lets talk coffee

[Bibio]

i recently acquired a Dualit Coffee Percolator (https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/home-appliances/coffee-machines/1404062/dualit-coffee-percolator-review) and while its good as i like strong coffee i cant seem to find the right ground coffee. now before some of you smart arzez start with the roast and grind your own beans.. i CBA with that.

so recommendation of a good off the self available in most supermarkets coffee please.

i like strong creamy well balanced with just a little hint of bitterness. my go to instant is kenco smooth red.

[Sir Trev]

If you want good coffee you need to avoid everything on a supermarket shelf. It will have been roasted many months ago as big box shops buy in bulk every now and then and store it. You want it as fresh as possible or it will taste stale. You also don't want it pre-ground as it goes stale even quicker that way.

Can I suggest you either find a local roastery or buy online from someone like Square Mile Coffee. These types of place put "roasted on" dates on their packets, not best before. Invest too in a bean grinder, manual or conical burr electric, and a simple digital scale. You can then alter your own recipe to get the grind size and dosage ratio the way you like it and the taste will be opened up for you.

If you really CBA to grind your own then a local roastery will do it to the grind size you want to suit your brewer.

[Bibio]

while i can get a good roastery in Straven, Kirkcaldy seems to be lacking. hence why i'm asking for off the shelf. i tried starbucks and its naff. same goes for sainsburys own and morrisons own.

also the amount i need to put in seems to be a bit much. 90ml of ground per cup still seems week and to get anywhere near what i like its taking a whole container on the peculator to make it good for two cups.

i use two heaped tea spoons of kenco in my coffee with no sugar and a fair bit of milk.

i have been down this road before with french presses.

[Craig380]

I like the Cafe Direct Mayan Gold (from Sainsbury), but we make it in a cafetiere jug. Can't say how it would go in a percolator.

[yokohama]

Like Sir Trev said, your best bet is mail order from a good roastery and they will grind the beans to the correct size for your percolator. Lots of choice but it's more economical to buy it in kilo bags - cheaper! Give Tynemouth Coffee a try; £20 delivered.
If you really must go supermarket, Lavazza (rossa or crema e gusto ain't bad) or Illy are two of the better brands. However, they are ground quite fine for espresso so I'm not sure whether they'd choke your percolator. 'Union' are also another good brand and usually relatively freshly (for a supermarket) roasted with a roast month on the bag. Plenty different types of beans and Sainsbury's usually stock a good range.

[Bibio]

problem with buying in bulk for me is that i only drink two mugs of coffee a day in the morning with my porridge. after that its water or diluting juice.

i tried tat little tip in the link above of pre wetting the coffee today and its actually a lot better. i'll persevere with different brands and i'll give that Mayan Gold (which i did look at) a try next.

i might go and talk to the guy in the coffee place in Straven (http://www.roastedstrathaven.co.uk/) or Fower the roaster (https://www.fowercoffee.com/) about some testers. i would rather it was Roasted as the bloke that owns it does a lot for the community.

[Bibio]

now who has tried one cup coffee filters (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Filters-Natural-Unbleached-Compatible-Drippers/dp/B08N47YHC7/ref=sr_1_18?keywords=one+cup+coffee+filter&qid=1672743843&sr=8-18) e.g. small coffee filters that you put in a cup/mug and pour boiling water in.

[Sir Trev]

now who has tried one cup coffee filters (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Filters-Natural-Unbleached-Compatible-Drippers/dp/B08N47YHC7/ref=sr_1_18?keywords=one+cup+coffee+filter&qid=1672743843&sr=8-18) e.g. small coffee filters that you put in a cup/mug and pour boiling water in.

Those are known as V60's, from the models produced by Hario. I have one of these and they make great coffee. They use a grind size between espresso and french press (cafetierre) and the used grinds and paper go into the compost heap.

Like you I only make one/two cups a day so tend to buy two 350g bags at a time which last me a couple of months. The front man for the roastery I use (Square Mile) is James Hoffman, former Barista of the Year, and a strangely compelling YouTuber. Have a look at his vids as he has reviews of kit and methods for brewing which are very informative. Make sure you don't watch Hames Joffman vids by mistake - this is a parody account which, once you watch a few of the real ones, is very funny.

[Bibio]

i'll give those James Hoffman vids a go later.

[Bibio]

well i tried that cafe direct Mayan Gold, for me its pizz weak. no bitterness and smooth but no deep dark coffee taste. i would not rate it a 5 strength, more like a 2.

when i'm in costa or other coffee places i always ask for a double shot americano as one shot are always too weak.

[maviczap]

now who has tried one cup coffee filters (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Filters-Natural-Unbleached-Compatible-Drippers/dp/B08N47YHC7/ref=sr_1_18?keywords=one+cup+coffee+filter&qid=1672743843&sr=8-18) e.g. small coffee filters that you put in a cup/mug and pour boiling water in.

I had one of those, made good coffee.

I now have a Sage coffee maker, which had some unground beans as part of the price.

I still haven't found the perfect coffee, but grinding your own beans is better than ground. I've got a little USB powered grinder, not a chopper, works well

[Sir Trev]

.... but grinding your own beans is better than ground. I've got a little USB powered grinder, not a chopper, works well

I got so fed up with the inconsistent grind of the elderly manual grinder I inherited from FiL (lots of very fine bits but lots of boulders too) that I splurged on a nice flat burr Wilfa Uniform at the start of lockdown. Overkill but nowhere near the most expensive option out there. If I feel like a strong brew I grind finer and go up on the coffee to water ratio compared to the 60g per litre most start from. I've really enjoyed trying different roasts, grinds and ratios over the last couple of years.

[yokohama]

well i tried that cafe direct Mayan Gold, for me its pizz weak. no bitterness and smooth but no deep dark coffee taste. i would not rate it a 5 strength, more like a 2.

when i'm in costa or other coffee places i always ask for a double shot americano as one shot are always too weak.

If you want dark and strong, I've tried these beans and can recommend them. They will wake you up for sure. (this company tends to focus on darker, stronger roasts) Mahogany roast jampit hit is also good.
https://www.coffeecompass.co.uk/products/french-breakfast-blend-500g

What ratios are you using in the percolator? I'm not so familiar with how they work but in an espresso machine, it's usually around 2:1 water to coffee.

[maviczap]

I got so fed up with the inconsistent grind of the elderly manual grinder I inherited from FiL (lots of very fine bits but lots of boulders too) that I splurged on a nice flat burr Wilfa Uniform at the start of lockdown. Overkill but nowhere near the most expensive option out there. If I feel like a strong brew I grind finer and go up on the coffee to water ratio compared to the 60g per litre most start from. I've really enjoyed trying different roasts, grinds and ratios over the last couple of years.
Yep a burr grinder is the way to go, I only get lumps when the beans run out, if I top them up then it's a pretty consistent grind

[yokohama]

Lance, I upgraded my grinder recently to one that grinds fine enough for espresso.
if you want a burr grinder, my old one can be available for a very good price.�� Nothing wrong with it. Stainless steel flat burrs with 16 grind sizes from fine to coarse so should be OK for using with a percolator

[johnnyrod]

We've been getting beans from the York roastery for years, they have loads and can sell you different grinds for different brewing methods. Our favourite is the South American
https://yorkemporium.co.uk/products/south-american-coffee-blend
but the Shambles has a bite more bite

[Bibio]

well i got some Morrisons own French and Espresso on offer two for £4 while shopping yesterday and i must say the Espresso is what i'm looking for. strong fairly smooth and tastes good but there is a little hint of "anaesthetic" in there which is a bit off putting. otherwise its on the right track.

as for ratio of water/coffee i haven't checked but i do fill the filter to the 6 mug mark with 2 mugs of water in the boiler. remember that the Dualit is a recirculating percolator so always stronger brew.

also the second mug of coffee is always stronger so i think i need to let it sit more when its on warmer function.

out of interest has anyone used those V60 filters straight into a mug to let the coffee "infuse"before lifting it out?

[Sir Trev]

You might be able to use the V60 filters in a mug and lift out but they are designed as pour-over filters, not infusion (ie, water drips through grinds, not water sits with grinds). The plastic V60 cones that sit on top of a mug are only a few quid if you wanted to try one.

[daktulos]

I know it's a bit hipster, but aeropress does make a nice cup.

[Sir Trev]

I know it's a bit hipster, but aeropress does make a nice cup.

If I didn't already have three French presses and a really nice olive wood stand for my V60/carafe I'd quite like to try an aeropress.

[Bibio]

quantities are 140ml coffee to 650ml water which makes two mugs of coffee. now remember that its a recirculating percolator so makes a stronger brew.

[Sir Trev]

Most pour over and infusion coffee recipes suggest a 60g of grinds to 1 litre of water to start with. Although I've not looked into percolator recipes that ratio you're using Bibs would give you coffee treacle in one of my brewers :shock:

[Bibio]

tbh that quantity is still not strong enough for me. only one that has come close is the espresso.

[Bibio]

used 210ml coffee this morning with the morrisins french coffee and i must admit its too strong for me but only just too strong. maybe 180ml might be the target.

[Bibio]

just a little update. found a coffee i like, morrisons own make molten magma :-)

[Sir Trev]

You must have different stock in your Morrisons as I've not come across that one before.

[mister c]

I'm a big fan of Asda's Peruvian ground coffee, it's a really nice blend, fairly strong, but with a nice after taste.

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