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In the interest of science I purchased some of the Sainsburys espresso blend today.
My first impression on opening the packet was the fishy smell, quite often I smell this with a dark roast, also a slightly stale smell, but not as bad as I expected. Second was that the beans were quite oily, and not what I would call a Northern Italian style roast. It was not a really dark roast but quite dark.
I set the Mazzer rather finer than my current home blend required as the roast was quite dark, and (by luck) got a 28s slightly short double. The colour of the pour was quite nice, if a little thin. The crema in the cup was a nice colour with a little flecking, but not very deep.
As a control in the test, I got my fiance to try it without telling her it was not a home-roast. I could tell by her face that she wasn't over impresed, she said it tased rather thin with little body, and a bit "toppy" i.e. no bass notes in the coffee. I then tried it myself. Yes it was a little thin, and a touch bitter, but better than I expected. There was not much sweetness, and the syruppy texture from a really fresh roast was not there.
This is very far from a home roast, or a fresh roast from a pro, but way better than pre-ground Illy from a can or Lavazza beans I tried in the past.
she get's about as hot as any other E61 i've used, seriously, that was actually after a longer idle time than 4 minutes more like 20! I forgot how long ago it was i'd made that shot! Trust me, the shower screen is absolutely immaculate, my cleaning rituale is quite scary, It's just some wierd shadow from my shitty camera that makes it look a little dark at the edges!
You bar-steward......
