Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

I am totally loving the La Fany bourbon (to be honest, all the bourbons are fantastic) but a big surprise was the Malawian Geisha that I am drinking this morning. Really fresh and fruity coffee and very light.

So will the dualit grinder give me the grinds I need for the Aeropress Siliconslave? I currently use a 'filter' grind from Hasbean...
 
Siliconslave said:
1) Which is best: Aeropress, Moka Pot, French Press? - Depends what you want to do:

Make one or two short coffee's (not really espresso) to then mix to an americano, lates, cappuccinos etc. an Aeropress offers a reasonable way of doing this, just needs a kettle to make the coffee.

A moca pot can do 2-20 short coffee's (again not really an espresso) in a similar way to a Aeropress but needs a stove & hot water to do so.

A frech press will only do long, americano style coffess so no good for Cappuccions for example - again only needs hot water

2) Regarding grinders - a cheap grinder won't do the level of grind you need for the aero press, a cafeteria and mocha won't be so sensitive to grinder as they need a coarser grind but you need one that uses burrs - not a bladed one.

3) Anything else I'd need to buy to go with the above - if you want a milk frother the bodum one it probably pretty good - my Dad swears by a cheap plastic thing he has that's basically the same design just a little smaller & open bottomed, it sits in a cup/jug and does the same thing.
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Thank for the reply. Very useful :)

I think I've got enough info now to decide on the Aeropress/Moka/Press front... Simply need to make my mind up. I should have a few vouchers available to spend on the online jungle store in the next few days, though, so maybe I'll treat myself to two or something... Anything has to be better than the one-cup machine I'm using now. :p

Same regarding the "accessories". All sorted. :)

Regarding the grinder. Clearly from the thoughts expressed here it seems as though anything less than a burr grinder and money would be better spent on buying ground coffee. However, within burr grinders I'm still not sure how much difference there is (At the low end of the budget).

The cheapest burr grinder I have found is "Delonghi KG49 burr coffee grinder". Could you take a look at this please (A quick google shows it available at many places, including the online jungle [Though the .com one appears different, so stick to the .co.uk])? From what you can tell (or previous experience), and I know that it is hard to tell from such little information, but do you think this would be good enough? And would it grind well enough for, say, an Aeropress?

If not, the next cheapest (though still approximately double that of the Delonghi) appears to be the Dualit recommended previously. Will this grind fine enough for the Aeropress?

I'm sorry for such "beginner" questions, but this thread is proving to be of real value. :)

Thank you!
 
Glad to have checked in at TK MAXX today. Managed to get a few goodies (Following on from my previous messages) at reasonable prices.

I got a stovetop by "Gnali & Zani". I was originally positive I wanted a Moka however for a 3-cup it'd be about £18 yet I got the Gnali & Zani which looks identical (And of comparable quality - I think) for £13. It was a gift-set including the 3-cup stovetop, two espresso cups, saucers and spoons. Great stuff :).

Also managed to pick up the milk frother for £6 compared to ~£9 on the internet (A £5 option was available, identical in every way [Same manufacturer, etc] however without a handle).

Also picked up a set of two quite nice glass/metal mugs for longer drinks - Two for £4.00 and go quite nicely with the above items.

Very happy :) Might still considering getting a French press to try, after making the savings today (They did have a few but they were 6-cups, etc, and I'd prefer a 3-cup so didn't bother - Despite good prices) I'm considering it. Definitely want to pick up an Aeropress soon too, as I should be able to get one using some vouchers I'm owed.

Very happy as it seems I'm in a decent place from which to experiment and get trying coffee... See how it goes!

The only thing I'm now still a little clueless is the grinder - Hopefully somebody can answer the above points. In summary; Is the "Delonghi KG49 burr coffee grinder" good enough, both generally and for an Aeropress. If not, how about the Dualit mentioned previously? Ideally the Delonghi would be better as it's half the price, but otherwise I might be able to consider grabbing a Dualit :).

I'm sorry for the questions but I'm making progress... Onto the fun stuff! :)

Cheers.
 
i'm afraid i don't know anything about the cuisinart or Delonghi KG49 - they are probably fine for both moka pots (stovetops) or french presses.

The aeropress seems to like a really fine grind - I've been getting good results with machine grind levels, somewhere between espresso machine and filter is recommended so I'd imagine the two grinders above would be acceptable, certainly better than pre-ground packets or couple of day - week old ground to order...
 
Just to update this thread - incase others are interested - it appears the Delonghi that I have been mentioning is infact not a burr grinder at all... Or at least the one website I was going to purchase from mentions burr... All other sites mention blade. Doh! Wish I'd checked a few places now, rather then assuming the site I saw it on to be correct.

Sorry for the confusion!

Cheers.
 
Been working from home this week with no coffee in stock. Literally been sat in a huddled ball rocking from front to back without caffeine so I dropped into a Whittard on the way back from another of my exciting adventures. They ground my coffee too fine and it's choking my machine. NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! :(
 
I really don't rate Whittaker for coffee - would rather buy pre-ground from Costa (heresy I know)

Have you tried only lightly tamping it? it might be saveable...

Adam W said:
you lot will think this is sacrilege...

I bought a bean to cup machine.

and i have to say, it makes a better espresso than i ever managed.
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Which one did you buy? i've not had much experience with them outside the rubbish thing they have at work :(
 
Siliconslave said:
Have you tried only lightly tamping it? it might be saveable...
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It'll do a double espresso bit it takes nearly 3 minutes to pull :D

I had to dump a cupful because it had literally solidified, but yus, it'll be ok when I put less coffee in and don't tamp it too much.

Not tried Costa ground. I know I like the Cafe Francais roast from Whittard so if I can't get to the roasters near work I'll grab a bag from Whittard if I'm passing. Trouble is the girls in there just press the buttons on the machine rather than know what they are doing with the coffee.
 
Siliconslave said:
I really don't rate Whittaker for coffee - would rather buy pre-ground from Costa (heresy I know)

Have you tried only lightly tamping it? it might be saveable...



Which one did you buy? i've not had much experience with them outside the rubbish thing they have at work :(
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a delonghi magnifica. So far i am impressed, i am able to control the amount of grinds, the grind itself, the length of the shot. No mess, large water tank, easy access for the bean storage...
 
Jonny69 said:
It'll do a double espresso bit it takes nearly 3 minutes to pull :D

I had to dump a cupful because it had literally solidified, but yus, it'll be ok when I put less coffee in and don't tamp it too much.
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The other thing you can try doing is effectively pull a "ristretto" - this isn't easy but essentially your pulling a single shot from a double basket in the normal time. Its half a double espresso, but twice as strong (and almost twice as hard)

Now without being able to play with the grind, and without a very decent machine your going to really struggle - however you might be able to catch the brew at the right point and get something that isn't horribly over extracted :)
 
Sorry to keep bringing up the grinder questions (again!) however can somebody confirm that the Dualit everybody mentions is identical in every way (except branding, obviously) to the Starbucks grinder?

Cheers.
 
Siliconslave said:
Now without being able to play with the grind, and without a very decent machine your going to really struggle - however you might be able to catch the brew at the right point and get something that isn't horribly over extracted :)
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You're right. I was up for the challenge but I'm on the third cup now and it's just blocking the basket :D

Never mind. Back at work tomorrow so I can drop into the roasters instead.
 
RastaManBob said:
Sorry to keep bringing up the grinder questions (again!) however can somebody confirm that the Dualit everybody mentions is identical in every way (except branding, obviously) to the Starbucks grinder?

Cheers.
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From a user review

I bought this grinder as the Starbucks Barista (it's REAL name is the Solis 116 - it gets re-badged by Dualit/Starbucks)
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Siliconslave said:
it is, just re branded for Starbucks :)
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Andrex said:
From a user review
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Thanks :)

Just been to a Starbucks on the way home from Uni and managed to grab the last on they had. Ordered my Aeropress, too, so hopefully that'll arrive soon.

Meanwhile, I've recently been trying out the Moka Pot. Having some minor issues with this, hopefully somebody could help: I've never had an espresso before however drinking the coffee from the Moka Pot (Which I'd imagine is loosely like an espresso) I find it is a very "dense" and over-powering taste.

Normally I drink the likes an Americano when at a coffee shop so I tried adding some water but it now seems to be entirely tasteless if I put even the smallest amount of water in (Certainly not enough water to make a "longer" drink).

Can anybody help? Any ideas of mixes/quantities/etc?

Cheers! :)
 
RastaManBob said:
Thanks :)

Just been to a Starbucks on the way home from Uni and managed to grab the last on they had. Ordered my Aeropress, too, so hopefully that'll arrive soon.

Meanwhile, I've recently been trying out the Moka Pot. Having some minor issues with this, hopefully somebody could help: I've never had an espresso before however drinking the coffee from the Moka Pot (Which I'd imagine is loosely like an espresso) I find it is a very "dense" and over-powering taste.

Normally I drink the likes an Americano when at a coffee shop so I tried adding some water but it now seems to be entirely tasteless if I put even the smallest amount of water in (Certainly not enough water to make a "longer" drink).

Can anybody help? Any ideas of mixes/quantities/etc?

Cheers! :)
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Don't you mean bean to Starbucks :o :p

I have no idea about the Moka pot i'm afraid. I have never used one myself. I find the Aeropress to be a piece of cake though. I grind in some Coffee direct from the Rocky (not worrying about being too exact with the dosage). Fill the measuring tube with 3 shots worth of water (Americano for me :) ) and then get plunging (into my preheated cup). A very nice cup with the minimum of hassle every time :)
 
RastaManBob said:
Meanwhile, I've recently been trying out the Moka Pot. Having some minor issues with this, hopefully somebody could help: I've never had an espresso before however drinking the coffee from the Moka Pot (Which I'd imagine is loosely like an espresso) I find it is a very "dense" and over-powering taste.
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that does sound weird - the moka pot doesn't make "real" espresso, nor does an aeropress, but bother are close and should be fine to make americano from.

A espresso is a very dense and potentially overpowering flavour, although it should water down well...

have a look at this video: http://www.jimseven.com/2009/01/21/videocast-4-stovetopmoka-pot/ and see if it helps :)
 
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