Question about coffee

[Smokin]

I've always enjoyed a cup of coffee but until recently, I'd only tried instant or bought fresh coffee from places like Starbucks. There's obviously a difference in taste between those two types of coffee, so trying to recreate the Costa/Starbucks/Nero etc. taste, I bought some ground coffee and put it in a moka pot. I was quite surprised to find the taste to be nowhere near as nice as the fresh stuff you'd buy from a shop, or even a nice instant, so where am I going wrong? If I want to recreate that fresh, fragrant taste you get from coffee shops, will I have to buy beans and grind them myself or is it the brewing method I'm using which is giving such a lifeless taste? The smell is perfect but by the time it's been brewed, it's lost all those lovely aromas.

I've tried ground coffee from Lavazza, Douwe Egberts, Twinings and a few others, but it just doesn't have a good flavour to it. Will I have more success in recreating the shop bought taste if I grind my own beans?

Pretty random on a bushcraft forum but I know we have some coffee fiends on here who can maybe help me out!

 

[StJon]

There is a lot going on here, the first thing to look at is the size of moka, the amount of water and how much you have tampered, (the pressure used to push the grounds down). Just these three things make a difference. Add to that the grind you have used (Lavazza red should have been ok for the moka, though check the date), when you take it off the heat, (to long and it'll be bitter, to short and it will be thin). I'm not a barista but know a wee bit. For me it's grind my own beans, (with a burr grinder) beans being kept in the freezer. Ground fine, firm tamper (It's a feel thing, though you can practice with a scale). Made with a Baby Gaggia, stopping the flow as the colour changes to light carmel). It's taken a few years to get it right but now I would never drink out of the chains you mentioned or after a meal when out.

 

[widu13]

If you try the search function, you may just find that this has been covered before.

 

[ged]

I know bugger all about coffee, but I do know that there are some coffees that I dislike and some that I can get on with fine. The bitter ones are the ones I don't like and the smoother ones I like.

AFAICT the bitter ones tend to be from Arab countries. The smoother ones from South America. I think I like Colombian coffee the best but I haven't spent much time on it.

Try coffees from different parts of the world and see what you think. I'd be interested to know, even if nobody else is.

 

[ZEbbEDY]

i like colombian also

i buy beans and put them in a grind and brew machine, does the job

when camping I've got an aeropress with stainless filter, does the job

 

[DavidJT]

Try just with a paper filter first to find the coffee you like, then move on to which pot / apparatus / method.
Can just buy a dead cheap plastic Melitta filter holder.

 

[Dunx]

Easiest way would be caffateire ..... lot of variables when brewing it

I guess that your having it the same way in both places... if a latte remember the milk/expresso mix.

Oh and they sell the ground coffee they use in the shops.... so if theres a blend/shop you like you can get the coffee and experiment on brewing...

 

[Bluezephyr]

Stove top espresso maker. A 6 cup one is enough to fill a mug

 

[abominable_scouse_monster]

You want a decent bean my friend, I use Cuban ones to go with my cigars and they are fantastic.

 

[Hile_Troy]

I have 2 different sets of brewing tackle: my first is for work, where I have no kettle. This is a Swiss Gold coffee filter that sits on the top of my mug and takes ground coffee (I like very strong flavours and am currently drinking Old Brown Java from Whittards, which is buried underground for up to five years to develop the flavour, then dark roasted and finally ground in the shop to a grind of six and a half, any smaller and I get too much sediment) I never have ground coffee for more than 2 weeks after it has been ground.
My second solution is what I use at home. There, I use a burr grinder on a very fine setting, a nine-cup mocha pot and a lovely big (and always the same) mug. I am currently drinking Monsoon Malabar (also from Whittards, I work 5 minutes from the shop) at home, always freshly ground, from beans no more than a month old, stored in a mason jar at room temperature.
For camping I take my mocha pot, with ground coffee.
In terms of the effect on the finished product, my experience is that the most important thing is the freshness of the beans, next is the reliability of the method (which is why I don't use a cafetiere, I found the end result too unpredictable) after that is the grind (the finer the grind, the stronger the flavour, and the higher the caffiene content I think).
That's my two pence worth, but it took me a while to find the method that made MY perfect brew, your perfect brew may be a similarly lengthy journey. I only hope your endeavours are successful and you arrive at a reliable way to produce your perfect cuppa.

 

[spandit]

One word: Aeropress

I prefer it to my £600 espresso machine...

 

[sandbender]

A Bialetti Moka pot, I have been using the same one since 1982.

Try a different coffee, see how that works for you, how much coffee are you putting in the moka? I fill my two cup one to capacity for a small mugs worth.

There are lots of youtube videos where obsessive coffee makers take you through the process and give advice.

 

[alpha_centaur]

Firstly try a different coffee. Try Morrison's Organic its really pleasant and dead easy to get a good coffee from