Manual expresso machines....thoughts?

[ericpmoss]

Sweet baby jeebus. We most assuredly will want a detailed report.

Here are two reviews better than what I'll have (though I might sneak a bike into a photo):

Owner experience with the Strietman CT1 - Home-Barista.com
Strietman CT1 - Home-Barista.com

I will either get HG-1 | LWW or Sette 27W - Baratza to go with it. The over-the-top manual nature of the HG-1 seems like the kind of stupidity I should align with, but 4 seconds to get something weighed to 0.1g is pretty cool, too.

[ericpmoss]

The Strietman CT-1 finally arrived -- after customs and the FDA had a gander, and DHL had their hand out for $86 in extra import fees. That turned 3 day shipping into a week, but no refund on the difference. :(

That said, happy happy happy. My photos suck compared to the links posted above so you'll have to settle for the pros' work. I love this thing. Small, simple, SILENT, physically stable, temperature-stable, easy to save over- and under-tamped espresso pucks. Creamy extractions and IMO flavor on par with the local shops -- that includes the original Intelligentsia, so it's a 'win'.

If you like tweaky highly manual things, I *highly* recommend it. Not recommended for people with kids as it has exposed bits at 200F.

[mwynne]

Wow, I REALLY want to try one of those CT1s!

[ericpmoss]

Wow, I REALLY want to try one of those CT1s!

It's a ton of fun, but you have to like to putter around a bit, at least until you have it dialed in:

1. Use a ThermaPen to verify the water temp. The lid has a very narrow gap, and ThermaPens fit through easily.
2. Fill to the same mark after every shot. Repeatable temp requires consistent water level, as the water 'hopper' is also a radiator.
3. Let water temp stabilize before measuring and adjusting heater setting.

Once it's dialed in, the unit will keep the water at a steady temp as long as you refill to the same mark and give it 2 minutes. The serious users refill it from a kettle, in which case the rebound time is the time it takes to prepare another shot.

Or... get a PID and thermocouple. There is a thread over at home-barista.com about that -- in that case "it just works".

[mwynne]

It's a ton of fun, but you have to like to putter around a bit, at least until you have it dialed in:

1. Use a ThermaPen to verify the water temp. The lid has a very narrow gap, and ThermaPens fit through easily.
2. Fill to the same mark after every shot. Repeatable temp requires consistent water level, as the water 'hopper' is also a radiator.
3. Let water temp stabilize before measuring and adjusting heater setting.

Once it's dialed in, the unit will keep the water at a steady temp as long as you refill to the same mark and give it 2 minutes. The serious users refill it from a kettle, in which case the rebound time is the time it takes to prepare another shot.

Or... get a PID and thermocouple. There is a thread over at home-barista.com about that -- in that case "it just works".

Puttering/hands-on, yes please! A bit outside of the budget at the moment though ;)

[nrs5000]

At the opposite end of the spectrum, my well used Bialetti Moka seems to need some restorative maintenance. The gasket looks like hell and the thing still makes a pot, but with not the slightest hint of a crema-like substance (it used to make a little). I got a new gasket and screen but with the new consumables installed it won't even push water through so I put the old hardware back in. What am I doing wrong?

[ericpmoss]

At the opposite end of the spectrum, my well used Bialetti Moka seems to need some restorative maintenance. The gasket looks like hell and the thing still makes a pot, but with not the slightest hint of a crema-like substance (it used to make a little). I got a new gasket and screen but with the new consumables installed it won't even push water through so I put the old hardware back in. What am I doing wrong?

Does the gasket look the same on both sides, or does one side have a lip and the other not? If there is no asymmetry, I can only imagine that there has been a slight change in thicknesses over the years, or the new one is itself stiff, or some particles have gotten in the way of it sealing. Is more than one gasket involved?

[Nierman]

At the opposite end of the spectrum, my well used Bialetti Moka seems to need some restorative maintenance. The gasket looks like hell and the thing still makes a pot, but with not the slightest hint of a crema-like substance (it used to make a little). I got a new gasket and screen but with the new consumables installed it won't even push water through so I put the old hardware back in. What am I doing wrong?

Is the basket lip nestled tight up against the reservoir? any dents? I pry out and flip my gasket on occasion, but it's nearing its end (forgot about a brewing pot a couple times - surprised it still works). Perhaps blasphemy, I only fill the basket up 3/4 way with grounds - allowing the pressure never to get all that high so water flows up easy.

[rwsaunders]

^ Check that your seal is tight and make sure that the pressure relief valve is functioning. As Kevin, I only fill my screen about 1/2-3/4 with coffee and all works well. Filling to the top wastes a lot of coffee imho.

[nrs5000]

Does the gasket look the same on both sides, or does one side have a lip and the other not? If there is no asymmetry, I can only imagine that there has been a slight change in thicknesses over the years, or the new one is itself stiff, or some particles have gotten in the way of it sealing. Is more than one gasket involved?

There is one gasket. The old gasket is hardened and is not flat anymore. The new one is flat and supple -- in my mind's eye the new one should work better than the old one, but apparently this is not the case.

Is the basket lip nestled tight up against the reservoir? any dents? I pry out and flip my gasket on occasion, but it's nearing its end (forgot about a brewing pot a couple times - surprised it still works). Perhaps blasphemy, I only fill the basket up 3/4 way with grounds - allowing the pressure never to get all that high so water flows up easy.

I wonder if the problem is the basket. I tend to tap the edge of it to get the old coffee out, and over a period of years this could have pushed the lip at the top of the basket in. With the new gasket it does not work with a nearly full basket, or even an empty basket.

^ Check that your seal is tight and make sure that the pressure relief valve is functioning. As Kevin, I only fill my screen about 1/2-3/4 with coffee and all works well. Filling to the top wastes a lot of coffee imho.

I think the pressure valve works. Maybe I should run it with a new gasket and see if it is developing any pressure. I suspect that somehow it is not.

Thanks for all the ideas!

[rwsaunders]

Just chilling tonight and I came across this masterpiece.

How to make moka coffee - illy

[Nierman]

Just chilling tonight and I came across this masterpiece.

How to make moka coffee - illy

Cool video - I've been doing it wrong. But make up for it I guess by consuming the entire "6-cups" to myself - Americano style in a 16oz firehouse mug. I'll try pulling it before the reservoir boils out.

[nrs5000]

So I got a new basket for the Bialetti and that plus a new gasket did the trick. It now functions as expected.

[Too Tall]

"Hastiness is at odds with the pleasure of a coffee break".

[Eric Estlund]

I have no real information, but a friend pretty well replaced his machine in the house with one of these: http://espressoforge.com/

[Mark Kelly]

I have no real information, but a friend pretty well replaced his machine in the house with one of these: EspressoForge – A manual by hand pour-over espresso coffee press machine.

Really interesting machine.

Object lesson in how not to build a website.

[ericpmoss]

I have no real information, but a friend pretty well replaced his machine in the house with one of these: EspressoForge – A manual by hand pour-over espresso coffee press machine.

That is pretty cool -- now to paint "Silca" on the side. :)

After a week of working with the CT1 I think the next step in DIY espresso is an insulated but unheated reservoir directly connected to the pressure chamber, and heated with one of these: PolyScience Sous Vide instead of a dedicated heater. One could pull shots all day long with temperature stability equal to that of $20k commercial machines. All that's missing is the steam wand.

Also, there's essentially nothing to go wrong that can't be fixed with a trip to Sur La Tabluh.

[alexstar]

This ROK is supposed to be the business. Looks interesting.

ROK | Homepage for the ROK espresso maker

[Too Tall]

Woah.

This ROK is supposed to be the business. Looks interesting.

ROK | Homepage for the ROK espresso maker

[rwsaunders]

I have no real information, but a friend pretty well replaced his machine in the house with one of these: EspressoForge – A manual by hand pour-over espresso coffee press machine.

I'm on a plane surfing the web on my iPad and my wife just looked over my shoulder, spotted the espressoforge and said..."don't even think about it".