Any coffee/espresso nerds on here?

[Fab Foodie]

I tried it for the first time this morning, just grinding 35 grams of beans for one brew. I read somewhere that a cafetiere needs a coarse grind so I tried that. The coffee was pretty good but not quite strong enough and slightly bland. That could be the beans, the grind, or the quantity of grounds used. I whole new world of daft coffee geekery opens up at my feet......

If you have some commercial ground coffee, adjust the grinder until you’re in the ball park visually.
Then get your microsieves out and make full particle size distribution analyses.

While you’re doing that, have a cup of tea....

 

[SheilaH]

I can't stand Starbucks.

I'm surprised to hear that.

Do you know who invented the Frappuchino?

 

[MntnMan62]

I'm surprised to hear that.

Do you know who invented the Frappuchino?

View attachment 574614

You see? You know stuff about him that no one else could know. You've got a little crush on him. I can tell. Don't worry. We won't judge you for it.

 

[Ridgeway]

So coffee is on the agenda here !

We've been Nespresso drinkers for around 20yrs but it's been an occasional thing. Now Mrs Ridgeway likes her daily cappuccino and No1 daughter has a double expresso whilst i and No2 daughter drink 1-2 macchiato a week (Italian macchiato like a Spanish cortado). And our "macchina" is on it's way out......

So seeing the opportunity is now the time to ditch the pods

Looked at some been to cup machines like the Sage The Barista Express and inspired by this thread have been looking into the Gaggia Classic however it's becoming clear that "real coffee making " is a process and takes more than pushing a few buttons and i wonder if:

1) how long does it take from cold start to getting a first coffee in the morning
2) do your children and partners also use the machines and process or do they use something more simple and easier to use
3) any idea on coffee bean cost ie a from a decent bean, say a 500grm bag, how many expresso shots should i expect
4) what maintenance and cleaning is needed to keep it all working well (unfortunately we have super hard water here)

This is turning out to be a mini project

 

[Grant Fondo]

Still using the Bialetti, designed in 1933, still makes a good cuppa

 

[stephec]

So coffee is on the agenda here !

We've been Nespresso drinkers for around 20yrs but it's been an occasional thing. Now Mrs Ridgeway likes her daily cappuccino and No1 daughter has a double expresso whilst i and No2 daughter drink 1-2 macchiato a week (Italian macchiato like a Spanish cortado). And our "macchina" is on it's way out......

So seeing the opportunity is now the time to ditch the pods

Looked at some been to cup machines like the Sage The Barista Express and inspired by this thread have been looking into the Gaggia Classic however it's becoming clear that "real coffee making " is a process and takes more than pushing a few buttons and i wonder if:

1) how long does it take from cold start to getting a first coffee in the morning
2) do your children and partners also use the machines and process or do they use something more simple and easier to use
3) any idea on coffee bean cost ie a from a decent bean, say a 500grm bag, how many expresso shots should i expect
4) what maintenance and cleaning is needed to keep it all working well (unfortunately we have super hard water here)

This is turning out to be a mini project

I use a DeLonghi bean to cup -

1) 30 seconds, double espresso, I never have milk.

2) once you've experimented to find the right settings it's as simple as pressing a button

3) I get roughly 20 double espressos from 250g, and I have it set as strong as possible

4) empty the grinds three times a week, general sweep round the insides and wash the mill once a week (5 minutes), and a thorough cleaning once a fortnight (upto half an hour). Different beans behave differently, some stay clumped together in a lump making cleaning easier, whereas with others the grinds fall apart easily, meaning the make more mess, and make it more work to keep clean.

 

[MntnMan62]

My little coffee place.

 

[Juan Kog]

Still using the Bialetti, designed in 1933, still makes a good cuppa
View attachment 577538

Still my favourite home brew method, millions of Italians can’t be wrong.

 

[MntnMan62]

Still my favourite home brew method, millions of Italians can’t be wrong.

I like mine as well but am thinking of getting a stainless steel one. I'm a little wary of aluminum. This one in the 6 cup variation is what I've been looking at.

 

[Grant Fondo]

Still my favourite home brew method, millions of Italians can’t be wrong.

You know what, I can still remember my first cup. I was on a field trip to Venice in the 80's, after years of drinking awful instant coffee, a senora poured espresso and milk into a cup, wow. The smell then the hit of strong coffee. Thankyou Italy

 

[Juan Kog]

I like mine as well but am thinking of getting a stainless steel one. I'm a little wary of aluminum. This one in the 6 cup variation is what I've been looking at.

View attachment 577552

I share your caution on the use of aluminium, if I’m just brewing for myself I use a 4 cup stainless steel .

 

[swee'pea99]

You know what, I can still remember my first cup. I was on a field trip to Venice in the 80's, after years of drinking awful instant coffee, a senora poured espresso and milk into a cup, wow. The smell then the hit of strong coffee. Thankyou Italy

You bring to mind Bill Bryson's account of his first encounter with European chocolate after 20 years thinking Hersheys was how chocolate tastes:

"I remember the first time I tasted European chocolate. It was in the central railway station in Antwerp, on 21 March 1972, my second day in Europe as a young backpacker. While waiting for the train I bought a bar of Belgian chocolate from a station kiosk, tore off a bite and, after a moment of startled delight, began to emit a series of involuntary rapturous noises of an intensity sufficient to draw stares from 20 yards away.
You know how a baby eats a bowl of pudding - with noise and gusto and an alarming amount of gurgly drool? Well, that was me. I couldn't help myself. I didn't know that chocolate could be this good. I didn't know that anything could be this good."

 

[Chap sur le velo]

You bring to mind Bill Bryson's account of his first encounter with European chocolate after 20 years thinking Hersheys was how chocolate tastes:

"I remember the first time I tasted European chocolate. It was in the central railway station in Antwerp, on 21 March 1972, my second day in Europe as a young backpacker. While waiting for the train I bought a bar of Belgian chocolate from a station kiosk, tore off a bite and, after a moment of startled delight, began to emit a series of involuntary rapturous noises of an intensity sufficient to draw stares from 20 yards away.
You know how a baby eats a bowl of pudding - with noise and gusto and an alarming amount of gurgly drool? Well, that was me. I couldn't help myself. I didn't know that chocolate could be this good. I didn't know that anything could be this good."

Reminds me of when I was 18 and the first time I....CENSORED!

 

[bruce1530]

I remember passing two coffee shops next door to each other in Glasgow.

One was an “artisan coffee shop”, with a menu longer than most restaurants.
The other had a sign saying “We sell 2 types of coffee: wee and big”.

 

[mjr]

You bring to mind Bill Bryson's account of his first encounter with European chocolate after 20 years thinking Hersheys was how chocolate tastes:

"I remember the first time I tasted European chocolate. It was in the central railway station in Antwerp, on 21 March 1972, my second day in Europe as a young backpacker. While waiting for the train I bought a bar of Belgian chocolate from a station kiosk, tore off a bite and, after a moment of startled delight, began to emit a series of involuntary rapturous noises of an intensity sufficient to draw stares from 20 yards away.
You know how a baby eats a bowl of pudding - with noise and gusto and an alarming amount of gurgly drool? Well, that was me. I couldn't help myself. I didn't know that chocolate could be this good. I didn't know that anything could be this good."

To be fair, Antwerpen-Centraal is pretty stunning surroundings for that experience, too. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Quality_images_of_Antwerp_Central_Station