I was in a store the other day and saw a popcorn popper on sale and thought to myself: home roasting again i perhaps? Oh yes. So i bought it. The i sat online for a further 6 or 7 hours and ended up purchasing 7 types of green beans, a new tamper (pictured right) from Reg Barber, and also a Dualit burr coffee grinder. The beans are :
1 x Green Has Bean Premium Espresso Blend (ref PRE3) per 250g Bag £1.90
1 x Green Ethiopian Yirgacheffe (ref YIR3) per 250g Bag £1.90
1 x Green Kenya Wathenge Estate (ref WAT3) per 250g Bag £2.10
1 x Green Kenya Thagu Estate AA (ref THU3) per 250g Bag £2.00
1 x Green Ethiopian Djimmah (ref ETDJ3)per 250g bag £1.80
1 x Green Indian Monsoon Malabar (ref MOO3) per 250g Bag £1.75
1 x Green Sumatra Mandheling (ref SMA3) per 250g Bag £1.75
I got a small batch of different types to try a variety before i invest more money for bigger bags of them. Particularly beans like the sumatran. I have previously only ever had a dark roasted sumatran bean and have found i wasn't overly fond of the dark carbonic earthy notes but am willing to give it another go roasting it to different degrees myself.
The grinder is a Dualit burr grinder and is the equivilent piece of kit that starbucks sell as their barista athena grinder at a much higher price to accompany their saeco home machines. It won't be a mazzer but it is a good and long overdue step into the world of burr grinders. I will not be using it until my Reg Barber tamper arrives. Thus my home setup will be as complete as my finances will allow for the time being.
I am trying to find my own place. My desires to turn my kitchen into a fully fledged home roastery and cafe have not been embraced by the family. So it is time to look into the world of renting some form of flat/apartment/maisonette/house. Some of my friends here have just taken that step with great results. I can't wait. It will be a brothel of roasting, grinding and brewing, of loud music varying from rock to indie to emo to opera. My bed will be a sofa and the interior something similar to that of caffe fantastico...well maybe a splash of paint wouldn't go a miss but you get the drift. The plans are still in the works but when i do find a place i will let you know.
As for now Top Gear, possibly the greatest car show in the world ever, has just started a new series and i am off to enjoy before flicking over to watch Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers. Will post pics of the grinder soon.
Cheers
Scott
