OK this is my first post. Mods - if I am posting in the wrong place or doing something wrong please let me know.
Here goes;
I am very much a beginner in this having recently started to grind my own coffee as, I became increasingly disatisfied with the results from my drip filter using shop bought ground coffee.
First off I bought a grinder and decided on a hand grinder instead of an electric blade or burr grinder. I found a Zassenhaus Mokka hand grinder on Ebay and paid £20 for it.
I decided to dust off my cafetiere instead of using the drip filter as I found the results so variable with the drip filter.
I am not sure whether my Zassenhaus is grinding too coarse. I found I get the best results by using it on the finest setting but even then the grounds look quite coarse (certainly coarser than shop bought ground coffee) and inconsistent. I was toying with the idea of dismantling the grinder to see if there is anything obviously amiss although I am fearful of breaking my new toy.
I measure in the proportion of 8 teaspoons to 1 pint of off the boil water. I then pour the water onto the grounds, stir and leave for 4 minutes before plunging and enjoying. The coffee tastes good certainly much better than my previous efforts with shop ground coffee but could I do better? My questions are as follows;
1. Is my Zassenhaus Mokka grinder working properly is it fit for purpose. When pouring the coffee using the above method the coffee seems fairly see through is this correct? Once in the cup the coffee is a brownish colour rather than black. Should it be like this, should I be letting the coffee sit longer in the pot?
2. Should I upgrade my hand grinder to an electric one? I am only intending to make cafetiere coffee so don't need something that will go too fine.
3. I am storing my beans in the freezer and grinding from frozen is this ok? I only drink coffee at weekends as I am trying to cut down (I much prefer a few decent cups to several poor ones) so a 250g pack lasts a few weeks.
4. I currently buy Java and Colombian beans from the Tesco finest range. I keep changing my mind as to which I prefer and think I will plump with the Colombian based on its milder but more complex taste. Should I buy from a specialist coffee shop / internet? If so which one?
5. Should I check the temperature of the water. At the moment I let the kettle boil and leave for a couple of minutes before pouring?
6. What recommendations would anyone have to improving my coffee experience for minimum investment? I am reasonably happy with my coffee experience but know I could do better. I am certainly not striving to spend £100's or even £1000's of pounds to get the ultimate experience. The OH would kill me! My birthday is coming up (21 again) so suggestions for an inexpensive present would go down well (OH is asking what I want - about £50 budget).
In short I am looking for tips on my journey towards an improved coffee experience. Any help and guidance would be appreciated. I hope this is the right place to post this and that my questions aren't too basic.
Many thanks
Colin