Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

Siliconslave said:
hey, thanks for the comments :) i know i'm over filling the basket slightly... but for ease of leveling & with a lack of decent scales i'm not too worried.

grind wise i'm constantly adjusting the grind based on the Time : Volume ratio of 25 seconds : 30ml (or 60 on a double) and i do get a bit of blonding at the end of the pour... you can just see the light spot on this americano (pulled into hot water from the bottomless)

out of interest where did you train & where do you work at the moment?
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I Trained in London whilst managing a small chain of coffee / pasty shops in the southwest called Presto. Training was by Union Coffee Rosters and their trainer was an Ausi bird called Clare (Cannot remember the surname some double barrelled thing) Am Currently a Bus Driver as i needed a change of job (Was fed up working food retail)

At Home i have an old La Cimbali Bistro machine 2 group 5lb copper steam tank jobbie, one of the perks of working for a coffee chain is you get to buy the old gear :) fully serviced and maintained by me for nearly 5 years now. I dont turn my machine off very often as when im home i will get through 10 - 20 shots. :eek: probably 2 or 3 times a week just to let the tank cool. It could do with a good clean and i need to change the water filter some time soon as our water is very hard. Water purity is key to fine coffee.
 
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BigBoy said:
I Trained in London whilst managing a small chain of coffee / pasty shops in the southwest called Presto. Training was by Union Coffee Rosters and their trainer was an Ausi bird called Clare (Cannot remember the surname some double barrelled thing) Am Currently a Bus Driver as i needed a change of job (Was fed up working food retail)

At Home i have an old La Cimbali Bistro machine 2 group 5lb copper steam tank jobbie, one of the perks of working for a coffee chain is you get to buy the old gear :)
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Cool :cool: Union do some very nice beans actually - my local decent coffee place (Taylor street baristas http://www.taylor-st.com/) use their stuff :)

And we totally need some photos of your beast of a machine :D
 
NickK said:
Currently using bottled water with 80mg rating for dry solids (ie as soft as I can get)..
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Mine has to be plumbed in to the mains as to keep the water pressure up and holds just over 2ltr in the tank!

Siliconslave said:
Cool :cool: Union do some very nice beans actually - my local decent coffee place (Taylor street baristas http://www.taylor-st.com/) use their stuff :)

And we totally need some photos of your beast of a machine :D
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Mrs had gone away for a few days with the kids to Euro Disney so i dont have a camera at home :(
 
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Its one like that :) thats not mine but is the same machine apart from the fact mine is now all chrome and coper plate rather than steel and plastic.
 
came across this link via hasbean for a "free 10 day coffee course" which maybe of interest to other newbies (like me) who have been reading this thread :)

http://www.coffee101.co.uk/

Coffee 101 is a course for beginners covering all things coffee. Each day you will receive an email on a different coffee topic. We will cover coffee history, processing, how to get the very best out of your coffee and much, much more. With nothing to lose, why not sign up now?

*Learn about the history of coffee
*Find out how to brew the perfect cup
*The secrets of a great cup of coffee revealed
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This thread forced me to buy this machine - I want to try the taste of an espresso at home:)

Krups Pump Expresso XP 4000 (AMD Atlhon XP???eheheh)
I´m going to try it today afternoon:)



 
no, it came with an coupon offer to order the coffee later (a rebate coupon)

I bought a Sical (a national brand) "regular" 5 stars packet with 18 tablets of 7gr each (was on offer)- it´s not a supra sumo of coffee,but it´s very good for the price- 1,37 euros the 18 tablets packet ( a very cheap 7,6 cents each coffee):D



 
Mint_Sauce said:
I ended up buying a Kym Kym hand grinder off eBay, snapped it up for £15 including delivery! Plus bought loads of beans including the breakfast bomb :D
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good price - pic please :)

how old is the kym kym & did it need a good clean?

i paid £23 for a zass (and look forward to delivery - Toba Sulawesi beans have already arrived :) )
 
ThriceNightly said:
good price - pic please :)

how old is the kym kym & did it need a good clean?

i paid £23 for a zass (and look forward to delivery - Toba Sulawesi beans have already arrived :) )
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Should be here tomorrow hopefully as will the beans, I'll post up pics when I get it. Hopefully the grinding bi inside is ok, still for £15 it's worth the risk. Here it is on the bay.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=320300803246

I did want a Zass but they tend to go for more, maybe because they're superior but I think the Kym should be a lot better than my blade grinder.
 
xander_uk2 said:
Silly question, but is there a recommended tamper size for the gaggia classics/babys?
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the classic is ~58mm i'm not certain the baby is the same size, but you can always just measure it :D I'm using a 58 flat based on my classic and it fits well & got my Dad a 58mm RB convex based a while back that is wonderful.


That grinder looks like a bargain... will be interested to hear how good it turns out to be :)
 
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