Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

I've found an unopened bag of 'Has Bean Christmas Espresso Blend 2013' roasted on the 23rd of December. Anyone want it FOC?

Also I have 6 Whittard espresso cups I'd like to give away FOC. Never been used, seeing as I am giving them away, they'll no doubt be antiques of the future. Blue and White cups.

Thanks ~ Simon
 
Looking for a bit of advice guys. I've been using an aeropress for a few years with great success but with pre-ground coffee. Recently I took the plunge and started using beans but the results aren't as good as with pre-ground stuff.

I'm using a Krups burr grinder and the first thing I notice is that even on the finest setting the grounds are coarse compared to the canned Illy coffee I've used previously. Going on the rule of thumb that states the faster the brew the finer the grounds need to be I think this is possibly where I'm coming a cropper. If I use the same volume of fresh grounds as I would Illy the resulting coffee is much weaker. If I add more grounds I can compensate for that but it means using a lot of coffee!

So long story short, what am I doing wrong???
 
rpstewart said:
Looking for a bit of advice guys. I've been using an aeropress for a few years with great success but with pre-ground coffee. Recently I took the plunge and started using beans but the results aren't as good as with pre-ground stuff.

I'm using a Krups burr grinder and the first thing I notice is that even on the finest setting the grounds are coarse compared to the canned Illy coffee I've used previously. Going on the rule of thumb that states the faster the brew the finer the grounds need to be I think this is possibly where I'm coming a cropper. If I use the same volume of fresh grounds as I would Illy the resulting coffee is much weaker. If I add more grounds I can compensate for that but it means using a lot of coffee!

So long story short, what am I doing wrong???
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What beans are you using? I've used many different beans over the last few years, and some just don't produce as good an Aeropress as others.

What method are you using:
- what weight of beans do you grind?
- how long do you leave it once you've added the water?
- when/how often do you stir?

Apart from adjusting the amount of coffee, have you tried any other changes?
Almost all the methods I've seen (and how I make mine) have the coffee ground a little finer than filter coffee, so not fine like an espresso grind, more of a medium coarseness. I leave it about 60 seconds before inverting and the press.
 
Hmm, hadn't thought of the weight before. Given that it's a coarser grind I may actually be using less physical coffee despite it looking the same volume as before.

Everything else is the same as before - water in the aeropress, stir for 5-10 seconds then press.
 
rpstewart said:
Hmm, hadn't thought of the weight before. Given that it's a coarser grind I may actually be using less physical coffee despite it looking the same volume as before.

Everything else is the same as before - water in the aeropress, stir for 5-10 seconds then press.
Click to expand...

May be worth trying the inverted method of using the aeropress. Allows you to brew longer without changing the grind. I've pulled off a few 10 minute brew times recently using it.

Check out www.brewmethods.com for videos.
 
Just given that a try and there's definite potential there. More body than before and the used grounds were more of an even puck than I've managed with home ground previously.

More experimentation needed but maybe not tonight...
 
rpstewart said:
Everything else is the same as before - water in the aeropress, stir for 5-10 seconds then press.
Click to expand...
So you're not doing the inverted method? That would have been the first thing I suggest too.

rpstewart said:
Just given that a try and there's definite potential there. More body than before and the used grounds were more of an even puck than I've managed with home ground previously. More experimentation needed but maybe not tonight...
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Jolly good, let us know how it goes and whether you need any more advice :).
 
Flibster said:
May be worth trying the inverted method of using the aeropress. Allows you to brew longer without changing the grind. I've pulled off a few 10 minute brew times recently using it.

Check out www.brewmethods.com for videos.
Click to expand...

I'd try the inverted method. I recently switched to this method as it would drip though whilst I was adding water. I let mine brew for 60 secs and then press through over 30 secs - Great coffee every time!
 
Recently got an aeropress as a Christmas present and have to agree with others, it is a genius device. It really is like a science experiment (or at least the rest of the office think it is :D) and does give a different quality to the coffee compared to my usual filter method (chemex).
 
davetherave2 said:
Recently got an aeropress as a Christmas present and have to agree with others, it is a genius device. It really is like a science experiment (or at least the rest of the office think it is :D) and does give a different quality to the coffee compared to my usual filter method (chemex).
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Yeah I got an Aeropress for Chrimbo as well, it really is superb.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend one for someone like me who's just starting out and doesn't want to spend a fortune.
 
davetherave2 said:
Recently got an aeropress as a Christmas present and have to agree with others, it is a genius device. It really is like a science experiment (or at least the rest of the office think it is :D) and does give a different quality to the coffee compared to my usual filter method (chemex).
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They're great aren't they?! :) If you want to feel more like a scientist, invest in a syphon setup. This is a Hario TCA-5 without the branding:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Coffee-Sy...es_Garden_Kitchen_Kettles&hash=item20d36eba6f

I've had loads of fun playing with the syphon :D
 
Hamster said:
They're great aren't they?! :) If you want to feel more like a scientist, invest in a syphon setup. This is a Hario TCA-5 without the branding:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Coffee-Sy...es_Garden_Kitchen_Kettles&hash=item20d36eba6f

I've had loads of fun playing with the syphon :D
Click to expand...

Although I think this would be great to have at work, I think the health and safety people may have an issue with a naked flame. Plus I'm running out of room on my coffee shelves at work to fit everything on and still be organised.

I guess the ultimate scientist setup is a cold brew unit as that looks amazing. Although I think the coffee selection has to be chosen wisely so as to complement this technique.

Reminds me I must order some more suki tea today.
 
davetherave2 said:
Although I think this would be great to have at work, I think the health and safety people may have an issue with a naked flame. Plus I'm running out of room on my coffee shelves at work to fit everything on and still be organised.

I guess the ultimate scientist setup is a cold brew unit as that looks amazing. Although I think the coffee selection has to be chosen wisely so as to complement this technique.

Reminds me I must order some more suki tea today.
Click to expand...

I ordered the Bruer cold brew system through kickstarter. It's not as impressive looking as some of the cold brew methods, but it's a damn sight cheaper and more practical for me.

That's not a bad syphon either. I picked a couple up a while back as they were £25 then and it was pretty much a 'why not' moment. Couple of small additions, butane burner, hario paper filter adaptor and the ultra nerdy thermocouples and it's a pretty good brew method. But still not nice to clean.
 
More info on the upcoming UKBC Super Heat and other activities going on.

Linky

Some Tamper Tantrum info:

We’ll be kicking proceedings off in grand style with a Tamper Tantrum on Sunday morning; join Colin Harmon and Steve Leighton as they put some true UK greats in the spotlight. The incredible, not to be missed line-up includes James Hoffman, 2007 World Barista Champion and MD of Square Mile Coffee, Rob and Vic of creative coffee consultancy Dunnefrankowski, Peter Dore Smith from popular London cafe Kaffeine, Cory Bush from green speciality coffee importer Falcon and Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, 2012 UK Barista Champion and joint owner of Bath cafe Colonna & Smalls.

Monday late afternoon, 4.30pm, will see a public screening of the documentary Barista or Bust, as Stephen and Graham, the documentary makers, follow John Gordon’s journey through the 2010 UK heats and onto the world championships. This will be followed by an exclusive question and answer session with the creators including an insight into the background and making of it.
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UKBC Heats will be going on over all 4 days too. Going to be a tight event (hopefully) as normally the London heat is 2 days on it's own...
 
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