holiday in melbourne has ruined my coffee

strelok

i was happy with my coffee before spending xmas in melbourne. I got a bag of roberts roberts 3 or a bag of bewleys ground coffee, whichever had the 50% off when i was buying it. Every now and again I'd pop down to the local coffee shop and buy an "expensive" 100g bag of whatever coffee took my fancy at the time

i'd always intended on buying beans online and getting a grinder and stuff, some time in the future but the need just wasn't there

then I spent the guts of three weeks in melbourne. long black in the morning, long black before noon, long black in the afternoon and maybe a long black in the evening. everything was bloody long black and everything was bloody delicious (well, one cup was horrible. but i just threw it in the bin and got another great one down the road)

how can I best replicate this sort of horribly expensive pressure coffee at home without spending large chunks? I'm more or less resigned to the fact that i'm going to have to start buying beans online and grinding them myself before I boil the kettle. Device wise i've been looking online a bit and it seems a moka pot is the best option?

I've only been back since sunday but I haven't really enjoyed a coffee since then. A 2 cup moka pot is only around 20 quid on amazon, what are the chances I could produce a drink that reminds me positively of the glory I experienced down under? would an aeropress be better?

then again, maybe I'm being unfair to my trusty old french press. I might just need to get some beans and a hand grinder online and that will do the job.

any thoughts? is this just what i'm going to have to get used to until I save up the fifty grand for a good espresso machine? can anyone recommend a good cheap grinder? will the new danger mouse actually be any good?

caviardreams

Don't underestimate the difference that freshly roasted, freshly ground, good quality beans can make to any brewing method. The french press is still a great brewing method for a long black imo - so I would go down the whole bean route with the french press first and see how you like it. If you are still not getting the results you are looking for you could then try an aeropress or moka pot - both are very reasonably priced so worth exploring. I used a french press for years and loved it though, so maybe I'm biased (and a little nostalgic :o)

OldBean

I'd agree with Caviardreams.

If you've some money to spare invest in a Baratza Encore grinder, decent sized electronic scales (Brewista is getting some good reviews) and use your French press to start. Have a look at some drip options - V60's, beehouse drippers or the Chemex for cleaner brews. Hand grinders are great for travelling, but a pain in the arse every morning.

Websites like hasbean.co.uk both sell beans and give quite good brewing guides.

Unless you really want to make espresso at home, you won't have to buy a whole lot more after your initial grinder and scales.

strelok

thanks for the quick replies

as I said I'm just back from melbourne but I also ordered some crap I probably don't even need from amazon yesterday morning and I'm apparently also going on a 10 day holiday to portugal for a friends wedding in july so as much as I'd love it, spending the guts of 200 quid on a coffee grinder just isn't feasable atm


http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01566ZICC?psc=1

i was looking at this, I'm at college most of the day anyway so I'd really only be having 1-2 coffees at home, except for weekends. having to grind by hand hopefully wouldn't be too much of an imposition. is it worth my while spending 40-50 euro on a hand grinder from a known brand or would the cheaper option get me 90% of the way there?

I guess that's a fairly awkward question to be asking enthusiasts/hobbyists

OldBean

As far as I can see, it's a clone of this guy:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Porlex-Stainless-Ceramic-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B0002JZCF2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452598028&sr=8-1&keywords=coffee+grinder+porlex

There's two ways of looking at it... For 20-30 inc P&P quid, you can't go too far wrong, but for 20-30 quid more, you'd have something with a bit more of a reputation. I have the Porlex model in my travel bag and find it great. It replaced the Hario travel grinder I used previously.

Tbh, if you have the 40-50 to spare, I'd get the cheaper grinder for the time being, and spend the rest of the money on a small scales and some good beans. If you're based in Dublin, it could be worth popping in to 3FE/Love Supreme/Wigwam/CoffeeAngel etc to pick them up, you'll likely get some good brewing recipes, and maybe some free coffee to go with?

strelok

carlow unfortunately, for more reasons than just this.

i already have an electronic scales i use to measure coffee and food generally so that's fine. i guess I'll just grab the cheaper grinder for now and then order some beans from coffeemojo or one of the other irish sites

later in the year i'll look at upgrading stuff. thanks for the help

strelok

ordered the cheap grinder on amazon, and because I needed to make up the balance for the free delivery I ordered the moka pot too

hoh hum

J_E

Don't worry about the grinder for now - you don't need to be that picky for a moka pot, it's more espressos and some pourovers where it begins to significantly matter.

Mellor

First of all, coffee in Australia tends to be of a pretty high standard compared to Ireland. My Mam was just out here and couldn't believe how good it was from a coffeeshop compared to the odd cup from Bewley's she'd have back home. So sadly you've exposed yourself to that.

I'd put a huge part of it down to the Robert Roberts/bewleys ground coffee you were buying. There;'s certain brands used in various coffeeshops that I just don't enjoy as much, and others that are consistently really good. I picked up a bag from my favourite coffeeshop, got him to grind there and then, and my new Aeropress did a fairly impressive job with it, even at the end of the 3 weeks. A bag of Robert Roberts could have be ground who knows when.

Mellor

First of all, coffee in Australia tends to be of a pretty high standard compared to Ireland. My Mam was just out here and couldn't believe how good it was from a coffeeshop compared to the odd cup from Bewley's she'd have back home. So sadly you've exposed yourself to that.

I'd put a huge part of it down to the Robert Roberts/bewleys ground coffee you were buying. There;'s certain brands used in various coffeeshops that I just don't enjoy as much, and others that are consistently really good. I picked up a bag from my favourite coffeeshop, got him to grind there and then, and my new Aeropress did a fairly impressive job with it, even at the end of the 3 weeks. A bag of Robert Roberts could have be ground who knows when.

ceemgee

strelok wrote: »

how can I best replicate this sort of horribly expensive pressure coffee at home without spending large chunks? I'm more or less resigned to the fact that i'm going to have to start buying beans online and grinding them myself before I boil the kettle. Device wise i've been looking online a bit and it seems a moka pot is the best option?

I have a cafetiere plunge jug which works splendidly. I use Aldi's Ethiopian and/or Kenyan ground coffee and both are good, if on the weak side. I don't find these coffees too strong, but if you like strong coffee, then both of those probably won't give you what you're after...

caol ila

I am heading to Melbourne myself shortly and looking forward to being spoiled with the coffee culture there.
I have pretty much every brewing device except the syphon and my advice would be to go for a v60 and some fresh beans and a hand grinder. Its a low cost way of getting into 'proper coffee' and its portable so you can bring it to work also. Use your scales.
A bit more cash and you can get a chemex. If your drinking long black coffee, these methods would be ideal.

strelok

the moka pot arrived yesterday so I've been using that, grinding the bewleys beans i got in tesco

i'll get some fresher beans online next week when I can afford it. the first couple of cups weren't great, but i think i'm settling in with it now. heat quite low, patience. small amount of concentrated coffee to be topped up with water rather than letting it overfill and be all nasty tasting.

so far im liking it more than the french press anyway.

adrian522

Do you preheat the water before adding it the Moka pot yeah?

strelok

adrian522 wrote: »

Do you preheat the water before adding it the Moka pot yeah?

i did that the first couple of times but i tried it just there without preheating and i found i preferred the coffee that came out

Mellor

adrian522 wrote: »

Do you preheat the water before adding it the Moka pot yeah?

Would that make a difference, or it is just for speed?
I don't have a moka pot but my understand is that the water doesn't come into contact with the grounds until it is close to boiling (water vapour/steam pressure forcing it up)

OldBean

It means less contact between the ground coffee and the hot steel of the pot, as well as taking a bit less time to hit boiling.

There's debates for and against it. I haven't used a moka pot in years, but can remember trying it and burning my fingers trying to screw on the top of the pot. Or spilling water everywhere.

adrian522

OldBean wrote: »

It means less contact between the ground coffee and the hot steel of the pot, as well as taking a bit less time to hit boiling.

There's debates for and against it. I haven't used a moka pot in years, but can remember trying it and burning my fingers trying to screw on the top of the pot. Or spilling water everywhere.

I found it worked better with preheated water certainly. And use a tea towel or soemthing to unscrew.

Day Lewin

I usually use hot, but not boiling water with a moka pot: so that it gets a few minutes of heating.
I was told in Italy that the rising steam wisps, or water vapours, dampen and swell the coffee grounds to get them ready for their meeting with the genies of Extraction.

LOL it certainly is the nearest you'll get to Italian street coffee without a fancy Gadget!

Day Lewin

I usually use hot, but not boiling water with a moka pot: so that it gets a few minutes of heating.
I was told in Italy that the rising steam wisps, or water vapours, dampen and swell the coffee grounds to get them ready for their meeting with the genies of Extraction.

LOL it certainly is the nearest you'll get to Italian street coffee without a fancy Gadget!

strelok

http://www.coffeemojo.ie/coffee/single+origin/gathongo.html

some of this arrived just now, put some in the moka pot and gave it a whirl. think i ground it too coarse, got way less coffee than I usually would before it started spluttering like crazy. I thought i was doing real well at first because the coffee that game out was super thick, looked almost treacle-like but then it kinda went to pot.
what was there tasted incredible though. I don't know about blackcurrant or 'buttery undertones' but there's definitely citrus there, that's totally new for me in coffee

i'll try this in the french press tomorrow

i also got some of this
http://www.coffeemojo.ie/coffee/espresso/fazenda+pantano+espresso.html

so I'll see if I maybe break my no coffee after 4pm rule and try it out later


i'll definitely have to invest in a decent grinder soonish, spending 2-3 minutes grinding the beans for a cup is more annoying than I thought it would be and it'd be lovely to have more precise control over how fine the grind comes out.

murphyebass

strelok wrote: »

...what was there tasted incredible though. I don't know about blackcurrant or 'buttery undertones' but there's definitely citrus there, that's totally new for me in coffee

i'll try this in the french press tomorrow

so I'll see if I maybe break my no coffee after 4pm rule and try it out later


i'll definitely have to invest in a decent grinder soonish, spending 2-3 minutes grinding the beans for a cup is more annoying than I thought it would be and it'd be lovely to have more precise control over how fine the grind comes out.

Hahaha the slippery slope of coffee appreciation.

Another investment I really can't recommend highly enough is the Aeropress. You'll never use the Moka pot or French press again.

Nothing wrong with either of them but Aeropress is the business for a perfectly clean mug of coffee extracting all the right flavours from the coffee you're using. Also quicker process and easier to clean.

Best €30 I've ever spent.

I have a Gaggia Classic that only gets used at weekends due to how much I love my Aeropress.

strelok

yeah i was looking at the aeropress before alright, some day. some day. maybe next week now that you mention it

i tried the espresso blend just now but after the spluttering and fail brew of yesterday I decided to try and grind a little finer and put less of it into the moka pot chamber. It's a nice cup but i'm definitely left with the impression that it could be nicer. don't know if I should try to fill the chamber more or increase the coarseness of the grind. plenty of time ahead of me to figure this all out though


can anyone recommend any decent automatic grinders that won't break the bank? probably wont be able to get it for a while but i'd like to have a couple in my wishlist anyway just in case. i have my first coffee of the day around 6am so quietness is also a desirable factor.

OldBean

I'd put this ahead of ones that are more expensive than it.

https://www.3fe.com/shop/baratza-encore-grinder

OldBean

I'd put this ahead of ones that are more expensive than it.

https://www.3fe.com/shop/baratza-encore-grinder

traprunner

Same thing happened me from going to Vietnam a few years ago. I can't stand coffee sold in coffee shops here since. Now I purchase Vietnamese coffee online. It is hugely expensive compared to a bag of coffee in Vietnam but still a bit cheaper than a bag of Bewleys in the supermarket.

Try to find out what coffee brands/beans the coffee shops were using and how they made them. It'll be well worthwhile.

J_E

traprunner wrote: »

Same thing happened me from going to Vietnam a few years ago. I can't stand coffee sold in coffee shops here since. Now I purchase Vietnamese coffee online. It is hugely expensive compared to a bag of coffee in Vietnam but still a bit cheaper than a bag of Bewleys in the supermarket.

Try to find out what coffee brands/beans the coffee shops were using and how they made them. It'll be well worthwhile.

This sounds good - care to share what you get?

donnacha

strelok wrote: »

heat quite low, patience. small amount of concentrated coffee to be topped up with water rather than letting it overfill and be all nasty tasting.

OP have a look at Hoffmans guide. Been a long time since I used one but I can vouch that this method makes a lovely cup:
https://vimeo.com/2905947

strelok

thanks i'd seen that before alright and it was a help

i think i figured out what i was doing wrong, i was pouring the grinds in and then tapping the side of the chamber for ages to settle it all in. I guess it's not quite a tamp but it was settling too many grinds in for the pressure of the steam to handle so the moka pot was struggling

I didn't do that at all this morning and the cup is nicer than I've had in a while

this espresso blend i got from coffeemojo is quite nice

-edit

yeah that was definitely the problem. second cup is better again.