Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

If the Iberital MC2 is too large, there is a couple of possibilities off the top of my head.

Baratza Encore - very basic burr grinder
Sage Smart Grinder - Techno-grinder

But, neither are particularly small.
Thanks. I'm struggling to find the Baratza Encore anywhere in the UK, any ideas? It does look nice, how much does it go for over here? The Sage looks a bit mad. Unfortunately this is also a potential Christmas list item so £200 is a bit much haha :D

What about the Dualit 75015? Some people seem to suggest it's serviceable for espresso.. and let's not forget I won't be using it with a machine anyway.. :confused: Hmn..
 
Aha! So they do. Cheers. Straight on the Christmas list that goes! Looks a bit nicer than the mc2 and I think something thats stepped would suit me better I reckon.
 
In anticipation for the hints I've dropped for Christmas pressies ;)
I've just bought the Kaffeologie S Filter for AeroPress.

There's loads of brewing methods out there, can anyone recommend one they use? :)
 
Yup. Hasbean's brew method seems unbeatable for me. Although I brew for more like 60secs rather than just 30. Also I boil the kettle and leave it with the lid open for 2mins before pouring over. Seems about the right temerature then.
 
I'm looking to get a coffee "starter package" for my girlfriend for Christmas. She's only just started drinking coffee, and has never made herself anything other than instant. She generally drinks caramel lattes at coffee shops.

I'm thinking of getting her:
Aeropress
Flavoured syrups
Pre ground coffee beans (I know some of you will find this a travesty, but she won't be bothered with grinding her own beans, plus grinders are expensive)
Something to froth milk.

So, two questions:
Where's the best place to get an aeropress from?
What shall I get her in order to heat/froth milk? I have previously used the french press & microwave method myself, is there a better one?
 
I'm looking to get a coffee "starter package" for my girlfriend for Christmas. She's only just started drinking coffee, and has never made herself anything other than instant. She generally drinks caramel lattes at coffee shops.

I'm thinking of getting her:
Aeropress
Flavoured syrups
Pre ground coffee beans (I know some of you will find this a travesty, but she won't be bothered with grinding her own beans, plus grinders are expensive)
Something to froth milk.

So, two questions:
Where's the best place to get an aeropress from?
What shall I get her in order to heat/froth milk? I have previously used the french press & microwave method myself, is there a better one?
Q1 - HasBean currently sell it for less than Amazon. Not sure about other cheaper places.
Q2 - You can get a stove top steamer to produce steamed milk similar to that of an espresso machine steam wand. This is what I use (although I have the cheaper version).

However, if she has only just started drinking coffee, and usually drinks flavoured coffee at shops, an Aeropress may not be the best idea. It could end up a bit of a fiddle to do, and although it produces lovely coffee, it's not a coffee that suits lots of milk being added to. A really good quality cafetiere would be better (and easier to use), and a couple of decent quality coffee mugs too. Also, a selection of HasBean (or another quality coffee company) pre-ground filter coffee. It will be considerably better than what you get from a supermarket.
 
Q1 - HasBean currently sell it for less than Amazon. Not sure about other cheaper places.
Q2 - You can get a stove top steamer to produce steamed milk similar to that of an espresso machine steam wand. This is what I use (although I have the cheaper version).

However, if she has only just started drinking coffee, and usually drinks flavoured coffee at shops, an Aeropress may not be the best idea. It could end up a bit of a fiddle to do, and although it produces lovely coffee, it's not a coffee that suits lots of milk being added to. A really good quality cafetiere would be better (and easier to use), and a couple of decent quality coffee mugs too. Also, a selection of HasBean (or another quality coffee company) pre-ground filter coffee. It will be considerably better than what you get from a supermarket.

Thanks for your help. Why doesn't aeropress coffee work well in a latte? Isn't it just espresso that it produces? Perhaps a stove-top espresso maker would be better...

That steamer is a bit out of budget unfortunately :(

Some nice mugs are a good idea, and I'll take a look at their coffee too.
 
Aeropress coffee isn't espresso - it's more like a really strong (and nice) americano. Maybe it's half way between espresso and americano in terms of strength.
 
As an Americano drinker I just love the Aeropress. The wife sticks cow juice in hers though, but I never said she was perfect :D
 
Had a Right Result Saturday midnight/Sunday morning. Hasbean put 50 bags of Nicaragua Finca Limoncillo Washed Yellow Pacamara on his website for absolutely free as a Christmas present and I was one of the lucky ones to get a pack, they sold out out in an instant, all I had to pay was the princely sum of £1.20 for shipping, this Coffee sells for £25 a pack :/

Cant wait to try it :D
 
Had a Right Result Saturday midnight/Sunday morning. Hasbean put 50 bags of Nicaragua Finca Limoncillo Washed Yellow Pacamara on his website for absolutely free as a Christmas present and I was one of the lucky ones to get a pack, they sold out out in an instant, all I had to pay was the princely sum of £1.20 for shipping, this Coffee sells for £25 a pack :/

Cant wait to try it :D
A bargain indeed. How did you know about it, or were you just looking to buy coffee at midnight??
 
Beans from NYC. It's quite nice, a bit sharp but nice.

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Just picked up a kilo of coffee from ManCoCo :) The last one was nice enough but I'm hoping the new stuff will be a bit more to my tastes (e.g. sweet and chocolatey).
 
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i got 500g of monmouth's espresso blend and finding it a little generic for my tastes, sort of disappointed to be honest but got a lot to get through to better get used to it!
 
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