Good coffee

[Dilbertian]

After reading about the health benefits of coffee, I’d like to start drinking it. Just one cup of black, unsweetened caffeine every day. But I’ve no idea what to try. I don’t have any coffee equipment. Dh drinks milky decaff instant, which I think is foul.

What should I try?

I'm not a coffee connoisseur. I usually drink tea and have a coffee about every other day. I used to hate coffee but persevered until I liked it.

I make it in a small cafetiere/French press, which is pretty easy. I like Cafe Direct and Taylors Lazy Sunday.

Are you saying you've never had a cup of coffee?
Apart from DHs decaf?

I’d find a few local independent coffee shops and try some to see what you like. if you have a foodie facebook page for your town ask on there for peoples recommendations. I never used to think there was much difference having tried coffee from all the chains, but once you try small batch producers you realise what a huge difference fresh beans make.

In my town there are 3 or 4 local roasters who supply many of the coffee shops and cafes. If you get some that’s roasted and ground locally it will be fresh and make a much better cup than any of the supermarket brands. I work in two different coffee shops as a barista and one of them uses generic supermarket coffee and one a local roasters. The difference is night and day.

It feels like a hassle but treat it as a new hobby, trying their options, seeing if you prefer a longer coffee like americano or a shot of espresso. Many of them sell bags of beans or ground coffee to take away and will be happy to recommend the right way to brew it. Maybe you can convert your husband to something nicer too?!

Do what the PP suggests to explore which style of coffee you prefer (which type and how it’s made).
Or get some simple equipment eg an aeropress, and maybe get a gift pack with several different grounds coffees in it (shops like Whittards sell them at Xmas and probably all year) to start with. Then when you’ve smoked a few get a good grinder and whole beans.

Clipper makes a very nice instant coffee.

I last drank coffee 37 years ago. Just the smell of white coffee makes me🤢. But last week I had an Espresso Martini and I tasted the coffee before the bartender mixed it. He said it was unsweetened and cold-brewed, and I found it quite palatable . Even better mixed with liqueur and spirits - but I don't think a daily Espresso Martini will have quite the health benefits I'm looking for!

You could speak to your local roasters and find our which beans they suggest for black coffee. There is a difference for those that taste better black or with milk.

We get ours from Pact, they might be able to help?

😂
An easy way to test the theory is to buy some Taylors coffee bags and experiment with strengths etc. Nicer than instant, less faff and expense than buying a cafetiere or espresso machine. Although a cafetiere is another good way in.

Oo, that's a nice idea.

You don’t need much equipment - a cafetière will do.

This is my favourite:

https://unionroasted.com/products/yirgacheffe-organic-ethiopia?srsltid=AfmBOooYC7NL2fLzKzHYRKfAST43hGfICGGL83vB23Uo0YuwOY-Z0wq7

If you found the espresso OK, maybe best to try espresso?

At home I make it in a Bialetti Moka pot on the hob with illy coffee.

I only started drinking coffee recently and I don’t like bitter strong stuff. The mellower the better Once a family member brought Guatemalan coffee from somebody specialist and artisanal and posh, and it was great. We started to look for something similar from around Guatemala, and found Asda Extra Special Colombian which is great. They do beans and also ground (you can do ground in the cafetiere). Asda Extra Special in general is not a bad subbrand at all, their blueberries are unrivalled, for example. I also heard it’s best if it’s 100% Arabica, but I think that in Britain we don’t focus on Arabica, it’s more of a focus in continental Europe for some reason. I don’t think that all brands here even specify in all cases whether it’s 100% Arabica or not.

Asda Exceptional it is called, apologies! (Not Extra Special). 😃

If it was cold brewed, can it be an espresso?

I don't drink coffee really, except in case of a caffeine emergency, but I thought espresso required hot, high pressure water to go through? And would assume that maybe cold brew would be mellower as less of the bitter roasty-ness of the beans might come out?

Ah, I didn't realise. I actually didn't know cold-brewed coffee was a thing! I thought an espresso martini would just be made with espresso that has been cooled. Maybe cold brew is a better suggestion, then!

(Would a pedant say that espresso martinis are misnamed, if they are made with cold-brewed coffee but espresso cannot be brewed cold?)

If you’re doing it primarily for health reasons then I think the evidence suggests filtered coffee is a better way to go than cafetière. We got a grinder and a filter machine and it is so much nicer using fresh ground coffee.

For the coffee itself, I’d really recommend seeing if you have a local roaster, or a coffee shop who has a good coffee supplier and sells beans as well. Googling “[your town] third wave coffee shop” might help bring up some places to start. My local roaster is is very passionate and knowledgeable and let you smell the different beans and often advises on which he has in that he thinks I’ll like. I’d avoid anything which doesn’t have a roasted on date because that means it might be old and stale. Both the coffee shop and roaster should be able to grind for whatever method you’re making, and I wouldn’t bother getting a grinder until you’re fully committed. I’ve also used some online coffee roasters which are also great. I’ve liked Pact Coffee before.

If you like cold brew, then that’s one of the easiest methods which needs the least equipment. It’s generally smoother than hot water methods, but it does mean that it can be a bit less flavoursome too. I make a concentrate in a larger batch which is easier to store which has 1 part coffee to 4 parts water, leave it for 12-24 hours on the counter, then strain through a coffee filter and store in the fridge. Then I dilute it when I want it with milk or water.

My favourite way for making hot coffee is with a Clever Dripper. It has the advantages of a French press in that it’s simple and forgiving, and doesn’t require any technique unlike a typical coffee filter cone like a V60. But it’s also paper filter which I prefer. I just put the filter paper in, add the hot water, add the ground coffee and stir, leave for two minutes (it’s very forgiving if you leave it longer too), stir again and place in on the top of the cup where it drains. It’s so easy and makes reliably great coffee and is no faff at all

Why not just start with a black coffee from a tin of Nescafe Azera (£3.85 when on offer) and see if you like drinking it every day. We every so often think about buying something more sophisticated but can't justify the expense or the worktop space. The health benefits aren't vastly different.

I find the Taylor's coffee bags very weak and inspid. If you want instant than as per a PP, Clipper is much nicer. Clipper is stocked by Sainsbury's and possibly Waitrose.

If you liked cold brew but don't want to make your own, Grind sells cartoons of cold brew concentrate either direct or stocked in Waitrose.

If you want to start buying your own ground coffee, I found a single cup dripper good. Feels easier to clean than a cafetiere although probably isn't really😆And with a metal filter you don't have to buy more paper cones all the time.

(Edit: can't embed link to Grind: https://grind.co.uk/products/cold-brew-concentrate)

Nestlé Espresso jar is great, it’s as near as you can get to proper coffee IMO. Azera nearly as good but not quite.

That coffee I last drank 37 years ago was instant. It made me quite ill. Admittedly I was drinking it a lot. But it’s not something I fancy revisiting.

OTOH, from this thread and from my recent taster, I suspect I will enjoy cold brew much more than a cup of hot coffee. Besides, I rarely manage to drink the whole of a hot drink before it gets cold. Unless I’m in a coffee shop. I’m quite happy to spend a little on a nice coffee to have at home. I’m sure it will be cheaper than a daily coffee shop visit, in both 💰 and ⏰

I can't drink milky coffee either (makes me feel sick afterwards) but love it with oat milk. Barista oat milk is definitely the BTSSB (best thing since sliced bread)!

I think you're absolutely right and that they normally are made with espresso - but the OP said the chap told her in this instance the coffee was cold brewed, I think?

I had a black coffee at a friend's house today. A Nespresso pod, I think. It was just as horrible as I remember. So she poured it over crushed ice and topped it up wih a little more water, and it turned into a pleasant, refreshing summer drink. So I think I have found my coffee style: weak, black and cold. A far cry from the strong, black and extremely sweet hot drink of 37 years ago!

I now have a Taylor's bag brewing in the fridge for tomorrow.

Definitely have a look at TrueStart coffee, especially if you're interested in the health benefits. They are an independent business (not like Nescafé!) and their coffee is tested for all sorts of things including caffeine level, moulds etc, heavy metals etc. They have amazing coffee bags and I love their new coffee concentrate for making iced coffees in this heat!! www.truestartcoffee.com