Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread

I've managed to find some brass Y connectors on Amazon which are coming tomorrow, so it's just going to have to wait until they arrive and I'll give it a good rinse.

If it's knackered then I'll be tossing it in the bin and buying something that isn't made by Lelit.
 
I was going to get a Mara during lockdown....instead of espressos, I got a Hario Switch and been doing Pour Overs non-stop since, close escape!
 
Raymond Lin said:
I was going to get a Mara during lockdown....instead of espressos, I got a Hario Switch and been doing Pour Overs non-stop since, close escape!
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To be fair, the rest of the machine is metal, and I'm pretty sure the MaraX onwards has different hose connectors, seems to be just the original Mara that uses these crumbling connectors.

Will just have to see how the boiler has coped with a night of descaler.

You know that feeling when secretly you hope it’s broken so you can buy something new……*looks at Linea Micra*
 
mid_gen said:
To be fair, the rest of the machine is metal, and I'm pretty sure the MaraX onwards has different hose connectors, seems to be just the original Mara that uses these crumbling connectors.

Will just have to see how the boiler has coped with a night of descaler.

You know that feeling when secretly you hope it’s broken so you can buy something new……*looks at Linea Micra*
Click to expand...

Yes....I had that feeling with my old Plasma TV before I just gave into my urges and bought an OLED lol

I still have my Gaggia Classic too! I half want it to break so I can get a machine with a PID as well.
 
This is what I found when I opened the Mara the other day :

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After removing the bits....the connectors have just perished and crumbled to bits

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Now replaced with shiny new brass connectors :

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Touch wood, after a very thorough rinsing through of the boiler several times.....everything seems to be working ok. Had a thorough poke around, and apart from the silicon hoses, I can't see anything else that might cause a problem, everything is metal. Looking around at various images they clearly stopped using these connectors at some point.....for good reason.
 
^ It should be fine. Citric won’t attack any of the metals there. The blue/green colour you saw was probably it taking the chloride/oxide layer off one of those copper pipes where over time the pipe has reacted with the chlorine in your tap water
 
Kainz said:
I've been without beanses for about a week and a half now and its hard. I wasn't drinking that much due to the warmer weather but I've certainly noticed a lack of energy at work in the early mornings. So I've ordered the following from Redber. Just need to wait for them to degas a bit when they arrive! :o

EL SALVADOR DIAMANTE (SHG) - Dark Roast Coffee - Dark chocolate, orange ​

KENYA KERICHO LOT 20 - Medium-Dark Roast Coffee - Sweet chocolate, mild citrus fruits ​

​

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Right.

So, El Salvador bag finished and rate it 9/10. Makes for a very rich, smooth espresso with strong choco notes and citrus. Excellent puck behaviour after a pulled shot too as it doesn't fall apart.

Kenya Kericho I just opened up, but I never noticed a large vertical slit at the rear of the bag...I don't know how long that's been there for but these beans have sadly bean degassing all this time since I purchased them. Just tried a few brews and the output wasn't very good. Lots of citrus and floral notes but the crema was non-existent. Need to tweak the grind settings a tad but it is clear they're mostly past its prime with its roasted date of 8th May.
 
I just cleaned my Delonghi Dedica steaming bits, leaving them soaking in water with half a Milton tab... and now the steamer screams at me and doesn't froth the milk. Internet says I'm dipping my wand in too deep... :eek: but I'm fairly sure I've tried my wand in various ways and it screams no matter what. Any ideas on what I've done or need to do? Ta.

**Morning EDIT** I did two things this morning making my coffee. 1) I reset my machine 2) I paid a lot more attention to having the wand just skimming off and slightly dipping into the milk. It worked just fine again :cool:
 
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I noticed 1kg of my usual Lavazza supermarket beans are now getting close to £20….

Anyone ordering better stuff online at the moment? Lots of recommendations in the thread but the quality is variable over time so wondering anyone who is enjoying a decent everyday medium roast for around £20 or less a Kg?
 
alex24 said:
I noticed 1kg of my usual Lavazza supermarket beans are now getting close to £20….

Anyone ordering better stuff online at the moment? Lots of recommendations in the thread but the quality is variable over time so wondering anyone who is enjoying a decent everyday medium roast for around £20 or less a Kg?
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Most of the time I'm drinking the American Diner blend from 47 degrees, which is £24 for 1kg delivered, fresh roasted....and miles better than any supermarket stuff.

47degreescoffee.com

AMERICAN DINER - BLEND

Multi award-winning American Diner Blend. Smooth, chocolatey & versatile for filter or espresso. Best-seller with free UK delivery. Discover the flavour today.
47degreescoffee.com

They have some single origins which are similarly good value. The Tobacco Road blend makes a really distinctive espresso which I like occasionally.

I do have bags from other roasters occasionally but always come back to 47 degrees as it's good value and consistently excellent. The owner hand delivered a bag once as he was in the area!
 
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Jonny69 said:
^ It should be fine. Citric won’t attack any of the metals there. The blue/green colour you saw was probably it taking the chloride/oxide layer off one of those copper pipes where over time the pipe has reacted with the chlorine in your tap water
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It does seem to be all good :)

Being without espresso for a few days made me appreciate it more, been making more milk drinks recently.....but my milk thermometer has given up.

Anyone spec me a decent thermometer?
 
alex24 said:
I noticed 1kg of my usual Lavazza supermarket beans are now getting close to £20….

Anyone ordering better stuff online at the moment? Lots of recommendations in the thread but the quality is variable over time so wondering anyone who is enjoying a decent everyday medium roast for around £20 or less a Kg?
Click to expand...

Every brand has gone up now. Union bags used to be £14 for 700g, it is now £17 for 500g...It's almost doubled in price.
 
There is a local roaster here and it’s about £26 per kg so I’ll try that then compare to the 47 degrees choices above. Thanks.

Two of my favourite things - chocolate and coffee - have gone up in price so much recently!
 
With the rising cost in roasted beans, but the lowering cost of home roasters...I am thinking of getting a home machine.

5 years ago, they were big, cumbersome or very expensive but I have come across this one for £100....with green beans about half the price of roasted, I could make the money back quite quickly.

I mean even if it doesn't work out...the price isn't like how it was, I remember I was looking at Kickstarter project at like £500 to £700 range.

It even has cooling phase and all, so no need to put it on a tray to cool it like you do with a manual roaster.




edit - With the current discount codes JCD791 and some coins...it ended up at £75, going to give it a go.
 
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Been a while since I've been here but a few new upgrades, moved over to an ECM Sync about 7 months ago, I've now plumbed in the waste with a 3d printed model which works well and I've got a smaller hopper on my new fave grinder; the Olympus 75, this thing is a beast and just consistently dosing me 18g in 3.4secs clump-free.

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Raymond Lin said:
With the rising cost in roasted beans, but the lowering cost of home roasters...I am thinking of getting a home machine.

5 years ago, they were big, cumbersome or very expensive but I have come across this one for £100....with green beans about half the price of roasted, I could make the money back quite quickly.

I mean even if it doesn't work out...the price isn't like how it was, I remember I was looking at Kickstarter project at like £500 to £700 range.

It even has cooling phase and all, so no need to put it on a tray to cool it like you do with a manual roaster.




edit - With the current discount codes JCD791 and some coins...it ended up at £75, going to give it a go.
Click to expand...

Good luck Raymond, sounds really interesting. I’m tempted too but worried how many batches of beans I’ll ruin! Let us know how you get on!
 
Raymond Lin said:
With the rising cost in roasted beans, but the lowering cost of home roasters...I am thinking of getting a home machine.

5 years ago, they were big, cumbersome or very expensive but I have come across this one for £100....with green beans about half the price of roasted, I could make the money back quite quickly.

I mean even if it doesn't work out...the price isn't like how it was, I remember I was looking at Kickstarter project at like £500 to £700 range.

It even has cooling phase and all, so no need to put it on a tray to cool it like you do with a manual roaster.




edit - With the current discount codes JCD791 and some coins...it ended up at £75, going to give it a go.
Click to expand...
My friend went on this journey recently and he's really enjoying it. Keen to hear your thoughts Ray
 
alex24 said:
Good luck Raymond, sounds really interesting. I’m tempted too but worried how many batches of beans I’ll ruin! Let us know how you get on!
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I will have to investigate where I can get green beans in the sub 1kg bags...but green beans with a harvest date on them.

It shouldn't be too difficult as I can see it roasting, I can hear the crack and there is a timer. From what I've read, you should start off in a lower heat but higher fan speed because the beans have higher water content at that point. So the aim is to dehydrate them first, the higher fan speed is because the beans are heavier so need more air to move them in order to move the bottom ones to the top and stop some burning. For more even distribution.

Once they start to yellow you then flip the other way, slower the fan a bit so it is not moving as much, lowering the fan also will increase the temperature too and then with it, also up the temperature. Now listen for the first crack and then watch the colour change. I think the ideal time to stop is when the 2nd crack starts.
 
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