Coffee Appreciation

^ enjoy!

best stovetop? I assume bialetti.. any difference between models?

can i get away with a cheaper burr grinder than would be required for espresso machine?

Left = Gaggia Right = Rancillo

The fitting

Just about to do this.

best stovetop? I assume bialetti.. any difference between models?

can i get away with a cheaper burr grinder than would be required for espresso machine?

Love coffee, especially out of a Bialetti, no need to pay 500 euros for a good machine while it can be so simple, offcourse depending on the blend you throw in it.

The easiest mod ever.

Congrats Andy, about the most effective mod you can make too.

I couldn't resist and had to have a play.
A very big step up from the Cubika. I didn't adjust my grinder (hario hand) and produced a 45 second shot, well two actually. Mrs.w finally enjoyed a coffee.

Flavour, nice to have you back.
Trip to town tomorrow to buy a thermometer for the milk and a new battery for the scales. Many hours are going to be spent getting things right.
Just like cycling, the journey will be fun.

If only I could by decent fresh beans locally.

Next up, adjusting the OPV :0)

http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1143118905/0

Damn you, Sam.

Great to hear people having fun with shiny chrome gaggias.used to have one for a few years.really solid.
I only came on to say its gonna be iced coffee time soon.lovely still balmy eve out there tonight on the bike

I'm fighting the urge to buy a brace of Classics, PID one for brewing and keep the other in steam mode. Maybe plumb it in with a rotary pump too. Ghetto dual boiler, see.

Would save arse ache by buying a 1 group HX commercial but that wouldn't be so much fun would it?

best stovetop? I assume bialetti.. any difference between models?

can i get away with a cheaper burr grinder than would be required for espresso machine?

There's quite a radical difference between my two Bialettis; The aluminum Kaliffa has an extra cap on top of the coffee spout that amps up the pressure a bit to give a little more pseudo-crema and a taste more akin to espresso, while my stainless Kona gives me a great cup of deep coffee.
I wouldn't cheap out on a grinder, but no need for the big electric ones. A decent hand grinder will do the trick and make for a quieter, more satisfying experience.

Anyone recommend a good milk steamer that will accompany my aeropress? Girls in the office downstairs - who I am trying to get me to hire - have noticed I can make a good coffee and are now requesting flat whites.

Someone posted a stove top steamer a while back, unlikely to have a bob in the office though.

Damn you, Sam.

It's dead easy to do.

had a day of yesterday so descaled the Gagia Classic, which was fun.

I also popped into the Beanery at Loughborough Junction Station, this was not fun.

I asked for a latte with an extra shot, nothing fancy. However, that is not what I got, despite the lady then saying "normal latte is 2 shots, you want 3?"

I would expect with that order to get a normal, run of the mill latte, with 3 shots, in a couple of minutes (no other punters around).

The lady first fumbled around for a portafilter, and when she found one it was missing a basket. Queue more fumbling and then the appearance of a double basket. Getting there. Then the beans were ground and placed into the basket but when the tamper appeared, all I could see it was doing was levelling off, no pressure at all.

The lady then noticed she had picked up a portafilter with a single spout, this didn't bother me but she was convinced she had made a mistake and mumbled something inaudible to a colleague, pointing at the spout. She hesitated for a minute, shrugged her shoulders and carried on with the shot. In order to provide the extra shot, the pour ran on (through barely tamped grounds) for a good 70 - 80 seconds. She could see my patience was waning slightly so she picked up the cup and showed me it's contents saying "look, strong?!" I just said "sure, whatever" as I just wanted to get my coffee and go at this stage.

Anyway, it was only £2.40 and I was on my way home so at least I didn't go out of my way to try the place.

It was also about a million degrees inside.

Plus side was, the whole milk was well steamed.

tl;dr - bad mood, got shit coffee

^Terrible. I would have refused to pay.

There's nothing 'only' about £2.40 for a shitty coffee.

At Westfield, I asked for an americano. "What's that?". "It's an espresso with hot water".

They brought me an espresso cup (with espresso), and a mini hot water jug for tea. Fuck's sake.

There's nothing 'only' about £2.40 for a shitty coffee.

true, but for some reason in my head it would be over £3 so I was glad to GTFO

Blimey. That London.

they brought me an espresso cup (with espresso), and a mini hot water jug for tea. Fuck's sake.

lol !!

Tried the house blend beans from Coffee Machine on the Kings Road. £5 for 250g. Loads of crema on the first shot, minimal acidity and lots of interesting undertones. I've decided that I'm not much up for sharp tastes and these beans suit me really well. Nice friendly shop.

Used my v60 pour through a couple of times now and just about getting a nice cup.

I'm grinding with a hario mini grinder

Does anyone have tips on how to set the grind for pour throughs, french press & moka on it?

I'm fighting the urge to buy a brace of Classics, PID one for brewing and keep the other in steam mode. Maybe plumb it in with a rotary pump too. Ghetto dual boiler, see.

Would save arse ache by buying a 1 group HX commercial but that wouldn't be so much fun would it?

Two Classics would probably have a smaller bench footprint! :)