I could have had a wheelset...(warning: coffee porn)

[DECO]

Love this discussion, curious about whether any of you guys have ristrettos prior to a ride, and it's impact on dehydration and performance

[t-hoe]

Love this discussion, curious about whether any of you guys have ristrettos prior to a ride, and it's impact on dehydration and performance

Um...I can really only comment on what the 'lack' of pre-ride caffeine has on my performance. It's not pretty. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that my baseline caffeine intake is so high, I really only notice it's absence.
re: the question of dehydration. Most recent studies have shown the caffeine is a fairly mild diuretic and that this effect is really only pronounced in people with little to no tolerence...e.g non-regular coffee drinkers.
I visit the loo with the same frequency regardless of what I drink....

[WayneJ]

I'm not aware of whether the switch/thermostat can be serviced separately from the boiler. Perhaps I should have said "failure" rather than "burnout."

I take everything apart to see how it works - it's in my DNA to do so.. Espresso machines are quite complex and once you peek inside, you begin to understand the cost. Having said that, the thermo switches (stock parts, not PID) and boiler are easily serviced and relatively cheap. I haven't PIDed either of my machines, but I have an electronics lab at my disposal at work, so it would be a breeze to implement. Honestly, I'm not motivated enough to do it since I found that getting the grind/tamp combo is more important as long as the machine is fully warmed up. Plus, making a marginal shot occasionally makes me appreciate the ones that are Dynomite!

Don't forget to pre-warm your cup with hot water while you're off grinding beans.

[grscha]

The latest.

[soupless]

Is this piece of shit worth a shit?

I'm just getting into drinking real espresso after having fun with a moka pot for a while. This is free.

[WayneJ]

Is this piece of shit worth a shit?

I'm just getting into drinking real espresso after having fun with a moka pot for a while. This is free.

I'm not a huge fan of automatic machines, but that one is made by Saeco, which is a good brand and has a decent built-in grinder. The current retail on that machine is just short of $600, so it's definitely worth a "go" especially considering the price to you.

[grscha]

Hey C.Dyer -- I went to the Water Avenue Coffee cafe today. Great shots. You should check it out.

You going to join the PDX VSalon happy hour?

[grscha]

bpf.jpg

OH. YEAH.

More crema and the shot tastes better. Though I'm probably imagining the last part...

[DECO]

Saeco automatic machines are the business already are to up to 5500 espressos on it in a four year period.

[Eddie]

bpf.jpg

OH. YEAH.

More crema and the shot tastes better. Though I'm probably imagining the last part...

Yo, way to go!

That is some seriously nice work.

[Cookietruck]

is this like riding tubs in the espresso world?

[grscha]

is this like riding tubs in the espresso world?

Nice!

An interesting and possibly controversial question...

Highly traditional and with the greatest potential for quality. That could be tubulars. But what are semi-automatic machines and fully automatic machines then?

Perhaps there is a frame analogy--ultra-traditional steel is a manual machine, modern steel is a semi-automatic machine, and carbon is a fully automatic machine?

(Not sure that even I can take that seriously...)

[Cookietruck]

Nice!

An interesting and possibly controversial question...

Highly traditional and with the greatest potential for quality. That could be tubulars. But what are semi-automatic machines and fully automatic machines then?

Perhaps there is a frame analogy--ultra-traditional steel is a manual machine, modern steel is a semi-automatic machine, and carbon is a fully automatic machine?

(Not sure that even I can take that seriously...)

it took me a year...or probably closer to two to really get consistently great shots with that thing.
now i'm pretty happy with it.

[t-hoe]

had one. moved on. made great shots, but I'd hide the thing when friends came over. By the time it's ready to make the 4th shot, everyone's gone home.

[Eddie]

had one. moved on. made great shots, but I'd hide the thing when friends came over. By the time it's ready to make the 4th shot, everyone's gone home.

Do you speak of Miss Silvia or the Gaggia Factory?

There's definitely some wait time when allowing the thermostat on the Silvia to cycle, but I still managed to have four doppios for breakfast yesterday.

[t-hoe]

Do you speak of Miss Silvia or the Gaggia Factory?

The gaggia factory....mine was old Pavoni though...late 80's. The silvia has much better cycles times...
My Diva is rated around 60 shots per hour. Those pull levers...about 10 ;-)

[Cookietruck]

The gaggia factory....mine was old Pavoni though...late 80's. The silvia has much better cycles times...
My Diva is rated around 60 shots per hour. Those pull levers...about 10 ;-)

yeah the factory is not the machine for pulling many shots back to back.
i could do 4 pretty reasonably...turning the machine off after each shot so the boiler doesn't keep cycling on and off...maybe 6 doubles right after another but the last few probably wouldn't be perfect shots...

[C.Dyer]

Hey C.Dyer -- I went to the Water Avenue Coffee cafe today. Great shots. You should check it out.

You going to join the PDX VSalon happy hour?

Hey! I just saw this, haven't looked at this thread in a while...

I just went to Water Ave for the first time a couple of days ago. Agreed, it was really excellent.

re: Happy Hour Friday. Uh, maybe. I'm making the slog out to LaGrande to buy a particular car on Friday. Depending on what time I roll back into town, I'll try to make it. I've got John's digits (Shino), so I'll text him to see if y'all are still hanging...

[grscha]

re: Happy Hour Friday. Uh, maybe. I'm making the slog out to LaGrande to buy a particular car on Friday. Depending on what time I roll back into town, I'll try to make it. I've got John's digits (Shino), so I'll text him to see if y'all are still hanging...

Cool. If not this time, maybe next time. (Unless this time goes all horribly wrong...)

[soupless]

Looking for a smaller stovetop moka to replace my way too big Bialetti.
Went browsing at the local Tuesday Morning and saw Bodum's version of a stovetop espresso maker, the Chambord Moka. It's stainless vs. aluminum, and it marked down from $120 to $35. Apparently nobody likes the handle, but I can work around that.


Any experience?