# Hello from Glasgow!



## crlbt

I'm new to making espresso, but love it so much. Got my first pressurised coffe machine for Christmas. Trying to get most out of it. Found about this forum on reddit. After reading tons of stuff realised I need a grinder and fresh beans instead of pre-ground coffee from supermarkets which I'm currently using. Was shocked by prices on good grinders. Trying to find something reasonably cheap but good, most likely Eureka Mingon.


----------



## Sctb78

Hello and welcome! I'm from the west of Scotland too . Don't discount a second hand commercial grinder if you have the space. A lot more bang for your buck. The sales area on here is a great place to start looking.


----------



## Tobi

Welcome,

I have a few grinders, and can show you the difference, if you want.


----------



## oddknack

+1 on second hand from the forum!


----------



## crlbt

Thanks guys. What are your fav coffee places in Glasgow? There is a very nice Italian coffee shop with a huge coffee roaster where Finniestone street meets Argyle street, just in front of police station.


----------



## michaelg

Check out Riverhill in Gordon St and Lab Espresso in I think West Nile St. A few more in West End - Papercup, Artisan Roast and a few more whose names escape me right now (can picture them too!)

Welcome to the forum!


----------



## jeebsy

Papercup is my favourite with Lab Espresso a close second. Avenue G on Byres Rd do very tasty Aeropress although haven't been in since they started using their own beans.

Pena is cool, they use Workshop beans which are lovely although a couple of times i've been in they haven't quite done them justice.


----------



## michaelg

Avenue G on Great Western Road and Veldt are the two I forgot the names of earlier.

Gordon St Coffee at the main entrance to Central Station is quite good too - nice bacon rolls if you are peckish in the morning too.

Oh and Coffee, Chocolate & Tea is nice too - they roast their own beans and have a huge range of teas to buy too. And some individual chocolates too, hence the name.


----------



## Sctb78

+1 for Lab Espresso


----------



## funinacup

crlbt said:


> Thanks guys. What are your fav coffee places in Glasgow? There is a very nice Italian coffee shop with a huge coffee roaster where Finniestone street meets Argyle street, just in front of police station.


That's CC&T. What makes you think it's an Italian coffee shop? The owners are from Troon!


----------



## samjfranklin

I joined the forum yesterday and I've learnt a lot already. It's good stuff on here


----------



## crlbt

funinacup said:


> That's CC&T. What makes you think it's an Italian coffee shop? The owners are from Troon!


Don't know, lol. For some reason I thought it was Italian







Anyway, It's probably the best coffee I've ever tried. To be honest I don't go to proper coffee shops very often, most of my experience is based on pubs and restaurants. But I will definitely visit Papercup and Lab Espresso this or next weekend.


----------



## summiteverest

Snap, I have just joined and am also from the West Coast of Scotland, Greenock. Similar dilemma , more of less decided on an espresso machine (currently thinking of a Fracino Cherub) but completely stuck with choice of grinder. Like the idea of getting a second hand one, will for certain have a look at the second hand section. best wishes Mike


----------



## jeebsy

summiteverest said:


> Snap, I have just joined and am also from the West Coast of Scotland, Greenock. Similar dilemma , more of less decided on an espresso machine (currently thinking of a Fracino Cherub) but completely stuck with choice of grinder. Like the idea of getting a second hand one, will for certain have a look at the second hand section. best wishes Mike


Depending on budget there's a couple on Glasgow gumtree just now, I was having a butchers last night


----------



## Step21

jeebsy said:


> Papercup is my favourite ...


Mine too. Had an exemplary V60 (Kenyan tethri or similar) there on Saturday. Wish my brews were half as good!

Welcome!


----------



## jeebsy

Step21 said:


> Mine too. Had an exemplary V60 (Kenyan tethri or similar) there on Saturday. Wish my brews were half as good!
> 
> Welcome!


I was in on Saturday too. V60 was excellent. Had an aeropress too which was slightly over unfortunately.


----------



## Step21

jeebsy said:


> I was in on Saturday too. V60 was excellent. Had an aeropress too which was slightly over unfortunately.


The tasting notes on the Kenyan said blackcurrant etc.... It actually reminded me of the Has Bean IMM Finca San Sebastian - rum & raisins but a bit sweeter and more delicate.

What bean was the aeropress?


----------



## jeebsy

Ethiopian sidamo. Didn't see the tasting notes.

Was that Kenyan not the lemon curd tasting note? Might have Had blackcurrent on there and I missed it though..


----------



## Step21

jeebsy said:


> Ethiopian sidamo. Didn't see the tasting notes.
> 
> Was that Kenyan not the lemon curd tasting note? Might have Had blackcurrent on there and I missed it though..


I think i had that as an AP time before last and it was nice.

Wouldn't rely on my palette! Lemon curd sounds nice - not had that from coffee. Yet.


----------



## themanthechef

hey i've just joined and would like to say hi everyone


----------



## crlbt

Hey guys, I have a question. Currently I have Gaggia Gran Prestige two weeks old, was using it for a with pre-ground coffee. I can buy second hand Gaggia Classic with bottomless portafilter and a tamper for £130 tomorrow, but I'm not sure if it worth it. Planing to buy a grinder anyway. Any advice?


----------



## crlbt

Or maybe I should use Gran Prestige till I feel that I need something better and upgrade later? Will the difference in espresso shot be obvious between Classic and this one?


----------



## jeebsy

What were you planning to upgrade to and when? Did you get the Gaggia you have just now new or used?


----------



## crlbt

The one I have now is a new one. Got it for Christmas, it's £180 I from John Lewis. I was not really planning to update, I just want a decent machine in general.


----------



## jeebsy

If John Lewis will refund you for the one you got and you can get a classic with bits for 130 its probably worth changing. You can upgrade the steam wand, buy scales, jug etc with the difference


----------



## Mrboots2u

Get a classic the gran prestige is a lesser machine and have a pressurised pf


----------



## crlbt

Unfortunately I can't return it to John Lewis.


----------



## crlbt

But if the only problem is a pressurised portofilter, I can just depressurise it, right?


----------



## Mrboots2u

I think the prestige is a pressurised portafilter in one piece.

Also it doesn't have a three way solenoid valve like a classic . its also a 53 mm basket ...

Read page 2 of this ...

http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?12978-Gaggia-prestige/page2

Why won't jl take it back


----------



## jeebsy

Mrboots2u said:


> Why won't jl take it back


x2

If they'll only give you vouchers sell them on eBay, you'll get almost the cash value for them


----------



## crlbt

I don't have a receipt, my girlfriend bought it so she paid with her card which I don't have as well. They wouldn't take it without it, right?


----------



## crlbt

Also it was bought in London and I'm in Glasgow now, don't know if it's a problem.


----------



## Mrboots2u

crlbt said:


> I don't have a receipt, my girlfriend bought it so she paid with her card which I don't have as well. They wouldn't take it without it, right?


Probably give you an exchange or gift vouchers... Ask em online


----------



## crlbt

Ok, I'll try, thanks.


----------



## crlbt

Just found a purchase conformation e-mail, it should work as a prove. Thanks a lot guys, I'm getting Gaggia Classic!


----------



## crlbt

Just got a gift card £179.95 I'll try to sell it on gumtree but not shire what price should I put to make a quick sell.


----------



## Daren

You could add to the voucher and look at their Sage machines


----------



## crlbt

Are they better than classic or silvia?


----------



## crlbt

Also £275 for mazzer sj half year old a good price or not?


----------



## Daren

They have a complete range of models - from basic single boiler machines (similar design to Classic and Silvia) up to decent duel boiler machines. I'm not best placed to say if the basic models are better or worse, but there are several happy Sage forum members who might be able to advise. Sage do offer good value for money though and are technically very forward thinking.


----------



## Daren

crlbt said:


> Also £275 for mazzer sj half year old a good price or not?


It depends on the condition. If looked after then it's a good price


----------



## crlbt

Bought Gaggia Classic. Time to get a grinder somewhere...


----------



## jeebsy

What's your grinder budget?


----------



## crlbt

I want to spend something around £200 but can go a bit higher. I really want Mignon cos of it's compact size.


----------



## jeebsy

Check gumtree, there's a couple of SJs for slightly over your budget. Used without the hopper they're not that big and grind quality is much better


----------



## crlbt

I really need something doserless, I won't have any space on my work surface in the kitchen otherwise. Was also considering Vario, but looks like grinding quality is not so good compared to Mignon and it's more expensive as well.


----------



## crlbt

Bought new Mignon from Bella Barista. Using their beans now. That's how it looks like






But the thing is that I don't know how proper espresso should taste. It's very different from place to place, but I'm sure there should be some standards. The one I tried from CC&T was bitter, another from The Coffee Jar in Camden (in top 10 London coffee shops) was very sour and not bitter at all. So I'm a bit confused. If I go to Papercup or Lab Espresso will I get something close to perfect?


----------



## jeebsy

How did yours taste? DId you like it?

Perfect is relative but going to different shops will let you experience different tastes. Lab and Papercup will give you a good indication but you might not be able to get similar results/flavours from the BB beans. What beans is it you have specifically?

I was in Pena at the weekend and they're using the new Cult of Done for espresso - it's bloody lovely, especially in milk.


----------



## crlbt

It's Milk Dark Roast Buster or something like that. I quite like it, before that I've got Happy Donkey beans from the guy I bought Gaggia, they were quite old, several months I believe and were very oily. The ones from BB taste so much better.


----------



## crlbt

What beans would you recommend? The easiest way for me to buy from CC&T cos I live quite close to them, but it costs about £7 for the bag (apart from their house blend which is a dark roast for £4.80). I guess for this price I can get something better?


----------



## michaelg

crlbt said:


> What beans would you recommend? The easiest way for me to buy from CC&T cos I live quite close to them, but it costs about £7 for the bag (apart from their house blend which is a dark roast for £4.80). I guess for this price I can get something better?


You could try some Dear Green- Riverhill in Gordon St sell them and they use them to so you can try before you buy. Lab Espresso in West Nile St use them too (their own blend) which I think you can buy from them too plus a few guest roasters. And if you are in the West End you can try Papercup, Avenue G (now roasting their own I think) or Artisan Roast. Plenty to get started with.


----------



## jeebsy

Hard to recommend beans without knowing what flavours you like. No point in buying from CC&T if you're not keen on them.

Lab sell bags of their house blend which is nice, medium roast, pretty easy to get on with. Any other Dear Green supplied place will have retail bags of Goosedubbs which is a solid medium roast too. If you want fruitier stuff Pena sells Workshop stuff by the 100g.

I get my beans from Has Bean, they sell a wide range of stuff from fruitier flavours through to chocolate.

If you want to buy from somewhere in Glasgow you'd be as well trying a couple of shops first to make sure the beans are to your taste.


----------



## crlbt

Thanks guys. I won't be able to get to Glasgow coffee shops till next weekend, so I think I'll order something from Has Beans.


----------



## crlbt

How long beans usually live? Thinking of getting Espresso Starter Pack, it's 1.25 kg. It will probably take me 3 - 4 weeks to finish them.

This one http://www.hasbean.co.uk/collections/4-6/products/espresso-starter-pack

Or maybe better to get something else from them?

Thanks for helping and answering my stupid questions


----------



## kadeshuk

Heavy recommend for Artizan Roast in Gibson Street. Good baking too, and buy a cup before you buy beans. Roasting date on all their bags, all recent. And then drop in one of the best (and most expensive ) bakers in Glasgow corner of Bank street and Great Western Road. My preferred coffee so far is the Rwandan from Grumpy Mule (mail order).


----------



## crlbt

Thank you for advice! Just got my espresso starter pack from Has Beans:


Blake Espresso Blend

Costa Rica Finca Arbar El Manatial Yellow Honey

Jabberwocky Espresso Blend

Jailbreak Espresso Blend

Kicker Espresso Blend


----------

