[jamiev]

In case it's not yet widely known, you now have a really excellent coffee shop in Sheffield: Tamper
I know bragazzis is pretty decent, but Tamper takes it to the next level.

Went to Tamper today; superb.

[benpritch]

In case it's not yet widely known, you now have a really excellent coffee shop in Sheffield: Tamper
I know bragazzis is pretty decent, but Tamper takes it to the next level.

Went to Tamper today; superb.

finally some decent coffee in Sheffield. Really good. Apparently they are opening another cafe somewhere else in Sheff too.

[jamiev]

In case it's not yet widely known, you now have a really excellent coffee shop in Sheffield: Tamper
I know bragazzis is pretty decent, but Tamper takes it to the next level.

Went to Tamper today; superb.

finally some decent coffee in Sheffield. Really good. Apparently they are opening another cafe somewhere else in Sheff too.

Excellent, when & where?

[chillax]

Not sure if its come up before, but I've been looking for a decent manual grinder for a while and just ordered one of these...



http://www.baristalab.com/porlex-mini-stainless-steel-coffee-grinder.html

Apparently its small enough to fit inside an aeropress, so good for travelling. Quite excited.

[Richie Crouch]

had the same one for a couple of years now, they are great and it's easy to adjust the size of the grind

[Durbs]

+2 for Tamper.

Great coffee, nice place. REALLY good beans on toast. Killer flapjacks.

[iain]

+3 for Tamper. Went to the newer place on Arundel Street for brunch, really good.

[AJM]

So, one for the knowledgeable coffee folk out there...

I need to get my missus a present soon. She drinks a fair bit of coffee (/has a full blown caffeine addiction ). I drink some coffee, although nowhere near as much. So I thought a nice surprise might be something to improve the coffee experience.

We currently have one of those metal stove top expresso makers, which gets used with the packet ground coffee from the supermarket, usually the Taylor's stuff or something like that. We had a cafetiere which I broke a little while ago, which mainly got used to do longer coffees when we had groups of friends over.

So, what to get? I am going to replace the cafetiere anyway I think, since its better than the stove top for larger amounts of coffee...

So aside from that (or instead if there's a way better option?) what would you get if you had say £10, £50 or £100 to spend on improving the coffee experience detailed above? (Unsure on whether its the only part of the present or just a component, hence the wide price range!). Very much looking at what gets best bang per buck rather than aiming for absolute perfection!

- I figure £10 there's not much, spread it out over a few packs of better coffee or something?
- £50 a hand grinder (probably want hand rather than electric so it can be taken in the van) so we can use beans rather than pre-ground?
- Heard a lot of mentions of aeropresses - worth upgrading from the stove top if the budget is bigger? Doesn't look like it has the volume to be a cafetiere replacement (is that right - a couple of expresso cups worth, similar to a medium size stove top?) though so would probably still want to get one of those as well.

[Durbs]

Aeropress - essentially makes a "nearly" espresso - but for larger groups, you can make about 6 cups worth, decant into a pot and add more water (bascially a jug of Americano). I generally do this insted of using my cafetiere as the coffee just tastes nicer IMHO.

I've got a DeLonghi grinder (about £30?) which is pretty useful. Hand-grinders are good, but can be a bit of a faff first thing in the morning. If going electric, make sure it's a burr grinder, not a bladed one. You can pay quite a bit for a wide range of stuff.

Other options are one-off/subscriptions to something like hasbean.co.uk and get a load of specialist coffee.

[benpritch]

So, one for the knowledgeable coffee folk out there...

I need to get my missus a present soon. She drinks a fair bit of coffee (/has a full blown caffeine addiction ). I drink some coffee, although nowhere near as much. So I thought a nice surprise might be something to improve the coffee experience.

We currently have one of those metal stove top expresso makers, which gets used with the packet ground coffee from the supermarket, usually the Taylor's stuff or something like that. We had a cafetiere which I broke a little while ago, which mainly got used to do longer coffees when we had groups of friends over.

So, what to get? I am going to replace the cafetiere anyway I think, since its better than the stove top for larger amounts of coffee...

So aside from that (or instead if there's a way better option?) what would you get if you had say £10, £50 or £100 to spend on improving the coffee experience detailed above? (Unsure on whether its the only part of the present or just a component, hence the wide price range!). Very much looking at what gets best bang per buck rather than aiming for absolute perfection!

- I figure £10 there's not much, spread it out over a few packs of better coffee or something?
- £50 a hand grinder (probably want hand rather than electric so it can be taken in the van) so we can use beans rather than pre-ground?
- Heard a lot of mentions of aeropresses - worth upgrading from the stove top if the budget is bigger? Doesn't look like it has the volume to be a cafetiere replacement (is that right - a couple of expresso cups worth, similar to a medium size stove top?) though so would probably still want to get one of those as well.

http://www.hasbean.co.uk/products/aerobie-aeropress

get one of these and a grinder

http://www.coffeehit.co.uk/porlex-tall-hand-grinder

then get some nice beans, read descriptions and decide which you like the sound of, if you don't go for something totally weird you won't be disappointed - http://www.hasbean.co.uk/collections/america?page=2

[AJM]

Aeropress - essentially makes a "nearly" espresso - but for larger groups, you can make about 6 cups worth, decant into a pot and add more water (bascially a jug of Americano). I generally do this insted of using my cafetiere as the coffee just tastes nicer IMHO.

Ok, sounds good, so if I put the budget for a replacement cafetiere towards an aeropress and some sort of coffee pot that gives me the best of both worlds...

I've got a DeLonghi grinder (about £30?) which is pretty useful. Hand-grinders are good, but can be a bit of a faff first thing in the morning. If going electric, make sure it's a burr grinder, not a bladed one. You can pay quite a bit for a wide range of stuff.

I'd seen the burr being the recommended way before. We are spending most of next year in a van so its either got to be hand powered, battery powered or run off 12V!

Benpritch - cheers! Looks like a good set of kit.

Incidentally, I know the instructions on the ground coffee packs say to store in the fridge (which to be honest probaby isnt that likely given the size of the fridge in the van) use within 2 weeks of opening - are beans longer lasting or more perishable? We tend to go through a few big tablespoons of the ground stuff a day, basically a stove top load or two, just curious as to how beans would stack up on longevity...

[benpritch]

With beans i think using them a week after they are roasted for three weeks is about right. keep them sealed in a cool place.

Coffee oxidises as soon as it is ground so essentially pre ground is already off so it doesn't matter where you keep it.

[AJM]

With beans i think using them a week after they are roasted for three weeks is about right. keep them sealed in a cool place.

Coffee oxidises as soon as it is ground so essentially pre ground is already off so it doesn't matter where you keep it.

Ok cheers!

[Bubba]

battery powered or run off 12V!

Or you could use an inverter - something like this. Handy to have in a van so you can run a laptop, etc. Just be careful the 12v supply is up to it.

[AJM]

Or you could use an inverter - something like this. Handy to have in a van so you can run a laptop, etc. Just be careful the 12v supply is up to it.

We thought about an inverter but we figured everything we might want would need a subsequent transform anyway so might as well just go from 12v to the voltage we actually need rather than putting an extra step to 240v in the middle. Anyway, what's done is done now...

[Jaspersharpe]

+1 for Aeropress. Haven't used the stove top since I got mine. Better coffee and less mess/faff.

[Fiend]

I am feeling such a n00b with a stove-top pot and pre-ground beans  Gotta get an aeropress and grinder then 

[chris j]

I am feeling such a n00b with a stove-top pot and pre-ground beans  Gotta get an aeropress and grinder then 

Not to mention a palm civet. De rigeur among the Sheffield coffee set, don't you know...

For coffee at home I have a Krups Burr Grinder (£40) and Kenwood filter machine (£70) which gives good daily coffee with very little effort. For camping pre-ground and a cafetiere/camping mug combo gives acceptable results (for me, may fall woefully short on others standards) without faff.

[AJM]

I am feeling such a n00b with a stove-top pot and pre-ground beans  Gotta get an aeropress and grinder then 

+1 on that

[Durbs]

Wasn't there a Panorama or some-such recently showing how un-humane the civet coffee was?
Kind of like battery chickens but possibly more fragrant.

[Muenchener]

I bought a Hario plastic filter cone a few weeks ago, despite having difficulty believing that a filter cone with a huge hole in the bottom would do anything other than let the water gush straight through, barely touching the coffee.

To my surprise it works really well and produces coffee that I find milder and more pleasant than aeropress output. The - very Japanese - pouring ritual is a bit of a faff though.

[benpritch]

I am feeling such a n00b with a stove-top pot and pre-ground beans  Gotta get an aeropress and grinder then 

Not to mention a palm civet. De rigeur among the Sheffield coffee set, don't you know...

For coffee at home I have a Krups Burr Grinder (£40) and Kenwood filter machine (£70) which gives good daily coffee with very little effort. For camping pre-ground and a cafetiere/camping mug combo gives acceptable results (for me, may fall woefully short on others standards) without faff.

Dear Chris J, why bother going on a coffee geeks thread just to be sneery about the level of geekery? Start your own thread maybe? Call it "acceptable coffee without any faff" or something?

[iain]

Wasn't there a Panorama or some-such recently showing how un-humane the civet coffee was?
Kind of like battery chickens but possibly more fragrant.

Read this recently. Interesting to read the person responsible reflecting on what's happened since.


Back to Tamper, has anyone tried their beans at home?

[AJM]

So, one for the knowledgeable coffee folk out there...

I need to get my missus a present soon. She drinks a fair bit of coffee (/has a full blown caffeine addiction ). I drink some coffee, although nowhere near as much. So I thought a nice surprise might be something to improve the coffee experience.

.....

Just a quick one to say thanks for all the helpful responses, the aeropress got its first (couple of) brews yesterday and the grinder got christened with some beans today.

Good coffee and good brownie points earns too!

Cheers 

[T_B]

Can anyone recommend a decent decaff coffee? I've been off caffeine for a couple of months now and am really struggling to find something I like. I tried the only decaff beans that http://www.hasbean.co.uk/ do and I wasn't too keen. Generally, when I have a decaff coffee 'out' it always seems pretty good.