Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

Raymond Lin · 23 Jul 2023 at 14:33

How well does unopened coffee beans keep in the freezer?

I want to take advantage of Rave's introductory subscription offer, not sure whether i get the max 8 bags and freeze them to use later. I suspect 8 bags can last me about 4-5 months.

Alex_L · 23 Jul 2023 at 15:18

Raymond Lin said:
How well does unopened coffee beans keep in the freezer?

I want to take advantage of Rave's introductory subscription offer, not sure whether i get the max 8 bags and freeze them to use later. I suspect 8 bags can last me about 4-5 months.

Shouldn’t be an issue. I regularly freeze individual unopened bags of decaf for a 3-5 months and had no issue with those - just make sure you defrost overnight before opening.

gazref · 23 Jul 2023 at 18:43

Raymond Lin said:
How well does unopened coffee beans keep in the freezer?

I want to take advantage of Rave's introductory subscription offer, not sure whether i get the max 8 bags and freeze them to use later. I suspect 8 bags can last me about 4-5 months.

I've been freezing regularly for years no issues with the end results but after defrosting they do age a bit quicker in my experience which is why I'd personally never freeze a 1kg bag.

What youll use inside of 1 month don't bother freezing imo. Try squeeze a bit of the air out of an unopened bag before you tape up the valve. Defrost overnight tape on then bau in the morning. Never had a bad defrost or ruined a bag.

Btw how much coffee do you use per month in gs ?

Raymond Lin · 23 Jul 2023 at 18:47

gazref said:
I've been freezing regularly for years no issues with the end results but after defrosting they do age a bit quicker in my experience which is why I'd personally never freeze a 1kg bag.

What youll use inside of 1 month don't bother freezing imo. Try squeeze a bit of the air out of an unopened bag before you tape up the valve. Defrost overnight tape on then bau in the morning. Never had a bad defrost or ruined a bag.

Btw how much coffee do you use per month in gs ?

250g bag can last up to a month as I drink mostly on weekends, if I drink a few after work in the week then it’s more like 3 weeks. So 8 bags can last 6 months.

jpaul · 24 Jul 2023 at 10:09

cheaper to buy the 1Kg bags - I decant them into 3/4 smaller poly bag, twist closed and freeze in bigger resealable bag, then defrost in the fridge, and then at room temp before opening.
not sure a defrosted bag would last 4weeks, but, I use a bag a week.
waitrose italian/5 beans on offer at moment, roasted july7 tasted as good as Italian job. -

used to have a coffee club, shared purchase, with folks from work, wfh maybe I should use fb to discover neighbours who have similar addictions - that app where you share services.

Raymond Lin · 24 Jul 2023 at 10:13

jpaul said:
cheaper to buy the 1Kg bags - I decant them into 3/4 smaller poly bag, twist closed and freeze in bigger resealable bag, then defrost in the fridge, and then at room temp before opening.
not sure a defrosted bag would last 4weeks, but, I use a bag a week.
waitrose italian/5 beans on offer at moment, roasted july7 tasted as good as Italian job. -

used to have a coffee club, shared purchase, with folks from work, wfh maybe I should use fb to discover neighbours who have similar addictions - that app where you share services.

Not with this offer it isn’t.

£38 for 2kg of beans, all already split into 250g bags.

gazref · 24 Jul 2023 at 11:39

I use 250g a week and although the 1kg pricing is better for obvious reasons get a bit bored half way through so I like to get 3-4 250g bags once per month with a floating freezer bag to cover reorders. Only when it comes to the £40-50 a kilo stuff I'd get 1kg for savings. Colonna have stuff 70-120 per kg!! Yikes.

jpaul · 25 Jul 2023 at 10:20

rave subscriptions are expensive versus their regular beans £45/2KG signature also 25% off first sub - last time I bought from them about £14/Kg

had been looking at these folks

The Spire Espresso Blend Roasted Coffee

An espresso blend comprising a mix of Brazillian, Ethiopian and Sumatra Mandheling Arabicas with a touch of Vietnam Robusta which give a rich bold tasting espresso ideal as an base for cappuccino and latte drinks. This is a dark roast espresso blend, with the coffee roasted into second crack...

whiterosecoffeeroasters.co.uk

options where you get a reduction on sequential deliveries - no need to suffer freezing, maybe better to appreciate blends taste when fresh eg
pact option where you get 25% off first 3 delievries @7/250bag

can't see any coffeecompass deals - had had a tasty discounted 3bag sampler sampler from them way back
- yes - I, too can manage 3 bags at once w/o going stale, allowing comparison.

Raymond Lin · 25 Jul 2023 at 13:21

Arrived! I like their new packaging, it’s been a couple of years since I bought from them.

mid_gen · 27 Jul 2023 at 16:26

Having a scout around for some decent decaf. This one has made a pretty decent first cup filter, medium/light roast, some fruit flavour coming through. Rather nice.

gazref · 27 Jul 2023 at 17:13

Can you show a pic of how dark the roast is? I got my first bag of decaf (pour over fruity profile) for evening play and was shocked how dark it was. Don't know if that's a decaf thing or not

Ayahuasca · 3 Aug 2023 at 10:29

The pump in my Sage Barista Express has broke again (second time in three years). First time it was just out of warranty so had to replace it myself, cba to do it again after such a short time.

I'm tempted to go back to an Aeropress tbh as I mostly drink my coffee black.

Stellios · 4 Aug 2023 at 12:00

Ayahuasca said:
The pump in my Sage Barista Express has broke again (second time in three years). First time it was just out of warranty so had to replace it myself, cba to do it again after such a short time.

I'm tempted to go back to an Aeropress tbh as I mostly drink my coffee black.

I've just picked up an AeroPress Clear yesterday from Rave as its the cheapest I've found it at £52 with free delivery, I also had a 15% off which was an added bonus.

Buckster · 4 Aug 2023 at 13:19

can anyone recommend any decent beans in the bracket up to about £20

I only say that bracket as I've had some not bad coffee beans from amazon for under that price - so don't really want to pay too much more (and I get through a lot of coffee so expensive !)

use with a SAGE Smart Grinder Pro and Duo Pro

Last two lots of coffee I've bought were from the Cafedirect London Fields range - Organic Honduras Coffee Bean and Organic Peru - both were about £14 a kg and tasted great IMO

Alex_L · 4 Aug 2023 at 16:13

gazref said:
Can you show a pic of how dark the roast is? I got my first bag of decaf (pour over fruity profile) for evening play and was shocked how dark it was. Don't know if that's a decaf thing or not

Decaf tends to be darker roasted on the whole. Some really dark almost Costa / Starbucks levels of roast.

Raymond Lin · 5 Aug 2023 at 00:56

I forgot to say last week, the Rave box came with this little brew method booklet. It’s very nice.

iron_monkey · 5 Aug 2023 at 00:59

I do like the rave coffee and package plus you usually get a free gift but i only order when they have an offer on or send me a discount code

Kainz · 5 Aug 2023 at 05:47

jpaul said:
rave subscriptions are expensive versus their regular beans £45/2KG signature also 25% off first sub - last time I bought from them about £14/Kg

had been looking at these folks

The Spire Espresso Blend Roasted Coffee

An espresso blend comprising a mix of Brazillian, Ethiopian and Sumatra Mandheling Arabicas with a touch of Vietnam Robusta which give a rich bold tasting espresso ideal as an base for cappuccino and latte drinks. This is a dark roast espresso blend, with the coffee roasted into second crack...

whiterosecoffeeroasters.co.uk

options where you get a reduction on sequential deliveries - no need to suffer freezing, maybe better to appreciate blends taste when fresh eg
pact option where you get 25% off first 3 delievries @7/250bag

can't see any coffeecompass deals - had had a tasty discounted 3bag sampler sampler from them way back
- yes - I, too can manage 3 bags at once w/o going stale, allowing comparison.

Hmm these folks have Monsoon Malabar too and it is £14.89 for a 1kg bag, whereas Rave is a nasty £25.50 for that same amount. What am I missing?

Stellios · 5 Aug 2023 at 15:17

Just bought a large AirScape canister that is quoted to hold 1kg. I've put 750g into it and it's barely half full, looks more like it'll hold 2kg. Checked the box and they've sent what I ordered so guessing it's just hugely over specced.

Also got a aeropress clear in the same order as I miss the simplicity of owning one when in a rush.

Hats off to rave coffee as I had a 15% off voucher so got it a bit cheaper than expected.

jpaul · 5 Aug 2023 at 21:18

Kainz said:
Hmm these folks have Monsoon Malabar too and it is £14.89 for a 1kg bag, whereas Rave is a nasty £25.50 for that same amount. What am I missing?

rave used to be good value before they had a social media budget + fancy packets and branding.
the whole market is like the beer market now with fancy names /graphics to give GenZ an individualized experience - kings new clothes.

Stellios said:
Also got a aeropress clear in the same order as I miss the simplicity of owning one when in a rush.

the flow control filter cap looks like an interesting option making them like a clever dripper - but seemingly you have to apply the plunger as opposed to gravity feed - not sure I get it