Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

I think I'll pass this time round. I'm on a bag of North Star Dark Arches blend right now,next is a El Salvador from Butterworths which will take me the best part of a month to consume. Any order from Rave made now will have had too much rest by the time its next in the queue to drink methinks.
 
Does anyone have any good tips for decent coffee that's a bit more budget friendly? At the moment I'm using this which is nice for £8.80/kg but not blowing my socks off. Problem is I can't find anything that looks good for anything less than double the price - typically £18/kg. I'd like to upgrade a little but can't really justify that.
 
If you have a coffee grinder then maybe try some of the tesco beans ..
(and take them back if unpleasant - I have no qualms with the supermarkets)
otherwise Rave can be good value and under offer are in the middle ground from £13/Kg.

Starbucks seem to think their beans are worth £18/KG lol

EDIT: also start a coffee club at work we shared postage on Hasbean stuff for a long while
 
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jpaul said:
If you have a coffee grinder then maybe try some of the tesco beans ..
(and take them back if unpleasant - I have no qualms with the supermarkets)
otherwise Rave can be good value and under offer are in the middle ground from £13/Kg.

Starbucks seem to think their beans are worth £18/KG lol

EDIT: also start a coffee club at work we shared postage on Hasbean stuff for a long while
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I actually bought some of the Starbucks Espresso whole beans as I'd run out, was waiting for my next order and was mooching around Tesco and saw a lonely bag (they were the only whole beans on the shelf so thought I'd see how they fared). Never again. Beans are almost jet black, taste can only be described as a burning bitter flavour of regret. I'd take Azera over them!
 
Do they actually taste like the shop brews though?

It's weird, between all of the coffee kit I have and all the beans/grind I've tried I do still like the rare starbucks if I'm out and about.. Better than the other high street guys abyway.
 
neil_g said:
Do they actually taste like the shop brews though?

It's weird, between all of the coffee kit I have and all the beans/grind I've tried I do still like the rare starbucks if I'm out and about.. Better than the other high street guys abyway.
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At least they're consistently average :p

I always ask for whatever SO beans they have in as they're usually better than the burnt dark roasted beans.


dl8860, probably the best 'upgrade' from the tesco ground you've been buying is to get whole beans instead. Obviously this necessitates having a grinder which you might not want to invest in.

Most online coffee roasters will sell 250g for around £4-7.
 
Amazon you mean? You can say Amazon. Amazon, see, I said Amazon.

(Sorry, one of my pet peeves)

I've used a handpresso machine thing and it was utterly rubbish. I'd no Aeropress fan but for my tastes the Aeropress makes a significantly better drink.
 
(maybe delivery constraint was your availibility)
but crikey - I do not normally run that low that I need next day delivery, would be looking for a back-street supplier at that point, plus you need a few days post roast before it is viable too. w/free delivery 11pm on mon was here Thur.

Royal Fleet did you make a decision ? stll intrigued by Sage Duo Temp pro + grinder option - seems a sweet spot to me

.. had also thought espresso cups maybe the ideal delivery vehicle for the poached egg thread
 
jpaul said:
Royal Fleet did you make a decision ? stll intrigued by Sage Duo Temp pro + grinder option - seems a sweet spot to me
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Still cogitating....I went into John Lewis the other day to look at the Barista Express and was impressed with it in person. tbh waiting for my annual bonus at end March. That is the one time of the year I get to shop with impunity.
 
Dj_Jestar said:
Sup with rave ATM? My next-day delivery order from the 30th still hasn't arrived, nor have they replied to my email.
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Siliconslave said:
they sent an email after their 15% sale saying they'd had more orders than ever before and were struggling a little - shame they aren't responding though & failing their nextday orders :(
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Odd. I ordered on the 30th using the free delivery option and they arrived yesterday. I didn't order until about 23:50 on the 30th either so I would have been last in the queue for delivery I assume!
 
Give them a call, it's probably lost/held up in the post if it's not with you already. They usually have excellent customer service, I guess they're just a bit swamped at the mo.
 
Rather odd exchange with Rave. The coffee arrived on saturday, 3 days later than it should have, and all I get is a "I'm glad it finally arrived, enjoy."

What the chips?! I paid for next day del! Surely you'd be annoyed to find your chosen delivery service is not delivering on time?!
 
Thanks,
had not heard of them before, and could not seem to find a thread on coffeegeeks - any favourite ?
They do not seem to categorise roast colour/darkness; in my HasBean days, inadvertantly picked up some lighter roasts that did not work out for me in espresso, but were maybe fine for filter.

From discussion on flavoured coffees, in nespresso thread, was reminded of another(only other?) use for the espresso machine,
making hot chocolate with steamed milk - used to get these sometimes in ski resorts.
Attempts to make it had been unsuccesssful with previous espresso machine with less steam HP.
Process seems documented here

Steaming milk with chocolate powder or cocoa in it, is just making hot chocolate. Awesome hot chocolate, by the way.

It doesn't damage the machine in any way. Just make sure to clean the wand thoroughly every time.

You'll get smoother results though if you dissolve the powder into a little hot water and stir it into a smooth, thick paste before adding the cold milk and steaming.

If you really want excellent hot chocolate, don't use powder. Instead melt chocolate chips that are used for baking and steam with milk. You can choose milk chocolate chips or my favorite, dark chocolate chips. It's a bit too intense for kiddies, but for adults, it's decadent chocolate goodness. Melt the chips in the bottom of the pitcher with the steam wand (or microwave them in a Pyrex cup), then add milk. Steam and stir.
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This is potentially a way to justify an expensives espresso machine to a SO.

EDIT: re-thinking some other uses of espresso machines - eye candy, electricity consumer.
 
Smokey Barn - pretty good. Tends towards the medium roast profile. Great little roastery though in the back roads of Norwich. :D

That is pretty much my method of doing hot chocolate. Generally using Hotel Chocolate hot chocolate flakes or Kokoa Collection (my personal favourite tbh).

I've seen people do scrambled eggs and porridge with a steam wand. Not my idea of a good thing tbh..
 
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