the Honduran beans are less dark brown, (roasted less??) and from the noise of the grinder, softer, than the Peruvian.

The Honduran coffee has a pleasant aftertaste that lingers on the sides of my tongue, at the back. I didn't get that with the Peruvian beans.

BTW, both are from Aldi, roasted in Melbourne by a company called and trucked promptly up to Sydney. This means that unlike beans that are roasted in other countries (Melitta, etc) the beans are quite fresh.

* I may be overdoing the coffee tragedy thing...

 

[squawk7000]

By coincidence I’ve just bought some beans from Honduras. I like it a lot. Made using a mokka express, in a mug with the same amount of hot water, no milk.

Roasters notes:
Honduras - Carlos Alfredo Estevez
FLAVOUR PROFILE - Lychee and mango with juicy mandarin and a creamy milk chocolate body
PROCESS - Macerated Natural 72h
VARIETAL - Caturra
LOCATION- Corquin Area, Copan, Honduras

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Placed an order for coffee; it would never do to run out.

 

[Macky-Mac]

Placed an order for coffee; it would never do to run out.

indeed......running out would be horrible

 

[Scepticalscribe]

indeed......running out would be horrible

A fate not to be contemplated.

 

[DaveFromCampbelltown]

I read the first post, including the listing for models of French Press.
They missed one important model.
The $6 coffee plunger from KMart...

Actually, I have had a number of French Press models over the years, including the original Bodum.
I found the KMart special has beaten them all.

 

[Lioness~]

I've started to throw 1 or 2 white chocolate buttons into my espresso.
Really delicious ?

 

[mollyc]

what kinds of espresso machines are you guys using? i’ve been trying to research but the options are overwhelming. i’m the only coffee drinker in my house and would probably use it 3-5x week. I spend enough money on camera gear. ??‍♀️

 

[decafjava]

what kinds of espresso machines are you guys using? i’ve been trying to research but the options are overwhelming. i’m the only coffee drinker in my house and would probably use it 3-5x week. I spend enough money on camera gear. ??‍♀️

Well I am old-fashioned (and a bit cheap) I just use a Bialeti (I also have a French press) but would love to knwo fi there are smaller espresso machines (not nespresso!).

 

[mollyc]

Well I am old-fashioned (and a bit cheap) I just use a Bialeti (I also have a French press) but would love to knwo fi there are smaller espresso machines (not nespresso!).

I don't want an expensive machine. I had a cheapy one out of college but I got rid of it when I got married because my husband and I combined two 3 bedroom houses into one 2 bedroom Manhattan apartment. I don't need super high quality and don't need a $2-3k (or more) machine. I've been looking at some of the Brevilles that are in the sub $800 range.

 

[Lioness~]

@mollyc

I've had a 3 of these Siemens Espresso machines in a row....uhm, the last one was a replacement though.
Affordable and make great espresso's and more.
They don't make this particular model anymore. So next time, it will have to be something else here.

About the same, 1 kg a month here too.
Which surprise me. I thought I was using more as my new Siemens have a sophisticated system that uses double grinding. But of some reason it doesn't use more beans, rather the opposite. I don't think I drink less with my new machine. Excellent anyway

 

[adrianlondon]

I don't want an expensive machine. I had a cheapy one out of college but I got rid of it when I got married because my husband and I combined two 3 bedroom houses into one 2 bedroom Manhattan apartment. I don't need super high quality and don't need a $2-3k (or more) machine. I've been looking at some of the Brevilles that are in the sub $800 range.

If you don't want to get involved in the grind dosing and tamping, then an all-in-one does a good job
DeLonghi are good. Easy to use, maintain and keep clean: https://www.delonghi.com/en-gb

Otherwise, a separate espresso machine and grinder (together will cost less than the above) allows more experimentation, plus you can grind different beans regularly whereas the all-in-one machines are best used with just one bean selection until it runs out (although they can be used with pre-ground to bypass the grinder).

 

[mollyc]

If you don't want to get involved in the grind dosing and tamping, then an all-in-one does a good job
DeLonghi are good. Easy to use, maintain and keep clean: https://www.delonghi.com/en-gb

Otherwise, a separate espresso machine and grinder (together will cost less than the above) allows more experimentation, plus you can grind different beans regularly whereas the all-in-one machines are best used with just one bean selection until it runs out (although they can be used with pre-ground to bypass the grinder).

yes, i actually have a grinder on my birthday list. ? I've been using a Braun blade grinder for the past 10-15 years. I know it isn't the best, but honestly I never expected it to last this long. So I do plan to upgrade that regardless, and it will at least make me better coffee for my Moccamaster. Maybe the espresso maker waits until next Christmas, but if I get one I'll for sure have a separate grinder.

 

[DaveFromCampbelltown]

what kinds of espresso machines are you guys using? i’ve been trying to research but the options are overwhelming. i’m the only coffee drinker in my house and would probably use it 3-5x week. I spend enough money on camera gear. ??‍♀️

It doesn't matter what way you want to make your coffee, you need to have a good grinder. Freshly ground cheap coffee beans will almost always be better than ground coffee that is weeks or months old (like you would find in a supermarket).
Don't go overboard, but up to about $200. Adjustable burr grinder is good, flat disk grinder is said to be better, but I don't know of any in that price range.

Most of my coffee is now made with an Aeropress.

However, I was able to get a DeLonghi ESE model for half price in Aldi (~$100). The ESE pods are very simple to use, but more expensive on a regular basis than normal ground coffee.

Another alternative for occasional use is an Aldi coffee pod machine with Aldi coffee pods (about $0.35 ea. here in Aus.). That way you don't need a grinder. Here, the prices are about $80 for the machine and $6 a box of 16 coffee pods. The coffee it makes is quite good. Their pods contain more coffee than the nespresso pods and, I think, make a better cup.

 

[mollyc]

It doesn't matter what way you want to make your coffee, you need to have a good grinder. Freshly ground cheap coffee beans will almost always be better than ground coffee that is weeks or months old (like you would find in a supermarket).
Don't go overboard, but up to about $200. Adjustable burr grinder is good, flat disk grinder is said to be better, but I don't know of any in that price range.

Most of my coffee is now made with an Aeropress.

However, I was able to get a DeLonghi ESE model for half price in Aldi (~$100). The ESE pods are very simple to use, but more expensive on a regular basis than normal ground coffee.

Another alternative for occasional use is an Aldi coffee pod machine with Aldi coffee pods (about $0.35 ea. here in Aus.). That way you don't need a grinder. Here, the prices are about $80 for the machine and $6 a box of 16 coffee pods. The coffee it makes is quite good. Their pods contain more coffee than the nespresso pods and, I think, make a better cup.

yes, see my post above yours. ?

 

[DaveFromCampbelltown]

yes, i actually have a grinder on my birthday list. ? I've been using a Braun blade grinder for the past 10-15 years. I know it isn't the best, but honestly I never expected it to last this long. So I do plan to upgrade that regardless, and it will at least make me better coffee for my Moccamaster. Maybe the espresso maker waits until next Christmas, but if I get one I'll for sure have a separate grinder.

Note, if you are using a herb blade grinder to grind coffee (as I used to). Don't grind cloves in the grinder that you use to grind coffee, unless you want your coffee to be clove-flavoured forever more (as some people do, but not me...).

 

[mollyc]

Note, if you are using a herb blade grinder to grind coffee (as I used to). Don't grind cloves in the grinder that you use to grind coffee, unless you want your coffee to be clove-flavoured forever more (as some people do, but not me...).

lol mine has only ever been used for coffee.

I have the baratza encore on my wishlist.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

My coffee delivery arrived surprisingly early this morning.

 

[JamesMike]

My coffee delivery arrived surprisingly early this morning.

What did you get?

 

[Macky-Mac]

Early morning tragedy. The coffee grinder ran out of Peruvian beans.
Tragedy averted by refilling with Honduran beans.*

.......

* I may be overdoing the coffee tragedy thing...

Today was my turn to face a potential coffee tragedy. But it wasn't because of a depleted supply for the grinder, rather the grinder suddenly stopped working........leaving me without plenty of beans but none that were ground.

Construction tools were deployed and after a bit of fussing and swearing, it was coaxed back to life.....whew! crisis averted!

 

[DaveFromCampbelltown]

I decided to experiment making cold coffee with my Aeropress.

Trial 1
Put standard shot of coffee (10 g) in Aeropress.
Put in tepid water
Stirred vigorously
Plunged
Got yellow water with a vague coffee flavour
2/10

Went online to look it up.

Solution 1 - Put in lots of coarse ground coffee,
put in cold water, stir vigorously,
wait 24 hours -- Wait, what, I have to wait 24 hours??? I need my coffee now!.
And I only have one Aeropress, what am I going to do in the meantime?
Didn't try
0/10

Solution 2 - (from the Aeropress website) -
Put in 30 grams (3 shots) of finely ground coffee,
Put in tepid water,
Stir vigorously for 1 minute,
Plunged.
Got reasonable coffee, not as intense as I hoped, used up a lot of coffee
7/10

Re-thought what I wanted to do, which was to make iced coffee.
So I made a standard Aeropress shot of coffee (10 g coffee, 100 mls water, stir, wait for 1 minute, plunge)
to which I added sugar to taste and 2 icecubes to cool it down.
I then filled a large glass with milk and the cooled coffee. This was what I wanted.
9/10

PS, the flavour difference between 3 shots of coffee in tepid water and 1 shot in hot water are not that different when cooled down and diluted. I don't think it is worth the extra coffee beans you use up.

 

[Madhatter32]

I decided to experiment making cold coffee with my Aeropress.

Trial 1
Put standard shot of coffee (10 g) in Aeropress.
Put in tepid water
Stirred vigorously
Plunged
Got yellow water with a vague coffee flavour
2/10

Went online to look it up.

Solution 1 - Put in lots of coarse ground coffee,
put in cold water, stir vigorously,
wait 24 hours -- Wait, what, I have to wait 24 hours??? I need my coffee now!.
And I only have one Aeropress, what am I going to do in the meantime?
Didn't try
0/10

Solution 2 - (from the Aeropress website) -
Put in 30 grams (3 shots) of finely ground coffee,
Put in tepid water,
Stir vigorously for 1 minute,
Plunged.
Got reasonable coffee, not as intense as I hoped, used up a lot of coffee
7/10

Re-thought what I wanted to do, which was to make iced coffee.
So I made a standard Aeropress shot of coffee (10 g coffee, 100 mls water, stir, wait for 1 minute, plunge)
to which I added sugar to taste and 2 icecubes to cool it down.
I then filled a large glass with milk and the cooled coffee. This was what I wanted.
9/10

PS, the flavour difference between 3 shots of coffee in tepid water and 1 shot in hot water are not that different when cooled down and diluted. I don't think it is worth the extra coffee beans you use up.

Nice. Sounds like a good use of the scientific method -- seemingly a lost "art" these days. I used to run such experiments with how much coffee I would grind and the quantity of water used. Experimented with different filters as well. I generally nailed down my preferred brew after a series of experiments -- so the time was well spent. The fun is the journey and the destination when it comes to coffee.

 

[adrianlondon]

Re-thought what I wanted to do, which was to make iced coffee.

Yep, that's the way. Same with making iced tea. You make a "normal" tea or coffee then chill it.

 

[Macky-Mac]

Today I'm finishing the last of some beans from Guatemala, from the Huehuetenango region. They were sent to me by mistake as part of my last order. When I altered the seller I was told they'd send the correct and that I should just keep the package that had been sent by mistake.

The coffee tasted great, so I'll buy them as part of some future order.

Tomorrow, or maybe this afternoon, I'll start on a package of Peruvian beans that were also mistakenly sent in the last order.

 

[Madhatter32]

Today I'm finishing the last of some beans from Guatemala, from the Huehuetenango region. They were sent to me by mistake as part of my last order. When I altered the seller I was told they'd send the correct and that I should just keep the package that had been sent by mistake.

The coffee tasted great, so I'll buy them as part of some future order.

Tomorrow, or maybe this afternoon, I'll start on a package of Peruvian beans that were also mistakenly sent in the last order.

Sounds like "this send beans by mistake strategy" is a great way for the company to get you to try different coffees. I love to taste test but I think I would be peeved not getting my tried and true selection.