Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

I rarely buy coffee out normally but since I'm working nights I save so much money I've been treating myself at the weekends :p Queued for 15mins for a cappuccino at Monmouth in Borough (mad!) and finally checked out this interesting looking cafe just round the corner. Turns out they do decent coffee! I had a Honduras pourover, was gorgeous actually! http://www.munsons.co.uk/munson's.htm Anyone else think this whole proper/indie coffee thing is going a bit mad lately? My girlfriend bought home a copy of the Stylist because it had a 3 page article on proper coffee - including mentioning aeropress etc. Who'd have thunk it :)
 
Scam said:
I rarely buy coffee out normally but since I'm working nights I save so much money I've been treating myself at the weekends :p Queued for 15mins for a cappuccino at Monmouth in Borough (mad!) and finally checked out this interesting looking cafe just round the corner. Turns out they do decent coffee! I had a Honduras pourover, was gorgeous actually! http://www.munsons.co.uk/munson's.htm Anyone else think this whole proper/indie coffee thing is going a bit mad lately? My girlfriend bought home a copy of the Stylist because it had a 3 page article on proper coffee - including mentioning aeropress etc. Who'd have thunk it :)
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I've not yet been to Munsons, partly because I phoned them a few months ago to ask whether they had some filters and the person I spoke to was a ***. I will go there sometime though as I've heard their filter coffee is particularly good.

I quite like the coffee and reception I had from Freddo's on the green and their food is awesome too. Last time I was there they were using a custom Hasbean blend. The owner is a very nice chap too. Have you been there yet?
 
Funny you should say that as I went to ask the girl in there for a recommendation and she stopped me and said she didn't really know anything about them. Er, ok :p

I did go to freddos ages ago and for some reason just opted for an americano which was, well, fine. Should have gone for something more interesting. Do they do pourovers? Their food looked great though, but they are the wrong side of town for me. I should check it out again really.

Edit: I just remembered I did buy some Union beans from freddos but wasn't impressed at all. Very dark and oily, they were much like the cheap ones we have at work :(
 
I reckon at Munson's they're secretive to the point of beind down right rude!

Freddo's had a few V60s lined up behind the counter but I've not yet tried their filter coffee yet. I remember that they had Union beans on a shelf by the counter which I've not bought but they were happy to sell their Hasbean blend which was about 10 days from roast. They had the biggest red Hasbean bags that I'd ever seen behind the counter :) I did write down what the blend of three different beans was but I've lost the paper I wrote it on!
 
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Does anyone know if Cafe Nero or Starbucks sell whole roasted beans in their shops? I'm rarely in town to check, has anyone bought from there, if so, are they any good?
Or should I just stick to buying online from Hasbean?
 
Charliej said:
Well despite all the rave reviews for Hasbean on this thread, I have to say that I haven't been very impressed with any of their espresso blends and a couple of other lots I have ordered from there. I think this is possibly because they roast too light for my personal taste.
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Do you make milky drinks? Only asking because I've found some beans get lost in milk (could be my technique) but I've found Hasbean Jailbreak works well for me.
 
bruce said:
Does anyone know if Cafe Nero or Starbucks sell whole roasted beans in their shops? I'm rarely in town to check, has anyone bought from there, if so, are they any good?
Or should I just stick to buying online from Hasbean?
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they do, but i really wouldn't bother, its all trash!
 
I recently asked about moka pots and Aeropress' - my parents bought me a 3 cup moka pot recently - it gives a nice, smooth coffee. Nothing like espresso, more like a very strong French press type of beverage. Does the Aeropress give a similar type of strength brew?

I now have an espresso or two in the morning and a moka pot in the afternoon.

:)
 
Personally I'd say the results from Aeropress is pretty similar to moka pot - its not espresso but it tends to give a better and more controllable coffee
 
I bought some beans from Whittards on the high street. They didn't know when the beans were roasted, but I crossed my fingers... The Guatemala Elephant Coffee sounded great, but tastes faintly of how I imagine an elephant smells, it's just that bit stale.

Is it just me or can you always tell with a hand grinder if the beans have been roasted recently? All the fresh stuff that I grind has a nice bite to it, other stuff just passes through too easily with hardly any resistance.
 
Siliconslave said:
Personally I'd say the results from Aeropress is pretty similar to moka pot - its not espresso but it tends to give a better and more controllable coffee
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Yeah, pretty similar. I prefer moka pot (stronger and a bit more aroma - I don't know why, maybe contact with the plastic in the Aeropress affects the aroma), but Aeropress wins on convenience.
 
uchuff said:
Do you make milky drinks? Only asking because I've found some beans get lost in milk (could be my technique) but I've found Hasbean Jailbreak works well for me.
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Depending on my mood time of day etc I do drink either milky drinks or straight shots. I outright disliked breakfast bomb, and tbh wasnt very keen on jailbreak either can't put my finger on it exactly but just wasnt to my taste i guess. Not everyone can like everything Hasbean do and I certainly don't dispute that they roast great coffee, just that its not for me.
 
Charliej said:
Well despite all the rave reviews for Hasbean on this thread, I have to say that I haven't been very impressed with any of their espresso blends and a couple of other lots I have ordered from there. I think this is possibly because they roast too light for my personal taste. I much prefer beans from Hands On or Coffeebeanshopltd. Im currently waiting patiently for my latest Coffeebeanshop pruchases to finish degassing as they were only roasted on Thursday, got 500g of their utterly brilliant Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, 250g of the Mocha Guatamala espresso blend and 250g of the Indian Tiger Stripe espresso blend. At least I have the remnants of some hands on Lusty Glaze and Black Chough to see me through
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I'll have a look at Hands On and Coffeebeanshopt ltd. I do like the Machacamarca and Oporapa that Hasbean do, I've been trying other offerings of theirs and also other places but I'm not having much luck of late!
 
Aeropress and Moka pot are my two current main brewing methods. Id say the Aeropress gives a slightly cleaner tasting brew; whereas the Moka pot gives a slightly more robust, fuller bodied brew. Both of them very enjoyable :)
 
Charliej said:
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Just ordered some of that Ethiopian Yirgacheffe myself so I will give that a shot cheers :)

I am going to order an aeropress does it come with filters when you first get one?
 
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:confused: I had to google Moka pot... I didn't realise that it was the same as the stove top I already have! :eek: I guess it did stop me going out and buying something else though! :D

I haven't got round to trying it out since I started grinding my own, I really must give it a try!
 
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