What type of coffee should I be buying

RasTa

Got an Aeropress for christmas and some beans in the last group buy from Sweden.

They lasted awhile, got another bag from 3FE which I liked, however €8.50 was a tad expensive.

I decided to try some of the cheaper stuff from the supermarket and it's undrinkable

Something like this but whole bean



However the aeropress came with a kilo of this stuff and it was fine



Am I stuck to paying €8.50 for a bag of beans?

Jezek

8.50 for 17 coffees..that's quite good in my opinion. IT's a small luxury that I'm happy paying for. Coffee Angel sells slightly cheaper beans that are top notch but not cheaper than 7 euro I think. Coffeemojo.ie is also reasonably priced.

Gran Hermano

Best bang for buck would be Bailies twin pack espresso starter offer.
Two bags delivered for GBP9. (Yes the exchange rate sucks at the mo').
http://www.bailiescoffee.com/collections/coffee-starter-packs/products/espresso-starter-pack

adrian522

If you can get to Ranelagh, Nicks Sweet Espresso has a bag of espresso beans for €4.50 and you'll get a free coffee as well. They have other beans here too but they vary and are more expensive.

Probably the best value around to be honest.

RasTa

Can I use expresso beans in the aeropress? Using the Japanese hand grinder.

adrian522

You can yeah. At least I do from time to time, though usually the espresso beans go into the espresso machine.

JPA

RasTa wrote: »

Can I use expresso beans in the aeropress? Using the Japanese hand grinder.

This pack is better suited and same price, http://www.bailiescoffee.com/collections/coffee-starter-packs/products/cafetiere-starter-pack

Slaphead07

the Divinolandia (Brazil) from Nick's is superb in an Aeropress. Nutty and chocolaty with a little spice. €7.50 a bag.

Muahahaha

As I reported in another thread I'm pretty happy with the €8.16 per kilo I paid for Temple Bar coffee from discountcoffee.ie There isn't any roast date on the bag but I found it to be very fresh and at 11 cents for a double shot I'm very happy with the price. I've tried the Tesco Finest range and didnt think a whole lot of it so would avoid. Me and my partner average about 10 coffees a day between us so paying €8 for 227g would make our habit cost about €35 a week which is a bit much for me, its not far off what we spend on a weekly grocery shop. Another cheap option is Ikea who do both espresso beans and ground coffee for €2.35 for 227g, Ikeas coffee is better than the Tesco stuff but not as good as what discountcoffee.ie are selling. Also keep an eye out for Lavazza Red which pops up in Dunnes (and Im sure other supermarkets) on a 3 for the price of 2 offer from time to time, its only the preground stuff I've seen on offer, I think a kilo of Lavazza whole beans works out around €14 which isn't too bad.

RasTa

Went with the Bailes stuff, we must get another group buy going soon.

Although maybe wait until the euro picks up

InTheTrees

I dont see any indication of the roast type. Beans usually(??) come in light, medium or dark roasts.

Beans that have a "dark" roast have a stronger flavour. Medium roasts can be more...earthy...

It can make a massive difference in taste.

Next time you got to Starbucks and get a drip coffee you'll see they (should) have light, medium and dark roasts.

http://www.gourmetcoffeelovers.com/coffee-roast-types/

RasTa

Don't the beans matter more than roast styles?

InTheTrees

RasTa wrote: »

Don't the beans matter more than roast styles?

I'm no expert at all but I think anyone can immediately tell the difference between Medium and Dark roasts.

While I wouldn't be able to tell the diff between sumatra or kenya or costa rica or whatever.

Jezek

InTheTrees wrote: »

I dont see any indication of the roast type. Beans usually(??) come in light, medium or dark roasts.

Beans that have a "dark" roast have a stronger flavour. Medium roasts can be more...earthy...

It can make a massive difference in taste.

Next time you got to Starbucks and get a drip coffee you'll see they (should) have light, medium and dark roasts.

http://www.gourmetcoffeelovers.com/coffee-roast-types/

Roast of course is important and can range greatly.

Generally, lighter roasts are used to allow the inherent taste of the coffee to come through in the brew. Darker roasts are roasted to an extend where the actual process imparts flavour to the bean, and they start to taste more smokey. Dark roasts also keep for longer, and cover up lesser quailty beans.

If roasted too dark, beans become bitter and ashy. Starbucks is an example of this. What starbucks calls light roasts, other roasters call medium-dark.

My favourite roasters do not label their beans by roast. Instead they choose the roast that they think works best for each bean. So I don't look for roast level, it doesnt make a difference to me.

I don't think that dark roasts have a 'stronger' taste ( I don't really know what this means).

One distinction that many roasters make is espresso roast vs filter, the espresso is usually darker, to allow for the process of making a shot of espresso. Although one can make coffee with any roast, espresso roast in a french press etc. Some roasters have now done away with those labels as well and roast for all methods.

RasTa

Ridiculousy good service from that Bailes place. I ordered early yesterday morning and it's just after arriving. Recorded delivery with DPD all for £9?!

orchard02

Have been ordering from bailies for a while now, lovely coffee from their Silvio espresso beans and their Puccini beans.My local coffee shop uses their beans as well .

Conba

I really enjoyed the coffees I got from https://www.silverskincoffee.ie/ - the Coffee Kiosk at Ballsbridge people.

But mostly I just get the Columbian beans from SuperValu and Tesco and find them grand in my Aeropress.