Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

Right, how do you all do it? :) Make a coffee I mean.
I think my portafilter is too hot (I leave it in the machine until it's fully heated, ie: roasting)
I think it may be "burning" my coffee if thats possible? The reason I ask is that I have noticed a bit of a burnt taste to some of my shots.
I grind my coffee, place in portafilter, tamp then pull my shot. I then steam the milk for a coffee.
Any advice?
Should I be steaming the milk before pulling the shot?
 
Bleek said:
The what and the who and the how?

*scratches head*
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Basically, the bit where the water squirts out from, it needs a good clean! :)

I've been going through some Brazil Fazenda Sol Nascente Pulped Natural from HasBean recently. I think it's the best coffee I've had for a while!
 
RobotXander said:
Right, how do you all do it? :) Make a coffee I mean.
I think my portafilter is too hot (I leave it in the machine until it's fully heated, ie: roasting)
I think it may be "burning" my coffee if thats possible? The reason I ask is that I have noticed a bit of a burnt taste to some of my shots.
I grind my coffee, place in portafilter, tamp then pull my shot. I then steam the milk for a coffee.
Any advice?
Should I be steaming the milk before pulling the shot?
Click to expand...
Leaving the portafilter attached shouldn't be a problem, that's from what I've been taught and seeing the good cofffee shops do the same. Your steps to pull the shot are good, but how does the extraction take? Steaming the milk last isn't necessarily a problem but what machine do you have and how long does it take to steam the milk? Do you use a thermometer to get the milk to the right temperature? Importantly, what coffee and grinder are you using?
 
Sorry mate, missed out all the essential info.....posted it before so assume folk know :p

Machine: Gaggia Baby Dose
Grinder: Ascaso I-Mini
Typically steam the milk in around a min or so to between 50 - 60 degrees C using a thermometer
Shots pull between 20 - 30 seconds
Coffee if the Hasbean Blake

EDIT: corrected coffee type, it's Blake, not Jailbreak
 
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RobotXander said:
Machine: Gaggia Baby Dose
Grinder: Ascaso I-Mini
Typically steam the milk in around a min or so to between 50 - 60 degrees C using a thermometer
Shots pull between 20 - 30 seconds
Coffee if the Hasbean Blake
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If the shots are under 30 seconds and assuming the Gaggia is working fine (it isn't overheating the water), I don't think you're burning the coffee. Blake is labelled as a bold earthy blend and several of the reviews have mentioned it having a dark and slightly burnt cocoa hint to it. Have you tried another bean? (saw you mention Jailbreak previously, is that correct or was it Blake you re-ordered?).
 
molinari said:
Basically, the bit where the water squirts out from, it needs a good clean! :)

I've been going through some Brazil Fazenda Sol Nascente Pulped Natural from HasBean recently. I think it's the best coffee I've had for a while!
Click to expand...

I was going to try their Jailbreak nextweek, seems to be a good start?
 
molinari said:
Leaving the portafilter attached shouldn't be a problem, that's from what I've been taught and seeing the good cofffee shops do the same. Your steps to pull the shot are good, but how does the extraction take? Steaming the milk last isn't necessarily a problem but what machine do you have and how long does it take to steam the milk? Do you use a thermometer to get the milk to the right temperature? Importantly, what coffee and grinder are you using?
Click to expand...

I've owned four 'espresso' machines over the years an the single boiler units generally prefer to steam after the espresso is drawn because of the heat difference i.e. ~90 instead of 120-130'c for the steam.
 
I have a built-in system that cost a fortune, bean-to-cup, but to be honest I think it doesn't taste right. It's either a bit cold or too bitter, never as good as the little espresso machine!

Still, it looks good... :-/
 
Thanks for the replies :)
I'm about to make my morning cup. Blake does seem to be quite "earthy" to be honest. It's one that goes well with milk so going to make a latte just now.
Jailbreak is well worth a look, excellent espresso!
 
Does anyone know what size tamper the Gaggia Cubika Plus basket takes?

I measure the internal diameter with a tape measure and to my eye it looks like 55mm but many google searches suggest Gaggia is 58mm... are they referring to the external basket diameter i.e. the lip edge to edge?
 
Flibster, I've now made around 100 cups with the Skerton/Aeropress combination and I've come to realise that making a good coffee at home isn't a fad. What would you recommend as the next step on the ladder to a better drink? Would it be something like a Gaggia classic, decent tamper and better grinder? (I do want to go electric with the next grinder as 'the shine' as you put it earlier has now worn off!!) Is this sort of set up going to drastically improve the taste?

I'm still going to use my current setup for a while but I'd like to know what to keep my eye on in case there's a bargain to be had.
 
Flibster said:
Gaggia - 58mm
Unfortunately, many of the advertised 58mm tampers are in fact 57mm...

I'd recommend a Reg Barber tamper, but they aren't cheap.
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They are not, mine set me back £40!

Also, my machine "leaks" when pulling a shot, its like the seal in the portafilter isn't sealed anymore, i get drips of water down the the middle between where the to sprout. I only cleaned it not long ago.
 
Hamster said:
Flibster, I've now made around 100 cups with the Skerton/Aeropress combination and I've come to realise that making a good coffee at home isn't a fad. What would you recommend as the next step on the ladder to a better drink? Would it be something like a Gaggia classic, decent tamper and better grinder? (I do want to go electric with the next grinder as 'the shine' as you put it earlier has now worn off!!) Is this sort of set up going to drastically improve the taste?

I'm still going to use my current setup for a while but I'd like to know what to keep my eye on in case there's a bargain to be had.
Click to expand...

My espresso machine isn't used as often as I'd like sadly. I spend so much more time drinking various filter coffees. I'd probably go for an exectric grinder and a couple of different filter coffee methods rather than straight to the espresso machine if I was doing it all over again.

V60, Chemex, Vacpot/Siphon, Clever Coffee dripper *my current favourite toy*, Woodneck, stove top, french press.

But, if you want to go into espresso, the routes that seem to be chosen to start with are the Gaggia Classic or a second hand Rancilio Silvia.

Grinder wise, the MC2 is always a good bet for a starter machine, but the machine that seems to be getting loads of good reviews at the moment is the Mahlkoenig Vario, but thats about 3 times the price.

Raymond Lin said:
They are not, mine set me back £40!

Also, my machine "leaks" when pulling a shot, its like the seal in the portafilter isn't sealed anymore, i get drips of water down the the middle between where the to sprout. I only cleaned it not long ago.
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£40 is still pretty good for a Reg Barber.

leaking from around the top of the portafilter or the bottom where the spouts are?

The portafilter seal is a very easy thing to do. There is a good guide here. The seal is only a few pence from coffeehit. It's a good thing to do anyway. The spouts may just need a bit of PTFE tape to seal them.
 
Flibster said:
My espresso machine isn't used as often as I'd like sadly. I spend so much more time drinking various filter coffees. I'd probably go for an exectric grinder and a couple of different filter coffee methods rather than straight to the espresso machine if I was doing it all over again.

V60, Chemex, Vacpot/Siphon, Clever Coffee dripper *my current favourite toy*, Woodneck, stove top, french press.

But, if you want to go into espresso, the routes that seem to be chosen to start with are the Gaggia Classic or a second hand Rancilio Silvia.

Grinder wise, the MC2 is always a good bet for a starter machine, but the machine that seems to be getting loads of good reviews at the moment is the Mahlkoenig Vario, but thats about 3 times the price.
Click to expand...

Thanks :) At the moment I'm making Americanos with the Aeropress by adding hot water and sometimes a drop of milk and I'm quite enjoying it. Occasionally at the weekend I'll make a version of a latte using a Bodum milk frother which turns out quite well. I've never been a fan of straight espressos but I was assuming that making an espresso with a half decent machine then adding water would produce a better version of what i drink at the moment; would it? If it doesn't then I'll try some of the other filter methods. I've just looked into the Clever dripper and might give it a go, after all it's only £20 so it would be a shame not to!

I'm not prepared to fork out £300 on a grinder just yet; would the MC2 produce a suitable grind for all of the filter methods?
 
Flibster said:
£40 is still pretty good for a Reg Barber.

leaking from around the top of the portafilter or the bottom where the spouts are?

The portafilter seal is a very easy thing to do. There is a good guide here. The seal is only a few pence from coffeehit. It's a good thing to do anyway. The spouts may just need a bit of PTFE tape to seal them.
Click to expand...

Cheers, ordered :)
 
Hamster said:
Thanks :) At the moment I'm making Americanos with the Aeropress by adding hot water and sometimes a drop of milk and I'm quite enjoying it. Occasionally at the weekend I'll make a version of a latte using a Bodum milk frother which turns out quite well. I've never been a fan of straight espressos but I was assuming that making an espresso with a half decent machine then adding water would produce a better version of what i drink at the moment; would it? If it doesn't then I'll try some of the other filter methods. I've just looked into the Clever dripper and might give it a go, after all it's only £20 so it would be a shame not to!

I'm not prepared to fork out £300 on a grinder just yet; would the MC2 produce a suitable grind for all of the filter methods?
Click to expand...

As you are drinking americanos, then give filter a go. Depending on where you are, there may be a good coffeeshop nearby that does filter.

My personal favourites at the moment are all in London. Notes Music & Coffee & Monmouth. Notes Music does the v60 and siphon and Monmouth does filter.

The MC2 will grind for everything, but is a pain in the bum to adjust. I'd recommend the doserless version too as dosers on home machines are a pain.

Don't forget to check out www.brewmethods.com to see the various methods there are. The Clever takes some getting used to after using te V60 for a year, but it's really very drinkable.
 
Flibster said:
As you are drinking americanos, then give filter a go. Depending on where you are, there may be a good coffeeshop nearby that does filter.

My personal favourites at the moment are all in London. Notes Music & Coffee & Monmouth. Notes Music does the v60 and siphon and Monmouth does filter.

The MC2 will grind for everything, but is a pain in the bum to adjust. I'd recommend the doserless version too as dosers on home machines are a pain.

Don't forget to check out www.brewmethods.com to see the various methods there are. The Clever takes some getting used to after using te V60 for a year, but it's really very drinkable.
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Great stuff Flibster, thanks again :) I'll certainly give those places a try when I'm next in central London. I'll stick with the Skerton for the time being. I'm going to try and modify it soon so that I can attach a cordless screwdriver and also find a good way of stabilising the shaft. Next on the shopping list will probably be either the V60 or the Clever dripper.
 
A Gaggia Classic is definitely worth the next step. I've used mine a lot since I got it about 2 years ago. Sometimes it sits there for a month unused, but then I get back on it. I do like to enjoy my coffee when I have it.

I'm quite lucky that I have a coffee roasters near work and they have a huge expensive looking grinder and grind it to suit my machine. I just have to remember the number to dial in :)
 
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