Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

Very nice tamper mate i personally would have liked the head of the handle a little larger but its a nice job :) will have to get a mate of mine to mill a custom one for me :)
 
netby said:
Hi NickK can you please tell me if it´s possible to buy the filters ( single or double cup)for the Elektra , in any on-line shop
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Sorry I was on vacation in Ireland.. It should be straight forward getting filters - but 49mm (MCAL size) is probably harder to find. The basket in the MCAL seems like a standard basket as it came vacuum sealed onto cardboard along with the plastic tamp, spoon etc which makes me think it's a standard OEM pack. However it looks like you've solved your problem with the basket..
 
well I just find this one completely by chance,in a electrical repair shop in Aveiro ( 20mks from where I live)-they repair all kinds of electric home appliances - but between dozens of filter baskets they have in the warehouse, this is the single and only one who fit´s the Krupp XP 4000:)

"Happy Donkey.UK" are the only on-line Europe sellers that I find to have the gaskets for the Elektra a Leva, but unfortunately they do not send it abroad....

interestingly, I learn that the Elektra filter baskets also fit in the portafilter of the La Pavoni Europiccola,some guy post about it in the Home Barista forum:)
 
netby said:
interestingly, I learn that the Elektra filter baskets also fit in the portafilter of the La Pavoni Europiccola,some guy post about it in the Home Barista forum:)
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(nod) however others like Cremina etc are different sizes again. Most machines are semi-auto so the market for the smaller filters/portafilters are far less. Compare that to the Classic where there'll be a set of resellers with the basket size.

Raymond Lin said:
What do you want the Filter Basket for? Make Filter Coffee?
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It's late so my brain isn't quite on the ball. :p
 
BigBoy said:
Very nice tamper mate i personally would have liked the head of the handle a little larger but its a nice job :) will have to get a mate of mine to mill a custom one for me :)
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eheh

I was just stupid - I gave my mate this photo of the "model" tamper I want him to make (this is the first one he ever made)





instead of one of these




or that one




because I was in a hurry to go out,and I just grab the first thing I see:p

he just made it the most approximately to the photo I gave him:D
 
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I'm thinking about buying an espresso machine for my parents for christmas.

The gaggia Classic is on the way out, and anyways, I'd only be looking to spend ~£150 for a machine.

Can anybody recommend anything just as good?
 
I love cofee and so on, looking at getting a machine that doesnt need to much fuss. has anyone got a krupps one from nescafe, been offerd a brand new one for £50 so its very tempting.
 
Krups XP4000/4020 are very good for the price

off course they are not in same league as Gaggias ( Krups use a thermablock system, Gaggia have a boiler tank,normally in solid Brass)

but for the price you get a nice espresso,and they do a great job frothing milk for the Cappucino:)

and if they are in "good hands",and with some tuning (with an unpressurised basket and a "pro" tamper)you could get very nice results


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lvEjriVFZw&feature=related

http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=C8LpAKa_ckI
 
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Ok, I've just tried my first latte art.
1) the microfoam isn't perfect I know..
2) the cup is a non-cappuccino shaped cup so I was surprised it worked as the milk doesn't have the shallowness of the cappo-cup to move!

IMG_0748.JPG
 
Jonny69 said:
I was thinking about making my own tamper. Why is the one that comes with the Classic too small?
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its one of the great coffee mysteries, pretty much all coffee machines come with god awful tampers, even allot of high end (and i mean much higher than the Gaggias...) have rubbish little plastic things :(

and Nick thats damn good looking Latte art for a first attempt! i really need to have a go at some point :)
 
Siliconslave said:
its one of the great coffee mysteries, pretty much all coffee machines come with god awful tampers, even allot of high end (and i mean much higher than the Gaggias...) have rubbish little plastic things :(

and Nick thats damn good looking Latte art for a first attempt! i really need to have a go at some point :)
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Yup the MCAL came with "that" plastic puck squisher too.. I think there's just one company somewhere in china that makes them where one size fits all!
 
Siliconslave said:
its one of the great coffee mysteries, pretty much all coffee machines come with god awful tampers, even allot of high end (and i mean much higher than the Gaggias...) have rubbish little plastic things :(

and Nick thats damn good looking Latte art for a first attempt! i really need to have a go at some point :)
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I think we need a How-To for Lattés as well ;) , it's not something I've tried to make that often :)
 
Scottland said:
I think we need a How-To for Lattés as well ;) , it's not something I've tried to make that often :)
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Tada!

http://www.coffeegeek.com/guides/frothingguide

Specifically this: http://www.coffeegeek.com/guides/frothingguide/steamguide if you have a frother device on the steam wand.


Although I've found it varies depending on milk and your equipment (wand, steam velocity/heat, jug, fat content of the milk etc). To summarise:

Low fat content
- heats faster
- bubbles are better at lower temps
- harder

High fat content
- heats slower
- bubbles are better at higher temps (ie latte temps of 140+ degF)
- easier

I've tried 2%, 4.7% full fat and even 5.3% Jersey Gold. To me the 4.7% is good although I can't drink massive cups of it before feeling a little sick - so I may be getting some 6oz cappuccino cups in the future.

Also:
Where to put the tip: There are three zones distinguished by sound. In the first zone nearest the surface, the tip makes a bubbling noise and as it gets slightly deeper, a sucking or tearing noise. In the second intermediate zone, there is very little noise. In third zone near the bottom of the pitcher, the milk begins to roar loudly.

The tip should stay in the second, silent zone for the entire process. In order to create microfoam, position the tip at the top boundary, so you occasionally hear a sucking/tearing noise. Too much of the sucking/tearing noise and the foam will stiffen and not be micro enough. To just heat the milk after the foaming is done, position the tip near the lower boundary so you occasionally hear a roaring noise.

The milk in the pitcher should whirlpool or form a standing wave of turbulence in order to fold foam into liquid. With a one hole tip, angle the entry, and keep it close to the edge of the pitcher to rotate the milk into a whirlpool. With a multi-hole tip, point it straight down and keep it near the center of the pitcher—the hole dispersion pattern on a properly designed tip will create a whirlpool or a standing wave of turbulence for you. If your multi-hole tip does not do this, change it for another, or block some holes and convert it to slower, single hole use.

How long to foam: As the liquid turns to foam, the volume of the milk increases. This is called stretching. Keep foaming until the milk has gone up about 50% in volume. If you foam more than that, you will get a light microfoam for the classic cap-on-top cappuccino, but latte art will be impossible. Typically, the side of the pitcher will be lukewarm (40°C, 100°F) at this point. However, volume increase is a far more reliable indicator, and with some frothing setups, one even keeps the tip at the foaming point until the milk is fully heated.

How much longer to heat the milk: The milk should be heated to about 70°C (160°F), which is just below the point where protein curdles and the foam is destroyed. The easiest way to do this is to hold one hand on the side of the pitcher and stop when it gets uncomfortably hot. If the milk suddenly increases in volume, the proteins are curdling, and you've gotten it too hot. With experience and a slower frother, you can hold the pitcher by the side rather than the handle and have your other hand free (it also helps to have a higher pain threshold!).
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Source: http://www.home-barista.com/espresso-guide-frothing-milk.html
 
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So we can expect a latte art attempt from everyone by sunday??? :D It's worth it just for the fun of it.. and it's way harder that it looks!
 
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