Coffee Appreciation

Well a lot depends on your coffee, grind, dose and type of basket but for my current blend this is my process,

I use a Knock grinder. Weigh out ~ 15g of coffee. Dispense into basket (I use a home made distribution tool to remove clumps and spread it about! Made a huge difference)

as I don’t have the tamper that fits perfectly, it’s like .5 of a mm undersized so I kind of have to shift it around to get the edges.

Pull up the lever and fill espresso cup with hot water, down again then fit the portafilter. Up and pre infuse for 20seconds (I used to do 10 but found it just seems to taste better if I leave it longer), then pull down fairly gently. If you pull too hard steam will escape from boiler / grouphead join.

Having a bottomless portafilter is useful too, also I can fit taller espresso cups underneath it.

A shower screen is also a good investment. I haven’t got one but sometimes I use an aeropress paper filter.. I think it’ll take a while to dial in but once you’ve got a process locked it’s pretty reliable :). Enjoy!

I found these helped a lot when I started:

• Some way of measuring grouphead temp is essential. I pull at ~92c on my 51mm group, I think mid-high 80s is recommended on 49mm groups. Sticker, probe, how long can your hand touch it, whatever - consistent temp is a key variable.
  
• Log every shot you pull to work out what's going on and why a shot ended up good/bad. The more variables recorded the better.
  
• Put a weighing scale underneath your machine to get a feel for proper piston pressure. I think 14kg on the scale is equal to 9bar. I tend to pull around 6bar with a decline.
  
• I've ended up liking long, passive preinfusions. Try them, you might like it. Aside from flavour, it also lets the puck saturate enough to get a longer shot.
  

Is it a pre or post millennium? Absolute fantastic machines.

Little upgrades worth considering are pressure gauge and single hole tip if you take milk. Don't even bother trying to steam milk with the standard 3 hole tip! I have a spare single hole tip if you need one.