Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

[Participant]

My grandma brought me some beans back from her trip to Hawai which means I have to take the plunge and buy a grinder. As I wont be using it daily I think a hand grinder will be fine.

It will be mainly used in conjunction with a Moka pot and occasionally a french press, I know there are two hand grinders that are regularly recommended on the forums, the Hario and the Porlex.

The question is, for my use case is there an obvious choice or are they both as good as each other? Also they seem a lot cheaper on Amazon but seem to be imported, I take it that these are trustworthy?

Thanks in advance

I've got the hario skelton and find the grind quite inconsistent at a given setting. It's well made and it grinds smoothly, but you seem to get a huge variation of grind coarseness in a batch.

I can't speak for the porlex.

Incidentally I received an aeropress yesterday and it's a fantastic piece of kit. Much smoother than my french press, and no grit at the bottom of the cup either.

 

[manveruppd]

Gah! I found a really cheap butane burner on ebay but it's 7.5cm high, leaving only 0.5cm clearance from the bottom flask of my syphon! So close and yet so, err, too close really!

 

[chris74]

the tamp i have (Kitchen Craft Le'Xpress Stainless Steel Coffee Tamper) isn't a really tight fit so there are slight bits on the inside wall of the basket.

I nearly purchased that one but having used a 53mm Motta I wanted to at least stick to that brand.
What I have found buying a 58mm myself is that the 58.3mm tamps are a more tighter/perfect fit than the Tamps you and I have.

Isn't it typical to find out these things after you purchase a tamper?.

 

[Flibster]

So I visited Hasbean Towers yesterday after spending the morning 'Ooop Norf' playing with a 3 litre V10 go kart.

Compared to his old place it's massive and it's so much better laid out. There's actually a flow to the building rather than just having it squeezed in. The green coffee store is a great addition.

Didn't spend that long as they were preparing run throughs for their UKBC and Brewers Cup routines with Dale and Steve. Although I did get to taste Steve's competition coffee. WOW! It was extremely fresh too. 8 weeks ago it was on the tree.

Hopefully spend some more time up there next month when the go-kart is Aliiiive!

 

[Spitfir3]

Hey guys,

I've been thinking, recently i've noticed I really don't get much of a caffeine hit as I used to from my flat whites/cappuccino/whatever (5oz cup) drinks, I pull the usual 2 ozs, add milk, drink then its usually finished after a few sips... so today I thought i'd try an americano (as I wanted something to drink for longer), did the same added hot water to a mug.... after finishing the whole mug I had a big hit (i'm really buzzing now)

Why the difference? Same amount of caffeine surely?

 

[Raymond Lin]

Got some Jamaican blue mountain today!

 

[manveruppd]

Hey guys,

I've been thinking, recently i've noticed I really don't get much of a caffeine hit as I used to

Welcome to the club.

so today I thought i'd try an americano (as I wanted something to drink for longer), did the same added hot water to a mug.... after finishing the whole mug I had a big hit (i'm really buzzing now)

Why the difference? Same amount of caffeine surely?

My guess is pure placebo, although I do remember reading some stuff about fat molecules in milk bonding with caffeine and making themselves harder to digest or something a while back. I think that was with regards to milky coffee being less fatty than milk on its own rather than less caffeinated than coffee on its own though, can't remember.

 

[Spitfir3]

Welcome to the club.

My guess is pure placebo, although I do remember reading some stuff about fat molecules in milk bonding with caffeine and making themselves harder to digest or something a while back. I think that was with regards to milky coffee being less fatty than milk on its own rather than less caffeinated than coffee on its own though, can't remember.

I really don't think so, after that americano style coffee, I was really really buzzing It reminds me when I used to have a big mug of coffee from my cafetiere.. used to get a big caffeine hit. I've just had another double with milk in my 5oz cup and I'm not feeling much at all.. I guess it just must be me Problem is, with that americano i made, it was absolutely tasteless

 

[cymatty]

I imagine they're both similarly good. I have the porlex myself (before I got an Iberital MC2) and it's pretty good. Hand-grinding is a pain though

I've got the hario skelton and find the grind quite inconsistent at a given setting. It's well made and it grinds smoothly, but you seem to get a huge variation of grind coarseness in a batch.

I can't speak for the porlex.

Thanks, the porlex it is then.

I usually only drink coffee at home at weekend so for the two times a week I use it I should have the few minutes it takes to grind the coffee.

A machine grinder would be good but not a 3x the cost.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Had a JBM, had it as a Americano to get all the flavours on the pallet to taste.

If I had to describe it, it's fruity as opposed to chocolatey. It's very nice to drink straight back even though I am not a big black coffee drinker.

In terms of value…hell no, I worked out it costs about £3 per double espresso as opposed to the normal average of 30p. I think I have had just as nice coffee for around the £5 per 250g range.

But at least I can say I've tried it, bucket list ticked .

 

[Grimley]

Sounds like me.

Glad you liked it. It is my favourite coffee shop. Hayley is lovely and there is always something interesting on the board to try. Cakes and stuff, also great. The Window had its 4th birthday earlier this week too.

I was in there Saturday (15th) Took my folks in there too. Had a good chat with Hayley, I said the place looks bigger on the inside & that led to her coming up with the idea of the 1st coffee powered Tardis!

Met the dog too.

Bought a bag of her special blend beans, She knows her stuff as its pretty good.

 

[Participant]

I far prefer the taste of a filter coffee to an Americano - am I a heathen?

 

[manveruppd]

I far prefer the taste of a filter coffee to an Americano - am I a heathen?

Nope, I'm with you, I think Americano is anathema. As presumably does Italy, since the term was invented there to describe how American GIs drank their coffee (since espresso was too strong for them).

 

[One More Solo]

Definitely more of an espresso fan but I drink Americanos more often than not because I like longer drinks. I'd rather have a bad filter coffee than a bad espresso though, bit more room for error.

 

[Going to Cali]

I made my best flat white ever this evening. As good as any cup I have bought in London. Flavour of the espresso was wonderfully balanced, no hint of bitterness or sourness. Nailed the milk, even consistency and poured smoothly. Is it odd to feel this satisfied over a beverage?

 

[Siliconslave]

I made my best flat white ever this evening. As good as any cup I have bought in London. Flavour of the espresso was wonderfully balanced, no hint of bitterness or sourness. Nailed the milk, even consistency and poured smoothly. Is it odd to feel this satisfied over a beverage?

nothing wrong with bragging over a god shot What beans did you use?

 

[yimpster]

i'm still having a nightmare with my classic. recently the basket has started getting stuck to the machine itself and I have to prise it off. It happens with the supplied baskets and the non pressurised one i purchased.

Also still getting bits in the bottom of my shots and i can't produce a decent microfoam to save my life.

Do you think i have a faulty appliance?

Anyone local to London NW4 that could show me what i'm doing wrong?

 

[Going to Cali]

Are you over filling your basket? I've overloaded it a couple of times which resulted in the basket coming away from the portafilter.

Bits of coffee in your shots, I have a VST basket and do not have that issue. Is your grind too fine, perhaps?

Foam, what steam arm are you using, rancillio? Best advice I can give is to allow your machine to heat up sufficiently, around 20 minutes +. As for the technique, I typically angle the arm at 45 degrees to the machine, with the frothing jug angled so that the part nearest me is lower than the part of the jug nearest the wand. I place the steaming nozzle just below the surface of the milk, towards the side of the jug and attempt to get an anti clockwise roll in the milk. Once it's rolling, I lower the jug slightly to stretch the milk, then after a few moments return the nozzle to it's initial position to continue texturing the milk. I heat until the bottom of the jug is too hot to comfortably handle. After steaming, I bash the jug on the counter surface to remove air, then swish the milk to ensure even texture, then pour. That's my technique, hope it makes sense, i'm sure a video would be better though...

 

[Siliconslave]

i'm still having a nightmare with my classic. recently the basket has started getting stuck to the machine itself and I have to prise it off. It happens with the supplied baskets and the non pressurised one i purchased.

Also still getting bits in the bottom of my shots and i can't produce a decent microfoam to save my life.

I regularly over dose my basket and have that problem, try weighing your beans out (if you have a scale) and changing the amount down slightly. Otherwise i find the easiest way to get it out is by twisting

Bits in the shot is a weird one, might be that your grinder (what are you using?) is producing a lot of dust thats getting pushed through, or that your OPV valve is too high, search back through this thread for the 'mod' instructions - it shouldn't break your warranty....

Bits of coffee in your shots, I have a VST basket and do not have that issue. Is your grind too fine, perhaps?

I was looking at these the other day, so tempted but i really doubt they make all that much difference do they? certainly not £22s worth, still SHINEY!

 

[yimpster]

Are you over filling your basket? I've overloaded it a couple of times which resulted in the basket coming away from the portafilter.

Bits of coffee in your shots, I have a VST basket and do not have that issue. Is your grind too fine, perhaps?

Foam, what steam arm are you using, rancillio? Best advice I can give is to allow your machine to heat up sufficiently, around 20 minutes +. As for the technique, I typically angle the arm at 45 degrees to the machine, with the frothing jug angled so that the part nearest me is lower than the part of the jug nearest the wand. I place the steaming nozzle just below the surface of the milk, towards the side of the jug and attempt to get an anti clockwise roll in the milk. Once it's rolling, I lower the jug slightly to stretch the milk, then after a few moments return the nozzle to it's initial position to continue texturing the milk. I heat until the bottom of the jug is too hot to comfortably handle. After steaming, I bash the jug on the counter surface to remove air, then swish the milk to ensure even texture, then pour. That's my technique, hope it makes sense, i'm sure a video would be better though...

It get's stuck when the basket is empty and the machine is cold. I guess it's the metal contracting as it cools. I leave the PF locked in position all the time whether it is on or off.

I don't have a VST basket - they are around £22. I bought a generic non pressurised double basket from happy donkey, which i thought would be ok. Is it worth the investment?

I always preheat my machine for an hour in the morning before i get up (it's on a timer for a few hours). I did upgrade the wand http://www.happydonkey.co.uk/hdr0001.html
but getting really crappy results. I keep the jugs in the fridge or freezer clean and cold. I do have a thermometer also to guide me temperature wise. I end up with hot milk and a frothy top. which is not microfoam at all.

Get the feeling i've got a duff machine or absolutely NO idea what i'm doing