Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

Raymond Lin · 30 Oct 2020 at 11:23

builder22 said:
Yeah I think I’ll just put up with the extra couple minutes the hand grinder takes, for noW anyway

It's a minefield, and I generally find that the stuff in the middle are all compromised in some ways. Actually everything has some compromise but it depends which aspect you are happy to live with. Even the Niche, which is £500, is not perfect.

timebomb26 · 30 Oct 2020 at 12:01

Raymond Lin said:
It's a minefield, and I generally find that the stuff in the middle are all compromised in some ways.

100% this. I’ve been looking at getting a grinder for months now and still can’t settle on anything.

I am nearly decided on ditching the DeLonghi machine I was given and getting a cafelat robot.

Raymond Lin · 30 Oct 2020 at 13:25

timebomb26 said:
100% this. I’ve been looking at getting a grinder for months now and still can’t settle on anything.

I am nearly decided on ditching the DeLonghi machine I was given and getting a cafelat robot.

A manual espresso lever machine are some serious investment in time, effort and learning curve. It really should be something to get last, after you have a decent espresso set up in getting coffee in other ways and want to dabble in manual extraction espresso for fun. That's how I look at it anyway. I wouldn't have something like that for my daily coffee, even the Pavoni would be a bit on the borderline.

Biz.Kid09 · 30 Oct 2020 at 16:02

Begbie said:
I really like the hasbean stuff, they're also local to me too. Pretty sure they're cheaper than rave too?

Interesting, cheers for that. Looks like they have a 4mth sub for £30 which isn't too bad at all.

Siliconslave · 30 Oct 2020 at 16:04

knock box and new kitchen for the coffee corner:

excuse the potato cam - horrible light, still its all coming together now.

timebomb26 · 31 Oct 2020 at 07:09

Raymond Lin said:
A manual espresso lever machine are some serious investment in time, effort and learning curve. It really should be something to get last, after you have a decent espresso set up in getting coffee in other ways and want to dabble in manual extraction espresso for fun. That's how I look at it anyway. I wouldn't have something like that for my daily coffee, even the Pavoni would be a bit on the borderline.

The reviews don't make it seem too complicated. Obviously I would need to get a grinder as well, so likely won't pull the trigger until early next year. The problem I have is that I have no spare room in the kitchen.

Grimley · 31 Oct 2020 at 08:15

Siliconslave said:
knock box and new kitchen for the coffee corner:

Now I like that setup. I'd love a Lelit Mara, but I'm not certain it would fit the cramped space that I have for my machine. It looks a fair bit deeper than Silvia V5 that I have & I would have to make some adjustments to the shelving at the back wall to get more space that I would need.

Siliconslave · 2 Nov 2020 at 08:11

Including a right angled kettle lead (I had lying around, should really come with one) its about 46cm from the back - but thats the case with most e61 machines. If you go for something like the Elizebeth its more like 30cm, but significantly wider.

jpaul · 2 Nov 2020 at 08:21

Siliconslave said:
knock box and new kitchen for the coffee corner:

doesn't the grinder get jarred when you use the knock box, the impulse I usually use to get the puck out cleanly, would be sufficient to knock a nail in.

Base of my ims basket is annoying, every couple of days I aclean pf/basket/screens, with the (hand) washing up, but coffee residue on basket base is very adherant ...
maybe some (w/o wood handles) put the ensemble in the dishwasher

Siliconslave · 2 Nov 2020 at 09:17

jpaul said:
doesn't the grinder get jarred when you use the knock box, the impulse I usually use to get the puck out cleanly, would be sufficient to knock a nail in.

Base of my ims basket is annoying, every couple of days I aclean pf/basket/screens, with the (hand) washing up, but coffee residue on basket base is very adherant ...
maybe some (w/o wood handles) put the ensemble in the dishwasher

Only been using a few days but don't seem to have a problem, the grinder is very heavy, the knock bar is absorbs a lot of the vibration & the draws pulled out so not much movement passed to the section with the grinder on.

I rinse the PF basket through after every shot to get rid of the residue, otherwise you can use Puly Caff to soak it out.

How not to knock out :rolleyes:

Raymond Lin · 2 Nov 2020 at 10:53

That knock box looks neat but i also see so many screws and joints that ground get stuck in.

Dj_Jestar · 2 Nov 2020 at 11:56

I gave up on my knockbox, I just kock straight into the bin now. Tried composting it, but ended up with piles of mouldy grounds in the garden given it's too acidic for most plants and worms even after decomp.

jpaul · 2 Nov 2020 at 13:25

I'm still using below (cut off the poly bottle top), emptying direct, into green bin; my indoor bin wouldn't stand up to blows - caffeza bottle looks good too

dragons den last night, a cosmetic company, collects grounds from london cafes for their face scrub products.

jpaul said:

Begbie · 5 Nov 2020 at 06:50

I see you can pick up bottomless portafilters for £20 off the bay, are they garbage? Or are all portafilters equal, bar craftsman ship of the handle etc?

Siliconslave · 5 Nov 2020 at 09:25

I got a £25 from from edesiaespress and its fine, even the handle is ok. The basket is trash to be fare, but then i'd suggest replacing it anyhow.

Dj_Jestar · 5 Nov 2020 at 09:41

A Portafilter is just a portafilter. As long as it fits the rest is aesthetics. The basket is what affects pressure etc.

nantucket66 · 5 Nov 2020 at 16:38

I could do with some advice. Been here before and I did nothing last time....

I currently have a Eureka Mignon grinder and a Sage Duo Temp Pro. I had a cheap Delonghi grinder to start with and moving to the Mignon was a big step forward. I fancy upgrading, but I've no idea what to change.

Do I keep the Mignon and buy a better machine - something like Rocket Appartmento or Mozzafiato or an ECM Heidelberg. Is a Sage Dual Boiler a worthwhile upgrade? I think it's discontinued but you can still pick them up for Appartmento money (if not a bit less). If an £1100 upgrade is only going to be small I don't mind stepping up to something bigger.

If I bought one of those machines is the Mignon a good enough grinder or would I need to change it? If so would a Mazzer Mini or a Eureka Atom 75 be a suitable upgrade?

I don't mind changing both but I would need to upgrade one at time (maybe 6 to 9 months apart) - with that in mind machine first or grinder first?

Sorry for the rather indecisive post, but I'm unsure which way to go!

Siliconslave · 5 Nov 2020 at 17:34

Mignon isn't a bad grinder i'd keep that initially then look at next steps, as to what you change it to it depends if you want to go down the niche single dose route, or save up for a silly single dose machine.

Personally I'm not convinced by the sage dual boiler - there are reports of it being treated as a 'disposable' item by sage so if it breaks out of warrantee you're out of luck.

nantucket66 · 5 Nov 2020 at 17:46

Siliconslave said:
Mignon isn't a bad grinder i'd keep that initially then look at next steps, as to what you change it to it depends if you want to go down the niche single dose route, or save up for a silly single dose machine.

Personally I'm not convinced by the sage dual boiler - there are reports of it being treated as a 'disposable' item by sage so if it breaks out of warrantee you're out of luck.

Happy to disregard the DB, certainly not brand loyal to Sage. I single dose currently and that works for me so I'd like to keep doing it ideally, I guess it keeps the coffee fresher (I have a couple of Airscapes)

Are the 2 grinders I mentioned not suitable for single dosing?

Thanks

Raymond Lin · 6 Nov 2020 at 19:13

Just saw the James Hoffman video on the new Fellows Ode Grinder...glad I didn't order it, it looks good but doesn't look like the work flow is as easy as the Niche with far more retention not to mention it barely goes fine enough for a single cup V60? That's no good.