Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

arty said:
The Osmio and Mara turned up today. Only had a chance to make a single shot of espresso so far, but considering how rusty I am, and how new to the machine, it was surprisingly not absolutely terrible :p more through chance and gear quality than talent, I’m certain!

Quite impressed with the quality of the Mara, I must say. Even hulking it out of the box was an event. It’s about 1000x better made than the old Krups I had a few years back :o

Very much looking forward to having a play over the next few days.
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We need pics, we need pics, we need pics!
 
Quite the Mara crew forming now :D

There's nothing quite like a big hulking heavy lump of metal equipment. In the last few years I've deliberately stopped spending money on electronic things that are obsolete in a few years and unrepairable, to spending money on things that are largely micro-electronics free, built to last decades and easily repairable. The kitchen has been the main beneficiary :D
 
mid_gen said:
Quite the Mara crew forming now :D

There's nothing quite like a big hulking heavy lump of metal equipment. In the last few years I've deliberately stopped spending money on electronic things that are obsolete in a few years and unrepairable, to spending money on things that are largely micro-electronics free, built to last decades and easily repairable. The kitchen has been the main beneficiary :D
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That's the main reason I went with the Niche Zero over the Sette 270i. LCD screen and microchip weighing. No thank you. Have enough gadgets in the kitchen already that has a screen, same with these smart scales that needs an app, no thank you.
 
Well after a few years of not weighing, usually just level off the basket, I’m back to weighing with the maraX and I have found that I was using around 20g pressed into a 18g basket so now with weighing the coffee is so more smooth and not as bitter
 
RobTi said:
Well after a few years of not weighing, usually just level off the basket, I’m back to weighing with the maraX and I have found that I was using around 20g pressed into a 18g basket so now with weighing the coffee is so more smooth and not as bitter
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See - totally worth weighing, into the basket and out of the machine ideally - gives you some measure to go from.

Theres another Origin 20% code at the moment - SUNGOD_ORIGIN - from their marketing e-mails but not visible on the site. Valid till the 13th September
 
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arty said:
Surely you’ve seen enough Mara photos by now? :p
Yes - if I don’t get into the espresso making again, I can at least use it as a cosh :D
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never too many photos - and i'd be impressed if you can wield it as a cosh, its more an acme anvil to drop on someone from a great height!
 
Bezzera not mara .

a good distraction for a few hours - surprising how prospect of discontinuity of drinks concentrates the mind.
changed the pump - new one much quieter, and it appears, not spurting, like 2006 predecessor,
cleaned some sediment from inlet tube, none on outlet, so maybe that was degrading pump.
removing outlet spigot was hardest bit, always concerned of shearing something, so hot soaked.
will try it out, a coffee, tonight ..
(original ex5 one had said made in Italy ... this one is not obvious)

4x1.0 nozzle, too, to replace the (too powerful) 4x1.5,
different design and it's only gripping by a few threads, so may return it.

push electric connectors, used in many white goods, can be be a right pain, with a small engaging supression that can be very resilient ... is there a tool/nack to these ?

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Pull a shot of some Union Expresso, it’s very nice but I am getting channeling from my pull. I think I need to work on my tamping.

Sorry for the vibration, it’s very hard to get rid of with the camera on the counter.

 
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Made an error grande this weekend and ran out of beans. Emergency delivery didn't arrive in time with the postal delays atm.

M&S beans..not impressed :(
 
Raymond Lin said:
Ive switched to Union now!
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I've been drinking Union Revelation (revolution?) for a week now and they have been really nice. £11. 50 for 700+g in sainsburys is what I paid. The roast day was less than a month ago too which was a bonus.
 
Hedge said:
I've been drinking Union Revelation (revolution?) for a week now and they have been really nice. £11. 50 for 700+g in sainsburys is what I paid. The roast day was less than a month ago too which was a bonus.
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that’s what I bought too this week, works out about £4 for 225g which is decent.
 
For anyone who is looking at entry level machines, this video (whilst a bit slow) is interesting in that it compares the Gaggia Classic and the Bambino Plus which are totally different types of machines but they get talked about a lot for people (like me) who are starting out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPSvuo9tYS0

I didn't drink coffee at all before this year (not counting espresso martinis...) but have got into it since April as a bit of a hobby and bought a Bambino and Smart grinder in April to replace the Nespresso machine my wife was using. I think the video makes some good points, the Gaggia is recommended a lot from people with far more experience knowing that it is a robust and capable machine that can be upgraded and tweaked and if you pair it with a Niche or something down the line then it's extremely capable. The Bambino probably has a lower ceiling for ultimate shot quality (if you get that good) but has things like instant heat up, pre-infusion and auto milk texturing out of the box which make it really approachable. You're still rewarded with better coffee if you put the effort into prepping properly, I time and weigh my shots and get consistent results. No doubt I'll have an itch for a posh Italian machine in a few years but as a newcomer to this infinitely complex world I'm still pleased each time I manage a decent flat white!

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Top tip for Aeropress users. When doing the inverted brew method, make sure your paper filter isn't folded over on itself before you put it on top of the AP and push down gently to remove the air from the top. That gentle push results in quite the geyser-esque eruption of coffee grounds and hot water, and it certainly goes quite the distance. Also preferable not to do it when your girlfriend is on a conference call and all you want to do is shout and stamp and scream like a toddler at wasting 20g of perfectly lovely Has Bean Guatemala El Limon Washed Caturra :(:(:(:mad: :mad::( :mad: :(
 
Scam said:
Top tip for Aeropress users. When doing the inverted brew method, make sure your paper filter isn't folded over on itself before you put it on top of the AP and push down gently to remove the air from the top. That gentle push results in quite the geyser-esque eruption of coffee grounds and hot water, and it certainly goes quite the distance. Also preferable not to do it when your girlfriend is on a conference call and all you want to do is shout and stamp and scream like a toddler at wasting 20g of perfectly lovely Has Bean Guatemala El Limon Washed Caturra :(:(:(:mad: :mad::( :mad: :(
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I used to damp the paper when putting it on so it "sticks".

I've had far too many accidents with the aeropress to trust myself using it, it's why i gave it away.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I used to damp the paper when putting it on so it "sticks".
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I always do that, removes the paper taste too. I dont know how it managed to fold over and I didn't notice. Fingers crossed this is only my 3rd or 4th accident in many, many years of owning it (I have the original brown one). Still quite a shock, lol :p
 
Every source I've seen for AeroPress says to rinse or clean the filter paper anyway so I do that. Been using two filters lately which seems to help consistency.

Biggest **** up I've done was last weekend at 2am making coffee while drunk. I normally preheat the AeroPress by leaving it half plunged, putting in about 150ml hot water, then sliding the plunger back out to preheat the rest of the tube.

This was clearly too tricky for drunk Benski and I managed to cleanly lift the entire tube off my counter. Dropping a cup of boiled water all over my other hand. It was like a magician doing the tablecloth trick, for a split second there was just a cylinder of water hanging in the air :P

Luckily I just bumbled on and finished making my coffee with a slightly... Splashed counter. Could have been worse!
 
olv said:
The Bambino probably has a lower ceiling for ultimate shot quality (if you get that good) but has things like instant heat up, pre-infusion and auto milk texturing out of the box which make it really approachable. You're still rewarded with better coffee if you put the effort into prepping properly, I time and weigh my shots and get consistent results. No doubt I'll have an itch for a posh Italian machine in a few years but as a newcomer to this infinitely complex world I'm still pleased each time I manage a decent flat white!
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Fellow espresso n00b and enthusiastic Bambino owner here. I made the leap from aeropress & moka pot brewing in June as a lockdown project. Kev's numerous videos helped me along the way, and I found the Bambino for £249 which seemed a no-brainer. I love being able to put in the time to learn the craft, while still having the option to just push a couple of buttons to pull a shot and steam some milk.
 
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