Siliconslave's how to make espresso thread
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Caporegime
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The version One of the Ode had a terrible static issue, this particular grinder really needs it. My Niche isn't that bad, partly because the exit chute is nice and narrow with the catch cup sitting really close to it.
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It must be a plastics and earthing thing. Anything metal which is earthed should just dissipate static.
It arrived today. Went down to my local coffee shop who kindly grinded a bag of beans for me. Not ideal, but better than nothing!
I'm learning how to gauge the amount of grounds I need, and how firmly to tamp to get something decent. I've not nailed it yet (and really need some decent scales or a grinder with them built in). But I'm really enjoying learning! I've had far too much caffeine today.
Caporegime
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How much ground....you dont want to overpack it obviously. The ideal way is to put the weight of the beans for the size of the basket, perhaps 1-2g under but never over. So if it is a 18g basket, you can do 17g but avoid going too low like 7g shot.
The less ideal but still kinda work is to put the ground into the portafilter then using the back of the knife do a sweep across the top and remove anything above it. Then use the correct size tamper to press it down. 58mm basket need a 58mm tamper.
The art of basket prep is its own rabbit hole, right now, getting the right amount and making sure you are pressing it down evenly is most important. First you will need the right tool. If you are trying to do it with the back of a spoon, it's not going to work very well as the pressure will be uneven.
Nice one, thanks! I've been using the "razor" which came with the machine and seems to do a decent job of scraping off along the top. I think I've been slightly overfilling the basket, and perhaps then tamping too hard. I'll try again tomorrow!
Caporegime
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You can't tamp too hard, but you can grind too fine.
Ah, but I've currently relied on the local coffee shop to grind, so I'm having to adjust for that. I may ask for marginally less fine next time!
Caporegime
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The issue with that is if I were the barista I would be reluctant to change the grind setting for the shop's machine because it is dialed for their espresso machines, rather than yours.
He had a separate machine which he uses to grind beans for customers. They're pretty well kitted out!
Caporegime
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Oh, handy !
edit - so is it completely choking? or takes like 1 minute to get the correct ratio out? so, 18g aim for 36g of espresso in 30seconds.
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No, it's not choking - the first I made was too watery, so I added more coffee and tamped harder for the second and it only dribbled out. I've now had way too much coffee today so I'll try again in the morning!
Caporegime
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To troubleshoot, we need to change 1 variable at a time and keep the others constant.
The first thing to do is to weight out your beans, use your kitchen scales for now, if it does 0.1g accurancy, then amazing, if not, nearest 1g is better than guessing. Remember that 1g out is like 5-6% off which is not a small amount.
Once you have a consistent method of weighing then we can then looking into grind size.
Then if that is been looked into then we can look into distribution, using things like a WDT tool (bunch of needles together), to break up lumps before tamping.
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Try not to change more than 1 variable at a time.
You haven't said, do you have a tamper? One that is a proper fit to the basket.
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Caporegime
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Gave one of my friend who is married to a brazilian some of my coffee beans and the review was "Very nice, lots of flavour!".
Tonight I will try the Muscat which I roasted last Monday, looking forward to see the difference. I roasted it 30s longer than the previous batch for a more chocolatety notes this time. This is something I didn't think I needed, i can tweak it to my taste from like small batch to small batch. Can get 2-3 different taste profile out of a single 500g bag of beans.
edit - just made a cup, definitely less fruity than the other one, I think i prefer the other one, and cheaper by 20% too !!! Just more flavour, more fruity notes. This one is much more mellow and subtle.
it is now Friday and now fully rested (over 12 days), I think the taste is definitely fully developed now and whilst it is more subtle in flavour still, I think it is could be nicer in some ways too than the first bag of beans.
Tonight I will try the Muscat which I roasted last Monday, looking forward to see the difference. I roasted it 30s longer than the previous batch for a more chocolatety notes this time. This is something I didn't think I needed, i can tweak it to my taste from like small batch to small batch. Can get 2-3 different taste profile out of a single 500g bag of beans.
edit - just made a cup, definitely less fruity than the other one, I think i prefer the other one, and cheaper by 20% too !!! Just more flavour, more fruity notes. This one is much more mellow and subtle.
it is now Friday and now fully rested (over 12 days), I think the taste is definitely fully developed now and whilst it is more subtle in flavour still, I think it is could be nicer in some ways too than the first bag of beans.
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Caporegime
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Using bottled water to be extra safe but at minimum I would put it through something like a Brita filter jug.
I have a Brita P1000 filter plumbed into the cold tap in the kitchen. Lasts about ~6 months before I start to see scale appearing in the kettle, then it gets changed. Works well.
Got a new set of burrs for my Eureka Mignon Silenzio.....amazing how dull the old ones are. Not dialled it in yet, past my caffeine time for the day!
Should get a set for the Mignon Filtro as well.....
The old burrs are set on my desk, good fidget toy, satisfying lump of metal to roll around!
Got a new set of burrs for my Eureka Mignon Silenzio.....amazing how dull the old ones are. Not dialled it in yet, past my caffeine time for the day!
Should get a set for the Mignon Filtro as well.....
The old burrs are set on my desk, good fidget toy, satisfying lump of metal to roll around!
Hopefully they'll make a massive difference. It was night and day with mine.
For anyone looking at bottled water, Waitrose Lockhills and Tesco Ashbeck are the same stuff. Waitrose is slightly cheaper if you buy the 4 x 2l pack, but wasteful in terms of plastic usage.
Nothing else really comes close, which is why La Marzocco recommend it.
water for home espresso machines
an introduction to water – how it affects espresso’s taste and the machine’s life ♒︎ One of the most commonly-asked questions we get from the […]
www.lamarzocco.com