Coffee Beans

I've used a company called Coffee Compass for years. Superb - they only roast your beans when the order comes in - in a lot of cases you can specify the roast you want. Huge range - single origin and their own blends - it is a bit of a myth that coffee keeps for ages - it doesn't - when you taste properly fresh coffee - the difference is spectacular. This is their site below - cheers - I.

 
+ 1 on the aldi beans also buy the costa beans at Tesco taste better than the pre ground costa can't say I've tried any fancy artisan coffee but if anyone has recommendations I'm also interested to hear what people have tried. I have the sage bean to cup machine
 
So I've just invested in a bean to cup coffee machine. Anyone have a vested interest in coffee beans? So far I've only bought Tescos and Aldi own brand beans and they've both been remarkably good. Any suggestions?
Another one I forgot to mention Garry - Owens Coffee - their roastery (is that the right name?) is by Endsleigh Garden Centre
 
I started brewing my own coffee a few weeks into lockdown in April. I've mostly been buying various artisan coffees although I did try one from Tesco too (Taylor's Rich Italian - it's OK, very chocolately, not that distinctive otherwise). It depends what you're looking for in a coffee, I've definitely had artisan coffees that weren't anything special and others which taste great (as with shaving, YMMV).

4 that I've really enjoyed are:
  • Union House Blend for americanos and Revelation for shorter drinks
  • Monmouth Coffee's Suke Quto
  • My local coffee shop's Air, which is quite bright and citrus-y, which I like
I'm still experimenting and I'm sure that my favourite coffee list will change over time
 
Check out https://www.redber.co.uk/

I've tried several of their green cofee beans. My favourite is Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.

Roasting coffee makes a lot of smoke so I do it outside in the garden with a camping stove. You really need to blast the beans with a good heat and stir constantly to keep them moving, especially towards the end. It will only take 15mins or so. Nothing I've ever bought in a supermarket comes close.

It's really interesting to see what kind of flavours you can get with different roasts. Medium dark is usually the sweet spot for me: lots of caramelisation without killing the fresher, zesty flavours completely. Carbonised dark roasts are the work of Satan.

I used an Aeropress for a while. It makes good coffee - including espresso strength if you want it - but I find I like "cowboy coffee" better ie simply add hot water to coffee grounds and filter through a tea strainer. The fine silt which gets through the tea strainer gives it more flavour :)

IMO a fast extraction (and therefore a fine grind) is the secret of good coffee. More of the bitter flavours start to come out the longer you leave it to brew. That can make a super-concentrated espresso undrinkable.
 
Check out https://www.redber.co.uk/

I've tried several of their green cofee beans. My favourite is Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.

Roasting coffee makes a lot of smoke so I do it outside in the garden with a camping stove. You really need to blast the beans with a good heat and stir constantly to keep them moving, especially towards the end. It will only take 15mins or so. Nothing I've ever bought in a supermarket comes close.

It's really interesting to see what kind of flavours you can get with different roasts. Medium dark is usually the sweet spot for me: lots of caramelisation without killing the fresher, zesty flavours completely. Carbonised dark roasts are the work of Satan.

I used an Aeropress for a while. It makes good coffee - including espresso strength if you want it - but I find I like "cowboy coffee" better ie simply add hot water to coffee grounds and filter through a tea strainer. The fine silt which gets through the tea strainer gives it more flavour :)

IMO a fast extraction (and therefore a fine grind) is the secret of good coffee. More of the bitter flavours start to come out the longer you leave it to brew. That can make a super-concentrated espresso undrinkable.
Thank you for your reply, I'll study this in more depth tomorrow after the copious amounts of Rioja I've drunk this evening has dissipated....
 
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