Coffee Appreciation

So the main struggle yesterday was steaming milk with the Rancilo.

@Tenderloin if you get the 'screaming' it normally means you've emptied out too much steam or you hadn't built up enough to start with.

How I do it:
Get it up to steam temperature
Put milk jug underneath wand and open steam valve nice and wide
Wait until the steam is coming out 'dry' - i.e. lots of steam but no water droplets/moisture
By then the steam rate will have slowed down, basically the Silvia is running out of puff and the boiler light will have come on
Close the valve
Wait a minute for the steam to get back up to pressure again
Froth your milk - the light should come on less quickly second time round. I don't bother with a thermometer, I can feel when the milk is too hot and I'm more concerned about getting the right texture which is the hard bit.

tl:dr - never froth your milk on the first go, always 'simulate' frothing and do it on the second. They call her Miss Silvia for a reason - she's a bit of a primadonna (and yes that's #everydaysexism but it's an Italian machine).

I'd happily come round some time and show you in person. Using this technique and everything @sumo taught me I can do a pretty consistent flat white with latte art (which really needs the milk to be just right).

Ah shit, bloody website. We’ve got loads of Las Acacias, I think the subscriptions are down because of problems with the payment system. Let me take a look and get back to you.

Yeah, same I bought a few off ebay as 'unworking' and descaling them almost always sorted them.

Delayed ordering meant I managed to convert an extra colleague to YB too. Bumper order arrived on Friday. Impending baby arrival means I might start ordering 1kg bags...!

I'd wait a week or two before you start baby on caffeine.
Americano might be a good initial drink before you go full on double espresso or Turkish.

Breast is best at that age too, not ideal for latte art though.

Does anyone know a good place to order those thick ceramic coffee mugs online?

@withered_preacher @Scrabble

did LOL

like these? https://www.coffeehit.co.uk/classic-diner-mug-10oz.html

Yes! Spot on. Had a coffee in one in a shop and I was a big fan.

@jackc

Just got some of these
https://homeinstitute.co.uk/shop/kinto-porcelain-mugs/

^ Fun site, thanks.

Kinto make ones like that too, even do one with a sweet fixeh on.

https://www.homearama.co.uk/kinto-scs-250-ml-bicycle-mug.html

Edit: Great minds/too slow

You can also order nice ones from Small Bach Coffee.

That’s where I got served coffee in one. Really nice

Yeah good coffee. Nice team too. Use my mug daily, is rock solid!

Free oatly coffee at all Grinds (and maybe change please) until 19 Nov, if that floats your boat.

Question for Señor Peel or anyone with water knowledge.

I spotted your osmosis post. If I won the lottery that sounds good (as I presume the DIY kits on Amazon for around £200 are a waste of time). But assuming I don't (win the lottery), what's the best way to get 'decent' water at home? Will be using it to supply a technivorm. Would something like a Brita do the job or is there a better option out there? I live in Brighton so the water is "moderately hard" according to the Southern Water website. Thinking partly for taste and partly for longevity of Technivorm.

Bottled? I didn't believe at first but gave it a go. Made a huge difference

I was hoping to avoid bottled for plastic reasons, also probably more expensive in the long run than some kind of 'cheaper than industrial reverse osmosis' filter system. Also kitchen's not massive and I don't have lots of space to stockpile many gallons of water (I'd probably be using about 2 litres a day for coffee alone).

I think a Brita jug filter would be perfectly adequate for your use, just make sure you change the filter regularly. Do a Pepsi challenge with it and you’ll certainly find a noticeable difference. I use a plumbed-in Brita filter for the glasswasher and it gets the TDS down from over 400 to about 250 so a significant improvement.

I also get a little bit squeamish at the use of bottled water for brewing coffee.

100% factoring in an RO setup next time we move house...

Has anyone used a kettle with an in built water filter?

Yeah I wouldn't bother, better to just change the filter more often in a Britta.

I just bought one of these to filter some pretty hard tap water at home. Fairly cheap way to see if it makes a difference.

BWT Vida Water Filter Jug