GBguy

Is that Tim Noakes, 60 years ago?

Dunno if it will make any difference, but... I've had the Mazzer Mini doser for six years or so - use it several times a day. I've never used the hopper - I just put two scoops of beans for each double espresso (that's about 20g) into the "throat" and cover with a tamper while grinding. I dose for each cup separately, so I can alternate beans (e.g. decaf or regulars). So... on my grinder the timer is redundant, the doser is redundant, and the hopper is redundant. But it's still a great grinder, because of the quality of the grind. For me, one indicator of accuracy in grind is when a tiny adjustment to the grind makes a big difference to the pull. Half a "notch" of adjustment makes a significant difference with my Mazzer Mini/Expobar (adding or subtracting 20 seconds from the pull) and a full notch is enough to ruin a shot. This is definitely a mixed blessing - I have to "dial in" every new batch of coffee beans, and if I'm grinding different beans for different people I need to remember to adjust the grinder each time - or waste 20g of coffee beans! But if I get it right... oh, magic! I would love to have the doserless Mazzer, but I don't think it would make any difference to my espressos. On the other hand, I started with a cheaper grinder (but not a cheapie - it was recommended by the dealer who sold me my Expobar machine) and I was utterly unable to make a decent coffee until I got the Mazzer. I still have it in a carton somewhere.

'Dale - you've been on a roll, mate. Keep rolling!

Or don't use the hopper at all. I've never used mine. Just measure the quantity of beans you need into the "throat" which normally holds the hopper (it'll hold enough for two double espressos) and put a cheap plastic tamper on top to prevent the beans from jumping out. After grinding, sweep out the throat with the same brush you use to clear the hole where the coffee grounds enter the doser. That way you have no loose grounds anywhere to go stale.

Amen!

Gentlemen - I don't know why you do what you do - I'm just grateful that you do. Thank you for continuing to pile awesomeness upon us.

Your parents (or whoever owned the bubble wrap) would have killed you. When I was a kid, we achieved a similar sound with a bit of cardboard wrapped around the front fork and held in place with a clothes peg, so it flapped against the spokes. It's when I first learned that girls think boys are stupid.

Top tip #99 - freeze it! It used to be accepted wisdom that one should neither refrigerate nor freeze roasted coffee beans - until some guys decided to prod this holy cow, with a blind tasting test (which you can find with a bit of googling). I've been routinely freezing freshly roasted coffee for years, and I find it tastes as good as new when it's defrosted - lots of crema, great taste. The only negative is that defrosted coffee beans seem to get stale quicker than newly roasted beans. But since 250g only lasts me four or five days, that's not a problem. Just be careful not to expose the frozen beans to room-temperature air until they are defrosted (keep them in a sealed bag) because they will get damp from condensation. Not a good thing. I can't speak from personal experience about the other holy cow, about not keeping beans in a fridge, because I've never done it.

Oh good, I'm only on three, and I'm 60 years old. Now where can I get a convertible?

Where do you live? We don't have any cycle lanes around here, and our main cycling route (GB to Rooiels) has no street lights, and no emergency lane to speak of. I agree about not being a menace, but I'd rather be annoyingly visible than dead.

FWIW, if you mount your light underneath the handlebar, you can use your hand to shade it when there's an oncoming car. And to flash them if they don't dip their own headlights Just a thought. Another observation, about the road traffic ordinance, is that it assumes a conventional beam with a hotspot ("the intense part of the beam"). Quite a few bike-lights are floody, which means the hotspot is quite broad. Also, the ordinance did not anticipate lights which produce thousands of lumens - which have only been available for a couple of years. I think it would be a good idea to try not to blind motorists, and delay the day that they force us to restrict ourselves to pathetic little lights again.

If you're one of the many who have been suckered into the cholesterol-causes-heart-disease myth (including most of the medical profession), take the time to read this, before you do too much more damage to your body... (And yes, I am trying to wind you up. If it saves your life, it will be worth it.)

Just want to add my voice to those yelling "Aeropress". It's the closest you can get to a real espresso without buying a machine (and espresso is the foundation of every cappuccino, Americano, latte etc.) And there's absolutely no question that good quality, freshly roasted (not more than a week or two ago) and freshly ground beans are key to a great cup. A local roaster is your secret weapon. However I'm not convinced about the need for an expensive grinder with an Aeropress. It's not like an espresso machine, where irregular granules allow the water to flow faster through some parts of the coffee "puck" than other parts, leading to channelling. With an Aeropress, the coffee is mixed with hot water and then separated by forcing the mixture through a paper filter - so the process is mechanically different to an espresso machine. I have tried grinding coffee with a mortar and pestle, and it made a reasonable cup with an Aeropress (it was a lot of work, though!) My approach with the Aeropress is to make my coffee really strong - I use 20 grams of coffee and about 60ml of not-quite-boiling water (in terms of volume, that's about half coffee-grounds and half water) and then I add boiling water to the resulting double espresso to make an Americano. Also, don't leave the coffee in the hot water for very long - pour, stir and push down that plunger without hanging about. That's the secret of the espresso taste - the coffee is exposed to hot (but not boiling) water for no longer than 30 or 40 seconds. More than that (time, temperature or water) and you get a different flavour profile. Of course, if you prefer to do it some other way, it's your choice - and that's another thing I like about the Aeropress.

Or a penny farthing updated to modern currency?

WW, when I got my machine (a double boiler Expobar) I was practically suicidal, because I was simply unable to make a respectable espresso and I had spent a fortune (for me). So I turned to the chat forum for my machine, where I was told you can't pull a decent shot - with any machine - unless you have a good grinder. So when you get your Super Jolly, life will look up. In my case, I took a deep breath and paid the extra for a Mazzer Mini (little brother to the SJ) and immediately the magic happened... until this week, when my Brewtus broke down. It's in the shop right now, and I'm making do with my Aeropress (which, to be honest, is not bad at all, with freshly roasted and ground beans...). But no, V12man, that does NOT mean that I'm interested in the Simonelli. No way. Not even slightly. Other than in an academic sense...

Of COURSE I'm not interested. How much?

Just tell Allesandro that you know where he keeps his collection of ties - and he'll sell anything to you at cost.

No man, can't you read? Get off my shoulder, devil!

Excellent choices, WW. After six years, I'm starting to get over the shock of spending a similar amount of money on an espresso machine and grinder, but I've been drinking great coffee all that time! One of the best things about having a proper grinder and machine is experimenting with different coffees. I've been blending Ethiopian beans roasted two ways - Yirgachefe roasted a little darker than the Sidamo - and it's really excellent. Also brought back some Balinese coffee from Jakarta, which smells a bit... equine, but blended with the Sidamo is simply magnificent. Enjoy! PS: if you can get a group discount on those Simonellis, PLEASE don't tell me. I'm in enough trouble.

Eddy - thanks for two pictures that confirm what I've long suspected: two wheels on a motorcycle are optional. On a bicycle they are mandatory.

What, like this?

Can you tell us where you were riding, and what you were wearing? Wouldn't want to be confused with you, next time that motorist is out for a drive...

At 22h18 the vote was 144 in favour, 400 against. Sounds like some Hubbers are voting against...

News24 has just started a poll (at www.news24.com) - I think I may have been the first to vote in it! It probably won't make any difference to the four-wheel militia that rules our roads, but Hubbers may want to show their feelings by clicking on the "Yes - the roads are for everyone" button. They are also carrying a SAPA story under the heading "Burry's Gap won't work - official": Johannesburg - The proposed 1.5m safe passing gap for cyclists on roads may be difficult to maintain and enforce, according to a report on Saturday. eThekwini's deputy head of road system management Carlos Esteves said the 1.5m gap would not be practical as the standard lanes were around 3.5m or slightly less, the Saturday Starreported. "My sense is that it will be difficult if not impractical to enforce 1.5m," Esteves said. "You can't achieve a cyclist, plus 1.5m and a motorist without encroaching on the other lane." Burry's Gap Cyclists across South Africa have been calling for the measure and started calling it the Burry's Gap after the death of mountain bike ace Burry Standeron January 3. Stander was killed in Shelley Beach on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast in a collision with a minibus taxi. Automobile Association public affairs head Gary Ronald said the gap was at a national discussion level and forms part of last year's amendments to the Traffic Act, "Where the road is wide enough, it will work, but we have quite a few roads where it is narrow and difficult to apply without cars going into the oncoming traffic."

I didn't know you Burry, but your death has touched me. I really want something positive to come of it, but I don't think we're going to change motorists' behaviour - at least not for the better - with protest action. It'll just make things worse. My concern is that every driver sees us flouting the law, and yet we demand that they don't do the same. So I've decided that I will never again ride through a red light, or cruise through a stop street, unless the roads are closed for a race. Yeh, it's a major ball-ache. I am a roadie, and I can't remember the last time I stopped at an intersection - unless I was forced to by traffic. I don't expect my mates to do the same, and I'm one of the weakest members of the bunch, so this is going to hurt! I know that failing to stop at an intersection didn't kill you, Burry, and that my little gesture won't bring you back. It probably won't make much of a difference in motorists' attitudes, even if they notice an old guy on a Colnago stopped at an intersection. But I don't want your life to pass without making a difference to mine. And, who knows, maybe a few other hubbers will take a New Year's resolution to change their behaviour in some positive way, and to dedicate it to you. RIP, Burry.