Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

jpaul · 18 Apr 2019 at 22:40

Raymond Lin said:
and never been serviced or cleaned

afaik I only recollect one discussion about grinder cleaning ... but you have never shifted the gunk off of the burrs ? but do do the dispersion plate etc.
some beans are pretty bad, and, maybe its imagined, but I'm sure grinder throughput goes down if I don't clean once evey 4-5months.

... I don't regularly visit a coffee roaster anymore, but it would be interesting to have an espresso from them and then take the same beans home yourself and prepare a cup.
maybe the up coming coffee festival (people were buying tickets) is a good opportunity to taste the difference

@Scottland thanks for the 270 run-down

edit: I can't believe the tolerance on 20-30 quid burrs, is that tight, so unless you have the titanium ones, do wonder if you have particle size 100u +/- 10u from them alone.
do the titanium burrs iridesce ?

Raymond Lin · 18 Apr 2019 at 23:24

jpaul said:
afaik I only recollect one discussion about grinder cleaning ... but you have never shifted the gunk off of the burrs ? but do do the dispersion plate etc.
some beans are pretty bad, and, maybe its imagined, but I'm sure grinder throughput goes down if I don't clean once evey 4-5months.

... I don't regularly visit a coffee roaster anymore, but it would be interesting to have an espresso from them and then take the same beans home yourself and prepare a cup.
maybe the up coming coffee festival (people were buying tickets) is a good opportunity to taste the difference

@Scottland thanks for the 270 run-down

edit: I can't believe the tolerance on 20-30 quid burrs, is that tight, so unless you have the titanium ones, do wonder if you have particle size 100u +/- 10u from them alone.
do the titanium burrs iridesce ?

I just tried cleaning it, after taking the lid off, the internals is a bit "fixed" shall I say, i don't want to remove anything i can't put back in the same tolerances. The most i can do is some compressed air into it.

Raymond Lin · 19 Apr 2019 at 09:27

Anyway, which digital scales do you guys have? the £70 Brewster one or something cheaper for £15?

Muska · 19 Apr 2019 at 09:31

I use this, works just fine

Nick1881 · 19 Apr 2019 at 12:29

Mine look like that too, accurate enough as I checked them with weights. I guess more expensive ones will respond faster.

Raymond Lin · 19 Apr 2019 at 12:58

Thanks, I've gone for a cheap one with a timer now too.

Scottland · 19 Apr 2019 at 13:00

I've got the same scales, would like some slimmer ones though as they're a bit too tall to fit under the portafilter with some of my cups. Fine in every other aspect though

Raymond Lin · 19 Apr 2019 at 14:29

question Re Latte Art.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jfe5OaKFnE

1 - How come at the start of the pour none of the milk shows up on the surface
2 - How do you control it to show the surface as she wants it to?

Dj_Jestar · 19 Apr 2019 at 15:47

When you pour slowly at the start you are decanting the liquid from the foam, that is the foam stays in the jug. You're also pouring from a height so it all mixes in the cup. Near the end of the pour you pour quickly and the foam exits the jug, and you also bring the jug right down to the coffee to minimise distance so there is no drop and the foam just sits on top of the coffee. If you pour the foam with a gap it will submerge and mix with the coffee before returning to surface.

Raymond Lin · 19 Apr 2019 at 15:56

Dj_Jestar said:
When you pour slowly at the start you are decanting the liquid from the foam, that is the foam stays in the jug. You're also pouring from a height so it all mixes in the cup. Near the end of the pour you pour quickly and the foam exits the jug, and you also bring the jug right down to the coffee to minimise distance so there is no drop and the foam just sits on top of the coffee. If you pour the foam with a gap it will submerge and mix with the coffee before returning to surface.

So…it's a simple case of higher terminal velocity causes the milk to hit the coffee harder causing it to mix. By lower it down the foam will sits on top due to the air in the milk as it doesn't reach that velocity?

Dj_Jestar · 19 Apr 2019 at 16:57

Yes, no (downward) inertia, no submersion

jpaul · 20 Apr 2019 at 10:04

maybe overclockers will do a latte art competition .... we need some gratuitous pictures raymond.
(maybe the guy in the photoshop competition was admiring his latte art - out of the mouth of babes.)

Raymond Lin · 23 Apr 2019 at 00:21

jpaul said:
maybe overclockers will do a latte art competition .... we need some gratuitous pictures raymond.
(maybe the guy in the photoshop competition was admiring his latte art - out of the mouth of babes.)

Not yet, I am upgrading the steam wand first, got a Rancillo Silvia wand coming in the post, then i will play with some latter art.

Raymond Lin · 23 Apr 2019 at 22:07

Done my steam wand mod, not sure why I didn’t do this years ago, it’s so simple and so easy to do. I strangely thought you need to open it up but all it took is undo 1 bolt.

Street · 25 Apr 2019 at 10:52

jpaul said:
maybe overclockers will do a latte art competition .... we need some gratuitous pictures raymond.
(maybe the guy in the photoshop competition was admiring his latte art - out of the mouth of babes.)

I've pretty good at latte art now, so far I've mastered the blob and the slightly different looking blob.

I should probably watch some videos on how to do it properly but my milk frothing is probably letting me down anyway.

I took a punt on the distributor and I'm impressed at how much difference it's made. The few cups I've used it for seem to have a very consistent extraction from the portafilter whereas before sometimes it came from one side or round the edges first.

Nick1881 · 25 Apr 2019 at 10:57

I am upgrading from my Sage DTP already, just placed an order for an Expobar Brewtus IV with rotary pump.

Raymond Lin · 25 Apr 2019 at 11:08

What size milk jug do you guys use? It seems the one I have (900ml) is too large, the wand can't reach the bottom! is 350ml too small?

Street · 25 Apr 2019 at 11:16

Raymond Lin said:
What size milk jug do you guys use? It seems the one I have (900ml) is too large, the wand can't reach the bottom! is 350ml too small?

350ml is perfect for me for one cup.

Scottland · 25 Apr 2019 at 11:17

Depends on the size of the drink!

A 350ml one is fine for upto a 200ml cup for latte's. If you're doing 2 cups then you'll want a 500ml one. I didn't get on with the motta ones, so use rhino teflon ones.

Dj_Jestar · 25 Apr 2019 at 11:21

350ml is what I use for my flat whites in an 8oz keep-cup. If I'm making a cappuccino in a 12oz cup I use the 600ml, or the 900ml if someone wants a bucket of froth with a hint of coffee (20oz "cup" which is more like a bowl with a handle)