Yes I’m only about 15 years late on this one, I remember the heady days when the forum had (to my confusion) it’s own coffee section! Anyway…

At 37 I’ve recently developed a taste for the stuff beyond a once in a while cup just when I need waking up, I am starting to enjoy a half decent coffee and really can’t stand crap stuff! Got given a Filter Coffee maker recently, nothing special, but its adequate for my needs.

I’m after some suggestions now. I don’t want to buy an espresso machine or anything more involved than that really, I’m happy sticking with the filter coffee maker for the convenience (it’s at work so I can make enough for 4-6 cups in one go easily enough and there’s usually 2 or 3 people here wanting a cup), more after suggestions for ingredients. I have a Morrisons just round the corner, have tried pretty much every pre-ground offering that they have to offer, some not worth bothering with, some actually not bad at all. What’s the next step though? Where to go from here? I’ve got a Waitrose locally too if that makes any difference? Or should I really invest in a grinder and grind my own beans rather than buying pre-ground? Or is there somewhere else I should be looking to buy pre-ground from?

Or does grinding it yourself make that much difference (bear in mind I still drink it by the mug, not an espresso cup, and with semi skimmed milk added)?

(bear in mind I still drink it by the mug, not an espresso cup, and with semi skimmed milk added)?

Oh dear, prepare for the onslaught :p

For your situation I would just keep experimenting with different supermarket ones, if you don’t find anything that grabs you then try some of the online coffee sellers and make sure to select filter grind if you get the option (likely fine or medium)

Waitrose own brand coffee is (in my view) very good, though a limited selection of own brand beans.

I buy kilo bags from Boston Tea Party and grind it myself, thopugh they do do small bags of pre-ground. Basically, try as much as you like and see what you like!

If using a filter machine get a metal washable filter rather than paper as it tastes nicer IMO as the oils pass through.
Grinding beans tastes nicer in things like an aeropress or V60, but for a filter machine that would be a right faff so i wouldn’t bother.
Oh and whole milk in coffee tastes much nicer (our milk fund at work uses 1% orange top, if i could be arsed i’d do something about it)

Not sure about waitrose or morrisons but some of the sainsburys taste the difference coffees are surprisingly good. Don’t bother with Taylors of Harrogate, I always find it a bit weak and disapointing

Or does grinding it yourself make that much difference (bear in mind I still drink it by the mug, not an espresso cup, and with semi skimmed milk added)?

In my experience keeping beans and grinding when needed just means your coffee remains fresher for longer, so you get a better cup every time.

Doesn’t really matter what type of coffee you use if you’re going to contaminate it with the white stuff. *disgusted emoji*

fifeandy – Member

Doesn’t really matter what type of coffee you use if you’re going to contaminate it with the white stuff.

Too right.
Stick to the traditional way; black with lots of sugar. 😈

Oh dear, prepare for the onslaught :p

Some things will never change! 😆

Not sure about waitrose or morrisons but some of the sainsburys taste the difference coffees are surprisingly good. Don’t bother with Taylors of Harrogate, I always find it a bit weak and disapointing

Haven’t tried Waitrose yet, but have tried all the Morrisons own brand and in general I’d agree with you that the Taylors of Harrogate usually are weak and disappointing by comparison! I’m trying a Lavazza number 5 strength right now, which I appreciate is probably the equivalent of Stella to a Beer connoiseur or Gordon’s Gin to a Gin fiend, but there we go…

If using a filter machine get a metal washable filter rather than paper as it tastes nicer IMO as the oils pass through.

OK, silly question… Will it be specific to my (2nd hand and probably a good few years out of production) machine, or generic? Just been using paper ones til now obviously.

Waitrose own brand coffee is (in my view) very good, though a limited selection of own brand beans.

I’ll have a wander round when I’ve got 5 mins, only 200yds further than Morrisons but hardly ever venture there to be honest.

Doesn’t really matter what type of coffee you use if you’re going to contaminate it with the white stuff. *disgusted emoji*

Can’t drink it black I’m afraid. I don’t put sugar in if that makes you feel any better? 😉

Taste is all a matter of personal preference, so threads like this asking whether you should get a grinder, buy pre-ground etc. are not really the best way to go about things.

My advice would be to go into some coffee shops that serve filter coffee in addition to espresso, ideally ones that offer V60/dripper, aeropress or, even better, Chemex, and see how much you like them.

If you like them a lot and really want to be able to have something similar at home, then you will need to get a grinder and buy similarly good quality beans.

If you decide that what the shops serve is not significantly better than whatever instant or pre-ground coffee you are drinking at home, then good for you, since it will cost you less.

At the and of the day, personal taste is the only thing that matters, and you like whatever you like. What others think or tell you about your preference is irrelevant.

My favourite way of making good coffee by the mug is using a v60 dripper filter. Can do up to 4 cups (I tend to just make a mug), filter papers are cheap, works quite well with pre-ground (but when I grind my own then I use a slightly finer grind).

If anyone is v60 curious I have an old one you can have for free (we’ve just removed all plastic cooking stuff from the house so it’s currently looking for a home).

Good beans (more than anything else) will make the biggest difference. There are loads of places on line that roast small batches and will post out to you. Grinding will get a fresher brew, but it’s not a deal breaker in my opinion. Ignore people who want to tell you how to drink coffee, they are same people that will tell you a buffalo is actually a bison, and are idiots.

I use Monsoon Estates, really lovely coffee and great folk as well

I grind beans bought from a local coffee roaster. freshly gound = better coffee, plus at work I use a french press, at home a stovetop espresso machine – different grinds for each.
Local roaster is becuse it’s a gem of a shop and small independents are in the use them or lose them category.
BTW, neither a french press nor stovetop are huge expenses, so I’d say get one, probably the french press if you like mugs, and get a coarse ground coffee. If you like it, think about a burr grinder and beans but like nickc says, the biggest thing is the coffee, not the grind

Tesco Guatemalan coffee is my favourite out of everything I’ve had.

If anyone is v60 curious I have an old one you can have for free (we’ve just removed all plastic cooking stuff from the house so it’s currently looking for a home).

Could I take you up that DavidR?

Or is there somewhere else I should be looking to buy pre-ground from?

If you’re looking for something other than high st / supermarket I found Hasbean’s coffee subscriptions very good. They’ve got a much wider range of stuff than most vendors and they’re very consistent with the way they describe the qualities of the coffees they sell. You can get a bag-a-week subscription where they send you something different each time – when I first started buying from them I used to mark any bags I particularly liked with a smiley face and any a didn’t especially like too then based on the descriptions buy the ones I liked most. Because the guy describes stuff very well and keeps to particular language to describe different nuances you can buy stuff you’ve never tried before knowing that i’ll be something you’ll like.

The reason people grind their own and buy freshly roasted rather than supermarket pre-ground – those extra little notes that you’ll love about a particular coffee get lost very quickly. That doesn’t mean supermarket stuff necessarily tastes bad but some of the good stuff (if it was ever there) will be absent.

The good thing is even if theres one you don’t especially like – the qualities you don’t like are similarly volatile and will fade away over a couple of weeks and you’ll be left with beans that taste like ‘coffee’.

My villa guests put the stove top in the dishwasher…i didnt know, made a coffee, omg it tasted of detergent.

So whatever coffee you use never wash a stove top in detergent, it was vile.

Incidentially, if you’re in Waitrose, they have 25% off their coffee at the mo (popped in to get my lunch).

Incidentially, if you’re in Waitrose, they have 25% off their coffee at the mo

Ta for that, quite like their Monsoon Malabar (I think that’s what it’s called, the one with the green label).

Sainsbury’s everyday coffee in the red pack is inoffensive and works ok for filter/cafetiere making. It’s not too strong though but due to this it moves off the shelves quickly. You should end up with fresher coffee as a result. Some of the more challenging stuff in Waitrose tends to be a bit flat as a result of lower sales.
Wogan in Bristol will sell you coffee ground to suit your filter maker. Some of the blends are recommended for filter/cafetiere making only.

No probs. My current fave is the Mexican one – I first bought in solidarity when Trump came to power, and since then I’ve grown to like it (unlike Trump!).

If using a filter machine get a metal washable filter rather than paper as it tastes nicer IMO as the oils pass through.

You should use a filter made from the lung lining of a baby rhinoceros, otherwise you may as well just drink instant.

Filter the water or use mineral water – don’t scorch the grounds – Very hot water > boiling .

jon1973 – Member
You should use a filter made from the lung lining of a baby rhinoceros, otherwise you may as well just drink instant.

Pfft. White rhinoceros or nothing.

Lots of places do online subscriptions and will provide you with ground coffee or beans HasBean and Pact are popular. I personally wouldn’t bother with a grinder at work as it’s a bit of faff for marginal benefit.

I’m by no means a ‘no milk’ fundamentalist but I do find that really good fresh coffee made well tastes better black. The tesco own brand stuff from the filter machine at work tastes better with milk. I realise that i’s entirely personal and subjective, but if you’re exploring new flavours in coffee I’d encourage you to try the odd black cup now and again to see if you like it.

The reason people grind their own and buy freshly roasted rather than supermarket pre-ground – those extra little notes that you’ll love about a particular coffee get lost very quickly. That doesn’t mean supermarket stuff necessarily tastes bad but some of the good stuff (if it was ever there) will be absent.

^ This. Some of the supermarket stuff may have been roast and ground months ago. Check the date on the packet if there is one.

Just spent a fiver on a bag of Devon Roastworks espresso from M&S, ground in April. Was probably very good then, but now is meh, even with my white rhino filter.

Rule of 15

Green (unroasted) coffee beans should be roasted within 15 months, or they go stale.
Roasted coffee beans should be ground within 15 days, or they go stale.
Ground coffee should be used within 15 minutes, or it goes stale.
Extracted coffee should be served within 15 seconds.

If you think your supermarket beans are roasted in the last 15 days you should probably lay off the coffee 🙂

Anywhere worth it’s salt will automatically tell you the roasted date (HasBean certainly do)

I don’t put sugar in if that makes you feel any better?

Lactose is a sugar…

Pfft. White rhinoceros or nothing.

pfft baby white rhinoceros less than 15 days old born and raised within 15 miles of Kilimanjaro and killed on the 15th of the month, or you’d be as well with 2 year old jar of mellow birds

I live in an area where there are (literally) hundreds of independent coffee shops. What marks the excellent coffee from the average, is that they either roast their own beans, or they but them from a local roasters (so they are very fresh).

Unlike different brewing methods, there is no cost to trying lots of different beans from lots of different suppliers…. there is absolutely no reason to buy coffee from a supermarket. Most small roasters will talk to you about what you like, how you brew and recommend a blend to suit.

Here’s a list to get you started (not a recommendation, just googled it): small coffee roasters UK

just adding another local (to me) roaster that does a nice selection, subscriptions, etc.

Redber Guildford