Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

Pressure turned down a little (although the needle was shaky as hell on the gauge while the machine was running its now shaking around 10 rather than around 12).

Hamster's great traveling valve is now packed up and will be winging its way to machester tomorrow to a FrenchTart :D

In a way of thanks i give you the first animated GIF i've made for about 10 years:
coffee_zps9bcdb05d.gif
 
Hamster said:
Blimey, you don't hang about! I found that if you don't put water in the gauge before attaching the PF to the group, it doesn't shake. Someone on coffeeforums tried it with their gauge and suggested it.
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Hrm... The guides I read suggested that you prefilled the basket but yes if you don't prefill the vibrations from the pump aren't transmitted.

I guess the air in the chamber may dampen the vibrations but I gave up on fluid dynamics way before I got to the point of understanding if it would make a difference to the pressure reading :confused:


FrenchTart said:
Looks delicious. I wish it wasn't so late in the day - I'd love another coffee after seeing that.

Looking forward to receiving the gauge :)
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It was too late for me too, slightly wired now :eek::D might have to break out the bottomless pf for some more gifs next time I'm working from home!
 
hrm... might need to try and import some of this:

http://www.deathwishcoffee.com/
Disclaimer: This is not your regular morning coffee. This is not your store bought coffee. You will not find this coffee at your local diner or at your sissy 'Starbucks. Death Wish Coffee is the most highly caffeinated premium dark roast organic coffee in the world. This is Extreme Coffee, not for the weak. Consider yourself Warned
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there are defiantly better made french presses, generally its down to how well the filter assembly is held together and what pushes the filter against the edge of the glass... The bodum ones also have replacement glass available for them.
 
FrenchTart said:
@Siliconslave: You have mail:)
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nice one, thanks :)

Flibster said:
There are several Starbucks stores in the UK that have them. Cost to the store is about $5000

When I first saw them, I really wanted one. Now it's owned by starbucks... Not so much. Wouldn't want to deal with Starbucks for spares. Add to that, they won't sell them to the general public.
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id be interested to know which stores, would be interested to try it out sometime. The biggest problem with starbucks owning them is that they'll be used with starbuck's hateful coffee only - such a waste!
 
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Close :) it's a combination of things. I mostly use a marked measure jug and have Americanos so generally it's dialed in correctly for a double espresso.
The machine is also modified with a P.I.D which has a built in timer so I can do a single button press to get an exact time of pour.

Finally I know the cups and have a pretty good idea of the level & if you keep an eye on the colours you can generally tell when the espresso is dialed in well or if it's blonding towards the end of the pour.

On the cup side it's totally your preference, there are loads around :) a bottomless portafilter is great if your cups are tall and has the added benefit of helping you improve and troubleshoot your technique :)
 
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first things first - change the beans & get a grinder - pretty much any supermarket beans will be pretty damn old and probably badly roasted. I'm guessing your in the US from the use of $ so hit up somewhere like http://stumptowncoffee.com/ or sightglasscoffee.com (there are many many more... just do some googling for third wave coffee roasters).

Grab a ginder - the Barrista vario is fine, but the Rocky will be better - and your Moka pot will improve vastly. If you want a new toy to go with it then grab an aeropress, they are so cheap and make great coffee :)

Classic vs Slivia unless your going to do a load of coffee back to back or make mainly steamed milk based drinks the boiler won't make a significant difference. The silvia is a better machine but if you can justify the extra cost then the classic will serve you well for a good few years

On that note i just checked and i bought mine for my birthday in July 2006, its almost seven years old and still going well with minimal maintenance (although it does need a new portafilter seal when i think about it!) - infact this thread is over 5 years old!
 
D.P. said:
Thanks for the quick reply.

The grinder I was referring to is the Baratza Vario http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/grinders/baratzavario

On a few forums people have recommended this over the Rancilio rocky but if I haven't confused you with the name Barista Vario instead of Baratza Vario then you are suggesting the rocky is better?

The Rocky sells for $350, the Barista Vario for $450, do you think the Rocky is the better buy?
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arr, yes, sorry! Totally confused it with one of the other Baratza grinder! :eek: In some respects the Rocky is still a decent buy, the Vario gives you the digital timer and a more modern look/design.


D.P. said:
As for beans, supermarkets in the US are very different to the UK. Where I usually shop the coffee is relatively fresh, the beans I buy are actually roasted locally in a small artisan shop which is where I would go if I was to avoid a supermarket anyway (and where I go to drink coffee). But certainly if I buy an espresso machine I will be taking more care of where I buy my beans and their freshness. There are a few places in town that roast there own beans daily and sell bags.
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I've not been in a US supermarket for years so made a bit of an assumption there, Good to know :)


D.P. said:
I know fresh ground is better and test this regularly I buy small amount of coffee which I grind in the shop, the smell is amazing so when I get home (usually within 10 minutes) I make a coffee in the moka pot, and then a second one with the old grinds to compare. The fresh is better but it is still a long way from a good espresso shot. Which is why I am having a tendency to believe the importance of an espresso machine is a bit understated relative to the needs of the grinder and bean which is reinforced by every coffee geek until the cow come home. The quality of the beans and grind I believe in but not matter what I don't think I can get a good espresso form a Moka pot so when making a purchase I will need to factor in the cost of both a grinder and espresso machine.


Thinking of going with a Gaggia over the Silvia and putting the money towards a better grinder which is why I mentioned the Barista Vario for an extra $100.
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I know allot of people love their Silvia, its a great machine and doesn't suffer anywhere near as many problems with heat fluctuation through the cycle, having said that they both really benefit from the addition of a PID (or temp surfing).

I think that the silvias a better buy if you love your lattes, the classic can drop too much temp when steaming, but its allot of money to spend for that feature alone!
 
read my OP, check back a few pages for various images and refer to this very helpful chart:

extractionratios-2.png


or 7grams dry weight for a single or 16g for a double

for an espresso you should be pushing about 30ml water through for a single and twice that for a double.

photos (from various people in the thread, these aren't all mine):
coffee_zps9bcdb05d.gif

DSC_0971.JPG

IMG_20130120_202306.jpg

Q3YLm.png

and ratios for various drinks:

1OCjkJD.png
 
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