Coffee. Grinder and Cafetiere or Pods in a machine

[number2]

I've ordered some small needles for a few quid, and a dosing funnel. I'll see how those work out for me.

[RobbieTheTruth]

RanchoGrande said:

RobbieTheTruth said:

I think so.

I think your acceptance level drifts a bit, so if you're used to instant, then supermarket grinds could be an upgrade.

IMO - once you've been drinking quality, fresh, lightly roasted - going back to stale, burnt, supermarket is completely unpalatable and the enjoyment level of that and instant is about equal, with instant being quicker and easier.

It's not snobbery, I just think once you become accustomed to light roasts and really enjoy them, the dark roasts become really offensive to the palate.

I'd rather a Ethiopian Nespresso pod over making a manual Espresso out of supermarket. Relatively similar results, but the Nespresso is less harsh and quicker and easier.

Totally, once you've tasted the good stuff it's hard to go back, but I still think given the vast range of beans available in the supermarket there must be a few that can cut it when prepped right? I'm sure someone earlier on in this thread reckoned they were getting good results from the Sainos taste the difference Colombian beans.

Anyway, I'm still researching fresh bean subscription websites. The place I mentioned in my last post is called Edge Tea and Coffee. Very impressed with the taste.

No. There are no supermarket beans that I would deem worth bothering to grind and make a fresh drink with.

Just go to Sainsburys and get them for £3 and try yourself. They are stale and burnt.

[RobbieTheTruth]

beambeam1 said:

Came in to this thread looking to upgrade our faithful Nespresso pod machine. Tend to use two pods and add milk these days and it's grand for now but we have come to consider that we do like a decent coffee nowadays. With vouchers/cash gifted to us after we got married we have decided we will upgrade to a decent machine... I came in here thinking about a Sage Barista Express and have trawled a few pages looking for comments about it.

Honestly, there is an abundance of great comments and knowledge throughout but I caught a few mentions of "V60" and think I am better off experimenting more with this type of kit than forking out for a machine that isn't suitable or is potentially overkill. The budget I had in mind also falls short of common recommendations of other machines which reinforces the idea of refining my coffee habit before splashing out.

Additionally, the drip style of the V60 instantly reminded me of the coffee I had, and enjoyed, when I was in Japan a few years ago. I think I will experiment with fresh beans and a grinder and take it from there - there are recent comments about fresh beans and supermarket grinds that totally transformed my understanding re: oxidisation, weights/quantity ratios and such. Thanks all for the regular contributions, it has made for some quality reading. And wincing... significant wincing at the price of some items!

PT1984 said:

And I got the V60 free with a £12 Pact purchase!

I think even Hoffman says he doesn’t have an espresso machine at home.

Thanks for this! I'll experiment with the V60 at the very lowest price point first, use it to convince the wife we don't need a machine for now and get some matchy matchy items for the kitchen if we actually enjoy it.

EDIT: With the money saved I am now divebombing into the Ooni Pizza Oven thread instead!

Edited by beambeam1 on Sunday 13th June 02:52

V60 is great, and will make a delicious coffee - but it's such a different result from Espresso.

The Sage will give you a much better version of what you're currently making.

The V60 will make you a delicious alternative, which is much milder and cleaner tasting.

Both options require a good grinder.

[RobbieTheTruth]

number2 said:

I've ordered some small needles for a few quid, and a dosing funnel. I'll see how those work out for me.

That should work fine. I use 3 toothpicks stuck into a cork with a VST!

Are you using a naked portafilter?

[number2]

RobbieTheTruth said:

number2 said:

I've ordered some small needles for a few quid, and a dosing funnel. I'll see how those work out for me.

That should work fine. I use 3 toothpicks stuck into a cork with a VST!

Are you using a naked portafilter?

Of course .

[madbadger]

madbadger said:

This has been an expensive thread.

Large box arrived yesterday and attempting to dial in. Currently best effort was 11 seconds to make a rubbish espresso.

About 6 weeks on and I have run out of beans. :doh: There are some in the post.

not every shot has been perfect but they are pretty stable now and I can be confident of getting a perfectly drinkable coffee out.

So 14 grams left made the first coffee of the day, then I have just filled up the Nespresso and made what was my old standard of two pods and a splash of milk.

All I can say is it is funny how your standards can change.

[paralla]

madbadger said:

About 6 weeks on and I have run out of beans. :doh: There are some in the post.

not every shot has been perfect but they are pretty stable now and I can be confident of getting a perfectly drinkable coffee out.

So 14 grams left made the first coffee of the day, then I have just filled up the Nespresso and made what was my old standard of two pods and a splash of milk.

All I can say is it is funny how your standards can change.

People don't know what they are missing.

[justin220]

RobbieTheTruth said:

justin220 said:

RobbieTheTruth said:

No, it's just not worth the bother.

Keep a Pod Machine or instant for the rare occasion you run out.

There is genuinely no point making a manual drink using Supermarket/Illy/Lavazza etc.

Also, if they are back up beans, they will just get more and more stale, the shot will take seconds to run through the burnt, stale, dry, crumbly beans and you're just wasting your time when you can just get an equally bad coffee with Nescafe.

Are Lavazza really that bad? I tend to keep a 1kg around the house for exactly as mentioned, for when I don't have any fresh beans.

I'll be honest I don't notice a huge difference. Certainly don't think that fresh beans are 4x as good, at 4x the cost.

I do however like getting fresh beans as I like the change in flavour

I think so yeah.

What beans do you normally use?

Lavazza is a dark roast and the beans are quite stale and brittle, so immediate smell/taste is harsh burnt.

I'm surprised you aren't seeing a big change when you revert to them, unless you are already drinking dark roast blends?

Thanks.

Lavazza 1kg bags, always have a couple of bags around the house. £10 from amazon.

I ordered a 5 x 250g sample set from York Emporium, around £8 - £9 per bag. And I've also recently tried the new Perla STG one which was superb. All of these lighter/fresher beans are better for sure, just not sure if they justify the price for me.

I probably go through 1kg a month through my Delonghi Magnifica, which starts getting very expensive if its a £9 bag a week

[kingston12]

madbadger said:

About 6 weeks on and I have run out of beans. :doh: There are some in the post.

not every shot has been perfect but they are pretty stable now and I can be confident of getting a perfectly drinkable coffee out.

So 14 grams left made the first coffee of the day, then I have just filled up the Nespresso and made what was my old standard of two pods and a splash of milk.

All I can say is it is funny how your standards can change.

Totally agree. I'm back on Nespresso after my machine broke down a few weeks ago - the difference is huge and I'm only coming from an automatic bean to cup machine!

I need to get on with deciding what's next. I almost pressed the button on a Sage Oradle yesterday, but I'm still not sure if that's the right long term choice.

[otolith]

I don't think that preferring a more traditional roast to a trendy one means you may as well drink pods or instant - though of course if you don't like that style you may well think so.

[madbadger]

It is the bitterness that is noticeable. Never tasted it before.

[RobbieTheTruth]

madbadger said:

madbadger said:

This has been an expensive thread.

Large box arrived yesterday and attempting to dial in. Currently best effort was 11 seconds to make a rubbish espresso.

About 6 weeks on and I have run out of beans. :doh: There are some in the post.

not every shot has been perfect but they are pretty stable now and I can be confident of getting a perfectly drinkable coffee out.

So 14 grams left made the first coffee of the day, then I have just filled up the Nespresso and made what was my old standard of two pods and a splash of milk.

All I can say is it is funny how your standards can change.

It is! If you're used to instant, Nespresso is such a treat when you first get it.

It quickly becomes your 'instant' equivalent once you're used to manual.

[RobbieTheTruth]

otolith said:

I don't think that preferring a more traditional roast to a trendy one means you may as well drink pods or instant - though of course if you don't like that style you may well think so.

I do in a way.

Imagine going to the supermarket and a bakers and getting sliced white bread at all different price points, from Tesco Value, to Longlife, to Hovis, to freshly baked that day.

Then setting your toaster to 10.

IMO - the results would be similar enough to warrant buying whatever is cheaper - even if you are perfectly used to and actually enjoy burnt toast.

Edited by RobbieTheTruth on Tuesday 15th June 20:48

[RobbieTheTruth]

madbadger said:

It is the bitterness that is noticeable. Never tasted it before.

Yep. Unfortunately you'll never not notice it now, in any Nespresso or supermarket bean, including 'premium' cr*p like Taylors, Illy etc.

[madbadger]

RobbieTheTruth said:

madbadger said:

It is the bitterness that is noticeable. Never tasted it before.

Yep. Unfortunately you'll never not notice it now, in any Nespresso or supermarket bean, including 'premium' cr*p like Taylors, Illy etc.

What is interesting is I haven’t drunk instant for years. I had a Francis and Francis X1 previously and a Magimix escpresso filter combo before that. All reasonably (few hundred quid) machines. When the pump packed in on the X1 the Nespresso was a stop gap but actually seemed fine so apart from the plastic waste it did the job for probably 2 years.

So I guess the issue is you can make perfectly average but drinkable coffee with a shiny machine. However a little additional knowledge is a handy thing, so thank you for your contributions to this thread.

[otolith]

RobbieTheTruth said:

otolith said:

I don't think that preferring a more traditional roast to a trendy one means you may as well drink pods or instant - though of course if you don't like that style you may well think so.

I do in a way.

Imagine going to the supermarket and a bakers and getting sliced white bread at all different price points, from Tesco Value, to Longlife, to Hovis, to freshly baked that day.

Then setting your toaster to 10.

IMO - the results would be similar enough to warrant buying whatever is cheaper - even if you are perfectly used to and actually enjoy burnt toast.

Imagine not liking toast and telling anyone who does that they can't tell sourdough from Mother's Pride.

[RobbieTheTruth]

otolith said:

RobbieTheTruth said:

otolith said:

I don't think that preferring a more traditional roast to a trendy one means you may as well drink pods or instant - though of course if you don't like that style you may well think so.

I do in a way.

Imagine going to the supermarket and a bakers and getting sliced white bread at all different price points, from Tesco Value, to Longlife, to Hovis, to freshly baked that day.

Then setting your toaster to 10.

IMO - the results would be similar enough to warrant buying whatever is cheaper - even if you are perfectly used to and actually enjoy burnt toast.

Imagine not liking toast and telling anyone who does that they can't tell sourdough from Mother's Pride.

Have you found a coffee shop ran by a real coffee enthusiast, getting the finest beans from the finest plantations and then burning it?

[sean ie3]

I always enjoy KIMBO espresso when in France but the first time I got a bag from AMAZON It was not that great so I haven't bothered again. I think It might be my lack of bona fide barista skills and/or lack of Gaggia/professional espresso machine?

Edited by sean ie3 on Tuesday 15th June 21:23

[RobbieTheTruth]

sean ie3 said:

I always enjoy KIMBO espresso when in France but the first time I got a bag from AMAZON It was not that great so I haven't bothered again. I think It might be my lack of bona fide barista skills and/or lack of Gaggia/professional espresso machine?

Edited by sean ie3 on Tuesday 15th June 21:23

Could be. Likely a number of things.

Are you buying beans or ground?

[otolith]

RobbieTheTruth said:

Have you found a coffee shop ran by a real coffee enthusiast, getting the finest beans from the finest plantations and then burning it?

That would not make the particular style of drink that the customers of that sort of shop want. Similarly, someone wanting a traditional style of coffee may well find their product thin, sour, and weird-tasting. That doesn't mean that they want their beans burnt black, or that they would be equally happy with an instant or a pod coffee. Millennials did not actually invent coffee.