Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

yes - rubbish filters will often disintegrate on the way to the bin extracting them too .. bought some in bakers of Holt that did that.

My Milk steaming is not progressing ... if you don't see the vortex , is it doomed ?

although I'm using cold skimmed, 4 attempts with tip half submerged in metal, are just boiling the milk;
I can't believe a higher protein milk will be like night and day.

had been following this
https://coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/9861-foaming-my-milk-its-just-not-happening-help/


I'd posted before about reading that a tip with many big holes can make milk foaming difficult, so may need to revisit replacing it. In probably 45s I've currently boiled 150-200ml
 
jpaul said:
yes - rubbish filters will often disintegrate on the way to the bin extracting them too .. bought some in bakers of Holt that did that.
Click to expand...

Yes - thats one of the biggest issues, although with the clever dripper & v60 not such a problem as you can transport in situ...
 
Janesy B said:
Why spend so much on gear then? GAS?
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pretty much.

But I haven't really spent that much compared to a lot of people here, I like nice coffee but I also won't not drink something because it's bad. I don't like to waste things. Just because I am willing to lower the standards for a bit, it doesn't mean I will tolerate it for long term.
 
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jpaul said:
yes - rubbish filters will often disintegrate on the way to the bin extracting them too .. bought some in bakers of Holt that did that.

My Milk steaming is not progressing ... if you don't see the vortex , is it doomed ?

although I'm using cold skimmed, 4 attempts with tip half submerged in metal, are just boiling the milk;
I can't believe a higher protein milk will be like night and day.

had been following this
https://coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/9861-foaming-my-milk-its-just-not-happening-help/


I'd posted before about reading that a tip with many big holes can make milk foaming difficult, so may need to revisit replacing it. In probably 45s I've currently boiled 150-200ml
Click to expand...
It's the (lack of) fat content that is hurting you. You want at least semi-skimmed, but better whole milk, for foamy results.
 
Whole milk is definitely a little easier. I go to one of two extremes though, I'm either using oat milk (the Oatly Barista can actually pour an ok looking cap), or raw milk from the local farm has a ridiculous fat content, but tastes great :D
 
Btone said:
was looking to upgrade to a acs Minima, and contracted the retailer to see when they have them back in stock, to which they replied that they were not sure they would as they have a repair room full of them. They did suggest the MaraX instead, trouble is I've a pimped out Silvia and i don't think the MaraX would be that much of a upgrade for the money. Anyone able to suggest a Duel boiler machine
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I can't stop looking at the Lelit Bianca myself. Have to put it off for a couple of months though.
 
I would have had a Bianca in a heartbeat if I had a bigger kitchen! Lots of choice around when you're in that price bracket though. Felt like the ACS Minima was too much of a compromise on the presentation side, but good value.

Had the Mara a couple of months now and can't fault it really, typically pulling 6 doubles a day from it. Yes the vibe pump is noisy, but that's the tradeoff for a small footprint. Cooling flush is a non-issue for me. Polished drip tray scratches up but they fixed that in the MaraX and I don't mind a bit of usage wear.
 
So, I'm playing with my new grinder and bottomless portafilter
Trying to improve my technique/settings.

I've been using a 21g basket, and got told my coffee was a bit bitter. I have to admit I've lost track of how things should taste (being stuck in the house, drinking only my own made coffees haha)

So, I put 21g in my basket, should I be aiming for ~50g in my cup over 20-30 seconds?
seems like a small amount of coffee (I top up with some hot water in the cup and dash of milk)
I just want to know I'm starting with the right idea before I start adjusting grinds/tamp etc
 
Totally depends on the coffee - some roasters will tell you their recommended brew ration - ie red brick from square mile & San Fermin from Origin is 1:2 - ie 19grams in, 38 grams out. typically in around 28-32 secs.

I'd suggest that while its a 21g basket you probably only want about 18 to 19 grams in & around double that out for a double espresso, going larger in and out will give a more bitter flavour. Maybe look at pulling it back a little?

It is supposed to be a small amount of coffee - around 60ml of volume (although weight is more accurate) - pour it over hot water and add milk if you want a longer drink :)
 
Alright, I'll play around with that then :)
I tried the 14g basket and that was nice, got 30-35g out (stopping at the right time is hard haha)
I'll get there, just trying to get the best I can out of these cheap beans atm, focussing mostly on learning what adjustments are effecting what, before I go for more expensive beans.

I don't really want to burn through a kg of $$ beans just learning to identify grind problems haha
 
its a bit of a weird one, your not likely to get decent coffee from cheap beans even if it is dialed in correctly & good beans tend to be a bit more forgiving, but once in your the ball park you shouldn't really waste the coffee unless you choke the machine.
 
I'm more using them to guide me around the new hardware, learning getting better at responding to 'why did it come out so fast?' and other machine adjustments.
I know I'm going to have to switch up everything on the grinder for new beans, but hopefully I'll get it setup a bit quicker next time haha
 
I wouldn't worry about the size of the basket too much, it's more about getting an even distribution and tamp. I normally use 16g into the 21g basket. 21g is a pretty insane amount of caffeine apart from anything else :P

Don't tamp too hard, I find gentler tamps are easier to be consistent with and less likely to channel.
 
How do you run a cooling shot on the Mara - with the pf in, into a cup, or with it off, and pf charged ?
and then how long before you make the shot

with an hx, I run cooling with pf into a cup(heating cup again), then charge the pf, and run the shot

After reading below crem one review, the programmed profiling, is a wonder of electromechanics
https://coffeeequipmentreviews.wordpress.com/2019/12/16/crem-one-2b/
wonder what kind of maintenance costs there are, and extended warranty.
 
jpaul said:
How do you run a cooling shot on the Mara - with the pf in, into a cup, or with it off, and pf charged ?
and then how long before you make the shot

with an hx, I run cooling with pf into a cup(heating cup again), then charge the pf, and run the shot

After reading below crem one review, the programmed profiling, is a wonder of electromechanics
https://coffeeequipmentreviews.wordpress.com/2019/12/16/crem-one-2b/
wonder what kind of maintenance costs there are, and extended warranty.
Click to expand...

I leave the PF in the grouphead, so it's hot anyway. Take the PF off and grind into it. Pull cooling shot into the cup. Then drain cup, attach PF and pull the shot.

Yuck at all the electronics and programming on that thing. Give me a Bianca and manual paddle any day!
 
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