Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

tntcoder said:
Hi Guys,

I have a Gaggia Classic RI8161 and I lost the tiny little black bit that sits inside the portafilter if anyone knows what I mean? It's like a little two directional valve that sits under the basket which reduces pressure I think.

Can anyone point me to either a replacement or a better portafilter that's Gaggia compatible? It's probably only a 20p piece of plastic :(
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Riiiight. IIRC you've got the pressurised portafilter. Not worth replacing the valve. Better off buying a new 58mm basket.

This is the one to go for.

http://www.coffeehit.co.uk/gaggia-double-filter-basket/p205
 
I'm getting fed up with using a Porlex hand grinder all the time so probably getting an electric one in the next couple of months.

Mainly use a Chemex but also a French press from time to time. Iberital MC2 seems th best grinder for around the £100 mark but can be a bit fiddly to adjust. Any other options in that price range worth looking at?
 
Mad old tory said:
I'm getting fed up with using a Porlex hand grinder all the time so probably getting an electric one in the next couple of months.

Mainly use a Chemex but also a French press from time to time. Iberital MC2 seems th best grinder for around the £100 mark but can be a bit fiddly to adjust. Any other options in that price range worth looking at?
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Once dialed in the Iberital is fine, a turn here and there. In saying that I have a second grinder for french press and the Bialetti.
 
Mad old tory said:
I'm getting fed up with using a Porlex hand grinder all the time so probably getting an electric one in the next couple of months.

Mainly use a Chemex but also a French press from time to time. Iberital MC2 seems th best grinder for around the £100 mark but can be a bit fiddly to adjust. Any other options in that price range worth looking at?
Click to expand...

Check out the Baratza Virtuoso Preciso on Interpresso. It's a bit over 100 but has lots of stepped micro & macro adjustments if you are going to be changing grind and gets good reviews from what I've read. This is what I'll be looking for at Xmas I think as my first step to an electric grinder.
 
Mad old tory said:
I'm getting fed up with using a Porlex hand grinder all the time so probably getting an electric one in the next couple of months.

Mainly use a Chemex but also a French press from time to time. Iberital MC2 seems th best grinder for around the £100 mark but can be a bit fiddly to adjust. Any other options in that price range worth looking at?
Click to expand...

My Starbucks Barista grinder was only £60. Slightly too coarse for proper espresso (only slightly though, still kinda works), but for Chemex and press-pot it should be fine.
 
manveruppd said:
My Starbucks Barista grinder was only £60. Slightly too coarse for proper espresso (only slightly though, still kinda works), but for Chemex and press-pot it should be fine.
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Only problem with that is I would like an espresso machine at some point and would then need a new grinder so probably better off getting something a bit better first up.
 
paul_31 said:
Check out the Baratza Virtuoso Preciso on Interpresso. It's a bit over 100 but has lots of stepped micro & macro adjustments if you are going to be changing grind and gets good reviews from what I've read. This is what I'll be looking for at Xmas I think as my first step to an electric grinder.
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Thanks, that does look good. Seeing the site has a rancilio rocky for £150 though I'm wondering if it would be worth spending the extra now in anticipation of a gaggia/Silvia finding its way onto my work service next year :p
 
well was down in london this weekend for the NFL game at Wembley, so took the chance to visit a couple of places (not as many as I would have liked but it was a good start before a big trip down in a few weeks).

So managed to get to the Milkbar, Flat White and Pardoe & Wood and all seemed to be really friendly and a nice atmosphere in each.

As my specialty coffee knowledge has grown I have pretty much stuck with Has Bean for all my coffee needs but trying some of the Square Mile coffee was yummy and grabbed a bag of Kenyan which seemed interesting which I will be putting through the Chemex later.

Luckily I also have a friend who is traveling to the states next week so hoping they can bring me back some interesting samples from Handsome Roasters as they seem to be a really interesting group of people as well.
 
58mm tampers for Gaggia machines. Do they exist under £20? Should I be getting a flat or a curved base? What advantages/disadvantages are there in each?
 
Jonny69 said:
58mm tampers for Gaggia machines. Do they exist under £20? Should I be getting a flat or a curved base? What advantages/disadvantages are there in each?
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I'd tend towards curved if I was buying again as it seems to give a slightly better seal on the edge of the puck. Euro or US shouldn't make much difference.

As for price just keep an eye out on ebay for second hand reg barbers ;) they do come up occasionally... or come on Jonny, you should be able to turn your own easily (maybe a flat based one though i guess...)

Actually i wonder if you could 3d print one, interesting...
 
Jonny69 said:
58mm tampers for Gaggia machines. Do they exist under £20? Should I be getting a flat or a curved base? What advantages/disadvantages are there in each?
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Not really.

Personally, I use a flat based one. But I have US and Euro curve bases too. *freebies* Don't really see much of an advantage with them. If anything, you have more of a chance of overextracting with them as the centre of the puck will be more densely compacted and less water will flow through, overextracting the edges of the puck.

IMO: Flat > Euro > US > Any curved-flat > Wave

Save up and get a RB. That way if you change machine you can just get a new base and all is well.

Siliconslave said:
Actually i wonder if you could 3d print one, interesting...
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Can 3d prints withstand 30lbs of pressure?

Bill101 said:
£0.50 over:(
http://www.anothercoffee.co.uk/products/item190201.aspx
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Thats a 57mm not 58mm. I've got one of those and it's not great as it's too small. But, it was cheap.
 
Siliconslave said:
Shapeways do bronze infused stainless steel, that *should* be hard enough, although at $8 per cm3 its not going to be much cheaper than a RB & you'd have to polish the base to get it truly flat & smooth...
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Interesting. Didn't know about that. Will have to have a look. I have ideas. ;)

Just done a quick little calculation, it'd be cheaper to buy the RB to start with. :D
 
Cheapest place to get a aeropress is?
Plus, should I really buy a grinder or will preground (from Hasbean and the like, not from a supermarket) suffice for the time being?
I can't really afford a 50 quid grinder, so is there much point getting an aeropress sans grinder?
 
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Ahleckz said:
Cheapest place to get a aeropress is?
Plus, should I really buy a grinder or will preground (from Janssen and the like, not from a supermarket) suffice for the time being?
I can't really afford a 50 quid grinder, so is there much point getting an aeropress sans grinder?
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I use pre-ground from hasbean and it's pretty decent as long as you go through it quickly :)
 
I bought my Zassenhaus hand grinder for something like £18 or so from the 'bay, including shipping from Germany! :D But yeah, like FrenchTart said, as long as you use it up quicly pre-ground will do... i just prefer to grind my own cause i absolutely love the smell of it grinding!
 
Just had a look on the interpresso site mentioned above, and the rocky is only £150:)
Do you think customs are going to be interested in that sort of thing?
Has anyone on here used that site before?
 
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