What coffee are you drinking just now?

[not-bono-ever]

got a couple of KG of Cuba beans coming in a week or so from soemwhere is darkest rural Cuba - they wont be branded , but should be interesting

 

[Callum91]

My Sweet shop Espresso arrived from Square Mile. It's fucking foul, simply the worst blend of coffee I've ever had the displeasure of drinking. £13 down the shitter but you have to try new things otherwise you never know if you'll like them or not. I'd be willing to buy from them again but I am rather hesitant, so instead I bought myself some more beans from Starbucks.

 

[kalidarkone]

I have run out no coffee till Monday

 

[gentlegreen]

Just found out there's another decent supplier in Bristol - mail order though ...

http://extractcoffee.co.uk/our-coffee/
I have just enough for tomorrow so I'll order something from them ready for next weekend.

 

[mrs quoad]

My Sweet shop Espresso arrived from Square Mile. It's fucking foul, simply the worst blend of coffee I've ever had the displeasure of drinking. £13 down the shitter but you have to try new things otherwise you never know if you'll like them or not. I'd be willing to buy from them again but I am rather hesitant, so instead I bought myself some more beans from Starbucks.

Brewed how?

 

[Callum91]

18g, Aeropress, water at about 92, 30 seconds. I've had 4 cups now all at slight variations (less water/hotter/colder etc) and they're all vile beyond the first 2 sips.

 

[gentlegreen]

A finely balanced blend then ?
So what is it, tasteless before, bitter after ?

 

[Callum91]

It just has a really odd taste to it that I can't quite place my finger on. Deffo an acquired taste. Not really bitter at all, neither is it too acidic, just...dodgy. Unlike any other coffee I've tried before.

 

[mrs quoad]

Oh dear! I bought some, and haven't bought it again. I can't remember much about it, but clearly didn't find it too inspiring.

I'm finding square mile a bit variable at the mo too, tbh. Twice in the last few months, I've got some awesome beans off them. Then I've bought the same 2-3 weeks later, and found they've gone a bit flat. I passed some Tujico Preto to butcher this morning, after having summat like 3 deliveries of raw awesomeness. It's only on getting home & brewing up with them that I've found them, so far, disappointing - they're acting like they're old. I'm hoping they'll cheer up in a day or two (sometimes happens if they come with a tonne of gas) but would love to hear butcher's take on em, too.

My first thought with your current rancidness would be to try two extremes - try making the grinds a fair bit tighter & shorten the brew (maybe even increase the weight of beans you're using) or really lengthen it out (and perhaps coarser the grind). Tbh, one of the most hanging kindsa cup - IMO - can come from having too much overall extraction so, erm, I'd prolly be minded to try making it shorter & denser. Having read your post, though, I properly wouldn't blame you if you didn't try!

A right shame, ay.

 

[gentlegreen]

I thought I would try a couple of coffees from this new local supplier.
Orders need to be in before midnight on Monday because they roast on Tuesday.

Guatemala FINCA EL PLATANILLO
San Rafael, San Marcos, Guatemala, 100% Maragogype, Wet processed.

Nicaragua FINCA SAN FRANCISCO

Eduardo Rodriguez Escoto (Nueva Segovia)
Farm: Finca San Francisco
Varietal(s): Bourbon, Caturra, Pacas
Processing: Fully washed and sun-dried on patios

http://shop.extractcoffee.co.uk/category/single-origin

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Japanese Nescafe.

Deffo a different taste to UK nescafe.
Also they don't seem to do freeze dried granule coffee over there.
Somehow it is smoother and a teeny bit frothy.

 

[smorodina]

mansoon coffee beans (indonesia)
i buy them in coffee plant on portobello, but ironically stopped drinking their in-house coffee... can't stand it any more...
which kind of sucks because I loved going there for the music...

 

[Voley]

Just bought these two, neither of which I've tried before but both sound good:

Burundi Ngozi Rugambo Washed
Brazil Fazenda Cachoeira da Grama Bourbon Pulped Natural

I won't post HasBean's tasting notes as they're ludicrous as ever.

 

[Callum91]

Good news! I sent an email of complaint to Square Mile about the Sweet shop Espresso and they've given me a full refund. Totally unexpected, just earnt themselves brownie points from me. More than happy to order another now.

 

[gentlegreen]

Shopping for coffee earlier all the "espresso" coffees seemed to be blends. (??)

 

[mrs quoad]

Shopping for coffee earlier all the "espresso" coffees seemed to be blends. (??)

I'm speaking from a standpoint of substantial ignorance here, but IMU that's pretty much the norm for espresso.

I think the historic / general standpoint was that espresso was meant to taste like 'espresso.' And, tbf, roast characteristics tend to dominate bean characteristics beyond a certain point (i.e., roast it right dark and it'll taste pretty much the same, no matter what you started out with). And espresso... I believe... was historically thought of as something that needed a dark roast.

A few years back, Hasbean actively advertised themselves (IIRC) as the pioneers of single origin espresso. Hasbean Steve - I think - posted hither, thither and yon that in order to get a drinkable espresso out of a single origin (SO), you needed a really exceptional SO bean and a really enthusiastic roaster. Because if you're e.g. Lavazza and draw on something like 30 beans every year, then irrespective of local weathers / temperaments / crops / yields / conditions you're always going to be able to blast your end product into homogenous and predictable 'dark roast' acceptability. Not least because you're drawing on every coffee producing nation in the world. So something'll always be balanceable, if the end product always contains 30 beans.

But if you're trying to get a drinkable SO espresso from a crop that'll vary year on year, season by season, then you need to spend that much more time working out whether or not a bean is 'balanced' enough (?!) from a particular crop, and what kinda roast it'll benefit from. And what kinda extraction, etc, etc.

And espresso's probably a tonne harder to get out of an SO, because it relies on a 30s high temperature extraction. As opposed to a 4 minute general / waffly infusion with a light roast that'll bring out something interesting from pretty much anything that's put through it.

That's probably all balls, like. But it reflects my general understanding - that SO espresso is harder to produce to an 'acceptable' standard (whilst accepting that 'acceptable' is defined by people's expectations as well as the roaster) with any consistency than a blend, or an SO filter roast.

 

[Orang Utan]

What is the best instant coffee?

 

[gentlegreen]

 

[Virtual Blue]

Algerian Special from Algerian Coffee Shop in Soho.

 

[Callum91]

What is the best instant coffee?

Mellow Birds. Accept no substitute.

 

[gentlegreen]

Algerian Special from Algerian Coffee Shop in Soho.

Interesting ...
I had some very nice Algerian red wine once - I think it was Cabernet Sauvignon, but it was very restrained and gluggable.

 

[Virtual Blue]

Interesting ...
I had some very nice Algerian red wine once - I think it was Cabernet Sauvignon, but it was very restrained and gluggable.

Far too confusing but the Algerian Special is Colombian. The taste was standard - it could had been a Percol Black & Beyond from the supermarket.

As for the wine, no I not tasted any Algerian red.
I did however, drank some Chinese Cabernet called Dynasty. It was pleasantly good for the price.

 

[Callum91]

Picked up a bag of Union coffee (the strength 6 whole bean one, can't remember the exact name but will have a look later if anyone is interested) from my local Booths earlier. Probably the best coffee I've ever tried to date, so rich and full of deep cocoa notes and the smell is fantastic. Best £3.50 I've spent this week and was so worth not eating until tomorrow for!

 

[High Voltage]

Got some Waitrose 100% Ground Java in a fit of madness - smells lovely (as all coffee does tbf) - once again, massive let down on the taste front

I MUST be doing something wrong - we've got the Aeropress, Krupps Burr grinder for when we get beans in - but to me, more often than not, Instant Coffee hits the spot and no matter how much money I chuck at the coffee experience - it never fails to disappoint

And then, just when you're about to give up, along comes a half decent cup and the chase is, once again, back on

 

[Firky]

What is the best instant coffee?

Alta Rica is palatable if you use two spoons. Not an instant fan though, I am one of those real coffee arseholes

Second only to real ale twats.

 

[Callum91]

Carte noir is good when you're running low on funds. Always got a jar stuffed away at the back of the cupboard for emergencies. Alta Rica would be my second instant coffee choice, frequently I find it on special offer.

 

[Orang Utan]

I just need some for work.
Even I baulk at their machine coffee

 

[gentlegreen]

I marvel at people who can have coffee during the working week.
I remember doing it once and getting so wound up by work stuff I contemplated going home before I shouted at someone.

I suppose it might stop me eating though - I definitely get that effect on the weekend - I'll have coffee and toast for breakfast, forget about lunch and head off on my bike only to run out of steam ...

 

[purenarcotic]

Dowe Egberts, gold blend or something or another.

I prefer instant to the proper stuff. I only really like the proper stuff in a late.

 

[Orang Utan]

Coffee gets me through the day - I need about four cups!
And it has never affected my appetite!
GG - when do you drink coffee?

I also prefer instant generally. It tastes way better than most cafetiere type coffees you get in the home.
I do like coffee in Italian cafes though