Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

Flibster said:
Oh Steve, you wonderful old bugger... :D

She's back! And just in time for Christmas!

http://www.hasbean.co.uk/products/Bolivia-Finca-Machacamarca-De-Berengula-2012.html
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recieved my in my mug sub this morning. have yet to open it due to a number of other bags i'm working my way through.

also had a bag of jamaican blue mountain arrive yesterday courtesy of my dad. It came from Stokes of Lincoln so will be enjoying this next after i have finished my last weeks in my mug. also have a shiny new grinder sitting in a box waiting to be opened on christmas day. :p will be putting my secret santa beans through it to get my settings in.

As nice as it was you can taste the difference in quality and freshness.

I have had 3 little bags (whittards) of different beans/blends and the beans are very oily and for supposedly medium roast (in one of the bags) they are a lot darker than has bean, stumptown and square mile.

Also they taste and smell a little past their prime as well even though it says consume with a couple of weeks.

Next on my list is an aeropress and I may also try some of those little kalita kantan paper filters for on the go and setup a little travel pack when I am out and about.
 
I want to get a pid for my Silvia in the new year - are there any recommendations? I see a few on ebay - what am I looking for/at? Any other supply routes I should consider?
Any help/pointers would be gratefully received.

Many thanks - Quink :)
 
My christmas supplies have landed. :D

Guatamala El Bosque Amatitian Red and Yellow Bourbon pack
2 Christmas coffee double packs.
And Machacamarcha :D

Should do for the next couple of days anyway. ;)

Still have a bag and a bit of St Ali's Cult of Done too.

davetherave2 said:
I have had 3 little bags (whittards) of different beans/blends and the beans are very oily and for supposedly medium roast (in one of the bags) they are a lot darker than has bean, stumptown and square mile.
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It's because they are roasting to get a certain flavour, rather than what the beans are best at. Once you take them past a certain point, you are getting the roasting flavours rather than the bean flavours. Which is why you can get coffee substitutes - it's just something that will roast and caramalise the sugars in it, that when ground, tastes roasted.

davetherave2 said:
Also they taste and smell a little past their prime as well even though it says consume with a couple of weeks.
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It's not the use by date that important, it's the date roasted. Also the storage conditions they use.

davetherave2 said:
Next on my list is an aeropress and I may also try some of those little kalita kantan paper filters for on the go and setup a little travel pack when I am out and about.
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Really impressed with them. Wasn't expecting to like them, papery tastes and so on. But after a really good rinse and then using the 15g coffee 250g water as a starting point, they're really good.
 
Flibster said:
It's not the use by date that important, it's the date roasted. Also the storage conditions they use.
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unfortunately they don't put the roast date on them so i have no idea when they were roasted.

Anyway as I said they will be my tester beans through my new rocky grinder come christmas morning. Not long now till I can finally open it up. :p

So once I have my little travel pack set up the next thing on my list is an espresso machine.

Any recommendations on a good starter machine that won't break the bank?

Is it best to match the rocky with the silvia or is there a better machine in that sort of price bracket?
 
So Christmas day has finally arrived and it means finally I can open up my grinder.

Ahgc9TFCIAA-xJc.jpg


Have put a small bag of tester beans through it already in an effort to get a grind level I am happy with for the Chemex.

I am amazed at not only how heavy it is but also how quiet it is compared to how noisy I thought it might be.

So did santa bring anyone else some new coffee related products for christmas?
 
Hamster said:
Nice. Glad your Rocky gift arrived OK!! :)

Merry Xmas coffee lovers:

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/d240b5ebec/coffee-snobs?rel=player


:D
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V funny. :p

Yeah the grinder was a bit of a mission in the end as interpresso took payment and failed to deliver the grinder (they had awaiting shipment for almost a month) so order was cancelled and paypal have refunded the money. (Never use them again) The old adage if a deal is too good to be true it probably is.

So in the end got it from MyEspresso.com

My dad went down to the showroom to collect it in person and said the place is just wall to wall grinders and espresso machines. So when I have a bit of cash I may venture down and pick up an espresso machine.
 
Well my aeropress, porlex grinder and beans all arrived :D

Enjoying my first coffee, it's pretty good considering I have no idea what i am doing! I'm going to have to do some ambidextrous grinding or one arm is gonna be a lot bigger than the other! :)
 
so I was bored this afternoon and decided that maybe i need a new kettle to try and match my grinder. So was wondering what would be a coffee friendly kettle. So is getting something like the philips temperature control kettle worth it or would getting one of the variable rapid boil kettles be worth it.
 
Ahleckz said:
Any tips on how best to get the most of out my new aeropress then?
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+ 1

Hamster said:
This site has a few different methods. Give them a try and see which you prefer:

http://www.brewmethods.com/
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Grand job. I've been trying the inverted method. I need to get my head round the grinding and dose size as well.

Boxing day was fun, "who would like a coffee?" says the wife. Everyone does and it soon becomes apparent that it's going to be me and the grinder getting intimate for the next 15-20mins as they all want my beans! I gave my brother inlaw a look and bless him, "I wouldn't mind a tea" he says :D
 
Rojin said:
Boxing day was fun, "who would like a coffee?" says the wife. Everyone does and it soon becomes apparent that it's going to be me and the grinder getting intimate for the next 15-20mins as they all want my beans! I gave my brother inlaw a look and bless him, "I wouldn't mind a tea" he says :D
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I think we've all been there :D Take the grinder into the lounge and get them to take turns :p
 
Aye, the grinder is a bit of a pain! Bought some beans in St Andrews, probably been sitting in their container for months but it's a start. Will get some ordered from Hasbean in the new year.
 
Ahleckz said:
Aye, the grinder is a bit of a pain! Bought some beans in St Andrews, probably been sitting in their container for months but it's a start. Will get some ordered from Hasbean in the new year.
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If you've not tried it yet, put some Machacamarca on your Hasbean list :)
 
I got this for Christmas to replace my La Pavoni Professional as i like the lines the Stra much better
IMG_0142.jpg

Now hunting for a descent gringer...

P.S.
The kettle behind is for my gf's instant coffee :eek:
 
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