Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

I just made a cup of tea using my coffee machine. Just shoved two teabags (Tesco finest Earl Grey) into the basket thing and turned it on.
A bloody fantastic cup! Much better than just using the kettle. Not sure why though...
 
Mint_Sauce said:
Sorry, don't mean to take over this thread but thought there's enough coffee geeks in here that no one would probably mind. :D

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Getting better shots now, not perfect and still haven't got the knack. Probably going to take me a few more bags before I start nailing it and every time.
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Ohhh...what kind of attatchment is that? My housemate just got the same machine you have for xmas, but 'handle' with the 'scoop' you put the coffee in has two spouts coming out instead of being flat like that. Sorry, not down with the lingo yet.
 
I treated myself last week and got myself an Auber PID for Miss Silvia. Its sooo good not having to temp surf anymore, flavour in the cup is more balanced too :D Steaming is now a doddle, the PID brings the boiler upto 140c and switches off but as soon as the temp drops to 139c the boiler comes back on to give as much pressure as it possible can, my milk is coming out so much creamier and sweeter, but my latte art still sucks!
 
Raymond Lin said:
Right, just back flushed it with some putty caff and first shot came out amazing, soooo much purer crema, I even used some Gaggia descale cleaner stuff that goes into that tank. Though one thing I can't clean and get rid is the hint of green moss looking thing in the plastic tubing that goes into the water tank.....I know bleech will kill it, but is it safe to put bleech in a coffee machine lol
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Not really - best off just giving it a damn good scrub with a microfibre cloth or something like that.
 
Andrex said:
It is known as a bottomless or naked Portafilter :)
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Nice one, thanks. When I searched for one online a minute ago I stumbled across this youtube vid, at 1.15 they have this random massive bubble come down from it!

Anyone tried Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee? A friend told me about it and said it's the mutts nutts, but it's like £50 for half a kilo. I found a seller on the famous auction site doing freshly ground Jamaica Blue at £13.70 shipped for 125g and was wondering if it'd be worth a try on the new machine?
 
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UberTiger said:
Anyone tried Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee? A friend told me about it and said it's the mutts nutts, but it's like £50 for half a kilo. I found a seller on the famous auction site doing freshly ground Jamaica Blue at £13.70 shipped for 125g and was wondering if it'd be worth a try on the new machine?
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Not for espresso. Best off as a filter or french press.
 
A lot of "blue mountain" isn't blue mountain because of it's popularity. Best get it from a reputable source.
 
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Your Order Contains the Following Items:

* 1 x Bolivia Machacamarca BV Maria and Mario Andrade 2009
(Grind or Green: Roasted Whole Beans)
* 1 x Brazil Fazenda Cachoeira da Grama Bourbon Pulped Natural 2009-2010 Crop
(Grind or Green: Roasted Whole Beans)
* 1 x Brazil Fazenda Sao Judas Tadeu Pulped Natural 2010
(Grind or Green: Roasted Whole Beans)

And the Silvia and Rocky should arrive Thursday :D
 
Any idea from the people who have done the wand mod on the Gaggia Classic if water should be coming out of the end when not using the steaming function? I have drips when it's warming up, and when pushing water through the grinds I can turn the steam knob and the water gets re-directed out of the wand instead ??
 
Randell Floyd said:
Any idea from the people who have done the wand mod on the Gaggia Classic if water should be coming out of the end when not using the steaming function? I have drips when it's warming up, and when pushing water through the grinds I can turn the steam knob and the water gets re-directed out of the wand instead ??
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Normal. Happens with the standard steam wand as well. I had an espresso cup stuck underneath it to catch the drips.

You can turn the pump on and then open the knob so you can get hot water out of the steam wand for americanos and tea. Don't do it when you're trying to make a coffee though as it'll drop the pressure.
 
I'm having a terrible time with the Silvia and Rocky :(

I can't get shots anything like Mint Sauce above. 25/30 seconds produces a shot with a little crema on top. The crema dissipates shortly afterwards. The coffee tastes terrible.

I am using fresh, quality beans from Hasbean. I have watched loads of videos on youtube but I cant get anything like decent results :(

Any reccomendations for a decent guide guys?
 
Just a few questions that you might consider off the top of my head:

What grind setting are you using on the rocky?

How much coffee are you using for each pull?

Have you experimented with different levels of tamp on the grinds?

How long does the shot take to pull?

What temp is the water that is coming out?
 
As Jolteh has quizzed.. probably worth getting a tin of Lazza from the supermarket to waste dailling before you move onto the hasbean beans.

It took me two bags of supermarket beans to get close before moving onto the hasbean beans to find dial the grinder.
 
Thanks for the replies.

I have been using settings between 10 and 0- lower ones choke the machine as expected and higher ones result in sub 10 second gushers. I have used five for the 'best' results so far.

I am grinding into the portafilter, or a seperate container (due to the coffee coming out of the grinder in clumps) and then getting rid of the clumps before adding to the basket. Im fairly sure the dosing is ok. I make sure that its even and flatten with the flat side of the measuring spoon.

I tamp the coffee so that its pressed to just below the rim line in the Silvia's double basket as advised (I have not used the single basket at all due to its repuation for being worse than useless).

Lighter tamping results in gushing shots and harder tamping has choked the machine in the lower range of grind levels.

By grinding on 5 I can fill two shot glasses (single measure in each) in 25-30 seconds. Tamping is fairly mostly resulting in very similar amounts in each glass. I just get shots that look very dark as if they are over extracted and with only a little crema, which dissapears before long. The shots usually taste bitter.

I am not sure on the temperature of the shot that comes out but I have tried with and without temperature surfing and the coffee is still bad.

I had some Ikea rubbish for testing but mistakenly assumed the bad taste was purely down to the beans.

So frustrating :(
 
I'm currently using (from Hasbean) the unfortunately named: El Salvador Finca La Fany. It's probably my favourite bean from the store, and I'm now on my thrid bag. Makes a cracking espresso with a really smooth taste.
 
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