Team-BHP - A Yetiguide® to Coffee

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Quote:

Originally Posted by n_aditya (Post 4559196)

I love my coffee and I like it strong... and my quest for a good cuppa is turning out to be a cumbersome journey rather than an enjoyable one.

Come to think of it, I started drinking coffee only a few years ago. 2012 IIRC. It was a ride to Chikmagalur with a large group of friends and one of them had popped into the town market to buy coffee. One sniff of that powder and I was hooked. I had no space in my tailbag but managed to squeeze a kilo of "Panduranga" coffee which boasted of coffee seeds processed in the Rolls Royce of machines.

Loved that coffee and regularly ordered from them for myself and a few friends all over the country. Sadly, the aroma and quality of the coffee IMHO tanked considerably since the past year or two. The aroma would fade away in a week despite using air tight containers, taste would be barely distinguishable from the non Rolls Royce machine processed coffees.

Sourced other varieties from Chikmagalur and Coorg, tried Leo coffee from TN and other places but still couldn't find something that ticked my flavour buds. I like my coffee strong (just a spot of milk) and only enjoyed them on international trips. While I travelled to Budapest and Manila, I enjoyed 5-6 double espresso's almost every single day, thanks to this one but unfortunately they don't have presence in India. The unit is available on Amazon but reviews are terrible as you need to get a transformer (?) for the power rating difference.

I'm not sure whether the issue is with the coffee itself or the quality of water and/or milk. I know the coffee beans here are acidic (sour taste of espresso) and the water quality of bangalore further kills the coffee.

I use a drip machine which is a very basic one (link) and although it isn't close to the nespresso, I forcefully stick to just one cuppa a day (in the morning to awaken me).

Any suggestions from the connoisseurs here on where I can get coffee which is closest to the Nespresso Espresso?

I honestly find Nespresso pods a bit overpriced and I also dont know how fresh the pods available in the market are. So I doubt whether that will be as good as the ones you had in Europe.

If you are not looking for Espresso's in particular, try the Sleepy Owl cold brews. Let it brew for 24 hours and it makes a nice cup of coffee.

Robusta is more acidic than Arabica, and that's why the espresso at some cafes is sour. Pure Arabica espresso in Bangalore tastes pretty nice - give Third Wave or Blue Tokai a shot.

Get yourself a Vietnamese drip filter and while it isnt 100% espresso like it does give you that level of strength. Or south indian filter with many small rather than a few large holes and use the tamping umbrella, pour hot water evenly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshaymahajan (Post 4559184)

About the coffee: After having tried the craft roasts, I am back to my neighborhood shop who always has the freshest stock of roasted beans (Suma Coffee works). Buy a week's supply and then grind it as per need and equipment being used at home.

PS: Anyone tried roasting their own beans?

PPS: A couple of times a year, nothing beats the beaten up version of Nescafe! Purists please dont kill me.

Sirjee - in the dally? Please look me up when you're free to come to Gurgaon on a weekend morning!
William Chang (a BHPian and motorcyclist and stud photographer) roasts it himself.
Beaten up nescafe is comfort cheat food since that's what my mother makes - full of sugar :D

also freezing helps prevent oxidation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vb-san (Post 4559190)

With the KitchenAid it was easily a 15 mins job, and the clean up after that :)

Surprising. Seriously consider the aeropress or a more simpler machine like mine!

Quote:

Originally Posted by n_aditya (Post 4559196)

Any suggestions from the connoisseurs here on where I can get coffee which is closest to the Nespresso Espresso?

High five man. I only drink espressos myself.

But nespresso bought overseas is about 35 bucks a cup and you get nespresso makers here also. That doesn't work for me. But good luck with that.

Ideally, get the baratza encore. Freshly ground coffee is unbeatable.

Then try the roasters mentioned above. Plus nespresso is a SYSTEM. What exact flavor do you like? I happen to be friends with a few award winning baristas and I will ask them for advice.

My all time fave is Blue Tokai Kalledevarapura (medium), Corridor 7 Baarbara estate (lighter side). A BHPian coffee connossieur guruji - Amitabh recommends flying squirrel sattva.

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshaymahajan (Post 4559297)

Bang on. Medium or lighter roasts are flavorful. Nespresso is vacuum / nitrogen packed so they retain flavor - its like Apple. End to end control!

Sleepy owl - I will pass. I'm handing out their coffee bags to buddies to get rid of it :-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by hserus (Post 4559318)

Thank you - added to my never ending coffee shopping list. Let me see if I can get a demo from a friend first.

Quote:

Originally Posted by phamilyman (Post 4559552)

Sirjee - in the dally? Please look me up when you're free to come to Gurgaon on a weekend morning!
William Chang (a BHPian and motorcyclist and stud photographer) roasts it himself.

Moved to BLR for work but keep coming home to Delhi. Will keep this in mind the next time I am in town

Quote:

Beaten up nescafe is comfort cheat food since that's what my mother makes - full of sugar :D

So its not just me :)

Quote:

also freezing helps prevent oxidation.

I tried this but did not seem to be good enough- maybe just a placebo.

Quote:

Bang on. Medium or lighter roasts are flavorful. Nespresso is vacuum / nitrogen packed so they retain flavor - its like Apple. End to end control!

Interesting piece of information.

Quote:

Thank you - added to my never ending coffee shopping list. Let me see if I can get a demo from a friend first.

Aah the condensed milk coffee!

About the Aeropress, have you tried the metal filters?

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshaymahajan (Post 4559583)

About the Aeropress, have you tried the metal filters?

Yes - i have the 1200 rupees Able coffee filter as well as the 150 rupees one from alibaba. Able is better to hold but not VFM. The coffee is exactly the same for my untrained taste buds.

I have NOT used paper filters since i got the metal filters. But I will start using them now as a way to simulate pourovers, as told by a guru friend: https://www.tulleeho.com/article/coffee-corner-tasting-coffee-rajjat-gulati/

@phamilyman - since when is this coffee addiction?

Best to buy fresh local roast (regardless of bean pedigree) in small quantities to enjoy a good cup. There is no bad coffee if roasted well and brewed fresh. If you can get verified good beans, better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steeroid (Post 4559666)

Two years sir.

Agreed. But there's such a thing as awesome coffee as well.

All my experiments are to have awesome everyday! Once you discover the red pill of nuance, you can't go back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by phamilyman (Post 4560060)

Agreed. But there's such a thing as awesome coffee as well.

All my experiments are to have awesome everyday! Once you discover the red pill of nuance, you can't go back.

Am referring to the practical method of getting a good cup daily. IE., daily requirement, not the aha! moments.

Procuring top quality beam remains a problem in India. Even a kg of what is arguably India’s best - the Monsooned Malabar - is difficult. You get blends of MM at places like flying squirrel but not a full MM, for instance. And even when you do get it (from an Amazon listing of dubious quality), the price is higher than what we pay abroad. So yes, making sure the available coffee is fresh and well roasted usually does the trick for most. Don’t diss Robusta either - there are some really good robusta beans that go out of the country.
Go

We aren’t even talking about a good 100% Ethiopian (even if Sidamo) or a Kenyan Blue Mountain AA (which for me is the best in the world) or even a bitter Columbian. This is Indian bean that isn’t available in India freely.

Looks like all the coffee fans have woken up and smelt the coffee!
I have a Breville espresso machine that is on its 7th year. It's a bit rickety, have changed some parts and leaks water from the output chamber which has cracked. But it's way better than having instant coffee. I grind with a burr grinder.
After 5 years in India I am still struggling to find consistently good coffee. I've tried most brands and roasters mentioned in this thread. My favourite so far is Black Baza Otter which has a consistently rich flavour and is toasted just before shipping.
My sister visited from the US and so I now have a few exotic sounding coffee beans which are definitely better than anything I've purchased here.
Using an espresso machine helps me have a relaxed start to the day. And grinding fresh gives that aromatic kick to my senses in the morning. I'm very poor at the art of brewing a cup but still enjoy what I make. I find frothing milk well adds a lovely texture to the coffee that makes it a more wholesome experiences for the senses.
Here's the only nook in the kitchen that I use regularly.

A Yetiguide® to Coffee-img_20190316_154249524.jpg

Fun fact since I read frothing

I find most of the household espresso machines inadequate to froth milk nicely. What I do is microwave a cup of milk, put it in a French Press and use the plunger to froth up the milk.

Its a pain to clean up later, but sometimes well worth it.

Has anyone tried this? Apparently new but very different:

https://nagalandcoffee.com

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steeroid (Post 4560695)

Has anyone tried this? Apparently new but very different:

https://nagalandcoffee.com

Do keep us posted - that seems like a South African link but very interesting it is. It is fairly high elevation as well compared to Chikmagalur.

https://www.instagram.com/ete_coffee/ has been around for a while and I have been meaning to order from them as well. Sometime in May - I have 1.5 kg of expiring coffee to be consumed as of now :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by phamilyman (Post 4559552)

What exact flavor do you like? I happen to be friends with a few award winning baristas and I will ask them for advice.

Thank you for the reply.

These are my favorites:

https://www.nespresso.com/pro/kr/en/...tretto-intenso

https://www.nespresso.com/pro/kr/en/...o-origin-india

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshaymahajan (Post 4559297)

If you are not looking for Espresso's in particular, try the Sleepy Owl cold brews. Let it brew for 24 hours and it makes a nice cup of coffee.

Robusta is more acidic than Arabica, and that's why the espresso at some cafes is sour. Pure Arabica espresso in Bangalore tastes pretty nice - give Third Wave or Blue Tokai a shot.

Thank you for your suggestions. Will give them a shot :)

My 'famed' rickety Breville machines may not live to see it's 8th birthday. It has started leaking water when i brew and it seems to come from inside. Is this the thermoblock that is leaking or the pump and is it repairable. Here is a video from the outside and he inside after I opened the back. You can see the source of the leak.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hrt-S7LVFJY
If this is too difficult to repair or fix, any suggestions for coffee machines (preferably pump machines) less than 10000 rs. I was thinking of buying a Tecnora.

I'm an addict to pure coffee. Nothing can stimulate your senses than a freshly brewed filter coffee south indian style. We regularly buy Coffee from one of the Leo Coffee outlets in Selaiyur, Chennai. My coffee is a mix of Plantation A and Peaberry at 50:50 ratio and no chicory added.