Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

Cadder said:
Check if you can adjust the temperature if needed in case it runs too hot or cold at stock.

Also, play about with how much water is pushed through the pod so you can optimise your shots.
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All this lingo I need to learn...optimise my shots?! :p :o

Ok cool. :)

@Siliconslave - I am in Tooting...maybe I am? Will try to google. Ok I am in a hard water area.
 
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SideWinder said:
optimise my shots
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Yeah I just said that as I'm no pro myself and elaborating on it would be me sticking my neck out too much :cry:

If you're seriously getting into coffee then try James Hoffman on YouTube. He and others like the OP of this thread can give some good tips on how much water you want per gram of coffee.
 
Cadder said:
Yeah I just said that as I'm no pro myself and elaborating on it would be me sticking my neck out too much :cry:

If you're seriously getting into coffee then try James Hoffman on YouTube. He and others like the OP of this thread can give some good tips on how much water you want per gram of coffee.
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You might have missed the bit where it's a Nespresso (capsule) machine :D
 
LuckyBenski said:
You might have missed the bit where it's a Nespresso (capsule) machine :D
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The Nespresso machines I have used can have their shot duration (amount of water) adjusted.
Weighing a pod and applying the coffee:water ratio should help somewhat in achieving a decent shot, should it not?
 
Cadder said:
The Nespresso machines I have used can have their shot duration (amount of water) adjusted.
Weighing a pod and applying the coffee:water ratio should help somewhat in achieving a decent shot, should it not?
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I see what you mean, yes definitely tweaking the volume of water will help get the best results! I probably wouldn't factor capsule weight into it too much :)
 
Cadder said:
The Nespresso machines I have used can have their shot duration (amount of water) adjusted.
Weighing a pod and applying the coffee:water ratio should help somewhat in achieving a decent shot, should it not?
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I believe the capsules are are generally designed for specific amounts of water, lungo, ristretto etc. From a quick scan of the product page your pretty much limited to that sort of selection. One thing i'd always do is add the water for longer coffees to the cup separately, the idea of pumping a more and an espressos worth of water through the capsule is not a good one!

Optimising the shot is about playing with the various options you have control over to get the most out of the coffee - with non-nespresso machines you have control over things like the amount and grind of coffee, the pressure of the pump, and the temperature and amount of water you pass though the coffee. By varying these things you can 'optimise' the shot to get different flavours and textures from the coffee.

Nespresso is designed to (for better or worse) do away with these variables and give consistency on a button press.

And just because i've not posted a James Hoffman video in a page or two, its a long one, but actually very entertaining :D
 
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Exactly. I think we're all saying the same thing in different ways.
Nespresso machines I have used can have the long and short buttons programmed to change how long a shot pours for.
You hit the nail on the head about not over extracting the pod in the same way we don't keep pushing water through a puck to fill the cup.
 
... 600ml/l'express steaming jug, which makes 250ml of hot chocolate easy, versus older 300ml jug , that produced a lot of overspray, tip will just meet jug base.

( rather than a velvetizer, I'd say get a similarly priced Dedica, say, and use it's steam power - much cheaper to buy cocoa too than Hotel chocolate ready mix )

52597562166_ff41a760ab_o_d.jpg
 
Finishing up a bag of this from Outpost, really good, amazing fruit flavours in milk drinks.

outpost.coffee

Peralta Estate, Anaerobic Natural, Nicaragua

Strawberries & Cream, Chocolate, Blood OrangeProcess: Anaerobic NaturalVarietals: CaturraProducer: Julia & Octavia PeraltaOrigin: San Fernando, NicaraguaElevation: 1560 masl
outpost.coffee outpost.coffee

It's *very* similar to the Panama La Huella from Dark Woods which was is very good too, but their pricing has become an absolute urine-take so I won't use them anymore. Over £70 for a kilo of beans? GTFO
 
Are there any takeaway cups that are actually nice to drink out of? I’ve got a few of the ecoffee ones but they seem to retain a fair bit of coffee oil and add a bit of a plasticy taste. I know it’ll never be as nice as a mug but there must be better options out there
 
Cadder said:
Certainly.

Do you have a coffee machine of any kind at the moment? What type of coffee do you prefer?
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Sweet. Thanks.

I've owned my DeLonghi Magnifica since 2011 and I've taken very good care of the machine. It's just starting to show it's age a bit and I think now's the time to research about finding a successor and put this one into retirement.

My go to is Black Americano. Probably drink 3-5 cups a day.

When it comes to the new machine I'm ideally looking for the following:

- Water tank must hold at least 1.8 or more liters.

- Must be able to use both coffee beans and ground coffee. (At the moment I'm using Lidl's ground house blend. I buy it because it's cheap and surprisingly good for what it is.)

- Quite operation is a must as I'm sure my neighbours are sick and tired of hearing the current machine wake up in the early hours of the morning. I feel it literally shakes the whole house as it goes through the cycles.

- I would prefer an automatic bean to cup machine instead of the barista style machine. I find the automatic machines are just less hassle to prep and easier to clean as I'm pounding coffee throughout the day. =)
 
@01001101 how do you make your americanos? Is it a setting on the machine or do you pour an espresso shot and top it up with hot water?

If you like black coffee and buy ground from the supermarket then you might find you can get away without a machine. Have you ever had a pour over coffee? I have a ceramic Hario V60 which I make our morning black coffees with. I have a Sage Barista Express that I use to grind the fresh (Rave) beans for this, but I have had success with bought-in ground coffee.

I only use the machine if we fancy an espresso in the morning instead of a long black drink, or if we fancy a coffee with milk (cortado/cappuccino/latte).

If black coffee is the only drink and noise is a concern, a V60 will be the best and cheapest answer. Filter papers are cheap too.
 
Cadder said:
@01001101 how do you make your americanos? Is it a setting on the machine or do you pour an espresso shot and top it up with hot water?

If you like black coffee and buy ground from the supermarket then you might find you can get away without a machine. Have you ever had a pour over coffee? I have a ceramic Hario V60 which I make our morning black coffees with. I have a Sage Barista Express that I use to grind the fresh (Rave) beans for this, but I have had success with bought-in ground coffee.

I only use the machine if we fancy an espresso in the morning instead of a long black drink, or if we fancy a coffee with milk (cortado/cappuccino/latte).

If black coffee is the only drink and noise is a concern, a V60 will be the best and cheapest answer. Filter papers are cheap too.
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The Magnifica doesn't have a default button for an Americano, or any other coffees to be honest. It's just grind amount then adjust how much water you want with the shot.

So at the moment it's a heap spoon of ground coffee in the ground hatch and enough water to fill a mug. I'm on Coffee number 4 already. :D

I had a look at the V60. To be honest, I just like the ease and convenience of pressing a button and having it made within the minute. As I drink it constantly I don't really want to spend time on rinsing and cleaning. I much prefer it when the machine requests it. Sounds lazy I guess, but it's just convince really.
 
01001101 said:
The Magnifica doesn't have a default button for an Americano, or any other coffees to be honest. It's just grind amount then adjust how much water you want with the shot.

So at the moment it's a heap spoon of ground coffee in the ground hatch and enough water to fill a mug. I'm on Coffee number 4 already. :D

I had a look at the V60. To be honest, I just like the ease and convenience of pressing a button and having it made within the minute. As I drink it constantly I don't really want to spend time on rinsing and cleaning. I much prefer it when the machine requests it. Sounds lazy I guess, but it's just convince really.
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It sounds to me as though the Magnifica pushes water through the "puck" until the cup is full. That won't taste as good as a real americano.

Maybe a drip machine would suit you better then?

Otherwise if the Magnifica has served you this well all this time maybe just get another? Or a Nespresso machine.
 
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