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Need Espresso Maker Advice

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    #31
    This thread has stirred up MEMS… After reading through this a few more times, I’ve started reading elsewhere about some of the equipment I’m using. I realized I have a pressurized basket, so that will be replaced by Sunday. Also, looking at the portafilter and wondering if a bottomless is just for a bit of show compared to a double spout type portafilter. Regardless, I’ve spent some time looking at all these fancy machines on some of the sites that were mentioned earlier (Seattle, Whole Latte, etc.)

    and, tomorrow I’ll be weighing my espresso pulls to see how I’m doing with my grind and tamp ……

    last question - anyone do a mail order service for beans they can recommend? For years, I’ve gone to Cost Plus World Market and purchased a variety of their whole beans. I ran out yesterday and went there to restock and like many things these days, supply chain issues. So, tried a few other varieties as well as a new brand - Dallmayr Espresso de Oro. See how these taste.

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    • Old Glory
      Old Glory commented
      Editing a comment
      (4) George Howell is in Boston and when I worked in Town I would grab a bag every so often. Amazing stuff! Though again I am looking for a consistent blend that I can dial in and be my everyday cup. Their coffee is all about small farms and different regions changing constantly. Sometimes outstanding sometimes not for me. I prefer med-dark not full dark roasts.

    • ssennott
      ssennott commented
      Editing a comment
      You might try Atomic coffee out of Salem Ma you will the coffee the day after its roasted so you will always have it fresh. George Howell Alchemy is pretty consistent if you use it fresh once you dial it in you should be good.

    • WayneT
      WayneT commented
      Editing a comment
      What Old Glory said re WholeLatteLove. I ordered from them for years before they discontinued the blend I was buying. I’m a huge fan of Lavazza.

    #32
    Originally posted by barelfly View Post
    last question - anyone do a mail order service for beans they can recommend? For years, I’ve gone to Cost Plus World Market and purchased a variety of their whole beans. I ran out yesterday and went there to restock and like many things these days, supply chain issues. So, tried a few other varieties as well as a new brand - Dallmayr Espresso de Oro. See how these taste.

    Two thoughts: First, there's a lot of good info in https://reddit/r/coffee, esp their weekly 'what are you brewing' threads. Second, SCG sells a variety of coffees https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/coffee.

    Comment


    • barelfly
      barelfly commented
      Editing a comment
      Thank you! I was on Seattle Coffee a bit yesterday and enjoyed their site. I’ve even watched a few of their videos they have produced for the Bambino Plus machine I Have. THanks for the links!

    • rickgregory
      rickgregory commented
      Editing a comment
      barelfly You're welcome. If there's something they advertise as not available online and you really want it, lemme know. I live a few miles from one of their retail outlets.

    • MrSkimo
      MrSkimo commented
      Editing a comment
      If you are in Seattle, they have a selection and will pull a shot to let you try some of them

    #33
    barelfly This guy is pretty slow to listen to, but this is how you adjust the dose on the Breville Oracle.


    It took me about 7 discarded cups, but I now (with the Starbucks Espresso Roast beans we are using; if we change beans I would have to recheck, and likely recalibrate) have an 18 gm dose of grinds in the portafilter, and with a 25 sec run, draw 40 cc (gms) of extraction.

    Fun for those of us with a healthy (?) dose of OCD!

    Daniel

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    • barelfly
      barelfly commented
      Editing a comment
      YES! If anyone would understand the OCD, this group would! So, this morning’s pull turned out great when timing and weighing the extraction. 25 seconds on the run time did put out 40g of liquid. Gave about a 2:1 ratio with the 18g dose. I did adjust one click on my grinder this morning, seemed to be a bit more golden color in the crema. A great pull! Then I jacked up the milk trying to be fancy and froth on my own rather than letting the machine do the work. but thank you for the video
      Last edited by barelfly; December 11, 2021, 08:13 AM.

    • barelfly
      barelfly commented
      Editing a comment
      Pt 2 - will give it a watch. It’s all I can do for a bit until the temps get over 30* so I can go ride

      - edit - now that I think about this, my machine is set from factory for these times, so, that’s the repeatable part of this. I just have to ensure the grind and my tamp are consistent.

      Thanks Daniel!
      Last edited by barelfly; December 11, 2021, 08:22 AM.

    #34
    I pulled the trigger and bought an inexpensive DeLonghi that was on sale at Costco.

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    • smokin fool
      smokin fool commented
      Editing a comment
      Our daughters boy friend has a Delonghi.
      What model I do not know, I have no idea about these machines.
      He drinks 3-4 espresso's a day.
      I'd be up for 37 days if I drank one coffee.

    #35
    Excellent! And how is the espresso? Looks like it can do great stuff for you!

    Comment


    • Draznnl
      Draznnl commented
      Editing a comment
      Dunno yet. It arrived last night, six days early, and my neighborhood, non-Starbucks coffee roaster is closed on Sundays. I wait...
      Last edited by Draznnl; December 19, 2021, 12:22 PM.

    #36
    Revisiting this - Klatch espresso beans are incoming. Going to try a few types but then start going to some of the local shops here in town. Also a few roasters and see what I can find. Finally picked up a new grinder that is working well and gives me a better grind I believe.

    Comment


    • Old Glory
      Old Glory commented
      Editing a comment
      Let me know how you like Klatch. They are my go to for Espresso.

    #37
    We bought a DeLonghi Dedica EC685 a couple of months ago and we like it. It also has good reviews on line from Tom’s coffee corner. Someone said that you need a good burr grinder as well and I agree. This machine was on sale for C$200 which was 1/2 off when I bought it. I did buy a better tamper and a porta filter. It makes a good cup of expresso or cappuccino but there is a learning curve.

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    • Argoboy
      Argoboy commented
      Editing a comment
      I had two pictures selected to upload with this post but I did not select the second picture but it showed up, not sure why?

    • jfmorris
      jfmorris commented
      Editing a comment
      It is showing because you attached it, but did not insert it inline in the text - note how the second picture is showing inside a box labeled "attached files".

    #38
    My favorite Expresso Maker is named Dallia. She is I am guessing mid-late 20s ,dark hair, green eyes, a smile that could melt a glacier and sweeter then Alabama tea.


    Sorry I just couldn’t help myself….Ill leave now.

    Comment


    • Old Glory
      Old Glory commented
      Editing a comment
      lol

    • FireMan
      FireMan commented
      Editing a comment
      Works for me. She still servin ya coffee?

    #39
    Don't believe the espresso hype. Just about every home in Miami has one of these things. It is called a "moka pot" but google will also find it as "Cuban coffee maker". Cheap ones are less than $10 from Target or Walmart, but you can get all fancy and spend $100 or more on a stainless steel version that makes larger amounts. The cheaper ones are aluminum and typically make 1 cup or less at a time. But 1 cup is at least 2 cafe con leches, or 4 or 5 shots of colada, so they are more common.

    The trick is to fill the funnel up and then TAMP IT DOWN with a spoon. You want to pack the espresso grinds in there.

    It is not exactly like the stuff that is extruded from the fancy pants very high pressure machines, but then again they are $10. The fancy machines have A LOT more zeros in the price and are reserved for the Cuban cafeterias that serve gallons of the stuff per day. Gallons is not an exaggeration either. Bougie people also buy super expensive machines, but honestly if you are gonna dump the stuff into BBQ sauce anyway does it really matter?
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    • barelfly
      barelfly commented
      Editing a comment
      I have one of these, like it but I get a residue, almost a thick residue that settles on the bottom of the cup after pour. I don’t use often, it’s my espresso maker at the lake house. You have any tips on what I’m doing incorrectly? Is my grind too big? Do you use paper filters to separate the coffee and then the gasket/filter?

    • Old Glory
      Old Glory commented
      Editing a comment
      Mt Dad loved his Moka Pot. It is actually and Italian Invention. He spent time in Miami and was a huge Cuban Coffee fan. Too sludgy for me but people love them.


    • FireMan
      FireMan commented
      Editing a comment
      Yup, that’s the line I was thinkin.

    #40
    I replaced my 14-year-old Quick Mill Andreja Premium Espresso maker after the pump failed with an Izzo Alex Duetto IV Plus and have been using it the last 5 months. It has been a nice upgrade and has dual rotary pumps vs. the single vibratory pump in the Andreja Premium. I received a new KafaTek Monolith Conical Espresso grinder (MC5) to replace my 14-year-old Mini Mazzer Espresso Grinder last Friday . I wanted to single dose grind and am loving it so far. I added a nice scale and bottomless portafilter with VST baskets to help me get everything dialed in. This hobby is as bad as grilling.


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    • Rfhd69
      Rfhd69 commented
      Editing a comment
      What an awesome set-up!

    • barelfly
      barelfly commented
      Editing a comment
      Yes, love the set up…and it is just as bad as bbq…many rabbit holes to dive down! Did you notice any flavor differences in the single dosing?

    • Midway
      Midway commented
      Editing a comment
      I am early in the process of dialing everything in. I'm told it takes grinding 3 to 5 pounds of beans to season the new burrs. I'm not going to run cheap coffee through it and throw it away. I'll just drink what I grind and live with the results. One thing is less waste and the beans and grind are always fresh.

      The first few days the portafilter was channeling and spritzing and espresso OK but not great. The bottomless design shows all puck prep flaws. The last two days the shots were great!

    #41
    Click image for larger version

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      #42
      I'm likely the resident espresso nut, and my stuff is WAY overboard for most people. I travel with a hand grinder and an Aeropress because I can't get marginal coffee from most coffee shops. Most places sell burnt or way over extracted coffee/espresso. I will say that the single most important thing to any coffee setup, especially espresso, is use fresh beans that you like. As someone said a couple of years ago in this post, make a cold brew and you'll get a concentrated brew that'll be great for sauces. Just make sure you have beans that have a great flavor to your liking. Most espresso shops make terrible espresso, as a true barista is adjusting their espresso machine throughout the day as both the beans and the air change (humidity, temperature, due point etc).

      So grab some good beans, do a medium grind and make a low water cold brew at least 12 hours and no more than 36 and you'll be much better off than 99% of coffee shops. Oh and I have only had 2 espresso shots that were within the range that I make at home, and that was from a very well known boutique coffee shop that ships fresh coffee worldwide. FWIT I buy extremely light roast coffees, anything labeled as medium tastes burnt to me.

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      • barelfly
        barelfly commented
        Editing a comment
        I started buying fresh beans earlier this year - amazing the difference. It’s game changing and like you say…omg to most espresso, unless it’s a specialty shop. I get my beans from three places locally that roast a few times an week and that has been the best thing I’ve done for my morning coffee. Like you say, the cappuccino I make can compete with any shop in town! And I even learned how to do art

        Yes, rabbit hole…on dialing in and making latte art!

      • Midway
        Midway commented
        Editing a comment
        Living near Seattle I have lots of great roasters to try. I currently have Olympia Coffee, will try Espresso Vivace next, have the Caffe Lusso that came with my new grinder and have put together a list of other top local recommendations to try. Starbucks is not on the list and I’m sure there are great out of state roasters but I have more local options than I will ever get to.

      #43
      This is my coffee set up, I weigh the beans after grinding then I also weigh the shot coming out, by doing this I have different recipes for different coffees and I am able to easily repeat what I make.

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      • barelfly
        barelfly commented
        Editing a comment
        That’s a nice machine!

        And Yep, buying a scale really changed my brew as well. Weigh whole bean, then weigh the grounds to ensure I get what I put in, then weigh and time my brew.

      • Midway
        Midway commented
        Editing a comment
        Nice. A better scale arrives Tuesday that will allow me to weigh the dose and the shot. My new single dose grinder doesn’t retain much if any coffee so I won’t need to weigh after grinding but I'll confirm. For over 14 years I just grinded to fill the portafilter, leveled, tamped, and pulled by measure, not weight. This should take my game up a few notches.

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