I didn't know If those were Shot glasses or milk glasses! :P
One thing i will definitely miss about my commercial machine when its gone. I keep 14 espresso cups, 4 shot glasses, and 11 cappa cups at a time and there's still room for several more items up there.
slybarman Senior Member Joined: 3 Nov 2011 Posts: 344 Location: usa Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: La Nuova Era Cuadra Grinder: Baratza Vario
Posted Sat Mar 10, 2012, 8:36am Subject: Re: La Nuova Era Cuadra E61 HX - $995!
I purchased the Espro Toroid steaming pitcher to try it out. WOW! I am really impressed. Completely effortless perfectly incorporated microfoam. I expected it to be a gimmick but darn if it really works. When I poured the foam into a clear measuring cup, the consistency of the foam was even from top-to-bottom. Well worth $35 from Amazon. I will try to put up a video of it in action a little later.
Epson Senior Member Joined: 5 May 2009 Posts: 58 Location: usa Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Sat Mar 10, 2012, 11:19pm Subject: Re: La Nuova Era Cuadra Owners Thread
how long are u guys stretching your milk?
starting out i was stretching very carefully, just barely above the milk, it would stretch really slowly and i pretty much was stretching it most of the time, by time it was stretched far enough there wasn't much time to sink it and do much.
Now recently i started stretching it really fast about 5 seconds max, i try to stretch it as quick as possible. I end up with some big bubbles. Then i drop it all the way to the bottom till i reach 160. By time it reaches 160 the big bubbles are all gone. Since i started doing it this way i can get microfoam everytime, whereas before i wasn't getting any really. Sometimes the body ends up a bit thin this way, seems like the amount of stretching really affects things, which is why im curious how everyone does theirs
Epson Senior Member Joined: 5 May 2009 Posts: 58 Location: usa Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Sat Mar 10, 2012, 11:27pm Subject: Re: La Nuova Era Cuadra Owners Thread
i actually just remember something i forgot about. Few weeks ago i used less milk and which meant i could stretch it alot further trying to make a big cap and i remember it turned out thicker. So im thinking i should try doing that again but really quickly like i just started doing which should give me a thicker body and more microfoam. im still trying to figuer these things out lol :(
slybarman Senior Member Joined: 3 Nov 2011 Posts: 344 Location: usa Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: La Nuova Era Cuadra Grinder: Baratza Vario
Posted Sun Mar 11, 2012, 4:58am Subject: Re: La Nuova Era Cuadra Owners Thread
I stretch it for about 3-4 seconds and shut it off at 125. I was getting micrfoam with the old pitcher, but this is better. It is easier, more consistent and better incorporated. YMMV.
KeithBee Senior Member Joined: 23 Dec 2011 Posts: 6 Location: San Mateo, CA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Cuadra Grinder: Baratza Vario Drip: Press Roaster: Popcorn
Posted Sun Mar 18, 2012, 11:12am Subject: Re: La Nuova Era Cuadra Owners Thread
I bought a Cuadra in December; trouble was that I didn't know what espresso should taste like or how to operate the machine. I went to the Seattle Barista Academy in Feb. for 3 days to remedy this. The experience exceeded my expectations. Bob Burgess, the owner, had me bring my Cuadra. Sauro taught the class and is an extraordinary teacher. Almost every minute was hands on and I was encouraged to grind, froth, and pull without limit. Learning to pull is physical. My class of 5 went to coffee shops one afternoon and I learned what taste I like. I have a few more things that I'd like to share with you.
Getting the right grind is the hardest part.
The Cuadra is powered to froth whole milk from a room temperature pitcher without modification to wand or pitcher. Frothing is still tricky, though.
My Cuadra espresso tastes better to me than the coffee houses I tried, except for Blue Bottle (San Francisco). I'm still learning, though.
E-61 pre-infusion hardly works with tank plumbing. I think this is unimportant because I have no evidence for channeling.
Regarding the top tray, can you elevate the front feet a little? It's no problem for me.
slybarman Senior Member Joined: 3 Nov 2011 Posts: 344 Location: usa Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: La Nuova Era Cuadra Grinder: Baratza Vario
Posted Sun Mar 25, 2012, 11:55am Subject: Re: La Nuova Era Cuadra Owners Thread
Did my first descaling yesterday. That is not a very fun process. The issue of only drawing 4 ounces of water at a time does not really make the process any worse like I thought it might as it only requires a brief pause for the pump to run. But all told, it is still a long and tedious process. FWIW, I watched the SCG video where they descales a Rocket Giotto and they made a point of saying that you have to pause every so often with that one as well to let the pump catch up. So, the issue is not unique to the Cuadra.
I ran into two issues while descaling:
1) At one point my pump stopped kicking in to refill the boiler. I had to allow the machine to cool for over an hour before it started going again. Not sure what that was about, but I have an inquiry in to Jim @ 1st line about it.
2) My hot water valve became tougher to operate. It is quite a bit harder to turn the knob now. I have also asked Jim about this.
Anyhow, with the process complete, the machine is generally running well again and I do not have to tackle that job for another 3-6 months.
I continue to be impressed with the Espro Toroid pitcher. It really is quite effortless. My latte art still sucks, but the foam is good and the problem is user-related. This was my coffee from this morning. It was Cafe Pronto's sweet cheeks which I used to like, then didn't, but was really good this morning which surprised me because the beans were getting a bit long in the tooth.
Posted Sun Mar 25, 2012, 1:45pm Subject: Re: La Nuova Era Cuadra Owners Thread
Slybarman, Just curious why you descaled your machine - it can't be more than 4 mos old? Unless you're running industrial waste thru your boiler, you probably wouldn't have enough scale to worry about for a number of years. mw
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