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decaf anyone?
hey zoo junkies
this may be heresy, but i'd like to know what brand of espresso decaf my fellow coffee geeks use? i know that many coffee aficionados would never admit to using decaf but occasionally late at night a decaf comes in handy for those with insomniac responses to caffeine. i use a saeco via venezia.
cheers
this may be heresy, but i'd like to know what brand of espresso decaf my fellow coffee geeks use? i know that many coffee aficionados would never admit to using decaf but occasionally late at night a decaf comes in handy for those with insomniac responses to caffeine. i use a saeco via venezia.
cheers
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by David Gee on -
Ah, decaf!
First of all, it is critical to get fresh beans and grind them as you use them. Brick pack decaf is not as fresh and you can't adjust the grind for your machine. Don't go to a supermarket. Go to your local roaster, local cafe or markets. Always remember the fresher the coffee and more freshly ground, the better the crema, aroma and flavour.
It used to be that you could only generally get Columbian coffee that was decaf. The Swiss water method is chemical free and now allows small batches. So we are seeing more and more single origins and blends coming on the market. All good news for decaf drinkers.
In my opinion, Guatemala decaf is very good as a single origin decaf coffee. You can also now get quite a few decaf coffees that are Fairtrade, Organic, Rainforest Alliance or all three. I know that Toby's Estate in Sydney sells one on their website that is all three. There are lots of other roasters selling decaf coffee over the net as well.
Be warned, once you start experimenting you will try some great decaf coffees and some bad ones. I tried a terrible decaf last year that others said was great. Just because it is organic and/or fairtrade does not mean it will taste great. This is where the secret of good roasting comes into play.
I hope this helps.
Dave - www.baristabrothers.com
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Permalink Reply by stephen on -
dear dave
thanks very much for those words of wisdom. some very interesting points there. glad to see the Swiss have made a contribution to the betterment of decaf. sadly i have a major problem. due to the outrageous price of real estate in sydney, my kitchen is not much larger than a small walk-in wardrobe. no space for a grinder. until we can move, i'm stuck with brick pack.
cheers
steve
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Permalink Reply by Andrew on -
Hi Steve,
In my opinion, a good grinder is more important than the espresso machine itself. Find a local roaster and buy enough for a week or two. Fresh beans ground as you go is best, and once you tried it you'll never go back. Roasted beans will last a couple of weeks, ground coffee beans will lose flavor and stale in a matter of minutes.
I have a Mazzer Super Jolly which is slightly on the "biggish" side. Coupled together with the Expobar I own needless to say we quickly ran out of space in our little kitchen. The only solution for me of course was to get a new kitchen designed around my coffee setup! Now, of course this wouldn't work for everyone *LOL*
By the way, I haven't had the chance try decaf as yet, but I swap the caffeine for a hot chocolate late at nights.
Cheers - Andrew
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Permalink Reply by stephen on
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andrew
thanks for the advice. i like the idea of the late night hot chocolate switch! especially if it involves swiss chocolate. mmm, might go and brew one now.
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Permalink Reply by David Gee on
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Funny you should talk about a new kitchen as I also "had" to expand our kitchen to give me enough space for my Vibiemme machine and KS grinder.
Dave
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Permalink Reply by Andrew on
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Stephen> Have a Red African Cocoa drinking chocolate in my cup at the moment. Very smooth.
David> Should have seen the look on the kitchen designer's face when I told him how much room we needed to allow just for the Mazzer SJ.
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Permalink Reply by David Gee on
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Hi Steve,
I just tried some great hot chocolate from www.mayancoffee.com.au.
The actual cafe is Mayan Coffee & Xocolat Cafe and is easily accessable along South DowlingStreet or from Lachlan Street or Bourke Street in Sydney.
They have a chilli hot chocolate that is HOT!
I have met Roberto who runs the cafe.
Dave
www.baristabrothers.com
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