Coffee beans & equipment discussion

For beans try Barrel beans for once, they are probably the only roasters to use hand roasting and has amazing effect on taste.

Also for grinder If you can get hands on Niche zero than nothing like it.

I am using Delonghi Dinamica, its a super auto but makes really good coffee.

Please try Koraput Coffee. First class coffee beans. You gonna love it. Koraput is a poor state of Odisha. 🙂 Tribal people cultivate it. And it is of world standard.

I buy beans from Devan’s and grind them using my Baratza encore grinder. As my espresso machine is not working properly I’m using a French press and aeropress. I have tried Blue Tokai and haven’t found it impressive, they are overpriced IMO.

bikidas2060 wrote:

Please try Koraput Coffee. First class coffee beans. You gonna love it. Koraput is a poor state of Odisha. 🙂 Tribal people cultivate it. And it is of world standard.

I think OP asked for a roaster to get it freshly Roasted so any roaster you know who using koraput coffee? I am unable to find any using Google, Will certainly try it if someone roasting it fresh, ARAKU is also one such brand which is very famous in France and have outlets, its grown in AP near Vishakapatnam. Please share your choices for roast profiles and roasters used, will love to try different roasters, blue Tokai is over hyped but well marketed coffee but not really good.

I personally find Meghalaya coffee (mostly sourced from wild growths) and Araku coffee to be the best from India. However, getting them online is difficult.

panchabhut wrote:

I personally find Meghalaya coffee (mostly sourced from wild growths) and Araku coffee to be the best from India. However, getting them online is difficult.

Is ARAKU worth the price? It’s expensive as compared to other, please share review. ARAKU is available online not sure about other one. https://www.arakucoffee.in/buy-online/coffee-be...

manav.choudhry598 wrote:

Is ARAKU worth the price? It’s expensive as compared to other, please share review. ARAKU is available online not sure about other one. https://www.arakucoffee.in/buy-online/coffee-be...

Found Smoky hills tribal coffee from Meghalaya – https://m.facebook.com/Na...i/

https://mbda.gov.in/smoky-falls-tribe-coffee-ta...

Also available on Amazon but only order from Amazon if it’s not prime. I generally connect with roaster & ask them to ship after their next roast.

Edit: Thanks everyone for suggestions. Will try most of them if they can ship roasted beans which are relatively fresh.

cadence wrote:

Found Smoky hills tribal coffee from Meghalaya – https://m.facebook.com/Na...i/

https://mbda.gov.in/smoky-falls-tribe-coffee-ta...

Also available on Amazon but only order from Amazon if it’s not prime. I generally connect with roaster & ask them to ship after their next roast.

Edit: Thanks everyone for suggestions. Will try most of them if they can ship roasted beans which are relatively fresh.

Barrel beans hand roast on order only and they will call you to ascertain your coffee liking to roast accordingly, so freshness is almost guaranteed.

@manav.choudhry598 @cadence
Smoky Falls is available on Amazon but with shipping charges. I started using them while I was working in North East and have been getting them directly from Shillong. Araku coarse grind is good. Got them from Amazon a few times and directly from Vizag at other times. I have also used them together.

panchabhut wrote:

@manav.choudhry598 @cadence
Smoky Falls is available on Amazon but with shipping charges. I started using them while I was working in North East and have been getting them directly from Shillong. Araku coarse grind is good. Got them from Amazon a few times and directly from Vizag at other times. I have also used them together.

Can you please point me to ARAKU on Amazon, there are few of them available but not sure if they are genuine Araku.

Found another roaster – https://www.roasterycoffee....n/

@cadence I am also a coffee lover & like to try different once.

However, I drink Nescafe daily, easy to make, that’s it. I am open to try with beans if they can be better than nescafe.

Can you suggest a good equipment link & coffee beans on AZ or FK?

Bulwark wrote:

@cadence I am also a coffee lover & like to try different once.

However, I drink Nescafe daily, easy to make, that’s it. I am open to try with beans if they can be better than nescafe.

Can you suggest a good equipment link & coffee beans on AZ or FK?

Equipment -

South Indian coffee filter – https://www.amazon.in/Jayanthi-Coffee-Works-Sta...

How to brew – https://driftaway.coffee/how-to-make-south-indi...

indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/how-to-make-authentic-filter-coffee-at-home-with-easy-tips-5863605/lite/

or

French press – Buy any cheap French press. I’m including a link for example – https://www.amazon.in/Cafe-JEI-Filtration-Resis...

How to brew – https://www.homegrounds.co/how-to-use-a-french-...

Go through other tutorials & videos on both methods

Coffee :
I prefer medium dark to dark roast – https://www.devans.in/index.php?route=product/p...

Buy 250g to begin with.

This is medium roast with a blend of Arabia & Peaberry  – https://www.devans.in/index.php?route=product/p...


If you order whole bean you’ll need a grinder. You can use smallest grinder of mixer grinder if new or a hand grinder or a stand alone grinder – https://www.amazon.in/Glen-SA4045G-350-Watt-Gri...

@manav.choudhry598 can suggest more grinders & coffee

This setup is a simple way to begin & in future you can decide what suits you best

Bulwark wrote:

@cadence I am also a coffee lover & like to try different once.

However, I drink Nescafe daily, easy to make, that’s it. I am open to try with beans if they can be better than nescafe.

Can you suggest a good equipment link & coffee beans on AZ or FK?

Nescafe compared to fresh beans is like iPhone 12 with a oppo. If you like what they serve in good Café than try beans, you should try Mokapot for cheap and easy espresso like experience, beware once you get into beans there is no turning back and you will start hating instant coffee. Also it can grow to be a expensive hobby.

manav.choudhry598 wrote:

Nescafe compared to fresh beans is like iPhone 12 with a oppo. If you like what they serve in good Café than try beans, you should try Mokapot for cheap and easy espresso like experience, beware once you get into beans there is no turning back and you will start hating instant coffee. Also it can grow to be a expensive hobby.

Yup, haven’t had instant coffee in 5 years – maybe twice.

A French press/ Moka pot/ South Indian filter with a cheap grinder is a reasonably priced setup. Later one can add a hand grinder like Tinemore (available on Amazon) for 10k or Encore electric grinder for 12 k. Grinder & fresh beans are key to a good cup of coffee.

Getting in espresso is expensive – grinder costs minimum 30k & espresso machine of any substance – 60k+.

cadence wrote:

Yup, haven’t had instant coffee in 5 years – maybe twice.

A French press/ Moka pot/ South Indian filter with a cheap grinder is a reasonably priced setup. Later one can add a hand grinder like Tinemore (available on Amazon) for 10k or Encore electric grinder for 12 k. Grinder & fresh beans are key to a good cup of coffee.

Getting in espresso is expensive – grinder costs minimum 30k & espresso machine of any substance – 60k+.

True, for a decent cup of espresso or milk based coffee you will need decent equipment, best beans, best grinder which will cost 25-30k, semi decent espresso machine will make good coffee with a great grinder, Infact most important part is grinder, espresso machine does not need to be super expensive, Flair Pro or Robot cafelat are both Manual espresso machine and cost just around 30k and make very nice espresso as per the reviews, so Grinder is all but important. Also Subscribe to James Hoffman on YouTube to get Indepth coffee knowledge.

BTW water is also very important for great cup of coffee as its made up of 97% water only, never use RO water/ distelled water for coffee and tea as due to lack of necessary minerals coffee will come out bland. So semi hard water is way to go.

Thanks @cadence & @manav.choudhry598 for details. KG

I might sound dumb but there are lot of choices in the devans Grinds options. I assume if I buy French Press, I need to buy Devans with Frech Press / Cafetiere.

Is there a better french press option or i should go ahead with the one shared by you? Any option that keeps it hot for a longer time or works as Thermos ?

Also, @manav.choudhry598 @cadence

coffee powder seems damn cheap than the nescafe one. almost half the price :p

Thanks for this thread……

Would love to get some advice….. currently i love espresso based drinks specially iced americano….. but to achieve a good espresso without a machine is tough…… and any reasonably descent espresso machine costs too much….. do you guys know of any good espresso machines which is also not so hard on the pocket

Bulwark wrote:

Thanks @cadence & @manav.choudhry598 for details. KG

I might sound dumb but there are lot of choices in the devans Grinds options. I assume if I buy French Press, I need to buy Devans with Frech Press / Cafetiere.

Is there a better french press option or i should go ahead with the one shared by you? Any option that keeps it hot for a longer time or works as Thermos ?

If you do not invest in grinder than you can buy the French Press grind while buying, it will not be as fresh as grinded beans before coffee making but still will be way better than instant. No clue about thermos as coffee is good when u have them straight away.

anthrax.ut wrote:

Thanks for this thread……

Would love to get some advice….. currently i love espresso based drinks specially iced americano….. but to achieve a good espresso without a machine is tough…… and any reasonably descent espresso machine costs too much….. do you guys know of any good espresso machines which is also not so hard on the pocket

It can be an expensive hobby but there are pretty good options which costs around 30000 for machine, see espresso machine is pretty simple device, to extract coffee it uses pressure of water to extract coffee juice from grinded beans, so any machine capable of 8-10 bar constant pressure can make good espresso, investing in a great grinder is a must, it can be manual or electric. What is the Investment you looking to make and I can guide accordingly.

Bulwark wrote:

Also, @manav.choudhry598 @cadence

coffee powder seems damn cheap than the nescafe one. almost half the price :p

Well if you consider weight than yes but not really cheap, for eg if you consider 200gm of nescafe can cost u around Rs800 but it can make over 60-70 cups of coffee. But a 250 gm of grinded coffee will make at most 20-22 cup espresso that is not diluted, 10-12gm each cup. So Rs400 for a decent 250gm grinded.

manav.choudhry598 wrote:

It can be an expensive hobby but there are pretty good options which costs around 30000 for machine, see espresso machine is pretty simple device, to extract coffee it uses pressure of water to extract coffee juice from grinded beans, so any machine capable of 8-10 bar constant pressure can make good espresso, investing in a great grinder is must can be manual or electric. What is the Investment you looking to make and I can guide accordingly.

https://www.amazon.in/DeLonghi-EC685-BK-1300-Wa...

So this is what i liked….. but still not completly certain about it

Bulwark wrote:

Thanks @cadence & @manav.choudhry598 for details. KG

I might sound dumb but there are lot of choices in the devans Grinds options. I assume if I buy French Press, I need to buy Devans with Frech Press / Cafetiere.

Is there a better french press option or i should go ahead with the one shared by you? Any option that keeps it hot for a longer time or works as Thermos ?

I’ll suggest buy a extra grinder unit if you’ve a Juicer mixer grinder already at home. Or search for a cheap electric grinder for around 1000. Then order the whole beans. South Indian coffee filter is made of steel & will last a long time & costs only 400. Order it for back up along with French press.
There’s a steel version of French press which will be more durable but it’s 600ml – https://www.amazon.in/InstaCuppa-Stainless-Filt....
If you want for single person then buy the one I mentioned earlier. Always read reviews even if I have mentioned the product.

You’ll use 16g-21g coffee powder every time so it’s not cheap compared to Nescafé.

anthrax.ut wrote:

https://www.amazon.in/DeLonghi-EC685-BK-1300-Wa...

So this is what i liked….. but still not completly certain about it

Delonghi makes good machines no doubt but you should first try finalizing a good grinder as its the most important part, it’s the difference between good and great coffee. If you have someone in UK or USA, try getting Niche Zero, it’s the best grinder. For espresso watch few videos of James Hoffman reviewing several different machines, take a look at flair Pro v2 as well as Robot cafelat, both costs around 30000 but make fabulous coffee and are manual.

cadence wrote:

I’ll suggest buy a extra grinder unit if you’ve a Juicer mixer grinder already at home. Or search for a cheap electric grinder for around 1000. Then order the whole beans. South Indian coffee filter is made of steel & will last a long time & costs only 400. Order it for back up along with French press.
There’s a steel version of French press which will be more durable but it’s 600ml – https://www.amazon.in/InstaCuppa-Stainless-Filt....
If you want for single person then buy the one I mentioned earlier. Always read reviews even if I have mentioned the product.

You’ll use 16g-21g coffee powder every time so it’s not cheap compared to Nescafé.

To start may be electric grinder will work which comes with regular home mixers but it will not taste as good as electric grinder’s blades generate heats which in turn ruins the taste of good beans and you get burnt taste instead of fruity or chocolate, IMO either buy grounded coffee or ground using hand grinder which costs around 4-5k only and will be worth the price.

cadence wrote:

I’ll suggest buy a extra grinder unit if you’ve a Juicer mixer grinder already at home. Or search for a cheap electric grinder for around 1000. Then order the whole beans. South Indian coffee filter is made of steel & will last a long time & costs only 400. Order it for back up along with French press.
There’s a steel version of French press which will be more durable but it’s 600ml – https://www.amazon.in/InstaCuppa-Stainless-Filt....
If you want for single person then buy the one I mentioned earlier. Always read reviews even if I have mentioned the product.

You’ll use 16g-21g coffee powder every time so it’s not cheap compared to Nescafé.

What if i buy this one?

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B01GUXR8VO/ref=sspa_dk...==

anthrax.ut wrote:

https://www.amazon.in/DeLonghi-EC685-BK-1300-Wa...

So this is what i liked….. but still not completly certain about it

Reviews of this model – https://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-EC685BK-Tradi...

Its a decent option for the money but I’ll suggest to go for Gaggia classic or Rancilio Silvia which cost around 40k-60k. More durable, better temperature control & bottomless portafilter. Kaapi solutions have Silvia. For espresso machines I search on Indiamart for suppliers. Espresso grinders & machine are expensive.

Another alternative is manual lever espresso like Flair & Cafelat Robot. These have steep learning curve & don’t have steam as they are manual but will last a long time & will give espresso similar to those produced by machines costing over a lakh once ‘dialled in’.

Flair espresso – https://flairespress...m/

User experience – https://www.home-barista.com/levers/user-experi...

Cafelat Robot – https://www.cafelatstore.com/products/robotpowd...

User experience – https://www.home-barista.com/levers/cafelat-rob...

Bulwark wrote:

What if i buy this one?

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B01GUXR8VO/ref=sspa_dk...==

It’s fine. If it’s 600ml you’ll have to use slightly more coffee compared to 300ml ones. I’ve a 300ml one for personal use but this will be better for a couple of persons. Ask a question on product page for single person use.
If you decide to buy 600ml then get steel one as it’ll be durable & more heat retention.