# What beans should I try?



## jim3rg (Apr 17, 2015)

Hello folks,

If this is in the wrong place please feel free to move it.

I am very new to real coffee, I had one of those filter machines for a while and purchased some supermarket brand coffee, then a friend from the USA sent me some Foglifter which I found very nice indeed made by Millstone if memory serves. I then let my curiosity out and found myself with a blade grinder (remember the scene from City slickers). I was sent some kind of Columbian beans I forget the name of them now, and went about grinding them, the improvement was better.

I am expecting my new Aeropress this week and my hario slim coffee mill, I like medium to strong coffee I like to add a little milk and sweetener (cant have sugar). I am also up for new experiences but would like a small selection to start me off.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Jim


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## Obnic (Jan 14, 2014)

Hi Jim. I've just returned from holiday where I used the aeropress non-stop. It's capable of some superb brews.

You'll get lots of good advice from others but for my pen'arth, I'd recommend you call Richard at CoffeeCompass and have a chat. He offers some excellent medium to darker roasts, several of which are very easy to get good shots from. He also offers great value. Well worth a call.


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## jim3rg (Apr 17, 2015)

Obnic said:


> Hi Jim. I've just returned from holiday where I used the aeropress non-stop. It's capable of some superb brews.
> 
> You'll get lots of good advice from others but for my pen'arth, I'd recommend you call Richard at CoffeeCompass and have a chat. He offers some excellent medium to darker roasts, several of which are very easy to get good shots from. He also offers great value. Well worth a call.


I will more than likely make up a list of coffees depending on the suggestions. I will make a call this week at some point. Hope you had a good holiday.

Jim


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## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

Hi Jim

Dependant on where you are in the North East, Baytown coffee roasters who did us an excellent DSOL a couple back ( a darker variant of their Bolt blend) are based in Robin Hood Bay and judging from their website, attend local markets / have outlets locally selling their beans in 250g bags if you do not fancy contacting them directly and buying in 1kg bags ( they normallly wholesale but are happy to sell to forum members who email them but only in 1kg bags).

Twitter feed may be the best place to work out where selling locally: https://twitter.com/BaytownCoffee

Website: http://www.baytowncoffeecompany.com/

Search the Beans thread for info on how to contact them by mail

I offer them up as an addition / alternative to Obnics suggestion, Coffee Compass, who are extremely helpful, knowledgeable and a joy to deal with; Richard will not steer you wrong if you tell him what you like and what brewing method.

Enjoy your journey

John


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

Jim, you have great suggestions from Obnic and John. There are a number of roasters that support the forum in on way or another, including Coffee Compass. My suggestion would be to avoid a list at this stage because that might simply be bewildering but start by trying one or other roaster e.g., Coffee Compass or Baytown, work out a baseline of the the kind of bean and roast that you like best and suits how you are making coffee, and then venture out from there. When you think about it, it's a wonderful dilemma.


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## jim3rg (Apr 17, 2015)

Thanks folks, every time I visit a coffee site I feel like a kid in a sweet shop. It's a good feeling though. I will look into the suggestions ?

Jim


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## jim3rg (Apr 17, 2015)

I have been browsing 'The Coffee Compass', I quite like the sound of that Old Brown Java, also the Bolts and Albion street from 'The Bay Town Coffee company'.

Jim


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## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

If you browse Baytowns Twitter or facebook feed am sure they advertise out when they are going to a market theta may be close to you so you could get some Baytown and some from CoffeeCompass too (soon have you caffeinated to forum levels, )

Now, all of the markets may be way to far for normal travel ( i think they were in Scarborough at the weekend) drop them a mail at [email protected] and they should be able to to point you in the right direction for a local stockist not forgetting to mention CoffeeForums of course.

Hope of help and if you want some more background info on them they are currently on page 6 of the introductions thread as funnily enough, BaytownCoffee ( not to put you off Richard @CoffeeCompass just noting your location. From Richard, if you feeling the need for something brave, Hill and Valley everytime!)

John


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## jim3rg (Apr 17, 2015)

Hill and Valley looks tempting, love that review 

Jim


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

jim3rg said:


> Hill and Valley looks tempting, love that review


Our very own Spazbarista (which I didn't know the first time I read it!)


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Here's a select few from my growing list of beans I'd like to try based on glowing praise from other members here:

Coffee Compass:

Brighton Lanes Blend

Gusto Gold Espresso Blend

Java Jampit Estate

Sweet Bourbon

Foundry Coffee Roasters:

Rocko Mountain Reserve

Karengera Washing Station

HasBean:

Brazil Fazenda Inglaterra

Finca Limoncello

Rave:

Cuban Serrano Superior

Italian Job

Signature Blend

Square Mile:

Sweetshop Espresso

Red Brick

Extract:

Extract Original Espresso

Origin:

Ethiopian

Costa Rican

Do check the tasting notes first to help decide if any appeal.

Hope that's of some help?


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## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

If you do a search in the beans section you will find Spaz's review and a fair bit of banter that follows over the next few pages. Made me chortle at the time, enough to order some and have ordered more since, kudos to Richard at CC for putting the review (mostly) on their site also









John


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## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

Spaz's review currently half way down Page 5 of the beans thread and enjoy!

John


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

DoubleShot said:


> Here's a select few from my growing list of beans I'd like to try based on glowing praise from other members here:
> 
> Coffee Compass:
> 
> ...


Can i suggest Not of all these would be at their best for Aeropress / Filter ....


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## jim3rg (Apr 17, 2015)

Thanks Doubleshot very helpful indeed. John, I will check that out a bit later as I am aboit to start dinner, nothing special just some pasta bake.

Jim


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Mrboots2u said:


> Can i suggest Not of all these would be at their best for Aeropress / Filter ....


Oops! Forgot that important bit of detail!


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## jim3rg (Apr 17, 2015)

Is the the coffee type or the grind type that is not suitable for Aeropress?

Jim


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

jim3rg said:


> Is the the coffee type or the grind type that is not suitable for Aeropress?
> 
> Jim


You do the grind to suit the brew ....

Id say something like Italian Job for exampe is blended for espresso

Even the roaster doesn't list tasting notes for it as filter....

http://ravecoffee.co.uk/collections/coffee-bean-blends/products/the-italian-job-blend

This doesn't mean you can't use it in aeropress but i wouldn't expect it to excel or be at its best ...but you decide .

Some roasters will create a blend predominantly for espresso

I dont want to be critical but perhaps recommendations of coffee from someone who has tasted it, brewed it , and perhaps used it in the methods you want to brew right be more pertinent ....

Something like sweetshop espresso blend might not suit your preferences ( folgers etc ) , but then you might wanna try something new ....again id expect this to excel brewed as espresso , doesnt mean you can't use it in aeropress at all ....its just it may be better in the cup as espresso ....

Have a look at each bean and the sites the tasting notes and the brew recommendations , perhaps look for ones that are ok for filter or pour over , some roasters will even provide a aeropress guide or recipe for a bean or brewing in general


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## jim3rg (Apr 17, 2015)

Ok thanks I have a better understanding now. Apologies if these questions have been asked before.

Jim


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

jim3rg said:


> Ok thanks I have a better understanding now. Apologies if these questions have been asked before.
> 
> Jim


hey no worries at all

what we is all here for...


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

At first, it may take a little while for you to find you feet with a method that makes any of the beans, wherever they are from & whatever brew method they are intended for, to marry up with the tasting notes. This is pretty normal - if you do strike gold on the first go, make sure you wrote everything down so you can then tell us how to do it! 

This isn't necessarily a sign that you need to change beans, or brewer, or grinder...you may need a little tweak to your recipe, so try and stick to a method & a bean and adjust things little by little...remember face puckering sourness and gurn-inducing bitterness were not things that the roaster is trying to describe to you in the notes 

Keep notes on what you are doing so if you do get a little stuck you can start up a thread in the brewed forum, there are enough folk with the same brewer & similar grinders that you can compare notes with.

You say you like it medium to strong, are you after a short intense cup, or a longer clearer, filter style coffee?


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## jim3rg (Apr 17, 2015)

I like to savor my brew so short shots don't really appeal to me I am not knocking it but its just not me. A nice strong brew with a little milk in my NUFC mug is perfect, I do use sweetener seeing as sugar is out of the question but just half a teaspoon. I am planning to use the Aeropress as its intended, then probably inverted to see if there is any difference.

Jim


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Cool, probably makes sense to brew the actual volume you intend to drink, rather than concentrated brews that need diluting (box method)? Saves an additional stage & possibility of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory ;-) After getting consistent results, do try the coffee from time to time before you add the sweetener, I'm not allowed sugar either, one of the reasons I like coffee is because of its natural sweetness.


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## jim3rg (Apr 17, 2015)

I have been drinking whispers: Nescafe cough umm and it needs sweetener, I am hoping the real coffee will take away the need for sweetener at some point, we will see though. Tracking says my Aeropress will be here on Wednesday and it comes with a free bag of coffee apparently.... roll on Wednesday.

Jim


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Free bag of Rave Signature Blend?


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## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

Or free bag from bb?

John


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## jim3rg (Apr 17, 2015)

Rave Coffee signature.

Jim


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

An Amazon purchase in that case? I had considered that myself but went for Aeropress with storage bag instead.


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## jim3rg (Apr 17, 2015)

Yep, its a birthday gift for me but if it arrives Wednesday I may just accidentally open it its only a couple of weeks early









Jim


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

That's the spirit...get straight in there and start enjoying your fresh coffee!


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## iamwill.scott.ws (Mar 26, 2015)

Hi Jim I would suggest you go for a single origin coffee bean this will allow you to experience its true flavour. My suggestion is to try it black with no sugar as this allows you to savour the different sensations from the particular coffee. With the single origin it allows you to develop a taste for the different types available and so build up your own knowledge of what you like and do not like. In my opinion that is what the Aeropress was designed for. Good luck in your journey. A good Colombian or the Java would be a good start.


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## jim3rg (Apr 17, 2015)

I keep going back to The Old Java from Coffee Compass, I have a couple of coffees on my wishlist but this one keeps drawing my attention. Has anyone else tried this?

Jim


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

@ronsil?


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## jim3rg (Apr 17, 2015)

OK folks, My Aeropress has arrived, I got it wrong and it doesn't come with coffee but an extra few filters (350), The coffee i have decided to start with are;

Jamaican Blue Mountain Blend - The Coffee Bean..... on the way.

Signature Blend - Rave Coffee... On the way.

Old Brown Java - Coffee Compass... ordering soon.

I am working my way up to Hill and Valley but its deffinately on my wish list, as is the sweet bourbon expresso blend. I will use the first coffee to arrive.

Jim


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