Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

mid_gen · 21 Feb 2021 at 21:06

Eureka Mignon's are great for single dosing. I have two of em

Basically zero retention.

Not very good for switching beans though, grind dial is too small to easily record settings.

Alibaba99 · 22 Feb 2021 at 13:19

mad_allan said:
I've just put my GC on eBay as picked up a Lelit Elizabeth and it is paired with a Specialita grinder. Very happy with this set up now. However, I love trying different beans constantly so on the waiting list for a Niche now. I know I can get 3d printed parts for the Eureka to become single dose but they aren't designed for it in essence.

You could have waited for a couple more weeks before putting it up for sale.

Siliconslave · 22 Feb 2021 at 13:46

mid_gen said:
Eureka Mignon's are great for single dosing. I have two of em Basically zero retention.

Not very good for switching beans though, grind dial is too small to easily record settings.

I find mine sometimes holds about 0.2g & theres defiantly some exchange going on as well but in all honesty >0.1% held for a max of about 19hrs isn't too bad

jpaul · 22 Feb 2021 at 14:05

Alibaba99 said:
You could have waited

the market is probably higher during lock-down (like for tv's?) .
before xmas TV had an article on the inside of the (UK) Fracino factory and they were saying how much business they had

I single dose with a ranciliorocky with similarly low retention, but I can believe that grind consistency is better with the weight of beans (following on)
if you grind multiple cups. ... there should be a coffee app to give an analysis of grind uniformity from a photo.

After I have cleaned the grinder burrs it grinds faster ?

Scottland · 22 Feb 2021 at 15:12

Bella barista have put up pre orders for the Lelit MaraX so I've put my order in. I've really laboured over which machine to go for - hope I've made the right decision over a dual boiler machine.

Siliconslave · 22 Feb 2021 at 15:19

Scottland said:
Bella barista have put up pre orders for the Lelit MaraX so I've put my order in. I've really laboured over which machine to go for - hope I've made the right decision over a dual boiler machine.

cool, you'll love it (once you've dialled into it - was frustrating getting used to the thing from a machine i could use with my eyes close, but once your back in harmony...)

Scottland · 22 Feb 2021 at 15:32

Siliconslave said:
cool, you'll love it (once you've dialled into it - was frustrating getting used to the thing from a machine i could use with my eyes close, but once your back in harmony...)

Yeah can't wait to relearn to pull a shot as it were, I think I work on autopilot now so my shots probably suffer sometimes because I'm not paying attention.

The Silvia is going to my brother in law who's just getting into coffee, so will also enjoy his journey too

Scottland · 26 Feb 2021 at 18:54

Not sure if anyone else has seen this, but Steve from Hasbean has parted ways with them now, seems there was some sort of change in ownership/investment last year and he's now left.

Hasbean was the first place I got beans from back in the day, so it's a shame to see him go but hopefully it's a positive move for him.

Grimley · 26 Feb 2021 at 19:42

Scottland said:
Not sure if anyone else has seen this, but Steve from Hasbean has parted ways with them now, seems there was some sort of change in ownership/investment last year and he's now left.

Hasbean was the first place I got beans from back in the day, so it's a shame to see him go but hopefully it's a positive move for him.

Hasbean was bought by Ozone coffee. I've met Steve (Nice bloke) I think he will start again. He's got a lot of contacts with Coffee Farmers so it wont be long before he's back, but not before a break.

chroniclard · 26 Feb 2021 at 19:52

Trying to find a blend similar to Starbucks espresso blend, wife likes it, but have to keep buying loads from Tesco , wondering if anyone has found a version we could buy in bigger bags?

Going through 3 or 4 bags a week at the mo....

Grimley · 27 Feb 2021 at 07:43

Checked the rainforest? They sell bulk packs.

Scottland · 27 Feb 2021 at 15:05

Just been a Niche Zero drop at 3pm, although it appears to have killed the website.

jpaul · 27 Feb 2021 at 16:11

... what ? they have some kind of dutch auction for new supplies.

Spring cleaning ... Metal polished the stainless machine bits, and, some drip tray citric/soaking ... 3-way dump valve residue

Scottland · 27 Feb 2021 at 17:06

It's been like this for a while, demand vastly greater than supply. To be fair they're keeping the same price when they could easily add another £\$100 and they'd still sell out.

I had one in my basket for a while, but I'm not sure I'll like the faff of single dosing compared to a push button

Siliconslave · 28 Feb 2021 at 20:27

Scottland said:
Hasbean was the first place I got beans from back in the day, so it's a shame to see him go but hopefully it's a positive move for him.

Would be surprised if he doesn't have a non-compete clause for a year or two, but sure he'll pop up once hes burned through all the buy out money

maj · 1 Mar 2021 at 19:27

Hedge said:
Finished first bag of Black Midden(Black Midden – Tynemouth Coffee) from Tynemouth Coffee. Was a great daily drinker. Moved onto Tynemouth Espresso (Tynemouth Espresso – Tynemouth Coffee) now and its equally nice, albeit more of an occasional kinda coffee.

Got a bag of Bobby Dazzler – Tynemouth Coffee ready to go too.

Their coffee subscription has been a nice gift.

Are you local or know someone that is? I called in at the weekend to buy some of their coffee for the first time. I've seen them about at local markets etc but never tried them before. After a rather helpful chat with the staff member I bought a bag of 'Jingling Geordie'. Used with my aeropress today and could certainly taste the difference to the supermarket stuff I have been drinking (Yes I know but it was mostly for ease and cost).

Hedge · 1 Mar 2021 at 20:42

maj said:
Are you local or know someone that is? I called in at the weekend to buy some of their coffee for the first time. I've seen them about at local markets etc but never tried them before. After a rather helpful chat with the staff member I bought a bag of 'Jingling Geordie'. Used with my aeropress today and could certainly taste the difference to the supermarket stuff I have been drinking (Yes I know but it was mostly for ease and cost).

I used to live local but since I moved away I like to support somewhere familiar

.

Its nice to treat yourself to something outside of supermarket supplies. They offer a subscription which you might appreciate.

heeeed · 1 Mar 2021 at 22:07

maj said:
Are you local or know someone that is? I called in at the weekend to buy some of their coffee for the first time. I've seen them about at local markets etc but never tried them before. After a rather helpful chat with the staff member I bought a bag of 'Jingling Geordie'. Used with my aeropress today and could certainly taste the difference to the supermarket stuff I have been drinking (Yes I know but it was mostly for ease and cost).

if you’re local then baristocracy and ouseburn coffee company are also worth checking out. I favour baristocracy of the 3 of them.

maj · 1 Mar 2021 at 22:44

Hedge said:
I used to live local but since I moved away I like to support somewhere familiar .

Its nice to treat yourself to something outside of supermarket supplies. They offer a subscription which you might appreciate.

Yeah seen their subscription service and looks ideal for if people are struggling to buy me something as a present. Especially if it means I stop getting bags of Costa/Starbucks!

heeeed said:
if you’re local then baristocracy and ouseburn coffee company are also worth checking out. I favour baristocracy of the 3 of them.

I'll give them a try too. Happy to help locally especially in these current times and didn't realise there was this much choice nearby. I used to use Pumphreys in the Grainger Market but my place of work have relocated so I've no need to visit city centre anymore.

jpaul · 2 Mar 2021 at 11:28

Scottland said:
I had one in my basket for a while, but I'm not sure I'll like the faff of single dosing compared to a push button

where Ray gone,he's the Niche man ?
but after earlier discussion I'd read a comparison of Niche with profitec t64, think the latter would get my money 0-60mph in 5.2 seconds from bellabarista : engineering & geekish timer .....
(if I didn't go 2nd hand)
https://old.reddit.com/r/espresso/comments/gf5xqt/profitec_pro_t64_or_niche_zero/

I've had my NZ for about a week now, and my father-in-law just received his T64 two days ago, so with having just tried the both of them back to back, here are my thoughts:

Grind quality
- I don't actually have a lot to say here. Both machines produce excellent espresso. The T64's burr-set is slightly bigger though, so technically it’s grind ought to be of higher quality.
- The T64 does seem to suffer from more clumping than the Niche, however. Not a big issue, but you might have to add a step in your process to deal with those clumps.
- The Niche does experience light popcorning, but it has been dramatically improved with the, now included, FCD (flow-control-disk).

Sound
- Without a doubt, the Niche is noticeably quieter than the Profitec. That being said, it is also noticeably slower. In my opinion, the noise level is more important since I'm rarely finished with cleaning and prepping my portafilter before the Niche is finished anyway, so I'd rather go with the more silent option.

Retention
- A category which the NZ clearly dominates. I have not yet felt the need to do a quick grind with the niche when changing the grind setting between different espresso beans, (unless I switch between something like espresso and v60 of course). However, with the T64 you are definitely able the taste it if you don't.

Universality
- The Niche is completely capable of grinding for espresso, drip or even french-press if you push it, but you might find yourself completing more than one rotations on the grind-dial, something which is easily lost track off.
- I have yet to attempt anything but espresso with the T64, but it is definitely not meant for switching between different brew types, (not enough markings on the dial to do so, and it would also take forever to switch between).
- That being said, just making minor adjustments for espresso is equally easy and precise on both.

Ease-of-use
- This is perhaps the biggest difference between the two. The T64 is without a doubt the more userfriendly choice. Especially if you live with other coffee-enjoyers who'd like a morning cappu without the hassle worrying about consistency. It allows you to precisely specify how much coffee grind you want in a single- and double shot, and other people can replicate whatever you have decided on with the press of either of the two buttons.
- The NZ is a whole other beast. The process of getting an espresso becomes quite a bit more complicated, but if you are anything like me, also a lot more fun
- Also, the Niche comes with a nice stainless steel dosing cup, but it is also almost impossible to does directly into the portafilter, (yet another extra step in the NZ process).

Cleaning
- Haven't tried to clean the T64 yet, but it really doesn't get easier than with the NZ.

Extra comments
- The Niche holds a maximum of 50g of coffee beans, so if you need any more, you will have to grind multiple times.
- The Profitec definitely fits the more industrial look of E61 machines, but I am personally quite charmed by the Niche's look.
- The Niche has a smaller footprint on your countertop if space is an issue.

Review: Profitec Pro T64 Coffee Grinder