I’m currently into a vanilla from cofeedirect but oddly enough tried one of the £7.99 1kg Lidl italia special offers and mmm it was actually very pleasant.

Worth trying the cheapos tbh you may be surprised.

My beans i ordered a couple of days ago are delivered to Scozia from Italia by dhl, thats pretty good going even though its a pain having to sign for them, i will let jj prestidge know all the flavours i can taste and maybe convert an old horsebox, bolt on Silvia, stop shavin and charge a packet for an unrecyclable cup of flat white

Maybe I should pop round to Collona and grab a bag to see what I’m missing… Or will I not get the benefit with a bean to cup machine?

As long as your machine can grind fine enough, and your water isn’t horrible in terms of bicarb, then you’ll notice a difference with Colonna beans over bog standard stuff. The main problems happen when bean to cup grinders can’t get the grind fine enough to extract a light roast coffee properly.

JP

I occasionally use Artisan roast steampunk but would only buy beans as you order a flat white and unless you drive an old vdub, have a hairy pus or look like a dude they think you know nothing about coffee and give you it lukewarm by the time they bring it over

Are you one of those people who wants the milk in their flat white hotter than the surface of the sun? If so, you should consider the fact that at over 65C the heat changes the milk proteins and creates a very sour flavour. There’s a noticeable improvement in flavour by texturing the milk only up to 55C, which IMO is pretty much the optimum temperature for drinking anyway.

JP

I have to be honest some of the flavours they claim to be in there are complete fantasy!

Tasting notes are a guide, and will be greatly affected by how you brew the coffee personally. It’s much easier to perceive all the flavours when the coffee isn’t diluted with milk. Lower TDS espressos (ie with longer brew ratios) also allow more flavours to be sensed, as the strength doesn’t overpower the pallate. So, ristretto bad, lungo good.

JP

Dont like it scalding hot but i always use a warmed up cup and use a thermometer for my milk, never ever weigh the coffee. I object to having to chuck it back in one due to a cold cup and maybe busy waiting staff

La Mar Dolca in Pollensa my favourite flat white, perfect temperature 1.5 euro award winning barista

never ever weigh the coffee

You’ll never get any consistency if you don’t weigh. It’s a bit like being a baker and just chucking in random amounts of flour because it ‘looks about right’.

JP

I measure by volume never short measures, would you notice 15g either way by taste?

I measure by volume never short measures, would you notice 15g either way by taste?

Yes! Even if that’s a typo and you meant 1.5g, there’s quite a difference in extraction between a 15g input and a 16.5g one at the same grind level.

JP

OK – this lot has just come in from Gardelli:

Bynekere Estate, sugarcane ferm. lot (India) 250g
Holiday Coffee, San Ignacio (Peru) 250g
La Candelilla (Costa Rica) 250g
Tolu Batak, Sumatra (Indonesia) 250g
Banko Gotiti (Ethiopia) 250g
Nensebo (Ethiopia) 250g

Further details are on Gardelli’s site (it’s much more expensive on there, though). I can do any those apart from the Nensebo for £10 a bag. the Nensebo is £11. Shipping is £2.50.

All coffees are rated at 87.75 and above (specialty coffee starts at 80 points).

Cheers,

JP

I wonder if my 500g caught the same bus over, dhl dropping by today for me. My usual is from Glenlyon red stag, the Glen is a cracking bike run from West to East pretty fast