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I was given a supply this Christmas, made by Taylor's, and I can only ask: Why are these not more widely used?
My coffee life has improved radically! The degree to which I detest instant "coffee" is beyond the scales, yet here appears to be a simple, sensible solution to office coffee. Is there something I'm missing? Why are these not in wider use?
Why are these not in wider use?
because they don't taste like proper coffee?
Is there something I’m missing?
a coffee machine ?
Tried them for a while. Expensive, taste a bit insipid but better than instant, loads of packaging.
Use an aeropress now.
Ball bags. Like coffee bags, only less balls
because they don’t taste like proper coffee?
We're talking about instant as the alternative. You're saying the latter is better?
And in any case, wouldn't taste be a matter of different roasts/beans and NOT a matter of the coffee being offered in bags?
We’re talking about instant as the alternative.
Not all instants are the same. Some are quite nice.
Is there something I’m missing?
Tastebuds? 😛
I've used them camping, they make a semi-decent coffee flavoured drink. Nowhere near the quality of taking an aeropress or nanopresso, but much less bulk and faff, so swings and roundabouts.
edit: for an alternative to instant, I'm still not sold. Some of the instants with bits of actual coffee in are nicer than the coffee bag coffee I've tasted.
Why are these not more widely used?
Blame Hipsters - unless the beans are ground between the buttocks of a Mountain Yak they aren't worth drinking! 🙂
wouldn’t taste be a matter of different roasts/beans and NOT a matter of the coffee being offered in bags?
It's about how the coffee is made as much as the choice of bean/grind etc.
As far as 'is it better than instant?' possibly but that doesn't mean it's *better enough* that people will pay the extra for bags rather than go the whole hog and get a coffee from a machine. They're a niche product, basically.
I've found them a bit insipid even with minimal water and a maximimum dunk time - sames as those environmental time bombs you can get with a plastic funnel and a little coffee bag at the bottom you pour water in and let filter through into a cup.
Because they cost way too much, have limited bean options and are not recyclable.
These, however, are great.
Edit: Who makes a 'good' instant, then? Seems to be a secret as no one is saying!
Because how would you then fill several forums spouting off about different grinds/beans/presses/other paraphernalia whilst making a mess everywhere and drinking a cold coffee by the time you've finished faffing about?
Yet at the same time it's fine to whack a bag of PG tips in some hot water and let it sit for a while.
I think it's just what society sees as normal. Instant coffee is normal, faffing about with "proper" coffee is normal. Coffee in a bag isn't normal. But tea in a bag is.
Although, I've tried the bags in the past when staying in a hotel. They were fine, better than instant, but i thought they were a bit expensive. Guessing that the price of convenience though.
For the record, I'm happy with a bit of instant if that's what's available. My go to posh coffee involves pre-ground Aldi coffee in a single-cup filter machine or occasionally an Aeropress in the office.
Also, slightly off topic, but I once went to a colleagues house and his family used instant tea. I didn't even know that it existed. To me it was grim and never again to be repeated, but to them it was normal - that is what a cup of tea was in their house.
We have a 'contact' at work so have had a decent supply of these for a while. Generally well liked and always get used quickly. Decent enough for me alongside good instant or a stove top pot.
Some of you have far too much time on your hands btw, it's coffee, a drink and even a really, really, really good one is not that far removed from something pretty standard.
Nothing wrong with them OP, it's just some people like a very strong brew which these won't make. BUT not everyone likes/needs strong coffee. If they work for you then carry on.
You can make it even simpler by just adding hot water to ground coffee. Stir it up and wait for a few minutes until the grounds sink, then drink. A lot of the world makes coffee this way and you get a similar result to the bags just for less cost and waste. Don't drink the last mouthful.
I was given a supply this Christmas, made by Taylor’s, and I can only ask: Why are these not more widely used?
They have been using them in the far east for at least 20 years now. We prefer the coffee bag made of natural fibre rather than some posh looking western "plastic" ones. (notice those posh tea bags with their fancy "3D" pyramid shape plastic tea bag? Yes, plastic and heat - good combination?)
because they don’t taste like proper coffee?
Because the people who make them don't know how to taste coffee. Ours in the far east taste like coffee, look like coffee but they are made from cheap dark roast Robusta (coarse grind) with the taste for local consumption. Nice but not for western taste. Much better than instant coffee btw.
Not all instants are the same. Some are quite nice.
Even the best instant cannot compete with average coffee bag IMO. The coffee bag brands we have you don't find them in the west coz they look very "local" and people in the west will not even give them a glance without the colourful posh packaging.
They don't involve a ritual and people love a ritual. They also like doing things slowly sometimes - see the thread on film cameras. Coffee making it seems to me is very popular at the moment because it gives you time to slow down and concentrate on a simple task which results in something pleasant to drink. People will bang on about taste and grinds and beans but in the end it's not about that it's about being able to slow down while still feeling you are doing something worthwhile because lots of other people also think this ritual is important. Perhaps at some point it will be replaced by something else but that something else will have to do the same thing.
I recall many years ago an article which suggested that the Japanese tourist in the UK was to be seen taking so many photographs because they could then enjoy their holiday guilt free as they were still being productive and appeasing their unrelenting work ethic. Obviously now with phone cameras everybody's at it.
coffee bags are a bit expensive, I'd get one of these.
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You can make it even simpler by just adding hot water to ground coffee. Stir it up and wait for a few minutes until the grounds sink, then drink. A lot of the world makes coffee this way and you get a similar result to the bags just for less cost and waste. Don’t drink the last mouthful.
I did the same with loose-leaf tea for years, that's just how my grandparents made it. I used to love straining the dregs out of the bottom through my teeth! It wasn't until I started having mates round as an adult that I discovered this wasn't normal commonplace (and my guests got a bit of a shock).
They don’t involve a ritual and people love a ritual.
... whereas I can't be arsed. Over the years I've had a big combo espresso / filter / cappuccino machine, a regular drip filter machine, a stove top moka pot, an Aeropress... and the one that's probably had more use than all of them put together is a planet-killing Tassimo machine I inherited from work. It gets used daily, makes a half-decent brew, and I'm not fannying around with loose coffee grains that get bloody everywhere.
They're great for work. I carry enough crap as it is so unfortunately have no room for an aeropress or suchlike. I use a Bodum travel mug which keeps drinks hot for ages so I just leave the bag in, takes care of the strength side of things. Yes, I am an oaf.
Re the packaging, plastic etc, Percol are a plastic free company and in my eyes do the best bags anyway. You can even compost the "foil" sachet along with your spent bag. They're not "cheap" but 10 bags works out at 35p a which when put like that is actually bloody cheap. Converted plenty of people at work on to them.
never, ever, EVER start a coffee thread on STW, especially when it's about pods/bags/convenience or anything that's not artisan small-batch stuff that's brewed in a wacky plastic gadget or a 3 grand machine with 12 bar pressure.
It just brings out all the coffee nazis.
Very insightful avdave, you could be right. I suppose categorising it as a pseudo-religious activity would explain the evangelising and inability to accept alternatives that vary from the one true method.
They don’t involve a ritual and people love a ritual.
Drinking coffee with ritual? Not in the far east as we just want to drink good coffee. Well average is good enough so long as it is not expensive (about 40p to 50p per cup)
However, tea drinking ritual is another story altogether ... we lads just leg it when we see them cos to us it is so soooooo boring ... we drink tea but we really can't be arsed to go through the ritual. ( a friend is a fanatical tea drinker ... we just avoid him)
Rule of thumb for me when brewing coffee or tea ... No plastic components should be used in the process as I don't know what chemical the plastic is releasing into my drink.
They don’t involve a ritual and people love a ritual.
Me making a coffee:
1) Place cup under nozzle of bean to cup machine
2) Press button
3) Wait
4) Pick up cup and walk away
They don’t involve a ritual and people love a ritual. They also like doing things slowly sometimes – see the thread on film cameras. Coffee making it seems to me is very popular at the moment because it gives you time to slow down and concentrate on a simple task which results in something pleasant to drink. People will bang on about taste and grinds and beans but in the end it’s not about that it’s about being able to slow down while still feeling you are doing something worthwhile because lots of other people also think this ritual is important. Perhaps at some point it will be replaced by something else but that something else will have to do the same thing.
This +1
It's religion, and if you don't believe that, tell them it's religion, and watch how they'll tell you how it certainly isn't anything like other religions. Just like a religion.
You can make it even simpler by just adding hot water to ground coffee. Stir it up and wait for a few minutes until the grounds sink, then drink. A lot of the world makes coffee this way and you get a similar result to the bags just for less cost and waste. Don’t drink the last mouthful.
+1
It's like those jetboils with cafetieres built in, Who on earth carries that much weight and faff whilst hiking!
Although I did get a GSI coffee filter for christmas, clips to the top of the mud and weighs 8g. Only thing I didn't account for was needing 2 mugs! Will have to experiment.
I occasionally use them. The taylors ones are ok, if you're desparate fro m brew you can mash them repeatedly and make something that is almost but not quite unlike proper coffee. Sainsburys do their own Italian roast bag that is a good deal stronger. What is much better though are sainsburys own brand one cup filters - great for camping and bike packing.
At home though I tend to use a whoompf coffee maker if it's just for me (like an aeropress but needlessly over-designed). Faster than a bag and far better output.
Nothing wrong with being a C of E coffee maker wwaswas, perfectly ok to only turn up for weddings, funerals, christenings and the the Christmas eve service.:-)
It’s like those jetboils with cafetieres built in, Who on earth carries that much weight and faff whilst hiking!
Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
I have tried loads or stoves, the jetboil is the best compromise for what I use it for. Cafetiere bit adds 8g
Coffeebags? Not seen them since the 70s! I didn't know they were still going
They’re great for work. I carry enough crap as it is so unfortunately have no room for an aeropress or suchlike. I use a Bodum travel mug which keeps drinks hot for ages so I just leave the bag in, takes care of the strength side of things. Yes, I am an oaf.
You need one of these...
https://www.bodum.com/gb/en/11067-01-travel-press
The Taylors bags now - the smaller, squarer packets - are better than they used to be. They don't brew as strong as Aeropress etc, but they're a passable cup of coffee in a pinch, and still better than instant.
I’ll probably get perma-banned for this, but I’ve gone back to instant. Tried other methods and it’s just a faff. Coffee is just like wine, all talk and bollocks. If you blindfolded me I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a hint of chicory, those beans that are passed through a monkey’s anus and Nescafé. As long as it has caffeine it’s a winner!
Found them to lacka bit of taste and need a long infusion. I have the black infuser and a coffee grinder for fresh one cup, not to mention a bean to cup machine and other toys. Also they must be foil wrapped to maintain oils and aroma so not the best environmental solution. Grind into a small sealed pot is probably just as good for teh workplace with better taste.
Although I did get a GSI coffee filter for christmas, clips to the top of the mud and weighs 8g.
I've got one of those. It's absolutely brilliant for wild camping, can't beat a nice proper coffee at the top of a hill. Fits nicely inside my little cook pot along with the gas can, stove etc and a little baggie of coffee. (Coincidentally, wild camping is the only time I've ever used coffee bags too.)
My go to posh coffee involves pre-ground Aldi coffee
oxymoron.
nothing remotely ‘posh’ about pre ground aldi coffee.
I've recently started using ESE (Easy Serve Espresso) pods in my espresso machine.
Currently going through a box of 50 Black Donkey brand that I got off Amazon for a £11 as a trial: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07RWNQTQV/
I'm impressed. Much quicker, easier and less messy than filling the basket with grounds. And I get a consistently good espresso from them.
It does miss a bit of the ritual - but I can still grind my own when I'm not in a rush.
First saw them in the 70s. In those days we made coffee in a jug before we got a percolator. They were shite then, but as we were English we didn't know how to make or drink coffee anyway.
Nowt wrong with the jetboil cafetiere, just grind some fresh beans before I set off, and enjoy it much better than instant or anything that's festered in a flask.
Sorry, but I also make tea in a pot, with all the three minute faff that requires.
nothing remotely ‘posh’ about pre ground aldi coffee.
and i got one of these.
I hope you live in a soft water area @Mrsmith.
The merest hint of limescale will make your shiny column rather unattractive.
Talking of which... water hardness. All you coffee aficionados, how does that fit into your one size fits all “this is the best coffee and bestest eva way of making it in the world eva” dogma?
Because quite frankly, a cup of tea or coffee made in the gert lush soft water of the south west, tastes completely different to ones made in the oh so hard chalky aquifer’s of the east and south east... of England obvz. No idea what your Scottish water is like, full of midges probably 😉
Talking of which… water hardness. All you coffee aficionados, how does that fit into your one size fits all “this is the best coffee and bestest eva way of making it in the world eva” dogma?
reverse osmosis or tesco ashbeck spring (as close as ideal TDS and PH for coffee brewing available on the high street)
I've been using coffee bags for years when bikepacking. Simple, clean, no washing up or having to carry out loose coffee grounds.
No idea what your Scottish water is like, full of midges probably 😉
It tastes a lot like the expensive stuff you can buy in bottles but it’s cheap enough to have a bath in.
What are these coffee bags like for recycling?
Genuine question... have been tempted but am put off by the thought of putting more stuff in the bin.
It tastes a lot like the expensive stuff you can buy in bottles but it’s cheap enough to have a bath in.
🤣🤣🤣 I do remember there being lots of bubbles!!
reverse osmosis or tesco ashbeck spring
Pure genius. 😂
Don't know for sure but if it's the same material as tea bags they compost fairly easily.
Lyons coffee bags are biodegradable/compostable.
“ Lyons coffee bags are biodegradable/compostable“
Great, will take a look.
Coffee bags infinitely better than instant. Clean as well so no idiots dumping the grounds down the sink or making a mess at work.
Aeropress at home.
Percol bags are compostable, as are the "foil" sachets.
I’ve recently started using ESE (Easy Serve Espresso) pods in my espresso machine.
Currently going through a box of 50 Black Donkey brand that I got off Amazon for a £11 as a trial: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07RWNQTQV/
/blockquote>Ooh thanks. I've been buying ESE pods from coffeeroyale.co.uk but recommendations always welcomed!
It’s like those jetboils with cafetieres built in, Who on earth carries that much weight and faff whilst hiking!
Dunno, but people like me who carry their camping equipment in the back of a car like them. (Jetboil is too heavy for wild camping, coffee or otherwise)
Disagree DrJ. Its split between two of us. Its not that heavy and gets lighter effectively the longer you are out due to its fuel economy compared to other stoves.
i ordered a load of the Taylor coffee bags, still got most of em - much prefer Nescafe Azera instant.
Really cant be arsed getting my chemistry set out every time i want a brew.
Ooh thanks. I’ve been buying ESE pods from coffeeroyale.co.uk but recommendations always welcomed!
They are my first experience with ESE so I'd be interested to hear how you think they compare to other brands.
Its not that heavy and gets lighter effectively the longer you are out due to its fuel economy compared to other stoves.
Surely that's arse-backwards? If it's more fuel economic then it'll stay heavier for longer as it's burning off less fuel.
Disagree DrJ. Its split between two of us. Its not that heavy and gets lighter effectively the longer you are out due to its fuel economy compared to other stoves.
Yes, if you were treking across the antartic, for a long weekend in Scotland you would need to make a lot of coffee to justify it!
Surely that’s arse-backwards? If it’s more fuel economic then it’ll stay heavier for longer as it’s burning off less fuel.
Only if you take far too much fuel. If you need 30g/day with a normal stove and 20g with a jetboil, then a month long crossing of the antarctic you only need to set off with 600g instead of 900g, so you save the weight of a ~300g can (which is probably 500g inc the metal).