Coffee

[DRM]

Surely the best coffee you ever drink has to be about location aswell.Ive a particular favourite in Bergamo where you can sit and watch the world go by....I'd swear it's the best coffee I've ever had.
I think !

Had a belter of a coffee, sat outside a small cafe in Sorrento, loads of locals using the place which is usually a good sign, except for 2 American women moaning at the top of their voices that "God damn I-talians can't even make a coffee" they had no idea why the proprietor was ignoring them, as it was summer we also discovered the delight of a cafe freddo, absolutely delicious

 

[MrGrumpy]

I expect the water does make a difference. I still don't have the time or patience for it, and the very concept of 'alkaline water' is pure unadulterated bullshit.

No need for any fancy water filters up here , it might be cold and wet 9 months of the year but the water is the best !

 

[geocycle]

No need for any fancy water filters up here , it might be cold and wet 9 months of the year but the water is the best !

My water is straight from the millstone grit and as soft as it comes. But 10 miles up the road I’m in limestone country where alkaline water is very much a thing. Yorkshire tea used to make a soft water and hard water blend, not sure about hard water and coffee though.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I get the roasters to grind my coffee for Aeropress when I'm buying it. I'm never getting as good a grind as they can at home and I drink it so fast it's still fresh when the bag is empty.

I use an Aeropress too. I've tried different grinds and I've found that the finest works best when using a paper filter. I'd imagine you might want to use a slightly bigger size with a metal filter but that's guesswork because I've never used one.

 

[Fat Lars]

For me using filtered water is a no brainer. Whether its for coffee or tea or just on its own. I can understand and respect another's point of view re tap water, which I've drunk for years. It was only the challenge of making a decent cup of espresso and maintaining the composition of the water re minerals etc. but attempting the elimination of impurities that made me go for it. The taste of the coffee is definitely better for it.
I find making a consistent cup of espresso is a challenge. But I love it. Isn't Life great? Full of challenges and never boring.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Our water has been extensively filtered before it gets to us. On average through half a dozen pairs of kidneys I think.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Many years ago I worked in the Head Office of a big company
so the only way to get coffee - other than bringing it in in a flask - was via the coffee machine
suddenly the one in our office started getting worse and worse - after a few weeks it became almost undrinkable
Our team started going to the next nearest machine - at the cost of several minutes walking to get there

Anyone who worked in IT in the 80s and 90s will know that coffee is required as fuel - so the senior manager (who had a PA and kettle and stuff) got involved as complaints to the mainteneance people from us plebs were getting nowhere
as his job title included the word 'Director' this caused some action

After several days of people 'fiddling' to no effect they decided to install a filter in the machine

instant fix - coffee went back to its normal level (i.e. standard machine coffee in a plastic cup)

why it suddenly changed was never ]revealed - but no-one died

so - filtering does make a difference - especially if the water is rubbish

 

[newts]

My Delonghi plastic grinder has ground to a halt, RIP.
The family are trying to talk me into joining the dark side & moving onto a bean to cup machine.
Will my mokka pot & aeropress ever forgive me?
Any recomendations without remortgaging the house?

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

Aye, this -

Amazon product ASIN B07KPPF3ZWView: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07KPPF3ZW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Now that I've got the hang of it I love it. Once you find the right beans/grind/quantity, the result is marvellous. I like that it flushes itself before and after every use. Funnily enough, I'm drinking less coffee than before because this seems to give a far better "hit".

 

[si_c]

My Delonghi plastic grinder has ground to a halt, RIP.
The family are trying to talk me into joining the dark side & moving onto a bean to cup machine.
Will my mokka pot & aeropress ever forgive me?
Any recomendations without remortgaging the house?

I think you'll struggle to be happy with most bean-to-cup machines especially in the low to mid end once you've got used to an aeropress. My SIL has got a Lelit unit which retails I think around £600 or so and it's passable, but it still struggles to keep the pressure and temperature under control when brewing although it's much better than some I've seen. I'd probably get a good grinder and a Gaggia classic instead, much better value for money.

 

[MrGrumpy]

I did quite a bit of research on bean to cup , grinders etc . Frequented coffee forums and in the end just bought a Sage bean to cup and forgot about all the bollocks about making a cup of coffee. We buy the same beans all the time and it makes a decent cup of coffee. Life’s to short to worry about all the other stuff.

 

[Nibor]

V60 here with beautiful soft Lancashire water makes lovely coffee

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Just how many devices and gadgets and tools do people have in their kitchen??
I have a filter , filter machine, Mocha pot.
I looked at getting a machiney thing that would do better but worked out that it would
a) either take up worktop space and get in the way most of the time and not fit in with other stuff on the surfaces
or
b) be storred in a cupboard that is already full of stuff and not get used as it would be a hassle to get it out etc

so I didn't
OK - I like the kitchen to be quite small - but even if I had a bigger one () the same would apply

 

[OldShep]

I’d replace the grinder with an IZPRESSO or other quality steel grinder and stick to brewing with what you know and like.
I fear machines as expensive mistakes and stick to my Bialetti and Aeropress.

 

[Randomnerd]

Hario Skerton manual grinder, Gefu gold drip filter.
Reliable, cost effective, easy.
The three minutes' grinding is a little Zen meditation.
Weigh in enough beans for a ten ounce drink. Grind. Boil. Pour. Bloom. Wait. Boil. Pour. Swirl. Wait. Pour.
Lovely.
Trying new beans is great. I have a good deal with a supplier and often get really different and tasty new beans.
Aren't we fortunate to have such a choice? And all those many hands and bent backs getting the beans into bags. Lucky us, I say, whatever the method you use. Enjoy your coffee.