Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

Decided to go for something different for my next batch of beans so just ordered the Cuba Serrano from Steve! A little expensive but never had a Cuban coffee before, plus the description made it sound right up my street - I'm a fan of dark, spicy coffees!
 
I've had a good coffee day today, received my HasBean Demitasse and Cappa cups, pulled some good shots on the andreja and found a Moka pot at Asda for £5 :D
 
Right, I've been without decent coffee since the ex moved out and took the gaggia with her and I think it's time to change that.

I don't have the cash for another Gaggia but I think I should do things properly and get the grinder first this time. I will be using a cafetiere to start with but might end up with an aeropress or even another espresso maker later on. I'm willing to sound just over £100 so the iberital is the obvious choice but I'm worried about it being tricky to adjust should I get an espresso maker later on. Should I be or is the iberital still the logical choice?
 
Youstolemyname said:
iberital mc2 auto and some beans from steve on the way to go through my aeropress...

Any tips for grind settings?
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It really is a case of suck it and see. My experience also is that the setting will need adjusting as you change to a different type of bean and even between two packets of the same beans.

Initially adjust down slowly from a course setting, getting gradually finer until you reach the desired grind. Do this with some cheap beans to get in the ball park.

After that it is just a case of minor adjustments up or down dependant on the bean.
 
OK just tried my first 'home ground' cup in the Aeropress. Tastes much much better.

However, am not sure if the grind is right? The Iberital wont seem to ever fully lock when I turn it on the fine adjustment. It keeps turning and turning forever and I can see the burrs moving! I turned it to fine (anticlockwise) until I got bored then turned it back a few rotations. The grounds that came out were pretty fine but quite 'clumpy' and when plunging in the aeropress didn't offer lots of resistance...Any tips/Suggestions greatly appreciated.
 
Depends on your beans and what you're trying to achieve with the Aeropress. I've seen people who just do a fine grind and squeeze out almost espresso-strength coffee, I know others who like a coarser grind and pull a longer, filter-like coffee (though bear in mind you have to let the grounds sit and soak in the Aeropress for a minute or so to brew before pushing down the plunger if you're using a coarse grind, otherwise the water will just get squeezed through too easily and not extract properly).

Personally I use filter grind (halfway between espresso and French press on my grinder), and I get a fairly strong coffee, slightly weaker than what my stove top makes. I have to adjust it by up to 2 notches up or down depending on the beans I'm using (though the bag usually runs out by the time I've gotten it right:p)

Speaking of which, my Cuba Serrano is here and it's not as good as I'd hoped. Not a truly dark coffee, it's tastes a bit like an espresso from Cafe Nero, but slightly flatter. It's subtly fruity but lacks both acidity and rich aroma. I'm gonna order a bag of something else and use this for Turkish I reckon, it should be pretty good for that.
 
Youstolemyname said:
However, am not sure if the grind is right? The Iberital wont seem to ever fully lock when I turn it on the fine adjustment. It keeps turning and turning forever and I can see the burrs moving! I turned it to fine (anticlockwise) until I got bored then turned it back a few rotations. The grounds that came out were pretty fine but quite 'clumpy' and when plunging in the aeropress didn't offer lots of resistance...Any tips/Suggestions greatly appreciated.
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Clumpy is normal sadly, it's the static. Grind into a glass and stir with a large needle or something like that to break them up.

To make it easier to adjust, buy a cheap black/orange plastic clamp and attach that to the adjustment knob. Makes it so much easier to twiddle.

As for Aeropress methodology - a good start is watching these:

James Hoffman - 2007 World Barista Champion (video from his now gone shop - Penny University. I miss that place, was awesome)

Gwilym Davies - 2009 World Barista Champion

Hasbean Aeropress Brewing Guide
 
hmmm, interesting. I may now have to look in Aeropress.

On a different coffee note, can anyone recommend an espresso machine for a maximum budget of £500? Thinking of moving on from my Gaggia Baby onto something better, and with a decent steam wand!!
 
Flibster said:
Clumpy is normal sadly, it's the static. Grind into a glass and stir with a large needle or something like that to break them up.

To make it easier to adjust, buy a cheap black/orange plastic clamp and attach that to the adjustment knob. Makes it so much easier to twiddle.
Click to expand...

Clamp? Not sure what you mean mate...

So for the grind, how fine should it be for Aeropress? How do I tell if it is too fine/coarse?
 
Youstolemyname said:
Clamp? Not sure what you mean mate...

So for the grind, how fine should it be for Aeropress? How do I tell if it is too fine/coarse?
Click to expand...

The clamp I used - Link to image

One of them on the knob makes it so much easier to adjust.

I use a grind between filter and espresso, looks like fine sand. If it's too fine the water will pass through very slowly. Originally it was recommended to use espresso grind and it was almost marketed as an espresso maker - it's not. It can be used with any grind of coffee though. If it's a larger grind, allow it to brew for longer, smaller grind, brew shorter.

The best thing about the aeropress is that it's so easy to experiment with. :D
 
Flibster said:
The clamp I used - Link to image

One of them on the knob makes it so much easier to adjust.

I use a grind between filter and espresso, looks like fine sand. If it's too fine the water will pass through very slowly. Originally it was recommended to use espresso grind and it was almost marketed as an espresso maker - it's not. It can be used with any grind of coffee though. If it's a larger grind, allow it to brew for longer, smaller grind, brew shorter.

The best thing about the aeropress is that it's so easy to experiment with. :D
Click to expand...

Cheers for that. The grind adjuster seems to take an age to go from coarse to fine. Is that normal on these things?
 
I'm changing my mind on the Cuba Serrano... Switched to a finer grind and it's really bringing out the chocolatey overtones in it! :) If anyone tries it, just remember it's really at its best using very slow extraction!
 
Got a mystery coffee here at the moment. It's from a friend and he won't tell me what it is. Exceptionally sweet and chocolaty though. Amazing in the Chemex.

Goes really well with a coffee krispy kreme doughnut too.
 
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