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Hi people.
What's your favourite ground coffee from a Supermarket?
Long ago, Rave got me some Illi from somewere (LIDL I think) and it was superb..but I got through it (as he predicted) while my little lad was young and keeping me awake!
I have now moved to the Starbucks ground coffee, and it's pretty good. But I'd like some suggestions please :)
What to buy? I like all flavours, on different days I like different coffee, so don't be shy :)
Why order from Supermarkets, when you can be brave and try these specialities ;)
http://www.firebox.com/product/1077/...fee-Kopi-Luwak
http://www.firebox.com/product/616/Weasel-Coffee
Red Monkey is the best online place :p
http://www.redmonkeycoffee.co.uk/
As for supermarkets, it seems to vary greatly, but some of the fairtrade specials are really interesting. I think I'm on a cafedirect kilimangaro(sp?) at the moment which I first thought was a bit rough for a medium strength coffee, but after having so many 'smooth' coffees elsewhere I'm beginning to appreciate its character a bit more. Union hand-roasted packs are quite nice too.
Illy, or Lavazza if you have an espresso machine.
If you've got a whittard's near you why not go in and get them to grind you some beans :)
Alternatively get one of these and buy your own beans:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dualit-Burr-.../dp/B000094U5T
Then grind them fresh as you need them :D
The next step after this is to buy green beans, and roast them yourself in the oven (WOW!) :mrgreen:
(the smileys indicate garanteed satisfaction levels)
I like Nescafe (I think) Alta Rica - it's the colombian version I believe.
I especially like it as you can get it in decaf... and you can only normally get decaf in the crappy bottom of the range coffee.
I only tend to get ground coffee when tesco have their finest range on special offer :)
The alta rica is nice, as is the columbian but I just can't find the time to make a real brew nowadays.
The price of Supermarket coffee has gone through the roof! Starbucks way too expensive.....I am finding Tesco Finest is close to the cheapest. I must admit we always struggle to get good beans (I like a fresh grind ;)) from Supermarkets.
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Lavazza is my personal favourite, doesn't have to be espresso either, works fine in a cafetiere as well.
I'm a fan of Lavazza and illy too, although I barely drink the stuff these days.....if you're after incredibly strong coffee, see if you've got a middle eastern store nearby and buy anything with Arabic writting on it (although make sure you don't get the cardammon version, as that's not to everyone's taste). I got heart palpatations and the shakes after having a cup of coffee made to my regular strength.....don't think I slept much that night.
The best ground coffee I've found is Union Hand Roasted (as recommended to me by a US friend of mine who is a serious coffee drinker!). All of their coffees are excellent - Sainsburys sell three of their varieties at £2.59 for a 227g bag. The Organic Ethiopia Yirgacheffe variety is a great daytime coffee, and it's fairtrade as well.
cor....lots of coffee people here :)
cooooooooool :)
ikeas is nice
Asda (surprisingly) do some really nice ones. Tesco Finest are also very good as are some of the fair trade ones (like the Kilimanjaro one mentioned above). Lidl's were disappointing as were the standard tesco ones.
I think Asda is probably the best value.
<snip>
My personal favourite coffee is Blue Mountain. I don't drink vast amounts of coffee these days, but when I do want a proper coffee to savour and enjoy, nothing touches it. I've been drinking it since for at least 30 years, initially sourced from a bean shop in Coventry then from one in St. Albans. And, in my view, nothing touches it.
Three things though. First, I usually buy beans, not ready-ground, and grind my own. I find that coffee stays far fresher far longer if you grind it when you want it, or in small amounts, and it shoes in the taste. I do a day or two's worth at a time, at most. Second, it's a very personal taste, and I like a rich not smooth taste, and I don't like it bitter. Third, it's not that easy to get. And fourth (out of three things :embarrassed: ) .... it ain't cheap.
Failing that, F&M do a nice "finest Columbian", (or used to, but I haven't had it for awhile) which is decent for ready ground. And for locally available stuff, I don't mind Waitrose blended Columbian.
But, for my taste buds, nothing but nothing touches Blue Mountain.
Sainsbury's do some nice Taste the Difference styles. Asda's Extra Specials are worth a look too, they had a 2 bags for £3 recently, whereas they're £2.50ish each normally.
I have bought green beans and roasted them myself from here before, that's the freshest way I've known.
BigFatCat, nice wesite :) cheers bud
never thought to roast my own....my house would smell like heaven!
For me Its got to be the Guatemala Elephant from Whittards made with a Swiss gold filter
This combo has seen me all the way through my Undergrad and nearly to the end of my Phd
Blue mountain is my favourite
Seeing as the 2nd Google result for 'best ground coffee' is this thread I thought I'd necro it.
Just ordered an espresso machine after using a Nespresso Pixie for over a year and so I'm after some suggestions.
I enjoyed the Nespresso pods below and much prefer smooth over rich tastes, I'm still a bit of a wimp when it comes to high strengths as you can see by the intensitys! Usually drunk as a double shot with a sugar.
Dulsão do Brasil - Intensity 4
Rosabaya de Colombia - Intensity 6
Cosi - Intensity 3
+ Flavoured ones, guess there won't be a ground alternative!
So folks, rain your wisom down on me!
Cheers,
Rob
Anyone tried Kopi where they send you a new different coffee every month?
http://www.kopi.co.uk/new_coffee
I like the idea but no idea if its any good :)
I don't know about ground but the best instant is milicano. It's the closest to ground that I know and its often on half price. The decaffeinated is also good.
I have a subscription from hasbean.co.uk which sends me a bag of coffee per month, not had a bad one yet. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Dooms
I was a fan of Taylors Hot Java Lava, until my wife accidentally the coffee machine.
Powerful stuff - you can't drink it after 6pm or you'll be up all night like a frikkin hungry owl.
I still recommend the LIDL stuff for every day drinking, its so cheap and not nasty, actually rather good, the black double pack for 4 1/2 quid.
Have a look at Hasbean or Square Mile Coffee. Fantastic suppliers of world class coffee. This stuff is a world away from pods.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob_B
When I was still in England I was quiet a fan of Harrogates "Lazy Sunday", which is a decent press/filter grind. Illy was also pretty decent for espresso. For really good coffee, find a local shop that roasts and grinds in house - it'll be so much better than most supermarket grinds. When I was in Norwich we had a really nice local roaster called the "Red Rooster".
I've have now started to venture towards home roast coffee! There are lots of tutorials online that teach you how to use a popcorn maker to roast your own coffee. You would need a decent hand or electric grinder to finish the job tho ;p. Also, raw coffee beans are not super expensive (about 8-9 Euros per kilo here in Germany) and stay fresher for longer compared to pre-roasted beans.
[Edit:see below]Funnily enough I'm working my way through a sample pack of that this week and it might be my favourite Taylors so far. It's very quaffable... which is a shame because a full aeropress usually gives me a nice, solid mug that'll keep me going for quite a while. The Lazy Sunday requires a fairly rapid refill. :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by silentphoenix
The only coffee advice I've ever been given was from a man who then came over from his new home in Italy once a year to buy teabags and a few other 'essentials'. He said it was worth moving to Italy just for the coffee, and that Lavazza was the only brand he'd consider buying over here. Personally I often struggle to tell the difference (in a useful way) over the kind of timescale it takes me to get through a pack myself... though my relatively new aeropress has led to a massive uptick in my coffee consumption, so that should change. I was sceptical when I bought it, but in my hands it definitely makes a better brew than the alternatives I've tried.
Edit: Actually it was their "Take it Easy" blend. Shows how observant I am. I blame it on the fact I bought some sample packs so I have 8 different coffees to choose from at the moment. :-)
Edit2: I'm working my way through the Taylors collection and the Hot Lava Java, despite the silly name, is a really "deep" satisfying coffee. Strong, but not not overpowering... not the way I make it anyway. :-)