Proper Coffee

1. Probably. Some people really do prefer instant, and fair enough.

You are already heading down the path of the righteous by looking at proper roasteries. If that is somewhere you can walk into to buy, that's ideal to save on postage. Or you could order by post from one of the many online micro-roasters. It's important to check that they are a proper craft roaster though and not just some trader with a warehouse full of old coffee to shift. The bag should bear the roasted-on date, which should be no more than a few days before you received it.

For low expense options, this roaster selling through eBay will get you a full kilogram of beans delivered for under a tenner, which is great value. Although they aren't going to be the finest beans in the world at that price, they are very fresh which is the main thing, and fine for everyday drinking, in my experience.

To break down the cost: at £10 per kilo, a standard 350 ml mug of coffee will cost about 24 pence and you will get about 42 mugs from a kilo of beans. So if you have two mugs per day, a kilo should last three weeks.

Places like Whittard look decidedly expensive by comparison with these options and last time I checked (about 12 years ago) refused to even say when their beans were roasted. Also to be avoided is supermarket coffee, which very often tastes worse than instant (and is probably a reason why instant remains popular in the UK).

2. Yes. Meh, it's a tad overhyped in my humble. It has a lot going for it -- compact, light, quick, convenient, unbreakable, gives control over steeping time, filters the bits out. But it has some shortcomings, too. With fresh coffee, the bloom tends to fill the tube and there isn't enough room for the water without the thing overflowing. Also with it sat on a mug, as soon as you begin to add water, the coffee starts draining out through the filter and doesn't stop until you manage to fit the plunger in. This is why many use it upside-down ('inverted method').

That said it can produce a really good rich, smooth brew. I still use mine a few times a week after dinner. Whether it is worth the money is up to you, but if it were my £30 it would go on one of these:



https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bonavita-BV4000ID-Porcelain-Immersion-Dripper/dp/B00C0NZWT4

Ceramic, so you wouldn't want to take it camping, but it offers all the benefits of a steeping method, with all the benefits of paper filter. And none of those problems that the aeropress exhibits.

3. Yes why not go ahead and give it try. They really do need a coarse grind though or the result is muddy coffee. 60 grams of coffee per litre of non-boiling water is the magic ratio. That Central Perk branded gear looks very cool :cool:

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I am also very happy with my Aeropress, but would not say that it is spectacularly better than a French press. I suggest that you get yourself a modest quantity of coffee to enjoy with your French press now, and perhaps move on to an Aeropress at some point in the future.

Try a clever coffee dripper. They are about £15 I think and are essentially a cross between an immersion try brew (like a french press) and pour over (using filter paper) - essentially the same concept as the bonavita I think but plastic.

I don’t think it has been mentioned but the absolute key to decent coffee is to grind it just before using