Coffee

[Barbirollians]

Is there anything to touch freshly ground Monsooned Malabar - made in a cafetiere strong but not too strong.

What's your favourite ? And favourite way of making it ?

[Thropplenoggin]

We received one of those ghastly Nespresso gimcracks for Christmas last year. It only gets used when electricians and plumbers get called out.

Until I can afford a proper Italian espresso maker (Gaggia do one at a sensible price), I still favour the stove-top espresso maker (Bialetti, I believe) and Ethiopian Moka coffee. 100% Arabica all the way. I say that after four years spent mainlining Robusta in Vietnam and learning to live with caffeine-induced paranoia and heart palpitations, although perhaps both were necessary to even consider riding a motorbike around Saigon! There, the locals drink drip-coffee, mostly taken over ice, either black and very sweet, or white with condensed milk. I haven't touched Robusta since.

[Nick Armstrong]

One of my weaknesses, this.

I have a reasonably serious espresso/steamer machine (Nuova Simonelli) and a separate grinder (Mazzer).

After extensive testing, my favourite blend of beans is a mix of two of Whittards' coffees, Espresso and Santos-and-Java, in a 50-50 combination.

First step in the morning is to switch on the NS machine.

Then a full double slug of coffee with some steamed full milk to make a strong flat white.

Then I can function...

[Bryn]

Mocha and Mysore in cafetière or if not immediately available, a handy Illy via Bialetti. There again, Bravo suits me too.

[David-G]

Is there anything to touch freshly ground Monsooned Malabar - made in a cafetiere strong but not too strong.

What's your favourite ? And favourite way of making it ?

You will be pleased to hear that my favourite is Monsooned Malabar. I make it in a fine-mesh strainer which fits inside a mug.

[Pabmusic]

I enjoy coffee; it is an important pert of my day. I begin the day with tea, but the mornings were made for coffee, which I usually drink from a cafetiere, though I have machines (including an espresso machine) too. I like my coffee quite strong (shades of Brahms) and am usually happy with most varieties.

The variety I drink most often is barako, grown in the Philippines in Batangas, south of Manila. It is very good indeed. If I get a variety that I find too weak (or should I say 'smooth'?) I blend it with barako.

In the afternoon and evening it's back to tea.

[Sir Velo]

If you're going to the trouble of grinding your own coffee, why would you then go and use a cafetiere? A quality filter machine will produce splendid coffee without that gritty texture you always get with a cafetiere.

[ostuni]

Cafédirect Macchu Picchu in a cafetière is my breakfast coffee of choice. Looking forward to a few days in Italy over New Year: an espresso from a proper bar with a well used machine is unbeatable for an after-meal experience (or a mid-morning pickup).

[amateur51]

If you're going to the trouble of grinding your own coffee, why would you then go and use a cafetiere? A quality filter machine will produce splendid coffee without that gritty texture you always get with a cafetiere.

Well hush-ma-mouth!

I love coffee geekery, another example of boys and their toys, I reckon

[amateur51]

I enjoy coffee; it is an important pert of my day. I begin the day with tea, but the mornings were made for coffee, which I usually drink from a cafetiere, though I have machines (including an espresso machine) too. I like my coffee quite strong (shades of Brahms) and am usually happy with most varieties.

The variety I drink most often is barako, grown in the Philippines in Batangas, south of Manila. It is very good indeed. If I get a variety that I find too weak (or should I say 'smooth'?) I blend it with barako.

In the afternoon and evening it's back to tea.

I agree about the tea/coffee divided day, Pabs. I stayed with friends recently who clearly wanted to show off their new espresso machine so I was having doubles before breakfast & I wasn't able to 'settle' for most of the day after that. Coffee at 10:00 is perfick but after 16:00 it's tea again.

[Nick Armstrong]

I was having doubles before breakfast & I wasn't able to 'settle' for most of the day after that.

Pabmusic - where do you get your barako? Sounds interesting.

[Keraulophone]

According to Victoria Moore in How to Drink, one needs to spend upwards of £6000 on a coffee machine to make a decent espresso at home.

Four years ago, having conducted tests in the DoM of York Minster's kitchen, I acquired a De'Longhi Magnifica Bean to Cup machine at a tenth of that price, and have bean delighted to have proved Ms Moore wrong (IMHO). It has worked faultlessly and I have particularly appreciated its self-cleaning functions.

The Helston-based Origin Coffee provides some interesting beans in its Seasonal Collection, eg currently a 100% Cattura from the Capucas Micro Coop, La Esperenza, Honduras, while their Organic Fairtrade Certified is a great everyday blend.

http://www.origincoffee.co.uk/our-coffee/seasonal-collection.php

[Paul Sherratt]

Battered stove-top pot / Lavazza Rossa
And sometimes this:

http://open.spotify.com/user/paulsherratt/playlist/1tTl9SYn1h9LH4iK114It4

[MrGongGong]

Battered stove-top pot / Lavazza Rossa

Snap
sometimes Illy is on offer so that when it is ........
and Monsooned Malabar for special occasions

[Richard Tarleton]

If you're going to the trouble of grinding your own coffee, why would you then go and use a cafetiere? A quality filter machine will produce splendid coffee without that gritty texture you always get with a cafetiere.

I remember the great Claudia Roden came out in favour of cafetières on the Food Programme a while back. The amount of grit depends on the tightness of the fit of the plunger on your cafetière. And grit is part and parcel of coffee, IMO. Coffee beans or grains are not soluble, after all (which raises the question of what instant coffee actually consists of - I've never been quite sure). I gave up long ago on filter machines.

And as for milk - it may be something to do with taste buds changing with age, but as time went on I took ever tinier quantities of milk with my coffee until the penny finally dropped that I disliked it, it detracted from the flavour of the coffee, and I gave it up altogether. Now I only have black coffee. Americano, espresso, filter, cafetière, whatever. I don't even like the sight of lattes and cappuchinos.