# Something different from the supermarket coffees?



## Charles_ (Mar 10, 2013)

Hi









I want to try something different

from the supermarket coffees

What would you recommend?

What website I can buy it from please?

Many Thanks and Best Regards

Charrles


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Charrles

I would suggest you start with this list http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?1656-UK-Based-Roasters

All recommendations will be personal and based on a persons preferred tastes

What beans have you enjoyed so far?

What flavours are you looking for?

What brewing method?

What machine (or brewing equipment) and grinder do you have?


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## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

*Anything* freshly roasted is 100x better than the supermarket coffee's.

Start here:

http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?1656-UK-Based-Roasters

And take your pick.

What do I recommend? Has Bean, http://www.hasbean.co.uk


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## Charles_ (Mar 10, 2013)

Thank you Glenn


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## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

Indeed, any freshly roasted bean will taste 100x better









Do you have a grinder? How do you prepare coffee ( e.g. Aero press, French press, espresso etc?)

There's a lot of variables to take into account.

When I started out with espresso, I was trying to do it with shop bought pre ground coffee. I then tried ordering freshly roasted pre ground. The latter was better but still not great. It's not until you can buy fresh whole beans and grind for yourself at home that things really start happening in the flavour dept


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## Charles_ (Mar 10, 2013)

Do you know any good Brazilian coffees too try?


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## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

Hasbeans cachoeira is awesome, but again it would help us massively with recommendations if we knew what kit you wre using


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## Charles_ (Mar 10, 2013)

I never grinded my own coffee before.

I've only ever brought instant coffee from

the supermarkets

So all this is all exciting and new to me

I'm really looking forward to it!

I'll give Hasbeans cachoeira as my 1st try









Do I just need a grinder

and beans

What grinder do you recommend

for a newbie?


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

How are you going to brew it?

In a coffee machine?

In a French Press?

What is your budget for a grinder?

Until we know the brewing method we cannot begin to suggest suitable grinders.


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## Charles_ (Mar 10, 2013)

Many Thanks for your help

I definitely be using a French Press

My budget for grinder £40


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Charles_ said:


> What grinder do you recommend
> 
> for a newbie?


Depends on your budget and what you method you brew your coffee with. If you are using an espresso machine, you will need a better grinder than for use with french press which requires a coarse grind. Either way, you want a grinder with a burr set rather than blades (which aren't recommended for grinding coffee IMO).


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Charles_ said:


> Many Thanks for your help
> 
> I definitely be using a French Press
> 
> My budget for grinder £40


Have a look at a Porlex grinder - comes in well under your budget. Can grind coarse and fine but it's a manual grinder. On the positive side, you can take it on your hols too.


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## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

Yeah porlex hand grinder will get you on the path for sure. For an electric hand grinder you'd be nearer the £100 mark.

On the plus side, hasbean is easy to grind lol


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## rodabod (Dec 4, 2011)

I agree with either a Porlex or a second-hand Zassenhaus which is usually faster and better for larger volumes of coffee.

The Cachoeira is superb as espresso, but there may be better alternatives for cafetiere. Have a look on the Has Bean website at what they have.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Charles_ said:


> Many Thanks for your help
> 
> I definitely be using a French Press
> 
> My budget for grinder £40


You could get a Krups GVX2 grinder for around that price, it is adequate for French Press, French Press naturally has some fail-safe features, as long as the overall extraction is good (which will be the issue with any grinder, or even preground), the variation in grind size won't necessarily lead to bitterness in the cup. The Krups can be used with the Clever Dripper too, on finer settings with Aeropress and pourovers with slower draining papers/cones, like V60 & generic V filters with Filtra papers (probably not so good with Chemex as finer grinds will clog the paper, I wouldn't use it with a moka pot either).

A more consistent grinder would be better, but will be way outside your budget for an electric model.

...oops, forgot: +1 for the Porlex too, excellent value for money & versatile, at coarser settings (one & a half turns, or more out) for 1 & 2 cup doses (10-20g), you can certainly grind your coffee in less time than it takes the kettle to boil...it turns into more of a race at 30g though? ;-)


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