Looking to use a grinder

taza

Hi,

First time poster here. Thanks to all you dedicated coffee aficionados for all the good advice so far...

I'm just about to order a couple of aeropresses for myself and my father. We have a Gaggia classic at home, but need something for work/travel. After reading all the advice on this board I'm going to make an order from hasbean.co.uk. I want to buy a few bags of beans to make the postage worth it, but don't want to get them ground as we won't use them quickly enough.

So here's my question. Does anyone know of anywhere that would grind beans that weren't bought in the shop? As in, I know Bewley's and Fallon & Byrne will grind beans you buy from them, but I won't be buying from them til I run out of the hasbean coffee.

He's located in Bray, Co. Wicklow, I'm in Fairvew, north Dublin city, so anywhere in between would be fine. I'm also willing to pay for the privilege of getting the beans ground.

One final question - if I have to get Steve to grind the beans for me, what grind would you recommend for the Aeropress? And realistically, how long can I keep the ground coffee before it's past its best?

Thanks!

taza

Mr Magnolia

Welcome to boards taza!

Couple of things. I've had a look there. Shipping with Royal Mail appears to be £10.55 for the two of them, if you add beans it just up's the shipping rate as far as I can see. You could order them separately for shipping of £5.50, one to each of your addresses?

I don't know of anywhere that would grind the beans for you either I'm afraid, you might hit a brick wall on that.

An espresso grind works well with the aeropress, I've read that a slightly coarser grind is also an option for the unit. I'm sure Steve will advise you too.

As soon as you grind your beans the start to deteriorate so I wouldn't advise on a large order, especially if M&D, Fallon&Byrne and Bewleys are accessible to you

Gran Hermano

Welcome to Boards.

Sorry, I don't know anywhere that will grind coffee you bought elsewhere.
Plus to get the true benefit I'd recommend grinding only a small
quantity of beans as and when you need them - so you'd be back and
forth to anywhere locally that would grind them for you.

As you have a Gaggia at home, get your coffee ground to espresso level.
I use the same grinder setting for both my Gaggia and the Aeropress.

Make sure you order some of the Cuban Turquino Lavado from hasbean
and get select espresso grind. That way you can use it in both the Gaggia
and the Aeropress. Hasbean will roast the beans fresh for you when you
order and seal them well, I'd recommend ordering no more than you'd
use in a month and once you open a bag keep it in an airtight container.

Best bet would be just to get a couple of 250g bags and use quickly if buying preground.

taza

Thanks for the quick reply Mr Magnolia!

I guess I'll just have to buy a grinder eventually...

One more question - if I select the UK Royal Mail option - how long does this take to arrive approximately? Will be having it delivered to work in Dublin city centre. Will be ordering it today and need delivery by Friday 11th absolute latest (the other Aeropress is a gift for my dad).

Thanks!!

taza

Thanks for that gran hermano - I think we cross-posted.

If you think a month is ok then that's grand - the two of us will get through a lot of coffee in a month!

Mr Magnolia

taza wrote: »

Thanks for the quick reply Mr Magnolia!

I guess I'll just have to buy a grinder eventually...

One more question - if I select the UK Royal Mail option - how long does this take to arrive approximately? Will be having it delivered to work in Dublin city centre. Will be ordering it today and need delivery by Friday 11th absolute latest (the other Aeropress is a gift for my dad).

Thanks!!

I would say it would have arrived by the middle of next week by my experience. There's no gaurantees though. Drop them a mail, or put a note with the order.

Gran Hermano

You'll use more ground coffee with the Aeropress than you will with the
Gaggia for a similar number of coffees. A month is the longest I'd recommend
keeping an unopened/freshly roasted bag from hasbean. I normally use the
international parcel shipping when ordering from them - Royal Mail not
feasible when ordering 10kg+ at a time - and delivery with that option
is usually 2-3 working days.

Sounds like you need to pick yourself up a burr grinder !

taza

Thanks guys!

Order just gone through - lost all control though just before confirming order and ended up adding 2 bags of cuba turquino lavardo, 1 honduras la fortuna, 1 cup of excellence espresso blend and 1 ethiopian yirgacheffe.

Will probably have to divide it up and give the dregs away...
Or just let the Maxwell House eejits I live with at it once it gets past its prime.

Anyone tried any of these (apart from the cuban, which I ordered on good advice!)?

Taza

Mr Magnolia

Yeah. Think I've actually tried a couple of the above. That cuban is my favourite, love it.

I over-roasted the last ethiopian I had so I wasn't pushed on it, don't let me put you off it, I'll be trying another on my next order.

If you start the Maxwell House eejits on the good coffee they won't go back to the instant crap.

Don't forget to let us know when the gear arrives and what you think of it.