Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

Dj_Jestar · 21 Jun 2018 at 01:15

Yes to the iridescent shower screen

Only had the one cup so far. The distributor weighs 500g, which seems to be enough to compress the grinds enough that there was virtually no give left when I tamped. Super smooth surface on the puck. Twist anti-clockwise a few times to properly distribute, then clockwise a few times to polish.

As for the difference.. tastewise I'm not sure yet. Going to take some more playing about with the variables, but that first cup did pull a lot more evenly and consistently and the resulting coffee was a shade smoother than I usually get, but it could well be placebo at this point.

I think I can go finer with a smaller dose now though. Going to try a 16g (18.2g is my usual) dose and really shrink the grind size.

Of course I did the properly scientific thing of introducing all three changes at the same time so I couldn't tell you which of the three made the most difference.

jpaul · 21 Jun 2018 at 18:26

a thought - can you still soak these in boiling water with puly-caf ? that stuff is fairly alkali like dishwasher powder (not yet searched on coffeeforum)

edit- um "ims screen nano coffeeforums" ->
https://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?42516-Baskets-IMS-v-VST/page4
keep an eye on it

Stretch · 22 Jun 2018 at 14:22

This thread had its 10 year anniversary last Sunday.

Happy Birthday Espresso

aMb · 23 Jun 2018 at 11:12

I've picked up a new grinder ...

Muska · 23 Jun 2018 at 11:19

Beautiful! What were you using previously?

Dj_Jestar · 23 Jun 2018 at 21:06

Update on the IMS screen & basket, and distributor combo.. I'm loving them. So much easier to get consistency now. The water is drawing through the grinds evenly 100% of the time, for 100% of the shot duration. The resultant coffee is strong, lots of body, but very little sourness. So glad I bought them.

Only downside is my beautiful walnut-handled Motta tamper is now resting unused.

re: nano-coating + cleaning, must admit that didn't even occur to me. I'll just see what happens when I clean it next, and chalk it to experience if it wrecks it. I'll replace with the non-coated screen.

Muska · 24 Jun 2018 at 10:28

Are you not tamping after using the distribution tool?

I am making a concerted effort to use my bottomless portafilter, still find it more messy but so far the pour is more even than before using the distribution tool and no spurting either.

jpaul · 24 Jun 2018 at 12:05

Dj_Jestar said:
Only downside is my beautiful walnut-handled Motta tamper is now resting unused.

oh .. did not know it could replace it ... or, experiment shows, not required .. someone posted a while back that tamping force not so important.

in retrospect I think that must have been a one-off nano-problem.
read a thread about ims dispersion options
does not seem to apply to e61, a suggested mod

I think you will find that virtually all screens have a app 12 mm dead spot where the centre inner portion of the screen is not perforated with holes.
This can also be exacerbated by the distribution nut being in contact with the inside / back of the screen at the centre point.
I alleviated this by filing a slight flat on the distribution nut but leaving sufficient groove for the screwdriver tip.
The only screen I have with a smaller dead space is the Kees v d at 5 mm BUT it does not have the micro screen

comments on finer grid helping a pre-infusion on handle machines interesting.

aMb said:
I've picked up a new grinder ...

heady heights - so that's a monolith titan ? (google image search is rubbish) ... your other grinder is a konig ?

Dj_Jestar · 24 Jun 2018 at 12:44

Neither did I think, I was surprised to find there is no give when I tamped the puck(s) after using the distributor so after a dozen or so times I just stopped using the tamper completely and no difference in coffee

mingeroonie · 25 Jun 2018 at 18:40

Had a quick flick back, but couldn't see. Where did you guys get the distribution tool from?

Muska · 25 Jun 2018 at 19:25

Mine was from amazon, about £20

Dj_Jestar · 25 Jun 2018 at 19:50

Same. Motta do one for 30 if you want a familiar brand.

robj20 · 7 Jul 2018 at 06:52

Started having bulletproof coffee in the mornings now, took me a while to pluck up the courage to try it. It's rather nice just really creamy.
Also gone back to lavaza beans, they're very consistent, good value and taste alright. The Aldi beans I have enjoyed as well recently.

Grimley · 9 Jul 2018 at 18:08

When it becomes too hot to drink a flat white, desperate times call for desperate measures. Cold brew by Sandows London on ice hits the spot.

jpaul · 9 Jul 2018 at 20:57

need a separate high end espresso thread, first the monolith titan $4500, and .. a bottle of Mr Sandows seems to be £2.99, suppose that's the price of a beer
Mr Occado educated me

Sugar and dairy free, Sandows cold brew fuels your creativity without compromising on your health goals. Our convenient ready-to-drink format allow us to spread the coffee culture that you would normally only to find in specialist coffee shops. We use specialty grade, freshly roasted, in season coffee.
We use eye catching packaging to convey the quality of the ingredients inside. Sandows is named after Eugen Sandow, the iconic Victorian bodybuilder. Though we've never actually picked up real barbells, they look great on labels and are the perfect metaphor to describe the time and effort we put into making damn good cold brew.
Fat free, Suitable for vegetarians and vegans

jpaul · 16 Jul 2018 at 21:52

With the UK heat-wavelet anyone else having to grind finer ? shot time seems to be inexplicably dropping 13-14s->10s .. I'm wondering if the oils are more mobile ?

gEd · 18 Jul 2018 at 01:01

jpaul said:
With the UK heat-wavelet anyone else having to grind finer ? shot time seems to be inexplicably dropping 13-14s->10s .. I'm wondering if the oils are more mobile ?

There is some info on the web to suggest that this is that case and it has certainly been (bean?) my experience at home over the last few weeks. I thought it might have been down to the different beans that I have been using as I've had to crank my Rocky grinder down to it's minimum recently, so I was fascinated to hear that I might not be alone.

Dj_Jestar · 18 Jul 2018 at 08:33

Humidity makes a difference I find. Also the beans will naturally dry out (go stale?) quicker in warmer temps.

nst68 · 18 Jul 2018 at 12:57

Grinding beans using my hand held Porlex is getting a chore (first world problems), so I'm looking at getting an electric grinder.

I brew using an Aeropress, so not sure if I need to go mad/expensive on a grinder, so narrowed it down to :-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/10903-01UK..._rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=413F1EYGCYWP6CS3JMM5

or

https://www.hasbean.co.uk/collections/grinders/products/wilfa-svart-aroma-grinder

or

https://www.hasbean.co.uk/collections/grinders/products/baratza-encore

Any suggestions?

Dj_Jestar · 18 Jul 2018 at 13:56

the latter of your three. Great grinder for the price. I know it's the most expensive of the three. I've heard mixed reviews about the Wilfa, but I do actually suspect it'll be fine for aeropress. The encore is know as as the lowest priced grinder that is acceptable for espresso on the market.