how to enjoy a pretty decent coffee at home

A marocchino with a couple of cookies from Persepolis

THE CONTENT OF THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED AND PUT ON ITS OWN PAGE HERE.

intro

_I am very, very far from being an expert in coffee. The art of the barista is just that - an art - and the world of producing, importing and roasting coffee is every bit as complex as that of the wine industry. But I love coffee and like to think that I know a good bean when I taste it. And really, for the majority of us that's it - source a good bean.

beans

If I had my druthers, I'd always drink Square Mile coffee. They are superb roasters, founded by James Hoffmann (World Barista Champion 2007) and Anette Moldvaer (World Coffee Cup Tasting Champion 2007). Importantly, the date of roasting is on the packet, so you can ensure you drink it within one month for optimum enjoyment. But there's a load of great, independent roasters out there, such as Monmouth, Volcano (a local - SE21 - company) and Nude Espresso. And that's just London.

But I can only afford Square Mile now and again. So my skint standby is often Caffè Nero's Classico beans for the really good price of £4.95 for 500g. I know we should support the independents rather than the chains, and I most decidedly do, but this is a halfway decent bean and cheap to boot. Fuck it, I'm potless. If anyone knows a cheaper, acceptable bean, please get in contact and let me know (and remember, it's got to compete with £9.90 a kg).

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grinding

Unless you've got one of these bad boys (I have), I'd get the coffee shop to grind for you. It's a burr grinder. Blade grinders don't actually grind the beans, they decimate them. These actually do grind, so you have a uniform grain with the oils and flavour intact.

Otherwise, tell the shop what machine you're using to make your coffee and they'll grind the beans accordingly. Just buy small quantities to ensure freshness.

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what to make it with

For a mug of coffee all you need is a cafetiere and you're good to go. But if you're after an espresso-type shot, then do what every household in Italy does and use a moka pot (a stove-top espresso maker). At the time of writing, there was a one cup/40ml version on Amazon for £3.41. You'll not get a true espresso, of course, and certainly not the 'godshot' which is the aim of every good barista, but it'll more than do.

An actual espresso machine is kind of a 'nice to have' gadget, but only if you're cash-rich. I have actually got one - it was saved from the bailiffs along with all the rest of my kitchen equipment in a stroke of immense good fortune. But you'll still never achieve the results of a professional machine. And I can't see the attraction of the ones with the coffee pods, quite frankly, as you're stuck with the make of coffee they supply.

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milk

For espresso-based milk drinks, what you want to try and aim for is microfoam - a pourable, virtually liquid foam with the bubbles hardly visible. As opposed to 'dry' foam which has separated from the liquid. Making a proper microfoam is a barista skill, but you can get a sort of home kitchen approximation with a milk frother. Amazon have one of these from Aerolatte for £9.14. Warm your (full-fat) milk in the microwave or in a pan to no more than 70C (above that the protein curdles) and froth. Use two jugs in which to pour the milk back and forth a few times, in order to incorporate the bubbles into the liquid. Tap the jug onto your work surface a few times to pop any visible bubbles on the surface of the milk and give it a good swirl before pouring over your espresso shot.

If you're making a cappuccino, what you are most definitely not after is something like those monstrosities sold by the chains - a bucket of milk with a waiter standing by the side singing the Coffee Song. Rather wonderfully, Italy now has an officially certified recipe for a cappuccino:

It should be made with 25ml espresso and 125ml frothed milk. 100ml of cold (3-5C) fresh milk with at least 3.2% protein and 3.5% fat content must be frothed to 125ml, reaching a temperature of 55C. It then needs to be poured over 25ml certified Italian espresso in a white 160ml cup.

Bless 'em.

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chocolate powder

I use this from the Spanish Chocolate Co. It's quite sweet and is flavoured with vanillin and cinnamon. You can buy it at Asda.

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sugar

Like the entire population of Italy, I have (white) sugar in my espresso - a scant half a teaspoon in a single shot. To me, it enhances, not masks, the flavour of the coffee. But that's just me.

Well that's my two penn'orth, such as it is. There'll be many of you more expert in this than me. So if you've got any suggestions, please do leave a comment.

UPDATE: @micks_tape strongly suggests binning the moka pot in favour of an Aeropress, as does Chloe in a comment below. New to me. I must get out more. Actually, I just must get out.

UPDATE: CostaBride says below that the Spanish chocolate powder is also available at Morrison's and Annika says Sainsbury's have it - guess it's easily available then!

UPDATE: Thane Prince, whom God preserve, gives a shout out below for the Nespresso range of machines.

UPDATE: @JudithFlanders tweets that the Algerian Coffee Stores always have a monthly offer for £5/500g which is 'always good, sometimes great'. However, looking online, these offers are £6. Maybe it's a quid cheaper at the actual store.

UPDATE: A few people have pointed out that I didn't mention the splendid Has Bean Coffee which was very remiss of me indeed.

UPDATE: Andy (an ex-barista) suggests that if you have to drink instant coffee make it Clipper's.

UPDATE: This is brilliant. @gothick roasts green coffee beans in a popcorn machine on the Kavey Eats blog by @KaveyF.