Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

I'd go for the hand grinder tbh - or if your not paying out on a machine then i'd be inclined to splash out on a grinder :)

Grind in the morning will be fine, also has the lovely side effect of making your bag smell lovely all day!

If the nespresso works well for you, maybe try one of those reusable nespresso pod things, don't know how well they function but they are pretty cheap :)
 
so i've ordered an aeropress for work and a bialetti Moka 6 to start with at home.

I know neither of them will create true espressos - but i just want a nice coffee and a half decent base for latte/cappucino for wife n guests.

Now just to chose a grinder.
 
ended up ordering a Dualit 75015 for £79. Thanks for the feedback so far.

All this kit is easily returned if i get any problems. Happy to experiment.
 
yimpster said:
i have one and really want to get away from the pods and waste/expense of them. i've enjoyed it for about 3 years and ready to move onto to something better.
Click to expand...

If you have kids I think a full espresso machine would be a pain. Personally I would stay Nespresso and use it along side a mocha pot for cheapness. With good beans a mocha gives a good strong flavoured hit.
 
Got my Silvia setup and had a little play. She looks good and is nice and compact IMO. Will get some photos up when I see her in the daylight.

Set Rocky to about 6 as I read you should start fine and pull back and that 7-9 is the best zone for the rocky.
First issue was it was hard to get the portafilter on. Realized I had too much coffee so emptied it a little. There is a line around the filter that makes a step so I am guess I want to fill to this level once tampered. It would be nice if the guides told you where the espresso grinds should be filled up to. They talk about weight but that is harder to measure than just keeping an eye open for the line.

First attempt at pulling a shot and nothing happened except a few drops of treacle. Wondered if it was broken but when I took the portafilter off the coffee puck was rock hard so I guessed the grind was too fine.


Pulled back to setting 8 and successfully pulled an espresso. One thing that is not clear is everyone says it should take about 25s to pour a shot but the timing is completely manual so I could stop at any time and have various sizes of shots at different strengths. I assume that the time refers to pouring a specific volume but then to get the timing down you would need a well marked mini measuring cup or marked espresso cup. Most guides don't clearly state where the timing comes from, only you should adjust the grind until you get a25s pour, which is kind of meaningless in my mind. I was using a cappuccino cup as my espresso cups are in transit and was just guessing what looks like a shot.

Despite this the second shot was already reasonable with a decent crema. It was better than the cheap single serves and bad cafés, not quite as good as a nespresso or Starbucks but definitely a level up from my moms pot. With that I was content to drink the coffee and will do more experimenting tomorrow morning. If I continue such progress I think I will be very happy.


One thing us clear that I think I was right to hold off buying one for 2 years until such time as I could wait for the machine to heat up. I used to sleep in until the last minute, jump out of bed and get to work within 20 minutes. Now I work remotely from home so can get up, switch it on, check emails and then pull a leisurely shot.

Thinking of being lazy and buying a wireless power socket so I can switch it on to preheat while in my 3rd floor office before walking down to the kitchen.
 
D.P. said:
One thing that is not clear is everyone says it should take about 25s to pour a shot but the timing is completely manual so I could stop at any time and have various sizes of shots at different strengths. I assume that the time refers to pouring a specific volume but then to get the timing down you would need a well marked mini measuring cup or marked espresso cup.
Click to expand...
Generally speaking, 1 shot of espresso is 1 fluid ounce. Many espresso shot glasses have marks/lines on them which indicate that amount, so it's easy to work out whether the 25 seconds extraction is actually equal to 1 shot of espresso. But you are right, and people do pull shots of varying quantities because of the way the coffee flavours flow during the extraction. This article may help to explain more.
 
D.P. said:
Got my Silvia setup........
Click to expand...

Nice one. I tend to weigh my beans and then grind them. The double basket supplied holds about 14g of ground beans. You can use a triple basket if you wanted more beans, but then you'll have to get a bottomless portafilter.

When using decent, fresh beans then I tend to grind at 6-7. For emergency Lavazza Rosso beans, it's about 4 and if really, really desperate - 2 -1 for Tesco ""Finest"" lol.

I put my cups on my scales when pulling shots to get ~ 50g/mls as they don't have shot lines on them.

I have my Silvia on a wall timer so she's nice and warm when I come down in the mornings ;)

Regards to the pour time - experiment - it's all about taste and what you like - have fun :)

edit - brew temperature can also affect the taste!
 
Last edited:
I have a iberital mc2 and started off keeping the beans in the hopper. I found they were drying out a bit so decided to grind the amount I need and keep them airtight in the meantime.
When the beans run out the grinder runs dry for a short time and I can hear the grinder slow down a bit, is it ok or will the burrs wear prematurely?
Can anyone advise me on this?
Thanks
 
Last edited:
molinari said:
Generally speaking, 1 shot of espresso is 1 fluid ounce. Many espresso shot glasses have marks/lines on them which indicate that amount, so it's easy to work out whether the 25 seconds extraction is actually equal to 1 shot of espresso. But you are right, and people do pull shots of varying quantities because of the way the coffee flavours flow during the extraction. This article may help to explain more.
Click to expand...

Yeah I figured while pouring the second shot that I should measure out the right volume. I found 60ml/2oz to be at the exact bottom of the handle of an espresso cup I have so will use this as a baseline for timing. I've been making double shots
 
I have always pull double shots, always aim that to 25s.

I put 2 single shot glasses underneath to catch it or a single double espresso cup.
 
molinari said:
Generally speaking, 1 shot of espresso is 1 fluid ounce. Many espresso shot glasses have marks/lines on them which indicate that amount, so it's easy to work out whether the 25 seconds extraction is actually equal to 1 shot of espresso. But you are right, and people do pull shots of varying quantities because of the way the coffee flavours flow during the extraction. This article may help to explain more.
Click to expand...

That was an awesome link, thank you :)

My espresso recently has been really disappointing and I knew I needed to go back over it from step one to really get to grips with it. That article and an hour of cleaning/experimenting and I've now managed to make a half-decent espresso again. Really useful info in there.
 
BeanieBailey said:
I have a iberital mc2 and started off keeping the beans in the hopper. I found they were drying out a bit so decided to grind the amount I need and keep them airtight in the meantime.
When the beans run out the grinder runs dry for a short time and I can hear the grinder slow down a bit, is it ok or will the burrs wear prematurely?
Can anyone advise me on this?
Thanks
Click to expand...

Assuming the blades are not set too fine and touching the machine can run bean-less with no adverse side effects.

Cheers
 
so all the kit arrived yesterday afternoon. Grinder seems pretty good- though i've no idea what to compare it to.

Firstly my beans are about a month old and have been stored open in the packet in the fridge (held by rubber band). Not ideal i know - but i'm not looking for perfection first time round. Just something to play with whilst i practice before i used decent coffee. Ordered the starter espresso pack from hasbean yesterday.

Aeropress - wow what a coffee. Seriously surprised at how tasty it came out first time. Definitely coming to work with me :)

Bialetti - after 6 attempts - i couldn't produce anything that was drink worthy. grim brown water. i have varied the grind a little each time from fine to medium. also tried tamping it down (even though it says not to).

Any ideas otherwise it'll be heading back down the great river?
 
I'll catch up with this thread when on the main train journey, but I'm already on my way to Birmingham. Ain't I a lucky boy? ;)

So UKBC 2014 starts tomorrow at 9:15 - running order now up here

If you can, come give someone your support. :)

There will be a live stream going on as well. Will post the link when I know what it is.
 
Siliconslave said:
Try this:
http://www.jimseven.com/2009/01/21/videocast-4-stovetopmoka-pot/

The key being pre boil the water in the base
Click to expand...

thanks for the link - i've played a bit more and results are pretty yuck.

to be honest if i'm going to go through the hassle of learning to make a decent coffee it may as well be an Espresso.

Hence, returning the Bialetti and just ordered the Gaggia Classic with a tamp, and a milk thermometer. Hope the Dualit grinder will be good enough.
 
The stove top used to be my favourite brewing method, but I barely use mine anymore, partly cause my hob is electric and it takes stupidly long to brew (and yes, I tried putting hot water in it like the guy in that video is doing, it only resulted in burns and misery). It's definitely the closest thing you can get to an espresso without using an espresso machine. In fact, I find it a better brewing method than espresso for beans that are particularly funky and punguent (like most naturals), as it's less harsh and preserves more of the aroma.
Saying that, it's particularly demanding and if you used month-old supermarket grounds you wouldn't have gotten anything drinkable. I think it's worth trying again with fresh beans, since you're presumabnly gonna buy some for your Aeropress anyway!
 
So i've ordered the gaggia classic and it should arrive tomorrow.

The dualit grinder seems quite quiet and compact and wife seems to like it.

I guess the key concern is - it going to suit my needs for making 5-6 espressos a week on the gaggia classic? i've literally no idea what i'm looking at when it comes to the grind and it all looks similar to me.

If not the next step up is the iberatal and that's like £50-70 more expensive which im not sure i can really justify to myself.
 
yimpster said:
So i've ordered the gaggia classic and it should arrive tomorrow.

The dualit grinder seems quite quiet and compact and wife seems to like it.

I guess the key concern is - it going to suit my needs for making 5-6 espressos a week on the gaggia classic? i've literally no idea what i'm looking at when it comes to the grind and it all looks similar to me.

If not the next step up is the iberatal and that's like £50-70 more expensive which im not sure i can really justify to myself.
Click to expand...

You will probably be happy with the Dualit to start with. It's something you will grow out of though so if you don't want to end up buying twice I'd skip straight to the Iberital.

I have the Iberital myself and I've seen the Dualit in action. There is no comparison and I'd never "downgrade" personally. You will not appreciate the difference at first though so I can fully understand how it might be hard to justify it to yourself.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom