Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

... like the aforementioned moka pot , it is a different religion :D

Rave coffee will accept money from all religions though .. just got my order in before midnight deal cut-off
 
Hedge said:
Well I've been wanting a bean to cup machine for ages now but since getting an aero press I can't see much point.

I use the inverted method. Let it sit for about 3 mins and get a great coffee every time. It's relegated my pod machine to a kitchen cupboard now.

Doubt I'd see much benefit from a machine now.
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Same problem for me. Always fancied a proper machine, but I'm probably not home enough to use it. I have tea in the morning, then I'm on the road at work, then I don't want coffee in the evening as it will keep me awake.

I buy 250g ground mocha java blend from Rave which normally lasts me a month, I know it's wrong. I have considered a grinder to improve things.

For someone that knows nothing about making coffee beyond the Aeropress, how much trouble is a Sage BE for example, how fast could I make coffee and how often would it be need cleaning?

I only drink americano with a splash of milk, no need for milk frothing.
 
Nick1881 said:
Same problem for me. Always fancied a proper machine, but I'm probably not home enough to use it. I have tea in the morning, then I'm on the road at work, then I don't want coffee in the evening as it will keep me awake.

I buy 250g ground mocha java blend from Rave which normally lasts me a month, I know it's wrong. I have considered a grinder to improve things.

For someone that knows nothing about making coffee beyond the Aeropress, how much trouble is a Sage BE for example, how fast could I make coffee and how often would it be need cleaning?

I only drink americano with a splash of milk, no need for milk frothing.
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I make one to take to work with me, only 5 mins drive.

Home for lunch, I'd make another one to take back to work.

2 cups a day. 250G last me about a week. Only make Americano because i am too lazy to froth the milk as well.
 
Egon said:
Yeah, I'd read that about the MC2. I can use espresso grind in the aeropress so that should be OK I guess.
What about the difference between the doser and auto models, I guess the doser accurately dispenses the correct weight as per a setting? i.e. 14g
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I wouldn't bother with the doser tbh, it lets you grind a batch then store it in the doser until your ready to use it - for home use that makes no sense & is just another area to clean. For a shop you can afford to bulk grind as you'd use it up over a period.
 
for rocky but maybe mc2 is different, doser is not really a problem.
I grind individually for doubles, a small brush helps make sure no grinds left in burrs (still needed even if doserless?)
Doser may also help dump the coffee in a uniform distribution in pf, whereas doserless creates a mound ? (some folks use smart 3side tamper to help)
Rocky takes 20-30s to grind for a double, so with a doser, do not have to stand there with pf waiting, can be running final shot to warm cup in the meantime, and then take pf and instantly fill it ... all about work flow ...

I don't usually weigh - just 1.5scoops, I would like to find a 1.5 sized scoop.
 
what life-span have folks typically had from a portafilter gasket ?

current HX machine is on for maybe 90mins a day and after 18months pf is becoming harder to lock in, and remove.
Previously with Silvia I maybe changed every ~3 years. that had a flat gasket, but hx is conical.

Ok, they are not so expensive, it is just the hassle of extracting them (now adopted wood screw technique) and having to drain the machine, to put it on its side, for access.
 
So for first time I actually bothered to get the scales out and weigh the coffee I made along with the amount of milk I'm steaming. I started off with 11g of coffee, I knew this would be insufficient and it was confirmed by how quickly the espresso came out. Tried 14g the next time and that produced a wonderful shot with great crema BUT I got a massively uneven tamp. Going to try 15g next.

If you end up with an even tamp is it ok 'untamp' it with a fork and have another go?
 
generally does not work, and distribution just gets worse, pf may have some moisture in it too, impacting grinds at edge.
why did you get uneven tamp ? may need a better strategy to drop the ground coffee into the pf .. via an intermediate conatiner ?
edit : forgot - usually knock pf with heel of hand too, before applying tamper
 
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Right, I'm going to be starting a new job soon and working from home the vast majority of the time.

What's the easiest way to make a good, single portion of either americano or filter coffee throughout the day? Aeropress? Small cafetiere?
 
I love my aeropress, for the money and how forgiving it is, it's fantastic.

I ordered the Iberital MC2 last night from Happy Donkey, should be here before the end of the week... I never thought I'd be excited by the prospect of ordering a coffee grinder :o
 
Guess not! So it arrived today, no manual or anything which I think I had read was normal from Happy Donkey, but not sure why it wouldn't ship with one. Very impressed with Happy Donkey, quick delivery, some info via email on the grinder, two free shot glasses and 2 free bags of beans thrown in!

Just chucked some beans in while waiting for the classic to warm up. It was nice and quick, bit noisy, but the grind looks a bit coarse and inconsistent. However I've read that I need to give it a bit of time to "bed in". So I'll see how it goes for a few days before changing anything.

How did other MC2 owners find the first few days? And what setting changes were required for espresso?
 
honeymoon with a new grinder ;)

well, if the extraction time was about right ~20s, then the grind cannot be far off ... but usually if it looks coarse/uneven the the burrs need to be adjusted closer together ... or did you tamp it with a 2 tonne press.
(sometimes after grinder deep clean I have re-attached the burrs 120 or 240 degrees out - and then got a coarse grind)
 
OK, by bedding in I now understand this to be dialling in! The dose was nowhere near 20secs, more like 10...

I'm now starting to understand what I've been reading, with the complaints about dialling it in. There is no stepping, no little gauges, no indication of any sort for settings or even when you have reached the theoretical limit and the burrs are touching. So it is all done by trial and error, guess work and manually checking the burrs with each turn.

The adjustments with each turn of the dial are so fine however it is taking ages and because this is all new, I have no idea how far I need to turn to get the right grind. I'll be out of beans before I know it. Oh the fun :D
 
I think I might have it dialled in finally :D

Pulled my first beautiful looking shot since first setting up the gaggia 3 weeks ago. Extraction time around 20-25s for around 2oz. Tasted lovely, decent amount of crema, and this was on the Modern Standards beans from Sainsbury's. Looking forward to trying out some fresher beans later.

2 questions...
  1. Is there any reason why I can't tamp with the basket out of the portafilter? It's much easier!
  2. I'm not sure if I'm using a double basket or a triple basket (it#s 2nd hand and only came with the one), all the videos I see online suggest 14g should pretty much fill the basket before tamping... mine doesn't. How can I tell?
 
You can definitely get more than 14g in a double basket. Also, supermarket beans that tend to be a little older are generally less 'fluffy' than newer beans so can seem to take up less space in the portafilter.

Is it a pressurised or a non-pressurised basket? (see here)
 
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