Coffee Beans

[Gordon Bennett]

I’ve recently been given a coffee grinder for my birthday.



(One of these bad boys as you ask!)

However, I know next to nothing about coffee beans, so need some help with a few of the basics such as where to buy coffee beans in the Brighton/Mid-Sussex area and some suggestions as to which beans to go for. Naturally there is no better place to ask such questions than NSC...

 

[Deleted member 18477]

supermarket.

 

[The Large One]

It's worth spending a few extra quid on getting decent coffee beans from an coffee outlet rather than the supermarket (even though theirs are sometimes perfectly OK).

There's a Monmouth Coffee seller in Trafalgar Street - a place called Coffee@33. Try there.

 

[Springal]

I'd go for Hasbean (website.) Roasted on the day they send to you, stored in an excellent bag, and if you drink regularly, 2 bags should last you a month which is just about the right time and makes sense with postage costs.

For a french press, their phil-ter blend is nice, as is the dot com blend. Also really enjoying their GUATEMALA EL BOSQUE AMATITLAN RED BOURBON 2011-2012 CROP at the moment.

I find buying beans from a lot of stores, you don't know how long ago they were roasted, which is the key.

 

[clippedgull]

from an online help page. Getting started - Roasting Coffee at home

Step 3: The Roast Process in a Nutshell
Understanding the different stages of the roast will help you control the flavor of your cup and appreciate how different roasts result in different cup flavors.

Yellowing: For the first few minutes the bean remains greenish, then turn lighter yellowish and emit a grassy smell.

Steam: The beans start to steam as their internal water content dissipates.

First Crack: The steam becomes fragrant. Soon you will hear the "first crack," an audible cracking sound as the real roasting starts to occur: sugars begin to caramelize, bound-up water escapes, the structure of the bean breaks down and oils migrate from their little pockets outward.

First Roasted Stage: After the first crack, the roast can be considered complete any time according to your taste. The cracking is an audible cue, and, along with sight and smell, tells you what stage the roast is at. This is what is call a City roast.

Caramelization: Caramelization continues, oils migrate, and the bean expands in size as the roast becomes dark. As the roast progresses, this is a City + roast. Most of our roast recommendations stop at this point. When you are the verge of second crack, that is a Full City roast.

Second Crack: At this point a "second crack" can be heard, often more volatile than the first. The roast character starts to eclipse the origin character of the beans at this point. A few pops into second crack is a Full City + roast; a roast all the way through second crack is a Vienna roast. Small pieces of the bean are sometimes blown away like shrapnel!

Darkening Roast: As the roast becomes very dark, the smoke is more pungent as sugars burn completely, and the bean structure breaks down more and more. This is a French roast.

Ack!! Too Late! Eventually, the sugars burn completely, and the roast will only result in thin-bodied cup of "charcoal water."

 

[DanielT]

Hasbean.co.uk Steve is a great bloke who is seriously geeky about coffee. Roasted today, delivered tomorrow.

Locally, the small batch coffee company, they have a few shops, but by hove station is where they roast.

Or Red Roaster in St James st

 

[Superphil]

Horsham, isn't there a place in the Carfax that roasts coffee there, next to Paninos?

 

[NMH]

It's a strange one - all down to taste of course.
You need to find a cafe that serves 'gourmet' style and get an idea for what you like best.
You could spend loads on coffees you may not enjoy, so it's worthwhile to invest some effort and gain a reasonable idea of what will work when you invest in pounds of coffee that may last you for weeks.

I'd get a couple of picks with contrasting flavours too, so you won't get bored with the same taste day-in day-out.
Don't forget that if you drink a lot at home, it might change the experience of visiting a cafe and take away the social aspect!

There are some decent Fair Trade sourced beans too.

 

[twickers]

If you like coffee and you're using one of those bad boys then I would recommend going online where you'll get variety, value and convenience in order your beans. You'll get fresh beans, your loyalty will be rewarded and you'll get samples to try so you can learn about different types.

There is next day coffee co, coffee direct, pumphreys, hasbean, the bean shop, coffee bean shop, coffee direct....you get the idea there are loads.

If you like a cappuccino it's worth getting a frothy milk maker...the best ones are the ones with the electro magnetic bottom which moves the whisk inside i.e. they are easy to clean.

I need a coffee now! Enjoy.

 

[clippedgull]

For anybody that wants a nice coffee that can't be arsed or haven't the time to roast their own I like Millicano! WholeBean Instant Coffee

 

[Gordon Bennett]

Cheers. Lots of good suggestions and ideas - I must admit I hadn't thought about how recently the beans might have been roasted being a factor but I guess its obvious when you think about. I think half the fun is going to be trying lots of different beans and seeing what I like.

I've had a quick look on the hasbean website and that certainly looks like it offers plenty of options - the Bolivia Finca Machacamarca de Berengula 2012 could be a good place to start my voyage of discovery!

 

[saslowi]

Depends on what you like.

I like strong and smooth but not too bitter. Sumatra, Java Brown and Monsoon Malabar are amongst my favorites.

If you are feeling rich, try Civit Coffee. The beans get eaten by civits and shat out before they are roasted. Cost - several hundred pounds a kilo.

 

[Gordon Bennett]

Depends on what you like.

I like strong and smooth but not too bitter. Sumatra, Java Brown and Monsoon Malabar are amongst my favorites.

If you are feeling rich, try Civit Coffee. The beans get eaten by civits and shat out before they are roasted. Cost - several hundred pounds a kilo.

Yep, strong and smooth but not too bitter sounds good. Funnily enough I have tried Civit Coffee (someone bought me a small packet of it!) and I wasn't that impressed with the taste, which might say more about my palate than the coffee although it was very finely ground which didn't particularly work well in my Bialetti coffee maker!

 

[The Large One]

Hasbean.co.uk Steve is a great bloke who is seriously geeky about coffee. Roasted today, delivered tomorrow.

Locally, the small batch coffee company, they have a few shops, but by hove station is where they roast.

Or Red Roaster in St James st

Went in there yesterday for the first time.

Excellent it was.