Espresso machines

[dashDustin]

So, a couple years ago I was wondering around one of the fancy hotels in Vegas and saw an Illy shop. Went in, after trying on an IWC flieger, and had me one of the best dang espresso shots I had ever had.

Finally broke down and got some Illy beans. Medium roast.

The WORST espresso shot I've had. Or made. Not in a bitter sort of way, like it's an extraction issue, but straight up gross. I'm super bummed at the moment.

[j44ke]

Illy rep told me that they sell their 2nd tier stuff in the US because most Americans like weak drip coffee. I use Illy pre-ground coffee labelled for use in a pump espresso machine, and it is okay but lacks any complication. It is better in Italy, but then you are having coffee in Italy and everything is better.

[dashDustin]

OCD Coffee Distribution Tool - V2 | Seattle Coffee Gear

Anyone experimented? Sounds ingenious. And very helpful. And the few wordy reviews I've read have been quite positive.

[ericpmoss]

The price of the OCD is detardedly high, but so is the price of good espresso, and if it helps save otherwise wasted shots, it could pay for itself in the first 50lb of coffee.

[Nate@Scarab]

OCD Coffee Distribution Tool - V2 | Seattle Coffee Gear

Anyone experimented? Sounds ingenious. And very helpful. And the few wordy reviews I've read have been quite positive.

I've got a friend who swears by his, and he's pulled me the best shot I've ever had...so I'd say it's probably rad.

[jdhansen63]

OCD Coffee Distribution Tool - V2 | Seattle Coffee Gear

Anyone experimented? Sounds ingenious. And very helpful. And the few wordy reviews I've read have been quite positive.

I've had much better shots with less waste since getting one of these. Highly recommended.

[dashDustin]

I ordered a cheap on from Amazon to experiment. Will report back. If I dig the principal, I'll upgrade.

[dashDustin]

i've been having pretty good luck so far. it's helped with consistency, which has been my big hang up. hard to get your process dialed on 1 or 2 shots a day. i think i'll stick with this cheapie from amazon till i find reason to get a nicer one.

still having a hell of a time getting good foam, though, from my Gaggia.

[j44ke]

So this means the coffee is loose packed not tamped down with a 2lbs tamper now? Interesting, because I've been using this inexpensive Delonghi Dedica EC 680 and not packing the coffee in the portafilter at all hardly, just leveling it. If I do pack it, the pump chokes immediately. But the result is a pretty nice cup of espresso out of a machine that lacks most manual controls.

I had to look this up on YouTube to figure out what the heck it was.

[dashDustin]

still tamp, it just evens out the grinds pre-tamp so that the pressure applied is even throughout the puck.

[rwsaunders]

This little bugger came with my Breville and seems to do the same thing. You still need to tamp but The Blade levels off the coffee in the portafilter.

https://smhttp-ssl-21049.nexcesscdn....compressed.jpg

[dashDustin]

Got some new beans from a local roaster. Came out of the bag quite oily. I'm assuming the grinder will need a little bit of extra love following these. Anything else?

[Octave]

Got some new beans from a local roaster. Came out of the bag quite oily. I'm assuming the grinder will need a little bit of extra love following these. Anything else?

After running through these beans I would suggest throwing a solid handful of white rice in your grinder, running it on a tight-burr setting - this will sop up that oil that would otherwise linger and mess with the taste of future beans. Then throw a small amount of non-special beans in there to clean out any remaining rice-flour. Always worked wonders for me. Also be prepared for some heavy crema on any shots you pull with these oily beans!

[Too Tall]

Boiling water is not a safe move however I do put (tap) hot water in the base to speed things along. No complaints. Moka Pot coffee is my afternoon weapon of choice.

All of you who are spending large amts. of time on your espresso machines really need to take a deep dive into roasting your own beans. (hint hint).

This is some of what I sent jimmybagadonuts last week. He says it pulls a nice shot:
SPvFtFt.jpg

Neat article! Thanks for posting it.

I'm a Moka pot coffee drinker at home but, not being the equivalent of bar espresso, its always been a compromise with which I've had to make peace. Cold water, coffee, flame and there you go.

The other day I ran into this video and it's been an epiphany. The take home message is to preheat the water to boiling THEN install the basket, coffee (already in the basket) and screw the lid on. Restore to the flame and the result is much closer to the espresso from a bar machine. I've ceased to pine after a La Pavoni or an even more expensive electric pump machine. The video is technically enlightening.

The secrets of the moka pot - How to video - Home-Barista.com

[jclay]

Boiling water is not a safe move however I do put (tap) hot water in the base to speed things along.

Safe? Safe is a continuum. Riding bicycles in traffic probably tends towards what most would consider a not safe area of the curve.

Ever boil pasta? Move the pot down the counter to the sink? Deep fat fryer?

Cutting off (as we say down here) the burner and holding the water reservoir down on the counter with a suitable pair of hot-pads whilst gently placing the pre-filled basket in, screwing on the coffee reservoir, putting it back on the burner and cutting it back on....that ain't nothing.

You can do this. Safely. I know you can.

[defspace]

Question for you espresso guys. What's the "CAAD10" pricepoint for an espresso machine?

I'm getting the feeling that unless I'm willing to spend four digits on a rig, I'm probably better off just getting a moka pot. Is that the case?

[Too Tall]

Question for you espresso guys. What's the "CAAD10" pricepoint for an espresso machine?

I'm getting the feeling that unless I'm willing to spend four digits on a rig, I'm probably better off just getting a moka pot. Is that the case?

Same question.


Jay, got it and guilty as charged.

[jclay]

Question for you espresso guys. What's the "CAAD10" pricepoint for an espresso machine?

I'm getting the feeling that unless I'm willing to spend four digits on a rig, I'm probably better off just getting a moka pot. Is that the case?

I like a really good espresso but I'm not a connoisseur, a perfect espresso every time isn't my goal, and I don't analyse the flavors or put 1/1000 th of the thought into coffee that the folks who are really into it, do.

A guy brought his 400 dollar-ish, electric pump driven machine to the office. It certainly made a better espresso (real espresso, rich, creamy, whatever adjectives are appropriate) than my moka pot (which makes strong coffee, not quite what is thought of as espresso these days). It lasted a couple of years and broke. For a while I was looking in the $1,500-ish machine range until I realized that....it's coffee. I didn't see a lot of machinery in between.

Now this is my perspective; for others this is really important and worth spending that kind of dough on, or more, but for me, it's coffee. I don't grind my own beans, I buy Cafe Bustello or whatever a Cuban friend brings up from a neighbourhood Tampa grocery store. And I didn't want a machine that needed a 30 minute pre-heat and an empty shot in preparation for combat. And PID controls? Jeepers, that's what I did for a living; I'm certainly not going to add a three term controller to my coffee maker...though it's interesting to see folks bring as much process controls technology to bear on coffee making as I did to small process plants.

It's early morning and I'd like a reasonably strong coffee, in the next few minutes, without a lot of fuss. For the past 15 years or so that's what my $30 stainless steel, Bialetti moka pot has delivered. It will do it for another 15, or somebody else’s lifetime. I'll buy a spare gasket sometime, just in case.

The one process upgrade I've made is to bring the open water reservoir to a boil before installing the basket and coffee receptacle. That hasn't made it true espresso (by modern standards), but it is a little thicker and better to my taste. That's my sweet spot.

This moka pot has a pressure control valve which increases the pressure across the coffee grounds within the machine, like the serious machines. Not nearly as much I think, but some. That might be worth a try.

Bialetti : brikka

If I was going to have a "real" machine I'd get a lever unit. Pumps and motors break. That's a necessary evil in industry, but not in my kitchen at 6 in the morning.

[Too Tall]

John I'm pretty much in your camp and my Bialetti is the business. Turns out I've got more freetime on my hands that some and roasting/grinding my own beans leads to temptations. I like the lever jobs. Do any of them take less than a lifetime to heat up and are they reliable?

[ericpmoss]

[...] I like the lever jobs. Do any of them take less than a lifetime to heat up and are they reliable?

The Strietman CT-1 lever is ready in 3 minutes flat if you start it with only 1/2 cup water in it, and microwave the rest of the water at the same time. Because the machine is so minimal -- just an metal funnel on top of a small chunk of... metal -- you can do that without safety concerns. If you need 15 shots of espresso, just pre-heat water to add to it as you go, using a thermometer to not overshoot too far. It's reliable because it's so simple (and well-constructed). But... no milk foaming.