Author Topic: What's caffeinating you today?  (Read 128257 times)

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #500 on: 03 March, 2018, 09:13:45 am »
Never tried Rwandan coffee, other than as ready-ground someone gave me years ago.  Was very fond of Izuba, from Burundi next door, a few years back, but it has practically disappeared from the market after Brazilian Red Bourbon production drove prices down on the NY exchange. Shame.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #501 on: 02 April, 2018, 06:11:38 pm »
I'm frustrated beyond belief, there's barely a decent coffee place in my current area. But maybe it's good for my cardio, I'm an aging caffeine addict at this point.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #502 on: 03 April, 2018, 08:57:12 am »
If it's any help, my anterior intraventricular was down to 20% throughput before two cappuccinos caused angina. Nowadays I can handle back-to-back double espressos but three might be pushing it.

Anyway, if I want decent coffee over the counter I have to drive 50 km then walk another couple.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #503 on: 03 April, 2018, 09:05:03 am »
I'm frustrated beyond belief, there's barely a decent coffee place in my current area. But maybe it's good for my cardio, I'm an aging caffeine addict at this point.

Go to https://coffeeforums.co.uk and ask. Somebody will know somewhere...

Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #504 on: 02 July, 2018, 10:23:59 pm »
I'm on the last few days of my Caffe Serrano I brought back from Cuba. I'm in a quandary. It's a really satisfying cup of coffee, robust and rounded that - for my taste -knocks most locally bought coffees into a cocked roaster.

But, do I  just write it off to a slowly fading holiday experience, along with the chords and melody of Chan Chan, ot do I chase it down? Decisions, decisions.

Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #505 on: 02 July, 2018, 10:45:42 pm »
I'm on the last few days of my Caffe Serrano I brought back from Cuba. I'm in a quandary. It's a really satisfying cup of coffee, robust and rounded that - for my taste -knocks most locally bought coffees into a cocked roaster.

But, do I  just write it off to a slowly fading holiday experience, along with the chords and melody of Chan Chan, ot do I chase it down? Decisions, decisions.

You are buying from the wrong roasters. Many of them are doing this light-roast stuff.

Try https://www.coffeecompass.co.uk

Any of their mahogany roast blends will probably hit the spot. Jampit hit is good.

Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #506 on: 03 July, 2018, 09:59:15 am »
Ah well, you are right, I don't buy my coffee from the right roasters - I doubt Waitrose roast any themselves.

The trouble is I've never really taken the time to hejjercate myself about coffee, it seems far more complicated than wine but the potential rewards - knowing what coffee you are likely to enjoy - might be as useful, if not more so. I used to think it was quite similar to wine, that is once you take away the wankeybollocks with wine. Once you know the grape and the style, you have some idea what it will taste like, especially when it is more traditional in its vinification. The equivalent in coffee terms in my mind was bean variety and roast. So, all I needed to know was high roast arabica, and that was it. Top up on my Cafe Grand Mere Degustation or Carte Noir while in France, I was sorted. Add to that Waitrose own brand espresso and my needs were satisfied. Life was simple.

Trouble was,  sometime during my extended absence from coffee drinking all these new coffees appeared on the shelves, along with bean to cup machines etc. I've been working my way through all sorts of different options, with limited success, blends and roast are clearly angled at a wide range of tastes (no shit, sherlock) and also drinking preferences (coffee maker, milk, sugar). The simple correlation between bean, roast style and enjoyment seems to be broken by the levels of sophistication and choice. Along with the ubiquity of coffee shops, black no sugar is no longer as mainstream as it used to be and many coffees are clearly blended with that in mind. The Cuban coffee was unusual in that the flavour has grown on me. It still tastes "thinner" than I prefer to start with, but I enjoy the flavour and the final effect is a satisfying cup.

I'll give that Jampit a try, and I see they also do French Breakfast blend which will likely be up my street.

Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #507 on: 03 July, 2018, 10:01:59 am »
I'd highly recommend ringing up and speaking to Greg or Richard andctellingthem what your preparation method is, and what sort of flavours you like.

They are totally unwanky

Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #508 on: 03 July, 2018, 10:23:00 am »
I'm lucky to have Michael's coffee stall on the market in Cambridge - (not my pic, I found it on flickr - he doesnt do mail order, internet or debit cards..)

I worked my way through them all over a year or so and settled on a pretty dark mix of 1 part Sumatra and 2 parts El Salvador,  ground in a pretty average burr machine, made with an aeropress mid-way between an espresso and americano strength, black no sugar.  3 cups a day is plenty or I get a bit twitchy!

Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #509 on: 09 July, 2018, 10:44:20 am »
Julius Meinl beans I bought in Vienna ground at home.

I have been on a bit of a coffee journey over the last few years. I tried an espresso machine, I tried lots of different coffees from all sorts of roasters.
I have gradually come to the conclusion that what I really like is a decent normal coffee with a touch of milk. The sort of coffee you would get if you were in France or Italy and asked for a large coffee.

It's made life much simpler. As I broke my old filter machine (smashed the jug) I treated myself to Melitta's top of the range drip machine an Aroma Elegance Therm Deluxe:



Splendidly easy and quick to use.

I have reverted to mainly drinking blended coffee with my go tos being:

Lavazza Rossa - there is a reason it's Italy's favourite coffee.
Sant Eustachio - also Italian and available from M&S - pre ground unfortunately. Nice tin though.
Lidl Italian Beans - not often available but every so often they do a 1kg bag of great Italian beans. Its not the same stuff they sell in 250g bags normally.

I also pick up anything that looks interesting on my travels. Brough a couple of bags of Viennese roast coffee back from Vienna last week along with a tin of an Italian blend I hadn't had before. Occasionally i still buy a single origin coffee but usually only if its either Ethiopian or something i have never had before.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #510 on: 09 July, 2018, 11:02:04 am »
Lugat's Italian blend, which mixes Brazil (probably Bahia, it's cheap), Ethiopia (probably Sidamo) & Congo (dunno which) with Cherry robusta from India. I've tried duplicating it with my own roasts but no luck so far. Lugat's roasting dates are never >2 weeks in the past, unlike the local bio shop whose coffee is frequently 3 months dead.

Using the B2C machine these days: results are consistent without being exceptional, as opposed to the Europiccola which is slow, messy and erratic but occasionally yields wonderful shots.

I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #511 on: 09 July, 2018, 05:30:16 pm »
I've had some of that stuff from the man on the cambridge market.  These days I'm a bit closer to home https://silveroakcoffee.co.uk/, literally round the corner, less than a mile in a straight line.
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #512 on: 13 July, 2018, 11:10:33 am »
Presently, just the most fantastic aroma.....


Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #513 on: 13 July, 2018, 01:44:54 pm »
Nespresso in the office here as we got a great deal on a machine and I like the Ristretto or Dharkan

Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #514 on: 17 July, 2018, 07:36:03 pm »
I'm on the last few days of my Caffe Serrano I brought back from Cuba. I'm in a quandary. It's a really satisfying cup of coffee, robust and rounded that - for my taste -knocks most locally bought coffees into a cocked roaster.

But, do I  just write it off to a slowly fading holiday experience, along with the chords and melody of Chan Chan, ot do I chase it down? Decisions, decisions.

You are buying from the wrong roasters. Many of them are doing this light-roast stuff.

Try https://www.coffeecompass.co.uk <<<=====


Any of their mahogany roast blends will probably hit the spot. Jampit hit is good.

Quality advice there. Oh, and they have Cuban Serrano.

Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #515 on: 08 August, 2018, 10:28:35 am »
I'm on the last few days of my Caffe Serrano I brought back from Cuba. I'm in a quandary. It's a really satisfying cup of coffee, robust and rounded that - for my taste -knocks most locally bought coffees into a cocked roaster.

But, do I  just write it off to a slowly fading holiday experience, along with the chords and melody of Chan Chan, ot do I chase it down? Decisions, decisions.

You are buying from the wrong roasters. Many of them are doing this light-roast stuff.

Try https://www.coffeecompass.co.uk <<<=====


Any of their mahogany roast blends will probably hit the spot. Jampit hit is good.

Quality advice there. Oh, and they have Cuban Serrano.

I've worked my way through them all now, and have to say that they were all excellent in their own way, my favourite was the Serrano.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #516 on: 08 August, 2018, 01:03:17 pm »
Finally looked up serrano: "of the mountains", it means. Explains a lot.

Meanwhile I'm running on too much of Lugat's Italian Blend, as usual. 250g in the hopper and another 750 in the freezer.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #517 on: 17 August, 2018, 02:26:41 pm »
This morning I finished off my can of Passalacqua Harem ground coffee. This was probably the best blended pre ground coffee I've ever had. It's Italian but I bought it in Vienna because I liked the can:



It seems it's quite famous in Italy and this is the top of their range with Jamaican Blue Mountain beans in the mix.

I'll have to see if anyone in the UK sells it.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #518 on: 21 August, 2018, 11:19:17 am »
Had a cappu with Mrs T in the heart of downtown Haguenau this morning.  They didn't know to knock the steaming jug on the counter to burst the bigger bubbles.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #519 on: 28 September, 2018, 06:42:42 am »
Mocha Italia blend. For me, right now, coffee heaven.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #520 on: 30 September, 2018, 07:55:23 am »
My monthly delivery having gone astray, an Italian blend from a local roaster. He's been & gone & used Vietnamese robusta instead of Cherry - shame, since the other components work pretty well. Drinkable, though, and fresh - the bio shop Mrs T favours blandly sells stuff that's three months past roasting date.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #521 on: 03 October, 2018, 12:30:01 pm »
i just sent of for more coffee supplies from Germany. Bizarrely Express Inetrnational in Germany seem to have the best selection of Italian coffee and ship to the UK.
https://www.espresso-international.co.uk/

Today I ordered:

  • 1Kg Passalacqua Espresso Harem
  • 1Kg IZZO Arabica Espresso
  • 500g Barbera Schmuckdose Moka

That will keep me and Pcolbeck junior going for a while. Mrs Pcolbeck only drinks instant ...
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #522 on: 03 October, 2018, 01:36:39 pm »
You might want to try a decent UK roaster next time and compare and see what you think. To be blunt, Italian coffee has been left behind by the UK, Australian, Scandinavian and US scene.

I recommended www.coffeecompass.co.uk to Ham, who seems to be liking it. They do a massive range of Italian style blends, but the coffee will be fresh and not months old.

They do an espresso taster pack option that saves money, and if you pm me I'll send you a 10% code that you can use every time. After 15 years plus of trying many many sources of coffee I've settled on these guys for quality, consistency and value.

Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #523 on: 03 October, 2018, 02:45:19 pm »
Been down that route Flatus. I dont do espresso, I'm not chasing the perfect shot I prefer a drip filter and I have tried Monmouth and several other roasteries. There is one in the nearest market town and I can get coffee that was roasted that day there.

The thing is after a couple of years trying all sorts of things I decided I prefer a good italian blend. I just like the stuff that you get in Italy, France or Austria when you ask for a large coffee in a cafe. I want to mak ea big jug of it and drink it over the next three hours whist I work.

The beans that you get from an artisan UK roaster may be fresher and the scene may have moved on but its a completely different thing, I don't want that thing I want a good traditional coffee.
 
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Re: What's caffeinating you today?
« Reply #524 on: 03 October, 2018, 03:47:34 pm »
i drink filter as well as espresso, but I confess I never leave it to stew, I just brew what I need so I've no idea how these coffees keep hot flavour over time.

The flavours you are describing are what you will get with https://www.coffeecompass.co.uk/collections/extra-dark-ebony-roast-blends the French Breakfast and Mocha Italia. Basically, these guys do great blends, which sounds like what you are looking for.