Important Post spin hydration - Coffee - when high5 just doesn't cut it

Murph100

Hope thats a burr grinder you're using, Jamaican Blue Mountain is a very expensive bean to burn with a bladed grinder ...;)

sham2 wrote: »

Learned more about coffee from this thread than anything else before. :eek: I thought I had it sussed with a plastic filter holder (€5), a bag of filters (€3.40), an electric grinder and loads of beans. The least fuss with maximum return for me and I've tried other methods.
Favourite coffee - Jamaican Blue Mountain. Sublime. Or any central American volcanic soil grown beans.

Lumen

sham2 wrote: »

Learned more about coffee from this thread than anything else before. :eek: I thought I had it sussed with a plastic filter holder (€5), a bag of filters (€3.40), an electric grinder and loads of beans. The least fuss with maximum return for me and I've tried other methods.
Favourite coffee - Jamaican Blue Mountain. Sublime. Or any central American volcanic soil grown beans.

Least fuss? Let me present the "recession latte"...

Stick a mug of milk in the microwave. Add instant coffee. Stir.

alfalad

Lumen wrote: »

Least fuss? Let me present the "recession latte"...

Stick a mug of milk in the microwave. Add instant coffee. Stir.

I used to do that in college! Was handy and cheap but muck!

ROK ON

At home I use a caffetiere and I love it. Simples and easy to use.

In work I drink coffee from Cafe di Napoli near Pearse St Railway stn (actually Westland Rd). They use a brand from Napoli calle Cafe Tico - it is sweet and aromatic - and that is exactly what I like. Just gorgeous. The also sell ground and beans. I usually buy my home coffee here.

Also I have started drinking Mint Tea. It is exceedingly refreshing. But I am a bit of a mint nut.

'68 Fastback

Murph100 wrote: »

Best place for coffee beans is this guy http://www.ariosacoffee.com
This guy is a master roaster ( dont underestimate it ), the freshest coffee you'll get anywhere, he normally roasts to order so it only 3-4 days old, Achill Blend is the best I've tasted anywhere on the planet, dont know if he still has a stall at the Temple Bar Market, but worth checking out if he does.

+1. By far the freshest coffee i've ever had. I like the Sumatra meself. Still has a stall and if hes there himself you might get an oul' free one if you're buying beans.

I keep my beans in an airtight container in the freezer so they stay nice and fresh.

snollup

Murph100 wrote: »

Best place for coffee beans is this guy http://www.ariosacoffee.com
This guy is a master roaster ( dont underestimate it ), the freshest coffee you'll get anywhere, he normally roasts to order so it only 3-4 days old, Achill Blend is the best I've tasted anywhere on the planet, dont know if he still has a stall at the Temple Bar Market, but worth checking out if he does.

Wow, good reviews. Is Temple Bar Market the one on Saturdays in Meeting Place Sq? Can't wait to try.

'68 Fastback

@snollup. Yep, that's the one alright. I'd try to get there before lunch cause he tends to sell out of certain beans pretty quickly.
I have to say, I'm a base amature when it comes to espresso but this guys coffee makes it hard to screw it up. Perfect creme every time!

alfalad

ROK ON wrote: »

They use a brand from Napoli calle Cafe Tico - it is sweet and aromatic - and that is exactly what I like.

I think Cafe Tico is Costa Rican coffee, drank a lot of it in Costa Rica mainly made using one of these.

Really nice coffee, and some nice little farms round the country. Should have brought home more of it![IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/VINCEN%7E1.MEA/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-2.png[/IMG]

ryan_sherlock

The BEST filter type coffee I have ever had: http://www.philzcoffee.com/

Basically, each filter coffee is made on ordering it - a special machine, airation steps - amazing coffee with a super kick. I have a cup before training rides in California and I'm flying for hours They also have free wifi so I ended up doing a lot of (great) work from the shop.

Off Topic - but seeing the above post reminded me of them - if you are ever in northern California - check them out.

manwithaplan

ROK ON wrote: »

In work I drink coffee from Cafe di Napoli near Pearse St Railway stn (actually Westland Rd). They use a brand from Napoli calle Cafe Tico - it is sweet and aromatic - and that is exactly what I like. Just gorgeous. The also sell ground and beans. I usually buy my home coffee here.

I love that place. The panini are excellent and the restaurant downstairs does simple italian food very well. They also love bombed (as only Italians can) my children when we dropped in for coffee and hot chocolate on a cold day last winter.

They also have some of the best looking staff in Dublin. Not that I noticed when I was in there with the offspring. Honest. I sound like a perv now don't I?

Lumen

manwithaplan wrote: »

I love that place...They also have some of the best looking staff in Dublin.

That's a whole separate thread in itself.

On a completely unrelated subject, I think Ely (on Ely Place) sells coffee.

Billycake

Some of the best coffee I've ever got in this country or anywhere else including Italy is in Avoca on Suffolk Street in Dublin. Not downstairs though, go upstairs to the restaurant and check out if Lawrence is working that day - he makes fantastic coffee (he's Italian).

kenmc

Coffee is the most important meal of the day. Well that and beer.
I have an Ibertal Mc2 grinder, which is loud but infinitely adjustable, and a year in, trouble free so far.

Gaggia Classic is my morning staple, but in work I have a handpresso and an aeropress to get me through the day. Also have a french press and 2 stovetops. Used have a filter too which was my main machine till I got the gaggia.

The stovetops I usually only use for camping these days, I find they tend to overpower the subtleties of the flavours cos of the prolonged exposure to the heat. Starting by pouring almost boiling water into the chamber reduces this heating time and makes better coffee. Don't often use the french press either, but occasionally when i want a large mug rather than 4 little espressos then I use that.

Would love to get a vacpot but I think I'd be divorced. Might get away with a chemex if I'm good

Get my beans from HasBean, find them superb, although got a few from intellegentsia recently which are awesome.

To anyone who thinks "coffee is coffee", bo||ox - like saying wine is wine, go into 3fe on abbey street and sample some different coffees - the difference is amazing - even the same coffee bean prepared different ways can be immense.

FTGFOP

How does it go? N+1 is the number of coffee machines you should own, where N is the number you currently own? Yeah, that's it.

Then there's S-1...

Lumen

kenmc wrote: »

...handpresso...aeropress...vacpot....chemex

Crazy stuff, I had no idea such devices existed.

I thought I'd escaped from coffee extremism, and now this thread has me back in the danger zone.

ryan_sherlock

Lumen wrote: »

Crazy stuff, I had no idea such devices existed.

I thought I'd escaped from coffee extremism, and now this thread has me back in the danger zone.

haha, this thread has enticed me to finally buy the Rancilio Silvia V3. I'll have a Gaggia Classic (perfect condition with some upgrades) up for sale next week.

Any other great locations for buying coffee online?

kenmc

ryan_sherlock wrote: »

haha, this thread has enticed me to finally buy the Rancilio Silvia V3. I'll have a Gaggia Classic (perfect condition with some upgrades) up for sale next week.

Any other great locations for buying coffee online?

What upgrades did you do? PID? OPV? Did you do it yourself or have it done? Mine is too new to start messing with like that yet, it was a wedding present from herself, so need to wait a while before I take it apart.

ryan_sherlock

kenmc wrote: »

What upgrades did you do? PID? OPV? Did you do it yourself or have it done? Mine is too new to start messing with like that yet, it was a wedding present from herself, so need to wait a while before I take it apart.

My housemate (who is a bit of a wizz with this sorta thing) did it. Serviced and added a different steam wand. When he is about, I'll ask if he did anything else. Changing the steam wand helped frothing a lot - much longer one.

kenmc

ryan_sherlock wrote: »

My housemate (who is a bit of a wizz with this sorta thing) did it. Serviced and added a different steam wand. When he is about, I'll ask if he did anything else. Changing the steam wand helped frothing a lot - much longer one.

Ah right, I rarely use the frother functionality unless there's some girly coffee drinkers visiting, and even then I don't really care how well it's frothed tbh. Might actually start giving them nescafe-chino to save my good beans

poochiem

I had a Moka but they say aluminium gives you whaddyacallit so i stopped using it. What's the best priced range of espressi makers out there from your experience?

Lumen

poochiem wrote: »

I had a Moka but they say aluminium gives you whaddyacallit so i stopped using it.

Loss of intellectual function; forgetfulness, inability to concentrate.

Symptoms which can all be alleviated with sufficient coffee intake.

kenmc

poochiem wrote: »

I had a Moka but they say aluminium gives you whaddyacallit so i stopped using it.

I thought that that myth had been debunked? I'm sure google will know...

Diarmuid

I have the exact same setup as Ryan. Gaggia Classic and the Iberital MC2 grinder. Someone mentioned the Krupps Burr earlier. I previously used that, the difference between that and the MC2 is night and day. The common consensus seems to be spend the money on the grinder.

FTGFOP

poochiem wrote: »

I had a Moka but they say aluminium gives you whaddyacallit so i stopped using it.

Bialetti has stainless steel varieties too.

stopped_clock

kenmc wrote: »

...in work I have a handpresso and an aeropress to get me through the day.

@kenmc: Your post got me wondering about these since I'm looking for something for work myself. Would you recommend either over the other? The handpresso seems a bit more expensive, but appeals to the gadget lover in me!

kenmc

The handpresso will only make 1 single-shot espresso at a time, whereas the aeropress will make single, double, up to quad if you want.
Handpresso gives a much better crema, it's a much closer approximation of an espresso from e.g a gaggia.
The aeropress gives a lovely smooth drink, very clean tasting. Kind of like a french press, but with very little contact time - 30seconds vs 4 minutes.
I like them both. For sheer gadgetry, the handpresso, but it was a present, it's expensive, the aeropress is much cheaper by comparison

ryan_sherlock

My new Silvia coffee machine arrived today (yum yum) so I'm selling my Gaggia Classic. It is 3 years old, serviced 6 months ago and a better (longer) steam spout added. I'll put up a normal add soon, just, this was the thread that convinced me to buy a Silvia, I should share the love.

€200.

snollup

ryan_sherlock wrote: »

My new Silvia coffee machine arrived today (yum yum) so I'm selling my Gaggia Classic. It is 3 years old, serviced 6 months ago and a better (longer) steam spout added. I'll put up a normal add soon, just, this was the thread that convinced me to buy a Silvia, I should share the love.

€200.

Hey Ryan, where did you buy your Silvia. Been looking for one for a while but were out of stock everywhere

ryan_sherlock

snollup wrote: »

Hey Ryan, where did you buy your Silvia. Been looking for one for a while but were out of stock everywhere

I got it here: http://www.coffeeitalia.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=RASI

Took about 1 week to arrive and was shipped from Itally. £425 + around £10 shipping...

Very happy with it so far. (about 6 cups made)

Lumen

ryan_sherlock wrote: »

Took about 1 week to arrive and was shipped from Itally. £425 + around £10 shipping...

When you find yourself fixating on the sterling price you know you've spent too much.

andrew163

+1 on the Aeropress. Cheap, quick, easy to keep clean and tastes great.

Don't know if anyone's linked this yet, apologies if they have -
http://gizmodo.com/5345785/giz-explains-how-to-actually-make-coffee

ryan_sherlock

Lumen wrote: »

When you find yourself fixating on the sterling price you know you've spent too much.

Well, €200 for a Gaggia Classic - that is value

poochiem

oh I'd love one of those but can't justify the price (I see myself as a coffee drinker but in reality it's two pots of tea a night)... great present to get though.

Lumen

andrew163 wrote: »

Don't know if anyone's linked this yet, apologies if they have -
http://gizmodo.com/5345785/giz-explains-how-to-actually-make-coffee

Love it.

TinyExplosions

Lumen wrote: »

Love it.

It's like your perfect coffee maker Lumen

snollup

Lumen wrote: »

Love it.

You also need a stopwatch, sounds a bit OCD I know but the results are fantastic.

Murph100

Hey Ryan, well wear with the Silvia, its a slippery slope to OCD with coffee machines though, practicing 30ibs tamping pressure, fine tuning the grind to 27 sec extraction, temperature surfing, achieving latte art nirvana and finally ending with hacking your Silvia with a PID.

Didn't do the PID yet meself but the ould lattes are getting there, Lumen can your microwave do this ??

ryan_sherlock wrote: »

My new Silvia coffee machine arrived today (yum yum) so I'm selling my Gaggia Classic. It is 3 years old, serviced 6 months ago and a better (longer) steam spout added. I'll put up a normal add soon, just, this was the thread that convinced me to buy a Silvia, I should share the love.

€200.

ROK ON

@Murph. My respect for you has gone way down, There is no place in coffee, for milk, frothy or otherwise. An abomination.

Nice in hot choc though (FIXX on Dawson St, Dublin ftw).

Murph100

Ah Jaysus ROK ! I never said I drank it ... its for herself ... honest !!

Besides it meant to be post spin hydration, so the milk is only there for its protein value

ROK ON wrote: »

@Murph. My respect for you has gone way down, There is no place in coffee, for milk, frothy or otherwise. An abomination.

Nice in hot choc though (FIXX on Dawson St, Dublin ftw).