Coffee Appreciation

Just having a look at that site I was reminded of the fact that most of the adhesive strips recommended for popping on the group head go 60-90 and 90-120. Even states in the description that they expect to be in the 85-95 or so range, damn frustrating! Thanks for the link though, going to treat myself to one of those surprisingly cheap steel drip trays also!

standard pourover but keep the switch closed for bloom.

Like a v60 with delay before the drip phase then?

Anyone using Hario Switch?

Hoffmann is!

https://youtu.be/QjIvN8mlK9Y

Always ahead of the curve...

I was excited when that video came out but those filters cost 50p a throw, so that's a pass from me.

The filters are not specific for that device though right? They're for v60-style cone drippers in general. The goto filter for the Switch will be a regular v60 filter.

Or are you talking about being excited for the filters themselves before watching the video?

I was excited for a technique video about the v60 switch. But to me it doesn't make sense to follow a technique that has such an expensive filter in. I could use normal v60 papers ofc, but in that case it feels like I wouldn't really be following the same technique, because the filter would be different.

Fair point!

The Switch is basically a Hario-branded Clever Dripper, so you'll probably get similar results by following a decent Clever Dripper video? There are some Clever Dripper users in the thread here who can chip in with some more authority on this though!

My Baratza Sette 270 arrived at last!

@mmccarthy - you got me into this mess. Do you have any after-market mods for yours? The holder is a little awkward with a naked portafilter.

Time to go dial it in.

Excited!

Hah! Nope, no mods on mine!

What size portafilter do you use? I've got a 51mm one (I remember you saying you were considering a La Pavoni so may be in the same boat as me there) so the little support it has for the portafilter isn't a great fit. Given it's only around 6 seconds or so I haven't decided to address that yet (to be fair, I spent a good few years working in a coffee shop using bottomless portafilters so the muscle memory is already there, and the little bumps at the rear of the supports on the Sette are enough of a luxury relative to the commercial grinders I was using!)

Edit: Just went and checked there, turns out the fit is actually fine (photo attached). I'm guessing since I frequently switch between filter & espresso flipping that little support in and out just got annoying so I didn't bother with it.

Also one niggle I've noticed recently, the bolt holding in the espresso burr I use is a little recessed, so I occasionally end up with a bean sitting there after finished grinding. On the filter burr I bought, the bolt is a bit longer so I don't have this issue. I've taken both apart for cleaning a few times so not sure which is the standard one that comes with the grinder. Seems like a bit of an oversight with the shorter bolt, so would be interested to hear whether yourself (and @Snips) have the same issue. Will pop up a photo later to show what I mean.

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Yep - La Pavoni (ELH - because the wood is nice)

I realised I hadn't set up the supports correctly -it looks more like your setup now.

I'm only going to be making espresso, so will no doubt come across the recessed bean problem*.

Ta!

* Oooer missus etc...

Great project that, nice one.

Nice one, I was tempted by the wood variant but think I picked up the base model for £350 or something like that, couldn't pass on that offer!

I'd forgotten the little rubber arms rotate to accommodate for various sized portafilters, nice touch by Baratza with that.

I guess if you're not frequently switching burrs then the retained bean won't be an issue as it'll just sit there for a few hours to a day. Still doing a better job on retention than pretty much any other motorised grinder out there regardless!

You'll have to get a photo up of the full setup once it's all sorted.

Just checked mine and the bolt sticks out from the burr. Having dialled it in with 1 spacer, it's currently sitting slightly coarser than 5E using 18g and aiming for 36g in 30s with a Gaggia Classic.

Cheers Steve - means a lot! Especially as I’ve gone through bags of your espresso blend getting a handle on it.

I learned about espresso both the extraction and the equipment with domestic lever machines. It’s definitely doing it the hard way but also the most beneficial I reckon.

Possibly asked before and sort of off the back of the sage barista express chat.

I've just inherited some money and want to upgrade from my basic Delonghi machine and basic burr grinder. Late to the V60 game and I'm mainly using that over the Delonghi in recent months.

£1000 maximim for grinder and machine, what do you guys recommend?

Thanks for the info! Yeah I'd assumed it was probably the additional burr that shipped with that shorter bolt. Not a big issue but just seems odd that they didn't pick up on it given the promotion of how easy it is to switch burrs!

where have I seen this before?

I would be tempted by a niche. A lot of the frustration I have with espresso is dialing it in and wasting coffee waiting for the change in grind to come into effect, then overshooting because I haven't waited long enough and adjust again.

We got a second hand fracino cherub and quamar m80e for just over £500. We get coffee that we enjoy and if I was to upgrade it would be to have it plumbed in and how it looks rather than taste!

You'll probably want to hold back a bit of money for some milk jugs, cleaner, a tamper too!

Niche gets my vote on the grinder front. And Hoffman did a review of £500 espresso machines too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HIGdYy5of4

My setup is a Vario grinder and Silvia - I went for these as they are popular options and so lots of opinions out there if you have problems or questions. The Silvia has a large 'mod' community so even greater depths can be gone into on that. I think the ability to take the things apart and fix them/service them is good - something which the Hoffman video maybe doesn't go into.
That said I thought the little Sage espresso machine looked good for the cash and would give you more choice (money) on the grinder. The Vario changes between grinds ok but if you like V60 then it might be that you go for a grinder which is better at changing between grinds more regularly (Not sure what but others might have input). If you drink milk drinks then the steaming function will also be a bigger point.

Until this year I'd used my machine maybe 2/3 x per week - now wfh I use it 2x per day for me and my wife and having a good setup has been brilliant but up until then espresso had seemed a bit of a faff but a nice to have

That’s the thing about sage machines - they’re not serviceable and parts are hard it not impossible to get hold of.

A Silvia machine with the niche would be a proper decent pair. I’m feeling jealous already tbh!

Thanks for your replies and links guys.

The Hoffman video is interesting although I get the feeling he isn't particularly thrilled with any of them, that might just be his character.
I've got the Delonghi machine in that video, the EC685 as an "entry level" machine with a basic Krups burr grinder and I've upgraded the steam wand. Anything is likely to be an upgrade from here...

Been reading some forums today and the Lelit Mara X is also looking tempting but top end of budget and nothing really left for grinder.

Silvia and Niche does sound like a good pair but can't get a Niche until February!
Debating whether to order the Niche for Feb, deal with potentially poor grinds up until February with a Mara X (stretch the budget) or Silvia or find an alternative grinder?

Silvia and Niche does sound like a good pair

This would be my initial recommendation for a £1k machine + grinder to be fair.

If you're looking for something to tide you over until Feb, you could always pick up a decent hand-grinder for under £100. I used a Porlex for over a year before I got a motorised grinder, I'm sure there are better options these days but others on this thread are more knowledgeable here than I so will let them jump in with some recommendations if you're considering that route!