Coffee. Grinder and Cafetiere or Pods in a machine

[Turn7]

Anyone using a Sage Barista Express here ?

Not for pure espresso, but Cortado(ish) style drinks ?

Edited by Turn7 on Saturday 3rd July 23:19

[jodypress]

Turn7 said:

Anyone using a Sage Barista Express here ?

Not for pure espresso, but Cortado(ish) style drinks ?

Edited by Turn7 on Saturday 3rd July 23:19

Not quite the same model bit I've got the Sage Duo tempo and sage grinder.
I mainly make Cappuccino and it'd a great machine. Quick startup time, good milk frothing.

[RobbieTheTruth]

blingybongy said:

RobbieTheTruth said:

It's all going to be similar unfortunately.

Starbucks Blonde and Taylors Lazy Sunday are supermarket's small steps into the light roast, but they are still burnt.

Try the Taylors, but I imagine it will be similar to the Costco stuff. Passable but not particularly enjoyable once you're used to the stuff from your local roaster.

Better than instant though, so if it's that or Nescafe, I'd give it a go.

Not being abrasive here but why?
Why do all the supermarkets sell burnt coffee.
Surely the big supermarkets and coffee companies don't have tasters and roasters that don't know what they are doing.

A few reasons I think.

Third wave coffee only really started after the year 2003, and up to now has been pretty niche.

"The term 'third wave coffee' is a label given to coffee businesses opened after the year 2000, which share a similar mission statement or goal: to deliver high quality coffee. Those who subscribe to the third wave coffee movement consider coffee an artisanal food, like wine, the consumption of which can be enhanced with greater education, connoisseurship, and sensory exploration beyond just a cup of coffee."

The general public have always expected 'Italian style' which is basically burnt black.

Also, light roast good quality coffee deteriorates quick and is very noticeable. You could drink this burnt supermarket stuff a year after you buy it and it will just taste the same.

Also consistency. Like wine, you'll get an amazing crop one year and next year, the result will be every different from the same plants, as the climate has been different and it's had more/less rain etc.

So they just roast it dark so it always tastes the same.

Starbucks don't want their signature shot of Espresso tasting different each time, so they use a dark roast so you'll only ever taste what you taste (coal, ash etc).

Third Wave coffee is a bit hipster now, and it becoming a lot more popular. Starbucks have noticed and brought out a 'blonde roast' but for the reasons above, it's still very dark and much too burnt to be enjoyable for me,

Edited by RobbieTheTruth on Sunday 4th July 12:51

[RobbieTheTruth]

Turn7 said:

Anyone using a Sage Barista Express here ?

Not for pure espresso, but Cortado(ish) style drinks ?

Edited by Turn7 on Saturday 3rd July 23:19

No but it would be good enough.

I'd advise getting a separate (better) grinder and getting a cheaper Sage machine if you can though.

[Turn7]

RobbieTheTruth said:

Turn7 said:

Anyone using a Sage Barista Express here ?

Not for pure espresso, but Cortado(ish) style drinks ?

Edited by Turn7 on Saturday 3rd July 23:19

No but it would be good enough.

I'd advise getting a separate (better) grinder and getting a cheaper Sage machine if you can though.

Yeah, thats where Im conflicted, the SBE is a nice neat package of both, but I think I could buy a modded GC and grinder for less.

I was set on the Neo, but its to much faff for MrsT7 apparently.

[RobbieTheTruth]

Turn7 said:

RobbieTheTruth said:

Turn7 said:

Anyone using a Sage Barista Express here ?

Not for pure espresso, but Cortado(ish) style drinks ?

Edited by Turn7 on Saturday 3rd July 23:19

No but it would be good enough.

I'd advise getting a separate (better) grinder and getting a cheaper Sage machine if you can though.

Yeah, thats where Im conflicted, the SBE is a nice neat package of both, but I think I could buy a modded GC and grinder for less.

I was set on the Neo, but its to much faff for MrsT7 apparently.

If you can stomach £400-£500 on a Grinder, you'll never have to worry about one again.

I have the Niche. If I didn't, I'd buy the Solo for about £400.

A modded Gaggia Classic is perfect and will be around £300.

[jodypress]

RobbieTheTruth said:

Turn7 said:

RobbieTheTruth said:

Turn7 said:

Anyone using a Sage Barista Express here ?

Not for pure espresso, but Cortado(ish) style drinks ?

Edited by Turn7 on Saturday 3rd July 23:19

No but it would be good enough.

I'd advise getting a separate (better) grinder and getting a cheaper Sage machine if you can though.

Yeah, thats where Im conflicted, the SBE is a nice neat package of both, but I think I could buy a modded GC and grinder for less.

I was set on the Neo, but its to much faff for MrsT7 apparently.

If you can stomach £400-£500 on a Grinder, you'll never have to worry about one again.

I have the Niche. If I didn't, I'd buy the Solo for about £400.

A modded Gaggia Classic is perfect and will be around £300.

I agree with most of Rob's suggestions and he speaks from experience. The only thing I'll add is having come from a modded GC (PIF and pressure to 9bar) the easy of use is much better with my Sage. Also quicker start up time too (very useful first thing in the morning ) Also better milk frothing (and I had the Silvia wand mod too).
For me the game changer was scale/timer. Hitting 18g of coffee out at 30g in 25 to 30 secs made the most difference in my coffee.

[LordGrover]

Baron Greenback said:

Interesting why go hand grinder, tempted to Sette 30 after I upgrade my Flair Neo as my Wilfa isnt good enough for espresso but good enough for the flair. How much an effort is manual grinding, like the idea as having 2 machine is tad over the top and manual look similar to pepper grinder and not too big.

I'm not an espresso person; clever dripper or AeroPress only.
The extra few seconds taken hand grinding are saved by simply emptying the grounds by tipping rather, than the static-bound battle with the plastic catcher on my old Krup/crap grinder.
Also, it's a delightful thing to have and hold, with a nice weight to it and quality feel.

[blingybongy]

RobbieTheTruth said:

A few reasons I think.

Third wave coffee only really started after the year 2003, and up to now has been pretty niche.

"The term 'third wave coffee' is a label given to coffee businesses opened after the year 2000, which share a similar mission statement or goal: to deliver high quality coffee. Those who subscribe to the third wave coffee movement consider coffee an artisanal food, like wine, the consumption of which can be enhanced with greater education, connoisseurship, and sensory exploration beyond just a cup of coffee."

The general public have always expected 'Italian style' which is basically burnt black.

Also, light roast good quality coffee deteriorates quick and is very noticeable. You could drink this burnt supermarket stuff a year after you buy it and it will just taste the same.

Also consistency. Like wine, you'll get an amazing crop one year and next year, the result will be every different from the same plants, as the climate has been different and it's had more/less rain etc.

So they just roast it dark so it always tastes the same.

Starbucks don't want their signature shot of Espresso tasting different each time, so they use a dark roast so you'll only ever taste what you taste (coal, ash etc).

Third Wave coffee is a bit hipster now, and it becoming a lot more popular. Starbucks have noticed and brought out a 'blonde roast' but for the reasons above, it's still very dark and much too burnt to be enjoyable for me,

Edited by RobbieTheTruth on Sunday 4th July 12:51

Thanks. Makes sense.

[giblet]

RobbieTheTruth said:

blingybongy said:

RobbieTheTruth said:

It's all going to be similar unfortunately.

Starbucks Blonde and Taylors Lazy Sunday are supermarket's small steps into the light roast, but they are still burnt.

Try the Taylors, but I imagine it will be similar to the Costco stuff. Passable but not particularly enjoyable once you're used to the stuff from your local roaster.

Better than instant though, so if it's that or Nescafe, I'd give it a go.

Not being abrasive here but why?
Why do all the supermarkets sell burnt coffee.
Surely the big supermarkets and coffee companies don't have tasters and roasters that don't know what they are doing.

A few reasons I think.

Third wave coffee only really started after the year 2003, and up to now has been pretty niche.

"The term 'third wave coffee' is a label given to coffee businesses opened after the year 2000, which share a similar mission statement or goal: to deliver high quality coffee. Those who subscribe to the third wave coffee movement consider coffee an artisanal food, like wine, the consumption of which can be enhanced with greater education, connoisseurship, and sensory exploration beyond just a cup of coffee."

The general public have always expected 'Italian style' which is basically burnt black.

Also, light roast good quality coffee deteriorates quick and is very noticeable. You could drink this burnt supermarket stuff a year after you buy it and it will just taste the same.

Also consistency. Like wine, you'll get an amazing crop one year and next year, the result will be every different from the same plants, as the climate has been different and it's had more/less rain etc.

So they just roast it dark so it always tastes the same.

Starbucks don't want their signature shot of Espresso tasting different each time, so they use a dark roast so you'll only ever taste what you taste (coal, ash etc).

Third Wave coffee is a bit hipster now, and it becoming a lot more popular. Starbucks have noticed and brought out a 'blonde roast' but for the reasons above, it's still very dark and much too burnt to be enjoyable for me,

Edited by RobbieTheTruth on Sunday 4th July 12:51

I have to agree with this with my findings. Grabbed a few bags of Taylors and it all seems so overly roasted and dark. It's funny as my first real foray into 'proper' coffee was Taylors and a 1 cup french press years ago. Since then having tried third wave stuff freshly roasted and ground I find all the supermarket stuff to be far too dark.

Still at £6 for 2 bags the Taylors will do the job for the office especially as the rest of my colleagues are happy drinking instant. This stuff is an upgrade for them

[kevinon]

Hi fellow coffee lovers / pedants [delete as appropriate]

I find this thread useful in a 'wisdom of the crowd' type of way, and as a result I bought the Niche Zero 6 months ago, which is the 'right' grinder for me.

To be fair, 'right' includes criteria like aesthetics and size.
As my old kettle broke, I had a good excuse to geek out on replacement options for my coffee 'workflow'

I'm very happy with the Stag EKG by Fellow. https://espresso-solutions.co.uk/fellow-stagg-ekg-...

[PT1984]

That is an expensive kettle!

[paralla]

My coffee workflow is exclusively in the kitchen, maybe I should try taking the kettle to the front room and pouring it while sitting on my B&B Italia sofa (like she does in the picture).

I wonder if I could taste the difference in the cup?

[CharlieH89]

My brother has a Melitta solo bean to cup. I borrowed it whilst he went on holiday for a couple of weeks.

Once I warmed some milk up in the microwave and added it to the contents that came out it was much better than my usual cup of Nescafé gold cream.

The melitta solo with a milk frother is £270 atm in Currys; £250 through my work.

Are there any alternatives in the same price bracket where I can press a button and have a coffee in 30 seconds? Don’t want any faff.

I also have a dolce gusto in storage with Costa pods, would prefer something like the Melitta solo.

Thank you.

[kevinon]

paralla said:

My coffee workflow is exclusively in the kitchen, maybe I should try taking the kettle to the front room and pouring it while sitting on my B&B Italia sofa (like she does in the picture).

I wonder if I could taste the difference in the cup?

I'm not gonna claim 'super taster' status - but I do like the pout-over method, and a goose neck helps. Also, this kettle boils quickly to a target temperature, and can hold it there. I've chosen 92 degrees, cos I think I remember that being a magic number here on the forum. It's one part of my life that I am in total control of!

[madbadger]

kevinon said:

paralla said:

My coffee workflow is exclusively in the kitchen, maybe I should try taking the kettle to the front room and pouring it while sitting on my B&B Italia sofa (like she does in the picture).

I wonder if I could taste the difference in the cup?

I'm not gonna claim 'super taster' status - but I do like the pout-over method, and a goose neck helps. Also, this kettle boils quickly to a target temperature, and can hold it there. I've chosen 92 degrees, cos I think I remember that being a magic number here on the forum. It's one part of my life that I am in total control of!

I have my espresso machine set to the magic 92 degrees, but I seem to remember the Hoffman video for pour over recommending as hot as possible. Hence using the kettle / swan neck kettle directly but not transferring from a kettle to a swan neck jug as it would lose too much heat.

Having said that I use a kettle set to 90 (as it is that or 80 or 100) to avoid scalding the coffee.

[PT1984]

You are correct. Pour over is king for me. I can wholly recommend these beans. Just got another bag delivered. I’m a sucker for a good story and I feel a little better about myself with helping out. Both the ladies and a clearly passionate business. However I’m not sure how much help they need with the Microsoft deal!

https://cliftoncoffee.co.uk/shop/coffee/single-ori...

[RobbieTheTruth]

giblet said:

RobbieTheTruth said:

blingybongy said:

RobbieTheTruth said:

It's all going to be similar unfortunately.

Starbucks Blonde and Taylors Lazy Sunday are supermarket's small steps into the light roast, but they are still burnt.

Try the Taylors, but I imagine it will be similar to the Costco stuff. Passable but not particularly enjoyable once you're used to the stuff from your local roaster.

Better than instant though, so if it's that or Nescafe, I'd give it a go.

Not being abrasive here but why?
Why do all the supermarkets sell burnt coffee.
Surely the big supermarkets and coffee companies don't have tasters and roasters that don't know what they are doing.

A few reasons I think.

Third wave coffee only really started after the year 2003, and up to now has been pretty niche.

"The term 'third wave coffee' is a label given to coffee businesses opened after the year 2000, which share a similar mission statement or goal: to deliver high quality coffee. Those who subscribe to the third wave coffee movement consider coffee an artisanal food, like wine, the consumption of which can be enhanced with greater education, connoisseurship, and sensory exploration beyond just a cup of coffee."

The general public have always expected 'Italian style' which is basically burnt black.

Also, light roast good quality coffee deteriorates quick and is very noticeable. You could drink this burnt supermarket stuff a year after you buy it and it will just taste the same.

Also consistency. Like wine, you'll get an amazing crop one year and next year, the result will be every different from the same plants, as the climate has been different and it's had more/less rain etc.

So they just roast it dark so it always tastes the same.

Starbucks don't want their signature shot of Espresso tasting different each time, so they use a dark roast so you'll only ever taste what you taste (coal, ash etc).

Third Wave coffee is a bit hipster now, and it becoming a lot more popular. Starbucks have noticed and brought out a 'blonde roast' but for the reasons above, it's still very dark and much too burnt to be enjoyable for me,

Edited by RobbieTheTruth on Sunday 4th July 12:51

I have to agree with this with my findings. Grabbed a few bags of Taylors and it all seems so overly roasted and dark. It's funny as my first real foray into 'proper' coffee was Taylors and a 1 cup french press years ago. Since then having tried third wave stuff freshly roasted and ground I find all the supermarket stuff to be far too dark.

Still at £6 for 2 bags the Taylors will do the job for the office especially as the rest of my colleagues are happy drinking instant. This stuff is an upgrade for them

Yeah your acceptance level drifts as you discover better beans.

If you're used to Tesco value, then Taylors Lazy Sunday would taste a lot smoother and be a pleasant upgrade.

If you've had quality third wave stuff, you'll realise Taylors is still dark and overroasted, and stale, and will taste burnt and bland.

[RobbieTheTruth]

kevinon]Hi fellow coffee lovers / pedants [delete as appropriate said:

I find this thread useful in a 'wisdom of the crowd' type of way, and as a result I bought the Niche Zero 6 months ago, which is the 'right' grinder for me.

To be fair, 'right' includes criteria like aesthetics and size.
As my old kettle broke, I had a good excuse to geek out on replacement options for my coffee 'workflow'

I'm very happy with the Stag EKG by Fellow. https://espresso-solutions.co.uk/fellow-stagg-ekg-...

Looks great!

I've just installed a Qettle boiling water tap.

[RobbieTheTruth]

CharlieH89 said:

My brother has a Melitta solo bean to cup. I borrowed it whilst he went on holiday for a couple of weeks.

Once I warmed some milk up in the microwave and added it to the contents that came out it was much better than my usual cup of Nescafé gold cream.

The melitta solo with a milk frother is £270 atm in Currys; £250 through my work.

Are there any alternatives in the same price bracket where I can press a button and have a coffee in 30 seconds? Don’t want any faff.

I also have a dolce gusto in storage with Costa pods, would prefer something like the Melitta solo.

Thank you.

Nespresso Lattisima is a one touch latte machine. It uses pods over beans - but there isn't a huge amount of difference between pod and bean to cup.

Neither will create a great coffee, but can be a big upgrade from instant and they are quick, easy and convenient.