A matter of taste

I feel pretty embarrassed posting on this site as my knowledge of
'real' coffee is almost nonexistent. Indeed, I even gave up on the
stuff in jars for a decade decade as I wasn't enjoying it and it
didn't agree with me. I realise that most of the regulars have years
of dedication, but would appreciate it if you could find time to point
a novice in the right direction.

It is only recently, doing business in London (UK) I was re-introduced
to coffee, and, was fortunate to occasionally encounter a really
enjoyable espresso, and somehow improbably got hooked. After some,
mostly deeply unpleasant experiences checking out more accessible
outlets near me I figured the only answer was DIY.

Limited research took me the Gaggia/Rocky price point, but in the end,
heart won out over head and I settled for the La Pavoni
Europiccola/Rocky (I discovered this group fairly late).
Unavailability and damaged in transit problem were eventually sorted
(particular thanks to Walter in Italy) and I my quest for good, if not
realistically great coffee has been going for about a week.

I've read everything I could find on grind, pressure, time and
particularly La Pavoni temperature. It's been fun, working though the
parameters how to produce crema (still modest, but what a difference
it makes!)and get a ball-park 20 second high pressured pull and
discard the final low pressure pale drips). In the first six days I
progressed from 2/10 result to what I felt what was a 5/10 result. I
worked though samples 4 different beans (including 3 'fresh roasts'
and 2 'espresso' blends, I won't comment on the pre-ground I tried
before the Rocky arrived). It was was starting to get to the point
where it was looking good, but still tough to get into the drinkable
range, and definitely short of enjoyable. I have to say, that,
although I now know it is still very early days, I was beginning to
wonder if I was ever going to find the taste I was looking for.

Now for the real purpose of this post. Yesterday I picked up an
Organic espresso blend from Monmouth Coffee in London (their
recommendation, 4 days old) and wow what a difference! I haven't
learned the taste vocabulary yet, but there is a richness there that
was missing in the others, better aroma, like hints of woods and
spices, possibly dark chocolate, and a much mellower after taste
rather than the bitterness I was getting even with the best cups of
the previous batches. Even the last cup, when the Europiccola machine
over-heats the head, is quite drinkable. Definitely getting me up to
the 7/10 on my limited scale. Certainly it has boosted my confidence.
The only negative is the crema is slightly disappointing (pure
arabica) and dissipates quite quickly.

I will definitely go back to Monmouth when I can, and work on my
technique to see if I can climb higher on the scale. However their
mail order costs are too high for the modest quantities I might get
through in a couple of weeks, and will have to look elsewhere. Can
coffee help me? I've found a good number of UK mail order
suppliers, but I suspect that typical espresso 'Italian style' blends
common in the UK are not for me. What should I be looking for in the
description (I guess organic isn't a critical element or even the
espresso name)? What coffee regions/blends should I try out first? I
know my taste comments are hopelessly inadequate but any help in short
listing from the impossible list of permutations would be greatly
appreciated.

I've learned a lot from coffee.

Thanks,

David

> Well - Momnmouths regular espresso has a bit more "spice" to it.
>
> Hasbeans regular "espresso blend" amd there brazilian blends are excelent (they
> do one called the Datero too - which I'll have to try soon)
>
> Hill and valley - others recommend them, but I found them a bit too dark.
>
> may also be worth considering homeroasting?
>
> also - what city do you live near - maybe someone here knows of a place near
> there!

Thanks, no doubt I will try them out. I live in Hertfordshire. The
only retailer of beans I've found locally so far clearly didn't know
the roast dates. A bit discouraging.

I don't think I'm ready for home roasting (see reply to Randy).
Perhaps when I know more about the types of coffees I like it might be
worth trying. Just now, there is too much else to learn.

Thanks,

David

Quoth david555444@ (David UK):
....
| Now for the real purpose of this post. Yesterday I picked up an
| Organic espresso blend from Monmouth Coffee in London (their
| recommendation, 4 days old) and wow what a difference! I haven't
| learned the taste vocabulary yet, but there is a richness there that
| was missing in the others, better aroma, like hints of woods and
| spices, possibly dark chocolate, and a much mellower after taste
| rather than the bitterness I was getting even with the best cups of
| the previous batches. Even the last cup, when the Europiccola machine
| over-heats the head, is quite drinkable. Definitely getting me up to
| the 7/10 on my limited scale. Certainly it has boosted my confidence.
| The only negative is the crema is slightly disappointing (pure
| arabica) and dissipates quite quickly.

I hope you will make your scale depend strictly on taste, and
specifically leave crema subordinate to taste. My theory about
this is that probably due to a difference in the brewing pressure,
we get a variation on espresso that is distinctively different,
but does have its virtues. I like it a lot, when it's good.

| ... What coffee regions/blends should I try out first? I
| know my taste comments are hopelessly inadequate but any help in short
| listing from the impossible list of permutations would be greatly
| appreciated.

Try some single origins straight, I would say - this is one of
those virtues of the domestic lever machine, apparently works
well with single origins and they're interesting. I highly
recommend Yemen "Mocha", Ethiopian origins like Harrar, or Yirgacheffe
if you have an adventurous palate, but those are the exotics -
you can get delightful, interesting results from almost any
origin, fresh from a good roaster. Of course none of them will
be the ultimate espresso coffee, they all have some quirks, and
you'll have ruined it for the blends too because they'll all seem
too bland after those wild single origin flavors.

Donn