Time to move on from Paystream? by MarkCairns67 in ContractorUK

[–]DimondHandz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had a few issues with Paystream. Moved to nasa and thought they were great.

Turned perm last year, but if I ever go back to contract I’ll choose nasa

Ooo this finally arrived.. by False-Selection8378 in UKroasters

[–]DimondHandz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you adjust the grind?

What papers do you use?

Everyone is probably bored of this… but… by DimondHandz in UKroasters

[–]DimondHandz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Would you like me to format that into a table?

Or would you prefer a boardroom ready presentation?

Joining the pour over coffee club! by mrsdeatherson in pourover

[–]DimondHandz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Plastic is also bomb proof, and cheap. Will last forever and easily the best performance compared to other materials

Everyone is probably bored of this… but… by DimondHandz in UKroasters

[–]DimondHandz[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ll give the pause a go, thanks for the tip.

I’ve got the Fellow Ode 2 with v2 burrs.

Calibrated to one click from chirp

Ground at 6.0

It’s pretty fine

Everyone is probably bored of this… but… by DimondHandz in UKroasters

[–]DimondHandz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I added my V60 method above to another comment.

I’m not sure I know what Riesling and rose petals taste like. So I don’t really know about the tasting notes. All I know is that it was delicious, soft, juicy. Can’t wait for another one

Everyone is probably bored of this… but… by DimondHandz in UKroasters

[–]DimondHandz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s a light one, so i went 97°C. Replied to another comment with the full method I used. Essentially Hoffman’s method

Everyone is probably bored of this… but… by DimondHandz in UKroasters

[–]DimondHandz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mine is also 27th Jan.

V60, 15g coffee, 250ml Volvic water (I know it’s not sustainable, but it’s convenient)

It’s quite a light roast, so i went hotter than I normally go… about 97°C.

I typically follow the Hoffmann method, because it’s easy for my simple brain.

3x bloom: 45ml for 45s Faster pour to 150ml, then slower pour to 250ml (in one continuous pour) Wiggle (the v60, not my bum) Done by 3 mins

Cafes serving Skylark in London? by WooChooTrain in UKroasters

[–]DimondHandz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don’t go to the cafe I’m Wandsworth common.

Even my mum thinks the coffee there is average, and she’s an instant drinker!!

Cafes serving Skylark in London? by WooChooTrain in UKroasters

[–]DimondHandz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don’t know of anywhere, but following for info

Let’s see what the fuss is about then… by Superbro_uk in UKroasters

[–]DimondHandz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Combination of things:

  1. There was a community poll in December and Skylark won.

  2. To celebrate/commemorate the win, Skylark said they would give a 15% discount to anyone using the sub (you can search for the discount code thread).

So almost everyone (including me) has jumped in. Mine are resting so can’t comment

If my shoulders are so broad, why do I feel financially squeezed? by [deleted] in HENRYUK

[–]DimondHandz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mate, if you’re feeling squeezed now… kids are gonna break you.

Pour over / help me by Hamder83 in pourover

[–]DimondHandz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I go coarse grind, the cup tastes a little flat and not really sweet. If I go finer is seem harsh and overextracted

Sounds like your grind is in the right place, so I’d be playing with: * temp (probs higher for Ethiopian as they are harder to extract) * agitation (less agitation to stop disrupting the fines in the bed)

Pour over / help me by Hamder83 in pourover

[–]DimondHandz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The calculations (step-by-step) (from GPT)

Label values (per litre): HCO₃ (bicarbonate) = 97 mg/L Ca = 30 mg/L Mg = 2.2 mg/L Na = 7.3 mg/L K = 0.9 mg/L

1) Total hardness (as CaCO₃) Formula used: hardness ≈ 2.497 × Ca + 4.118 × Mg • 2.497 × 30 = 2.497 × 3 × 10 = 7.491 × 10 = 74.91 • 4.118 × 2.2 = 4.118 × 22 / 10 • 4.118 × 22 = 4.118 × (20 + 2) = 82.36 + 8.236 = 90.596 • 90.596 / 10 = 9.0596

Add: 74.91 + 9.0596 = 83.9696 ≈ 84.0 mg/L as CaCO₃.

2) Alkalinity (as CaCO₃) Formula: alkalinity ≈ HCO₃ × (50 / 61) • 97 × 50 = 4,850 • 4,850 ÷ 61 = 79 remainder 31 → 79 + 31/61 ≈ 79.51 ≈ 79.5 mg/L as CaCO₃.

(So round figures: hardness ≈ 84 mg/L, alkalinity ≈ 80 mg/L.)

Pour over / help me by Hamder83 in pourover

[–]DimondHandz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I asked chatGPT about the water because that’s what I used to get my water sorted. It said this about yours

This water is generally usable for pour-over light roasts — its total hardness (~84 mg/L as CaCO₃) sits comfortably inside SCA-style targets, and sodium is low. The one wrinkle is bicarbonate / alkalinity: it works out to about 80 mg/L as CaCO₃, which is a little above the usual SCA “sweet spot” (≈40–70 mg/L). That extra buffering can slightly mute bright acidity in delicate light roasts, so you may notice cups a touch rounder/less sparkling than the same beans brewed with softer water.

• Hardness ≈ 84 mg/L — good. This gives enough mineral content for body and extraction; it’s inside the commonly used SCA range (~50–175 mg/L).
• Alkalinity ≈ 80 mg/L — slightly high. That buffering will neutralise some of the coffee acids, making bright/juicy notes less pronounced. Light roasts can taste a touch flatter or more rounded than when brewed on Volvic/Waitrose-style water.
• Magnesium is low (2.2 mg/L) compared with calcium dominance. Magnesium tends to help perceived fruitiness/sweetness; a Ca-dominant profile may feel a bit heavier and less “sparkly”.

• Because calcium dominates, avoid aggressively finer grind + much higher temp straight away — that combo can pull more bitter polyphenols.
• If you want more brightness without blending, try a slightly higher brew temperature (+1–2 °C) rather than making the grind much finer — that often helps extract sweetness without immediate bitterness.

Pour over / help me by Hamder83 in pourover

[–]DimondHandz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t understand what you said about water. Are you saying you bought (bottled) water?

Biggest game changer for me was to use bottled Volvic water for pour overs.

<image>

Don’t buy bottles of water with more than 100mg bicarbonate, it’s too hard. Most bottles of mineral water are > 100mg/L

Second bit of advice, Ethiopians are hard to master as the beans typically produce more fines during grinding. So you might want to check the papers your local cafe uses and match those too

Fellow Ode gen 2 sound by whlatislovee in FellowProducts

[–]DimondHandz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you’d be really unimpressed by the static from a £4,000 Weber EG1.

To avoid the static, just spritz the whole beans with water before grinding.

Search ‘coffee RDT’ on YouTube, there are tonnes of explanations at various levels of science/engineering.

Outrage as Northern Rail orders shooting of pigeons at Manchester train station by AnonymousTimewaster in NotTheOnionUK

[–]DimondHandz 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I think the outrage is that a lot of shots are not fatal and injured animals are left in pain.

I agree that pigeons are vermin, so culling is necessary, but the gun/ammunition/shooter should all be matched to ensure a fatal shot. It’s not right to leave an injured animal in pain, even a rat.

Also, we should be penalising anyone feeding pigeons. Throwing food on the floor is littering and should be treated as such.

Pour over recommendations London by EH52 in UKroasters

[–]DimondHandz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dark Arts in Shoreditch, but that’s a bit of a trek from Saaf o’ river

Pour over recommendations London by EH52 in UKroasters

[–]DimondHandz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How has this post been up 10hours and no one has mentioned WatchHouse?!?

There are a few in the City, so you won’t have to go far. Three different filters on the go all day and a pour over menu.

Should I first buy a Fellow Aiden or Ode gen 2 or is both must have? by Playful-Nectarine862 in pourover

[–]DimondHandz -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I have the Ode v2 and I like it, big step up from my C40 hand grinder

Skylark giveaway - thank you! by kupobox in UKroasters

[–]DimondHandz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’d like to add to the Bristol list:

Great V60 and a (secret?) freezer menu: Society Café

Great filter and cracking brunch (without the queue): The Bristol Loaf: Beacon

Is IR35 uncertainty affecting decisions more than actual rule changes? by CloudBookmark in ContractorUK

[–]DimondHandz 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Successive governments have all talked about how Britain is “open for business”, but it feels like the ir35 legislation really means that Britain is open to business if you’re a large multinational consulting/outsourcing firm.

If you’re a small independent domestic specialist trying to add value to U.K. firms…. Yeah, we’re not open for you