VELLUTO NERO

by **Slimboyfat** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:00 am

OK, while I eagerly await the arrival of senior Expobar, I am turning my attention to the subject of beans - and not the on toast variety.

I have managed to sneak the invoice from Bellabarista out of the house, but await the inevitable explosion (if you hear one from an Essex direction, don't worry, it's not Bradwell, just the Credit Card statement arriving), so I will definately be sticking to pre-roast beans for a year or so.

My current fix is shipped to me monthly from the nice people at the Algerian Coffee Stores - VELLUTO NERO. I grind it to what my Bodum Antigua thinks is an Espresso grind (sort of like ballast as opposed to sharp sand) and I use my patented pressure method in a small French Press - LOVELY!

However, despite the fact that this coffee is sold as an espresso blend, I have not tried it through an espresso machine.

For those of you unfamilar, they describe the blend thus:

'A South & Central American blend. Deliciously strong and smooth. A favourite Espresso blend.'

Its very dark roast and a bit oily

A quick search of this site reveals the fact that none of you seem to have mentioned it. Has anyone tried it? If so, answers on a postard please.

Regards
Slimboy...

by **Gouezeri** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 12:05 pm

hmmm, how do I put this tactfully and discretely... try using some fresh beans, especially with the investment you have just made... :wink:

oh and you might want to give some lighter espresso styles a try, I think you'll be surprised...
I'll leave the others to deal with the antigua (though I'm a little surprised that BellaB hasn't covered this)

by **Slimboyfat** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 12:32 pm

gouezeri wrote:hmmm, how do I put this tactfully and discretely... try using some fresh beans, especially with the investment you have just made...
oh and you might want to give some lighter espresso styles a try, I think you'll be surprised...
I'll leave the others to deal with the antigua (though I'm a little surprised that BellaB hasn't covered this)

no need for tact or discretion with me - I want the advice
I take it that you don't rate the Algerian coffee stores too highly?
Everyone here seems to rate hasbean - I will probably start on their Espresso blend
Any other suppliers worth looking at for roasted?
Re the antigua - had already addressed that one (in so far as budget will allow) as per earlier post, the nice people at BellaB threw in an ex-demo Quickmill for £50 - best I can do for now
regards
SBF

by **espressomattic** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 12:58 pm

Without 'bigging' up Hasbean, quite simply the opinion here is that there is not a single supplier out there who offeres such a quality service. The choice of beans is second to none and the standard of service is exeplery to say the least.

There are plenty of beans available, have a read of the reviews and see what you fancy.

The Sulawesi Espresso Blend is Fab, so is the Standard Espresso Blend.

Enjoiy the journey. But remember that there are other coffee suppliers out there too, this is just a favourtie around here.

Matt

by **Gouezeri** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 1:01 pm

Oh yeah, had forgotten about the quickmill, been quite a few people posting with new machines recently. Wise move!
If you're looking for places to get beans then start with the resources section and have a look at the people listed there. Now, as for why people rate Hasbean; putting roasting skill aside, Hasbean has by far one of the most extensive selections of beans. But most importantly, when buying from HB, you know precisely when your beans were roasted. When you consider all the discussions here on "resting roasts" and after how many days a particular roast is best, you realise the importance of buying fresh.
D

by **Gouezeri** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 1:02 pm

espressomattic wrote:Without 'bigging' up Hasbean, quite simply the opinion here is that there is not a single supplier out there who offeres such a quality service. The choice of beans is second to none and the standard of service is exeplery to say the least.

There are plenty of beans available, have a read of the reviews and see what you fancy.

The Sulawesi Espresso Blend is Fab, so is the Standard Espresso Blend.

Enjoiy the journey. But remember that there are other coffee suppliers out there too, this is just a favourtie around here.

Just because you're "bigging up" Steve, doesn't mean you have to spell like him

by **espressomattic** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 1:09 pm

!!!etam uoy rof elgnihs eap eht ot kcab. nam ytsan ,ytsan a era uoY

OKAERB

by **CakeBoy** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 2:27 am

Hi Slimboy. There are lots of good roasters out there (I am told), but to put it bluntly and at the risk of embarassing Steve, there are the good roasters and then there is Steve (HasBean) on a different planet. Yes, he really is that good, not just for the amazing standard of his roasts and greens, but for his passion for all things coffee and his way of helping out anyone who shares his interest. Most of us just watch in awe at Steve's skill and knowledge, then smile contently because he has improved all our coffee experiences and looks after us

by **Slimboyfat** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 6:57 am

Hi Slimboy. There are lots of good roasters out there (I am told), but to put it bluntly and at the risk of embarassing Steve, there are the good roasters and then there is Steve (HasBean) on a different planet. Yes, he really is that good, not just for the amazing standard of his roasts and greens, but for his passion for all things coffee and his way of helping out anyone who shares his interest. Most of us just watch in awe at Steve's skill and knowledge, then smile contently because he has improved all our coffee experiences and looks after us

Thanks everyone - message received and understood!

I have been getting through about a kilo of beans a month (a crack habit would be cheaper) and having a monthly delivery.

Will freshly roasted beans keep OK for a month at a time, or should I have them delivered once a fortnight say?

Regards
Slimboy...

by **CakeBoy** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 10:08 am

Once a week! No, seriously .......... each week

by **Steve** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 6:58 pm

<blush>

I'd drop the monthly for sure, but wouldn’t be as anal as Cakeboy, and fortnightly should be fine. My limited experience of Algerian stores is they have some great coffees but don’ keep it fresh enough (which is a shame). There are some other good roasters out there, don’ be afraid to check out Monmouth if you can get to London there is peter James at http://www.jamesgourmetcoffee.com/ and more (but I'm not going to big up to many competitors

. These guys roast freshly and have some exceptional coffees.

I'm going to ignore Dom’ spelling comment, ignore but note

Thank you for the love guys

by **Gouezeri** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 7:01 pm

Steve wrote:Thank you for the love guys

Oi, could at least thank me for the usual derision... where would you be without me

And I'm gonna pitch in a bit after cakey and say that I occassionally push roasts to 10 days (couple of days resting, a week of drinking)... the only problem with this, is remembering to order in advance, and when steve is actually there, for once

by **Steve** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 7:03 pm

Ignore ignore ignore

by **CakeBoy** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 8:37 pm

Anal indeed ........ I was going to suggest every 5 days :wink:

by **Slimboyfat** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:38 am

I'd drop the monthly for sure, but wouldn’t be as anal as Cakeboy, and fortnightly should be fine. My limited experience of Algerian stores is they have some great coffees but don’ keep it fresh enough (which is a shame).

Thanks Steve - I'm going to give your Toba Sulawesi a go and have ordered some roast and some green, in order to test out my rotisserie roasting contraption.
Regards
Slimboy...

VELLUTO NERO

VELLUTO NERO

Who is online