Funks Senior Member Joined: 17 Mar 2004 Posts: 85 Location: Montreal Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Silvia Grinder: MD40 Drip: bodum Roaster: for someone else to do well
Posted Mon Mar 22, 2004, 7:38am Subject: pressurized pf or not!
Happy Monday!
I have many questions about espresso and they all revolve around the intro machine that I have, the saeco aroma!
You all know that it comes with an idiot proof pressurized filter but I am divided with the advice I have received.
On one hand it is recommended ( and I understand and abide by this rule) to properly tamp the grounds inside the filter with a flat surface. I have become quite efficient at this and can get the desired dark crema.
On the other, saeco, says not to tamp at all just to put in the grounds because the porta filter is designed this way.
The thing is if you don’t tamp pressurized or not the water just flows right through and the result is quite mmmm wet.
What are your tips?
I know the machine is not the best but I know it can still achieve a nice shot with a little love!
Thanks for your tips… all tips even tips not related to this note but maybe to this machine Thanks thanks!
Posted Mon Mar 22, 2004, 1:59pm Subject: Re: pressurized pf or not!
Common sense dictates that if following the instructions is yielding bad coffee then either the instructions are wrong or you are misinterperting them.
As a fellow newbie who is totally unqualified to give advice, here is my advice. Tamp firmly and time the pour. Too quick, grind finer and try again. Repeat until you get a good pour time and taste. If you go from too quick to choking the machine because your grinder settings are too course, back off to the last setting before choking the machine and tamp a bit harder.
Do not pay the least serious attention to the above as I am not qualified to give coffee advice. Good luck.
Bob (full disclosure let's me sleep well at night)
IME, in every "field", even the experts disagree. Sometimes it's simply a matter of preferences or lifestyles. Othertimes, it can be a more definable reason. IE, some people don't measure when baking. But perhaps they're so adept at it, that they are very accurate when eyeballing a teaspoon of salt. But since baking involves some science, if the proportions are off, the result can be less than spectacular. So someone who's not fairly accurate at eyeballing a teaspoon of salt would achieve greater results by measuring.
Posted Tue Mar 23, 2004, 7:33am Subject: Re: pressurized pf or not!
Well, in my uninformed opinion based upon reading, there are two reasons.
Manufacturers want to make it easier for the average home consumer to pull a decent shot with crema so the have invented the pressurized pf with crema enhancing features that requires only a light tamp. On the other hand, places like Starbucks feel that heavy tamping slows production and is tough on their barrista's over a long shift so they grind more finely and tamp lightly. From what I've read, neither approach is optimal. Both are compromises. And so, if you want uncompromised quality you must tamp properly (and lose the pressurized pf ;-) )
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