Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

code: xmasoffer
Discount: 40%

Chance to get a Classic for £177, bargain!

http://www.philips-shop.co.uk/store/

Proof

almpoil.jpg
 
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Nice. I got a similar deal when I got mine. Spend the money you saved on an Iberital? :p

Just ordered £50 worth of beans from Has Bean to last through the Xmas period. Not sure it'll be enough :eek:
 
majnu said:
No but there is plenty of info on coffee forums. Remember the cost benefits will only be seen in the long run and it depends how much you or your family consume per week. There is a learning curve too and if you have the patience then go for it. It's too much faffing around for me personally learning roast profiles and keeping an eye on the roast.

The most common entries are the Cafe Gene and Behmor 1600 + around £350 and then the Hot top which is around £750. Green beans Bella Barista, Rave or any decent coffee shop can supply, but it's better to buy in bulk.

What's your budget on a grinder? Is it for espresso, french press?
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Buying roasted beams in bulk to last say a month or two is not ideal as it's known that after a week or two it gets stale.
 
majnu said:
You have a four -six week window for nominal freshness after roast date.
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No you dont as i have read multiple sources stating it doesnt last no longer then 2 weeks.

fine if you enjoy none-fresh coffee thats no better then the beans you get in the supermarket but if you wan absolute freshness, you need to consume the roasted beans within 2 weeks

some quotes for u

Rule of Fifteens...
(In general)
15 months for green coffee
15 days for roasted beans
15 minutes for ground coffee
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There is a ton of people in this thread disagreeing with the "Rule of Fifteens".
Sure, you may find the coffee drinkable for more than 2 weeks from the roast date, but can you say it's as good as when it was fresh?
Properly roasted high quality coffee undergoes significant change in those first two weeks as well, and the flavour profile can change completely from one week to the next, especially in espresso.
After two weeks, give or take a few days, the coffee starts smelling a bit "stale", it blooms less, it's just not as good as it used to be. Sure, you can drink it, and there's nothing wrong with that, but if you wanted to experience it at it's peak, you should have drank it already.
Why would roasters, baristas, and nearly everyone in the coffee industry advocate getting fresh coffee? It's way easier for a roaster to ship you a package once per month, or even once every two months, but they would like you to experience their coffee at its best.
When it comes to ground coffee, I think that everything should be ground as close to the brewing as possible, as the differences are immense. The same point stands as before, why would baristas freshly grind the coffee for each and every cup; it's much easier to pregrind a large amount in the morning that's going to last you an entire day (and a lot of places with very bad coffee do this, at least here where I'm from).
I can't comment on the 15 months rule for green coffee because I don't roast (yet). Edit: This is all coming from my personal experience, and if you feel you don't taste the difference between fresh and slightly less fresh (whatever that may mean for you exactly) coffee, then that's fine as well. But some people do, and that's why they keep recommending it to others.
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Basically lots of sources and the majority of people say its best used with a couple of weeks of roasting, not a month of two!

The last quote is bang on and good explanation.

So in a nutshell if you want to taste and experience your coffee at its peak, drink it asap.
 
Just tried my first cup of cascara after ordering it from HasBean.

I definitely see what people mean about the kind of caffeine-high effect that it has despite being low in caffeine :eek:
 
http://www.captaincooks.co.uk/graef-coffee-grinder-cm95/p9391?#tdesc_6

Saw this too late on HUKDs but if it comes back in stock it's a great alternative to an MC2 for a fraction of the price. Topcashback available too. Code save10 on orders over £150 to get £10 off

Edit
Johnny I'm not disputing that two week old coffee will be better than 6 week old coffee but unless a roaster is local to you it's not feasible or cost effective to order a bag at a time.
 
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Siliconslave said:
very nice, did you follow a guide?

The replacement steam knob looks pretty cool as well, where did you get that from?
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There was no guide to follow, but it's as simple as using a T-fitting into the pump output. The steam knob is parts from an old Gaggia I had lying around, whilst it looks pretty the stock one is more stable as it fits all the way into the steam valve.

Going to Cali said:
Can you give us more details on the gaggia mod? What's the benefit, how much does it cost, how easy is it to fit etc?
Also, that grinder looks great, a shame that it is out of stock.
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The gauge on it's own offers no real "functional" benefit if you've adjusted the OPV already to 9 bar dynamic pressure.

The gauge was installed to allow me to clearly observe/time/set preinfusion and pressure profiles during extraction for the dimmer mod I am carrying out.

You can follow my WIP here for more information on pricing, installation etc

Preinfusion and pressure profiling is used on higher end machines like the Slayer, GS3, Slayer etc, obviously they do it in a more elegant way but the purpose of my mod is just an experiment to determine the effect it has on taste, aroma, and mouthfeel.

The video below demonstrates the effects of profiling


This shows the mod carried out by another user. He has three sets of videos and an explanation of the differences here

 
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I'm always tempted when these come up, but I like black coffee and I've never had an americano that has tasted as nice as my aeropress. I haven't ever been anywhere particularly decent though, what are people's views on this?
 
Rojin said:
I'm always tempted when these come up, but I like black coffee and I've never had an americano that has tasted as nice as my aeropress. I haven't ever been anywhere particularly decent though, what are people's views on this?
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So you've not had decent espresso is what you're saying? If you use the Classic right I think you can make better coffee than you get out of your aeropress. That's not an attempt to knock aeropress coffee btw - I really rate it.
 
FrenchTart said:
So you've not had decent espresso is what you're saying? If you use the Classic right I think you can make better coffee than you get out of your aeropress. That's not an attempt to knock aeropress coffee btw - I really rate it.
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Essentially I suppose, but does an espresso always make a better black coffee than something slower through a filter? The run of the mill high street coffee shops like to serve nuclear hot americanos that are just about better than an instant coffee :D

I've had nice espressos, but I've never had an americano that delivers a nice full bodied taste. I don't visit coffee shops very often (there are none where I live, ignoring the high street brands), so my experience is limited to be honest.

I'm all up for buying one if it is possible to get a nice black coffee, that's why I asked :)
 
There are a few on here that would be better able to comment so I think I'll leave it to them. Personally I would say that yes, you can make a better americano that captures the full flavours and aromas. If flibster, Siliconslave or some of the other really knowledgeable guys disagree with me I would go with their opinion though :)
 
Hmmm tried to order but it all goes pear shaped when I get to the payment... It could be a sign! :D

Edit: Third time lucky, hopefully it will still track with quidco after all the messing about! £146 is too good to pass up.
 
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