Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

so then my wife ordered me a pack of Jaberwocky for xmas but i got to the post first so as the surprise was ruined shes decided to let me have it now, it took a few goes loosening my bodum hand burr grinder (as its only ever been used on supermarket beans so far) but i got a perfect shot with more crema then i have ever had, and it made an excellent Latte (i dont drink espresso i always mix it with atleast some milk)

anyway more to the point, its completely different to any coffee ive ever had so we have decided i can get my coffee from hasbean from now on and pick up an electric grinder :)

can anyone give me any suggestions on what beans to try next?

i was tempted with just picking up the 5 pack starter set as it means i get another 250g of Jabberwocky and 4 others to try out too and for £20 it seems a good deal

Also, i dont have the money free at the moment to get an expensive grinder so im currently looking between the Dualit 75015 Burr (£64) and the Cuisinart DBM8U Professional (£54) as both of them get a good write up for the best cheap espresso grinder (i was looking at the De'Longhi KG79 (£35) as i found it has decent user reviews but some say it seems it needs a modification to get a fine enough grind)

any opinions on those would be great although im finding the jabberwocky seems to be a lot quicker and easier at hand grinding then any of the supermarket beans ive used in the past so is it worth saving for a somthing else?
 
I would just pick random ones. Pick some that are more "chocolatey" and some that is more "fruity" and see which end of the scale you prefer. They are all good really, just different.
 
Anyone got some good advice for me when using my stove top moca pot?

I've used one before and been using my new one for a couple of days now. I pretty much just fill it with water to a little below the pressure release valve and then put the filter/funnel in. I fill the filter bit up with pre-ground coffee (such as that which I bought from Monmouth on Tuesday - they advised making sure I use it all within 3 weeks tops seen as I'm not grinding myself) and then tamp it down but not with any great force. I then put the top on and screw it tightly and place the moca pot on a fairly low heat, wait for it to start gurgling and when the coffee has stopped streaming out I take it off the heat. I then either add the coffee to some hot milk or add water to make an americano.
 
They should screw off afaik.

If its locked solid try heating the sprout up so it expands whilst keeping the main part of the portafilter cool
 
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ThriceNightly said:
anyone know if it is possible to remove the twin head off the gaggia classic portafilter to make it single head?
Click to expand...

You could get a bottomless portafilter to replace it. Around £35 delivered.

arknor said:
They should screw off afaik
Click to expand...

Yes, the spout part does come off but I've not tried that. Could be a simple solution.
 
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Just purchased the Espresso starter pack and a pack of Oporapa on the above recommendations, i know im not going to get any until after christmas but atleast my order is placed and it will be with me soon enough.

ive just replaced my group head seal and my machine is back to producing perfect coffee again, just trying to adjust my hand grinder to get the much talked about 25 second shot.

ive decided im going to stick with the manual until i can pick up a quality grinder as playing with the grind has really shown me the difference it can have in flavour.

shot time of 32 seconds but still a lovely crema (wouldnt believe the machine in the photo has just had a clean)
IMG_20121222_150321.jpg


EDIT: just realised i have had no confirmation of my order so i checked the site and they closed yesterday until 2nd of January, looks like im going to have to pick up some supermarket beans until the new year (unless anyone knows of a good coffee outlet near Hull???)
 
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Bro bought me a espresso machine for crimbo and was wondering which ground coffee to get at asda when i go next time i go shopping. I want to try a 2.50-3 quid type 200g ish one so something along those lines.

The only few i think i spotted online was taylors one and lavazza and iffy (too expensive). On amazon i can get 3 for 8.60 or somit of the taylors but duno if i would like it or not so probs best to try a small one of it first.

I know i should do beans and grind em but i dont get enough money to afford things like 30 quid grinders etc so doubt ill ever be grinding them myself unless when i go to a carboot i see one for a few quid lol.

I picked the cookworks espresso one from argos for my brother to get me for xmas, due to reviews and apparently Which? said it was a decent one for cheap tho im dubious of the claim but regardless a lot of ppl seem to like it so thats good enough for me. Dont have any cups really that i think will fit so need to look for a cheap bit large but not tall cappuccino cup and some espresso glasses which i think asda had some of them for like 39p each and i need a metal jug tho i guess my pyrex jug will do for now.

So any ideas what ground coffee to get for my first foray into espresso machines. Mainly wanting to do Cappuccinos and stuff and only rarely espressos tbh due to its not really a drink to fill you up like normal instant cuppas worth does. So if anyone knows a good one or two to try thats roughly 2-3.50 ish in price from somewhere that most places have like a tesco lidl or asda then cool and thanks.
 
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The thing is, espresso isn't a particularly forgiving method of making coffee, you really are best off with fresh ground. Something like a cafetiere may have been a better bet.

Places like hasbean will send you pre-ground (but freshly roasted), however you are looking at more like £4.50-£5+ for 250g plus postage.

From the supermarket I'm not sure, the problem is the freshness isn't going to be there. I have had the Illy stuff before, in the tins, and it's not too bad. I would say if you are going to the supermarket over the next couple of days to pick up some pre-ground, that might be your best bet. Do try and use it up quickly though once open.

Failing that, is there a local coffee shop that you could buy small quantities of freshly ground beans from?
 
Not really any places in Sunderland that do coffee i.e make it and stuff just starbucks and a few coffee shops which i doubt would sell freshly ground coffee. Theres a place in newcastle but im not traveling all the way over there and back just for coffee. Plus i rarely go to the town these days as i only really go to asdas for all my shopping.

Edit -
Ended up getting the lavazza espresso 250g pack for 3.58 ish. Bit on the pricey side i think but im hoping its worth it. It is pretty densely packed in the packet, hope it breaks up a bit when i need to use it.

Btw can u use non espresso ground coffee in these machines ok for when making normal cups of coffee i.e not espresso, capp, latte? Think ppl call normal cuppas americanos when using these machines. As i saw a lot of ground coffee at asda but only about 3 of the bags i saw there were for espresso.
 
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I'm far from an expert and I have only just started getting decent beans myself but its a world of difference between supermarket coffee and freshly ground fresh beans.

I do believe you will still get a better coffee then from Starbucks at home but I would definatly give illy a shot, you can get smaller tins for about £3 and its definatly worth trying as IMO its bar far the best supermarket espresso... I've tried Starbucks, lavazza Costa and some own brands and i believe illy is the best.

With regards non espresso blends I would be careful as the grind is very important (less so if you have a pressurized basket but I don't know the unit so I will presume you don't) and a lot of non espresso blends will be a coarser grind so the water under pressure will run straight through
 
Thanks for the help guys.

I will try beans one day with the hope of finding some sorta grinder at a carboot fair when they start back up in march and if i do ill try beans then, ill try to get a good grinder for cheap tho ill have to re-read this thread about grinders around march time. For now tho as a total newbie with a coffee machine it will need to be pre-ground and from asda and tho iffy is considered a good one its far too expensive per cup of coffee for me i dont work so i can only get up to a certain price for a decent amount of cups per pack of coffee.

I dont expect mind blowing quality but i do expect to try coffee thats better than semi expensive instant (3 to 3.50 range ive been getting). Also if i can get a quality near what costa did when i got a large cappuccino a few months ago then it will be worth it i think.

Cant wait till i get the machine to try it out tomorrow or the day after depending if im home to try it tomorrow.
 
Skeeter, as you've probably realised, most of us use and advocate using whole beans and grinding on demand but I understand you're not in the position to do that at the moment.
Pop into Sainsbury's or Waitrose and pick up something that takes your fancy. Just make sure it says ground for espresso rather than filter/cafetiere.

If you ever want to treat yourself and can find a decent cafe that sells beans, pop in and ask them to grind some for you. Otherwise you could try Whittards who may be able to grind beans for you.
 
Tried my first cappacino and the coffee bit came out ok i think it had a nice crema on top. I didnt really do very well with the milk tho. It bubbled up like mad, think i didnt have it nder the surface very well tho i thought i did at first but well. I couldnt see any of the milk to see if it was swirling like a whirlpool due to the massively quick bubbling. But i did it a few more times and got up the temp to nice and hot but not too hot to touch. I tried hard to stamp it down and swirl it to get some sort of thickness to the milk but it was still watery :(. Got nice froth tho kinda lol.

First time tho, i hope it gets easier as i go.

This machine heats up really quick, im liking it so far.

Taste is quite nice imo as well.
 
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