wilson814 Senior Member Joined: 25 Dec 2004 Posts: 9 Location: Columbus, OH Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Starbucks Barista Digital...
Posted Sat Jan 1, 2005, 1:21pm Subject: Can someone help a newbie out here with bean choice?
Oh goodness...here goes another newbie with all the questions. I'm sure you knowledgeable folks can help me out though. I just received a Starbucks Barista Digital Italia for Christmas. I have thus far had a great experience with the machine itself, and I have become quite a whiz at making some lovely cappuccinos and tasty lattes. However, I am really interested in becoming more of an espresso drinker. My machine came with two complimentary pounds of Starbucks Espresso Roast beans. While I have little issue with using these beans in my milky drinks, I made myself a double shot this morning and wasn't at all happy with the taste. I have had (what I would consider) very good espresso in the past...and this was not it. I am not good with the espresso terminology, but let's just say I felt as if I was drinking a teeny cup of charred dirt water...bleh.
Now to my question...the espressos I have enjoyed in the past had some sort of lovely sweet, creamy, rich taste...not burnt and dirty. What sort of beans/roast should I be looking for to acheive this flavor? I live in the Columbus, Ohio area and am planning to visit Stauf's to get some beans to try. They are a local micro-roaster with quite a good reputation. I know that I could probably just ask them the same question, but I want to go in there with some idea of what I am looking for so that I can provide better info to the people there. In case it would be helpful, here is the page that lists the coffees available at Stauf's. Any help from you fabulous folks would be wonderful. Thanks so much, Lauren :) Stauf's site
expobar Senior Member Joined: 25 Mar 2004 Posts: 3,003 Location: .
Posted Sat Jan 1, 2005, 1:42pm Subject: Re: Can someone help a newbie out here with bean choice?
First, do they put roast dates on the bags?
If not, it might not be fresh. There is not one coffee shop in Lincoln that has roast dates on their bags or bins. However, there is one roastery that does. www.coffeeemergency.com is a great resource for great coffees, and their Code Brown and Taste of Milan espressos are awesome.
wilson814 Senior Member Joined: 25 Dec 2004 Posts: 9 Location: Columbus, OH Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Starbucks Barista Digital...
Posted Sat Jan 1, 2005, 1:50pm Subject: Re: Can someone help a newbie out here with bean choice?
I haven't purchased coffee there in a couple years, but the staff there is very knowledgeable about the roasting dates of their beans. However, the last time I was there, I was buying beans for a drip coffee maker. I will make sure they still have the dates on the beans so that I know I am not getting something old. Thanks for the other resources as well. I will read a bit on those websites too.
Peterfield Senior Member Joined: 20 Dec 2004 Posts: 25 Location: New Hampshire Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Pasquini Livia 90 Grinder: Use pods for now Drip: Krups
Posted Sat Jan 1, 2005, 2:07pm Subject: Re: Can someone help a newbie out here with bean choice?
I have the same experience/question and wonder if it's just the freshness of the coffee. I received a Livia 90 via Illy's promotion, so I received some of their ground coffee (medium) and their espresso pods. I also bought an espresso blend from a local store and had them grind it very fine. In all cases, the espresso begins to pour with a dark color. After about 5-7 seconds, the color lightens but if I don't shut off the pour, it turns almost clear after about 15 seconds. The end result is a dark colored cup of espresso with a very thin crema coating on the top, if any at all. I have varied the tamp pressure a bit, the amount of coffee in the basket, used single and double basket loads, and also drew a blank shot before the actual one. Oddly, the espresso is consistently the same, that is a little bitter with a slight burnt taste. The temperature of the pour is around 185-190 degrees as best as I can tell with a cheap thermometer and when I use ground coffee, the puck is usually damp but not soupy and for the most part holds together when knocked out.
I have read many CG posts and wonder after all this if I just need to find a local roaster to ensure freshness. The Illy pods are not bad and although they have ver litttle crema, their taste isn't quite as harsh as the ground coffee I have used.
Posted Sat Jan 1, 2005, 3:18pm Subject: Re: Can someone help a newbie out here with bean choice?
Peter: Yes, you need fresh beans. The behavior you describe is absolutely indicative of stale beans. Of course, what you really need is a grinder. You can have the freshest beans in the world, but preground just isn't going to work. Not only do most bulk grinders not grind sufficiently fine and even (depends on the grinder of course, but in my experience they never do), but the grinds will stale very quickly.
So, fresh beans + grinder is what you need. I wouldn't bother paying a premium for fresh beans until you have a grinder, but that's just my opinion.
Peterfield Senior Member Joined: 20 Dec 2004 Posts: 25 Location: New Hampshire Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Pasquini Livia 90 Grinder: Use pods for now Drip: Krups
Posted Sat Jan 1, 2005, 8:42pm Subject: Re: Can someone help a newbie out here with bean choice?
It will be on my list if the machine is kept. My wife is still shaking her head some about this so I am racing to provide her satisfying cappas and espressos to ease her mind. Actually, the cappucinos I have made are well received, but the espressos need some tweaking. I did try lowering the bar pressure before the pull to 1.0 rather than the factory preset of 1.3 and it resulted in more blond-colored flow before it thinned out. Does that make sense to anyone?? I will definitely acquire some freshly roasted beans and give it another try.
alanmushnick Senior Member Joined: 16 Feb 2003 Posts: 240 Location: Haddonfield Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Vetrano, gaggia espresso Grinder: Mini Mazzer Vac Pot: none Drip: Krups aroma control Roaster: I still don't do this.
Posted Sat Jan 1, 2005, 10:53pm Subject: Re: Can someone help a newbie out here with bean choice?
the best resource to compliment the information you can get here is http://www.coffeereview.com/ these are excellent reviews of many coffees. I have never been dissapointed. I like Lacolombe Nizza as my standard. I only buy by the pound so it is always fresh. Grinding as you need it is a requirement which will elevate your coffee/espresso experience. ALAN
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