Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

Yeah, it was worth the upgrade but it's not a massive leap. It's a more substancial machine so it does things quicker and easier especially for milk frothing - it produces amazing micro foam, really notice the difference there. Also there's more crema so possibly provides better temp or flow, could just be these particular beans.

I prefer the Iberital grinder at the moment, I liked the fact it wasn't stepped and also that it had a timer so every time I got pretty much the same amount in the basket. The Rocky; you just hold the button down until you think you have enough plus it's stepped but from all the great reviews on the web I think it's more me than the grinder.

As for taste I'm not noticing much difference at the moment as I'm still trying to figure out the best grind/tamp and technique. My pallette isn't that sharp with coffee yet either, I'm still not confident in my ability to really know what a truly great or perfect shot is.

I'll come back and give my final impressions when I've got to grips with it properly and spent more time with it.
 
Holy moly, those rancilio machines are pricey, but worth the investment no doubt. I have a crappy delonghi machine at home and its pretty turd, and recently the steamer stopped working, keep meaning to take it apart to find out why, although it allways made little or no foam!
 
hey,

I love coffee and going to ask for some stuff for Christmas... but I want it to be sub £50?

Im not looking for nothing OTT, just something better than instant coffee which I have at the moment.

I understand (after reading some pages, not all) that its good to invest in a grinder? I've found one which says it grinds and doesn't cut... is that all I need to look for in a grinder?

Im debating whether to get just a grinder and one of those metal pot cofee makers (no idea what they're called, the ones that apparently use steam to 'push up' the coffee.)

Ive seen a Gaggia for about £100 - but I dont know whether its worth it.
 
what coffee are you after?
just regular filter coffee is a lot better then instant, or are you looking for an espresso?

if your after a latte/cappucino you will need a unit with a steam wand.
 
p4radox said:
Grinder: you want a burr grinder, not a blade grinder. Burrs give a much more consistent grind.

On a budget I'd recommend a Mocka pot (the one you mentioned) or an Aeropress.
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The one I've seen doesnt mention whether it cuts or grinds? I think I'll get a mocka pot and a milk frother for some Lattes :p

EDIT:
Mainly after Latte/Capucinno (sp?). I hear they are an espresso with the added milk?
 
i hope by 'milk frother' you dont mean one of them rotating whisks as that will not get you what most people here would class a decent latte

you can get stovetop milk steamers that would work like most coffee machines do.

personally i went out and spent over my budget on gaggia baby dose and a hand burr grinder costing ~£200 in total and in the year and half ive had it its been used atleast 4 times a week and gives great consistent results... i still need to get around to getting some hasbean beans though
 
hey guys

didnt want to make another thread so thought it would be best to post in here :)

Got santa to bring me a starter coffee machine and blender, did my first 3 cups very well early this morning - very impressed compared to instant coffee. lol.

I was having a problem mid-afternoon though.

I blended the beans to fine, placed it in the "cup" (no idea what its called) and squashed the fine coffee powder firmly so it was really compressed.

I then turned on the machine, and for about 5 seconds the coffee was coming out very strong as expected... however after that it was coming out like water? When I took the "cup" out, there was water ontop of the 'holder'.

Does anyone have any idea why this is happening, is it too finely grounded?

help appriciated peeps :)
 
Starting to get GAS again.. I've being eyeing up home roasters now! The thought of being able to buy 2Kg of green beans at £21 rather than repeat purchases of 250g for £5+P&P, so say £7 equates to quite a saving.
 
Gangster said:
hey guys

didnt want to make another thread so thought it would be best to post in here :)

Got santa to bring me a starter coffee machine and blender, did my first 3 cups very well early this morning - very impressed compared to instant coffee. lol.

I was having a problem mid-afternoon though.

I blended the beans to fine, placed it in the "cup" (no idea what its called) and squashed the fine coffee powder firmly so it was really compressed.

I then turned on the machine, and for about 5 seconds the coffee was coming out very strong as expected... however after that it was coming out like water? When I took the "cup" out, there was water ontop of the 'holder'.

Does anyone have any idea why this is happening, is it too finely grounded?

help appriciated peeps :)
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The basket is the thing that the coffee sits in. The basket then sits in the portafilter which is the large metal thing with the handle that you lock into the machine.

How freshly roasted are the beans?

A couple of causes for extraction like this:

If the water passes through the grinds too quickly it's called a gush. Basically it means the water has no resistance from the coffee that you compressed - the compressing of the coffee is called tamping (you use a tamper) and the compressed coffee is called a puck.
Extraction is the name of the process when the water extracts the coffee as it travels through the puck. Lastly a choke is when the water cannot pass through the puck at all.

Gushing or under-extraction is usually one of three things:
a) Stale beans. Supermarket beans have been sat around for months after roasting hence they're not fresh (contrary to what the supermarkets say). Another symptom of stale beans is that either you get a choke or gush without any middle ground, regardless of the grind/tamp pressure etc.

b) Grind size. If the grinder isn't 'dialled in' to the point where the grinds provide adequate restriction to the water flow then you'll need to change the grind setting. The best grinders create a uniform coffee grind that means the extraction occurs evenly and allows the water through at a rate that the water takes 25 seconds or so to pass through.

c) Tamp pressure. Again the amount of compression during tamping is also important as it (along with grind size/uniformity) creates the flow rate. Too much pressure and you'll choke, too little and you'll gush.
 
Thanks :)

Im not sure how fresh the beans are. I grind them when I want a coffee as I heard the beans lose flavour quickly if you dont use it.

I think what occured yesterday was the gush, as you say. Is it correct to really attempt to compress the coffee as much as possible?

Also I have another question, I'm trying to make Latte's but I can't froth the milk correctly. I can froth it a little bit (so its got a thick/hard texture) but its a small amount - I've got a Starbucks thermometer which has a yellow part on it, which I'm assuming is the optimal point for the milk - anyone have any ideas?

thanks
 
Got a surprise arriving for my new work colleagues, assuming the snow doesn't ****** up the delivery. The machine coffee is so bad that the marketing/product management group have their own club that buys Tesco preground in a french press so I thought I would see what they think to some south american :D
 
NickK said:
Got a surprise arriving for my new work colleagues, assuming the snow doesn't ****** up the delivery. The machine coffee is so bad that the marketing/product management group have their own club that buys Tesco preground in a french press so I thought I would see what they think to some south american :D
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You've bought them some Bolivian marching powder? ;)
 
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