Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

OCdude said:
My grinder tweaking continues!
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So they were dry and now they're wet? Anything changed - beans/freshness/grind/tamp pressure? How soon are you removing the portafilter? A wet puck isn't necessarily a bad thing, there are many things which can lead to it but the most important thing to check is the espresso itself. How does it taste?

I tend to dose 16g of coffee.
 
yer, the wet puck is more a function of the pressure release on the machine rather than something your doing wrong iirc. When machine is turned off the three way valve should release any pressurised water into the drip tray, a little of that water won't head back so will sit in/on the puck :)

In other news i'm finally using my handpresso in anger, after a failed attempt during my last business trip (no kettle in the hotel!) I've got a baggie of high grade colombian brown (ground coffee) and the handpresso, shame it only does singles but still beats the dodgy local coffee in Germany and is a welcome post Oktoberfest relief in the morning!

Theres still a vague chance i'm going to drunkenly blind myself with it at some point though...
 
Just got a starter pack from Has Bean for my Gaggia Classic.

Wow. I did not realise just how good coffee could be. It arrived the day after it was roasted, tried the Jabberwocky first and so full of flavour it's amazing.

My only issue is the pour was quicker than normal. My electric burr grinder was on the finest setting and I gave it lots of pressure.

Any key tips in this situation?
 
alex24 said:
Just got a starter pack from Has Bean for my Gaggia Classic.

Wow. I did not realise just how good coffee could be. It arrived the day after it was roasted, tried the Jabberwocky first and so full of flavour it's amazing.

My only issue is the pour was quicker than normal. My electric burr grinder was on the finest setting and I gave it lots of pressure.

Any key tips in this situation?
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Raymond Lin said:
More grind ?
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Don't think he can grind any finer with his machine :o

I find that supermarket beans are often the worst for this as they are so old and dry - sometimes overdosing slightly can help as can a harder than normal tamp.

Good luck :)
 
alex24 said:
Just got a starter pack from Has Bean for my Gaggia Classic.

Wow. I did not realise just how good coffee could be. It arrived the day after it was roasted, tried the Jabberwocky first and so full of flavour it's amazing.

My only issue is the pour was quicker than normal. My electric burr grinder was on the finest setting and I gave it lots of pressure.

Any key tips in this situation?
Click to expand...

Can you calibrate/adjust your grinder? It may not be set fine enough for espresso even at the finest setting. normally requires an allen key to do.
 
Quink said:
Don't think he can grind any finer with his machine :o

I find that supermarket beans are often the worst for this as they are so old and dry - sometimes overdosing slightly can help as can a harder than normal tamp.

Good luck :)
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It's OK with supermarket beans, it was the fresh stuff from Has Bean that evidently wasn't fine enough....

Alex_L said:
Can you calibrate/adjust your grinder? It may not be set fine enough for espresso even at the finest setting. normally requires an allen key to do.
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Not sure, I'll take a look. It's a KRUPS GVX231, got it as a gift and it's been great normally.
 
bastic said:
need a guide how to make perfect macchiato...
foam bit gets on my nerves...getting to much milk in to glass...
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There are several different varieties of macchiato from the traditional Italian to the barsteward-ized coffee chain version. I tend to go for espresso with a dollop of foam spooned onto it, but others like to have milk in it too.

This is perhaps the more common version, but as one of the comments says, it's really a piccolo.

 
molinari said:
There are several different varieties of macchiato from the traditional Italian to the barsteward-ized coffee chain version. I tend to go for espresso with a dollop of foam spooned onto it, but others like to have milk in it too.

This is perhaps the more common version, but as one of the comments says, it's really a piccolo.

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Thanks.
Will watch video once get home.

Last night was trying to set mc2 properly.luckily still have plenty lavazza from when it was £3 per kilo so not crying about all coffee that got wasted ;)
Will finish today.
Not sure if I'm tamping it with proper force...
 
Advise needed...
15grams of coffee, 23sec and came out bit sour...

Too fine grind and not tamped hard enough?
Could it be it?
Thanks
 
may seem a bit excessive but get a set of bathroom scales out and tamp on them until you know how much a good tamp feels, then adjust your grind from there. once you get close you can make minor adjustments to your tamp to make small changes in time.

you also have to sort out the correct dosing eventually but 14-15g should be about right
 
GTanny said:
may seem a bit excessive but get a set of bathroom scales out and tamp on them until you know how much a good tamp feels, then adjust your grind from there. once you get close you can make minor adjustments to your tamp to make small changes in time.

you also have to sort out the correct dosing eventually but 14-15g should be about right
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how much pressure I should be using ? (cant remember if that was 10 or 20kg)
 
Right, I think I'm going to go ahead and do the OPV mod. I think i'll invest in a 17mm ratchet (did anyone manage to do theirs using a spanner/other without bursting a blood vessel?)

Wondering If it might be worth just getting this to save some time... although it says it's preset to 9 bar, whereas you're supposed to set it to 10 aren't you?

Also, if anyone can link me to the correct type of elbow joint, i'd appreciate it! Currently my basket contains:

- Pressure Guage 1/8 bsp Bottom Entry 50mm
- 3/8" Bsp Female 1/8" Female Socket Reducing Bush
- PTFE Tape

Thanks! :D
 
bastic said:
how much pressure I should be using ? (cant remember if that was 10 or 20kg)
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30lb/13.5kg is the ammount claimed a lot but a consistent tamp is what is important when dialing in beans.

also worth noting mentioning that you should dispose of the first few grammes atleast when changing grind settings as this will most likely be the carryover from your last shot unless you give it a good blowout after each grind, i also do this for the first shot of a day.
 
Okay, so I caved - I went ahead and did the OPV mod (which was stupidly easy!) and now I'm operating at 9 bar :D

Haven't pulled any shots yet, but I'm hoping it'll be way easier to reach ~25 seconds now.. and maybe the channelling will be reduced (although a lot of that is down to the tamp I guess...)

Can't wait to continue my tweaking :D
 
some great setups you lot have. I think I defo need to upgrade after watching how much crema your machines produce. I have a Cookworks one iirc and a Krups grinder and whilst it does the job, I feel like I'm missing out on the proper experience.

Are there any machines which you can recommend for around £200? Additionally my Moroccan beans have finally ran out and I'm not going on holiday for a while yet, so which beans do you suggest I buy with links if possible please?

The beans I had were smooth, sweet, flowery and had a chocolate sour undertone, best beans I had after living the coffee dream in Holland, so would like to buy some which have a similar characteristic.

edit - sorry forgot to add I like to drink lattes.
 
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