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Espresso Enthusiasts

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The first post of this thread is a WikiPost and can be edited by anyone with the appropiate permissions. Your edits will be public.
Dave Meadows said:
@Scepticalscribe. Can you recommend a nice dark chocolate bar that is readily available in U.K. Supermarkets? I'm trying to wean myself off milk chocolate. I do like dark chocolate that is in the Bounty bars you see. Any recommendations?
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How bitter do you like it?

Dark chocolate is generally expressed as a percentage; the higher the percentage, the purer, darker - and - crucially - more bitter, the chocolate is.

Commercial dark chocolates are often around 55% cocoa; the 'standard' good ones start at 70% - or 77% - which is what I usually have. There are others - more pure, and more bitter still, which I like, (85%, and a whopping 99%), but, which would not be classed as 'comfort' eating, because, to my mind, in deepest, darkest winter, you want a little sweetness.

Summer is different: Then, as I like bitter chocolate, I will happily eat a square of deeply bitter chocolate with a coffee. But, in winter, I crave at least a small element of sweetness, and thus, 70% is perfectly good.

As for dark chocolate that is readily available - yet manages to deliver a consistently good quality (and ethical) product - you could do worse than start with the Green & Black range.

Any health store worth their salt stock them, and they are available in other outlets, too.

Re the UK, the real tragedy is that some of the old wonderful chocolate makers (most of whom, historically, were Quakers, with a superb record in treating staff well), companies such as Cadbury, and Rowntree, no longer exist.
 
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Obi Wan Kenobi said:
@Dave Meadows Have you tried Green & Blacks? They are available in most supermarkets, and have bars with 60%, 70% and 85% cococa.

http://www.greenandblacks.co.uk/our-range

Also worth consideration, is Montezuma chocolate. It's British company, but their chocolate is very South American. It's more expesive, and not sold in as many supermarkets.

https://www.montezumas.co.uk/
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Yes, I have already mentioned Green & Black, and agree with your recommendation.

Nowadays, you will often find really good products from small chocolatiers in either high end coffee shops, or good delis, - ask for recommendations.

These companies that are often run by people with a respect for their raw material, (which is often ethically sourced) a passion for quality chocolate, who are committed to producing really good quality chocolate - often with interesting experimental additions. (Seville orange, raspberry, chilli, mint, are a few that come to mind).
 
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Thank you both for your recommendations. Yes, I've seen Green and Black's chocolate. Will definitely be giving it a try. As I said, I'm going to try and eat dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate.
 
Dave Meadows said:
Thank you both for your recommendations. Yes, I've seen Green and Black's chocolate. Will definitely be giving it a try. As I said, I'm going to try and eat dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate.
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To start with, - especially if you are coming from milk chocolate - I'd recommend that you try out the 60%, or 70% cocoa versions, as these are not quite as wonderfully bitter as the chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa.
 
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A nice mug of coffee (that is, coffee, Ethiopian, hot) was snatched and consumed rapidly this morning before I headed out to an appointment with my dentist to repair and reconstruct a troublesome tooth.

Prior to that appointment, I had contemplated a long, lingering coffee afterwards, as a sort of reward. That plan has had to be deferred. For at least a few hours.

Numbed jaws are not really compatible with a capacity to appreciate fine coffee.
 
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Christmas has just slipped away, and this is a coffee forum.

So, I wonder whether any of us were gifted - received as gifts - some nice coffee gear, or whether any of the denizens who dwell here thought to bestow a gift with a coffee dimension on themselves this Yuletide season?
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
Christmas has just slipped away, and this is a coffee forum.

So, I wonder whether any of us were gifted - received as gifts - some nice coffee gear, or whether any of the denizens who dwell here thought to bestow a gift with a coffee dimension on themselves this Yuletide season?
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I know someone who bought themselves a beautiful Japanese wooden coffee dripper to go with the cooper one they already have!

I still haven't gotten around to ordering a small French press. I'll take recommendations.
 
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Apple fanboy said:
I know someone who bought themselves a beautiful Japanese wooden coffee dripper to go with the cooper one they already have!

I still haven't gotten around to ordering a small French press. I'll take recommendations.
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Guilty, m'lud.

The gorgeous copper one is in use daily - the beautiful wooden Japanese one will be introduced to coffee later in the week, when dental visits have concluded.

Normally, I would have used it today - as the substitute carer comes Tuesdays and Fridays during the week, (and week-ends), and - if I am around - I'll make her coffee when I make a second cup for myself.

But, today, I was at the dentist.

Re a small French press - Bodum make decent, reasonably priced, readily available ones in a range of sizes. Their French Press range tend to be made form glass and steel, or a robust plastic polymer.

The one I use is by Le Creuset - it is more solid, - as it made from stoneware - looks stunning, and a bit more expensive.
 
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Apple fanboy said:
Thanks for the tip. Lots of them seem to be 8 cup. I assume that's 8 small expresso size cups?
[doublepost=1483476930][/doublepost]http://www.bodum.com/gb/en/coffee/coffee-makers
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No.

French Press sized cups are not the same as espresso; espresso is that small, exquisite cup...

A Bialetti moka pot is measured by espresso sized cups; the old French press (Bodum) would be measured in terms of 'standard' old cups - the sort of cups your parents might have sipped, or daintily drunk, tea from, once upon a time, before people switched to using mugs.

To be honest, I doubt you would need an eight cup pot - unless you were prepared to make a half pot. (Which would give you roughly two decent sized mugs). Perhaps a six cup would suit your needs better - you could expect to get up to three (modern) mugs of coffee from it.
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
No.

French Press sized cups are not the same as espresso; espresso is that small, exquisite cup...

A Bialetti moka pot is measured by espresso sized cups; the old French press (Bodum) would be measure in terms of 'standard' old cups - the sort of cups your parents might the drunk tea from, once upon a time, before people switched to using mugs.

To be honest, I doubt you would need an eight cup pot - unless you were prepared to make a half pot. (Which would give you roughly two decent sized mugs). Perhaps a six cup would suit your needs better - you could expect to get up to three (modern) mugs of coffee from it.
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Three mugs of coffee? I'd be bouncing off the celling!
Okay I'll do a little research later this week.
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
Guilty, m'lud.

The gorgeous copper one is in use daily - the beautiful wooden Japanese one will be introduced to coffee later in the week, when dental visits have concluded.

Normally, I would have used it today - as the substitute carer comes Tuesdays and Fridays during the week, (and week-ends), and - if I am around - I'll make her coffee when I make a second cup for myself.

But, today, I was at the dentist.

Re a small French press - Bodum make decent, reasonably priced, readily available ones in a range of sizes. Their French Press range tend to be made form glass and steel, or a robust plastic polymer.

The one I use is by Le Creuset - it is more solid, - as it made from stoneware - looks stunning, and a bit more expensive.
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I agree, the Le Creuset is very nice.
 
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Wonderfully, and belatedly, enjoying a mug of piping hot Ethiopian coffee this afternoon.

Dental issues from last Thursday - until yesterday, when the immediate issue was dealt with - meant that coffee drinking - and the basic business of eating - had to be approached with extreme care.
 
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