Coffee machine

[Grebel]

- Ha, Ha, I have to admit to drinking the odd instant coffee as well, sometimes even firing up the Nespresso is an issue - but I dont like the Nescafe brand, it seems a little weak to me and I need to heap two teaspoons in a cup to actually taste anything,.......... have you tried the Douwe Egberts brand? To me its the only fairly strong instant coffee around.

 

I have reduced my instant cofee intake... I know I sound like a snob, but the taste of instant after you have appreciated "real" coffee just doesn't cut it.

 

Just finished a Douwe Egberts and for the price I wasn't impressed. Still have a bottle of Nescafe in the cupboard if I need a "quickie"

[GBguy]

I have reduced my instant cofee intake... I know I sound like a snob, but the taste of instant after you have appreciated "real" coffee just doesn't cut it.

 

Just finished a Douwe Egberts and for the price I wasn't impressed. Still have a bottle of Nescafe in the cupboard if I need a "quickie"

If you need a "quickie" have a look at the aeropress (discussed earlier in this thread). Way better than instant, IMHO, and not much more effort or mess. Needs a coarser grind than espresso, though.

 

Going back to your pvs post, you can compensate somewhat for a coarse grind by tamping the grounds harder. But there's no substitute for getting the grind just right - you really can taste the difference.

[Grebel]

If you need a "quickie" have a look at the aeropress (discussed earlier in this thread). Way better than instant, IMHO, and not much more effort or mess. Needs a coarser grind than espresso, though.

 

Going back to your pvs post, you can compensate somewhat for a coarse grind by tamping the grounds harder. But there's no substitute for getting the grind just right - you really can taste the difference.

 

The Aeropress is directly under the grinder on the list of must haves Once I have the grinder I think the whole coffee experience will get a lot better though.

[Christopher Brunsdon]

I have reduced my instant cofee intake... I know I sound like a snob, but the taste of instant after you have appreciated "real" coffee just doesn't cut it.

 

Just finished a Douwe Egberts and for the price I wasn't impressed. Still have a bottle of Nescafe in the cupboard if I need a "quickie"

 

Well you know why a dog licks its butt? To get the taste of instant coffee out of its mouth

[V12man]

The Aeropress is directly under the grinder on the list of must haves Once I have the grinder I think the whole coffee experience will get a lot better though.

 

Smart - the grinder is always the biggest benefit - then fresh coffee - then you, then the espresso machine - somewhat counterintuitive, but accepted by barista's everywhere as the only piece of MUST have equipment - so buy the best you can afford - and they are not generally available from mass market stores.

[Grebel]

Smart - the grinder is always the biggest benefit - then fresh coffee - then you, then the espresso machine - somewhat counterintuitive, but accepted by barista's everywhere as the only piece of MUST have equipment - so buy the best you can afford - and they are not generally available from mass market stores.

 

They are if you don't mind chopped beans.....

 

I am kind of working from the bottom up unfortunately! Started with a Moka Pot, bought an espresso machine the other day and I am now looking at a grinder. Budget is really tight so I am looking at the small Krupps Burr Grinder. I buy all by coffee from Columbo in Durban. They have been really helpful with hints and tips as well. Always ready to chat about what you need to do to get a good cup of coffee!

[Greg29]

Perhaps just get married, pretty good coffee makers those...

 

My wife refuses (conveniently) to learn how to use the espresso and steam wand!!!! I have a great little Bodum machine but they don't make it any more and I can't get spare parts!!!!!!!! So I'll also be looking when it packs in.

 

[V12man]

My wife refuses (conveniently) to learn how to use the espresso and steam wand!!!!

[

 

Mine just refuses to use it when I am around - but she does know how and can do it, and I have seen her use it on the odd occasion for her friends (the benefit of a nanny camera) when she thinks I am not watching - but she is a great fan of the Siemens super auto - and she makes rooibos espresso in that too (banned from doing that in my machines) - I am NOT a rooibos drinker at all.

 

 

One or two steam wand burns and nobody is going to be that keen if they have a dedicated barista in the house. I have dressed a couple of my wifes burns from this - seems she forgets that steam is HOT, and tests it with a finger... or the back of the hand... perhaps she has learned....

 

Wait till you have little ones in the house and they touch a hot group head... then you are going to get it in the nuts for sure.... even worse when it is your friends kids - fortunately my oldest is just getting to the stage where she tells her friends not to touch daddys machine - it bites, and her younger brother keeps his distance after a couple of hot touches. (Mine stays on all the time)

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I have reduced my instant cofee intake... I know I sound like a snob, but the taste of instant after you have appreciated "real" coffee just doesn't cut it.

 

Just finished a Douwe Egberts and for the price I wasn't impressed. Still have a bottle of Nescafe in the cupboard if I need a "quickie"

 

Yeah, I dont drink a lot of instant either, but sometimes its just convenient, especially if I take it with me on the road or something.

 

Which Douwe Egberts blend did you try?, there's a few blends, I quite like the dark roast as its really strong, but of course taste varies and I think their french roast sucks, but agree on the price, 90 odd bucks for instant is fairly expensive in the market.

[TNT1]

Dunno if I posted it before, these days I mostly only drink coffee from one of these:

http://d3d71ba2asa5oz.cloudfront.net/52000777/images/06799.jpg

 

But if I got a fancy coffee maker, I'd get one like Wayne Potgeiter has. That was tasty coffee.

[Grebel]

Yeah, I dont drink a lot of instant either, but sometimes its just convenient, especially if I take it with me on the road or something.

 

Which Douwe Egberts blend did you try?, there's a few blends, I quite like the dark roast as its really strong, but of course taste varies and I think their french roast sucks, but agree on the price, 90 odd bucks for instant is fairly expensive in the market.

 

Grumps, I tried their espresso blend thinking it would be strong and bold. I found that the Nescafe tasted better though. Not really too keen to experiment though now that I have tasted "real" coffee and as you said R90 is a bit steep!

[Grebel]

Dunno if I posted it before, these days I mostly only drink coffee from one of these:

http://d3d71ba2asa5oz.cloudfront.net/52000777/images/06799.jpg

 

But if I got a fancy coffee maker, I'd get one like Wayne Potgeiter has. That was tasty coffee.

 

At this point in time with my limited barista experience that still makes a good cup of coffee if you aren't into the frothy milk.

[TNT1]

At this point in time with my limited barista experience that still makes a good cup of coffee if you aren't into the frothy milk.

 

Yeah, as a rule I can't stand all the frothy milks and crap. I just like a good strong coffee. With a shot of Grappa in winter. So for this, I usually try get beans from Bean There and grind them myself.

[GBguy]

You know there's another way, which we haven't discussed at all. I visited Addis Ababa a few years back, and in the foyer of the hotel there was a woman making coffee. She sat in an alcove with a little braai setup (what the Americans call a hibachi) and a wok. When you order a coffee, she takes a handful of green (unroasted) coffee beans, puts them on the wok, and roasts them. Then she grinds them with a mortar and pestle, and chucks the powder into a little pot (like a Greek 'briki'), adds a little boiling water, puts the pot on the coals just for a few seconds until it begins to foam, and then pours the coffee into an espresso cup.

 

The taste is sensational. I liked the first one I had so much that I ordered another. Long story short - within a few hours I was as sick as a dog - caffeine poisoning. I wondered why she looked at me strangely when I ordered that second cup. After that I saw coffee being made the same way in several Ethiopian homes and even offices (a youngster comes in with the hibachi, wok and other stuff and does the whole procedure on the floor of the office - no kidding). The smell of the roasting beans and the coffee is just amazing.

 

Ethiopians always have a glass of water standing there with a few sprigs of rue - a herb that they call "en-adam" - named after Adam (Eve's guy), because they believe rue was the first herb in the garden of eden. They take a sprig and stir their coffee with it. To me it smells horrible (like a public urinal), but it's optional.

 

You can get green beans (which aren't green, BTW) from any coffee roaster. It's a fun thing to do at a braai - but don't expect to sleep much afterwards. I suspect that the fact that the beans are just-roasted somehow liberates more caffeine than beans that were roasted a day or a month earlier. And making the coffee Turkish-style definitely draws more caffeine out than espressing it. Also, you're really drinking coffee-soup, rather than water that has been passed through coffee grounds.

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Just as an aside I was wondering around the store this weekend and I found a pack of generic Nespresso pods - yup generic pods - they only had three packs left two medium roast and one dark roast, so I read the pack and sure enough it states clearly "these pods are suitable for use in a Nespresso machine". So I figured"what the hang, I'll try them" and I bought the dark roast pack.

 

This is just my suggestion, but I am gonna say "dont bother". The pods work fine but the coffee is nowhere near the quality of the Nespresso blends and I found it had a bitter aftertaste. My wife tried as well and said the same, seems like the coffee quality is just not up to scratch.

[Grebel]

Just as an aside I was wondering around the store this weekend and I found a pack of generic Nespresso pods - yup generic pods - they only had three packs left two medium roast and one dark roast, so I read the pack and sure enough it states clearly "these pods are suitable for use in a Nespresso machine". So I figured"what the hang, I'll try them" and I bought the dark roast pack.

 

This is just my suggestion, but I am gonna say "dont bother". The pods work fine but the coffee is nowhere near the quality of the Nespresso blends and I found it had a bitter aftertaste. My wife tried as well and said the same, seems like the coffee quality is just not up to scratch.

 

Guess you get what you pay for... (assuming they are cheaper of course ...)