biochemgawd Senior Member Joined: 26 Mar 2006 Posts: 63 Location: Canada Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: BDB Grinder: Vario
Posted Sun Dec 2, 2012, 5:03pm Subject: Re: Talk me out of the Breville 860xl as an entry-level setup
Here is my advice - don't make it too complicated the first few times. Try this approach:
BEANS. Stay away from grocery store or Starbucks' beans. For real results, you will need beans that are maximum 2-3 weeks from their roast date, preferably from one of the favorite sources on this board. Independent coffee shops in your area might stock good beans or roast them.
Use the single wall double shot filter. Make sure your machine has been warming up for at least 30 minutes and the portafilter is in the grouphead until you are ready to pull your shot.
Start with a grind setting on the fine side - maybe 3/4. Grind into your portafilter until the grinds are at the lip of the basket. Use a needle to "mix" the grinds until they are even and clumps are gone. Tamp straight down (no twisting, etc) firmly but evenly (doesn't have to be 30lbs). Remove the tamper straight out. Treat the portafilter with care at this point - no tapping, etc.
Before you put the portafilter in the group head, press and hold the double shot button for 5 seconds. This will clean the grinds from the screen and may help temperature consistency.
Put the portafilter in the group head and press the double shot button once. You may want to play with this later but at this point, you want consistency. Watch the pressure gauge, once the shot starts (after pre-infusion) it should shoot up to 9-10 bar and stay there for the duration of the shot. If it doesn't get that high, repeat with a slightly finer grind. If it pegs at 9-10 bar and no espresso comes out for a few seconds, you need a coarser grind.
You want to aim for a shot that pegs 9-10 bar but flows evenly. Once you have this, you can play with pre-infusion and shot timing. Obviously taste is the most important goal!
apinstein Senior Member Joined: 26 Nov 2012 Posts: 4 Location: Atlanta, GA Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Sun Dec 2, 2012, 5:16pm Subject: Re: Talk me out of the Breville 860xl as an entry-level setup
Thanks! This is a nice, simple roadmap that gets rid of a lot of variables. I'll try this a few times and see where it gets me. Alan
biochemgawd Said:
Here is my advice - don't make it too complicated the first few times. Try this approach:
BEANS. Stay away from grocery store or Starbucks' beans. For real results, you will need beans that are maximum 2-3 weeks from their roast date, preferably from one of the favorite sources on this board. Independent coffee shops in your area might stock good beans or roast them.
Use the single wall double shot filter. Make sure your machine has been warming up for at least 30 minutes and the portafilter is in the grouphead until you are ready to pull your shot.
Start with a grind setting on the fine side - maybe 3/4. Grind into your portafilter until the grinds are at the lip of the basket. Use a needle to "mix" the grinds until they are even and clumps are gone. Tamp straight down (no twisting, etc) firmly but evenly (doesn't have to be 30lbs). Remove the tamper straight out. Treat the portafilter with care at this point - no tapping, etc.
Before you put the portafilter in the group head, press and hold the double shot button for 5 seconds. This will clean the grinds from the screen and may help temperature consistency.
Put the portafilter in the group head and press the double shot button once. You may want to play with this later but at this point, you want consistency. Watch the pressure gauge, once the shot starts (after pre-infusion) it should shoot up to 9-10 bar and stay there for the duration of the shot. If it doesn't get that high, repeat with a slightly finer grind. If it pegs at 9-10 bar and no espresso comes out for a few seconds, you need a coarser grind.
You want to aim for a shot that pegs 9-10 bar but flows evenly. Once you have this, you can play with pre-infusion and shot timing. Obviously taste is the most important goal!
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