How to make a good cup, relatively cheaply?

Until July, I’d only ever drunk (and very rarely at that) either cheap instant and had no appreciation for the stuff. Spent some time working with the ultimate coffee snob in July and August, and he introduced me to proper coffee. I can still give or take coffee in general, but when I drink one, I want it to be bloody good. I haven’t got anything like the money required (or the thirst) for the LaMarzocco machine he used, so how to make a pretty good cup (not necessarily strong, just smooth and not at all bitter) on a relative budget?

Cheers in advance

Get on of these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Espresso-Stove-Top-Coffee-Maker-Continental-Moka-Percolator-Pot-2-6-9-12-/310744774362?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Food_SM&var=610210542078&hash=item4859d4f6da

Coffee machines are for lonely gadget freaks. The espresso pot will make a better coffee. If you want frothy milk, get a milk frother;
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bodum-Schiuma-Battery-Operated-Milk-Frother-Black-New-Cappuccino-Latte-Shakes-/400605745752?pt=UK_Homes_Garden_Kitchen_Kettles&hash=item5d45f69258

I’m a pleb, so, I just tried assorted instants til I found some I like. I’m on the Cafe Direct Macchu Picchu now which I’d choose over almost any cup of “proper” coffee I’ve ever drunk. Little more expensive than cheapo instant but we’re talking a penny a cup.

suburbanreuben, cheers, only problem is I won’t have a stove or anything at work (I need this at work). Whatever I use has to be able to plug into the wall annoyingly.

Northwind, I was worse than a coffee pleb, I was as good as anti-coffee. Even the “good stuff” from expensive coffee houses usually is crap IMO and I’d rather drink water. But then when you’ve had a proper proper proper coffee, by a proper barista that really knows what he’s doing, it really makes an enormous difference! I’m really trying to see if I can get 80-90% of the way there on a remarkably small budget.

Aeropress. Ideal for your needs. And camping trips.

mboy – use a cafetiere and add Aldi strength 4 coffee (£1.79 for 250 grams) or Sainsbury’s Premium Blend (around £2.99 for 250 grams).

I think the Aldi coffee is fine, not strong or bitter.

HTH. 🙂

Coffee machines are for lonely gadget freaks.

bravo sir.

Cheapest way to quality is a v60 dripper and some decent beans plus a hario or porlex grinder (coffee starts to go stale as soon as it’s ground so your own grinder is a must)
An aeropress is good too.

Buy beans from a rosters that give you a roasting date not a use by date. Beans need to de-gass for 5-10 days after roasting then they have a sweet spot of about 3weeks before they start to lose some of their flavour.

mboy – Member

But then when you’ve had a proper proper proper coffee, by a proper barista that really knows what he’s doing, it really makes an enormous difference!

I have- last time, everyone else said MMMM there’s nothing like proper coffee, amazing. I thought, this tastes exactly like Nescafe Alta Rica. I think most coffee snobs would declare runny mud to be teh best evar as long as it was served by a skinny gay italian with a haircut like a cornetto.

Get yourself a Bialetti moka pot, there around 30 quid for a decent size then buy ground coffee and bobs your uncle,

Easy cheap coffee, I make a 3 cup moka in the morning with Lavazza expresso ground, microwave half a cup of semi milk then pour half a cup of expresso into it.

I like coffee to be full of flavour but not to dark or strong, this seems to work for me

The espresso pot will make a better coffee.

Utter bullshit but i don’t bother arguing on forums so i’ll just bugger off and make myself a decent espresso instead, with freshly roasted Costa Rica single estate beans and ground as and when i need using my burr grinder and brewed with my pressure modded Gaggia machine don’t ya know?.

Most brew methods are better than a stovetop, mainly due to the ability to control temperature and not burn the coffee with boiling water instead of the recommended 93° off the boil water.

Aeropress is great for coffee at work. Just need a kettle.

somafunk, tell me more about your equipment please…

MrSmith, had heard that about the beans. Where do you suggest for beans in relatively small quantities without being too pricey? And what about a grinder?

How ever the aeropress is trumped by a french press for work.

And aldi coffee is awful no matter how its prepared… Speakng as a fan of aldi.

I gave the last of mine to bruneep last time he was round….. I dont think he liked it judging by the level of his cup…..or maybe i was just making him work…..

You don’t need a grinder, if you buy your coffee off someone who can grind it for your machine.

Oh dear.

This thread is the best coffee knobber detector ever. Keep it up ladies. ..

Grinders: hario or porlex hand grinders with ceramic conical burrs.
Roasters. There’s loads of good ones, I posted in this thread:
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/buying-coffee-beans-online#post-5535781

I have the same machine as soma, a gaggia classic which is the de-facto starter machine at £125-£150 and the best at that price point and above before you get to the rancilo silva (which is a lot more money) you can get parts for them easily and they can be cleaned/repaired easily. The group head (the handle bit) is chromed machined brass like their pro machines and far better made than the dualits/brevilles/kitchenaids etc.

And aldi coffee is awful no matter how its prepared… Speakng as a fan of aldi.

I gave the last of mine to bruneep last time he was round….. I dont think he liked it judging by the level of his cup…..or maybe i was just making him work…..

In true journalistic style “I made my excuses and left”

The guy says he needs to make coffee at work, so keep it simple people.

trail_rat – it’s your Scottish water innit? 😉

The guy says he needs to make coffee at work, so keep it simple people.

Ahhhh, but you don’t know what my work is… Or who the boss is! 😉

If it takes a couple of minutes longer to make, but the quality is worth the wait, I’m more than happy. The Gaggia’s look a good option for a relatively small outlay. Just looking at grinders and then gonna do some bean research.

My modded gaggia baby class on the left, My cheap amazon black friday deal Gaggia “black” baby from last year on the right which now resides at a friends house and my Kitchenaid burr grinder skulking behind them.

The gaggia is a perfectly decent machine and can produce just as good an espresso as machines costing many times more, they do have one noticeable problem and that is the very small solenoid valves that can become blocked with teeny bits of scale or suchlike but it’s a simple procedure to dismantle the machines and clear them out as the solenoid valve is attached to the base of the boiler/brew unit by two 4mm hex head bolts – a simple procedure to poke them clean and refit.

You can adjust the pressure regulator to the grouphead so you get a genuine 11 to 13 bar of pressure, someone on this forum had a grouphead modded basket with a pressure gauge attached to do just this very job and it was doing the rounds of stw’ers a few months previous.

My Kitchenaid grinder is perfectly adequate for my needs and it has 14 stages of grind adjust from course to espresso fine, needless to say i’ve taken the grind adjust apart and slightly adjusted it so i get a very fine grind so i don’t need to tamp down on the espresso grounds/puck as hard.

If you just want a machine for work use then an Aeropress sounds ideal for your needs as others above have mentioned, i’d be quite happy using one for work with decent/freshly ground beans as supermarket pre ground coffee is all rank in my opinion.

My Gaggia Baby class was £100 2nd hand, since having it (3 years) i’ve replaced the steam wand and fitted a new pump and grouphead gasket, the baby class (black one) was £100 from amazon last year on black friday but i prefer my aluminium and stainless steel body on my Baby class machine so the black machine was given to a friend for her xmas last year, the burr grinder was £150ish and is just as if not more important than the espresso machine.

You can get a decent burr hand grinder similar to a a pepper mill for approx £30 from some coffee websites and there’s no need to spend £100’s on a machine either.

Handpresso – pump to 32bar with bike pump action. Add ese pod and hot water. Push button – a1 ‘spresso.
A. Cofffee-Snob

^ I was tempted by one of those but even i baulked at the initial price, when i’m camping i just brew up in my Ti mug and spit out the coffee grounds, or i sit and chew them dependant on how **** i am.

Ahhhh, but you don’t know what my work is… Or who the boss is!

If you’re your own boss, get a Gaggia Classic right now! Wouldn’t be without mine.

Aeropress. Just get one. Better value than most anything else being waffled on about in this thread.

Aeropress for work/travelling/camping
The porlex grinder fits inside it to save space.

Aeropress. Ideal for your needs.

… is the right answer.

If you want to progress from there and have access to a hob, a stove-top percolator will make even better coffee for buttons.

I have a nespresso machine on my desk. It’s clean, of reasonable quality, a quarter of the price of the coffee sold and the machine is PAT tested 😆 . Other methods are available. In its absence I’d probably use a cafetiere.

Aeropress.

My half knackered one is now at work, and a new one at home. I don’t grind my own beans as its too much gaff, but the freshly ground stuff from a roasters/coffee house is noticeable better than pre packed.

Used to use Hasbean but now use Redroaster or Small Batch Coffee in Brighton.