Coffee Appreciation

Just a nice picture what I found on that internet...

+1

I haven't used my nekkid porta for ages. I need to nerd it up a bit more I think and maybe get back to trying to get a leaf pattern in my coffee.

I went to Cafe Freddo this morning (fscking hungover, mind) and had a large latte. They were very busy dealing with Breeders (10am the pram pushers swarm to cafes across the planet) but the coffee I got was lovely. It was a woman serving not the Simon bloke mention on the TMC forum. I want their machine... http://www.keesvanderwesten.com/

Only £8000...

Just about to order a Dualit grinder (same as brave's) and a Gaggia Classic... Hells yeh.

Just about to order a Dualit grinder (same as brave's) and a Gaggia Classic... Hells yeh.

Very nice.

I'm having a bit of Gaggia Classic pain right now. I got a faulty one off eBay and I'm a bit stuck. The pump is very quiet. It pumps at a very low rate. I'm not sure if it's the pump or something downstream of the pump that is the problem. I think that the boiler might be quite calcified so I'm just about to take it apart and have a look. I'll also have a look at the OPV and brew valve.

Any ideas?

Sounds like limescale.

Has anyone got a naked portafilter I can borrow that would fit a sylvia?

Would like to try one and to improve tamping technique.

i've been using aeropress at work the last few weeks certainly a lot less fuss and tidying up than the bialetti I use at home.

Though doing a double shot just for me on the aeropress works well when you try and do four shot/two cups it's a bit of nightmare getting the pressure right

Sounds like limescale.

You would not believe how spotless the boiler was. I've ruled out limescale now. There's none of it... anywhere. The previous owner said that he had de-scaled it regularly but I assumed that was a white lie. It turns out it was true. I'm now blaming the pump. New pump from happydonkey will be around £25 so I'm just going to order that now along with some other things (including a little water softener that sits in the reservoir).

anyone go to that coffee shop opening in Old Street today?
'Look mum no hands'
?/10

Very nice.

I'm having a bit of Gaggia Classic pain right now. I got a faulty one off eBay and I'm a bit stuck. The pump is very quiet. It pumps at a very low rate. I'm not sure if it's the pump or something downstream of the pump that is the problem. I think that the boiler might be quite calcified so I'm just about to take it apart and have a look. I'll also have a look at the OPV and brew valve.

Any ideas?

have you primed the pump? do classics need to be primed?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR5amaPex18

maybe read the comments there

also try:

http://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machines/new-espresso-machine-boiler-will-not-fill-t12863.html

That was my first option. It didn't work.

have you primed the pump? do classics need to be primed?

Yes.

It would be very noisy if not primed.

My shots keep coming out waaaay too fast, i've made the grind finer but still coming out way too fast, I can only assume it's a result of the tamper not covering all of the portafilter so when I tamp it doesn't compress all of the coffee so I need to tamp a few other bits too. Leaving some bits where the water can just rush through. I'm getting myself a better tamper anyway so hopefully that'll sort it but has anyone got any other ideas?

Bigger tamper and tamp the coffee harder? Dunno.

Reg barber the phil/royce of tampers

i'm interested in the dualit grinder can we have a review when you have used it a bit?
as much as i would like a 'pro' grinder i just don't have the worktop space for another bit of kitchen equipment and the ibertal/mazzer things don't look like something i want to be getting down from on top of the cupboards every time i want a brew.

My shots keep coming out waaaay too fast, i've made the grind finer but still coming out way too fast, I can only assume it's a result of the tamper not covering all of the portafilter so when I tamp it doesn't compress all of the coffee so I need to tamp a few other bits too. Leaving some bits where the water can just rush through. I'm getting myself a better tamper anyway so hopefully that'll sort it but has anyone got any other ideas?

what you are describing is called 'channelling', but it doesn't usually effect a shot pull very drastically, in fact you'd probably only notice it with a bottomless (naked) portafilter. the 20 bar of pressure that gets run through your grouphead is equivalent to about 300 kilos on your tamper. what is your grinder?

forgot to ask what your water temperature is and also if the coffee comes out light blond, or dark and muddy

Just went ahead and ordered a gaggia classic and dualit grinder... and a brita water filter.

Trying to ignore the reg barber...

i'm interested in the dualit grinder can we have a review when you have used it a bit?
as much as i would like a 'pro' grinder i just don't have the worktop space for another bit of kitchen equipment and the ibertal/mazzer things don't look like something i want to be getting down from on top of the cupboards every time i want a brew.

I have had my Dualit for a two weeks now and can't fault it. Good grind. Nice and fine for stove top. Small enough for kitchen top and a pretty good aesthetic.

the dualit i believe is the same as the solis 166 or the starbucks branded burr grinder. it won't do really well with espresso out of the box, but with some modding it should do all right! check it out here: http://www.kwilson.fsnet.co.uk/grinder_tweaks.htm

I really really can't be arsed modding a grinder.

I really really can't be arsed modding a grinder.

You'll want a tamper when you see the POS that you get with the Classic though. It's a flimsy little thing that doesn't even fill the basket.

I'm sure that slightly coarse freshly ground coffee is better than the slightly coarse pre-ground coffee you get in the supermarket so I'd not worry too much about it.