Ok, I currently use a cafetiere on a gas hob. Everytime the coffee tastes slightly bitter, bland and sometimes I you can taste a hint of the ‘metal(allic?) itself?

I’ve used Lavaza, Starbucks etc and when making I boil the water first then gentle heat until it evaporates through. Tips etc greatfully received- recommend me a better cafetiere possibly as well?

is it new? stop cleaning it so much!!

Probably a year old now- always the same though

TBH, it sounds like you’re scorching the coffee.

Trailmonkey, how do I avoid. I’ve got the cafetiere, coffee etc ready to experiment Sir! 8)

less heat loner time dear boy

and dont pre-boil the water?

Not sure about the pre boil. I use boiling water in a plunger style cafetiere and that seems OK. I’d say that it’s prolonged heat that’s causing the problem. I always find that metalic taste occurs if a percolated pot has stood on the hot plate for a while.

dont ever wash it.

Err horse bolted and all that Stoner

OK, stop washing it and use it a few more times and you will find the flavour improve as the coffee oils cure the al.

I hope you’re not actually using a cafetiere on a stove top. Aren’t they the glass things with plungers?

Slightly OT but I’m not sure from where the word cafetiere derives. France would seem the obvious choice but, I was once in a shop in the Charente area and asked the shopkeeper ( in my terrible French ) if the coffee I’d picked up was suitable for a cafetiere. She looked at me puzzled so I repeated myself but this time, mimed the plunging action.” Ahh Italienne ” was her response. So, it would seem that “cafetiere” is not a French word after all.

TM – you sure she wasnt just being awkward. They do that you know ? 🙂

Johnners – Im assuming hora means a stove top aluminiium percolator, not a Bodum cafetiere, not even hora’s that daft. Please hora?

course grind for a coffee press, finer for expresso

TM – you sure she wasnt just being awkward. They do that you know ?

No, if she was being awkward, she would have let me struggle along in my schoolboy French for the first 10 days of my holiday before finally speaking to me in perfect English with a slightly clipped public school accent.

I’ve had the bleeders do that to me before now. 😡

🙂

well i’ve let you struggle along in your schoolboy devonian for about two years now….
🙂
known as a ‘french press’ as well i think ( according to the aforementioned bodum )

see you later.

‘french press’

sounds like a kind of foreplay

TM, maybe she thought you were a sexmad Italian Tourist? 😉

Stoner, per-lease. It wouldnt be a mental-taste it would be shards of glass.

Ok, stop washing. I’ll retry in a mo. Shouldn’t you lot be riding? I’m cycling to the gym in abit (only 5miles each way)

Im 1/3 man, 2/3 snot at the moment.

I rode to the gym yesterday as well and when I got back in I was slurring my words as my jaw was numb/frozen so also a tad snotty now..

long low and slow
also you must “tamp” , compress the coffee.
I recal seeing Jo Burt with a tiny stove top one at sswc, must have made one tiny super strength shot, seems to work, I recall being passed by him.

went out twice yesterday, will probably go out later today, just took the rubbish out and was blasted by a freezing wind though so its gonna have to be the woods rather than out across the howling downs!

Right, will do. I stopped compressing the coffee down when I binned my old Gaggia maker.

Hang on..

Done. for cold water it still (on the tiny ring) heated up fairly quickly. I can taste the coffee now (depth) and the coffees awful.

Recommendations for (ground) coffee muchly appreciated!

if youve been washing it Mark, its going to take a few goes to stop it tasting like domestos.

Waitrose beans are good if you cant find gucci ones else where. Im not a fan of hasbean.co.uk like many on here.

at Mr Nutts tip I am currently enjoying some Blue Mountain off mrs tuplips on ebay which is pretty good.

Hill and Valley was my favourtie but they blew it when they demanded you order half a tonne at a time.

I use one of these and Lavazza coffee.

Do you think illy coffee is worth it?

I prefer to grind beans that I source myself. Never really like lavazza or illy – too bitter, no depth of character.

what Stoner said, illy & lavazza are all pretty tins and advertising.

And I’ve just bought a tin of illy!

Seems a bit muddy to me, and a little to bitter.

Seems a bit muddy to me, and a little to bitter. Agree. Will look up Stoners recommendations.

Despite Stoner’s comments I’d recommend Hasbean for coffee.

They have very extensive tasting notes for each blend so, if you know what sort of taste you’re going for, you should be able to find it.

For example I prefer a less bitter, more spicy taste so go for the Sumatran blends.

Delivery is fast as well. Usually within a day or two of roasting.

Waitrose do a very nice all round coffee called Monsooned Malayan. Beans or ground. More than acceptable for most occasions. Beans are best ground as one needs them.