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In praise of the Aeropress

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In praise of the Aeropress

Postby Sakkarin » Mon Dec 08, 2014 3:56 pm

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Just got my Aeropress through the post, and had to take a pic of all the kit I needed to make my first cup of coffee with it!!! The scales were to measure the beans, that's a grinder alongside the coffee pack, and there's a jug and thermometer to test the water, which is specified as 180 deg C for the perfect cup.

I've been making my coffee with freshly ground/cafetiere this week, measuring out the quantities of everything, and had perfected it to give me a 9 out of 10 coffee. The very first cup with the Aeropress I'd give an 8 out of 10, so it clearly is a pretty good bit of kit, especially as compared to these brews, I'd give the best instant a 6.5 and the best of the "microground coffees" a 7. Very much easier to clean than the cafetiere, and as I'm sure I'll improve on the brew, a good bit of kit all round.

I dug out an old hockey puck from the loft to ascertain how puckish the "grounds puck" was, but unfortunately could not work out how to extract it, and it "burst", and ended up splattered all over the worktop! I should have taken a closer look before I assembled it all, it is quite obvious how it comes off now the damage is done :-(

P.S. I have a £400 expresso machine which I gave up on long ago because it is far too fiddly (now it is just an ornament...), however I can't recall ever having made a better cup of coffee with it than this week's cafetiere/aeropress efforts. I also have a filter machine which was pretty good, but I got fed up with all the bits to clean up.

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby Lusciouslush » Mon Dec 08, 2014 6:38 pm

:o :o :o You are a purist Saks - all I have out is the aeropress, coffee & the cup it is going into - don't bother with thermometers - just use water that's a second away from boiling so's you don't burn the coffee ! Job done! you do get used to it with a bit of practice - took me a while to suss out a good bean to use too - my usual didn't hit the spot somehow - so quite a few trips to the coffee place where they are happy to sell just small amounts of beans :thumbsup - didn't want them to think I was a tight-wad & explained what I was doing - they were really interested in all my experiments - they hadn't heard of the aero press at all, so were learning along with me.

You won't regret you bought it!

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby Sakkarin » Mon Dec 08, 2014 7:09 pm

I might accidentally have hit the nail on the head first time with the beans. I've not used beans for many years, but in anticipation of the Aeropress, I treated myself to a pack, and went for these Tesco Finest Java Sumatra beans. I read an article which was relatively scathing of one of the Tesco Finest range (albeit ground), but for me these hit the spot.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle ... taste-test

EDIT: P.S. the instructions recommend a temperature of just 80 degrees for dark roast beans, which is closer to lukewarm than boiling! Clearly I still have some juggling to do, I will work out how much cold water to add to the boiling to instantly bring it down to that temp. Suspect I'll end up like you just waiting a few seconds.

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby Stokey Sue » Mon Dec 08, 2014 7:53 pm

I'm still looking for the perfect coffee

That Guardian taste test, being well, a taste test is so subjective as to be pretty much pointless IMHO - it would have made more sense if they'd tasted the Colombian and one other from each range perhaps?

Having said which - I agree in as much as Morrison's and Lidl both do rather poor coffee, but Aldi is much better

80 deg C seems underpowered, You can get kettles that cut out at different temperatures, but when I replaced mine recently I decided not to bother

Still love my AeroPress though

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby Sakkarin » Mon Dec 08, 2014 11:27 pm

Good grief. I've just looked at the current price of my Pavoni, and the "List Price" is £561!

http://www.coffeeitalia.co.uk/proddetai ... E-P&cat=63

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby Renée » Tue Dec 09, 2014 12:39 am

Ouch!!

I am very tempted by the Aeropress and the price is reasonable. There are great reviews for it on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aerobie-AeroPre ... merReviews

My favourite beans are Monsoon Malabar from Booths. They have their own coffee bean roaster and they are roasted in small batches. These beans are the coffee roaster's favourite. I also like Taylors Italian. I use a cafetiere, which works well, but it takes a while to brush the grounds off the plunger and remove the grounds from the container.

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby Lusciouslush » Tue Dec 09, 2014 9:00 am

Does this mean you'll be dusting it off very soon then Saks? :lol:

I forgot to say earlier that I find an espresso grind works best in the aero.

My search for the perfect bean goes on too - it's very much a case of the good, the bad & the downright ugly - but it's fun trying to find ones that put a smile on my face!

I went thro' a phase of liking Square Mile Red Brick Havana Blend 67 - but the mail order became too costly & too much of a faff, plus the beans deteriorated too quickly - btw - does anyone freeze their beans?

I've heard good things about Waitrose's organic beans, but haven't got round to trying any yet.

Anyone fancy entering this next year...............

http://worldaeropresschampionship.com/

:D :D

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby Stokey Sue » Tue Dec 09, 2014 11:50 am

My favourite coffee for my espresso machine was Algerian Coffee Stores Veluto Nero

http://www.algcoffee.co.uk/

However it's not quite right in the Aeropress

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby Sakkarin » Wed Dec 10, 2014 3:09 pm

New product to rave about: I've never been happy with normal digital scales for measuring small amounts, so in the light of my Aeropress experience, where I wanted to precisely weigh out beans, I ended up ordering one of these on Monday, for the ridiculous price of £5.70 inc p&p:

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http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/250885354300? ... EBIDX%3AIT

It arrived this morning, and it really seems to be exceptionally well made, about the size of a small smartphone. I've already ascertained that the 12g of beans I need to make my perfect cup of coffee is exactly one level scoopful using the scoop that came with the Aeropress. So no more need for the weighing machine in that kit piccy.

The other thing I've just worked out, which has always been a question I've had, is how "loose dried yeast" compares with the amount you get in the sachets. It may seem like a basic question, but I've never resolved it, never having had an accurate enough weighing machine. I've just tried several different teaspoon measures, and a level teaspoon of dried yeast averages around 3.5g, so 2 level teaspoons is equivalent to a 7g pouch of yeast.

EDIT: P.S. Not made a bad cup of coffee yet with my machine, but I think I am overdosing on caffeine.

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby kavey » Thu Dec 11, 2014 12:08 am

My Pete adores his Aeropress, don't think he'd go back now.
He reviews coffees on his blog, PeteDrinks.com though doesn't pretend to be an expert, just reviews them based on his personal tastes and how he finds them. He uses the aeropress pretty much exclusively nowadays.

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby Sakkarin » Fri Dec 12, 2014 2:11 pm

Wow, that's a huge set of coffee reviews there, Kavey! Do you mind if I post a list of them here?

I see he hasn't posted a review of the Tesco Finest Java Sumatra I mentioned, would be interested to see what he made of it - I will try some of his suggestions.

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby kavey » Tue Dec 30, 2014 10:57 am

A list of the reviews? Sure, go ahead, I think it would be lovely to share the links.

I wish his blog received more traffic so he got more comments, as I think his reviews are good (though I accept I'm biased). Unlike a lot of coffee writers, he's not into espresso, he prefers to make up a mug of coffee the same as he would usually drink coffee -- with milk -- and his reviews are done that way too. He also doesn't worry about using specialist terminology, it's more about sharing his own opinions on the coffees in normal language.

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby kavey » Tue Dec 30, 2014 10:58 am

I'll try and pick up that Tesco one for him, so he can review.
We don't tend to shop in Tesco (as our local one is a car crash) but I'll try and make visit to get the coffee.

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby Sakkarin » Tue Dec 30, 2014 12:58 pm

I am still in awe of the Aeropress. The pix at the bottom are the beans I've tried so far (well actually the Lavazza isn't open yet). It's been quite convenient that Tesco have been running a "2 for a fiver" offer on beans for the last few weeks. Kavey, looking on the Tesco site, the Java Sumatran beans seem to be out of stock, I hope it doesn't mean they're discontinuing them.

Every cup I've made has been great, which makes it very hard to score them. I still however give the Tesco Sumatran top marks, it had a depth and breadth of flavour that was pretty much complete. With these freshly ground coffees made on the Aeropress, sometimes the hit I get is similar to that sensation when you take a slug of a liqueur you love and it envelops you.

Here are my scores on the ones I've tried so far, very difficult as I say because they are all good, and if I was feeling like a particularly intense brew, I think the Percol would probably win me over, for a creamy brew, the Tesco Colombian, even though they are at the bottom of my (tiny) list.

Tesco Java Sumatra 4.5
Taylors Rich Italian 4.25
Tesco Colombian 4.00
Percol Black & Beyond 4.00

Here are Kavey's Pete's scores, I can see what a monumental project it was, given that I am still only on my fourth coffee! It was difficult to tell whether he was reviewing beans or ground coffee, the ones in green are the ones I think were beans (all mine are).

Here's Pete's winning Percol Americano review:
http://www.petedrinks.com/2014/12/coffe ... americano/


Percol Americano 4.5
Taylors After Dark 4.5
Cherizena Ethiopian Yirgacheffe 4
Waitrose Monsooned Malabar AA Coffee Beans 4
Ca Phe ZgoZ 4
Cafedirect Colombia 4
Cherizena Fairtrade Guatamalan 4
Marley Lively Up! 4
Sea Island Geisha Costa Rica 4
Taylors Indonesia 4
Union Roasted Rwanda Maraba 4
Puro Organic 3.5
Alma De Cuba 3.5
Bettys Peruvian Pangoa 3.5
Black Sheep Robusta Revival 3.5
Cherizena Banoffee Pie Flavoured 3.5
Decadent Decaf Indonesia Sumatra Mandheling 3.5
Extract Coffee Roasters Original Espresso 3.5
Pact Espresso Blend 3.5
Percol Nicaragua 3.5
Sea Island Hawaii Kona 3.5
Taylors Cafe Brasilia 3.5
Taylors Hot Lava Java 3.5
Aromo Bounce 3
Bewley’s Araku India 3
Cherizena Jumbo Maragogype 3
Puro Fuerte 3
Bewley’s Gold Roast 3
Bewley’s Rich Roast 3
Cherizena Honduran Las Capucas 3
Cherizena Turquino Montanes 3
Decadent Decaf Kenya AA 3
East India Company Galapagos Enchanted Islands 3
East India Company Nepal Mount Everest Supreme 3
Taylors Cafe Imperial 3
Taylors Christmas Blend 3
Taylors Good Morning 3
Taylors Lazy Sunday 3
Taylors Rich Italian 3
Waitrose Kwonggi Mountain 3
Whittard Guatemalan Elephant 3
Whittard San Agustin Colombian 3
Cherizena Monsoon Malabar 2.5
Puro Noble 2.5
Bettys Christmas Coffee 2.5
Bewley’s Panama 2.5
Cherizena Old Brown Java 2.5
Grumpy Mule Organic Ethiopia 2.5
Pact Finca San Antonio 2.5
Union Hand-Roasted Guatemala, Liberacion 2.5
Whittard Ethiopian Yirgacheffe 2.5
Waitrose Sumatra Mandheling Beans 2
Larozza Crema 2
Lavazza Qualita Oro 2
Pact Samambaia 2
Taylors Fairtrade Organic 2
Threesixty Ethiopia Yirgacheffe 2
Taylors Take It Easy 1.5
Clipper One For The Road 1

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby Stokey Sue » Tue Dec 30, 2014 1:38 pm

Thanks for the list Sakkarin

For anyone who doesn't have an AeroPress I'd point out that I prefer different coffees made in different coffee makers

I think my taste is probably closer to Pete's than to your Sakkarin, I wouldn't rate Taylors Rich Italian as high as 4.25; in fact I think I prefer the Aldi copy!

Do you taste your coffees straight or do you add milk and/or sugar? I see you include both in the original picture

I add nothing to coffee and I find that has an impact on what I like - friends recommend blends that they like with milk and they just have a poor taste straight, they obviously need the milk to round out the flavour..

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby Sakkarin » Tue Dec 30, 2014 1:54 pm

I am afraid I am a complete Philistine and add milk AND sugar :-(

I have noted that a couple of times I've accidentally tasted before adding sugar, and realised that it still tastes good even before I've added sugar, so I might have a go at leaving the sugar out deliberately for a while.

My Rich Italian was fresh beans, I think Pete's was ready-ground, I suspect that would have a bearing on the score. I am going to get Pete's WORST scoring beans (Waitrose Sumatra that he gives 2 out of 5) and check them out, but they may still get an equally high mark as the Taylors from me, I am used to such dreadful coffee historically!

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby Stokey Sue » Tue Dec 30, 2014 2:08 pm

I was surprised by the low mark for Sumatra Mandheilung which I've always liked, but haven't tried in AeroPress.
I think milk makes more difference than sugar probably

I must revert to beans, got lazy since my espresso machine died

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby Lusciouslush » Tue Dec 30, 2014 6:07 pm

WooHoo!............Lots for me to read here - you have been busy!!

Sakks - get in touch with your without sugar side - it'll be a revelation! Well over thirty years ago I mistakenly picked up someone else's coffee - I thought, wow this is bl%%dy good & then realised it didn't have any sugar in it - I haven't had any in tea or coffee since!

Next up will be ditching the milk.................. :thumbsup

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby kavey » Tue Dec 30, 2014 8:26 pm

Sakkarin
I think Pete most often gets ground now, I can ask him which grind he buys as best suited for aeropress if that's helpful.
He used to drink sugar in coffee but as he's almost exclusively drinking better coffee now, he finds he no longer needs it, so I think the reviews are universally coffee with milk but no sugar.
It made sense to him to review them in the format that he, as the drinker, prefers them.
Thanks for sharing the list, must have been a mammoth task doing that, so kind of you to share.
x

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Re: In praise of the Aeropress

Postby Dena » Tue Dec 30, 2014 8:36 pm

Must admit I am not such a purist as many of you, but as I don't like milk or sugar in my coffee, I don't know if the reviews listed would be germane?

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