What brew methods do you all follow? I do the following:

1. Boil kettle
2. Fill lower gasket with boiling water to just under valve (2/3mm).
3. 3 scopes of lavazza rossa (no tamping).
4. Screw all together
5. Heat on highest heat on my smallest gas hob (& using a gas diffuser) until coffee starts coming out – Normally takes ~2min
6. Instantly reduce heat to lowest setting until full.
7. Remove from heat before last dregs / splatter come out
8. Quick swirl before pouring.
9. Alter added water to cup depending on strength preference for that day.

Can my method be improved to produce better coffee?

Don’t boil the kettle. Italians make their coffee from cold.
Do you clean the pot in between brews? If you do, don’t. Just rinse it.
Try a different coffee. Lavazza=meh.

Can my method be improved to produce better coffee?

Yes, buy an aeropress

TT+1

Cold water, rinsed pot only, dont blast it with too much heat.
Take it off the heat before all the water has come up the spout to prevent scalding the coffee.

and Lavazza is very mleh IMO.

controversial Clobber.. been contemplating that for a while though.

TT – Coffee suggestions welcome. I did used to brew with cold but it just takes longer and I couldn’t taste a benefit..?

I never wash it, only rinse.

1. Fill lower gasket with cold water to just under valve (2/3mm).
2. tamp coffee down tight
3. Screw all together
4. Heat on low/medium heat on a ring that is slightly smaller than the stovetop.
5. Quick swirl before pouring.
6. heat milk and sugar.
7. froth milk
8. add coffee
9. enjoy

Ahem…. 🙂

as stoner says. Although i use warm water (saves on Gas if the kettle is already boiled), just put enough in for what you want, too much and you start to add a dilute bitter end. Use a low heat, and lightly temper the coffee. Amount of coffee depends on the size of the stove top, but go for 1-1.5 spoons per espresso. Just watch the coffee filter through slowly (leave the lid of as well) as you also achieve the creme… A nice Ethiopian jigeraffe works well or a good Mocha blend..

Oh – Aeropress +1 as well.

Try other coffees and see what flicks your switch. I lived in Naples for 2 years so developed a taste for Caffe Kimbo which is roasted there. The Neapolitans like their coffee a bit stronger than the rest of Italy so it is a slightly different roast. Different coffees might work better for you, your pot and your local water so experiment. The swirl or stir before pouring makes sense too.

That’s disappointed me, I thought we were heading for a post on this 😳

[/url] image by santarocky, on Flickr[/img]

Opinions on best store bought coffee?

I use boiling hot water.

I use a cafetiere grind, rather than an espresso grind.

I pour the whole lot into a mug and top up with hot water. That’s probably quite a lot of caffeine 🙂

Square Mile Coffee Co’s ‘Red Brick’ is my coffee of choice at the mo, lovely stuff.

Don’t think you beat the Aeropress with Stovetop, aeropress wins on:

1. Taste, no burnt flavours
2. Cleaning up after
3. Speed
4. Transportable

EDIT: I was hoping it was going to be about beer too….

I use cold water and tamp down as hard as possible.

I really enjoy the morning ritual of making a pot of stove top now, I like the time it takes to boil through, I always find something to potter on with while it’s boiling.

Then small cup with cold milk, usually end up having three of these from the one brew.

This pic may help in some small way

Consult STW.
Fill stovetop thingy with coffee and water.
Consult STW.
Switch on low heat.
Consult STW.
Pour into cup.
Consult STW.
Drink burnt coffee.
Consult STW.
Buy decent espresso machine.
Consult STW.
Be happy.

Cold water to below the valve, bung 11/2 scoops of basic supermarket coffee into mine, lightly tamp and have the heat on a bit too high as otherwise it takes too long and I leave the room to do something else and forget about it.

Bit of cold milk in the mug ready and brim the cup with coffee, no more water added.

Seems I’ve been doing it all wrong!!!

Can my method be improved to produce better coffee?

Yes. Caffeine magazine had an article (written by an ex-pat Italian barista) on how to get decent coffee from a stovetop, it involved quenching in cold water to stop it burning the coffee.
Lavazza is horrible coffee though.

I grind Costco’s Starbuck’s Espresso, much more to my taste than Lavazza, and affordable at the quantities I drink…

Glen Lyon do nice beans.

I damp the coffee with cold water before heating, not sure what difference it makes. I use high heat then super low once it starts coming out. Getting it to seep out as slowly as possible really gets the flavours out!

I don’t like Lavazza, but if you can find Lavazza Gold it’s nice. At Asda I buy Starbucks espresso, but Waitrose have some nice own brand.

@ Graeme Jones – me too.

#disappointed