Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

Not meaning to have a go at all.
Just bringing some perspective, that to get a coffee someone is happy with doesn't mean precise measuring and expensive beans.
Someone coming from Nescaffe for instance will think what i make is fantastic the next step up isn't as big a difference IMO. I would love to have the gear to try but for the amount i drink too much would be wasted. I may stop by a local place soon that will drop the cost of fresh beans.
 
Why would you store coffee in the fridge?

Scales help if you're after a decent brew, Rave do fresh coffee for the same price as supermarket pre ground.

Horses for courses, but I'd rather make the changes to make the brew noticeably better for sod all extra.
 
Ducky89 said:
Silicon, are you still using a Classic and an MC2?

+1 on Rave coffee, their Italian job blend is great VFM.
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sort of - the Gaggia needs fixing at some point, still using the MC2 but for Clever dripper & pour over (v60)

robj20 said:
Lets say for instance i take your advice and buy that rave coffee, how long does it take before its no longer fresh.

I buy 2KG of the lavazza stuff ...
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If your happy with the lavazza then great, your correct grinding fresh makes a huge difference but i'd say fresh beans are as important as a good grinder, if not more so.

The Lavazza stuff will be a good month or so old by the time it reaches you, hasbean / rave will be a few days too fresh in most cases. Coffee generally need a couple of days to settle post roasting. It'll still be fresh for you at least a week or so later if kept in the bags provided in a dark cool place and as i say you've already got a months headstart on the Lavazza.

No, you won't get it anywhere near that cheaply though, in fact 2kg of a cheap hasbean blend (£4.50) will be nearly 5x more expensive. Will it be 5x better I don't know but your cost per cup shouldn't be any more than £0.45 which i'd say isn't bad value. Hell the coffee i've got at the moment was £14 for 400g, but again thats only around £0.75 a cup.... one of the few luxuries i enjoy daily :D

FrenchTart said:
Keeping coffee in the fridge/freezer is really bad.
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its certainly not ideal, but freezing once isn't actually too bad if you can seal it up. Biggest problem is the moisture getting into the beans. I sometimes freeze sealed bags if i get too many but once open they go in the cupboard.
 
So the stuff i have in the fridge should come out and stay in the cupboard?

I'm going to try some fresh beans see for myself if its worth the extra cost, Tank Coffee isnt too far away.
 
Siliconslave said:
its certainly not ideal, but freezing once isn't actually too bad if you can seal it up. Biggest problem is the moisture getting into the beans. I sometimes freeze sealed bags if i get too many but once open they go in the cupboard.
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Perhaps if you vacuum-sealed the coffee you could get away with it.

robj20 said:
So the stuff i have in the fridge should come out and stay in the cupboard?

I'm going to try some fresh beans see for myself if its worth the extra cost, Tank Coffee isnt too far away.
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Personally I would move it to the cupboard yeah. Use a sealed container.

As much as good coffee makes a difference, getting the grind and tamp right is just as important.... and one of the things that *is* a faff about changing things around with coffee beans is that you will likely need to change the grind in order to get the best coffee from the different beans. I personally get round this by ordering 2 bags of the same bean at once, which will then usually last me about 1.5 weeks. When I order the next batch of coffee I then have to readjust my grind to suit it.
 
I can see where robj20 is coming from, because although I still enjoy instant coffee, I can appreciate that even pre-ground coffee tastes very different (better to most), and for a minimum of faff, you can produce a great drink.

It's great that people take it really seriously and are finding ways to make a better coffee each time, but those like robj20 are quite happy with the product of the improvement they've made. :)

I've got a grinder (it's a blade one - I just shake it), and I'm currently going through some pre-ground decaf stuff we bought before I get some more beans. The flavour is definitely different, but not for me to worry too much about finishing the bag before I move on! :D
 
Thats why you should get a roaster.

You dont have to worry about freshness of beans or be in a rush to finish your current batch within a week or two before it loses its taste.

Get a roaster and 4+kg of greens and that will easily last u a couple of months and u can roast as much or as little as u wish.
 
Anyone know of any good deals on the Gaggia Classic just now? saw some great pre Christmas deals around 160-170 that was posted in this thread. Can't find under 200 just now.

Got a monthly coffee subscription from the kids for Christmas but only got a stove top just now
 
Been buying most of my stuff from Hasbeans for the last 6 months or so and I don't think I've received a bag that wasn't roasted the day before I received it. Certainly if you order in the AM then you'll get it next day (if you pay first class) and it'll be roasted the day you ordered it which seems pretty good.

Had some coffee that tasted like blueberry muffins a few weeks ago :D
 
robj20 said:
If my brew took as long as some of you lot must take i would get bored within a week.
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I'm pretty damn lazy when it comes to a lot of things but it doesn't take that long :)

When I wake up I turn on the Espresso machine and then it's been on for 45 mins or so by the time I get to use it.

I leave a few day's worth of beans in the grinder at the most so it's not been there long when I use it. The grinding adds about 45 seconds to the whole process if you're already making espresso from ground coffee.

I just buy 250g bags from Hasbeans which last me a couple of weeks since I only have one a day usually. Gets delivered to where I work so I don't even have to go out and buy it lol :)
 
TheCrow said:
Anyone know of any good deals on the Gaggia Classic just now? saw some great pre Christmas deals around 160-170 that was posted in this thread. Can't find under 200 just now.

Got a monthly coffee subscription from the kids for Christmas but only got a stove top just now
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Try the rainforest marketplace for used (usually just box returns) or head over to the coffee forum and browse the used section. Often a few used examples up for around the £150 mark with a full service/descale. The new new ones are naff, so I hear.
 
robj20 said:
I think some people in here get carried away telling people what to buy when there just after a step up from freeze dried stuff.

Lets say for instance i take your advice and buy that rave coffee, how long does it take before its no longer fresh.

I buy 2KG of the lavazza stuff for about £8 and freeze it in bags that last me a week each, the one im using stays in the fridge. It suites me just fine i get a nice brew that i think is miles better than the freeze dried stuff while still at low cost and minimum faffing around.
If my brew took as long as some of you lot must take i would get bored within a week.
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I have to agree its small steps. My progression went from Press to Nespresso to Moka then onto a grinder and Rancillio. Like anything you get into it learn about it and progress. Nothing wrong with freezing grinds so long as you dont keep them defrosted for more than 2 weeks still better than instant muck.
 
robj20 said:
So the stuff i have in the fridge should come out and stay in the cupboard?

I'm going to try some fresh beans see for myself if its worth the extra cost, Tank Coffee isnt too far away.
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I'm currently drinking (right this very second as it happens :) ) their Cameroon Hosnia http://www.tankcoffee.com/shop/home/cameroon-hosnia-400g/ It's a very nice, subtle coffee and well worth a try. It's a lightly roasted bean and will be very different to Lavazza. I occasionally buy Lavazza Rosso, but that's quite a heavy roast, and I find it quite chocolatey. The Hosnia is much lighter and brighter for want of a better word. More fruity.

Have fun :)
 
Got a small assortment of beans from Caravan at the moment. Only opened one so far, their generic Market Blend.

Sweet, chocolate, works well with milk. Works well without milk. Yup. It's a good generic espresso. Not great as filter, but it's aimed at espresso.

Also eyeing up a serious modification to the unreliable classic I have. Never mind the pid's, timers, pressure gauges.... ;) Rotary pump and preinfusion. ;) :D
 
I've retired my gaggia and returned to non-espresso coffee. My girlfriend has been off coffee since getting pregnant and I can't justify the counter space for my once-a-day americano habit.

Dabbled a bit with v60 coffee for a couple of months but find I get better results from my trusty old aeropress. I actually seem to enjoy the process of making and the finished coffee more from drip/aero than from the gaggia too.

Plan on retiring the MC2 also, either to go back to hand grinding with a Porlex (not bad for once a day) or maybe upgrading to a Vario.
 
Jolteh said:
I've retired my gaggia and returned to non-espresso coffee. My girlfriend has been off coffee since getting pregnant and I can't justify the counter space for my once-a-day americano habit.

Dabbled a bit with v60 coffee for a couple of months but find I get better results from my trusty old aeropress. I actually seem to enjoy the process of making and the finished coffee more from drip/aero than from the gaggia too.

Plan on retiring the MC2 also, either to go back to hand grinding with a Porlex (not bad for once a day) or maybe upgrading to a Vario.
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I know someone in Manchester that might be interested in buying your MC2 if you get rid :)
 
I still prefer black coffee from the Aeropress or Clever Dripper (grind time is much faster for the dripper so I'm using that more at the moment). However now I've used the Gaggia more I am getting decent Americanos out of it and real nice espressos. It also seems better now that the new burrs in my grinder have settled in.

I still can't do any latte art, but my daughter loves steamed chocolate milk :)
 
FrenchTart said:
I know someone in Manchester that might be interested in buying your MC2 if you get rid :)
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S'not really a grinder I'd recommend to anyone mate, there's definitely better ones in the price bracket imo.

My pet peeve is that on the doserless model (which I have) the spout seems to hold onto a teaspoon or so of the ground coffee each time. Ultimately this means that you end up with a gram or two of old coffee in each dose which is obviously gonna affect the flavour of the final cup. You can get a lot of it out by giving the grinder a good shake, or digging it out yourself with the end of a spoon, but it's not ideal.
 
I've got the MC2 myself. I agree that it has some foibles but I guess I thought if you were looking to get rid then one of the two people I know that are stuck with awful grinders might like a cheap upgrade :)
 
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