Coffee recommendations please

You know I noticed the other day that TK Maxx has lots of varieties of coffee. I am not sure what they are like as I am not a coffe drinker. I have been told that freshly ground beans are better than boought ground though - I expect you know this.

Oh dear LondonGranny that sounds nasty. I put coffee grounds in the wormery as they seem to really like them.

I'm with you on the blue mountain, its superb. However Ive recently bought M&S italian, the Ikea coffee I recently had we enjoyed as did our guests who made a note of it. Have found aldi good too. Dont buy decaf.

We buy our coffee from a local grocer (understatement deli really), who hand roast all their coffee, and blend their own tea and coffee. ( I used to work in the same parade of shops and the smell of roasting coffee was wonderful) They have Blue Mountain but it has rocketed in price over the last few years. We use their breakfast blend in the morning and decaff and night.
They do on line - so here's a link: www.guntons.co.uk/

Aldi now sell pods which are compatible with Dolce Gusto machines, latte and Cappuccino I think - just as good & much cheaper (needless to say). Asda's own drinking chocolate pods are good too!
I put the coffee grounds on my garden - stops the local moggies fouling.

A friend (richer, posher & foodier than me) gets his coffee from here...he goes in person but they do mail order. I can say every cup I've had at his is superb. He gets various kinds.

algeriancoffeestores.com/

I know a number of you have recommended Nescafé or Nestle products.
Please can you have a think about this company and its marketing? I am sure it’s not so blatant or damaging as it was in the 1970s and 1980s but I still don’t want to buy it and feel maybe some people aren’t aware of the way it markets its infant formula to people in less fortunate situations than most of us here on Gransnet.

Here’s an article from last year:

www.theguardian.com/business/2018/feb/01/nestle-under-fire-for-marketing-claims-on-baby-milk-formulas

Nothing like fresh ground coffee. My DH (coffee lover) recommends investing in a good burr grinder. For freshness, avoid buying large quantities. Beans are freshest when they have a shiny coat of oil. Refrigeration and Freezing dries out the beans. The roast is also important. Some people like dark roast; others prefer medium or light. Arabica beans are the most popular. Best coffee is grown in volcanic soil.

Nespresso every time. We have the DeLonghi Espresso with the large milk frother. The milk is so fluffy & frothy. We use some of the Nespresso pods but you can get very good cheaper ones online too. Wouldn't be without it & all the bits are dishwasher proof.

I really like Italian Style Fairtrade Ground Coffee by Sainsburys. I make it in a cafetiere. One son has a coffee machine and grinds beans. The other son is quite a coffee buff and yet prefers my coffee when he visits although he uses twice as much as I do in the cafetiere!

Viennese coffee from Coffee Direct. Absolutely delicious!

Another big fan of Nespresso. Mine was a basic machine as I don't like milky coffees. They have lots of different flavours and strengths but I tend to stick with Vivalto Lungo and it's decaff equivalent. You can return pods to their stores for recycling if you have one nearby. I order the coffee from Amazon. First machine was from JLewis and last machine from Currys. Worth looking round for offers, especially if you are not too fussy about the colour.

The Nespresso compatible pods from Aldi - Ristretto at 16.9p per pod came out best in a blind tasting by 'Which. Better than Nespresso own and any other that we've tried

For anyone who likes a rich latte or flat white type coffee, Percol Espresso Noir is fab. It’s an instant coffee but full bodied, rich and flavourful. We heat milk in the microwave, then stir in the coffee to taste. I prefer a rich coffee flavour with plenty of body and this delivers. I now prefer it to many of the coffee shop offerings we regularly sample. Occasionally Home Bargains stock it £1.99. Booths supermarkets sell it for £4 a jar!! I’ve yet to find a ground coffee that’s exactly what I want!

Live on my own so use Waitrose Italian coffee filter cups. Give cup a good bash on the work surface to loosen contents then perch on top of mug and add hot water and let it drip through. Add milk - or not - to taste. I would call it a good Americano.

I absolutely love Asda's Extra Special Colombian. It is smooth and full of flavour.

I find that it is difficult to press the plunger down when we use Lavazzo. We've moved from 4 to 3 as I found 4 too strong and usually it's one of the Waitrose 1 coffees. Sometimes the coffee tastes perfect sometimes it doesn't. How many scoops for a cafetiere (the 6 cup size)? I've been using 5 level scoops then a heaped one.

Grandmama try stirring the coffee once the grounds are properly wet. It should plunge ok after that.

Have you tried www.coffee-direct.co.uk ? I'm sure you'll find something you like there...and they stock Blue Mountain.

Grumpy Mule Colombian is lovely, and is also Fairtrade and organic. They also do the best decaf I know, which is decaffeinated without using chemical solvents.

(I buy the decaf from Abel & Cole, but I expect Grumpy Mule would tell you the names of the nearest stockists if needed.)

I order and receive deliveries.https://www.beanbrothers.co.uk/

Like you I have searched for, and tried, many different blends of coffee without finding one that just hit the spot. However, I now absolutely love Marks and Spencer's Peruvian blend. It is rich and strong - delicious.

I only drink black coffee and since losing my taste 8 years ago I struggled to find one that resembled proper coffee. I use Kenco Millicano as instant coffee both the normal and decaf. I also use the Tassimo L'or espresso (no 5) with extra water added and the Dolce Gusto Mexican. I do worry about the pods as the only way to recycle the Tassimo ones is to take them to dedicated outposts who collect them and return them. The nearest one to me is miles away. As they're plastic there should be a better way to recycle them!

My son only drinks espresso coffee made in the stove top machine - I bought him a new one a couple of years ago as his was looking very battered and he took it back to NZ with him. They're coming over for Christmas again so I'll have to find another but ones for induction hobs are not cheap!

I googled Blue mountain coffee, looks like you should be able to buy it at Waitrose, and Whittard, or on-line from the big retail company named after the mighty South American river.

The Blue Mountains of Jamaica grow the best expensive coffee. When we lived there it was sold to tourists or exported to Japan. We drank High Mountain coffee there with the indulgence of Blue Mountains .

The Blue Mountain Inn was a restaurant with stunning views , amazing food and they gave each female diner a beautiful rose. Fabulous.

Now we drink Taylor's of Harrogate and enjoy it, buying it when it's on special. ( not a patch on Blue Mountain but we enjoy it. )