Coffee

[StoutAndAle]

I was debating on putting this in the Simple Pleasures thread but, for me anyway, coffee is much more than that. There's something about that oily black liquid which draws me like a moth to a flame.

I packed in cigarettes 9 years ago cold turkey (after several failed attempts before that), I have been able to go months without an alcoholic drink (weirdly my intake is way down since the advent of COVID-19), I can cut certain foods out my diet easily enough but I cannot fathom a time without a cup of good black coffee.

I own nearly every coffee-making device known to man and I obsess about brewing processes. AeroPress, Hario V60, Bialetti, Clever Dripper, percolator, Kalita Wave - everything except an espresso machine...

Some days it takes me longer to make coffee than it does to cook breakfast to the point where my missus has eaten and washed the ware whilst I'm still watching a ribbon of caffeinated joy flow from a filter into a Hario jug.

I buy high grade beans - mainly from Irish suppliers namely, West Cork Coffee, 3FE and Cloud Picker. If shipping isn't too costly I order from The Barn in Berlin and Stumptown in the US.

Any other java junkies on here? Any recommendations?


TL:DR Version - Coffee. Any use?

[Caomhaoin]

I'm not an expert but I got a lash of Serbian coffee (I think it may be Turkish in reality) and it is yer only man for that proper jolt in the morning.

Prefer a cup o'tae though.

[Kurt Cocaine]

20 years ago Nescafe instant was king.

[Nazgûl]

Bought our first espresso machine for the gaf there before Christmas and I'm delighted with it -- my body probably isn't however. Also no expert here, but since getting the aul machine I'm getting more into the whole grind/tamping/ratios/pour time...as well as the milk frothing as I like a Flat White.

Haven't gotten too adventurous yet with buying different beans as we've only had it a month or so, but the first bag I ordered was from Red Strand Coffee who are also Cork based. It was one of the nicest cups of coffee I had in this country while at a festival before, and the bag they sent me didn't disappoint either.

Like Kevin up there, I'm a fucking tea addict but now that I have the ability to make a really nice coffee from home it's become a ritual every morning.

[Yung Led Zeppelin]

What's the best method, in your opinion, if one even exists?

I favour it on the strong side, too strong is waaaaay more preferable than too weak and watery. Would generally stick to espressos and some places even manage to make those watery! Not a big fan of the mad fruity stuff that a lot of specialist places put out either, Italian style almost chocolatey and roasty is much more my thing. IDK if I'm doing it wrong, only started drinking coffee regularly in the last year or so really, but that's what my preference is atm.

[Nazgûl]

Not a big fan of the mad fruity stuff that a lot of specialist places put out either

I do like it now to be fair, but I'd be equally happy out with a strong black coffee too so long as it's decent quality. I wonder though now, when did those milder flavoured coffees become a thing with baristas? Seems like it just happened overnight that everywhere was serving them. A bit like the craft beer thing.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Aeropress coffee, in my experience (both at home, before I lost mine in a move, and in coffee places), always comes out much, much lighter, thinner, more "watery" than any other kind of coffee. I don't know whether the trend simply followed the advent of the piece of equipment??

[Ollkiller]

Nectar of the gods. Fuck tea. Flavourless bog water.

[StoutAndAle]

Red Strand Coffee.

Good coffee. Sound fella. I don't buy beans from him though. Always grab a cup if I see him somewhere.

What's the best method, in your opinion, if one even exists?

I favour it on the strong side, too strong is waaaaay more preferable than too weak and watery. Would generally stick to espressos and some places even manage to make those watery! Not a big fan of the mad fruity stuff that a lot of specialist places put out either, Italian style almost chocolatey and roasty is much more my thing. IDK if I'm doing it wrong, only started drinking coffee regularly in the last year or so really, but that's what my preference is atm.

Some places write descriptions that don't deliver. West Cork Coffee, 3FE and The Barn's stuff matches their tasting notes. They all offer the fruity/flowery style ones but they all do the chocolate/nut/toffee style ones too - coffee flavoured coffee as I call it.

Aeropress coffee, in my experience (both at home, before I lost mine in a move, and in coffee places), always comes out much, much lighter, thinner, more "watery" than any other kind of coffee. I don't know whether the trend simply followed the advent of the piece of equipment??

For me, personally - the AeroPress is the best way to make a cup of coffee. I have one at home, in my office, in my workshop. It makes the cleanest, brightest, juiciest coffee or it can make you a kick-in-the-balls espresso. You need to have the grind right and the temperature correct though or you can end up with a cup of watery bilge. Luckily - most decent coffee shops and roasters will grind your beans to the right size, if you want to take this part of the equation out of your hands. A bag of freshly ground coffee will keep right for about 2 weeks in a sealed container whereas fresh roasted beans will be good for up to four months.

My only gripe with the AeroPress is that if you're jonesing for a fix that only becomes sated after 2 cups then you have to repeat the whole thing over again. This is why I have a Hario V60 with a 600ml jug. Clean black coffee that's simple to prepare.

If you want "thicker" coffee then the machine - like a Sage or whatever - is the way to go. There can be a lot of fucking around with those machines though as opposed to the two above which only require a kettle. A moka pot - like a Bialetti - will also give you this experience provided you're careful to dial in the top up water at the right temp after you've made the espresso.

Fun story - I was given a Bialetti 6-cup pot as a Christmas present when I was 18. I'd never used one before but I read the instructions twice. Lobbed in a lash of finely ground Segafredo Zanetti - remember that? Filled the reservoir. Put it on the stove. Did as per the instructions. Poured it into a mug.

"6 cup?" I thought - I barely got a Liverpool mug's worth out of it. "Must've done something wrong".

Drank my cup of coffee. About 10 minutes later my heart and head were pounding like a double-kick then I got a serious nose bleed. I thought I was having a stroke.

Tried the Bialetti a few more times but rarely got more than a cuppa out of it.

A week later told my buddy who'd given me the gift that I was experiencing an issue with it - "Yeah. 6-cup means it makes six strong espressos, yeh fuckin' tit!"

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Oh okay. I've never had anything resembling an espresso from an Aeropress. When I got one, I just started making them the way I'd gotten them in coffee places in Paris, where I guess they would naturally turn to a machine if you asked for an espresso.

I can only hack one cup a day now anyway, sometimes two for a treat on the weekend, and I make it now with the most common thing for coffee here which is the wee Italian stove-top job.

When I realized I should drastically cut back on coffee, I managed to drop it altogether for about a year before going back up to one, and during that time I developed a taste for chicory, which I still drink during the day. There's absolutely no comparison to coffee, but with or without milk, it makes for a well cozy drink with a bit of chocolate.

[Nazgûl]

Stout & Ale, your very thorough last post there really does back up the original post -- where you spoke about making a cup of coffee for the same amount of time your misses takes to eat and shower  A true coffee lover! Fair play.

[Paul keohane]

Ive become addicted to Lattes over the last decade,ive put a few grand behind the counter of my local Bean & Leaf cafe over the years.

It actually stemmed from cycling,id be out cycling with lads years back,we'd stop for a coffee somewhere,i ajways drank tea.But about 10 years ago i went over to the dark side.

[Carnage]

I wouldn't go to all that amount of trouble for a cuppa joe, but the day isn't allowed to begin until I've had most of a cafetière's worth of coffee. Tesco's Sumatra Mandheling is the one I go for, no difference between ground or beans, really. I might try some of the bean brands mentioned here, as I do enjoy coffee, but strictly at an amateur level.

[Emphyrio]

Bleedin' Jayziz, are yiz all barristas now?

Nectar of the gods + tea only.

[Blackout]

The strongest coffee pods you can get for the nespresso do me. The Lor wans are delish