Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

I might be on my own here but I've recently been trying Nero's house blend i.e. the one they use for their main drinks and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Not expensive either, about £4 for a 500gram bag.

Out of curiosity I tried the Starbucks house blend against it and the Nero's is twice as nice, the 'bucks tasted bitter (cheaper), flavour was flatter too.
 
Bleek said:
I might be on my own here but I've recently been trying Nero's house blend i.e. the one they use for their main drinks and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Not expensive either, about £4 for a 500gram bag.

Out of curiosity I tried the Starbucks house blend against it and the Nero's is twice as nice, the 'bucks tasted bitter (cheaper), flavour was flatter too.
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You're not on your own there :) My hasbean coffee ran out and I was looking for beans more locally. The only place I could find was a new Nero shop that has just opened up in Uxbridge selling 500g of beans for £4.95. I've had a chat with Nero's customer service and it turns out that the beans they sell in the shops are around two to three weeks from roasting which isn't too bad for a chain. I've had a couple of cups today and although I'm no expert, I quite like it!! It's also well sealed too with a one way valve.
 
Ahleckz said:
Jolly good, will make a detour there. It's not going to be £10 an espresso or anything silly like that, is it?
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Tasting Menu

Coffees change weekly

Filter tasting €8 per person (minimum 2 people)
We pick two very different filter coffees and serve them to you side by side.

Coffee trio €8 per person (minimum 2 people)
We take the same coffee and serve it three different ways to you; as an espresso, a cappuccino and as a filter.

Espresso duo €6 per person (minimum 2 people)
An opportunity to taste our house espresso against our guest espresso.

espresso set €4
A single espresso and a cappuccino.


Drinking Menu
Filter coffee- €3
Guest filter- price varies
Cappuccino- €2.50
Fat white- €3
Espresso- €2
Guest espresso-price varies
Long black- €2
 
Aye, saw that once I went back on the website. Sure it wasn't there when I originally asked but I was probably being stupid!
That's very reasonable prices. Going on the 17th, so will report back. Probably going to get the Espresso duo.
Had a look on Google Streetview at the place, didn't expect it to look anything like that or be inside a tattoists/gig venue. Most unusual but nice and 'edgy' I suppose.
 
Ahleckz said:
Aye, saw that once I went back on the website. Sure it wasn't there when I originally asked but I was probably being stupid!
That's very reasonable prices. Going on the 17th, so will report back. Probably going to get the Espresso duo.
Had a look on Google Streetview at the place, didn't expect it to look anything like that or be inside a tattoists/gig venue. Most unusual but nice and 'edgy' I suppose.
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It's a nightclub - he just uses it during the day. Fantastic idea.
 
Right, I have a silly question! Can you re-grind beans? I've got my aeropress and hario grinder and am desperate to give them a whirl but don't particularly want a strong Brazilian coffee at 9pm. Can I chuck my waitrose preground (for cafetiere) stuff in the hario and grind it finer for my aeropress? :D
 
Scam said:
Right, I have a silly question! Can you re-grind beans? I've got my aeropress and hario grinder and am desperate to give them a whirl but don't particularly want a strong Brazilian coffee at 9pm. Can I chuck my waitrose preground (for cafetiere) stuff in the hario and grind it finer for my aeropress? :D
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There would be no harm in trying but why not make your first Aeropress/Skerton experience a good one by making yourself a nice Brazilian coffee in the morning? :)
 
Err, I tried it once on my old Gaggia grinder and it just made a mess... :p Your Aeropress will work just fine with coarse-ground coffee, you can adjust the strength by letting the grounds sit in the water for more or less before pushing down on the plunger (that's why I like the inverted method, you can let it sit there as long as you like and it won't drip through)
 
I'm having good results with my Skerton and Aeropress, thanks guys!
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I'm adjusting the Skerton using this method, is this a good guide? 2 notches for the AP seems about right - I've had decent results.

Would 7-8 notches be about right for my traditional french press? How do you guys adjust your Skertons?

Another quick question on the AP, is it normal that it tries to pop up as you're pressing it? It's quite hard to press, but not impossible. I tried my old Waitrose cafetiere grind in it (to see if I was grinding too fine) but that was much the same :confused:
 
Scam said:
I'm having good results with my Skerton and Aeropress, thanks guys!
icon14.gif


I'm adjusting the Skerton using this method, is this a good guide? 2 notches for the AP seems about right - I've had decent results.

Would 7-8 notches be about right for my traditional french press? How do you guys adjust your Skertons?

Another quick question on the AP, is it normal that it tries to pop up as you're pressing it? It's quite hard to press, but not impossible. I tried my old Waitrose cafetiere grind in it (to see if I was grinding too fine) but that was much the same :confused:
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Not used that method before, looks interesting. Will have to give it a go. According to them 7/8 seems about right for french press.

I normally just adjust as I need from experience.

As for the backpressure, thats pretty normal as water isn't compressable and the paper filter adds quite a bit of resistance.

Raymond Lin said:
I just bought 5 bags of Bolivia Machacamarc

One of my favourites.
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SHHHH! Don't tell them about it you fool! There won't be any left for the rest of us!

Steve said that 5% of the beans were sold in 24 hours!
 
Quick question guys - am I missing a trick by not tamping my fresh grinds?

Presently I grind and then 'drop' them in the portafilter so they're loose.
 
Bleek said:
Quick question guys - am I missing a trick by not tamping my fresh grinds?

Presently I grind and then 'drop' them in the portafilter so they're loose.
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Tamping is essential. It helps distribute the grinds and and most importantly, restricts the flow so you get the correct extraction.

I'd also recommend that you strip apart the grouphead of your espresso machine and get all the nasty grounds out if you haven't been tamping. Probably replace the showerscreen and portafilter seal at the same time.
 
The machine is only a few weeks old, that sounds a bit OTT.

Might explain why my espresso is finished in under 20 seconds when it should be taking 5 seconds longer!
 
Oh and before and after each single use I run two shot glasses of water through the system to clear it.
 
Because you haven't compressed the grounds into a puck, it'll get right up the showerscreen and more than likely around the portafilter seal.

Luckilly on a Classic it's reasonably easy to clean. Single screw for the showerscreen, 2x5mm hex bolts for the grouphead showerscreen plate - will all need a damn good scrub.

While it's apart give the portafilter seal a good scrub. It's easier if you remove the water tank and lay the machine down on it's back and if the machine is cold. It will still drip a little from the collection tubes anyway.

A cheap toothbrush and a couple of cheap microfibre cloths works wonders here. ;)
 
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