Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

This will sound quite geeky, but weigh the shot glasses before you pull the shots into them and then afterwards.

You should be getting around 40g difference for a double shot.

Knowing the height of the classic, it almost looks like you were close to pulling 2 double shots.

well as I said i had to make do with some normal shot glasses but my intention is get some proper espresso shot glasses. Any reccommendations on where I can get some decent quality but slightly more unusual ones.

If this is pulling nearer to two double shots I am guessing I do need to go finer?
 
Well in the sub £250 bracket I think the rocky is the best all rounder doesn't truely excel in one area but gives you enough scope to alter grind settings to your hearts content. I am certainly happy with it. Sometimes think I should have got the doserless one but I am happy with the doser one in general.

Maybe the rocky is a step up from true entry level but I think most people will agree getting a slightly more expensive grinder will last longer than a cheaper one as you will generally not need to replace the grinder as often as you would an espresso machine.

Cheers yeah I have thought about the Dualit/Starbucks grinder and the Iberital MC2 but the former is apparently not quite up to grinding for espresso and the Iberital is useless if you want to adjust the grind frequently.

Given that generally I would be switching between the Chemex and Gaggia quite frequently, the Rocky seems the best value bet. Have to get saving the next couple of months...
 
Almost bought the Classic last night, but truth be told it'll probably get used a dozen times then never get used again (like my Aeropress). Instead, I'm going to buy some decent coffee from Hasbean and get the Aeropress out again.
 
So a quick update.

Have dialled the rocky down to 12 now and that seems to give around 21 seconds. This is from hitting the water on button.

Now I am trying to get to grips with foaming and struggling at the moment. Every effort I have made the foam just seems to thick and although lends itself to a foamy cappucino it's not really usefully for anything else. I know this is probably as much down to technique as it is equipment it just seems so frustrating. I can see this taking some time to crack.
 
you should be aiming for about 60ml total for a double shot of espresso.

If those are shot glasses they are probably closer to 120ml - most shot glasses are set to hold around a double spirit shot, ie 50ml... Coffee hit do some nice lined coffee glasses, ideally you want a single glass thats big enough to hold a double and fit under the two spouts.

If you want to just drink straight espresso the best thing to do is get some nice glasses and work out by eye where the 'line' should be, the Bodum Pavina is the go-to shiney espresso cup:
eT7f3.jpg


Ginder wise the Rocky is very good if you want to switch between grinds, the Baratza Encore is a cheaper option that seems to be sufficient for espresso and is adjustable :)
 
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Ok the shot glasses I have been using each hold 50cl of water when filled to the brim. So I guess I should be looking at 23 seconds for a 60cl shot then rather than the almost 100cl shots I have been pulling.

I have also noticed that one of the spouts seems to flow quicker than the other so I guess I need to work on my tampering here.

I am still using tester beans until I am confident that I have the settings right for all the equipment (at least people in the office are happy as they are gettin gbetter than average coffee for the time being :))

Should I also continue with using the current basket or look to swap for a non-pressurised one? If so where's the best place to pick one up from?
 
I think its pretty common to get uneven pour from the basket, just one of those things. In fact as the coffee flows down through one hole and onto a 'diverter' the machine being on an uneven surface is most likely to cause any imbalance in distribution.

Basket wise i'm not sure, i didn't get one on mine, but if you can just take out the funky creama basket and replace it with one of the numerious 'gaggia double filter baskets' you can find around. Should be less than £5 - and while your at it treat yourself to a nice tamper :D
 
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a nice tamper is top on my list before I get anything else is there really much of a difference between one say costing £20 to one costing £60+ I obviously want to get a quality tamper but is it just the brand name I am paying for ultimately?

Also is it better to get a flat base or curved?

CreamSupplies seem to have motta tampers for £14 is that a fair place to start or should I be looking at something else? I understand that Reg barber's are like the rolls royce of tampers but can I really justify that sort of outlay right now?
 
I was of a similar mind with the pricing on tampers, looking at CreamSupplies website they sell the Motta wooden handled one I have. Feels well crafted to me and night and day compared to the bit of plastic you get with the Gaggia. That said I've never used a more expensive tamper to compare.

Regarding baskets, I did see a comment elsewhere that a moan at Phillips might yield a freebie normal one. I bought mine (along with the tamper) from http://www.myespresso.co.uk/ . Originally they sent me another pressurised one but when I contacted them they apologised and sent me a normal one, Rancillio branded but fits fine.
 
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as long as its the right size and not made of the crappy plastic from an 80s Renault you'll be fine. Curved or flat is much of a muchness, I quite like the slight curved one I got my Dad, feels a bit more forgiving, but I have a flat and it does the job well.
There are all sorts of arguments over it online (as with anything) but it probably won't make any noticeable difference. Just get what ever :D
 
Well have ordered a motta 58mm flat base tamper. Hopefully that should be a big improvement over the plastic one I currently have.

Now time to search the net for some suitable coffee cups and shot glasses.
 
That looks amazing. But yeah a steep price to pay.

Although the design looks great I get the feeling it may not be the easiest cup to handle. I just don't think it would sit right in the hand.

Now that I am home from work I can finally start my quest for cups etc. (Tamper and new milk jug should be arriving tomorrow :))
 
nooooooooo!!!!

Disaster strikes. Making my espresso today after getting my new tamper and when knocking the portafilter on the bin to get rid of the waste grinds, the inner basket flies out and now I can't find the little black widget that sits in between the basket and the portafilter. What can I do? I have searched through the bin and can't find it anywhere.

edit: After much searching I finally found the bit that pinged off. Crisis over.
 
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Don't want to invalidate the warranty so I'm unsure which one to go for.

Not sure if this is any use as I can't see a version number on either site, there's some discussion if you search this thread for "Steam wand".

The V3 does fit, but as it's articulated it requires a lot more work to get it to work. Removing the internal copper pipes for the original steam wand and re-bending them and so on.

The V1/2 is the standard replacement as it's a 10 minute job.
 
Not sure if this is any use as I can't see a version number on either site, there's some discussion if you search this thread for "Steam wand".

I think what Flibster means is the post 2008 version is more of a pain to fit. Myespresso wand is the 2008 version but I think there's something different about the Happydonkey wand as I've read that it's even easier to fit.
 
Well as I said I managed to find it, clean it off and then give it a whirl and everything is good. I did try to use the portafilter without it but nothing came out and lucky no mess as others have experienced.

also as said new tamper arrived:

IMG_0617.jpg


what surprised me the most is the weight in this thing.

After using a similar grind sub (10) on my rocky and then tampered down there was no flow what so ever where as the plastic one would flow to the 23 - 30 seconds.

Now I think I need to set the grind to 11 to get a 23 second shot from hitting the water on button.

At a setting of (15) the shot tasted very sour so I believe that this is under extracted.

Have almost gone through a second bag of tester beans trying to get this right. If only work didn't get in the way of me playing.

Also got myself a little milk jug (340ml) as well to try and see if that will work better and give me a better result than the larger jug I have been using. It's still early days but results are looking positive still a bit too foamy but I am sure with more practice I will get it working better.
 
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