WHAT MAKES THE BEST COFFEE?

[Duke Ellington]

I have a filter coffee machine but have been told that an electric percolator makes better tasting coffee. Does anyone on the forum use a percolator?.....I don't want one of those new coffee pod jobbies because I don't want to be tied into buying the pods.

DUke

[Duke Ellington]

[Obelixx]

I think it depends on the coffee.   We have 2 filter machines for coffee at home (one with caffeine for mornings and one without for after lunch and later) which we turn off and then reheat as we need in mugs in the microwave so it doesn't stew.

For dance club events we have a 45 cup electric percolator and it tastes just the same as long as we get the water/coffee quantities right - 250g pack for 30 cups.

[Jeannine]

I think it depends on the coffee you buy, over here where coffee drinkers abound one rarely sees a percolator anymore, but don't be cheap on the drip one, but very good coffee , keep it in the freezer and don't forget the salt

XX Jeannine

[BarriedaleNick]

Personally I think you cannot beat a proper coffee machine that grinds beans and then makes coffee like a pro.
I have one of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gaggia-Titanium-74889-Automatic-Machine/dp/B000I0NDS8 they are very expensive to buy but they last forever (over 8000 cups so far) and they make the best coffee I have tasted outside of Italy/Spain etc.  Once you have tasted it you can't go back to filter!

[pumkinlover]

I bought an Aero press recently and it is brilliant. Ok it doesn't grind the beans or make a frothy cappo but it's tiny, reasonable price and you could take it to the allotment or in the caravan!
http://www.aeropresscoffee.co.uk/

[picman]

Not a coffee drinker but I read somewhere its all down to the water and temperature... Fresh and 92'c   Krups Pod machines are ok but go for single pod coffee and do your own milk in the microwave first, why don't I drink coffee ? , levels of pesticide !   

[Redalder]

We grind the beans fresh each time and use a Lavazza coffee maker (at least 20 yrs old by now)  which sits on the hob and forces the hot water through the ground coffee. Only the genuine article seems to work, the cheapies from supermarkets not the same. Took a bit of experiment over the years to find the beans we liked.

[Paulines7]

I still prefer a straightforward cafetiere. My husband uses one of these machines that forces air and water through the coffee and allows him to froth up the milk.  I can't be bothered with all that though and as I drink decaf, we make our own!

[Obelixx]

We drink our coffee black so no need for a milk blaster.

We also buy organic Fair Trade coffee and keep opened packets in a sealed tin in a cool place but not the freezer as it doesn't stick around long enough to need freezing.

[hartshay]

Speaking as a total coffee geek!

Percolators are not good for making coffee.  They overheat the water and make coffee have a poorer  and bitter taste.

Filter coffee can be good, aero press is very good, french press if ok if used properly.  The bean to cup automatics are ok but very expensive and can be troublesome.  The stovetop espresso machines are ok ut there are better ways to make good coffee.

Pod machines are ok but it depends on the quality of the coffee ... oh and they are terribly expensive over time as the pods cost a packet.

The best machines are semi automatic espresso machines..Gaggia at the lower end to lads of brands at top top end.  Done properly with a good grinder these machines take home coffee to a whole new level.

Whatever you use really fresh roast coffee ( or do it yourself)and don't overheat the water you use to make it.

[johhnyco15]

im a pod man myself however on the plot its instant

[squeezyjohn]

I think that coffee made the espresso way can be the best.  It does have a reputation for being really full-on and bitter because of the kind of high roasted beans people tend to use for italian espresso.  For this reason I drank filter coffee for years - but making a whole filter just encourages you to drink it all the time - and it tastes sour after half an hour anyway.  What people often don't realise is that you can make espresso type coffee with medium roasted beans that are full of aroma and not bitter at all - and you can just use more water if you don't want a small strong drink.  The traditional espresso machines are difficult to learn how to use and horrendously expensive - so I went with a semi-automated bean to cup machine.

I use the cheapest DeLonghi Magnifica bean to cup machine they do - it was a hundred and something pounds in the sales a few years ago.  They're easy to use, fairly easy to clean and allow you to control the grind, strength and volume of water if you want to - but most importantly it grinds the coffee as and when you need it so it's always fresh.  Just add beans and water!  It probably won't last for ever - but I bet the really posh expensive ones don't either!  We love it.

[Nora42]

Waitrose - it's free and if you use the disposable cups you get free plants labels.
I suspect like tea, the taste of coffee is often something to do with the type of water in your home area any beverage made with hard water will taste different to the same one made with soft water.

so maybe ask your neighbours
Nora

[hartshay]

Espresso should never be bitter or sour whatever the bean!!  If it is it has not been made properly..which is where the dark art of the genuine barista (not some half trained kid with barista on his/her teeshirt) comes to the fore.  In NZ and Australia pretty well every eatery has excellent coffee whereas in the UK most place manage to produce pretty awful coffee even when they have the right kit to do it properly. 

It is like wine really..if you like the cheapest plonk all well and good but there is a whole world of tastes and smells out there to experience if you make a little effort.  One you have explored coffee types and their terroir ())for example  a smooth  Monsooned Malabar or a fresh tasting Kenyan) you will never IMHO  go back to drinking instant!

Making good coffee is like growing tasty veg ... obvious and simple to those in the 'know' but often incomprehensible to others!

PS My dark secret is that sometimes I  drink instant  at the allotment .. but I am sure the water boiled from my water but makes it more palatable.

[Obelixx]

We have two filter machines on the go, one for leaded before lunch time and one for decaf.  We are currently drinking Ethiopian fair trade leaded and Lavazzo decaf.  We make a full pot and then turn it off so it doesn't stew.  Re-heat by the mug in the microwave as needed.    The range of decaf is limited here and generally not nice but this one's good.  The water makes a difference too.  Softer here.

If I find myself in the UK and needing a hot drink I look for a Pain Quotidien or a Café Nero.  Other wise I drink hot chocolate.  Can't be doing with the r*p in Starbucks and Costalot for dishwater and the like.   Don't drink tea more than once or twice a year.