I know that feeling. I'm quite lucky that I live/work in central London so can pick up most squaremile coffees in local coffee shops and avoid the postage costs. Not found many places that stock a good selection of Hasbean whole bean in London though......
Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread
- Thread starter Siliconslave
- Start date
I know that feeling. I'm quite lucky that I live/work in central London so can pick up most squaremile coffees in local coffee shops and avoid the postage costs. Not found many places that stock a good selection of Hasbean whole bean in London though......
I had one bag through www.inmymug.com that should have been £18g for 250g
It was a superb coffee, but £18 worth? I don't think so. Hasbean is slowly becoming more popular in London, but there's not really anywhere that sells beans.
Square Mile and Union are much more popular, as they're based in London.
Still not overly keen on Square Mile's summer espresso blend, but St. Ali's Cult of Done is fantastic.
Last edited:
- Joined
- 11 Dec 2002
- Posts
- 10,914
- Location
- Darkest Norfolk
am i right in thinking St. Ali don't sell online? i'm really not getting a chance to pop into town at the moment, could some kind sole pick me up a Cult and i'll pay for postage etc
I agree about Square Mile's summer, really didn't get along with it for some reason which is odd - i really like the sound of it from their tasting notes.
Last edited:
I had one bag through www.inmymug.com that should have been £18g for 250g
I know what you mean, i've seen and tried some very expensive beans at monmouth coffee and as you say they do tend to be fantastic but have to be a special treat!. I remember last year having some Fazenda St Helena from montmouth and it was fabulous, but north of £40/kg. Not seen it again though
I've started seeing hasbean in a few cafes available to buy as a drink, but no beans yet. I've been working through some of the squaremile single origins and really been enjoying them as espresso based drinks, although i'm not sure if they are really designed for that, are there major differences between roasts for espresso versus filter etc?.
Having now compared a couple of them to the their summer espresso blend, I have to say the blend does feel very light compared to some of the other coffees, but i'm assuming that is by design for the summer weather, girlfriend loves it though.
I tried St Ali's cult of done, and absolutely loved it, so I think it will be a place i regularly stop by now to pick up beans from
am i right in thinking St. Ali don't sell online? i'm really not getting a chance to pop into town at the moment, could some kind sole pick me up a Cult and i'll pay for postage etc
I agree about Square Mile's summer, really didn't get along with it for some reason which is odd - i really like the sound of it from their tasting notes.
If I remember, then I'll pick up a bag of Cult of Done.
I know what you mean, i've seen and tried some very expensive beans at monmouth coffee and as you say they do tend to be fantastic but have to be a special treat!. I remember last year having some Fazenda St Helena from montmouth and it was fabulous, but north of £40/kg. Not seen it again though
I've started seeing hasbean in a few cafes available to buy as a drink, but no beans yet. I've been working through some of the squaremile single origins and really been enjoying them as espresso based drinks, although i'm not sure if they are really designed for that, are there major differences between roasts for espresso versus filter etc?.
Having now compared a couple of them to the their summer espresso blend, I have to say the blend does feel very light compared to some of the other coffees, but i'm assuming that is by design for the summer weather, girlfriend loves it though.
I tried St Ali's cult of done, and absolutely loved it, so I think it will be a place i regularly stop by now to pick up beans from
It's shocking how much some coffee's can cost. I've seen ~£100kg for a couple of single origins, but £30/40 is normally my limit. It's always interesting to watch some of the auctions, some of the Cup of Excellence coffee are just plain scary.
Notes Music, Tapped and Packed, Sensory Lab, Fernandes and Wells all do Hasbean in London from memory.
If a coffee is roasted well, it should work in any brew method, but some beans just don't work in some brew methods.
The big difference between Hasbean and Square Mile for me, is the range of coffees available. Hasbean has so many different ones, Square Mile has maybe half a dozen. I've a good chance of finding something that draws me in from Steve.
Square Mile summer espresso is very much a summery coffee, light and fruity. Not what I look for in espresso. I really like the chocolatey toffee sweet espresso.
St Ali's Cult of Done and Hasbeans Jailbreak are my go to for espresso at the moment.
Associate
- Joined
- 24 Feb 2004
- Posts
- 1,083
- Location
- Leeds/Cyprus
Honestly, I never weighed how much I use, so I couldn't tell you. I normally use a normal-sixed 6-cup cafetiere (yeah, I told you it'd be better in a teapot, but I don't have one!
) and I put in as many cherries as fit on the bottom of the pot without any "stacking". I experimented with more, but it wasn't really any stronger: I think brew time is the key here, not so much quantity. I haven't even timed what the perfect brew time is, all I know is I always pour the first cup too early and go "Meh..." and then I pour the second cup and go "Mmm!"I can feel you all facepalming at my lack of scientific rigour...
That's a nice coffee for use in the cafetière, just bung a few spoons in then some hot water, give it a good stir and wait a few minutes. A similar tasting coffee but a fair bit cheaper is Aldi Specially Selected Ethiopian, I'm sure neither compare to some of the coffees mentioned elsewhere in this thread but both taste great to me.Ground but you know, any colour as long as it's black. So basically... what the **** do i do?
I've just ordered a couple of coffees from Hasbean for my Aeropress - four bean blend and Jailbreak - and wonder what's the best way of storing it?
Is it best to use one bag at a time, keeping it in a cupboard, and store the other in the fridge / freezer?
If I open both bags to compare them, can I keep putting them in / out of fridge / freezer?
I got some Square Mile summer espresso from a coffee shop in Cockermouth recently, but they were a month over the "bew within one month of ..." date, so I didn't bother trying to store them in any particular way.
Help!!
Is it best to use one bag at a time, keeping it in a cupboard, and store the other in the fridge / freezer?
If I open both bags to compare them, can I keep putting them in / out of fridge / freezer?
I got some Square Mile summer espresso from a coffee shop in Cockermouth recently, but they were a month over the "bew within one month of ..." date, so I didn't bother trying to store them in any particular way.
Help!!
I've Googled but am slightly confused. Is St. Ali's a shop/roasters? Need more info please, especially if everyone is recommending it!I tried St Ali's cult of done, and absolutely loved it, so I think it will be a place i regularly stop by now to pick up beans from
I work in central London and am just about to run out of my Union roasted beans (which I didn't like!). Where should I wander to pick up my replacement? I work just round the corner from Flat White and was checking out their SM beans but wasn't really sure what to go for. I did love the SM Spring Espresso. Or is Monmouth worth checking out? Is it expensive? Just after some specific recommendations, really
St Ali is cafe/restaurant/roastery. I'm not surprised you are confused as the website isn't that great!
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?um=1&...age&ved=0CAQQtgM&cid=0,0,10989891006727471957
i don't think you'd go wrong with trying the SM beans from flat white or monmouth if its close to you as i've found so far that tasting as many different beans as possible is good for helping me work out what i like in coffees.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?um=1&...age&ved=0CAQQtgM&cid=0,0,10989891006727471957
i don't think you'd go wrong with trying the SM beans from flat white or monmouth if its close to you as i've found so far that tasting as many different beans as possible is good for helping me work out what i like in coffees.
am i right in thinking St. Ali don't sell online? i'm really not getting a chance to pop into town at the moment, could some kind sole pick me up a Cult and i'll pay for postage etc
Send me your details *email in trust*, I have a bag of Cult of Done sitting here for you.
My memory didn't fail me. If they're both going to be used in 2-3 weeks, then it's fine to open them both. 4 weeks is as long as I would keep them.
Store them in their ziplock bags, in a cupboard. Fridges and freezers are very wet places and coffee doesn't last well in damp places.
Thanks. St. Ali is just too far for me to get to at lunchtime, damn
I was wondering whether or not Monmouth is worth the trip? Are the beans comparable in price to SM/HB? I can't be spending too much! I really loved the SM beans I had last time but the didn't actually like the Flat White house blend. I'm interested in trying other roasters..
Associate
- Joined
- 24 Feb 2004
- Posts
- 1,083
- Location
- Leeds/Cyprus
I've been drinking Turkish coffee for the past couple of days, but this morning I woke up with a real urge to have some vac pot coffee. When I noticed I was out of fuel for the spirit burner I started swearing and childishly stomping my feet on the floor, until the solution finally crept in through the uncaffeinated fuzziness of my brain: ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL!
Yep, being into overclocking finally paid off!
Yep, being into overclocking finally paid off!
I've been drinking Turkish coffee for the past couple of days, but this morning I woke up with a real urge to have some vac pot coffee. When I noticed I was out of fuel for the spirit burner I started swearing and childishly stomping my feet on the floor, until the solution finally crept in through the uncaffeinated fuzziness of my brain: ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL!
Yep, being into overclocking finally paid off!
Isopropyl works, but isn't recommended. Not quite as hot and very sooty.
Spend the cash on a butane burner - much faster, cleaner and more adjustable.
Just checked the place I got mine from, still £6.99
Associate
- Joined
- 24 Feb 2004
- Posts
- 1,083
- Location
- Leeds/Cyprus
Oh yeah, it really made a mess out of the bottom of my pot, but I washed the soot off immediately afterwards - it was just a temporary solution, didn't want to go out shopping for meths before breakfast!
Oh yeah, it really made a mess out of the bottom of my pot, but I washed the soot off immediately afterwards - it was just a temporary solution, didn't want to go out shopping for meths before breakfast!
Does kind of give the wrong impression to the shop assistants.
Associate
- Joined
- 24 Feb 2004
- Posts
- 1,083
- Location
- Leeds/Cyprus
This should've been in the Breaking Bad thread!
"But the pièce de résistance: A round-bottomed vacuum pot, 5000 millilitres!"
"But the pièce de résistance: A round-bottomed vacuum pot, 5000 millilitres!"
Soldato
- Joined
- 7 Mar 2005
- Posts
- 5,231
- Location
- The Voice Of Football
Flibster, where are the best coffee shops in that London mate? Am visiting in October and happy to take a trip somewhere decent.
My personal favourites.
Prufrock Coffee, Leather Lane
Gwilym's place. Brew bar is excellent. My normal first stop in London. Square Mile coffee.
St Ali, Clerkenwell Rd
Fairly new, some of the best espresso I've had. Brew bar is pretty good too. Roast their own coffee on site.
Tapped & Packed, Rathbone Place
The current blends are the best espresso's I've had in a very long time. Use Hasbean, Square Mile, Union, amongst others.
Tapped & Packed, Tottenham Court Rd
See above.
Notes Music & Coffee, St, Martins Lane
CD's DVD's and coffee. Brew bar usually has interesting coffees on it too. Hasbean and Square Mile coffee
Sensory Lab, Wigmore St
Very new. A bit like Penny University used to be, but not quite as geeky as they have an espresso machine as well as an excellent brew bar. Part of St Ali so have their own coffee but also use Hasbean and Square Mile on the brew bar.
The Espresso Room, Gt. Ormand St.
Tiny, but perfectly suited for espresso. Square Mile Coffee
Bea's Of Bloomsbury, Watling St
Afternoon tea is great, cakes are magnificent. Square Mile coffee, but I normally have tea here.
Link to a pretty good and almost up to date google map.
You can also try www.londoncoffeeguide.com too. The have an iphone/android app which works pretty well. Not as up to date as I'd like, but can't have everything.
Last edited: