Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

uchuff said:
Similar thing in Italy, had some lovely coffee even in the departure terminal at Rome Fiumicino. I think it was Lavazza branded coffee which I wouldn't usually expect to be anything to look forward to, they did have a nice big La Cimbali machine and were obviously taking care of everything they did. Nice pastries too.
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My theory is it's the water. Hardness, quality, I don't know what else. Was in Iceland recently and took my aeropress and half a bag of beans from Hasbean, they were way better than they tasted over here, still brewed inj the aeropress!

Incidentally when that ran out I bought a bag from Reykjavik Roasters, charming little cafe that roasts their own beans in store, tasted amazing both in store and when I took it home! If anyone's over there I recommend it wholeheartedly!
 
manveruppd said:
Emergency coffee request! Passing through Glasgow for the first time in my life and will have about an hour to kill in the centre during which I thought I'd sample the local coffee culture. Can anyone direct me to some nice espresso bar or something somewhere near Glasgow Central train station?
Thanks! :)
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make the effort to travel down to ingram st (about 1/2 mile from Central.

lovely place called Tinderbox, which is the retail side of Matthew Algie
 
233 said:
make the effort to travel down to ingram st (about 1/2 mile from Central.

lovely place called Tinderbox, which is the retail side of Matthew Algie
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Thanks, but I'm now in Edinburgh, I'll try to check it out on my way back :)

Speaking of Edinburgh, the little cafe in the kiosk in St. Andrews park is much improved since my last visit! Good variety of beans from various top roasters, new equipment and staff who are into their thing. The brewbar is particularly good. They even have cold brew for iced coffee.
 
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Bleek said:
If anyone's interested I got myself a Rancilio Silvia mk3 and it's a lovely bit of kit.

Makes my old Gaggia seem rather inadequate.
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Nice one - now get a PID kit for her and you won't need to temperature surf. I modded my mk3 with kit from auberinstruments on ebay. I got the one with the steam controller too - well worth the £140 odd quid and it's simple to install.

It's a worthy addition to the Silvia imvho of course, and makes the machine much more consistent :)

I back flush mine with Cafiza once a month and strip down the head and soak in Cafiza too. I descale using Puly Descaler sachets every six months.
 
joffy said:
Anyone tried making a latte with a Aeropress and milk frother?
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Well I just tried this using Koko coconut milk. The milk just came out bubbly and soapy looking. Tried again with full fat milk and it was better. Need find the best type of bean and milk/coffee ratio as it was rather weak.
 
Spitfir3 said:
Hey guys,

Looking to get a Gaggia Classic and a Iberital MC2 when the student loan comes in... after spending 3 weeks in spain i'm desperate to get something which can make me decent coffee... which leads me onto this..

Why is coffee in the UK so tasteless? I've been to maybe a few cafes where i've been surprised how good the coffee is.. in Spain.. pretty much everywhere gave me an awesome Cafe con leche..

From what I can remember, they just chucked 2 espresso shots in with a dash of slightly frothed milk.. it was like the milk was swimming in the crema... is this right? It was so good!

Cheers
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Buy and use UHT milk when making your own coffee here. My mother is Portuguese and I go there every year and I know exactly what you mean regarding the taste over on the continent. Now i'm not sure about in spain but in Portugal you do not get much (any) fresh milk in cafes, as the air temperature ruins milk quickly. Nearly every place I go to uses semi skimmed long life milk (in cartons).

Try that in your coffee and see if it helps :)
 
montymint said:
Buy and use UHT milk when making your own coffee here. My mother is Portuguese and I go there every year and I know exactly what you mean regarding the taste over on the continent. Now i'm not sure about in spain but in Portugal you do not get much (any) fresh milk in cafes, as the air temperature ruins milk quickly. Nearly every place I go to uses semi skimmed long life milk (in cartons).

Try that in your coffee and see if it helps :)
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Recommending someone use UHT milk for the flavour... *vomit smiley*

The person you responded to has been drinking in Starbucks et al - hence the flavourless/rank coffee.
 
FrenchTart said:
Recommending someone use UHT milk for the flavour... *vomit smiley*

The person you responded to has been drinking in Starbucks et al - hence the flavourless/rank coffee.
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I'm only recommending UHT based on what he has described having previously in Spain. If he wants to replicate that then yes, using similar tasting milk to the Spanish would help achieve this.

For the record: I prefer coffee made with fresh milk and beans and would not normally make such a recommendation.
 
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Spitfir3 said:
Hey guys,

Looking to get a Gaggia Classic and a Iberital MC2 when the student loan comes in... after spending 3 weeks in spain i'm desperate to get something which can make me decent coffee... which leads me onto this..

Why is coffee in the UK so tasteless? I've been to maybe a few cafes where i've been surprised how good the coffee is.. in Spain.. pretty much everywhere gave me an awesome Cafe con leche..

From what I can remember, they just chucked 2 espresso shots in with a dash of slightly frothed milk.. it was like the milk was swimming in the crema... is this right? It was so good!

Cheers
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Give me a shout if you need any advice. I had that exact same setup until xmas when I upgraded to a Mazzer Super Jolly. I made medicre coffee for about 2 years because I didn't understand the basics properly - so if you need some pointers etc, but I'll probably forget to check this thread regularly. Oh and thanks to the OP - years ago this was the catalyst for getting into making proper coffee at home. I just wish I didn't learn so bloodly slowly!

You're pretty much correct on high street coffee. In Norwich there are 2 or 3 independents that make a good cup, the rest isn't even "proper" coffee (wrong ratios etc). The biggest reason is that the majority of people don't care or understand enough about coffee to realise they are being ripped off as you usually have to go out of your way to visit a good independent in most UK cities.

Oh and just to add my 2p - don't use anything other than fresh full fat milk. Definitely not UHT!
 
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scruffeh said:
Give me a shout if you need any advice. I had that exact same setup until xmas when I upgraded to a Mazzer Super Jolly. I made medicre coffee for about 2 years because I didn't understand the basics properly - so if you need some pointers etc, but I'll probably forget to check this thread regularly. Oh and thanks to the OP - years ago this was the catalyst for getting into making proper coffee at home. I just wish I didn't learn so bloodly slowly!

You're pretty much correct on high street coffee. In Norwich there are 2 or 3 independents that make a good cup, the rest isn't even "proper" coffee (wrong ratios etc). The biggest reason is that the majority of people don't care or understand enough about coffee to realise they are being ripped off as you usually have to go out of your way to visit a good independent in most UK cities.

Oh and just to add my 2p - don't use anything other than fresh full fat milk. Definitely not UHT!
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The Window Coffee, Strangers Coffee House and The Little Red Roaster perchance?
It's good when you find a decent independent who take pride in their products - totally blows Starbucks etc away :)
 
The little red roaster is nice, I always make a point of going when I'm back in the fine city (not as often as I would like, unfortunately). I haven't tried the others, although I hear good things about The Window.

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Also have a question. My ability to steam has come on quite well, I get a nice even flat white milk. Where I'm struggling is in the pour. Can anyone recommend a decent guide to beginners latte art?
 
Quink said:
The Window Coffee, Strangers Coffee House and The Little Red Roaster perchance?
It's good when you find a decent independent who take pride in their products - totally blows Starbucks etc away :)
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Going to Cali said:
The little red roaster is nice, I always make a point of going when I'm back in the fine city (not as often as I would like, unfortunately). I haven't tried the others, although I hear good things about The Window.
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I'm not overly enthusiastic about Little Red Roaster, but The Window and Strangers are fantastic.

Completely different, but both fantastic. Hayley is lovely and The Window is one of my top 3 cafe's in the UK. Strangers is certainly high up in the top 10.
 
Despite visiting Norfolk a good few times i've not made it into Norwich yet, that'll have to be rectified, along with a trip to The Window Coffee next time i'm up in November :)
 
Been investigating which espresso maker and grinder to get for the past few weeks - interesting to see that my final choice matches many others here (Gaggia Classic and a Iberital MC2) :D

Going to order a bottomless portafilter and the Silvia wand while I'm at it, then it's time to get practising :D

Without having to scroll back through 45 pages, what's the best online place everyone uses to get their beans?

Also on the topic of beans (I've only ever used pre-ground). Can anyone recommend something that's quite.... smooth/chocolatly/full bodied? I have no idea how they all differ!

Cheers :D
 
OCdude said:
Without having to scroll back through 45 pages, what's the best online place everyone uses to get their beans?
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Can't be bothered to type all this again at the moment... ;)

Flibster said:
Off the top of my head - in no particular order

Hasbean
J. Atkinson & Co
Square Mile
Butterworth & Son
Extract Coffee
Workshop Coffee
James Gourmet
Union Hand Roasted
Origin

All UK based, if you fancy spending some more, I've got a list of roasters abroad as well, but that then works out to cost a hell of a lot. :D
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OCdude said:
Also on the topic of beans (I've only ever used pre-ground). Can anyone recommend something that's quite.... smooth/chocolatly/full bodied? I have no idea how they all differ!

Cheers :D
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Read the descriptions on the beans and grab what interests you. Got one that's like lemon butter icing this morning. And an old favourite which is like hot ribena. :D

I tend to go for one that I'm pretty sure I'll like, and almost one at random... or one that's totally off that wall. Usually something that I've never tried before. :D
 
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