What does great coffee taste like?

A touch of genius IMO.

That was really something. His Youtube videos are next level.

Unsurprisingly – the shot of espresso I had which I now judge all others by (and they come up wanting) was at Prufrock, made on James Hoffmann’s vintage Faema machine.

Found that unwatchable :(, was it real?

I have no idea these days, used to be a huge coffee drinker, but since long covid it leaves a horrible aftertaste. Similar, but not quite so bad with tea.

Was hoping it was going to be from the Hames Joffman spoof a/c.

“Found that unwatchable”

Same, too fever-dreamy for me

It’s a bit like asking what beer tastes the best…

After you get past the nescaffe and carling it’s very much a matter of personal taste and what you enjoy.

“ I have no idea these days, used to be a huge coffee drinker, but since long covid it leaves a horrible aftertaste. Similar, but not quite so bad with tea”

My other half found that after long Covid.

Was well over a year before she could stand it, two years before she enjoyed a cup of coffee.

I struggled to watch the video too.

Hames Joffman spoof a/c.

YouTube shut that account down despite James Hoffman getting in contact with them say saying he gives permission and wants it to remain. Apparently YouTube said James would have to take legal action or something such nonsense.

Found that unwatchable :(, was it real?

Well I think it was brilliant.

It’s a bit like asking what beer tastes the best…

Exactly. Which is what he says.

He’s quite right. Finishing a good cup of coffee should leave you wanting more.

He’s quite right. Finishing a good cup of coffee should leave you wanting more.

That really hit me too.

Though I did watch the whole thing expecting a punchline at the end!

I was particularly taken by his idea that we are conditioned by pre-existing experiences. For me with coffee it was my German mum serving up filter coffee at the weekend (and filter coffee every day when we visited Germany) and with beer it was Tetleys or Wards “on ‘andles” (in the 70s). As we experience other things our tastes change or ideally expand. I recently went to a coffee tasting of single estate Columbian beans with a very light roast and came away with a couple of packs to play around with. My childhood experience was towards quite dark roasts and this light stuff seemed very acidic at first. But a bit of experimenting with grind and brewing led to a bit more balance (like the string quartet in the video). It’s probably not my favourite but like beer I now enjoy lots of different flavours (hoppy, light, citrus, etc.) rather than just “old fashioned” bitter.

Having said that my local bar, by popular demand, has recently had on some really good old style amber bitters as opposed to the recent trend for lighter hoppy beers. They are excellent.

But, of course, it’s all a matter of taste.

Get that man on the BBC. He’s brilliant. I once watched a half hour video of him analysing a load of different methods of preparing coffee with an Aeropress. It’s not like I care that much, he’s just so into it and so genuine that alone is engaging for me. He could do a video about anything at all and I’d enjoy it.

In the above video, he says that your preference is beyond criticism – what a wonderful thing to hear someone say.  And since I can only really tolerate about two cups of strong coffee a day, I also go to bed feeling happy that my next cup is coming soon 🙂

made it about through about half of that. Seemed sensible enough.

I do find him quite grating, although his vids can be useful so it’s sometimes worth it!

He could do a video about anything at all and I’d enjoy it.

I first saw his YouTube channel following a link from here. not sure why I did that, I like coffee but I like just about any coffee. Sometimes I might think oh that’s really good but it doesn’t put me off the stuff that isn’t. My first reaction to the first video I saw was what an insufferable nob but within a minute or so I was thinking the above.

He clearly loves coffee and talking about it and analysing it but in the end it’s just a drink and all that matters is what you think. He has a way of taking the subject seriously without ever claiming it’s a serious subject and most importantly he doesn’t seem to actually take himself too seriously.

Timely.  I missed Royal Mail delivering 200 Amazon Nespresso style pods today, so other than the usual “tall” americano with milk and sugar (aka a mug of anglicised coffee) for breakfast, I need to make espressos with the aeropress and ground Colombian Aribica this weekend, experimentation time here we come…

YouTube shut that account down despite James Hoffman getting in contact with them say saying he gives permission and wants it to remain. Apparently YouTube said James would have to take legal action or something such nonsense.

Thanks 🙂

I’m not too bothered about coffee but I like him and enjoy his videos. His sweater game is top notch.

I went down the home espresso rabbit hole during covid – glad I did.

In terms of an impact on quality of life, being able to make great coffee on demand has been hugely disproportionate for me.  Similar to buying yourself a mountain bike I suppose – but cheaper/easier to work in to your morning routine between getting the kids dressed and out to school, and getting myself to work.  My wife told me the other day that she wakes up in the morning looking forward to having a delicious coffee (beans are particularly good at the moment) – and to say she was previously a sceptic would be a massive understatement.

I’m trying to avoid my usual upgradeitis – I think I’ve reached the point of diminishing returns, so I need to STOP looking at expensive grinders.

I was particularly taken by his idea that we are conditioned by pre-existing experiences

Yep, had my first rememberable coffee in France when I was 13 during a very miserable school trip (family I stayed with for two days strangling their dog in the back garden because it had bitten someone was a lowlight!).

Don’t know what coffee it was but that is the taste of coffee to me and sometimes I get reminded of it when drinking certain coffees, especially in morning.  And shock horror they can even be instant coffee.

Was thinking the same as Molegrips re BBC watching that, I think he’s really good at what he does, I’ve got his best espresso for under £250 set up which is fine for me when dialed in.

Other half of me wants people like this to go no where near mainstream as it’d just be watered down into nonescence. I’m glad he’s doing what he is on YT.

What does great coffee taste like?

It tastes like mud, because it was ground this morning.

Sorry, I’ll get my coat

For me it was the cardamon espresso I had in a Turkish cafe, but then I’m experimenting with lots of decaf as as JH says decaf is for people who really like coffee as they are in it for the taste not the rush. And he’s right but I’ve had some awful decaf and some I’ve found outstanding. The experiment continues.

I need to make espressos with the aeropress

Not possible (technically).

As for the stop looking at expensive grinders post later, never underestimate the impact of the grind!

James is very good at being all about coffee without being overly pretentious. He comes across as an incredibly likeable chap.

I’ve had some awful decaf and some I’ve found outstanding.

Be interested in your findings.  I have to be careful how much caffeine I have. I’m quite a fan of Mellowship Slinky decaf from 200 Degrees, if you’ve not tried it.

As for the stop looking at expensive grinders post later, never underestimate the impact of the grind!

For those who can’t afford an expensive grinder, try grinding twice in your cheap burr one.

For me, it tastes like very cold Irn Bru, straight from the fridge…which is why I drink that mank and avoid coffee due to it tasting even worse!

JH says decaf is for people who really like coffee as they are in it for the taste not the rush. And he’s right but I’ve had some awful decaf and some I’ve found outstanding. The experiment continues.

Yeah I’ve found it patchy and I can’t quite put my finger on why. Perhaps it’s partly because you’re much fussier when you’re not expecting the hit? Like, if it’s not great, you won’t just swill it down and crack on, you’ll be actively annoyed!

Lately I’ve come to the belief that freshness matters more for decaf. There are plenty of nice places online to buy decaf, but you don’t know when it was roasted. So I’ve taken to buying beans from a place nearby, where it’s usually been roasted in the last few days. Seems to be working ok so far.

I’ve had decaf that is okay but never really good.

I really enjoyed the film, very, very JH – which is a good thing! .  The ‘making of’ video is out, which is worth a watch too.  I’m not sure why he made it other than as a vanity project, it must have cost him an absolute fortune!  London film studio for 2 days, dancers, choreographer, string quartet, actors and full production crew.

I think he’s just interested in film making.  He set a precedent last year when he did a short vid taking the piss out of a very bizarre Brad Pitt coffee advert, then had a go at filming his own version too which was very funny.

Fair play, great production.

Lately I’ve come to the belief that freshness matters more for decaf. There are plenty of nice places online to buy decaf, but you don’t know when it was roasted. So I’ve taken to buying beans from a place nearby, where it’s usually been roasted in the last few days. Seems to be working ok so far.

I recommend watching Hoffman’s video on it, but this is one of the things he explains… Basically, decaffeination increases the surface area of the beans, so it oxidises more quickly.

I am a complete coffee-holic, bought a second hand Sage Barista machine from someone else in the village, and i enjoy the whole process, from buying beans and trying different types, to messing around with grind settings and the like, i often carry and stove and aeropress on long “bimbling” rides, nothing better than stopping somewhere picturesque and having a fresh coffee and a biscuit

For those talking about decaff, I had a random period of high blood pressure a while back, tried decaff for a while, but now really enjoy this “half-caff” later in the day

Half Caf Blend Nº.13

James Hoffman’s book is really well written to and surprisingly interesting.

I don’t drink coffee at home, I always drink tea, and if I’m out I always drink mocha, preferably with cream on top. One particular establishment often asks if I want their special blend, to which I reply “it’s being mixed with chocolate with spray cream on the top, I don’t think I’ll be able to tell the difference”, to which they say “yeah, good point!”.

My favourite coffee shop in town won’t serve a mocha, they’ll do a hot chocolate, but as you’ve said, you won’t notice the coffee so he just doesn’t serve it. To be fair it’s a bit ‘sepcialist’ in there.

In a good mocha you can taste the coffee.  I make them at home. A well dialled in double espresso shot of just ground speciality beans. Poured into a warmed cappuccino cup over broken pieces of 80% cocoa Peruvian chocolate.  Stir. Stretch and warm milk, pour, lame attempt at Latte art, enjoy.   I’m getting better at them all the time, but they taste incredible!

An Arri trinity and Arri sky-panels. This guy is doing things at a really high level.

I got really into espresso during covid and find it frustrating to be honest, despite spending the money and putting the time in. My results appear to be blighted by the same as my DIY skills – one big trial and error feedback loop where you can’t quite figure out which bit is wrong.

Hoffman grates personally but he does talk a lot of sense. My wife has got really keen recently, the biggest upgrade we’ve noticed is a posh grinder which I thought was probably a load of guff but really does seem to make a difference – uniform particle size means a uniform extraction, it makes sense physically, just surprised how much it matters.

Getting beans from rave and some other places. Interesting tastes.

I just asked Madame Edukator what’s the best coffee she’s drunk. The reply was exactly what I was expecting: “Spain” ! I don’t know how they make it, where it comes from or what the brand is, but ordering a café americano por favour (no sugar no milk) almost anywhere in Northern Spain gets me my idea of a perfect coffee.