Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

[Raymond Lin]

I roasted some Muscat today, did 250g, figure I will end up with like a normal bag of coffee size batch after. Finished on 216.7g which is a 13.4% dehydration.

But the size of the bean seems to be bigger than the last type of beans (just look at that volume increase in the same bowl) and also, smells more chocolatety, the last one smelled more floral. Will wait to see how it taste next week. One good thing from a work flow perspective, the chaffs in these comes off so much easier, basically clean. So I got my answer about the caffs, it's not the machine but the beans. The final look of it is more more like a commercial bag than the previous beans.

These are like £15 for 500g, the last one was £9 for 500g....I imagine this 216g bag will set me back like £20 in the shop!

 

[mid_gen]

I'd relegated my old Mignon to office duties after getting a new one for home but it's slowly been getting worse at grinding. I've been struggling to get it fine enough without the burrs touching and then last week it jammed, so I took it apart, cleaned it and it became even worse. I didn't think the burrs would need replacing as it's only about 9 years old and has probably had 150kg put through it so figured it was an alignment issue. After spending many hours faffing about with it and feeling like I was bashing my head against the wall, I bought new burrs.

New burrs arrived, fitted them and all my issues were solved instantly. The first shot was so fine it nearly choked the machine. After dialling it in, the coffee actually tastes good again. That was £30 well spent! Comparing the two sets, the old ones feel almost flat in comparison.

Hmm, after just replacing all the valves and cams and Y joints in my Mara, now you got me thinking my two Mignon's might need some maintenance


I have just got a very light roast and I've been struggling to get it fine enough for a long pull (~40secs).

 

[manic111]

Hey folks - I have a coffee conundrum.

I love coffee (usually black americano or espresso), but have never had a particularly good machine. I used Aeropress for a long time until I got fed up with the mess / occasional explosions, and was then gifted a Beko bean to cup machine, which did a job but is not great. It's now on its last legs after about 4 years, I think largely due to my living in a really hard water area.

I'd like an upgrade on the Beko, but am loathe to spend the money a Sage Barista Express would cost new. I'm not fussed about bean to cup (actually, I'd rather not have it - cleaning out the waste grinds was a pain and I'd rather just bash out a portafilter). My options, as far as I can see, are:

- Go back to the Aeropress and/or buy a stovetop
- Pick up a lower end espresso machine, possibly the Gaggia Espresso, Delonghi Dedica, or at the top end the Sage Bambino
- Buy a nicer machine that I can really learn with (eg the Bambino Plus or Duo Temp - the latter is quite tempting)
- Pick up Breville's "knock off" of the Barista Express
- Grab one of the refurbed Barista Express machines from eBay

My temptation is to get the Duo Temp, which sounds like a really nice machine, and then to buy a decent grinder a few months down the line. This will come to roughly the same cost and spec as the Barista Express, but allow me to split the cost over a period of time, and to upgrade / change out the grinder as I see fit in future.

I'd be really interested in knowing, though, whether anyone has experience of the refurbished units being offered on eBay (particularly by IDooDirect)? I can nab a "very good" condition Barista Express for about £320, or a Duo Temp for about £220, at the moment.

I have a couple of bags of whole beans to use which is my main reason for wanting to go for a machine with a grinder. Equally, I could give them away (or see if I can find someone friendly to grind them for me) and buy ground beans until I get hold of a grinder. I really like coffee, but I'm never going to be someone sufficiently refined to care about the difference between decent ground and decent whole bean bags.

What would you guys do?

 

[Alex_L]

Hey folks - I have a coffee conundrum.

I love coffee (usually black americano or espresso), but have never had a particularly good machine. I used Aeropress for a long time until I got fed up with the mess / occasional explosions, and was then gifted a Beko bean to cup machine, which did a job but is not great. It's now on its last legs after about 4 years, I think largely due to my living in a really hard water area.

I'd like an upgrade on the Beko, but am loathe to spend the money a Sage Barista Express would cost new. I'm not fussed about bean to cup (actually, I'd rather not have it - cleaning out the waste grinds was a pain and I'd rather just bash out a portafilter). My options, as far as I can see, are:

- Go back to the Aeropress and/or buy a stovetop
- Pick up a lower end espresso machine, possibly the Gaggia Espresso, Delonghi Dedica, or at the top end the Sage Bambino
- Buy a nicer machine that I can really learn with (eg the Bambino Plus or Duo Temp - the latter is quite tempting)
- Pick up Breville's "knock off" of the Barista Express
- Grab one of the refurbed Barista Express machines from eBay

My temptation is to get the Duo Temp, which sounds like a really nice machine, and then to buy a decent grinder a few months down the line. This will come to roughly the same cost and spec as the Barista Express, but allow me to split the cost over a period of time, and to upgrade / change out the grinder as I see fit in future.

I'd be really interested in knowing, though, whether anyone has experience of the refurbished units being offered on eBay (particularly by IDooDirect)? I can nab a "very good" condition Barista Express for about £320, or a Duo Temp for about £220, at the moment.

I have a couple of bags of whole beans to use which is my main reason for wanting to go for a machine with a grinder. Equally, I could give them away (or see if I can find someone friendly to grind them for me) and buy ground beans until I get hold of a grinder. I really like coffee, but I'm never going to be someone sufficiently refined to care about the difference between decent ground and decent whole bean bags.

What would you guys do?

TBH - I’d go grinder upgrade first. You’ll taste the difference first hand with the aeropress
you’ve already got. You can then add an espresso machine down the line.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I agree, Get a DF54 and that would be good for a LONG time.

 

[Street]

Hmm, after just replacing all the valves and cams and Y joints in my Mara, now you got me thinking my two Mignon's might need some maintenance


I have just got a very light roast and I've been struggling to get it fine enough for a long pull (~40secs).

It gradually crept up on me that the burrs were dull! The coffee didn't taste as good, but because it was gradual, I got used to it and assumed it was because it just wasn't as good a grinder as my home one. With the new burrs, it's a noticeable difference and actually tastes good again.

 

[manic111]

TBH - I’d go grinder upgrade first. You’ll taste the difference first hand with the aeropress
you’ve already got. You can then add an espresso machine down the line.

Definitely an option I'm happy to consider!

Let's imagine that I'd like another espresso machine though. What would you do then?

Bear in mind that I'm never likely to be a full blown coffee afficionado. I like the stuff, but I don't need the extra 15% something really high end will give you.

 

[Alex_L]

Definitely an option I'm happy to consider!

Let's imagine that I'd like another espresso machine though. What would you do then?

Bear in mind that I'm never likely to be a full blown coffee afficionado. I like the stuff, but I don't need the extra 15% something really high end will give you.

I think you’ve two choices if you go machine first:

1) go with bean to cup like sage barista express and enjoy.

2) Go with a more traditional single boiler espresso machine like the duo temp pro (or similar in price bracket) and then add the grinder later. It means buying pre-ground espresso beans for a while.

1) gives you best bang for £ now. 2) will be compromised with using pre-ground coffee but longer term gives you more headroom.

In terms of actual machines I don’t have enough experience of what’s good in that price range but lance’s video above is worth a look.

 

[jpaul]

Yes I couldn't live without espresso - a dedica from Amazon for ~£150 (maybe even find a warehouse one) and a £150 sage grinder(or potentially ebay/other £80)
df54 looks too compromised for me I need a hopper (maybe that compromise is justified if it is genuinely next level) I'd get a eureka manuale.

Can the beko (big beast) genuinely not be descaled and repaired though.

 

[LuckyBenski]

IMO fresh ground beans makes the biggest difference to coffee enjoyment. Choice of brewing style/machine is definitely not as important, and choice of beans isn't a deal breaker. Ideally buy something with a roast date (and get it within a month or two if you're not going through enough coffee).

I'd say grinding before brewing is the 85%, and fancy machine/high end beans is the 15%.

That said, I think @Alex_L comments are good that if you don't mind slumming it on preground for a few months, you get to be more flexible.

 

[manic111]

Cheers everyone! I found a refurbished - excellent Duo Temp Pro on eBay for £225, so have grabbed that. Meant to be arriving Monday so I'll give it a go with pre ground beans for a while, and if / when I feel like I need the upgrade the cost of a grinder won't be too galling

 

[mid_gen]

I’ve been quite surprised at the difference an IMS shower screen has made, definitely best value upgrade I’ve bought. Definitely less channelling and the top of the puck is visibly smoother and more uniform, distribution of water when just pulling water through is better.

 

[JonRGV250]

IMO fresh ground beans makes the biggest difference to coffee enjoyment. Choice of brewing style/machine is definitely not as important, and choice of beans isn't a deal breaker.

Not disagreeing, but I have a Delonghi cappuccino bean to cup machine at work and a barista express at home, and using the same beans there’s a remarkable difference.
So much so, that I keep the good beans for home use and use cheapy Amazon Intenso beans at work.

 

[LuckyBenski]

Not disagreeing, but I have a Delonghi cappuccino bean to cup machine at work and a barista express at home, and using the same beans there’s a remarkable difference.
So much so, that I keep the good beans for home use and use cheapy Amazon Intenso beans at work.

Absolutely. I've never managed to get a bean to cup to make anything better than an average cup of coffee, even with fresh fancy beans. I guess there is a guaranteed and consistent level of quality (right above "acceptable"), which can be had conveniently.

I hardly use the bean to cup at work despite being the person who ordered it and set it up

 

[Raymond Lin]

I am tempted to buy the Fellow Ode Gen 2 grinder to keep at my desk at work so I can make some fresh french press with it lol

 

[Street]

I've been eyeing up one of those for a while as it would be nice to have a grinder I can leave set for coarser grinds. Maybe once the kitchen extension is sorted and I have more space..

 

[Raymond Lin]

I've been eyeing up one of those for a while as it would be nice to have a grinder I can leave set for coarser grinds. Maybe once the kitchen extension is sorted and I have more space..

I seriously thought about that but it seems overly excessive when I have a Niche, it's main selling point is ease of changing settings lol. So I settled on a 1zpresso hand grinder last week if I go back to doing different kind of drinks frequently. .

 

[Street]

When I just had my Mignon, it made more sense to have two, but the Philos is pretty easy to change between grinds. I keep adding one to my basket and then chickening out of buying at the last minute because of that.

 

[Raymond Lin]

When I just had my Mignon, it made more sense to have two, but the Philos is pretty easy to change between grinds. I keep adding one to my basket and then chickening out of buying at the last minute because of that.

The Ode gen 2 has been in my basket for over a year...I notice it goes on sale every Prime Day and every black friday but not other times.

I am looking at that one because it would be a grinder specifically for pour over or immersion brew, I want to try flat burr and that is a single dose with a good anti static feature. It's also isn't that expensive.

 

[Street]

That's handy to know. I might treat myself on black Friday. I'm not desperate for one, it's a want, not a need, and I mainly drink espresso based drinks so it's not vital. I might hold off and see if I can get one cheaper then.