where to get good Italian espresso coffee beans in Dublin?

El Stuntman

hello food forumites (my first ever post here ),

I have an espresso machine (baby Gaggia) + grinder for about two years now. Very happy with it and me and Mrs Stunt duly enjoy lots of good espressos out of it.

A recent trip to Napoli really opened my eyes though in relation to the quality of the beans that are available there! About the only espresso beans that can be found (by me anyway) in Dublin are the ubiquitous Illy beans. The only other ones I've found are Fallon and Byrne's own blend but they're not as good as Illy.
These are fine but I'm dying to try another blend, preferably something that would come close to the espressos I had in Naples (no idea what the names of the blends were unfortunately).
I'm not too hopeful given that your average espresso in Dublin is pretty appalling (how do any Italian emigres stomach the stuff we pass off here?)

could any kind person please point me in the direction of where I could buy good, authentic Italian-style espresso beans in Dublin? Either that, or a website that actually delivers non-industrial quantities of beans.

many thanks,

el S

olaola

'La Corte' in the Epicurean have some great coffee (the best in Dub IMO!).
You can get Palombini beans there. You might be able to get them in Bloom's quarter around the corner too. There is an Italian shop there too.

El Stuntman

olaola wrote:

'La Corte' in the Epicurean have some great coffee (the best in Dub IMO!).
You can get Palombini beans there. You might be able to get them in Bloom's quarter around the corner too. There is an Italian shop there too.

grazie for the tip, I'll be in there asap!

olaola

Another place - there is an Italian wholesale shop in Smithfield called 'Little Italy'.
http://www.littleitalyltd.com/

All the biscuits you see in Italian shops and other things - are MUCH cheaper here.
BUT beware of the BB dates (well the used to be) kinda dodgy.
I haven't been here in a while, but I need to make a trip back!

El Stuntman

olaola wrote:

Another place - there is an Italian wholesale shop in Smithfield called 'Little Italy'.
http://www.littleitalyltd.com/

All the biscuits you see in Italian shops and other things - are MUCH cheaper here.
BUT beware of the BB dates (well the used to be) kinda dodgy.
I haven't been here in a while, but I need to make a trip back!

mmm, I've been there before for meat and cheese

also very good of you want to buy San Pelligrino for €10 (case of 12). I frequently fall over when I see this for €5 on restaraunt menus!

DublinWriter

El Stuntman wrote:

also very good of you want to buy San Pelligrino for €10 (case of 12). I frequently fall over when I see this for €5 on restaraunt menus!

The O'Briens chain of off-licences have the same deal on offer - cheaper than Tescos.

rockbeer

You will find that a large part of the reason for the quality of the coffee you drank in Napoli is likely because the beans were freshly roasted. The difference it makes to the flavour is unreal. Anything you buy in a vacuum pack, no matter how good it was to start with, is likely to be stale. imho, anything older than ten days or so might be fit for the drip pot but not the espresso machine.

Try Ariosa beans - you can always get a fresh roast from their stall at the Temple Bar farmers market on Saturdays. The other place to try, surprisingly, is Bewleys on Grafton St. who always have beans roasted within the last few days. And their espresso blend is fair trade.

Online you could do worse than Ristretto - http://www.ristrettocoffee.com/

Interested to hear how you get on with the boardies recommendations.

Good luck, hth,
Bruce

tSubh Dearg

You can get the Gaggio beans on the top floor of Brown Thomas. I've found from experience that they give you a really good crema with a Gaggio machine.

I can also recommend the tea and coffee seller in the George's Street arcade. He sells amazing cuban beans that make fabulous coffee. And if you know to ask he also sells Jamacian Blue Mountain beans....mmmmmmmm!

Mr Magnolia

rockbeer wrote:

Try Ariosa beans - you can always get a fresh roast from their stall at the Temple Bar farmers market on Saturdays. The other place to try, surprisingly, is Bewleys on Grafton St. who always have beans roasted within the last few days. And their espresso blend is fair trade.

What time on sat does the Farmers Market open from/to rockbeer?

Also, I need a good coffee grinder if anyone has any recommendations. I'll try as many of these as possible.

Thanks

El Stuntman

Sparks400 wrote:

Also, I need a good coffee grinder if anyone has any recommendations. I'll try as many of these as possible.

I have a Gaggia MDF, no complaints whatsoever

can't remember what it cost, €100-ish

rockbeer

Sparks400 wrote:

What time on sat does the Farmers Market open from/to rockbeer?

Hmm, not sure what time they kick off - never up that early on a Saturday

Probably from around ten? And it goes on all day.

Mr Magnolia

Perfect, if it runs all day I'll catch it at some stage

billyblanks

Sparks400 wrote:

Also, I need a good coffee grinder if anyone has any recommendations. I'll try as many of these as possible.

Thanks

What is your budget?

kmick

Hi Guys,
Here are my findings after two years with a very good coffee machine.
1) You cannot grind beans fine enough for espresso with the 100 euro gaggia grinder.
2) I have found the Lavazza Espresso blend is my top pick its about a fiver in Tesco.
3) I transfer it from the freezer to a metal tin 1/3rd pack at a time and keep it in the fridge. It lasts about two weeks tops. Then I throw what is left out and transfer the next third.
4) Its all about the fineness of the grind for espresso. The finer it is the better the result. You will see the pour is much slower the finer the grind. this helps get the crema as well.
5) Make sure your cup is warm/hot before you pour.
6) Coffee Rules

Mr Magnolia

billyblanks wrote:

What is your budget?

I haven't set a budget billy, I don't mind paying for an item if I'm going to get the use out of it once I think it's worth it. What do you have in mind?

rockbeer

The rolls royce of home grinders is the industrial quality Mazzer Mini. It will set you back about €500 and will be the only grinder you ever need. If you can't quite stretch to that, the Rancilio Rocky costs around €300 and is also a great grinder.

The Macap grinders are also well regarded, and I've no complaints about my Innova.

Check out http://www.bellabarista.co.uk/Grinders.htm and http://www.espressocoffeeshop.com/coffee_grinder.htm

I was horrified when I discovered I would have to spend as much on the grinder as the machine to make decent espresso.

@Kmick, agree with lots of what you say - but there is an optimum fineness of grind. Go finer than that and you just choke the machine. Did you ever try fresh-roasted beans rather than stale vacuum-pack? The difference is beyond belief, given a decent blend to start with.

El Stuntman

rockbeer wrote:

@Kmick, agree with lots of what you say - but there is an optimum fineness of grind. Go finer than that and you just choke the machine. Did you ever try fresh-roasted beans rather than stale vacuum-pack? The difference is beyond belief, given a decent blend to start with.

I found 6 to be the best setting on the MDF grinder

may play around with lower grinds though tonight after reading this!

rockbeer

In 'purist' terms what you're looking for is a 30cl (1oz) shot in 25-30 seconds (for a single espresso). A double should take the same amount of time to extract twice the volume of liquid using about twice the volume of coffee.

Of course if you prefer a longer shot (French style) or a shorter one (ristretto) adjust the grind coarser or finer accordingly, but you should still aim to extract your chosen volume of espresso in 25-30 seconds.

In practice I've found that slightly longer shot extraction times don't adversely effect the flavour as long as you cut off the shot before or just as the pouring streams turn very pale and thin. However, going much shorter than 25 secs leads to a horribly underextracted shot which does taste bad.

hth

El Stuntman

rockbeer wrote:

In 'purist' terms what you're looking for is a 30cl (1oz) shot in 25-30 seconds (for a single espresso). A double should take the same amount of time to extract twice the volume of liquid using about twice the volume of coffee.

Of course if you prefer a longer shot (French style) or a shorter one (ristretto) adjust the grind coarser or finer accordingly, but you should still aim to extract your chosen volume of espresso in 25-30 seconds.

In practice I've found that slightly longer shot extraction times don't adversely effect the flavour as long as you cut off the shot before or just as the pouring streams turn very pale and thin. However, going much shorter than 25 secs leads to a horribly underextracted shot which does taste bad.

hth

lol, Mrs Stunt is going to think I've gone off my trolley as I crouch beside the espresso machine with stopwatch in hand tonight!

single espressos eh, been a long time since I've made one of those babies...

report to follow from a very caffeine-overloaded poster

rockbeer

El Stuntman wrote:

lol, Mrs Stunt is going to think I've gone off my trolley as I crouch beside the espresso machine with stopwatch in hand tonight!

Know what you mean... I'm finally getting used to the glazed expression that appears in peoples' eyes when I start going on about roasting profiles and extraction times, and the importance of undetectable adjustments to the grind particle size. I have to face up to it, I've finally become a coffee geek.

Everybody likes good coffee, but nobody likes a coffee anorak!

Somebody help me. Please... :eek:

El Stuntman

I hereby declare 5 to be the optimal espresso grind

that is my final word on the subject

Mr Magnolia

El Stuntman wrote:

I hereby declare 5 to be the optimal espresso grind

that is my final word on the subject

Grand so, this MDF grinder has the blessing of a couple of posters here and we now that 5 is the optimal setting (~ €100 is fair enough for my usage). Where did ye pick up the grinder folks, any ideas? I'm staying in Dublin on thursday/friday so I'll be on the look-out

Gran Hermano

http://www.cubascoffee.com/ is another option for some Cuban coffee
I too have used http://www.ristrettocoffee.com/ in the past.

Must say I've found the pre-packed Lavazza too coarse for my
Gaggia - water flows through too quick and the crema is not good.
If you must use prepacked and ground I've found the Illy range the best
in the Gaggia, Superquinn stock both the normal and dark roast.
http://www.illyusa.com/AB1666000/showprod.cfm?ObjectGroup_ID=6
(Illy is also the coffee that Gaggia UK sell on their site).


With regards to a grinder, both Home Store & More and BT stock Gaggia.
http://www.homestoreandmore.ie/our_stores.html
If you're travelling up to Dublin might be worth phoning in advance to
see what models they have in stock.

Also the Gaggia UK site often has special on refurbished machines,
might be worth checking if they have any grinders:
http://www.gaggia.uk.com/

Maybe we should have a coffee forum for those of us who consume more than 8 shots a day!

Finally, I picked up a cappucinatore from Gaggia Uk, great frothing device
and much better than the pannerello

El Stuntman

Gran Hermano wrote:

[Maybe we should have a coffee forum for those of us who consume more than 8 shots a day!

great idea.

if there can be a mustard forum then why not?

kmick

Gran Hermano wrote:

Also the Gaggia UK site often has special on refurbished machines,
might be worth checking if they have any grinders:
http://www.gaggia.uk.com/

Just a warning I bought the 100 Gaggia grinder in Arnotts and it was useless for espresso. It did not grind fine enough, gave me a shock everytime I unlugged it and was difficault to clean. As another poster said you have to pay 500 for a commercial grinder which is good enough for espresso. That is the same price as my machine. Thats why I buy pre-ground even though I know its not as good. Must try the Illy have not seen a specific Illy espresso blend though. As a matter of interest I bought some coffee from a new company called the Cork Coffee company over xmas and it was brilliant. Next time I am in Cork I must get some more.

Mr Magnolia

El Stuntman wrote:

great idea.

if there can be a mustard forum then why not?

I agree too

careful now; the mustard forum is Ecksor's baby

/heads off to forums

Mr Magnolia

Gran Hermano wrote:

Maybe we should have a coffee forum for those of us who consume more than 8 shots a day!

Right, I've proposed it. Contribute here if your for or against it

RE*AC*TOR

To be honest I find Lavazza Rosso (ie the bog standard variety) about the best pre-ground on offer. The Palombini stuff in El Corte in town is very nice too, but I rarely remember to pick up any in there.

Grinding your own is too much of an effort and expense for me. For it to be worthwhile the beans have to be freshly roasted, your grinder has to be able to deliver a fine / even grind. Its very hard to get frechly roasted beans in Dublin. A high quality grinder is very expensive, and furthermore they tend to be quite big and take up more of the limited space I have in my kitchen.

I'm quite happy with my Gaggia Cubika and preground Lavazza/illy/Palombini etc.

@kmick

1. keeping coffee in the fridge is load of nonsense.
What happens when you take it out of the cold air in the fridge and open it into the warmer air outside the fridge? Condensation = wet coffee.

2. The finer the grind is not the better when it comes to expresso. Yes it needs to be fine, but when it gets too fine it will clog the filter and will result in a murky coffee with lots of sediment.

Gran Hermano

Don't get me wrong Lavazza makes a decent cuppa, and I often purchase
their beans for grinding, but I find the crema on the Illy pre-ground much
better. (It's a slightly finer grind than the Lavazza.)

See if you can get your hands on a pack of Illy in the silver can.
489b.jpg
http://www.1stincoffee.com/product_images/il/489b.jpg
The red pack is the normal roast, whilst the silver and black tin is the
rich roast. (Stay away from the silver and green tin as it's de-caf )

I totally agree that too fine a grind will cause the filter basket to clog
and the water will take too long percolating through. This is the problem
most people have using the cheaper grinders as they produce a
non-uniform particle size and the finer particles clog the basket. If you
notice a rusty looking rim around the top of your cup it's probably due
to too fine a grind. Too coarse a grind will allow the water to flow
through too quickly and result in a poor crema.

Once you have the correct grind you just need to make sure you
pack the coffee into the filter basket correct. If you pack it too
firmly into the basket it'll cause the water to flow too slow
(similar to too fine a grind) whilst not packing firm enough will
cause the water to percolate too fast (similar to too coarse a grind).
A proper metal tamper helps as the plastic one Gaggia include is crap.
http://www.gocoffee.co.uk/coffee-machines/advanced_search_result.php?osCsid=1cecabc314ca82082f1cc8028c05a20d&keywords=tamper&osCsid=1cecabc314ca82082f1cc8028c05a20d

I believe a decent grinder will cost you the best part of €200.
http://www.coffeegeek.com/reviews/grinders/gaggia_mdf

I also agree in not freezing your coffee, you're going to have problems
with ice burning your coffee and it's no good for the coffee oils.

Right I'm off for an espresso doppio after all that typing!

Dero

El Stuntman wrote:

I hereby declare 5 to be the optimal espresso grind

that is my final word on the subject

Be careful with grinder settings. They are not absolute - your optimal setting is just that your optimal setting. I find 3 or 4 to be the best setting on my MDF, depending on the freshness of the beans (Palombini usually). Using 5 with my normal tamp would run through in about 10 seconds.

gmf1024

http://www.espressocoffeeshop.com/ are based in Italy.
I bought a gaggia classic, MDF grinder and matching base. It all arrived quickly and has worked fine since.
At the time the gaggia classic was E438 at a few shops in Dublin, but around 330 from Italy.
The web site looks a bit naff but I rang and spoke to a guy in the shop with some questions I had and they were very helpful.

Also check out
http://www.coffeecrew.com/content/view/334/27/ for some serious anoraking on how to get the best from your gaggia.