Lets talk about COFFEE

[Sprezziamo]

At home I do it in the Italian way:

1.



(Sometimes I use Illy as well, a bit more commercial)

2.



3.




In Italian bars I always have Illy.

In London the only decent espresso I found was at Strada's, where, if you specify that you're Italian and you want it the classic Italian way, you get a fairly good espresso.

 

[b1os]

^That does not look like the product of a Bialetti. Not even a Brikka.

 

[Sprezziamo]

^That does not look like the product of a Bialetti. Not even a Brikka.

I'm at work, so I got all three images from Google.

In particular, I picked that one because it was the only one with the right amount of coffee and with a realistic colour. It looks fine to me though. Why does it look weird to you? Lack of creaminess?

 

[Mon Dieu]

To the fellow who asked about the "Clover" brew temp for "Aged Sumatra" which I drink every day..According to my SB guy the "Temps" and "Brew" time on the reserve coffees are programed into the machine via Ethernet cable and are not available to employees...

FWIW he did say that it is for the "Sumatra" 200 +

 

[indesertum]



At home I do it in the Italian way: 1. (Sometimes I use Illy as well, a bit more commercial) 2. 3. In Italian bars I always have Illy. In London the only decent espresso I found was at Strada's, where, if you specify that you're Italian and you want it the classic Italian way, you get a fairly good espresso

So when you ask for Italian style what exactly are you looking for? They're not going to adjust the grind size for you or weigh out a different amount or change to a coffee with a different roast level.

 

[romafan]



So when you ask for Italian style what exact are you looking for? They're not going to adjust the grind size for you or weigh out a different amount or change to a coffee with a roast level.

that's just code so that they don't spit in it

 

[patrickBOOTH]



To the fellow who asked about the "Clover" brew temp for "Aged Sumatra" which I drink every day..According to my SB guy the "Temps" and "Brew" time on the reserve coffees are programed into the machine via Ethernet cable and are not available to employees...

FWIW he did say that it is for the "Sumatra" 200 +

I'm aware of the ethernet updates. If you ask 5 different people the temps you will get 5 totally different answers. They are ignorantly guessing.

 

[A Y]



So when you ask for Italian style what exactly are you looking for? They're not going to adjust the grind size for you or weigh out a different amount or change to a coffee with a different roast level.

FWIW, Nespresso aspires to the Italian ideal, I believe. Traditional Italian espresso tastes like a heavier, stronger coffee with none of the overwhelming acid, thick body, or lighter flavors in 3rd wave espresso. It's darker, more bitter, and just tastes like coffee. I think a lot of it has to do with the much lower dosing (<10g), and the blending and roasting style of the bean used.

 

[indesertum]

I have somewhat an idea of what an Italian espresso is. I was pointing out that you can't just walk into a cafe and ask for an Italian espresso if the beans aren't an Italian blend and the machine isn't dialed to that.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

I think he was speaking of a particular cafe that does this, not any of them.

 

[A Y]

Another coffee question: has anyone tried the coffee shot, the latest trend to hit teh hipster coffee boutiques? Basically, it's brewing drip coffee in an espresso machine and getting extractions in the mid 20 percents. Locally, G&B Coffee in LA does this, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet.

 

[Sprezziamo]

I think he was speaking of a particular cafe that does this, not any of them.

FWIW, Nespresso aspires to the Italian ideal, I believe. Traditional Italian espresso tastes like a heavier, stronger coffee with none of the overwhelming acid, thick body, or lighter flavors in 3rd wave espresso. It's darker, more bitter, and just tastes like coffee. I think a lot of it has to do with the much lower dosing (<10g), and the blending and roasting style of the bean used.

Bingo! When I was in Paris I had a Nespresso machine, and the "Ristretto" flavour was somewhat similar to the typical Italian coffee.

 

[indesertum]

I just highly doubt that the cafe had a separate grinder with fresh Italian style espresso blends just in case a customer came in and informed the barista he was Italian.

But who knows maybe they did.

Another coffee question: has anyone tried the coffee shot, the latest trend to hit teh hipster coffee boutiques? Basically, it's brewing drip coffee in an espresso machine and getting extractions in the mid 20 percents. Locally, G&B Coffee in LA does this, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet.

Where a regular espresso is at 50%? So it's a really long espresso using drip coffee beans?

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Using drip coffee beans? That's what third wavers do.

 

[b1os]



So it's a really long espresso using drip coffee beans?

That's basically, when done with espresso beans, a Schümli Kaffee (Swiss).