Styleforum › Forums › Lifestyle › Fine Living, Home, Design & Auto › Great everyday aka affordable coffee
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Great everyday aka affordable coffee

post #1 of 16
8/22/10 at 1:41pm
Thread Starter 
Hi All,

I like to drink cafetiere ie French press (edit) coffee ( I don't have an espresso machine) and I currently drink Taylors of harrogate coffee, or Marks & Spencer pre ground coffee, as an everyday coffee.

There are some cool indie coffee retailers near me, and I do drink these on occasion, but they're at least twice the price of the aforementioned, so not for everyday.

Can anyone recommend great filter coffee (or indeed inexpensive espresso makers)?

I like all blends and strengths of coffee, so I'm relatively easy to please
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 16
8/22/10 at 3:52pm
What's quality to you? What's too expensive? I mean, it all varies based on taste, preferences, etc. One way I personally think you can increase the "quality" (or at least bring out more flavor, etc) in your coffee is by pressing it rather than drip brewing which you mentioned. You can get a decent, well-made, double-walled french press for $35-$50 probably. And using the same or similarly priced beans you're already using and enjoy, you'll find pressing it brings out different and more flavor and characteristics in the coffee. It's just the inherent differences in the way that pressing, percolating, and drip brewing all make the same coffee bean differently. But you don't have to source beans from some hard-to-find small farm from some exotic region to find good coffee. I've found plenty of coffees I enjoy just from sampling coffees from the local Whole Foods, Starbucks, etc. The nice thing about Whole Foods and other grocers who sell beans in bulk is that often you can buy beans in any weight. So you can buy a 1/3-lb or 1/2-lb to try out a bean to see if you like it, without sinking $10-$15 in a whole pound of coffee that you might end up not liking. But I guess it comes down is: what are you buying/paying for now that you don't like, and what are you trying to find?
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 16
8/22/10 at 4:12pm
^^^there's a jamaican blue mountain wholesaler very close to me. would a bialetti be any good for that, or is that just for espresso?
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 16
8/22/10 at 4:19pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pylon View Post
What's quality to you? What's too expensive? I mean, it all varies based on taste, preferences, etc.

One way I personally think you can increase the "quality" (or at least bring out more flavor, etc) in your coffee is by pressing it rather than drip brewing which you mentioned. You can get a decent, well-made, double-walled french press for $35-$50 probably. And using the same or similarly priced beans you're already using and enjoy, you'll find pressing it brings out different and more flavor and characteristics in the coffee. It's just the inherent differences in the way that pressing, percolating, and drip brewing all make the same coffee bean differently.

But you don't have to source beans from some hard-to-find small farm from some exotic region to find good coffee. I've found plenty of coffees I enjoy just from sampling coffees from the local Whole Foods, Starbucks, etc. The nice thing about Whole Foods and other grocers who sell beans in bulk is that often you can buy beans in any weight. So you can buy a 1/3-lb or 1/2-lb to try out a bean to see if you like it, without sinking $10-$15 in a whole pound of coffee that you might end up not liking.

But I guess it comes down is: what are you buying/paying for now that you don't like, and what are you trying to find?



Ahhh sorry, I meant cafetiere aka French press when I used the term filter. I have duly edited this

The everyday coffee I currently use is about £3.50 for 250g - so about $5 I think

http://www.taylorsofharrogate.co.uk/...asp?itmid=1378

I hear Bodum cafetieres are excellent, would you recommend these?
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 16
8/22/10 at 5:54pm
I use a Bodum 32oz. stainless double-walled, and I love it. Keeps the coffee warm for quite a while, cleans extremely easily, and seems to have a good filter.

I guess the bean quality is something in the "eye of the beholder" so to speak. There are plenty of pretty great coffees out there, most of which I wouldn't consider "expensive". There are also plenty of terrible/crappy/disgusting coffees at all price points, too.

I usually buy some different beans almost every time I get more coffee, so I'm not really into finding one good bean. Sometimes I find stuff that sucks. A lot of the time I'm pleasantly surprised. YMMV.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 16
8/23/10 at 11:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by oman View Post
^^^there's a jamaican blue mountain wholesaler very close to me. would a bialetti be any good for that, or is that just for espresso?



Bialetti moka pots do not make "true" espresso. While you will find one in most households in Italy, they do not make espresso properly. Instead, moka pots produce a concentrated form of coffee, akin to Turkish coffee. Proper espresso will have a layer of rich crema on its surface and will possess a richer, creamier texture and a fuller body. If you want real espresso, purchase a good espresso machine and grinder.

Also, if you only want normal brewed coffee, buy a french press, as others have recommended. Bodum makes a few different models that function beautifully. Personally, I prefer the 12 oz. Bodum Chambord. Another thing to keep in mind: you will need a decent conical burr grinder (~$100) to consistently make delicious french pressed coffee.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 16
8/23/10 at 12:08pm
I don't get the point in buying expensive coffee that's been shipped from god knows where after being roasted weeks ago.

Go to Whole Foods and ask them to roast you a fresh batch while you shop.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 16
8/23/10 at 3:08pm
Trader Joe's has a wide variety of very good coffee IMO and very reasonably priced.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 16
8/23/10 at 4:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by runner-guy View Post
Trader Joe's has a wide variety of very good coffee IMO and very reasonably priced.

+1. The Costa Rican TJ is my favorite and I was about to offer it as a rec to the OP.
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 16
8/24/10 at 12:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by oman View Post
^^^there's a jamaican blue mountain wholesaler very close to me. would a bialetti be any good for that, or is that just for espresso?


absolutely not. french press would be your best bet for that.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 16
8/24/10 at 9:29pm
Eight O'Clock brand coffee is a good value in terms of flavour, comes in a 1 kg whole-bean bag for about $12 CDN. There are a couple of varieties, you'll probably find one that you like. I think it's an A&P brand so you'll find it in their supermarkets. I like coffee though so I also don't mind spending $15-$20 per lb to try out different varieties, especially because in this price range you'll find more coffee from co-ops or fair trade brands that divert more of the money towards farmers. Also because the coffee is usually miles ahead of any of the big brands. You're already using a french press which is good, just make sure that once you press it down that you pour all of the coffee into another container, you don't want to over-extract your grinds, you'll start getting some bitter unpleasant flavours. You should also pair your press with a grinder (not blade) and grind your beans right before brewing. This way, even if you are using cheap beans at least you will be getting the most flavour out of them.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 16
8/28/10 at 10:32pm
+1 for Bodum. I have the cheap single-walled variety from Target. I believe it was $20.

Good whole beans can be found at any "hippy" food store like Whole Foods, TJs, or any natural food emporium. What types of coffee do you enjoy? That would help in guiding choices for you. Personally, the darker, the better.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 16
8/30/10 at 9:14pm
I second the 8 O'Clock as the best inexpensive coffee. When on sale, it comes out to be @ $5.00 per lb here, otherwise it's around $7.00
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 16
8/30/10 at 10:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheDarkKnight View Post
Hi All,

I like to drink cafetiere ie French press (edit) coffee ( I don't have an espresso machine) and I currently drink Taylors of harrogate coffee, or Marks & Spencer pre ground coffee, as an everyday coffee.

There are some cool indie coffee retailers near me, and I do drink these on occasion, but they're at least twice the price of the aforementioned, so not for everyday.

Can anyone recommend great filter coffee (or indeed inexpensive espresso makers)?

I like all blends and strengths of coffee, so I'm relatively easy to please

Your questions would be better researched over at coffeegeek.com. There, they go on ad nauseam about all the nuances of different types of espresso machines. You can buy a cheap machine, but to get the best espresso from good quality fresh beans, with good crema and taste, you will need to spend enough to get a machine that produces reliable heat and at a stable temperature all the way to the cup. The usual solution is a mostly metal, fairly heavy precision machine that is also expensive, especially compared to other coffee preparation methods.

I got some nice beans from Londinium, for espresso. They package by the 250g bag, and sell online.
Their roastery is somewhere in greater London. I don't believe they have a shop, just an online business. Not cheap, though, at £5.00/250g or £20.00/1250g.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 16
8/30/10 at 11:10pm
Bodum is the absolute sweet spot for quality vs price.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
Styleforum › Forums › Lifestyle › Fine Living, Home, Design & Auto › Great everyday aka affordable coffee