Coffee suppliers… Aeropress content.

I saw some in a deli in Norfork that was £10 for 227 (?)gms but there’s no way its £6.02 better than Aldi’s £3.98 stuff

And can you get decaf beans easily, like in a supermarket (access to Lidl and Asda)

I personally find a big difference between any supermarket beans and ones from dedicated roasters. Freshness will be part of it but also I like medium/lighter roasted beans and that's not really something supermarkets do.

Yes beans can be cheaper from supermarkets but if you search around for a discount and buy a kilo then you can get some very nice beans for less than £20/kg

did you actually try any though? 🤔

Why would I? I found a couple of Rave's products to be a bit ordinary plus some I paid £8.00 for to be nothing to have an orgasm over. I'm not going to keep chucking dosh around just to say 'It's ok'.
Maybe I should've asked for a taste, like you can with real ale.

A Delonghi burr grinder

This. Have a hand grinder too. Just can't be bothered even travelling. I use the Delonghi as I like their bean to cup machine with the same grinder.

I like Curious Roo as they are local to work https://www.curiousroo.com

I could do with an inexpensive hand grinder for the caravan, tbh.

Why would I?

I use a Judge hand grinder and a Krups expert electric grinder. I'll admit that there is no discernable difference in taste.

As for buying beans, I buy from this lovely little shop which is the oldest shop in town. Appreciate that it adds nothing to the conversation, but its a lovely place and like stepping back in time.

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What's the Hario hand grinder like?

https://velocoffeeroasters.co.uk/products/hario-handheld-coffee-mill

Yes beans can be cheaper from supermarkets but if you search around for a discount and buy a kilo then you can get some very nice beans for less than £20/kg

Maybe, but the same local place was £30/kg. They will be fresh though as they ask for you to order before a Wednesday when they roast,but God knows how long a kilo would last me, they'd definitely not be fresh by the time I'd got through that 😂

70 cups per kg? So maybe 10 weeks to get through it? But 42p a cup is pretty cheap 🤔

What’s the Hario hand grinder like?

Hario Handheld Coffee Mill Grinder

TAKES AGES. honestly - its not worth the bother unless you have time and top end kit for the bestest coffer brew.

i started with a similar one though but the novelty wore off.

i only ever use it now when i'm up early and the kids are asleep and dont want to wake them with teh electric grinder. which is maybe twice a year realistically.

It would be for the caravan. It's either that, pre-ground supermarket stuff, or ground loads before we leave.

check out Pact coffee, they will freshly roast & grind the beans to what you are using. Easiest way into the "better" coffee world

Pact coffees are often quote acidic. Fine if you like that but not so great if you don't

Hario hand grinder

TAKES AGES. honestly

I concur. I'm probably in the any grinder is better than no grinder camp tbh. Sometimes use a cheap (as in £20) bean to cup machine with helicopter blades smashing the beans to bits and it makes perfectly acceptable coffee imo. It's nothing like the stuff that comes out of an espresso machine, but it is comparable to an aeropress with hand ground beans. I use all 3 depending on where I am.

By the way, since there's been very little discussion on where to actually buy good coffee, which was the original question, it's worth noting there's been LOADS of threads on it in the past. Worth searching through them if still interested.

<30s to measure and grind enough for 1 cup with my hand grinder. It's not really any more hassle than electric for that quantity. If you're regularly making a whole pot or serving multiple people then yes electric is easier.

Hormozi roast to your taste, do ground or beans. prompt free postage, free samples, and very well priced. Been getting their origin coffee for years.

We go through a ridiculous amount of coffee so hand grinding wouldn't work, I have a Wilfa Svart (black one) which is good for everything except expresso. I drink decaf and during the week we use 1kg bags from Costco whatever is on offer and at the weekend I use the beans I have on subcription from Decadent Decaf on subscription.

I use a V60 which I prefer it to Aeropress with the posh coffee, for the cheap coffee I just use a Melita machine with a vacuum pot but we do make about 4 litres a day.

 with helicopter blades smashing the beans to bits and it makes perfectly acceptable coffee imo.

Unless you're making espresso then ensuring the ground is exactly the same size isn't really that important. Certainly blade is good enough for a Press and Moka - Although I'm aware that some think a stove-top is an abomination regardless.

Bloody hell, I'd have Stainypants if we went through 4 litres a day! That just you and your wife?

I also prefer the taste of a V60 to a Aeropress but the later is much less faff. You'll want a cheap set of coffee scales and some sort of timer to do things right.

Grinder wise - I've got one of these I use for brews and it's very good for the money. Takes about 30 seconds to grind enough for an Aeropress:

https://sigmacoffee.co.uk/collections/frontpage/products/chestnutc2

(The above grinder is no use for espresso - pour over / aeropress type brewing only.)

Union Coffee on Amazon is nice and is available in 1kg bags for okay value. I do also sometimes go to my local roaster for a treat but it's nearly 4 times the price of the Union stuff.

Don't be tempted by the Presto stuff on Amazon - it's cheap for a reason...

Holy crap - what a minefield! My AeroPress has arrived from Amazon today but I'm tempted to just send it back unopened and look for a better option. I did look at the Knock grinders and saw that they sell a package with an AeroPress included for an extra £10 so I thought I might get that but it's out of stock. That was this morning though and there are now another 50 or so comments with plenty of additional food for thought.

Out of interest what do I need if I want the same quality coffee as I get in the cafes? Is it even possible without a £3000 machine? Obv it's a bit bean dependent for taste variations but they clearly just use the same beans for every type (flat white, espresso, americano etc) as there is no choice on offer. For clarity I'm not talking Costa or Starbucks as their coffee isn't nice - I'm talking places like farm shops and small independent cafes who seem to be able to make delicious coffee mostly. I will ask what exact bean they use when I next visit one I like the taste of but I'm assuming from all the comments it's not just as simple as buying the same type of beans....

I wouldn’t send the aero press back I have two and they are great they don’t work for me at the moment as I go through tonnes of coffee at home and it’s a faff to make large volumes with, for one person it’s perfect.

Making espresso at home can be become an expensive business. I’ve never gone down that road. I have the default Delongi Magnifica which after been hammered up until lockdown barely gets switched on now. It doesn’t make proper espresso for that you need something like a gagia classic and a grinder that can produce uniform and fine enough grinds that can add up. There will be people on this forum with set ups costing thousands.

Im off with Covid at the moment and was watching some old James Hoffman videos last night. 10 minutes later I’m looking at old espresso machines on eBay must resist. I used to work on HPLC machine in the lab when I was younger and coffee machine are much less complicated so I’m sure i could repair or upgrade one if has the time.

Out of interest what do I need if I want the same quality coffee as I get in the cafes? Is it even possible without a £3000 machine?

What are you drinking? Espresso, americano, something horrible with loads milk?

Well I prefer something horrible with loads of milk really, I've got a sweet tooth and I can't seem to enjoy black coffee... Perhaps that's because I've never had a decent one. Who knows...

Coffee with milk is what I have for breakfast though so I reckon I need the milk..

I had my doubts trying to decide if I should go all in on a proper espresso machine as my nespresso vertuo started playing up. In the end as I'm the only person in the house that drinks coffee I went for an aeropress. Massive difference to a nespresso, it is miles better. I think its mostly down to fresh coffee beans. I can't see you being disappointed as it gives you so many options in terms of whole bean and grind them yourself or buy pre ground etc. I really enjoy trying new beans but that can get expensive though.

I'm using a Wilfa svart grinder and usually set it towards its finest setting.

I agree with whoever said pact coffee beans can be quite acidic, but I like those with some frothed milk.

My favourite ‘you can buy it anywhere’ coffee is Sainsbury’s espresso. Of the ‘slightly posher’ brands I like Illy. Coffee chains I much prefer Starbucks to any of the others, though I know I could get a ban for saying this.

Right OK - I'll give the AeroPress a go then - I'll maybe try and get a manual grinder so I can make it early doors without waking the household/neighbours/street.

Incidentally I had a bit of bother with my Nespresso, twice, and they replaced it FOC both times. Prob says a lot about how much coffee I order!

Lavazza espresso grind in an aeropress is pretty decent IMO (also the decaf though it's a bit of a thinner taste). But it's fun to try a range of different beans and I tend to get beans and grind my own because they store easier/better that way. Fairly cheap burr grinder off amazon has lasted years though a similar for my parents died quite quickly, so YMMV.

As for the coffee snobs who go on about how you absolutely have to have X being the best and Y is rubbish....it's boring. It's just coffee and variety is the spice of life even if it means you aren't sniffing the best civet shit on a daily basis. I mean, I draw the line at instant but once you're past that, it's almost always drinkable. Experiment and have fun.

I had 3 replacements, possibly 4 I can't remember, I gave up with them and gave my sister the latest replacement I was sent.

Worse case is you use the aeropress for travelling or even sell it on if you don't get on with it. I didn't want to spend a fortune on a full on proper espresso machine as it can take a while to "dial it in" and obviously there is the cleaning as well as the space they take up.

Well I prefer something horrible with loads of milk really, I’ve got a sweet tooth and I can’t seem to enjoy black coffee… Perhaps that’s because I’ve never had a decent one. Who knows…

Coffee with milk is what I have for breakfast though so I reckon I need the milk..

Ok - so you probably are not going to be happy with just a bit cold milk lobbed in. So that's where the aeropress might come up a bit wanting as if you want heated/frothed milk you're going to be talking about some sort of machine and that'll have the coffee made too.

I'm a La Pavoni europiccola man for proper espresso at home. That's next level faff as it's super finicky about grind to actually work too. But 2nd hand quite good value for both price and footprint in the kitchen. The aeropress lives in the van or in my rucksack when out in the hills. but the pour over and the mocha pot get just as much use. All taste different and that's a good thing imo.

I'd stay where you are for the mo and learn to love aeropress coffee with a splash of milk and then go from there.

I'm revising my previous contribution:

local artisanal roasters

Well, I know a few folk there are some folk on this thread I could apply that label to…

Meanwhile...

As for buying beans, I buy from this lovely little shop which is the oldest shop in town.

Ah...Braithwaites...also my bean source of choice...

if you want heated/frothed milk you’re going to be talking about some sort of machine a

Actually I’ve got a Dualit milk heater/frother which does a pretty good job in about 45 seconds. I’ve got a similar one that came free with my Nespresso as well, Aerocino or something, so the milky bit should be fine. That being the case maybe the AP is going to do the job. I’m off to the supermarket tomorrow first thing to buy a couple of packets of ready ground so I’ll see what happens….😃

so you probably are not going to be happy with just a bit cold milk lobbed in.

You can just microwave the milk before you put the coffee and hot water in. I usually have about 1/4 of the cup milk.

I got my aeropress from pact, came with coffee. Usually find their coffee a bit harsh but using the aeropress it was fine. Mrs 100th enjoyed it on our anniversary walk

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A couple of things;

The Delongi version of that Krups is very slightly better/quieter. Nothing wrong with the Krups though, I’ve had both.

I’m a long time aeropress user and like it for my weekday morning coffee. But I actually wore out my French press after 20+ years of use and replaced it with a V60. I’m really enjoying a weekend ritual with the V60 still bordering on experimental. Waiting for it to dribble through watching the dark smooth clarity of the resulting coffee I find quite cathartic.

Yes, my wife thinks I’m ridiculous trying to time the toast to pop up with the final drip.

An Aeropress coffee with some frothed milk tastes pretty decent, maybe not quite a proper latte but better than a Costa imo. If you want to make proper espresso based drinks then you need an espresso machine which along with a grinder will be £600ish new (Gaggia Classic is a good entry level machine). I would try the Aeropress with decent beans to start with and see how you get on.

Wth regards to hand grinding, a good grinder makes a big difference to speed and quality. I had a cheaper ceramic burr grinder which would take minutes but my Aergrind will take less than a minute to grind for an Aeropress and is much more efficient.

I've got an Aeropress and Aergrind, but have so far only tried one Pact coffee and it's meh - must try some more

Well I prefer something horrible with loads of milk really, I’ve got a sweet tooth and I can’t seem to enjoy black coffee… Perhaps that’s because I’ve never had a decent one. Who knows…

Coffee with milk is what I have for breakfast though so I reckon I need the milk..

Then you’ll be grand with an aeropress. The people I know who like long black coffees all use Chemex or V60 and sneer at Aeropress. But I like a bit of hot milk in mine (equal parts coffee to milk) and that seems to suit the Aeropress brew nicely.

Hasbean are great. Order an espresso pack, and add a note and ask them to grind medium-fine for Aeropress.

It’s not super snob level at all, but that strictly for those who drink it black.

Looks like you can get one of the old version of Aergrind's on eBay for £75, bargain

That’s a very good PSA thanks! Ordered one! 😁

Oh dear - I’m on the slippery slope now…..

I’ll add to my comment that I can taste the difference between fresh ground and pre ground (if I buy the same coffee from the same supply as whole beans then ground), but it’s way less important than the coffee itself and how recently it was roasted/ground.

Something decent from Hasbean pre-ground is way nicer to me than even the best supermarket whole beans that were roasted a month or more ago. And Illy always tastes like burnt wood chippings.

I like having a hand grinder but it is a bit of a ball ache. I tend to use it more these days to make poorer beans nicer then get the very best out of better coffee. I’m sure I’d care more if I didn’t put milk in it!

I'm probably in the same boat as you, coffee curious! I got a Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser for xmas as a gift (dont judge me, hot choco is a guilty pleasure of mine!) and added an Aeropress to dip my toe into world of coffee that isn't instant.

I like a milky sweet coffee, so thought this would be a good gateway and so far it is, i've just been trying different pre-ground coffee's to find something i like before getting a grinder and i quite like Brown Bear Blue Mountain, not a bad price and a nice taste. With some warm frothy milk from the 'tiser it makes a pleasant enough Latte type drink, even getting the nod of approval from Mrs F! It's 'good enough' yet still 'special enough' for my uncultured taste buds at the moment, if I want to go deeper into it i can at a later date.

That's a lot of faff if you're then going to ruin it with milk

🤦

Out of interest what do I need if I want the same quality coffee as I get in the cafes?

my cheapo delongi (about £150 i think) does much better coffee than 95% of coffee shops. so much so that i try not to buy coffee out if i can avoid it as most of the time its mank.

hell - even a strong aeropress coffee is better than most cafes.

Hotel Chocolat

Their coffee beans are pretty good.