All the talk of coffee has got me thinking about maybe giving the real thing a go and grinding my own beans. But is there a noticeable difference between instant and home ground coffee?

That question is blasphemy and I suspect…

there are no coffee experts on STW, just people who like to think they are because they bought some expensive beans from waitrose a few times and consider themselves too posh for starbucks

a nespresso does not an expert make 😉

Holy cow yes!

What do you make the coffee with?

My drink of choice is espresso (a double ristretto to be exact) and you really do need a burr grinder. If you don’t have one, the next best thing would be to get fresh roasted beans ground in the shop, in small quantities.

It’s been said a million times on here and I will say it again, get a burr grinder, a stove top mocha pot and a bag of beans. I can recommend a Hasbean subscription for the beans.

I usually go for instant (blasphemy I know) during the week and a cafetiere at the weekend when I have more time.

I guess for cafetiere use, the beans don’t have to be ground so much?

Thanks Neil, will look at hasbean and the mocha pot.

If you brewing with a mocha pot then never rush it. A nice low heat and give it 5-10 mins. Never whack the heat up and burn it.

I tend to use a hario coffee filter thing. Boil water, leave for a minute then pour a little at a time over the grounds. Freshly ground coffee (either do it myself or get it done weekly at the local roaster).

Yeah you want a coarse grind for cafetiere as the filter is not as fine as other types.

It’s a different style of coffee to espresso of course, but still nice. Less well rounded and strong but a lot more detailed, there’s a lot more going on in your mouth.

Remember not to put boiling water on coffee though. Either turn it off before the boil or wait a bit. I tend to brew with water well off the boil.

NOW is right – gently gently with a mocha pot, it’s a fine art.

Is it worth brewing instant coffee in a cafetiere or one of those stove-top things or would I be better off just bunging it in an expresso machine? I can’t be bothered with endless bean grinding and associated snobbery – ‘It’s a fine art making coffee etc..’

Without exaggerating, I have spent 1,000’s on coffee paraphernalia – this is the best

AeroPress

+1 AeroPress

Is it worth brewing instant coffee in a cafetiere or one of those stove-top things or would I be better off just bunging it in an expresso machine?

Different styles of coffee, depends what you like.

Cafetieres are definitely cheaper though – not worse, just different.

Cone and paper filters with a cheapish Burr Grinder (I use a Krups) – outlay less than £50 it total and fab coffee and minimal mess (joy of paper filters imho!)

Is it worth brewing instant coffee

I have experimented alot and feel that a china mug, preferably between 2mm and 2.5 mm thick stirred with a silver teaspoon gives the best result with Gold Blend, which I favour between 11 am and 3pm, however I do find different brands suit different mug thicknesses. Accordingly I have a different mug for my early morning brand, another for my late afternoon brand and so on.

I don’t get this “gentle” with a mocha pot thing. Surely the water has to reach a specific temperature in order to rise up and through the ground coffee?

The speed it reached the temperature is immaterial? The water hits the ground coffee at the same temp whether it wad heated slowly or quickly. I always put my hob on full whack and get non burnt coffee

The coffee goes bad if you leave it on the heat after all the bubbles start coming up, and the coffee starts bubbling boiling and spluttering in the hob. The trick IMO is to leave the lid up whilst the water heats up, then at the moment when the last of the water comes through, and air starts to come through instead, put the lid down and remove the pot from the heat

Surely the water has to reach a specific temperature in order to rise up and through the ground coffee?

Yes.. but the risk is that if you whack it on full heat it’ll boil, and this will burn the coffee. It is possible to put it on a high heat then turn it down at the exact moment so that it gets hot enough to come through the coffee but not boil – but this is rather tricky and involves a deep understanding of the thermal inertia of the system 🙂

And if you heat it really gently the coffee comes through really slowly which creates amazing but very strong coffee.

I pop my pot on the stove on a low light, have a shower and by the time I am done the coffee is just bubbling through. Your probably right about the temperature thing but softly softly is good for me.

Just get a filter coffee machine and some ready-ground real coffee. That’ll see you right for now. Cheap and easy.

There is plenty more depth to get into for coffee, but exchanging your gack instant for a half-decent cup of filter will be leap forward.

And if you heat it really gently the coffee comes through really slowly which creates amazing but very strong coffee.

Mine comes through slow too

To be honest I think regular mocha users adapt their technique over time to what works for them and how hot their hob gets

I’m on electric now, on my old gas hob a lower heat seemed to work better because on a high setting the burning gas didn’t seem to make proper contact with the relatively narrow base of the pot

BadlyWiredDog – Member
Is it worth brewing instant coffee in a cafetiere or one of those stove-top things or would I be better off just bunging it in an expresso machine?

Too obvious, BWD…must try harder.

An AeroPress is a great place to start and Hasbean will grind the beans for you. Yeah, you’re better off using a burr grinder and doing it yourself, but if you’re looking for a hassle free step-up from instant this should keep you happy. Comments about not using boiling water are bang-on, so invest in a milk thermometer too.

I’ve got a stove top pot and find it makes a nice coffee. I’ve seen an updated version that has a valve inside which is supposed to produce the crema. Has anyone used one and if so does it work? Does it make a nicer brew? It’s called Brikka.

I don’t get this “gentle” with a mocha pot thing. Surely the water has to reach a specific temperature in order to rise up and through the ground coffee?

The speed it reached the temperature is immaterial? The water hits the ground coffee at the same temp whether it wad heated slowly or quickly. I always put my hob on full whack and get non burnt coffee

The coffee goes bad if you leave it on the heat after all the bubbles start coming up, and the coffee starts bubbling boiling and spluttering in the hob. The trick IMO is to leave the lid up whilst the water heats up, then at the moment when the last of the water comes through, and air starts to come through instead, put the lid down and remove the pot from the heat

Don’t know how it works, but I find the coffee tastes much better when I leave it on the lowest heat of my smallest hob.

I only use moka pots when I’m camping tbh and it’s probably impossible to regulate the extraction with a trangia 🙂 however there must be some truth in the speed it brews affecting the taste. With machine espresso the extraction speed is crucial, too quick and it’s sour, too slow and it’s bitter. Can’t see why it’d be any different with a moka pot.

podgeskeeper – Member

All the talk of coffee has got me thinking about maybe giving the real thing a go and grinding my own beans. But is there a noticeable difference between instant and home ground coffee?

Put it this way … if you get shite beans then they are shite regardless how you grind them.

Some beans are just hyped so drink whatever you like and if you like one then stick to that.

Btw, grinding beans yourself isn’t in itself a special thing. Good beans ready-ground are better than bad beans that you grind yourself.

The main thing is that whole beans keep a bit longer, so if you grind them when you need them they are a bit fresher.

I have one of them thar krups grinders like eric’s photo if anyone wants it for a steal let me know?

**** me, some people are really into their coffee!

Seriously, I converted to Nespresso as did :

http://blog.kitchenkapers.biz/?tag=nespresso-review

That nespresso article just reads like an advert.. Either that or the guy just couldn’t be bothered (which is fine but why not state that?)

Kinda like saying I CBA learning to read a map, I’m just going to buy a GPS.

There’s a Nespresso at work and I think it does pretty good coffee as it goes.
Wouldn’t have one at home though as I can get much better shots out of my 8 year old cheapie Gaggia with very little fuss, and I’d hazard a guess it’s cheaper too.