Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

Good grinder > * (including good beans). Especially considering the price difference between good beans and bad beans is negligible at worst.

For espresso i agree 100%... But for aeropress and (to a lesser extent as i think fines can ruin a good coffee) french press and filter i would say good beans are more important.

as this is an espresso thread you are correct but as other methods are being mentioned i thought i would pop in with my 2p
 
I think the main tip is just be consistent, that at least allows you to change it and know what you are changing. I don't bother with the "perfect" shot, does it taste nice? Done.

That's the thing, it doesn't taste nice and I am being consistent :p

Does anyone know about about the imprint on the puck.. my friend said this means the water isn't being allowed to circulate?
 
Upgrade complete! I think I might have to get a counter top extension now..... lol

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Can't wait to tame the beast :D
 
Very very nice OCdude!


That's the thing, it doesn't taste nice and I am being consistent :p

Does anyone know about about the imprint on the puck.. my friend said this means the water isn't being allowed to circulate?

go back to the basics, weigh the coffee, measure the espresso that comes out and check the time, try with a finer/corser grind and a lighter/harder tamp.

its all about fine adjustments and dosing is one of those, a damp puck is fine but if you have too much water sat ontop it means the coffee is stopping the water going through even at pressure, try a corser grind and tamp slightly harder (until you get 25-30sec pull for 2oz)
 
That's the thing, it doesn't taste nice and I am being consistent :p

Does anyone know about about the imprint on the puck.. my friend said this means the water isn't being allowed to circulate?

If my memory serves me well, the "pressurised" double basket that comes with the classic is 18g. :)

Treat yourself to a bottomless portafilter that comes with a non-pressurised basket which is larger (up to 22g iirc)
 
Very nice :)

I'm tempted to suggest that if you're spending that much on the machine you should up the ante with the grinder though!

I spent ages deciding on that! I was tempted by the Super Jolly and some of the Compak models, but at the end of the day, for the amount that I'll be grinding at any given time, the overall size (and amount of retained grind) would have made it a bit silly I think.

Plus... the whole.... counter top space issue ;)
 
Having a couple of issues with my Gaggia classic (old style) recently.
Machine is approx 2.5 years old with rancillio steam wand mod.

Machine has following issues:

  • leak from the group head with the portafilter in.

  • leak from steam wand when closed

I assume these are just worn seals? Can anyone advise how to fix, what parts I would need?
 
Having a couple of issues with my Gaggia classic (old style) recently.
Machine is approx 2.5 years old with rancillio steam wand mod.

Machine has following issues:

  • leak from the group head with the portafilter in.

  • leak from steam wand when closed

I assume these are just worn seals? Can anyone advise how to fix, what parts I would need?

Mine started leaking from the group head. I just flipped the gasket around and it worked fine. The replacement I ordered didn't fit properly. Mine is also leaking from the wand, where is the gasket/seal in there?
 
Alright guys I need some advice on some decent priced accessories. Tops about £100 to spend.

Picked up a Gaggia Baby Class machine on weekend for £20 which I'm pretty pleased with given its all working and in mint cosmetic condition. Replacing a dolce gusto Nescafé machine.

Made about 5 coffees so far just learning how the machine operates and all of them have come out very weak and fairly cold lol

After reading this thread I tried again and this time tapped down the coffee to compress it and let the machine warm up and came out a lot thicker and a decent creme on it!! Much better.

Any how I think I need

A tapper down thing, as currently using the back of a spoon
A grinder please, the current one I'm sure is a ornament rather than something to be used. Sister got it from turkey and takes literally 10 mins to do enough for 1 coffee!

Would prefer electric as can't be asked manually grinding every time I want a cup plus I serve quite a few family members over weakends. If within budget

Some measuring cups, so know when to stop
A stainless steel jar thing to froth milk

A angled cleaning brush?

And finally some cleaning product / descaler?

We only drink cappuccino / lattes / Americano

No one has expresso
 
A Tamper is what you are looking for. :)

A solid 58mm tamper is what you'll need. Get one with a nice heavy steel base for stability. E.g. the Motta 110 Bubinga, like mine :p

For your budget, you really would be throwing the money away to get an electric grinder, so get a good hand operated burr grinder like the Hario Skirton or a Porlex.
 
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Has anyone had the Guatamala Finca El Limon from Hasbean recently? We've just opened a bag in the last couple of days and it tastes really funky. At first we thought it just cos we had a cold and couldn't taste anything right - but we tried it on a guinea pig and they thought it was off too.

Not tried it but if it smells a bit off it could be worth contacting hasbean and sending back - sounds weird but it doesn't smell of potato does it? Tends to be a problem with the African coffees rather than south american though.
 
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