the hopper is too pretty for home use tbh - if your a bit handy with a hacksaw you could easily cut it down at least 5-10cm i'd say...
Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread
- Thread starter Siliconslave
- Start date
the hopper is too pretty for home use tbh - if your a bit handy with a hacksaw you could easily cut it down at least 5-10cm i'd say...
Ok, point taken, I'll Re-read my posts from now on
even I have no idea what I was ok about...Regardless as you say you'll be hard pushed to find a better grinder for the price, infact there aren't many high end grinders that are smaller... Even the mazzer mini is about the same height iirc.
There is a nice cap to go over the top of the hopper which would easily hide your sloppy handy work
You can get good coffee cheaply for around £25.
Get a french press for like £10, get a blade grinderfor £15, and bingo !
Even with a blade grinder, with the right technique you can get good fresh coffee. It'll be better than your instant !
noooooo not a blade grinder... horrible things
but as Raymond says you don't really need to spend too much. A cheap stove top or french press can make great coffee (look back in the thread for tips on using them both)
Grinder wise i'd always push people to spend the extra and get a burr grinder, you can usually pickup a second hand dualit / starbucks one pretty cheaply on the bay
as bad as starbucks is their filter coffee is one of the more drinkable highstreet coffees - probably because they can't really screw it up & if you pay attention you can get them to brew it fresh
Having said that their espresso based coffees are horribly burned and over extracted - their baristers can't pull a shot for sit
Having said that their espresso based coffees are horribly burned and over extracted - their baristers can't pull a shot for sit
sorry - when i say "highstreet" coffee i really mean "big chain tat-house" coffee. I'm lactose intolerant so don't really care about milk frothing, but in terms of being able to pull shots pretty much every chain i've been to is shocking
Having said that there are some amazing coffee places on the high street, we've got a great place called Taylor Street Baristers in Richmond that's claimed a corner of "source" who do lovely espressos...
agreed - espresso grind (your using a similar amount of pressure after all) and a pretty strict following of the marking:scoops
I do 2:2.5ish and really put the pressure on it, gives a very decent approximation of espresso
I do tend to give it a very quick stir to get the coffee moving as well...
I do 2:2.5ish and really put the pressure on it, gives a very decent approximation of espresso
I do tend to give it a very quick stir to get the coffee moving as well...
For those who requested it, here's a little summary (with pictures because I'm bored) of my new stove-top espresso Mocka pot.
very nice
best tips i have for a moka pot / stove top are:- boil the water before you put it in the base otherwise the pot gets too hot
- fill upto (not over) the pressure valve but don't expect all the water to be used.
- Use a medium to coarse grind, finer than cafeteria but much coarser than espresso. Too coarse it will get bitter & over extracted coffee
- Level but don't compress the coffee
- as soon as you get gurgling take it off the heat and pour
I already do all those, but I'm slightly unsure on the grind.
Finer grinds are used for proper espresso machines, is this because the higher pressure can properly take advantage of the closer pressing?
yer, the espresso machine makes about 7 times the pressure of a moka pot so the coffee is made is about 30 seconds so its a case of pushing the water through a fine grind very quickly at high pressure, or a coarser grind slower.
If you have a finer grind in the moka pot it will take too much of the "flavor" out of the grounds and thus come out over extracted...
& Raymond - i'm sending you a mail...
interesting idea:
you can get moka pots most places actually even large jungle online shops... larger highstreet department stores will do them, as will whittards (but if you can find a local coffee place please support them over the 'tards) (should be able to get a 3 cup one for ~£18)
Moka pots make very short strong drinks - like espressos, but not the same, so a three cup one will be tiny!
Moka pots make very short strong drinks - like espressos, but not the same, so a three cup one will be tiny!
Sorry, don't mean to take over this thread but thought there's enough coffee geeks in here that no one would probably mind.
No problem with lovely lovely coffee pictures in the thread, now if you'd posted pics of your starbucks takeout...
looks a great setup there, its a little worrying the Rocky's stepping is so large, i would have thought it would have enough adjustment at that price!
Overall how much of a benefit are you seeing from the upgrade?
i never got mine to work actually - i just hit it once, tap it down then give it half of a second go.... might have to have a play with it.
seriously hankering after a mypressi Twist right now... problem is i'll need a grinder to go with it at work might have to keep an eye out for a second hand dualit i guess.
might have to keep an eye out for a second hand dualit i guess.
to be honest the Dualit is your best bet below about £100 at which point id go for the Iberital MC2
The other alternative is the Bodum Antigua, I bought one for my sister as a wedding gift and to be honest its no better than the Dualit, slightly better build but really no better as a grinder.
the bottomless PF will give you a good idea of how well your dosing and look pretty much not much else... (although mine lets me fit a mug directly under the PF for the best americanos)
Having said that it might well give you an idea of what's going wrong with your pulls... the gushing is most likely channelling through the puck due to too low tamping / too coarse grinding / clumping.
Try getting an idea of the tamp weight on some scales - you can even tamp the actual coffee on them if your keen aim for 30lb of pressure.
How much coffee are you putting into the PF? a good approximation is a flat level without any compression...
Might also be worth trying some other beans, some coffees just really don't work in espresso machines for some reason yet really shine in the aeropress...
Having said that it might well give you an idea of what's going wrong with your pulls... the gushing is most likely channelling through the puck due to too low tamping / too coarse grinding / clumping.
Try getting an idea of the tamp weight on some scales - you can even tamp the actual coffee on them if your keen
aim for 30lb of pressure.How much coffee are you putting into the PF? a good approximation is a flat level without any compression...
Might also be worth trying some other beans, some coffees just really don't work in espresso machines for some reason yet really shine in the aeropress...
so the main thing that makes a good coffee is the beans and grind - coffee is like any other food in that it goes stale after its roasted it takes a few (upto 3) to settle down to its optimum then it will start to slowly go off.
Once its ground the ageing process speeds up massively.
Ideally you want a good burr grinder (like the dualit or one of the hand grinders talked about in this thread) over any expensive coffee making equipment.
An aeropress does give good results, technically a bit better than a good stove top or cafetiere but if you already have one then don't feel you have to ditch it for the aeropress (unless you want a new toy)
Once its ground the ageing process speeds up massively.
Ideally you want a good burr grinder (like the dualit or one of the hand grinders talked about in this thread) over any expensive coffee making equipment.
An aeropress does give good results, technically a bit better than a good stove top or cafetiere but if you already have one then don't feel you have to ditch it for the aeropress (unless you want a new toy)
1) Which is best: Aeropress, Moka Pot, French Press? - Depends what you want to do:
Make one or two short coffee's (not really espresso) to then mix to an americano, lates, cappuccinos etc. an Aeropress offers a reasonable way of doing this, just needs a kettle to make the coffee.
A moca pot can do 2-20 short coffee's (again not really an espresso) in a similar way to a Aeropress but needs a stove & hot water to do so.
A frech press will only do long, americano style coffess so no good for Cappuccions for example - again only needs hot water
2) Regarding grinders - a cheap grinder won't do the level of grind you need for the aero press, a cafeteria and mocha won't be so sensitive to grinder as they need a coarser grind but you need one that uses burrs - not a bladed one.
3) Anything else I'd need to buy to go with the above - if you want a milk frother the bodum one it probably pretty good - my Dad swears by a cheap plastic thing he has that's basically the same design just a little smaller & open bottomed, it sits in a cup/jug and does the same thing.
Make one or two short coffee's (not really espresso) to then mix to an americano, lates, cappuccinos etc. an Aeropress offers a reasonable way of doing this, just needs a kettle to make the coffee.
A moca pot can do 2-20 short coffee's (again not really an espresso) in a similar way to a Aeropress but needs a stove & hot water to do so.
A frech press will only do long, americano style coffess so no good for Cappuccions for example - again only needs hot water
2) Regarding grinders - a cheap grinder won't do the level of grind you need for the aero press, a cafeteria and mocha won't be so sensitive to grinder as they need a coarser grind but you need one that uses burrs - not a bladed one.
3) Anything else I'd need to buy to go with the above - if you want a milk frother the bodum one it probably pretty good - my Dad swears by a cheap plastic thing he has that's basically the same design just a little smaller & open bottomed, it sits in a cup/jug and does the same thing.
The Chemex seems to get a lot of love from Hasbean Steve? £26 for the 3 cup and it couldn't really be easier to use. Chosen method for cup profiling at Hasbean judging by the videos.
Check out some of the brewing method videos on youtube
Pleased to say that I have made several fantastic Cappuccinos today with my Rocky and Silvia (using Skybury). Just waiting for the newly arrived Fany Bourbon to degas now
I do love the Skybury - seems to be pretty forgiving as well, possibly because its not a very bitter or dark roasted coffee generally. Glad your making progress
Will be interested to hear how you get along with the bourbon!The Chemex has interested me for a while, they just seem to be a little pricey for what they are, but i do like a drip brewed coffee once in a while
i'm afraid i don't know anything about the cuisinart or Delonghi KG49 - they are probably fine for both moka pots (stovetops) or french presses.
The aeropress seems to like a really fine grind - I've been getting good results with machine grind levels, somewhere between espresso machine and filter is recommended so I'd imagine the two grinders above would be acceptable, certainly better than pre-ground packets or couple of day - week old ground to order...
The aeropress seems to like a really fine grind - I've been getting good results with machine grind levels, somewhere between espresso machine and filter is recommended so I'd imagine the two grinders above would be acceptable, certainly better than pre-ground packets or couple of day - week old ground to order...
I really don't rate Whittaker for coffee - would rather buy pre-ground from Costa (heresy I know)
Have you tried only lightly tamping it? it might be saveable...
Which one did you buy? i've not had much experience with them outside the rubbish thing they have at work
Have you tried only lightly tamping it? it might be saveable...
Which one did you buy? i've not had much experience with them outside the rubbish thing they have at work