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I like Sainsbury's Single Origin Guatemalan Espresso. £17.20 a kilo.
When I first got all bean/grinder/espresso nerdy, I was after dark roasts, like many of those mentioned in this thread. Now prefer a medium roast as I think it gives better and more flavours as an espresso and is a better base for milky coffees. I don't single dose so just run a hopper full of a medium roast bean and it's fine for everything. Trying to avoid the rabbit hole. It's coffee, not another hobby for me.
We travelled through Italy last year. Maybe unscientific but I felt the coffee changed as we went from north to south.
In Lucca it reminded me of the Happy Donkey Italian blend. In Rome it was much more to my liking, very similar to the Happy Donkey Brazilian (that has a nice touch of Robusta) which is what I drink at home.
And at the cafe we went to every morning (Pitstop, Via Gaeta) only €1 a cup!
We were in Molini (Ligurian Alps) which is a tiny town with three cafes. All did fantastic espressos for €1. I think it's still "the law" in Italy. Always got me ready for riding.
I only went single dose because that grinder had 33% off and the hopper version didn't!
cough
Qualita Rossa, (feminine declension of the adjective rosso) meaning “Red Label”
carry on.
My fault I think. I did question if I had the gender right but thought no one would be bothered!
I suggest you give them a try if you haven't. Then let us know if you like them.
Seriously, they are good. My favourite is Stupidly Strong but again I drink dark coffee Java style.
So far there are only two coffee brands/beans that I like. One of them from Co-Op (Italian or French) and the other is Cornish Coffee.
As I drink them cheap, I tend to buy 1kg bag from TK Maxx. I think I have tried too many brands there.
OP: Just a couple of things to bear in mind
The burs in your new grinder will take a little while to "season". I'm conscious of the derision that's coming my way - but it's a real thing. It can take a few kg for things to settle down, and the flavors become a bit more consistent. I had this down as bullshit when I first heard it - but when I got my new grinder, it was all over the place at first.
You've bought a flat burr grinder. The consensus is that conical grinders may be better at dark and medium/dark roasts - but bottom line.... it's going to taste different. Flat burr grinders are also harder to dial in than conical - they are less forgiving/have a much narrower window of "good".
You’ve bought a flat burr grinder. The consensus is that conical grinders may be better at dark and medium/dark roasts – but bottom line…. it’s going to taste different. Flat burr grinders are also harder to dial in than conical – they are less forgiving/have a much narrower window of “good”.
I'm not entirely sure that's true about flat Vs conical.
Conical burrs trend to produce more fines, therefore can give more 'depth' to an espresso... However that's down to the specific burr set.
E.g. an SSP MP burr won't give you much depth as it is designed to produce very uniform grind and very little fines. It's great for light roasts and filter.
Other flat burrs are designed specifically to generate more fines and give you more body.
The eureka in the picture is a zero isn't it? It has a small 55mm burr designed to generate fines. That will taste very similar to a niche zero with a conical.
That photo is Alex's setup, the exact grinder I have is similar (Eureka Mignon Silenzio).
Enjoying the pics above and the coffee chat. It's a beautiful sunny autumn day here and I've just sat down with my first espresso of the day. I thought I'd add a contribution to "rate my grinder". Happy nearly weekend fellow bean botherers, may it be a well caffeinated one.
A few kg for your grinder to settle down....?? Don't know about derision but F*** that. Is it really a thing? Honestly asking the question, cos that's a whole different rabbit warren. That would be a year drinking sh1te coffee for me. A hario hand grinder (fnarr fnarr) works just fine for me, and I can tweak the grind a couple of notches if a different bean grinds too fine or coarse, and I know after 1st cup if it needs tweaking
That photo is Alex’s setup, the exact grinder I have is similar (Eureka Mignon Silenzio).
Not had that grinder long. It is - unsurprisingly - significantly 'better' than the in built sage one. In terms of consistency/ability to really dial in the grind you want/noise! I'm still experimenting to try and hit the 1:2 ratio all the time. but it's an interesting experience (not hobby, I have too many of those) and my espressos look and taste fantastic.
Like I say I won't be taking questions on if it's £300 more fantastic than the stop I had before 🙂
The eureka in the picture is a zero isn’t it?
It is. I had a chat with the chap from Clumsy Goat before I bought it, and my Coffee fiend Peter down at James Coffee and they both recommended this grinder for the type of (lighter) beans I prefer.
Anyway I feel I've taken this thread away from @solamanda original question! Hope you enjoy at least one of the new roasts you're trying.
If we are posting pictures... 
A few kg for your grinder to settle down….?? Don’t know about derision but F*** that. Is it really a thing?
Some people routinely buy a few kilos of the cheapest beans they can find to churn through and then bin, to 'season' new burrs.
I am not one of those people! If you are, you are so far down the rabbit hole and chasing such miniscule diminishing returns I wonder if you have forgotten how to just enjoy your coffee without obsessing.
@jaketurbo a Decent? You've got it bad! Incurable probably. Are you into pressure and temperature profiling and all that gubbins? What's the lever machine? Nice set up, I'm a little jealous!
Definitely incurable...
The lever is a flair 58, I don't use it much but levers can produce some great thick shots with medium roasts.
I do a mixture of light roasts and also filter coffees using the decent... Which flow and also temperature control during the shot is essential for.
A few kg for your grinder to settle down….?? Don’t know about derision but F*** that. Is it really a thing? Honestly asking the question, cos that’s a whole different rabbit warren
See the recent thread regarding HI-FI and cable burn in, I imagine some folk imagine coffee grinders need burned in also
😉
Talking of rabbit holes this looks good value..........
@susepic I can't see a price? Not sure I'd go that crazy for a conical burr non-portable hand grinder, although it does look lovely.
Profitec Go. The grinder is a DF64 Gen 2.
Back to the OP, I bought a 1kg bag of Italian packaged beans from TK Maxx, they've got the same horrible taste as most of the coffee I've had when in Italy (or Europe in general tbh). So if you want authentic Italian flavour I'd suggest that, but if you want nice coffee then I wouldn't!
Just for your coffee tasting adventure, if you wish to buy coffee beans at TK Maxx you should try the followings:
1. Medium roast French (100% small Arabica beans) - L'Amateur Cafe £12,99 per 1kg bag (this is good surprisingly and you can actually taste the difference)
2. Dark roast Italian (mixed Robasta & Arabica I guess) - Miguel (side of the bag has won 2 awards) £12.99 per 1kg bag (this is also good but Not Java good of course)
Both are decent coffee while other Italian brands are roughly the same taste (tried too many that I cannot remember them all)
Nice decent coffee machine and set up.
I think you are incurable now with touch screen coffee machine. LOL!
If we're doing photos... QuickMill Silvano and Eureka Mignon. 10 years old now. Have replaced the pump once and some internal piping (and thread locked the switches which stopped them coming loose). I've been wondering how much longer it will run before it needs a more major rebuild - most of these Italian machines are incredibly simple and all built with standard parts so feel like it will always be repairable (I wonder how much the same is true of the Sage?)
Steam is fine for a small jug (two cups) but would struggle with larger so maybe someday a small footprint dual boiler might replace this when something breaks. Would be nice to have something plumbed in too but that would mean drilling a hole in the worktop (or kitchen cupboard...hmm)
QuickMill Silvano and Eureka Mignon.
Nice. Should be good for another decade at least with some TLC and probably a lot longer? My Profitec Go is German, but the pump and other bits are Italian and probably similar to those in lots of Italian machines, so I'm hoping if it ever breaks, fixing it won't be an issue. I'm using good water and keeping it clean so hopefully it will be a long time before I find out.
I'm struggling to think the TK Maxx supply chain is geared up for providing freshly roasted beans, but I might be wrong?
This thread has me thinking of getting a Sage Bambino. So, is there lots of faff to it with cleaning etc? Other than tamping the coffee and wiping the frothier, I’d like it to be as close to the convenience of the Nespresso machine it’d replace.
I’m struggling to think the TK Maxx supply chain is geared up for providing freshly roasted beans, but I might be wrong?
I don't think you are. Some people are OK with long shelf life, commodity coffee rather than freshly roasted. Fine if you are, not for me though.
This thread has me thinking of getting a Sage Bambino. So, is there lots of faff to it with cleaning etc? Other than tamping the coffee and wiping the frothier, I’d like it to be as close to the convenience of the Nespresso machine it’d replace.
It'll be a little needier than a Nespresso. You'll need to empty the grounds, rinse the portafilter and wipe the shower screen after every shot. Wipe and purge the steam arm if you've used it. You'll need to back flush it regularly and descale it a couple of times a year. None of this onerous, but it's faffier than a capsule machine. On the upside, after a short learning curve to 'dial it in' the coffee will be nicer!
It all depends what you want from your coffee.
Nespresso and other similar capsule devices only gives the illusion of espresso and coffee milk drinks in my view.
They have positives in terms of no faff but offer a compromise in terms of the “real deal” espresso experience.
If I didn’t have a half decent machine (and I include the bambino) I would rely on a Mocca pot (I have one also) or “pour over” (V60 Dripper) for my coffee rather can a capsule.
The selection of the bean, storage, grind, puck preparation, machine set up, extraction just appeal.
When its all dialled in very easy and enjoyable.
Happy coffee, however you take it
Not with my Gaggia Classic. Just the run through of water to warm everything up rinses it well enough.
When I say 'rinse', yes - you can use the water from the machines boiler of course. The shower screen will eventually get a build of coffee oils on and behind it though, this can go a bit stale and rancid and will affect the coffee. I wipe mine with a damp cloth after every shot which takes seconds. Every 7-10 days or so I'll take it off and clean it in Puly caf solution. Not a Gaggia classic, but similar single boiler design.
You don't need to back flush a Bambino as it doesn't have a solenoid like a Classic, it's a thermablock so no boiler as such. They are less faff than a Gaggia Classic but still need more effort than a pod machine. Using soft bottled water would mean no real need to descale.
I’m struggling to think the TK Maxx supply chain is geared up for providing freshly roasted beans, but I might be wrong?
It probably isn't, but it tastes like every coffee I've ever had in Italy. Which might not be what the OP meant by "Italian style coffee beans", but I don't think it's an unreasonable interpretation...
You don’t need to back flush a Bambino as it doesn’t have a solenoid like a Classic, it’s a thermablock so no boiler as such..
Oh yeah, forgot that! Doh!
Using soft bottled water would mean no real need to descale.
Water chemistry is complicated though. 'Soft' water is not great for taste but hard water is not the best for your machine. I use Tesco Ashbeck which is a good compromise between those competing requirements. All bottled mineral water contains (obviously) minerals which will eventually deposit in the valves, pipes and boiler of your machine as scale. They usually contain a lot less than most UK tap water, so you might get away without descaling for quite a while, but if you use use it enough you will eventually get scale - even with bottled water. If it's a cheap machine, you might not care and it may be OK for the life of it. If it's an expensive machine which you intend to keep for a long time, a little pre-preemptive maintenance is a good insurance policy. Bella Barista who supplied my Profitec Go recommended a light descale every 6 months - even with Ashbeck water which they also recommended.
I’m struggling to think the TK Maxx supply chain is geared up for providing freshly roasted beans, but I might be wrong?
They are alright to be honest. Just give them a try. I used to buy freshly roasted ones but they are expensive for my simple way of preparing coffee (filter type now rather than my Gaggia Classic approach).
It probably isn’t, but it tastes like every coffee I’ve ever had in Italy. Which might not be what the OP meant by “Italian style coffee beans”, but I don’t think it’s an unreasonable interpretation…
Most of the Italian beans at TK Maxx taste roughly the same (most are Italian brands) and the beans taste like they are coming from one roasting source in Italy.
The Medium Roast French beans are not often available but they have some this time so I gave it a try. (note the beans are smaller like Jamaican Blue Mountain Beans)
Some of the Irish coffee brands/roasters are also good and their coffee beans normally taste sweeter than the Italian (Italian like to mix with Robusta).
Then there is a coffee brand roasted in Leeds and they are normally Rwanda beans and they are good.
Then very occasionally you find Cornish Coffee (roasted in Cornwall of course) at TK Maxx and, to me, they are amongst the best but slightly expensive. The Cornish Coffee brand is the one brand I say is a must try.
Brita Purity Quell ST filter is supposed to soften but give good flavour - I’ve fitted one of these (there are small cartridges suitable for home use c50/100/150) for my fridge and for use in the espresso.
https://www.brita.co.uk/purity-quell-st
modt manufacturers say don’t descale. I did my machine once before I’d fitted the filter and created some issues (and it took forever to rinse the milk wand). Haven’t needed to since installing. £50 cartridge (via eBay) every 9 months has to be cheaper than bottle water.
I got quite deep into the water thing. Testing my own, getting detailed analysis results from my supplier etc. I found that even after filtering, my tap water was still liable to scale. It's annoying as the plastic waste from bottled water doesn't sit well. I'm looking at other options, including buying deionised water in bulk and then remineralising it.
I'm a bit sceptical of 'never need to descale' though. To taste good, water for coffee needs some mineral content, eventually some of these minerals will precipitate out in the narrow pipes of your machine. If you change machines every couple of years it might never become a significant issue, but if you drink lots of coffee and want it to last longer - it might. I prefer to be cautious with a very light occasional descale. YMMV.
James Hoffman has a good method to test if your machine needs descaling. When it's new or freshly descaled, put a cup on a scale, dispense say 100g of water and time how long it takes. Repeat occasionally, if it slows at all, it's an early warning that your pipes are narrowing due to scale build up.