Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

rhysduck said:
Where'd you get the PID from? Would like one for my Classic.
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As Siliconslave said, I got mine direct from Auber instruments.
Auber are selling them on ebay, but after asking them a few questions through ebay, they told me to order direct, as it was cheaper.
Paid for express delivery and it arrived in 2 days!

Really easy to install as well. was a bit nervous about breaking something but the instructions are pretty foolproof
 
I tried out Coffee Fix in Gatley today. Absolutely awesome coffee and a really nice atmosphere inside. Very friendly to cyclists too :)

http://www.wearecoffeefix.com/

Definitely try it out if you live/cycle anywhere nearby.

edit: Called by again today and was a little less impressed by their espresso than I was by their aeropress coffee. Still good though.
 
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well today i went out and purchased myself an aeropress, only had one drink from it so far but was very impressed, i have a ceramic coffee dripper from ringtons that i got as a gift from my dad but this blows it away.

i mainly purchased it due to the great reviews people give them, it will not replace my Cherub and Mignon but as an easy morning pre work brew its going to get some use, im also starting 12 days off work tomorrow and have told the misses if it grows on me it will be taking it to work and picking up a new one for home.

looks like its time to get the hand grinder back from my dad!

edit: i hear a lot about the inverted technique so ill look into it but ill be having a play as i picked up some skyberry from tesco and thought it was ok from the dripper but very nice from the aeropress... also got some single origin beans from monmoth still so ill give them a go too.

any advice on a smooth (preferably chocolatey) pre-ground supermarket coffee that will work well with it for work as i wont have time to grind my own beans and im not buying a new grinder for work
 
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Guys, I'm going away for a week on Saturday and will be staying with friends who only have instant coffee. I'm not sure I can stomach a week of it, and I have a Chemex I was thinking of taking and loads of beans, so...

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good hand-grinder? I know Porlex ones were fairly highly regarded but a quick search has also revealed a Hario model and one or two others appearing. I'm looking for something reasonably compact that is well made and capable of a good range of grinds. Thanks! :)
 
Not sure about the porlex, but I can't recommend the hario (skerton). The top nut keeps coming loose and the grind is inconsistent at anything coarser than espresso.
 
Oh dear I have an emergency! Its the bank holiday weekend and I've run out of coffee! As if that wasn't bad enough I'm on nights so can't pick any up from around where I work. I've just had a quick look on has bean but there's not a lot there to be honest! Where else can I buy online? :)
 
arty said:
Guys, I'm going away for a week on Saturday and will be staying with friends who only have instant coffee. I'm not sure I can stomach a week of it, and I have a Chemex I was thinking of taking and loads of beans, so...

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good hand-grinder? I know Porlex ones were fairly highly regarded but a quick search has also revealed a Hario model and one or two others appearing. I'm looking for something reasonably compact that is well made and capable of a good range of grinds. Thanks! :)
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I still have my trusty porlex grinder (must be almost 3 years now) as part of my "away-day" coffee kit when I'm out of the office or in a hotel somewhere (hotel's really need to start making some decent coffee). It really is a thing of brilliance, also with it being very slender it doesn't take up too much room.

It would be nice if there was some sort of locking cap for the handle as this does seem to slip off every so often but that is a mere minor issue.
 
arty said:
Does anyone have any recommendations for a good hand-grinder? I know Porlex ones were fairly highly regarded but a quick search has also revealed a Hario model and one or two others appearing. I'm looking for something reasonably compact that is well made and capable of a good range of grinds. Thanks! :)
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I have a Zassenhaus Santiago hand grinder which I've used every week day for the last 3 years. Perhaps a little expensive, but it is great.
 
Thanks for the thoughts. I like the look of the Zassenhaus but at around half the price found it difficult to ignore the Porlex, so I've ordered one :)
 
davetherave2 said:
http://smallbatchcoffee.co.uk/

http://shop.squaremilecoffee.com/

http://www.ozonecoffee.co.uk/

Just a couple of suggestions.
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Thanks. I was desperately trying to order from Climpson and Sons whilst at work last night but the work's internet was being flaky :( Has anyone bought from them, know how long they take to deliver? As it stands I'm now at work in town on Saturday morning so I'll probably be able to pick up some then. Panic over, just a couple of days (well nights) to make it through :eek:

On a sidenote, I guess it's the season but why is no-one stocking any nice full-bodied chocolately/nutty beans anymore? Everything is all fruit and floral whcih I'm guessing is great for espresso, but I only have an aeropress and like my coffee with milk dammit!
 
Maybe it's the nice weather, but I've drifted back into coffee drinking and got the Gaggia back out. I had some Has Bean Sumatran at a coffee shop yesterday and really enjoyed it, so instead of trying (struggling tbh) to find something I like at my local roaster, I got a bag of that ordered up.

Now, I must have forgotten to empty the machine when I last used it about a year ago and it was completely scaled up. What's a good descaler and cleaner to run through it?
 
Any recommendations for good beans for clever coffee dripper / aeropress? Any supplier is fine, cost not a significant concern! It's not that I'm flush, but good coffee is worth spending on! Cheers
 
Skeptic said:
Any recommendations for good beans for clever coffee dripper / aeropress? Any supplier is fine, cost not a significant concern! It's not that I'm flush, but good coffee is worth spending on! Cheers
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The Limoncillo's from here: http://www.hasbean.co.uk/collections/america-nicaragua/

are both very nice in clever/aeropress.

On a side note, Costco stock #4 filter packs at £3 for 400. Slightly different to the boxed ones but do the job just fine.
 
So my replacement steam knob came today and i am ordering a replacement group head seal too, i would like to give the unit a good clean down while im doing it and return it to its original shine, any advice on a good polishing/cleaning agent thats safe on a coffee machine (i.e. non-toxic)

ill try take a few photos of the process as they have supplied an upgraded (well bigger) steam arm too :)
 
davetherave2 said:
I still have my trusty porlex grinder (must be almost 3 years now) as part of my "away-day" coffee kit when I'm out of the office or in a hotel somewhere (hotel's really need to start making some decent coffee). It really is a thing of brilliance, also with it being very slender it doesn't take up too much room.

It would be nice if there was some sort of locking cap for the handle as this does seem to slip off every so often but that is a mere minor issue.
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Tried mine out this morning, it was a bit of effort but I was surprised at the quality of the grind and got a half decent coffee out of it too :D It seems very well made, so I'm pretty happy with it :)
 
got my replacement steam wand through, they also said they would supply a new group seal free of charge but that never turned up :(

i dont think its the typical wand as its a bit bigger and better shaped



old one removed and ready for installation




and finally all polished up and back in place, i had read you can trim the insulation from above the group but it did wasnt a soft material and has left a few scratches which i dont like but looks tidier now atleast... maybe pick up a dremmel and try polish them out.



all i need now is to order a new group seal and maybe replace the shower head too while im at it, maybe a VST basket too but ill see what's available.

im now past the year guarantee so it was fun to get into the unit and do it myself instead of sending it off and being without for a week or so
 
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