Monmouth Coffee

[JonathanL883]

On a recent trip to London I was fortunate enough to try a Monmouth Coffee. My guidebook touted it as "the best coffee in London".

Of course I was skeptical, but even after drowning it in milk the coffee flavor was like nothing I had ever tasted before or since.

How would I go about brewing amazing coffee at home without roasting or grinding my own beans?

I prefer cold brew iced coffee but would consider other brewing methods for both coffee and espresso.

 

[MostlyWater]

you need exactly the right balance between water and coffee. you also need really hot water.

 

[JonathanL883]

you need exactly the right balance between water and coffee. you also need really hot water.

I have tried using boiling water and pouring it over coffee grounds placed in a tea infuser with mixed results. I'm also interested in what coffee works best for cold brew.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I have tried using boiling water and pouring it over coffee grounds placed in a tea infuser with mixed results. I'm also interested in what coffee works best for cold brew.

Jamaican Blue Mountain is the best cold brew.

 

[Aromataste]

It depends on what kind of coffee you want to drink.
If are you looking for a simple filter coffee, for 30£ you can buy a de'Longhi filter coffee machine and then find your favourite blend of coffee.
If you fancy a good espresso, cappuccino or latte you cannot use filter coffee, but you need an espresso machine.
In my opinion, beans to coffee machines for domestic use are fantastic....but expensive. I would recommend this kind of machines to very experienced espresso drinkers .
Easy Serving Espresso or jus ESE pods friendly machines are way cheaper and, using the right pod the result is excellent.
Than there are Lavazza espresso point or a modo mio machines which make good coffee, the original caps are expensive but you can find in the market compatibles capsules which are cheaper and way better than the originals because produced by very good coffee roasters.
Last....Nespresso, if you like design, brand ecc....I do not go crazy for its coffee....for the capsules same as above, better the compatibles than the originals.

 

[jennyema]

On a recent trip to London I was fortunate enough to try a Monmouth Coffee. My guidebook touted it as "the best coffee in London".

Of course I was skeptical, but even after drowning it in milk the coffee flavor was like nothing I had ever tasted before or since.

How would I go about brewing amazing coffee at home without roasting or grinding my own beans?

I prefer cold brew iced coffee but would consider other brewing methods for both coffee and espresso.

Find out what type of beans the Monmouth coffee you drank was made from (geographical origin). And the roast (light/med/dark/espresso, etc)

Then buy some here and start experimenting with water/coffee proportions and methods (drip, press, etc)

 

[Mad Cook]

I have tried using boiling water and pouring it over coffee grounds placed in a tea infuser with mixed results. I'm also interested in what coffee works best for cold brew.

Water should ALWAYS be off the boil for coffee. Boiling water "burns" the coffee. Bring the water to the boil then leave it for 1/2 to a minute to just come off the boil.

(Tea is a different matter. Tea needs water just on the boil (Trust me. I'm English - we've been making tea for 350 years)

Storage is important as ground coffee deteriorates within a matter of days when it's been exposed to the air. I was advised by a coffee blender many years ago to store ground coffee in the freezer once the pack was opened.

Personally I prefer the "French press" or cafetiere method or the drip system. Perhaps another DCer can advise you on home espresso machines and those "Moka pot" style stove top gadgets as I have no experience of working with them. The one to avoid like the plague is the electric percolator which ruins coffee by re-circulating the made coffee through the spent grounds and making the coffee taste stewed.

 

[Mad Cook]

On a recent trip to London I was fortunate enough to try a Monmouth Coffee. My guidebook touted it as "the best coffee in London".

Of course I was skeptical, but even after drowning it in milk the coffee flavor was like nothing I had ever tasted before or since.

How would I go about brewing amazing coffee at home without roasting or grinding my own beans?

I prefer cold brew iced coffee but would consider other brewing methods for both coffee and espresso.

Jonathon, Monmouth don't ship abroad so mail order is no use but H R Higgins another well-respected London firm, does and may be able to supply a blend similar to the Monmouth one you bought.

Delivery Information ‹ About :: H. R. Higgins (Coffee-man) Ltd.

It's just occurred to me that the water in London is very hard (you'll have noticed how difficult it was to raise a lather with ordinary soap) so it may be that the Monmouth blend you tried was blended to suit London water and doesn't perform well with softer water where you are.

 

[Steve Kroll]

I'll go a step further and say you shouldn't use hot water at all. The best cup of black coffee I've ever had, bar none, was made using a cold brew system. It's plastic, only $40, and doesn't even have a cord attached.

Toddy Cold Brew System Home Model - BedBathandBeyond.com

Coffee made using this method has none of the harsh acid that's extracted when using hot water. I was skeptical when one of my wife's co-workers recommended it, but one taste and I was sold.

I have an $800 Gaggia Italian coffee machine that sits on the counter at home. It's state of the art and makes wonderful espresso that rivals much of what I've had in Italy. But for the best tasting cup of black American style coffee, this is what I use.

 

[taxlady]

Water should ALWAYS be off the boil for coffee. Boiling water "burns" the coffee. Bring the water to the boil then leave it for 1/2 to a minute to just come off the boil.

(Tea is a different matter. Tea needs water just on the boil (Trust me. I'm English - we've been making tea for 350 years)

Storage is important as ground coffee deteriorates within a matter of days when it's been exposed to the air. I was advised by a coffee blender many years ago to store ground coffee in the freezer once the pack was opened.

Personally I prefer the "French press" or cafetiere method or the drip system. Perhaps another DCer can advise you on home espresso machines and those "Moka pot" style stove top gadgets as I have no experience of working with them. The one to avoid like the plague is the electric percolator which ruins coffee by re-circulating the made coffee through the spent grounds and making the coffee taste stewed.

I was going to write something similar, though my preferred coffee is espresso allongé (a long espresso).

Jonathon, Monmouth don't ship abroad so mail order is no use but H R Higgins another well-respected London firm, does and may be able to supply a blend similar to the Monmouth one you bought.

Delivery Information ‹ About :: H. R. Higgins (Coffee-man) Ltd.

It's just occurred to me that the water in London is very hard (you'll have noticed how difficult it was to raise a lather with ordinary soap) so it may be that the Monmouth blend you tried was blended to suit London water and doesn't perform well with softer water where you are.

The coffee in Portugal is supposed to be fabulous. It's because of the minerals in the water.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

...Storage is important as ground coffee deteriorates within a matter of days when it's been exposed to the air. I was advised by a coffee blender many years ago to store ground coffee in the freezer once the pack was opened...

Actually, the school of thought has changed on that. Keep only enough ground coffee out that you can consume within the week, and store whole beans in the freezer in one-week portions. Taking coffee in and out of the freezer ruins it.

That isn't how I do it, but that's what is recommended. We go through coffee so quickly that I just keep it in its bag from the roaster, rolled down and rubber-banded, and store that bag in a tin canister. It tastes as fresh to us for the last cups as when I first open the bag.

Where to Store Coffee: Pantry vs. Freezer - Real Simple

 

[taxlady]

Actually, the school of thought has changed on that. Keep only enough ground coffee out that you can consume within the week, and store whole beans in the freezer in one-week portions. Taking coffee in and out of the freezer ruins it.

That isn't how I do it, but that's what is recommended. We go through coffee so quickly that I just keep it in its bag from the roaster, rolled down and rubber-banded, and store that bag in a tin canister. It tastes as fresh to us for the last cups as when I first open the bag.

Where to Store Coffee: Pantry vs. Freezer - Real Simple

From the article, "When you freeze the coffee you use every day, the fluctuating temperatures create moisture in the packet, which can leave your morning cup tasting like cardboard"

I don't find that to be true. But, what do I expect from someone who works at Starbucks. That person probably thinks that Starbucks makes good coffee. I would rather have coffee from Tim Horton's, and they don't make espresso, which is my preferred coffee.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

OK taxy, fair enough that Star$$$ is flawed. How about the National Coffee Association U.S.A.?

It is important not to refrigerate or freeze your daily supply of coffee because contact with moisture will cause it to deteriorate. ~~~~~ If you've purchased a large quantity of coffee that you will not use immediately, small portions, wrapped in airtight bags, can be stored for up to a month in the freezer.

"Serious Coffee" outlines even more stringent controls than the NCA recommends. Seems they stop just short of recommending you buy beans green and roast them yourself.

I used to put my infrequently-purchased decaf coffee in the freezer and have noticed an off taste when I used it, even if that was shortly after I bought and froze it. For my use I find it's just better to store my current bag of beans in a steel canister in the kitchen, away from appliances, moisture, and light.

 

[taxlady]

OK taxy, fair enough that Star$$$ is flawed. How about the National Coffee Association U.S.A.?

It is important not to refrigerate or freeze your daily supply of coffee because contact with moisture will cause it to deteriorate. ~~~~~ If you've purchased a large quantity of coffee that you will not use immediately, small portions, wrapped in airtight bags, can be stored for up to a month in the freezer.

"Serious Coffee" outlines even more stringent controls than the NCA recommends. Seems they stop just short of recommending you buy beans green and roast them yourself.

I used to put my infrequently-purchased decaf coffee in the freezer and have noticed an off taste when I used it, even if that was shortly after I bought and froze it. For my use I find it's just better to store my current bag of beans in a steel canister in the kitchen, away from appliances, moisture, and light.

I keep ground coffee in the fridge in a fairly air tight jar. I really can't taste anything wrong with it and I'm really fussy. I think it's a fad. I will happily update how I do stuff, if I think it's better. I will probably ask some friends, when they have coffee at my house. Maybe someone else can taste it.