Reply With QuotePartial to Union as an everyday drinker: Bright Notes for later in the morning, the Gajah Sumatra for starters. Their Rwanda Maraba is good too. I tend to mix Bright and one of the others, 50/50 too.
So, we have had many in depth coffee threads on how if you drink anything other than coffee made from freshly roasted beans, ground yourself, you may as well drink instant. Going into great detail about what uber expensive espresso machine is best (or just get an aeropress), plus what super electric grinding gizmo to get.
But how about a thread on the coffee beans themselves?
I'm fairly new to all this, so not tried many, still finding out what i like. I've tried a few, liked a few, thought some were very average. i'll list them below. I'm using either a porlex mini or rhino manual grinder with an aeropress
Anyone got any recommendations of specific stuff that's head and shoulders above the rest?
Here's what i've tried so far
Rave - Signature Blend - OK, nothing special
Rave - Chatswood Blend - Good
Rave - Italian Job - Fantastic, good morning coffee, strong dark roast, but not bitter at all, really drinkable, on my second bag now
Redber - Monsooned Malabar - OK, nothing special
Redber - El Salvador Diamante - OK, nothing special
Redber - Colombia Huila - OK, nothing special
Redber - Rwandan Inzovu - Really good, really light and citrusy, not one for first thing in the morning, but great later in the day, a keeper
North Star - Nicaragua Cerro De Jesus - OK, nothing special
Brighty
Partial to Union as an everyday drinker: Bright Notes for later in the morning, the Gajah Sumatra for starters. Their Rwanda Maraba is good too. I tend to mix Bright and one of the others, 50/50 too.
Harrods 49 and Guatamalan Antigua are our two staples.
I don't live close to Harrods so it is a faff getting there. Might opt for a postal option with someone else soon
ive had an areopress for around 2 years and only use preground beans from the likes of taylors etc (their rich Italian is nice btw).
but its my birthday on Thursday and I KNOW ive got a hariko hand grinder coming! so i'll be able to chip in when I get some beans to grind! cant wait! seriously lol...its really sad haha.
Im going to keep my eye on this thread for ideas!
The problem with coffee is each supplier tends to have their own sources and blends so it's probably best to mention suppliers at the same time. Also the type of brew your making matters. A bean that's good for filter doesn't necessarily work in an espresso e.g. a filter tends to rely upon a courser grind and the flavour seeping out but espresso is more aggressive forcing the flavour from a finer grind - these things do matter.
I tend to stick to Hasbean.
I've been partaking of their Fazenda Cachoeira da Grama, which is a Yellow Bourbon, for the last ten bags (a bag lasts be a little under a week). A sweet cup with some chocolate+caramel. Espresso.
I am on this... 3rd 1kg bag now....
Jamaican Blue Mountain Blend
This high quality blend of arabica beans has been taste matched to the single origin Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee from the Wallenford Estate (widely regarded as one of the best coffees in the world). With our Jamaican Blue Mountain Blend you get the taste without the huge price tag that goes with the excellent (but rare) JBM Wallenford Estate coffee. With our blend selling at less than a quarter of the price but retaining the excellent Jamican Blue Mountain taste, it's a coffee you will really want to try!!
From....
http://www.thecoffeebean-vanandroast...sh-Coffee.html
Regards
V
not only is the grind different but filter coffee (from specialist 3rd wave coffee roasters) is roasted lighter than coffee for espresso.Originally Posted by solwisesteve
as with all these coffee threads people recommend what they like but there are now 3 distinct types of coffee roaster each catering to a different market:
Bulk roasted commodity coffee for sale in supermarkets.
Old school independent roasters with product lines that rarely change, this is where you find ‘monsooned mailbar’ ‘old brown java’ and ‘italian style’ type coffees.
3rd wave coffee roasters, they roast in a more modern lighter style with an emphasis on fruit, they offer seasonal coffees from the best importers (mercanta, bean hunter etc) or practice direct trade where they visit co-ops and growers and import themselves. 3rd wave coffee is growing and big in Au/Nz/USA and nordic countries/germany/U.K. france and spain are a bit behind as they like the Italians have the weight of history keeping them old school and still prefer the cheap robusta over roasted charcoal style.
sainsburys now sell Momentum coffee so now 3rd wave coffee is getting into supermarkets.
there are loads of good roasters out there, but i can only recommend 3rd wave as i’m not a fan of cheap beans bulk roasted or old school Whittards/taylors stuff.
Hasbean
Round hill
Department of coffee and social affairs
Tate
Campbell & Syme
Extract
Roasting party
Notes
The Barn Berlin
Workshop
Caravan
to name a few.
Switched from Asia Pacific coffees to old time favourite Central and South American beans.
Currently in da house all supplied by RedBer:
Brazilian Yellow Catuai, MR - very nice, light with hint of citrus, tropical fruit
Guatemalan El Carrizal, MDR - strong, dark with just a hint of acidity, great morning coffee
Colombian Madellin Decaf, MR - smooth, full bodied, almost sweet with strong chocolate hint
Last edited by VDG; 23rd August 2016 at 14:48. Reason: spellink
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Not much has changed since I posted:
That mix is my current first choice. Although, occasionally, I order one of Redber's new offerings to see how they compare. I'll have to try the Rwandan Inzovu mentioned by the OP.Just finished a moka pot cup of 50% Brazil Santos and 50% Honduras SHG Finca Santa Rosa, both medium dark roast, bought from Redber coffee and mixed at home. God that sounds pretentious...
I've mentioned them on here before and I'd recommend them as they offer a wide choice of beans, the ability to select various levels of roast and good delivery (and they offer subscriptions). It took me a while to go through a variety of their offerings based on their descriptions before settling on the two that I like to mix. At first I tried a dark roast as I like after-dinner blends, but found I didn't need it to get plenty of flavour.
I've learnt that most of the descriptions are geographical rather than varietal, but some do relate to a single estate. It's just as complex as wine and whiskey...what's not to like?
PS I do own an Aeropress...have used it and like it.
Edit: I've been trying Redbers's new offering Brazil Serra Negra dark roast. I like it, but would prefer a lighter roast. I emailed them to ask about this and have just had a reply saying they've now uploaded a medium-dark roast to the site: link.
Last edited by PickleB; 23rd August 2016 at 17:38. Reason: add hyperlink
Please make it go away.
I have taken time to learn how to get the best form my lever machine and bir grinder combo(s).
I use filtered water and, because I prefer cappuccino, one brand ecological semi skimmed.
Started with local Spanish brand, then italian ones but was not impressed and decided to get the process under control with cheaper and imo nicer tasting 100% Arabica beans from the Lidl. Medium roast went best in my machines.
One I got the proces under control tired different beans and every time Arabica had my prefference.
Honed it down and have for the past four months been on Ethiopian Harrar beans.
I have two coffee subscriptions where I get a 250g bag of ground coffee every two weeks. The first is from Small Batch Coffee in Brighton. They send a different bag of coffee each time, each from a different supplier. The second is Pact Coffee. This is a more mainstream company with a less varied selection of coffee. The last 4 bags I've been sent have been the same (I forgot to vary them). I definitely rate Small Batch above Pact. You can specify the grind you want from each company and order beans if you want that too.
I have saved every label from Small Batch so I'll have to go through them soon to pick my favourites. This week's coffee is from Ethiopia and is delicious.
There's a roastery called Rounton a short drive from me that supply an independent cafe a short walk from me, so I pick their beans up from there.
http://www.rountoncoffee.co.uk/
Lovely.
There's no lack of good roasteries in the UK; I've had great coffee from many different ones. Roast date counts for a lot, though; better to get fresher local beans than two-week-old ones from a more famous name. Having said that, Square Mile probably deserves a mention along with its previously-noted peers.
Certain regions and varietals tend to have recognizable characteristics regardless of where they're roasted. For those who are interested in such things, there's some informative reading about what makes a few African ones so distinctive:
http://www.coffeeshrub.com/shrub/con...a-fundamentals
http://www.coffeeshrub.com/shrub/con...fundamentals-0
Learning about its origins makes me appreciate how special of a thing quality coffee actually is.
freshly roasted beans need to de-gas for 1-2 weeks and cafes will wait for this to happen rather than use very fresh beans so a bit of a moot point.better to get fresher local beans than two-week-old ones from a more famous name
As long as you have a roast date (bulk roasted coffee has a use by date) then you can us accordingly. Most quality roasters will not have roasted stock hanging around very long.
I like Tate (Tate gallery) beans but only buy online, what they have in the gallery gift shops is well past its best. They also have loads of bags on display in the cafe's but can not sell them to customers! They would sell a lot more coffee to customers wanting speciality coffee if they bothered to get the pricing/stock control right.
I have to say that runs counter to the usual advice, eg link:
"It is prudent to purchase coffee in amounts proportionate to how fast it will used. Coffee begins to lose its freshness almost immediately after roasting so it is far better to purchase it in smaller quantities. Purchase freshly roasted coffee frequently and buy only what you will use in the next 1 or 2 weeks."
When I buy coffee I tend to buy it about a week before I run out; I can't cope without coffee so get it well in time :-)
Also it's about 3 or 4 days old by the time it arrives from Hasbean anyway. So typically it's had at least a week to degas before I use it.
Then I get enough for about 4 weeks, so 1 to 1.5Kg.
I tried, for about 6 months, self-roasting: A lot of faff and mess! I used to wait at least 2 days before using it. If very fresh then there was a noticeable increase in acidity which tended to mask the true flavour.
Like you, I order through the post and the coffee usually arrives within a couple of days from the roasting date on the package (sealed heavyweight paper without any valve). A day of so should be enough, I think:
What is De-gassing
"It is important for a roaster to allow for degassing to occur as the flavours on some beans seem to develop over a period of 2 to 3 days. Thus beans should be left to degas for a day or two before distribution for use. Fresh coffee is not bad immediately, but beans just improve with their aroma and flavours if allowed to de-gas."
Do beans need to DEGAS??
"Yes, degassing is necessary after roasting. Especially if you are roasting blended coffees. This allows the beans to cool down in addition to letting them settle. I don't know anything about home roasting, since I roast commercially. But I generally let our coffee degass for about 3 hours before I bag it. Keep in mind the beans have cooled down quite a bit within that 3 hour period and their is still some gas left, but that is the purpose for the one way valve. This allows you to squeeze any access gas from the bags. I degass for 3 hours mainly because it provides my customers with that freshly packed taste."
I tend to save on the weekly Kopi luwak bill by feeding my pet chinchillas the beans and harvesting and washing them myself. Doesn't taste exactly the same but it's fooled many an 'expert' so far!
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
buy them green from a wholesaler and roast them yourself
Mostly columbian variety with ecuadorian undertones usually does the trick, a bit of kenyan too
or as my local coffee place does this themselves it saves me the trouble and I get a bag of 250g beans for about £3.22 - i do grind them myself
Nice but fundamentally flawed.
Change to feeding your dogs the berries. That would work.
The product we call 'bean' is not btw.
Beans come from a pod.
The coffee 'bean' is a seed from inside a berry.
The berries being eaten by birds and bats is the natural way of dispersion. Hence the seeds also survive the digestive tracts of other animals.
The myth about the discovery has the sheep/goats of a herder on the Ethiopian high plateau eat the berries and the crux of it; them becoming more energetic proves they ground the seeds to a digestible pulp.
Now see why not chincillas?!
Last edited by Huertecilla; 24th August 2016 at 17:28.
indeed they are coffee 'stones' not beans....
That pic's just reminded me, anyone tried 'Cascara'? It's the dried outer berry/cherry once the stone/seed/bean is removed. You make it into a kind of tea, supposed to be nice, but not tried it yet
https://www.hasbean.co.uk/collections/cascara
https://ravecoffee.co.uk/products/co...fee-cherry-tea
Brighty
Tried it and didn't buy any more. :-(
Waitrose Monsooned Malibar beans are very good
If I wanted something other than coffee it would be beer or wine or water
Take the faff out of your life and buy Nespresso pods.
Can't go wrong with anything from Monmouth Coffee, have tried many many roasters over the years and they rank at the very top. Also very decent prices when buying in their store.
Monmouth
Nude espresso
Department of Coffee and Social Affairs
Courtesy of the BBC: Escape the daily grind with our coffee quiz.
After going through a lot I've settled on Colombian bucaramanga from the coffee bean shop website. Have just resupplied. Also ordered a small bag of Jamaican blue mountain to try again, wasn't hugely impressed last time especially as it's five times the price.
Our neighbors run a coffee shop and swear by allpress. If I run out then that tides me over!
Did you try any from Redber...and if you did, what did you think, please?
I didn't, but their multi packs look like quite good value. Hmm maybe time to experiment a bit more!
Well after trying a few more, including the recommendation here for Redber 50% Brazil Santos and 50% Honduras SHG Finca Santa Rosa. All of which i found distinctly average. Im going to stick with what i know i like. Rave - Italian Job for a nice morning coffee and Redber - Rwandan Inzovu for something a little different of an afternoon.
Brighty
Now if I didnt have my glasses on I could swear that was a .................
I've been sourcing my whole beans in 250g bags (3 at a time to minimise p&p) online from 'Smokey Barn' for about 3 years. I freeze the beans & grind fresh every morning with a Krupps burr grinder. Run it through a DeLonghi espresso machine & top-notch with milk warmed briefly in the microwave. Takes about 15mins & is the perfect relaxing start to my day... 👍
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No need to freeze coffee beans, just put them in a double sealed IKEA fridge bag, job done.
Conversly, could any one point me to a reliable source of freshly roasted Cuban coffee beans? Not having much luck with the usual suspects..
Last edited by VDG; 19th January 2017 at 03:36.
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Cuban coffee...? Otherwise you might have to wait for the harvest with www.cubacoffee.co.uk.
I'd avoid keeping coffee (especially in a previously-opened bag) in the fridge or freezer unless you want it to absorb random food odours, as it's quite hygroscopic and most containers aren't entirely airtight. The fridge is especially bad, as it isn't cold enough to make any difference in staling rate, yet it still has the disadvantages of high humidity, as well as condensation when the bag is brought out.
There's a reason that cafés don't refrigerate or freeze their beans. A cool, dry place on the shelf is as good as it gets unless you're stockpiling.
The advice on this page is sound: https://bluebottlecoffee.com/frequency/store-coffee
Thanks PB, clocked both of them, the latter one looks promising alas more expensive, need to wait for the new harvest/supply, I suppose. Not long now.
In the meantime, I'm looking forward to a freshly ground and 'squeezed' cup of Sulawesi Toraja tomorrow morning courtesy of Redber. Yum.
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Some interesting suggestions for beans in the above posts.
I found the biggest difference i made with coffee from my Gaggia bean-cup machine was..............
To invest in a Nespresso Milk Frother.
The coffee was good before.............. great after.
Al
Best advice I've heard is to pour the beans into old wine bottles (or similar), and seal using a vacuum pump.
It would intuitively seem like that would work, but it appears that the method backfires in reality. From the article:
"There are a number of products on the market for bean storage that [...] feature some ability to create a vacuum for storing your beans, which often will speed up the staling process by going beyond just removing oxygen and actually drawing oils and aromatics out to the surface of the coffee. It is unlikely that such gizmos will extend the life of your stash any more than a simple jar."
The best way to prolong shelf life is to flush out the air with nitrogen, but it's not terribly practical in the home. Personally, I just stick to buying fresh beans regularly from the local roastery. I've also roasted my own, but I find that it isn't worth the hassle.
Honestly, is that not taking it all just a bit too far though? I mean, I like a decent cup of coffee first-thing of a morning - but I'm not trying to kid myself I'm supping from the Fountain of Eternal Youth or anything like that...
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^
There truly isn't that much to the process:
• Grind beans
• Add hot water
• Stir and wait
• Press down
• Enjoy
Or squeeze it through a decent espresso machine. Freshly ground coffee makes all the difference.
Fas est ab hoste doceri
^
Ahh, that's better. Agree with you both there - let's keep it simple! 👍
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