Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

DoubleCheese said:
Great little coffeeshop that. Stopped in there earlier this week and had one of the best Flat White's I've ever tasted. I bought some Bolivian beans which she ground for me but in my french press they don't taste half as good as I suspect they can taste.
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Good good. Hayley is wonderful and the more pimping of her I do the better.... that sounds wrong... :D

Was it the Bolivia Machacamarca? I absolutely adore that coffee and always have it as a filter or aeropress when I visit.

There is a technique that you can try with the french press - it's a touch messier though. ;) Heat it up as normal, add the filter and push it almost all the way down to the bottom but with enough space to get the coffee in. Add the coffee on top of the filter then add the water. leave for ~3.5-4 minutes then pull the filter out slowly.

You will make a bit of a mess with this method though.

DoubleCheese said:
Seriously considering a Gaggia Classic.....anything else I should consider that comes close in terms of quality?
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Can't think of anything else around that price level. Will have a bit of a think later on.
 
Right, sorted the coffee machine today with this. Bought it from House of Fraser this afternoon and it is very good.

I couldn't stomach the price tag of the Gaggia's and the Dualit and Delonghi machines I'd gone to see where positively plastic and quite disappointing. The salesman pointed me to the Cuisinart and that was it.

It's solid, all metal front, drip tray top cup heater and sides. It comes with a metal frothing mug/jug, coffee spoon and tamper and 3 year warranty as standard. Hard to beat for £180, or less online.

Flibster, I can't remember exactly which Bolivian bean it was and to be honest, I think my french press coffee days are numbered now :)
 
The Gaggia is expensive because of the parts it has, externally and internally. One key feature a lot of other cheaper models or indeed some models around the Gaggia's price is the Solenoid valve. It is basically a back door escape for the water. For example, if you put too much grind into the basket and it chokes. And you turn it off and then take off the basket, without the valve you are in danger of getting a face full of hot water/coffee in your face if you are not careful from the pressure built up. The valve allows the excess water from the pressure when it chokes to be released down another channel. It is also very handy when using the blind basket to clean too.
 
DoubleCheese said:
Right, sorted the coffee machine today with this. Bought it from House of Fraser this afternoon and it is very good.
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Doesn't look too bad - I prefer switches and knobs to push buttons though. Too much to go wrong. ;) Just get into the habit of cleaning the machine regularly. The better it's cleaned and maintained then the better it will perform.

DoubleCheese said:
Flibster, I can't remember exactly which Bolivian bean it was and to be honest, I think my french press coffee days are numbered now :)
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Keep the french press - work with it. It's a challenging method to make coffee properly in and can produce some stunning results. I don't use mine as often as I should - I go mainly with espresso and the various filter methods now.

Raymond Lin said:
It is also very handy when using the blind basket to clean too.
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It certainly surprising how much crap you can get out of the machine when backflushing it. Mine gets backflushed after I've finished using it each day and also properly cleaned every week. Since moving to bottled water instead of filtered water I've had almost no need to descale it which is great - thats the one part of the cleaning routine I hate. :D
 
Anyone have experience with Gaggia Baby Class machines?

Bought one brand new, tried to prime it and get nothing.
It leaks all over the counter instead through the bottom of the unit. :-/
 
Reppyboyo said:
Bit of a silly question isnt it.

Just followed the instructions.
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It's not a silly question at all.

1 - leak from where?
2 - technically the bottom of the unit is where it collects waste liquid (yes, this is a silly assumption, but it is also as silly as the description "bottom of the unit"

You also not said how much coffee you put in, if you had accidentally had it on steam, or waited til its warmed up etc etc.

It is a perfectly legitamate question I think.
 
Just followed the instructions.
Fill tank with water, ensure filter holder is removed, put a cup under it and turn the unit on to prime the system and it should also be filling the cup.
Not got more than a dribble.

Otherwise, it just comes out from the bottom of the unit, towards the rear not the drip tray.
 
lets get a few technicality clear

when you say cup, do you mean coffee cup?
filter holder, i think i know what you mean, i call it the basket.

Now, i do this

Turn it on, warm it up, wait 15 mins
put grind into basket, double shot one.
press it down with the tamper
lock it in place
then start the machine
you should then fill a espresso cup in less than 30 seconds.
 
Right, it all coming out of the back for sure.

On the drip tray there is a part that goes into the machine itself, presumably to catch the water and get it into the drip try.
It doesn't do this and just dumps it underneath.
 
ok, it sounds like there is something not connected right from the innard pipe from the water tank to the boiler. Is the water coming out hot or cold?
 
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