Thread for the Coffee lovers

Audiolab 7000 Series - Now available at HiFiMART.com
A

AMITNOIDA

Active Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2009
Messages
719
Points
28
Location
Noida
While listening music on weekend, I developed my habit of a good cup of creamy frothy coffee. My wife and two sons also enjoy the coffee session together.

About 2 years before, I had purchased a 'Morphy Richards' Espresso coffee maker (capacity to make 4 cups). The coffee powder is sourced from Barista or Coffee Day.

Every thing were running fine. But about 4 months back, the dripping of coffee came to a grinding halt. Informed the service centre, it resumed functioning after replacing one perforated plate (not shown to us) spending Rs. 800.

Yesterday, it again developed the same problem and there is no dripping. I have cleaned the coffee maker with 1 part vineager with 2 parts of water but no improvement.

I don't like to spend another Rs. 800/- this time. Instead, I'am interested to purchase a comparatively simple one for basic purpose of filter coffee. My Morphy Richards can serve for steaming to develop froth.

Can you guys suggest few simple and reliable coffee makers, which you do use in your household without any such problem.
 
Last edited:
i have the same coffee maker. i regret having bought a steam driven machine as it doesn't have the power of the pump driven ones. one reason why the espresso comes out bitter.
anyway why don't you try the coffee plunger- the so called french press. they are cheap and work well with coarsely ground beans.
sorry just noticed that you prefer the capuccino. one cannot do that with the plunger i guess.
 
Last edited:
I'm not sure if this could be an option for you but how 'bout the regular south Indian coffee filter?

My Diverse Kitchen: There's No Coffee Like Filter Coffee, It's Like No Coffee I've Known......

It's pretty no-nonsense and gives you a decent brew with the least hassle. Just make sure you don't grind the bean too fine. If you want the best possible coffee (from my experience), try the coffee siphon or the vacuum pot. It's a pretty simple mechanism but is almost entirely made of glass, so butter fingers beware. It gives you an awesome brew with almost none of the acidity you get with the other methods. It is a little bit more involving than the coffee filter but is perfect for the lazy weekends! This is what I have:

Amazon.com: Northwest Glass Yama SY-8 40-Ounce Stovetop Coffee Siphon, 1-Unit: Kitchen & Dining

The only issue I face is getting decent PB coffee beans in Chennai. The best I've tried is Kalmane's Mysore Nuggets (Arabica Peaberry) and the Coffee Day bean outlet's PB Pure. Never really liked the expensive ones they sell in Coffee Day or Lavazza...
 
I had a brief honeymoon with the coffee's served at Barista and Cafe Day when their outlets initially opened. But very soon I tired of their frothy, essentially tasteless coffee. A couple of years ago we were holidaying at a coffee plantation in Coorg which had three furnished cottages named Honeypot Homes. Before our departure for Chandigarh we bought enough coffee powder to last us a few years. The plantation owner kindly provided us a basic metal filter for extraction. We also bought vanilla pods, white pepper corns and some other spices from the plantation.

Incidentally it is a great place for a holiday! The plantation is called Sandalkhad Estates. The entrance is a few kilometers short of Medikeri when you drive up (120 km) from Mysore. Details are available on their website. Since they only have three cottages advance booking is essential. We had a great time living there and driving through the Cannancadoo Tata Coffee plantations. It was like living in the middle of a forest. Pin drop silence except for bird and insect sounds at night. I used to love sitting outside our cottage in the dark, sipping a single malt, listening to Phil Ochs on my cell phone. Great home food! And of course, the arabica and robusta coffee extracts were out of the world!

Since we came back from Coorg I have been enjoying this coffee flavoured by a single vanilla pod. I can no longer drink coffee which has milk or froth in it. It gives me a queasy feeling. Freshly coffee extract, without milk, without sugar and very little water (120 ml) is the way to go. Preferrably with a touch of vanilla!

The coffee powder and filters being sold by Cafe Day are quite good. The plastic filter with the plunger does not last very long but some of the outlets have the same aluminium filter which I got from the plantation. A simple reasonably good option is to put a teaspoon or more of instant coffee powder into a small cup (Keep the water content in check or else add plenty of coffee for a bigger cup), add a touch of sugar or sugarfree, pour 120 ml of boiling water into the cup and stir. And please don't ruin it by adding milk :)
 
Last edited:
grubyhalo said:
I'm not sure if this could be an option for you but how 'bout the regular south Indian coffee filter?

My Diverse Kitchen: There's No Coffee Like Filter Coffee, It's Like No Coffee I've Known......

It's pretty no-nonsense and gives you a decent brew with the least hassle. Just make sure you don't grind the bean too fine. If you want the best possible coffee (from my experience), try the coffee siphon or the vacuum pot. It's a pretty simple mechanism but is almost entirely made of glass, so butter fingers beware. It gives you an awesome brew with almost none of the acidity you get with the other methods. It is a little bit more involving than the coffee filter but is perfect for the lazy weekends! This is what I have:

Amazon.com: Northwest Glass Yama SY-8 40-Ounce Stovetop Coffee Siphon, 1-Unit: Kitchen & Dining

The only issue I face is getting decent PB coffee beans in Chennai. The best I've tried is Kalmane's Mysore Nuggets (Arabica Peaberry) and the Coffee Day bean outlet's PB Pure. Never really liked the expensive ones they sell in Coffee Day or Lavazza...
Click to expand...

Glad to see another connoisseur of pure filter coffee. I get my PB from a local shop which is famous around here - (Edit: Suma Coffee) Not the regular pack you see in store shelf's though - I get 50% plantation (arabica) 50% peaberry. and I use the classic Stainless Steel percolator.

Over the years I have learned the tricks to make great tasting coffee and not bitter -

1. 50% Peaberry with rest also pure Arabica for a mix of strength and aroma
2. Never pour boiling water into the percolater - I leave it around and swirl it so its around 90 Celsius before poring it
3.Same as above - Never pour boiling milk/water over the brew in the cup. Let it swirl until its 90. Use less than 40% milk always for optimal fluidity - the milk should not stick in your throat when you swallow.

Its a pity that CCD/Barista/Georgias/Costa's etc all use machines costing lacs but unable to make full bodied coffee with flavor. I think its possibly in the usage pattern with the staff not allowing the coffee flavor to seep into the brew out of hurry. These outlets don't have a clue about peaberry and I tend to think of their brew as a cup of swill :ohyeah:

That glass siphon is interesting thanks for that. I will try it someday. :)

--G0bble
 
Last edited:
srinisundar said:
I agree with above, nothing will come equal to above.

Regards
Click to expand...

That article is written out of nostalgia, not by one who really has explored the intricacies of making coffee.

Coffee always tastes best from thick mugs or glasses. Yes in the same realm as power chords and ICs vs snake-oil debate :ohyeah:

--G0bble
 
gobble said:
Use less than 40% milk always for optimal fluidity - the milk should not stick in your throat when you swallow.
--G0bble
Click to expand...

This is my preferred way too.
Where I get caught oftentimes is with the milk.....unfortunately that also contains water :sad: of varying composition on a daily basis sometimes...cows drinking more water???? Anyhow overtime you get used to handling that too...
 
gobble said:
That article is written out of nostalgia, not by one who really has explored the intricacies of making coffee.

Coffee always tastes best from thick mugs or glasses. Yes in the same realm as power chords and ICs vs snake-oil debate :ohyeah:

--G0bble
Click to expand...

So that beer also given in thick mugs or glasses:p
 
Thanks all for your valuable suggestions and sharing your nostalgic memories around coffee. Most of the responses are from Bangalore / Chennai i.e. Southern part of India, where Coffee culture has reached a very matured state. And frankly, my target group were from this part of India mainly.

There is opinion in favour of coffee without spoiling it with milk and froth. Actually, I can take black coffee (which I generally take in flight), but my wife and younger son can not take without milk and sugar.

But the bottomline is the choice between which type of coffee maker -
- Steam driven Driping type
- Pump driven driping type
- Filter type (percolator)
- Vacuum driven

Do you guys know any steam driven dripping type model/brand, which can last for at least 3-4 years without the problem of slow / no dripping? Or is there any pump driven small(for 4-6 cups) model available?

Where one can get a decent Stainless steel Percolator at Delhi for filter coffee?
 
Last edited:
AMITNOIDA said:
Thanks all for your valuable suggestions and sharing your nostalgic memories around coffee. Most of the responses are from Bangalore / Chennai i.e. Southern part of India, where Coffee culture has reached a very matured state. And frankly, my target group were from this part of India mainly.

There is opinion in favour of coffee without spoiling it with milk and froth. Actually, I can take black coffee (which I generally take in flight), but my wife and younger son can not take without milk and sugar.

But the bottomline is the choice between which type of coffee maker -
- Steam driven Driping type
- Pump driven driping type
- Filter type (percolator)
- Vacuum driven

Do you guys know any steam driven dripping type model/brand, which can last for at least 3-4 years without the problem of slow / no dripping? Or is there any pump driven small(for 4-6 cups) model available?

Where one can get a decent Stainless steel Percolator at Delhi for filter coffee?
Click to expand...
If you want a 'bullet-proof' machine with a steamer, you need to go for something like a DeLonghi atleast. Still, you are dealing with an electro-mechanical device, so no guarantees there. You should be able to get your hands on a percolator if you visit a few shops selling stainless steel vessels and such. If all options run out, let me know and I'll ship one from here...

gobble said:
... I get my PB from a local shop which is famous around here - (Edit: Suma Coffee)...
Click to expand...
Will look the place up the next time im in B'lore. Though there are quite a few coffee grinders here, I find most of their 'PB' sub-standard. Any other place where they might have different types of bean in B'lore?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
interesting! need to buy a percolator. I usually have coffee made by CCD machine at office. Either black with 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon sugar, or with very little milk added ~ 2-3 teaspoons.

my tea @ home is also like that - fresh ginger, very little tea leaves, 1-2 tea-spoon of milk. I can drink endless cups of it. At office tea is always black with NO sugar, made from tea bags.
 
Wonderful thread...finally something in HFV that I can chip in :D

You guys should also try the Sidapur coffee from Coorg. I haven't tried the local coffee shop PB and Arabica (50:50) mix. But this is really great stuff and as gobble said easy on the milk and best is the age old steel filter set up.

Sidapur - Home

Cheers.:ohyeah:
 
Nice thread, thanks.
I have pretty much given up on Coffee Day and similar ones,
as the drones there are more intent on selling you extras,
and they don't really last long enough in their jobs
to love what they are doing.
The loud music is another big put off. They seem to more keen
on being a teen hangout place.

Sadly missed are the old style coffee restaurants like the
one on MG Rd in Bangalore. A real institution that.
 
You mean the good old India Coffee House on MG Road? Yes that was an institution.

In case you didnt know , they still run a place in the Coffee Board HO Bldg, neat Vidhana Soudha. Once that closes up up, it will probably be curtains!
 
I drink 2-3 cups of raw coffee everyday without sugar and milk. I use the Morphy Richards machine with no problem. I use the Bru Ground Coffee Powder which I find very good.Clean the filter well after each use and do not use any sharp object or metal but clean under running cold tap water and your filter will have no problem or damage.
 
grubyhalo said:
Will look the place up the next time im in B'lore. Though there are quite a few coffee grinders here, I find most of their 'PB' sub-standard. Any other place where they might have different types of bean in B'lore?
Click to expand...

I haven;t found any at a convenient location :( A local store that boasts Coorg products including honey gives dirt for coffee :mad:

PM me if you are coming to Bangalore so I can give you directions.

anm said:
interesting! need to buy a percolator. I usually have coffee made by CCD machine at office. Either black with 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon sugar, or with very little milk added ~ 2-3 teaspoons.
Click to expand...


Oh you poor soul. Go get yourself a percolator at once!!

ajay124 said:
This thread made me revisit my Coorg memories :)
Click to expand...

Aah that poolside is the perfect location for a cuppa coffee.

On that note I always found the India Coffee House to be average when it comes to coffee - I don't know what exactly but I can't use Taste AND Flavor to describe their coffee. Either one is missing and I can't make up my mind which!! :ohyeah:


--G0bble
 
Last edited:
Special Offer: Wharfedale EVO 4.2 Speakers
Get the Wharfedale EVO 4.2 3-Way Standmount Speakers at a Special Offer Price.
Back
Top