# A forgiving, fairly dark roast?



## apf102 (Jul 27, 2020)

Hi folks. Am trying to bring my espresso game on. Have a mignon and a new to me La Pavoni to hand. Recent bean purchases have been a bit hit and miss. Originally put this down to my old Dedica's temp control. Since La Pavoni came along I can't blame that any more.

Would love one or two recommendations for a fairly dark espresso roast which is easy to work. If it is from a small supplier (or supplier near Leeds) all the better.

So far tried:

Girls Who Grind - Reasonable output from their house single origin but think the roast is medium and a bit variable and it's very expensive

Casa Espresso - Local to me. Tried their Charleston Blend a few times for espresso. Again quite hard to work with for me. Had a chat with them and they said all their roasts were lighter.

Curve - went with their seasonal espresso which ran sour or thin on everything. Got zero good cups from 250g

Local cafe - bought some super dark as they had run out. Was easy enough to get a fair shot but limited crema and a bit one dimensional. No idea how old the beans were. They said they were delivered last week. Would love something this easy but fresher!!


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Coffee compass seem to be the roaster of choice for those who prefer something from medium to mahogany .


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## 7493 (May 29, 2014)

Coffee Compass. Hill & Valley or better yet, Tusker. Both very forgiving.


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## apf102 (Jul 27, 2020)

Thanks


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## ooglewoogle (Oct 2, 2018)

I will echo that Coffee Compass fits your brief perfectly. The current batch of mahogany Malabar was delicious and very forgiving.... also, I can't recommend the Cuban Serrano Altura highly enough. You will see in on the single origin page... but will need to call or email for it due to PayPal having an embargo on Cuba.


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## TomHughes (Dec 16, 2019)

apf102 said:


> Hi folks. Am trying to bring my espresso game on. Have a mignon and a new to me La Pavoni to hand. Recent bean purchases have been a bit hit and miss. Originally put this down to my old Dedica's temp control. *Since La Pavoni came along I can't blame that any more. *
> 
> Would love one or two recommendations for a fairly dark espresso roast which is easy to work. If it is from a small supplier (or supplier near Leeds) all the better.
> 
> ...


 This is key on the Pavoni too! How are you measuring temp? 
imho a mini LCD temp gauge stuck on the group is a must!


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## apf102 (Jul 27, 2020)

TomHughes said:


> This is key on the Pavoni too! How are you measuring temp?
> imho a mini LCD temp gauge stuck on the group is a must!


 Have group stickers at the moment, though do fancy a probe for better looks.

Following as much advice as I can, although there's a lot of variation so I guess it's funding what works too.

One quirk I have is that I cannot get any coffee to drip no matter how long I preinfuse, even with what I think is quite a coarse grind, or a long infusion.


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## TomHughes (Dec 16, 2019)

apf102 said:


> Have group stickers at the moment, though do fancy a probe for better looks.
> 
> Following as much advice as I can, although there's a lot of variation so I guess it's funding what works too.
> 
> One quirk I have is that I cannot get any coffee to drip no matter how long I preinfuse, even with what I think is quite a coarse grind, or a long infusion.


 If that's the case I'd have thought your boiler pressure is running low. What model do you have and is there a pressure gauge?


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## apf102 (Jul 27, 2020)

TomHughes said:


> If that's the case I'd have thought your boiler pressure is running low. What model do you have and is there a pressure gauge?


 Was wondering about that or a leak. Have bought a pressure gauge and aim to fit this week. Group still gets up to temp and wand seems fairly powerful but suppose it could be an issue still.

I do seem to get a lot of sputtering when I pull a blank shot to warm group, which would suggest very hot water and/or air.

One test I have not done is putting a really coarse grind (say shop bought) in to see if that allows a drip.

Trouble is you only get a few tries before you have to let everything cool for an age!!


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## TomHughes (Dec 16, 2019)

apf102 said:


> Was wondering about that or a leak. Have bought a pressure gauge and aim to fit this week. Group still gets up to temp and wand seems fairly powerful but suppose it could be an issue still.
> 
> I do seem to get a lot of sputtering when I pull a blank shot to warm group, which would suggest very hot water and/or air.
> 
> ...


 What model do you have? What year? 
The spluttering is normal.

The key with the Pavoni is heat management and monitoring. This can be done a number of ways, but I achieved it in mine by using a water dipper mod, so the group is water heated not steam heated, with the addition of a heatsink.


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## NJD1977 (Dec 16, 2014)

Another vote for coffee compass. The best dark espresso beans I've had. Full earthy, dark mouthfeel, just like a perfect cafe in Italy.


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## apf102 (Jul 27, 2020)

TomHughes said:


> What model do you have? What year?
> The spluttering is normal.
> 
> The key with the Pavoni is heat management and monitoring. This can be done a number of ways, but I achieved it in mine by using a water dipper mod, so the group is water heated not steam heated, with the addition of a heatsink.


 It's a 1998 gen 2 Europiccola.

Ended up adding the gauge today. Boiler seems to run 0.75 to 0.85 bar.

Also tried running a really coarse grind and got drips. Now working back from there.

Current beans are a bit crap - v dark roast picked up from local cafe as I ran out. Interestingly they really are forgiving. Coarse shot ran for 10 seconds and tasted like french press. Second shot ran for 25 seconds but gave 44g from 12g: still drinkable.

If the LP becomes a daily driver I might invest in the Bong mod.


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## apf102 (Jul 27, 2020)

Looks like I am giving Coffee Compass a try 😁


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

apf102 said:


> Looks like I am giving Coffee Compass a try 😁


 I have used them for years and tried most of their offerings. They only do 500 gram or kilo bags so this offer of 8 x 250 is good to start with

https://www.coffeecompass.co.uk/collections/gifts-trial-packs/products/assorted-medium-roast-coffees


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## Jackabb (Nov 6, 2018)

dfk41 said:


> I have used them for years and tried most of their offerings. They only do 500 gram or kilo bags so this offer of 8 x 250 is good to start with
> 
> https://www.coffeecompass.co.uk/collections/gifts-trial-packs/products/assorted-medium-roast-coffees


 This is my go to order when I need to stock up. I love the unboxing, It reminds me of being a kid and opening a pack of football stickers.

I must agree with @ooglewoogle the Cuban is / was awsome last time I had it. I have an 8 pack awaing collection at local post office and would be over the moon if this was hidden in there again


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## GazRef (Dec 30, 2019)

Havent tried CC yet but do enjoy the darker stuff. 2kgs is alot of beans for me though. Can you freeze the beans directly in the 250g bags they come in? Are you supposed to degas for a week or 2 pre freezing?


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## apf102 (Jul 27, 2020)

Thanks folks. Time to order some coffee this week so excited to try some of these recommendations


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## Arabidopsis (Mar 28, 2020)

I would want to recommend our forums Black Cat Coffee's Chocolate point, really enjoyed that one with my La Pavoni. Probably my favourite espresso so far!


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## apf102 (Jul 27, 2020)

another nice one to try 😊

Is there a coffee compass discount code by the way?


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## Rapid (Jun 12, 2020)

apf102 said:


> another nice one to try 😊
> 
> Is there a coffee compass discount code by the way?


 I haven't ordered from them so I don't have it but may be worth posting here too:

https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/39681-coffee-compass-forum-discount-for-regular-members-with-10-posts/page/12/?tab=comments&do=embed&comment=783796&embedComment=783796&embedDo=findComment#comment-783796


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## KingoftheHeath (Nov 22, 2019)

Coffee Compass. I've had almost all of them and Cherry Cherry is incredible, my favourite espresso ever. Brighton Lanes was great when I got it right, but needed a fair bit of magic on my Bianca to bring it back from too bitter.


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## Jackabb (Nov 6, 2018)

GazRef said:


> Havent tried CC yet but do enjoy the darker stuff. 2kgs is alot of beans for me though. Can you freeze the beans directly in the 250g bags they come in? Are you supposed to degas for a week or 2 pre freezing?


 I de- gas for a week (about), write the date frozen on the bag, push any gas out, seal the breather with duct tape and then seal the loose piece of packaging back over the breather for extra protection. Then I freeze and pull each out a day or 2 before required depending on if I think it needed a little more resting. Seems to work really well


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