Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

dpbadger · 18 Apr 2012 at 16:16

Well all my kit arrived and I am on a night shift so testing grind's and coffee's all night.

Does anyone know how long I have to leave the kettle after it is boiled before I pour it into the Aeropress?

FrenchTart · 18 Apr 2012 at 16:44

http://www.hasbean.co.uk/products/Brazil-Fazenda-Tapera-Pulped-Natural.html

Arrived today with the usual HasBean quickness and quality. Delicious stuff

dpbadger · 18 Apr 2012 at 17:12

Well I am suitably impressed all ready. I first made a double espresso jailbreak and now an americano. No bits or anything and I think I have the grind right. Its a porlex hand grinder and I did it 2 clicks from the fine end.

FeFiDoh · 18 Apr 2012 at 18:32

I ordered the Porlex dpbadger, did last week but it hasn't come yet booo. Is it easy to use? What did you come from?

dpbadger · 18 Apr 2012 at 20:39

I used to use a french press with shop bought 'good' pre ground. I am on my 4th go of the aeropress. It is excellent and so easy to use.

Siliconslave · 19 Apr 2012 at 09:51

Gaggia all PID'd up with an Auber kit and it was a bit of a bitter sweat experience:

+ Its always fun to take things apart
+ got a chance to give all the bits a good soak in some Puly Caff so its all nice and clean
+ wasn't too hard to install, a few bit that weren't too clear but playing with wires - yay!
- Didn't work when I turned it back on

- Mixed up the pump and power wire
+ Switched them back and haven't fried anything so it all works
+ Did the OPV mod
-/+ Didn't need adjusting according to the return flow rate so no improvement in that stakes (although I'm now keen to get a portafilter pressure thing made)
- no decent coffee left & new order hasn't turned up
- Brewing a test shot with old coffee came out lukewarm when PID read 101C
- Thought it must be on farenheight so tried 216 on the PID and it went nuts, hit 300+ and started producing steam :eek:

+ e-mailed customer support and they came back within an hour with the solution
+ all working and now have a single button push for a timed shot with pre-soak - works really nicely

+ Big hasbean order turning up today with coffee a plenty to test

Siliconslave · 19 Apr 2012 at 10:01

for anyone interested in checking and adjusting the pressure of their gaggia theres a good guide here: http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?3859-Adjusting-the-OPV-(over-Pressure-Valve)-Gaggia-Classic with pretty pictures and everything.

If you want to check the pressure rate without a valve you can use the instructions i copied into the tread earlier (but you'll need a blanking basket)

FeFiDoh · 20 Apr 2012 at 16:29

So my aeropress came today along with some new coffee I ordered from coffeeshopltd was it? And what appears to be some sample from smallbatch (where I got my aeropress from).
I did it inverted as per there brewing guide with 16g of coffee and 135ml of water then topped up my cup afterwards. Must say I am pretty darn impressed. It was really smooth, theres no sludge in the bottom and it is so amazingly easy to clean. They had already ground the coffee to a sand like corseness which is what they recommend so probably why there was no sludge. Still waiting for my grinder to arrive unfortunately. Been over a week now I should probably chase it up if it doesn't arrive tomorrow.
With the cafeitere I was using before, I was using around 26g of coffee as this was recommended. Should I be using the same amount for the same sized cup with the aeropress or not?

Grimley · 22 Apr 2012 at 19:28

This thread has inspired me to upgrade my old Woolworths machine (the steam wand was getting blocked far too often for my liking) to a Gaggia Cubika plus!

Now I'm pretty lazy when it comes to making my own coffee so I've been buying pre-ground, but I want to see if I can do better. So I have some questions.

I'm going to buy a Porlex Tall Grinder, any recommendations for starter coffee beans for someone who is going to grind his own for the first time?

What cleaning equipment do I need for both?

I also need a couple of shot glasses, or a cup short enough to go under the portafilter, any idea where from?

What milk for a good Latte? Been using Semi Skimmed from the supermarkets? & best temperature to heat it to? Never known what to heat it to TBH.

Thanks.

uchuff · 23 Apr 2012 at 12:40

Grimley said:
any recommendations for starter coffee beans for someone who is going to grind his own for the first time?

I'd say Hasbean Jailbreak is a good place to start.

Grimley said:
I also need a couple of shot glasses, or a cup short enough to go under the portafilter, any idea where from?

Someone posted pictures on here of the Bodum Pavina double walled glasses which looked pretty so I got those to go with my Gaggia Classic - a bit expensive though for what they are. Have also seen some more normal looking glasses on the rainforest that have a line at 1oz which might be handy.

Now I've got my eye in though I tend to pull straight into a warmed cup. Would also be interested in others opinions on nice latte/cappuccino cups as ours are a bit naff, I spotted these which look quite nice.

Grimley said:
What milk for a good Latte? Been using Semi Skimmed from the supermarkets? & best temperature to heat it to? Never known what to heat it to TBH.

That's what I use, 65C / 150F or thereabouts.

uchuff · 23 Apr 2012 at 21:40

I'm all out of beans! Luckily my Square Mile Red Brick order was shipped today

Grimley · 23 Apr 2012 at 21:54

Ordered now thanks. I hope this is going to be worth it.

Flibster · 23 Apr 2012 at 22:50

Grimley said:
This thread has inspired me to upgrade my old Woolworths machine (the steam wand was getting blocked far too often for my liking) to a Gaggia Cubika plus!

Good move. Remember to remove the little pressure relief valve from the portafilter. You'll also need a 54mm tamper *iirc* Steve @ hasbean has them.

Grimley said:
I'm going to buy a Porlex Tall Grinder, any recommendations for starter coffee beans for someone who is going to grind his own for the first time?

Jailbreak, Sao Judas, Machacamarca, Oporapa

Grimley said:
What cleaning equipment do I need for both?

I'd recommend a cheap toothbrush for the grinder and a Pallo stiff brush for cleaning the grouphead and seal. Occasional descaling of the machine is recommended, but I'd also recommend using very low dry solids bottles water. Tesco's version is called Ashbeck and Asda's is Eden Falls. Both are 80mg dry solids which is excellent.

Grimley said:
I also need a couple of shot glasses, or a cup short enough to go under the portafilter, any idea where from?

This is a tough one. My preferences are for lined shot glasses, but the ones I've tried on my parents machine don't fit. Any basic espresso cup with a handle should fit under though.

Grimley said:
What milk for a good Latte? Been using Semi Skimmed from the supermarkets? & best temperature to heat it to? Never known what to heat it to TBH.

60-65°C and for milk, I really, really like using Cravendale semi skinned. I do find full fat slightly better for steaming, but I think Semi tasted better when steamed.

Grimley · 24 Apr 2012 at 17:38

Flibster; said:
Good move. Remember to remove the little pressure relief valve from the portafilter. You'll also need a 54mm tamper *iirc* Steve @ hasbean has them.

I've just ordered from there. TBH I don't want to remove anything from the machine at the moment while its still under warranty. It says in the instructions that there is no need to tamp the coffee down as the machine does that for you. I assume removing this valve means you have to tamp the coffee down? do you have to take the portafilter to bits to get to this valve?

Flibster; said:
Jailbreak

I've ordered this one to start off with.

Flibster; said:
I'd recommend a cheap toothbrush for the grinder and a Pallo stiff brush for cleaning the grouphead and seal. Occasional descaling of the machine is recommended, but I'd also recommend using very low dry solids bottles water. Tesco's version is called Ashbeck and Asda's is Eden Falls. Both are 80mg dry solids which is excellent.

Thanks for those tips, i'll get the brush with my next order.

Is the water for cleaning the machine or to use in order to cut down on descaling?

Flibster; said:
This is a tough one. My preferences are for lined shot glasses, but the ones I've tried on my parents machine don't fit. Any basic espresso cup with a handle should fit under though.

I ended up buying the Hasbean ones, I'm hoping they will be short enough to fit under the portafilter.

Flibster; said:
60-65°C and for milk, I really, really like using Cravendale semi skinned. I do find full fat slightly better for steaming, but I think Semi tasted better when steamed.

I'll think I'll stick with the Semi Skimmed & go for Cravendale at Xmas

I'll have a look at getting a tamper once the machine is out of warranty.

Another question.

I saw an ad in the paper the other day where Starbucks train their baristas to use the crema within 10 seconds of brewing it or they throw it away. Does the crema really go bad that quick?

Flibster · 24 Apr 2012 at 19:08

Grimley said:
I've just ordered from there. TBH I don't want to remove anything from the machine at the moment while its still under warranty. It says in the instructions that there is no need to tamp the coffee down as the machine does that for you. I assume removing this valve means you have to tamp the coffee down? do you have to take the portafilter to bits to get to this valve?

As it's a pressurised portafilter there's no need to tamp, but it's not ideal.

It's just the couple of screws in the top and then the pressure release mechanism can just be eased out. Did it to my parents machine about 20 minutes after having my first go on it.

Grimley said:
Thanks for those tips, i'll get the brush with my next order. Is the water for cleaning the machine or to use in order to cut down on descaling?

I use it all the while. IMO it makes the coffee taste better. Also, it cuts down on the descaling significantly.

Grimley said:
I ended up buying the Hasbean ones, I'm hoping they will be short enough to fit under the portafilter.

Shot glasses probably won't fit flat. The normal red cups he does will.

Grimley said:
I'll think I'll stick with the Semi Skimmed & go for Cravendale at Xmas

IMO the cravendale tastes best, some people don't like it. But as I don't use that much milk, it lasts ages.

Grimley said:
I saw an ad in the paper the other day where Starbucks train their baristas to use the crema within 10 seconds of brewing it or they throw it away. Does the crema really go bad that quick?

Uh-oh... Time for me to be a bit controversial.

Can't really comment on that. Can't remember the last time I drank an espresso with crema.

Crema is mostly CO2, and CO2 tastes nasty. Try it. Just pull a couple of espressos and then use a spoon to taste the crema one one of them. Then mix in the crema on the second and take a taste.

My personal preference at the moment is to remove the crema almost entirely before drinking. But I'm just odd.

Flibster · 24 Apr 2012 at 19:10

Pimped this in the other thread, better do it here too.

London Coffee Festival - 27-29th April
Old Truman Brewery, Shorditch

Loads of stuff going on, some great coffee to try and the UKBC Semi's and Finals on the Friday and Saturday.

More info: http://www.londoncoffeefestival.com/

Come along, show your support for the UKBC and say hello to me.

I'll be the one tweeting like a loon in the UKBC Crew shirt.

Wzd · 24 Apr 2012 at 23:00

Flibster said:
Pimped this in the other thread, better do it here too.

London Coffee Festival - 27-29th April
Old Truman Brewery, Shorditch

Loads of stuff going on, some great coffee to try and the UKBC Semi's and Finals on the Friday and Saturday.

More info: http://www.londoncoffeefestival.com/

Come along, show your support for the UKBC and say hello to me. I'll be the one tweeting like a loon in the UKBC Crew shirt.

Cheers, Flibster!

If anyone is interest in seeing the UKBC finale, the Saturday afternoon ticket session is getting rather close to being sold out. There's a slim chance you might be able to squeeze in on the day, but if you dont want to miss out (or queue) i'd recommend you get in now...you'll save money too! Dont forget the 2 tickets for £16 offer (saving £3) - use CAF1NE as your promo code. Find out more about the UKBC @ LCF here: http://www.londoncoffeefestival.com/ukbc2012

I'll be the one in the LCF Crew shirt trying to look busy while blagging free coffee

manveruppd · 25 Apr 2012 at 13:00

Hope it goes well Flibster, shame I can't make it!

Scam · 25 Apr 2012 at 17:17

Trying to persuade the gf to come to the coffee fest but she's not quite convinced. I have to say its not very clear what you get for your money. It strikes me you can buy your ticket for a 3hr wander around, and spend double that again on coffee/food. Especially since you can't take anything in :confused:

What's the deal, are there plenty of free coffees going and nibbles etc?

Grimley · 25 Apr 2012 at 19:17

Flibster said:
As it's a pressurised portafilter there's no need to tamp, but it's not ideal.

It's just the couple of screws in the top and then the pressure release mechanism can just be eased out. Did it to my parents machine about 20 minutes after having my first go on it.

I'll think i'll leave it for now, I really don't want to void the warranty TBH.

Flibster said:
I use it all the while. IMO it makes the coffee taste better. Also, it cuts down on the descaling significantly.

OK, I'll see if I can get some at the weekend.

Flibster said:
Shot glasses probably won't fit flat. The normal red cups he does will.

Typical. You'd think that Phillips would've designed the machine to fit a standard shot glass under the portafilter. About right for them after my dealings with them in my previous job. :mad:

Flibster said:
IMO the cravendale tastes best, some people don't like it. But as I don't use that much milk, it lasts ages.

I did try cravendale the 1st time I used my last machine, but not since. Didn't notice much difference TBH.

Flibster said:
Uh-oh... Time for me to be a bit controversial.

Can't really comment on that. Can't remember the last time I drank an espresso with crema.

Crema is mostly CO2, and CO2 tastes nasty. Try it. Just pull a couple of espressos and then use a spoon to taste the crema one one of them. Then mix in the crema on the second and take a taste.

My personal preference at the moment is to remove the crema almost entirely before drinking. But I'm just odd.

Well the whole lot with me goes straight in a coffee mug & the steamed milk goes straight in. I'll try spooning most of it off before pouring it into my coffee mug & see if there is a difference. Thanks.