ubitalia wrote:Wow! And a great weekend it was.

Hey, I am happy it finally worked out for you!

You also know about your current weakest link. I didnt want to invest in an electric grinder as long as I have to move that often. Instead I bought a Handgrinder and it does a great, reliable and consistent job - am currently processing an average of 250g a week. Look out for grinders that are labelled Mokka or Mocca and be warned that there is a risk that you won't get what you want at the first try.

http://www.home-barista.com/forum...4482-80.html#53766

When the time comes and you can swing a good burr grinder, the improvement over the whirly blade will be astonishing.

ogatasan wrote:
I dont know about the distribution system of Illy in the US, maybe we are better off in Europe - I used to buy it from supermarkets which i expected would frequently have to restock. I read that test about how quickly preground coffee gets stale - and I agree that it cannot be compared to freshly ground - still I got crema from preground even if it was opened 3-4 weeks earlier.

Interesting post because it destroys some myths about preground coffee that we often read in coffee sites. Of course I agree that freshly ground coffee is ideal but (good quality) preground is not the "devil" as some "geeks" say. And beware. It is possible to make terrible espresso with freshly ground beans too!

Now Ogatasan could you please tell me how do you store your preground?

calb wrote:Interesting post because it destroys some myths about preground coffee that we often read in coffee sites. Of course I agree that freshly ground coffee is ideal but (good quality) preground is not the "devil" as some "geeks" say. And beware. It is possible to make terrible espresso with freshly ground beans too!

Now Ogatasan could you please tell me how do you store your preground?

Nonononono(nono) calb,
dont get me wrong, there is nothing that comes close to the potential of fresh whole beans, ground on demand. Its not all about the presence of crema, and there is no doubt the preground has an incomparable spectrum and richness in flavours and appeal to freshly ground beans.

All i said was that
- Preground Illy always gave me crema
- I believe that the pressurized CO2 packing might help preserving aromas
- Illy (whole beans) from cans might still be a better option than what some local roasters offer

I did never doubt any of the members critical observations - they know what they are talking about.
Even the oldest and stalest beans would produce something which could be identified as coffee - it just might not deserve its name then...

To answer your question, I used to keep the preground in the can next to the machine, at room temperature. It usually lasted no more than a week and the difference in taste when opening a new can was very obvious - I simply wasnt too critical about it - but since we are here we are looking for what can be done better.

If everybody along the line paid so much attention to get out the best of the beans I would deserve to go to hell for not trying to get the best out of it in last place, and thats where preground meets the devil

ogatasan wrote:If everybody along the line paid so much attention to get out the best of the beans I would deserve to go to hell for not trying to get the best out of it in last place, and thats where preground meets the devil

Ok ogatasan I got it and learned the lesson.... But at least the devil could enjoy an espresso with crema

Crema is not necessarily an indicator of freshness. Jam a bunch of Robusta in a blend and it will produce crema well after the Arabica in the blend has died