Coffee suppliers… Aeropress content.

Lavazza red...or black if you can justify it, if buying from a supermarket.

If going poncey and online try one that does an aeropress grind* - I think Hasbean does.

*On my grinder espresso is a 1**, AeroPress is a 3, pour over 5 and french press 8 - yes, I am that sad

** who am I kidding, it depends how old the beans are, it might be a 1h if fresh, right down to a 1a if a couple of weeks old. Did I say I've lost it to the coffee gods?

I've been using these guys for years after a recommendation on here.

https://monsoonestates.co.uk/

Well I’ve been using a Nespresso Vertuo for the last few years and I’m getting fed up of the foam that is supposed to be crema. Plus I’m trying to recreate the stuff that I get in several  cafes but without spending £1500. I like a flat white and a lot of it,  I’m not an espresso drinker at all… The Nespresso is costing me a fortune and I hate what comes out of a French press ….

Aldi coffee is pretty decent and a fraction of the price of anything else. There's better out there, but if you want the best you really have to grind. Pre-ground always tastes a bit stale.

No local artisanal roasters nearby? Mind you, that will make the Nespresso seem cheap 😂

Oh go on then - recommend me a grinder as well - I bloody knew it would be futile to resist (not that I’m putting up much resistance). I’m soon to be off down the rabbit hole that is aiming for coffee perfection. Mrs OS is going to go bonkers, she doesn’t drink coffee at all. Ever. 🙄😂

Oh go on then – recommend me a grinder as well

How bad are your habits? i.e. how many coffees a day are we looking at here? And, how....."trained" is your "best" arm. If the answer to the former is not every hour and the latter is 'a healthy habit' you sir, might be just the man for a porlex hand grinder. My van has both an aeropress and a porlex - they are the perfect combination as long as your coffee habit has not gone beyond 3-4 a day. Personally I don't think an aeropress justifies a grinder - but I like the whole 'ritual' of grinding and pressing.

I’m afraid I’m definitely in the 4+ camp most days and my first is around 5am. I’m going to need a combination of pre and freshly ground as I definitely can’t be grinding coffee at that hour and especially not if any electricity is involved due to what I imagine is a noise similar driving a lawnmower over gravel…..

Perhaps I’ll just try pre ground for now and see how much better it is than the Nespresso….

Start of with the Lavazza Red and go from there, once you have got the hang of the Aeropress then start to experiment.

I have a Knock Aergrind to go with my Aeropress, it grinds pretty quickly so not a big issue even early in the morning. It's gone up in price recently soess of a good deal so a 1zpresso Q2 might be a better bet depending on how much you want to spend. It's best to avoid ceramic burrs like on cheaper grinders.

Pre ground coffee is usually too coarse to create pressure when you press the plunger. So you could use the upside down method for aeropress. But yes get a grinder.

I have this one. It's good enough for Aeropress.

Krups GVX231 Expert Burr Grinder, Black/Silver https://amzn.eu/d/6LLOJRl

Plus I’m trying to recreate the stuff that I get in several  cafes but without spending £1500.

An Aeropress is not going to make you an espresso like you'd get in a shop. It'll make a slightly stronger version of what you'd get from a French press (hint is in the name). Only this time, with a slight plastic aftertaste.

Camping, the Aeropress is a God-send, I wouldn't bother with it otherwise

200° will grind it how you want, as do 47°, and both have postal delivery.

Our local artisansal roasters aren't original with names.

Camping, the Aeropress is a God-send, I wouldn’t bother with it otherwise

I would. It makes decent enough coffee, better IMO than a cafetière, and no more faff. In fact less, because it's quicker.

 It makes decent enough coffee

That's an arguable point, right there.

That’s an arguable point, right there.

Indeed, but as I'm sure you're no doubt aware, people's standards vary hugely. So I reckon that for 99.999% of people Aeropress makes a decent cup. From what the OP has said I don't think they're in the 0.001% of coffee connoisseurs. I'm certainly not, on purpose.

🗣 "Coffee snobs to the forum!"

I been using an aeropress for coming up for 7 years. It’s the cheapest thing in my coffee set up. A massive upgrade on a French press for me (both in taste and faff).

I’ve been buying coffee from the same place for, oh, 25 years I guess (Macbeans in Aberdeen). It’s definitely not a cheap option!

I’ve a Knock grinder. Again, not cheap. With the recent price hike for the aergrind you might as well go whole hog and go for the Feld47. I have one of these. It’s bigger than you need and over engineered to shit but is a thing of beauty. I actually enjoy grinding my beans... 🤪

You’ll also need an airtight bean container/storage.

I’m a bit OCD over my coffee ‘ritual’ so much so when I go visit people I take my ‘works’ with me.... it works for me.

You're just going to get a big list of coffee brands mixed in with people telling you none of this is good enough.

I don't mean to sound like a dick, but there's loads out there to try, you just need to keep going until you find what you like! I'm always picking up stuff I've never had before.

Personally, I don't have a grinder and I use the aeropress inverted to brew a mugs worth of coffee in one go. It's good enough for me.

Favourite coffee is Dark woods, but rave, hasbean and Atkinson's are all good as well. Booths Kenyan and any Ethiopian I can get my hands on are always worth trying.

And if you just want cheap, Costa pre-ground is usually available for £2.50 a bag at Tesco! (Ooooo.... Controversial! 😜🤫)

I am on my 2nd one after a recommendation on here many years ago. No expert but the coffee is always good. I received a grinder about 4 years ago and for xmas (A Delonghi burr grinder) and tend to buy beans from Tesco/Aldo. Tried a few online "artisan" types but found them expensive and no better than the stuff off the shelf.

What the **** is a French press?

If you mean cafetiere then just say cafetiere.

I buy pre-ground Italian blend from Tesco own brand.
It's absolutely lovely in my eyes. Well, not literally in my eyes you understand.
I keep it in the fridge when open which possibly maybe slightly appeases the coffee dictators.

I can rarely bear to drink the stuff you get when you're out-out as it's always dishwater and bitter compared to what I make ime.

I don't know who's wrong. 🤔

If you mean cafetiere then just say cafetiere.

or a piston press, or stantuffo, or presspot, or plunger. Cafetiere is no more "correct" than any really.

Pre ground coffee is usually too coarse to create pressure when you press the plunger

Can someone please explain this to MrsMC - "I bought you this ground coffee as it was cheap/looked interesting/whatever, even though you've told me it isn't fine enough for the aeropress"

I seem to recall James Hoffman (youtube, great coffee content), really doesnt rate a cheapy blade grinder, but still rates it over supermarket ground coffee.

If you can grind your own beans, even if they are supermarket ones, it will be better than pre ground.

I picked up this bur grinder from a friend:

https://www.delonghi.com/en-gb/kg79-kg-series-grinder/p/KG79

And while its cheap ish, it is CLEARLY better than the blade grinder that preceded it. You can get a nice consistent, fine ish grind for the aeropress.
Ive got nothing fancier to compare it to, but im getting on well with it.

Worth just trying a local search.  I discovered one just round the corner from me operating out of a (nice) shed in their garden.  I take my own tin round to fill up so, although relatively expensive coffee, I get a discount for saving them the postage and packaging.

"https://www.google.co.uk/maps/search/coffee+roasters+near+me/"

What the **** is a French press?

If you mean cafetiere then just say cafetiere.

It's got multiple names. Sorry if this is difficult for you but it's true 🙂

local artisanal roasters

Well, I know a few folk I could apply that label to...

Yeah, it has to be said lot's of the Art Is Anal crowd make some pretty poor coffee. I generally use either Lavazza pre ground or Segafredo. Both of which are perfectly acceptable in a press on in a moka. Neither make for good espresso though.

I’m afraid you’re going to need a Knock Aergrind if you want to participate further in this discussion. Sorry, but them’s the breaks.

You may be lucky, as I was, and get a “factory seconds” one with some invisible cosmetic defect at a considerable discount.

It’s got multiple names. Sorry if this is difficult for you but it’s true 🙂

Only one of which is standard use in the UK. The other is just used by yanks and pretentious pillocks.

Kinda ironic that in this case the French version is the less pretentious version 😄

Find one you like. Fresh ground will always be a better option, but live within your means and enjoy what you have.

For reference I am a coffee snob (in my opinion I like good coffee made well), it's not a bad thing to be able to identify something you like vs something that could be better.

Niche Zero, Flair Pro2, Aeropress, Airscape vacuum canisters (one for regular, one for decaf).

Oooh another coffee snob thread 😀

I got rid of my Krups burr grinder and got a Timemore C2 hand grinder (~£50). Immediately and obviously better tasting and more consistent coffee. I wouldn't bother with cheap electric grinders, if I'm just making one cup at a time I can grind by hand in less time than the kettle takes to boil. Plus it's much smaller and easier to clean.

Tried Lavazza Red and some other supermarket beans and they're really unpleasant. I guess some people like the burnt flavour.

Only one of which is standard use in the UK. The other is just used by yanks and pretentious pillocks.

One is considerably easier to spell and pronounce. I had a speech impediment as a kid, so it’s a French press for me thankyouverymuch. In the same way that binoculars are field glasses (™️Adventure Kit circa 1973).

Didn’t realise the king of the world mantle™️ was already reallocated...

Only one of which is standard use in the UK

Not really. But y'know no one is getting wound up about this but you, call it what ever you want. I'll do likewise thanks

Only one of which is standard use in the UK. The other is just used by yanks and pretentious pillocks.

A wholesome contribution to the thread, keep it up.

Tried Lavazza Red and some other supermarket beans and they’re really unpleasant.

The fact something is bought in a supermarket doesn't mean much, so to the OP don't be put off. For example there are lots of rarified brands in my local Waitrose, it's a great selection and some of it is lovely. Currently have a cup of Ueshima house blend. But the fact it's from Waitrose also doesn't mean much, because this particular store doesn't seem to sell a lot so some of the fancy beans were roasted 5 months ago. The freshest ones I suspect (they don't print the date) are the Asda own brand Extra Special beans. Yes, you heard me - ASDA!

Just work your way through what's on offer and see what you like. You're only losing three or four quid a pop.

It wasn't intended as some anti supermarket statement, that's where nearly all my food comes from.

Problem is supermarkets don't treat coffee as a fresh good but as something that can sit in a warehouse for ages, and it really tastes better fresh. Also not burnt.

I'm not a coffee snob, but I do follow James Hoffman's youtube and have used his advice for my aeropress and v60 coffee making

It's worth understanding the differences between different coffee beans and growing areas.
Lavazza is Robusta, which is also used in things like instant coffee. It has 2x the amount of caffeine and is usually dark roasted to hide the lower quality bean used.
Some artisanal Robusta coffee can be nice but it's few and far between.
Arabica is the most common 'proper' coffee sold. The number covers the roasting level which weirdly starts at 3 for lightest roast (for that brand). Better quality beans can be lightly roasted, dark roasting can hide lower quality beans.
Even though it's the same plant the region it's grown in can dramatically change the characteristics of the beans. I really like lightly roasted Ethiopian coffee; some may like heavily roasted Columbian. YMMV
Do a bit of experimenting and you'll find what works for you? I can make a decent coffee out in the middle of nowhere, or in my kitchen just as easily now

Also not burnt.

There are dark and light roasts available in supermarkets. I quite like a dark roast paired with milk, personally.

hand grinding is a ballache - its fun to start with but its gets boring fast.

and i cant really tell the difference between a fresh mice bean cheapo electric grind and a hand grind.

i can tell if its pre-ground though so definately grind your own.

My cheapo worktop espresso machine makes much nicer coffee than the aeropress. but the aeropress is suitable for those times when you cant be arsed with the faff/camping. Its definately not the same.

Problem is supermarkets don’t treat coffee as a fresh good but as something that can sit in a warehouse for ages, and it really tastes better fresh.

but the aeropress is suitable for those times when you cant be arsed with the faff/camping

I use one of these for the office, grind enough for a few days and leave it and the Aeropress in my locker.

I got an Aeropress to use in the caravan, just because the 'puck' makes it easier to clean than a cafatiere. It makes no better or worse coffee than a cafatiere though.
Either my taste buds are weird or I'm not a snob but I've tried all sorts of grinds/makes & IMO (like someone mentioned) Aldi's 'best' is really good at a fraction of the price of lots of others. I mean, I saw some in a deli in Norfork that was £10 for 227 (?)gms but there's no way its £6.02 better than Aldi's £3.98 stuff, IN MY OPINION.
Grinding? Yeah I like grinding my own in this 60 yr old thing. All I need to do is get the handle off so I can attach a cordless drill to the shaft.

https://flic.kr/p/2krAk8S

Storage? Anyone use those containers that Rave sell, the ones that purge the air out? Any good or gimmicky?

I'm hand grinder curious 😱

I have an aeropress and usually just go for lavazza ground stuff, I should get decaf blue, bit often get red. I only have one, maybe two a day and not everyday. Will a cheap (£10-£15) hand grinder off Amazon do?

And can you get decaf beans easily, like in a supermarket (access to Lidl and Asda) A local coffee roaster is selling decaf beans at £9 per 200g which I'll not be paying.

I saw some in a deli in Norfork that was £10 for 227 (?)gms but there’s no way its £6.02 better than Aldi’s £3.98 stuff

And can you get decaf beans easily, like in a supermarket (access to Lidl and Asda)

I personally find a big difference between any supermarket beans and ones from dedicated roasters. Freshness will be part of it but also I like medium/lighter roasted beans and that's not really something supermarkets do.

Yes beans can be cheaper from supermarkets but if you search around for a discount and buy a kilo then you can get some very nice beans for less than £20/kg

did you actually try any though? 🤔

Why would I? I found a couple of Rave's products to be a bit ordinary plus some I paid £8.00 for to be nothing to have an orgasm over. I'm not going to keep chucking dosh around just to say 'It's ok'.
Maybe I should've asked for a taste, like you can with real ale.

A Delonghi burr grinder

This. Have a hand grinder too. Just can't be bothered even travelling. I use the Delonghi as I like their bean to cup machine with the same grinder.

I like Curious Roo as they are local to work https://www.curiousroo.com

I could do with an inexpensive hand grinder for the caravan, tbh.

Why would I?

I use a Judge hand grinder and a Krups expert electric grinder. I'll admit that there is no discernable difference in taste.

As for buying beans, I buy from this lovely little shop which is the oldest shop in town. Appreciate that it adds nothing to the conversation, but its a lovely place and like stepping back in time.

<br />free image hosting<br />

What's the Hario hand grinder like?

https://velocoffeeroasters.co.uk/products/hario-handheld-coffee-mill

Yes beans can be cheaper from supermarkets but if you search around for a discount and buy a kilo then you can get some very nice beans for less than £20/kg

Maybe, but the same local place was £30/kg. They will be fresh though as they ask for you to order before a Wednesday when they roast,but God knows how long a kilo would last me, they'd definitely not be fresh by the time I'd got through that 😂

70 cups per kg? So maybe 10 weeks to get through it? But 42p a cup is pretty cheap 🤔

What’s the Hario hand grinder like?

Hario Handheld Coffee Mill Grinder

TAKES AGES. honestly - its not worth the bother unless you have time and top end kit for the bestest coffer brew.

i started with a similar one though but the novelty wore off.

i only ever use it now when i'm up early and the kids are asleep and dont want to wake them with teh electric grinder. which is maybe twice a year realistically.

It would be for the caravan. It's either that, pre-ground supermarket stuff, or ground loads before we leave.

check out Pact coffee, they will freshly roast & grind the beans to what you are using. Easiest way into the "better" coffee world

Pact coffees are often quote acidic. Fine if you like that but not so great if you don't

Hario hand grinder

TAKES AGES. honestly

I concur. I'm probably in the any grinder is better than no grinder camp tbh. Sometimes use a cheap (as in £20) bean to cup machine with helicopter blades smashing the beans to bits and it makes perfectly acceptable coffee imo. It's nothing like the stuff that comes out of an espresso machine, but it is comparable to an aeropress with hand ground beans. I use all 3 depending on where I am.

By the way, since there's been very little discussion on where to actually buy good coffee, which was the original question, it's worth noting there's been LOADS of threads on it in the past. Worth searching through them if still interested.

<30s to measure and grind enough for 1 cup with my hand grinder. It's not really any more hassle than electric for that quantity. If you're regularly making a whole pot or serving multiple people then yes electric is easier.

Hormozi roast to your taste, do ground or beans. prompt free postage, free samples, and very well priced. Been getting their origin coffee for years.

We go through a ridiculous amount of coffee so hand grinding wouldn't work, I have a Wilfa Svart (black one) which is good for everything except expresso. I drink decaf and during the week we use 1kg bags from Costco whatever is on offer and at the weekend I use the beans I have on subcription from Decadent Decaf on subscription.

I use a V60 which I prefer it to Aeropress with the posh coffee, for the cheap coffee I just use a Melita machine with a vacuum pot but we do make about 4 litres a day.

 with helicopter blades smashing the beans to bits and it makes perfectly acceptable coffee imo.

Unless you're making espresso then ensuring the ground is exactly the same size isn't really that important. Certainly blade is good enough for a Press and Moka - Although I'm aware that some think a stove-top is an abomination regardless.

Bloody hell, I'd have Stainypants if we went through 4 litres a day! That just you and your wife?

I also prefer the taste of a V60 to a Aeropress but the later is much less faff. You'll want a cheap set of coffee scales and some sort of timer to do things right.

Grinder wise - I've got one of these I use for brews and it's very good for the money. Takes about 30 seconds to grind enough for an Aeropress:

https://sigmacoffee.co.uk/collections/frontpage/products/chestnutc2

(The above grinder is no use for espresso - pour over / aeropress type brewing only.)

Union Coffee on Amazon is nice and is available in 1kg bags for okay value. I do also sometimes go to my local roaster for a treat but it's nearly 4 times the price of the Union stuff.

Don't be tempted by the Presto stuff on Amazon - it's cheap for a reason...

Holy crap - what a minefield! My AeroPress has arrived from Amazon today but I'm tempted to just send it back unopened and look for a better option. I did look at the Knock grinders and saw that they sell a package with an AeroPress included for an extra £10 so I thought I might get that but it's out of stock. That was this morning though and there are now another 50 or so comments with plenty of additional food for thought.

Out of interest what do I need if I want the same quality coffee as I get in the cafes? Is it even possible without a £3000 machine? Obv it's a bit bean dependent for taste variations but they clearly just use the same beans for every type (flat white, espresso, americano etc) as there is no choice on offer. For clarity I'm not talking Costa or Starbucks as their coffee isn't nice - I'm talking places like farm shops and small independent cafes who seem to be able to make delicious coffee mostly. I will ask what exact bean they use when I next visit one I like the taste of but I'm assuming from all the comments it's not just as simple as buying the same type of beans....

I wouldn’t send the aero press back I have two and they are great they don’t work for me at the moment as I go through tonnes of coffee at home and it’s a faff to make large volumes with, for one person it’s perfect.

Making espresso at home can be become an expensive business. I’ve never gone down that road. I have the default Delongi Magnifica which after been hammered up until lockdown barely gets switched on now. It doesn’t make proper espresso for that you need something like a gagia classic and a grinder that can produce uniform and fine enough grinds that can add up. There will be people on this forum with set ups costing thousands.

Im off with Covid at the moment and was watching some old James Hoffman videos last night. 10 minutes later I’m looking at old espresso machines on eBay must resist. I used to work on HPLC machine in the lab when I was younger and coffee machine are much less complicated so I’m sure i could repair or upgrade one if has the time.

Out of interest what do I need if I want the same quality coffee as I get in the cafes? Is it even possible without a £3000 machine?

What are you drinking? Espresso, americano, something horrible with loads milk?

Well I prefer something horrible with loads of milk really, I've got a sweet tooth and I can't seem to enjoy black coffee... Perhaps that's because I've never had a decent one. Who knows...

Coffee with milk is what I have for breakfast though so I reckon I need the milk..

I had my doubts trying to decide if I should go all in on a proper espresso machine as my nespresso vertuo started playing up. In the end as I'm the only person in the house that drinks coffee I went for an aeropress. Massive difference to a nespresso, it is miles better. I think its mostly down to fresh coffee beans. I can't see you being disappointed as it gives you so many options in terms of whole bean and grind them yourself or buy pre ground etc. I really enjoy trying new beans but that can get expensive though.

I'm using a Wilfa svart grinder and usually set it towards its finest setting.

I agree with whoever said pact coffee beans can be quite acidic, but I like those with some frothed milk.

My favourite ‘you can buy it anywhere’ coffee is Sainsbury’s espresso. Of the ‘slightly posher’ brands I like Illy. Coffee chains I much prefer Starbucks to any of the others, though I know I could get a ban for saying this.

Right OK - I'll give the AeroPress a go then - I'll maybe try and get a manual grinder so I can make it early doors without waking the household/neighbours/street.

Incidentally I had a bit of bother with my Nespresso, twice, and they replaced it FOC both times. Prob says a lot about how much coffee I order!

Lavazza espresso grind in an aeropress is pretty decent IMO (also the decaf though it's a bit of a thinner taste). But it's fun to try a range of different beans and I tend to get beans and grind my own because they store easier/better that way. Fairly cheap burr grinder off amazon has lasted years though a similar for my parents died quite quickly, so YMMV.

As for the coffee snobs who go on about how you absolutely have to have X being the best and Y is rubbish....it's boring. It's just coffee and variety is the spice of life even if it means you aren't sniffing the best civet shit on a daily basis. I mean, I draw the line at instant but once you're past that, it's almost always drinkable. Experiment and have fun.

I had 3 replacements, possibly 4 I can't remember, I gave up with them and gave my sister the latest replacement I was sent.

Worse case is you use the aeropress for travelling or even sell it on if you don't get on with it. I didn't want to spend a fortune on a full on proper espresso machine as it can take a while to "dial it in" and obviously there is the cleaning as well as the space they take up.

Well I prefer something horrible with loads of milk really, I’ve got a sweet tooth and I can’t seem to enjoy black coffee… Perhaps that’s because I’ve never had a decent one. Who knows…

Coffee with milk is what I have for breakfast though so I reckon I need the milk..

Ok - so you probably are not going to be happy with just a bit cold milk lobbed in. So that's where the aeropress might come up a bit wanting as if you want heated/frothed milk you're going to be talking about some sort of machine and that'll have the coffee made too.

I'm a La Pavoni europiccola man for proper espresso at home. That's next level faff as it's super finicky about grind to actually work too. But 2nd hand quite good value for both price and footprint in the kitchen. The aeropress lives in the van or in my rucksack when out in the hills. but the pour over and the mocha pot get just as much use. All taste different and that's a good thing imo.

I'd stay where you are for the mo and learn to love aeropress coffee with a splash of milk and then go from there.

I'm revising my previous contribution:

local artisanal roasters

Well, I know a few folk there are some folk on this thread I could apply that label to…

Meanwhile...

As for buying beans, I buy from this lovely little shop which is the oldest shop in town.

Ah...Braithwaites...also my bean source of choice...

if you want heated/frothed milk you’re going to be talking about some sort of machine a

Actually I’ve got a Dualit milk heater/frother which does a pretty good job in about 45 seconds. I’ve got a similar one that came free with my Nespresso as well, Aerocino or something, so the milky bit should be fine. That being the case maybe the AP is going to do the job. I’m off to the supermarket tomorrow first thing to buy a couple of packets of ready ground so I’ll see what happens….😃

so you probably are not going to be happy with just a bit cold milk lobbed in.

You can just microwave the milk before you put the coffee and hot water in. I usually have about 1/4 of the cup milk.

I got my aeropress from pact, came with coffee. Usually find their coffee a bit harsh but using the aeropress it was fine. Mrs 100th enjoyed it on our anniversary walk

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A couple of things;

The Delongi version of that Krups is very slightly better/quieter. Nothing wrong with the Krups though, I’ve had both.

I’m a long time aeropress user and like it for my weekday morning coffee. But I actually wore out my French press after 20+ years of use and replaced it with a V60. I’m really enjoying a weekend ritual with the V60 still bordering on experimental. Waiting for it to dribble through watching the dark smooth clarity of the resulting coffee I find quite cathartic.

Yes, my wife thinks I’m ridiculous trying to time the toast to pop up with the final drip.