Coffee advice?

Drumpot

Hi all,

I love coffee but I seldom get adventurous.

I never liked instant coffee but did try all brands before I settled on cap Columbia. A few years ago, I invested in a coffee machine (cheap enough, under 100e) for espressos and to foam milk. It's great but I only ever use costa coffee ground coffee.

Is there any benefit to using beans and grinding them yourself just before? I actually bought a coffee grinding machine but haven't used it yet!

I was also wondering if anybody had any recommendation of different coffees to try? I can't speak of flavours I like because I just like nice strong coffee and couldn't put words to the kinds of tastes I like in coffee.

Also, I use a few shots of caramel flavour and whipped cream in my one coffee a day. Has anybody any alternative suggestions or is this a "you find something you like and stick to it" personal thing?

Thanks in advance for any feedback. I'm just very slow to try out new things, particularly when I have found a thing that works! I am sorry I didn't go to that recent coffee seminar in town!

Speedwell

Yes, there's tremendous benefit to buying beans (and storing them in the freezer wrapped airtight) and grinding them yourself, in a grinder that you do not use for spices. The oils that give coffee most of its flavour are volatile; like all oils they can turn rancid quickly upon exposure to air and heat; they pick up other oils easily.

I will always like my French press best. Small, simple, non-electric, and a damn good cup of coffee. I nearly always have a few drops of vanilla extract in addition to a small amount of sugar and a large amount of hot milk. Even if you don't add enough sugar for it to be "sweet", a tiny bit rounds out the flavour.

J_E

Welcome to the world of delicious coffee

Freshly roasted & ground coffee has a real freshness to it that you can only appreciate when you've tasted the difference - even the size it's ground to can bring out different flavors as it extracts the coffee out of the bean faster or slower.

Where are you based at the moment? It's likely there is somewhere near to you that roasts their own beans or you can have them delivered online. In terms of the taste, out generally varies greatly, but a good start is to see if there is a coffee you enjoy in different cafes and ask about the beans - some cafes sell their own beans in a sealed bag. You'll start to figure out the difference between light/medium/dark roasts and the regions they come from (usually called Single Origin if they're from an area, or a Blend if it is a mix)

You're going to really enjoy the taste, just give yourself time to learn what works for you.

Drumpot

Thanks for the responses

I'm based in Bettystown.

I will give the beans a shot since it sounds like I am doing myself a disservice by buying the ground stuff.

I have a cheap as chips espresso machine that I never thought of replacing. What exactly is the benefit of having a better machine? I saw somebody post a link to a machine for 1800dollars. I'm all about investing in things I enjoy but is there a real benefit to having a particular machine making the coffee?

Speedwell

Drumpot wrote: »

I have a cheap as chips espresso machine that I never thought of replacing. What exactly is the benefit of having a better machine? I saw somebody post a link to a machine for 1800dollars. I'm all about investing in things I enjoy but is there a real benefit to having a particular machine making the coffee?

Honestly? Unless you are so experienced that you can actually distinguish the subtle and debatable differences, or you have more money than you know what to do with and want to impress people with something other than a well-made cup, you will be very pleased by a medium-range, highly-rated machine, and will probably never get your money's worth out of a professional/commercial/overly expensive machine.

J_E

Really, a good grinder will pick up a bad machine much more than a good machine with a poor grinder. At the core, all an espresso machine has to do well is push water at a consistently high pressure and be reliable.

adrian522

J_E wrote: »

Really, a good grinder will pick up a bad machine much more than a good machine with a poor grinder. At the core, all an espresso machine has to do well is push water at a consistently high pressure and be reliable.

At the right temperature.

bergipau

Drumpot wrote: »

I have a cheap as chips espresso machine that I never thought of replacing. What exactly is the benefit of having a better machine? I saw somebody post a link to a machine for 1800dollars. I'm all about investing in things I enjoy but is there a real benefit to having a particular machine making the coffee?

If you are looking for good espresso you will need a good burr grider a cheap grinder will never grind the beans fine enough.

CantGetNoSleep

What would people recommend as entry level espresso machine and grinder?

bergipau

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

What would people recommend as entry level espresso machine and grinder?

I have a rancilio Silvia and Rocky for over 10 years and they are still good as new. I was just on donedeal and there is a nice Silvia and Rocky going for very sensible money.

CantGetNoSleep

Thanks - I have a new Gaggia Classic that I haven't used yet as I still haven't bought a grinder, I see it gets terrible reviews so might sell it on and go for something similar

adrian522

I think Gaggia classic gets generally good reviews, where are you seeing bad reviews for it?

It's generally considered the best budget option for making good espresso but the Silvia would be considered better again, but buying 2nd hand you will need to be sure the machine is in good working order and as been looked after properly.

CantGetNoSleep

The new version of the Gaggia classic has terrible reviews on Amazon (and sometimes on here) - I can't comment as I haven't used mine while I await a new grinder

heebusjeebus

I've the new version of the Gaggia Classic and unless you get the dose the right size and consistency, you'll get a wet puck which can be really annoying.
(I've a Sage smart grinder so I've dialled in the best dose size so it does not affect me anymore)
Other than that though, the pressure is great and I can get a really smooth shot from it.
I'm eyeing a Rancilio Silvia as my next machine though, maybe in a year or two.

J_E

adrian522 wrote: »

I think Gaggia classic gets generally good reviews, where are you seeing bad reviews for it?

It's generally considered the best budget option for making good espresso but the Silvia would be considered better again, but buying 2nd hand you will need to be sure the machine is in good working order and as been looked after properly.

It's to do with a few changes - no 3 way valve, cheaper construction, inferior performance. If you check reviews online of the newer models, you'll see people complaining about it. It seems to be the 'done thing' to go looking for an older one 2nd hand rather than buy one new. Although it does have the stainless steel boiler in its favour (the aluminium one could rust)