Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

jpaul · 20 Nov 2019 at 14:31

Begbie said:
and came down stairs to a burning smell

maybe it has a replaceable overheat/boil fuse ?

Siliconslave said:
planning a new kitchen .. an elektra Microcasa...

it's a bit gaudy unless you have a sympathetically decorated kitchen ... but may Italian kitchens would match. (Gomorrah tv show's my reference)
cupboard clearance is what I don't have, for a macap hopper either.

I installed a new pf gasket in May 2017, machine used twice a day for maybe 40minutes .. would everyone else have replaced by now.?
the current gasket is conical, which was supposed to be correct, but I always found the pf can pop off on its not cinched enough.

Siliconslave · 20 Nov 2019 at 16:43

Grimley said:
When I think of a Lever Machine, I think of a Londinum. Or are they not worth the money?

lovely machines but serious money!

jpaul said:
it's a bit gaudy unless you have a sympathetically decorated kitchen ... but may Italian kitchens would match. (Gomorrah tv show's my reference)
cupboard clearance is what I don't have, for a macap hopper either.

yer, clearance is going to be the challenge however i don't think the full chrome one is too gaudy:

Dj_Jestar · 20 Nov 2019 at 16:55

You can get non-gaudy lever machines that make great espresso. Also it's very much worth noting (if you aren't already aware) that there are two types of lever machine - the fully manual and the spring loaded. The former being a direct-to-water pressure lever, the latter being a lever that compresses a spring which is then used to apply pressure to the water.

Begbie · 20 Nov 2019 at 17:15

jpaul said:
maybe it has a replaceable overheat/boil fuse ?

it's a bit gaudy unless you have a sympathetically decorated kitchen ... but may Italian kitchens would match. (Gomorrah tv show's my reference)
cupboard clearance is what I don't have, for a macap hopper either.

I installed a new pf gasket in May 2017, machine used twice a day for maybe 40minutes .. would everyone else have replaced by now.?
the current gasket is conical, which was supposed to be correct, but I always found the pf can pop off on its not cinched enough.

Stripped apart, and the pump still seems that it's working. The heater is definetly heating up.

But there is no water coming out of the pump, so whilst stripping it one of the tiny springs got chewed up. £15 lighter and I have a new pump ordered. But the brass elbow seems to be blocked, waiting on spanners to get it off. As my 10mm seems to have dissapered.

Hopefully fixable though.

Ayahuasca · 12 Dec 2019 at 12:23

I’ve tried a load of beans over the last 12 months with my Sage Barista Express and I’ve honestly had the most consistency with Lavazza’s red bag (chocolate taste profile). Some of the more expensive ones have been a complete let down even when dialling them in right.

jpaul · 12 Dec 2019 at 18:26

Ayahuasca said:
I’ve honestly had the most consistency with Lavazza’s red bag

if you buy them paying attention to expiry date, to make sure you have as fresh as possible, I've not had problems with supermarket/asda beans that I buy mostly ...
there is a stepless mod No ? for the BE

I'm thinking I'd like a new dispersion screen for christmas, from IMS, the stainless steel wire mesh I have seems a bit basic.

Nick1881 · 14 Dec 2019 at 16:45

Ayahuasca said:
I’ve tried a load of beans over the last 12 months with my Sage Barista Express and I’ve honestly had the most consistency with Lavazza’s red bag (chocolate taste profile). Some of the more expensive ones have been a complete let down even when dialling them in right.

Have you tried freshly roasted beans from a good roaster?

Ayahuasca · 14 Dec 2019 at 16:58

Nick1881 said:
Have you tried freshly roasted beans from a good roaster?

I’ve tried all sorts, I’ve certainly had good coffees from freshly roasted beans but it’s the consistency in question

Dj_Jestar · 14 Dec 2019 at 17:31

"Indie" roasters have very different goals to big name roasters.

Brand familiarity (and thus consistency) is the absolute, and only, goal big names have. Their coffee must always be the recognisable taste everytime a customer makes a cup. Likewise for big chains. Where ever (and what ever season) you buy a cup of brand X, it unequivocally has to taste the same so that you'll continue to buy it.

"Indie" roaster are shooting for the best flavour available at that time, for that particular type, from that particular farm. The results will vary from season to season. The profile will change dramatically depending on which farm they have secured their next shipment from. Etc. Sometimes the next shipment is a strong bodied, dark chocolate Guatemalan bean. The next a zesty, cranberry packed Kenyan.

As smaller roasters get bigger they will always do the same thing: create their own blend(s) to firmly establish their identity and give customers consistency/familiarity.

Different strokes for different folks, though. I like variety over familiarity.

Grimley · 14 Dec 2019 at 17:41

Dj_Jestar said:
"Indie" roasters have very different goals to big name roasters.

Different strokes for different folks, though. I like variety over familiarity.

This. I like trying out different coffees, though my Favourite coffee producing countries are Brazil & Kenya. I've drunk some very good single Origin Coffees from small(ish) roasters this year, whereas a select few of the larger roasters (dark roast in particular) have been undrinkable.

Dj_Jestar · 14 Dec 2019 at 18:28

I'm convinced "dark roast" is a synonym for "crap bean, so we have carbonised it"

Nick1881 · 14 Dec 2019 at 21:38

I'm converted to light roast now. Though I heard big flat burr grinders get the best out of a light roast, I would love to have one, but good ones that can single dose are big money.

The Niche is doing a great job at the moment, maybe it's best I don't sample the big flat burrs, it could be very expensive. The difference going from the Sage SGP to the Niche was dramatic and I wouldn't have been able to go back.

Dj_Jestar · 14 Dec 2019 at 21:47

I've got a flat burr. My next purchase will be a conical. There's an inherent flaw in flat burr that means there will always be a not insignificant amount of waste. I. E. Because of the orientation of the grind face - flat - there needs to be a 360degree catchment area which then also needs a large chute that will have a horizontal section, which accumulates a lot of grind that you'll have to clear out at least once every day.

Conical burrs are at an angle allowing for the motor/axle/etc to be out of the way permitting a much shorter chute, and on many models, to be vertical.

I also bought the flat burr when the myth on flat is better than conical was a thing. It's been debunked now.

jpaul · 14 Dec 2019 at 22:43

[

Dj_Jestar said:
which accumulates a lot of grind that you'll have to clear out at least once every day

I clear that area on every grind using a paint brush, horizontally inserted via chute access, beneath burrs- rocky.
]

beans - maybe the stories different ... that there is a small roasting window to capture the elusive dark roast , before it is ovecooked (I'm not sure if 2nd crack is exclusive to dark roasts), so only the experts can do it, whereas roasting to a lesser degree, there is a bigger leeway.
My favourite dark roast was a small Italian roaster, no fancy equipment, and the beans were usually leeching oils the next day ... that style cannot really be sold in supermarket packs since the exposed oils go rancid, not sure it is to UK taste either, would uk roasters have the throughput .. immense amounts of crema.

The world's 20 biggest coffee drinkers

Finland - 12kg per capita per year
Norway - 9.9
Iceland - 9
Denmark - 8.7
Netherlands - 8.4
Sweden - 8.2
Switzerland - 7.9
Belgium - 6.8
Luxembourg - 6.5
Canada - 6.2
Bosnia and Herzegovina - 6.1
Austria - 5.9
Italy - 5.8
Slovenia - 5.8
Brazil - 5.5
Germany - 5.5
Greece - 5.4
France - 5.1
Croatia - 4.9
Cyprus - 4.8

45. UK - 3.0

jpaul · 17 Dec 2019 at 20:53

gasket replace at the weekend - the old one broke up getting it out (started by scalpel cut), so I guess it was long past its sell by date, the portafilter stays put now too, at ~5oclock and had sometimes been popping out before

Flibster · 20 Dec 2019 at 18:10

Yup. That's properly banjaxed. I went with a silicon one, seems to be lasting really well.

[edit]

Had my Christmas coffee delivery arrive today.

2 bags of Hasbean christmas blend, a bag of their only decaf they have in stock at the moment and a couple of bags of the Finca Limoncillo Washed Caturra (which is one of my favourite coffees this year, and it's cheap...)

Grimley · 20 Dec 2019 at 18:44

I've just started the coffee I'm going to be drinking over Xmas (Square mile Red Brick) I started buying this blend way back in 2012, been a while since I last bought a bag, must be 4 years since the last purchase.

jpaul · 20 Dec 2019 at 21:48

.... abstinence - no espresso machine, at the relations, over christmas

Flibster said:
I went with a silicon one, seems to be lasting really well.

unfortunately the silicon / cafelats aren't made in my machines size .8mm x 71mm O/D x 56mm I/D
.. the green one I pictured was bought for my ex Audrey (Rancilio)

Siliconslave · 24 Jan 2020 at 11:25

the current big argument in coffee has been kicked off by this:
https://www.cell.com/matter/fulltext/S2590-2385(19)30410-2

More accessible articles here: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...ts-learn-weve-been-brewing-espresso-all-wrong & https://www.smh.com.au/national/int...ng-your-coffee-all-wrong-20200122-p53trn.html

The idea seems to be that with lower pressure, lower dosing and coarser grind you can get better 'espresso'. This causes a bit of an issue with the definition of espresso as the Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano, Italy’s national espresso institute, only certifies espresso as something brewed at 9-10 bar pressure. Theres also an argument to say that part of the flavour of espresso is the over and under-extraction you get in the show (I think thats where you get the tiger stripes from).

So - anyone with an adjustable pressure machine given this a go, or want to?

doodah · 24 Jan 2020 at 12:33

Not properly noticed this thread before

. Newb alert....

My stepfather gave me his Gaggia Deluxe Classic and it's been my little project as a couple of things have gone wrong with it, which gives me an excuse to take something apart and learn about it. I do still have a reoccurring problem though - at random times the water doesn't come through (either not at all or at a considerably slower rate). First I thought it was a block in the pipes, then the group head (which does clog with grime every now and then but I clean this), then I thought it was the position of the pipes in the tank.

I am now thinking it's my lack of understanding/technique

. Does allowing the machine to heat too much cause the water rate to slow/stop? As I think if I let some pressure off first there's more of a chance the water will come through. I need to find a new know for the steam wand as well as the current one doesn't fit after a part of the inside snapping so it doesn't lock/sit on properly - currently using a pair of pliers

. And one more question - any tips on getting the perfect milk? Should I aim for a certain temperature range?

This thing must be at least 15 years old and even broken, I love it. It may have its moments, it may take longer than my wife's Nespresso but it's just awesome!